Chapter 119.2
Marquis Gu panicked at once. He stepped forward and held Yao shi's hand, saying, "I was wrong! I will never bully that girl again! I won’t separate the two of them anymore. Don’t be angry! Don't leave ah!"
This time, it was Yao shi who froze, "Lord Marquis, what are you talking about? Who did you bully? JiaoJiao? Did you... Did you go to them and threaten them to go their separate ways?"
Marquis Gu was flustered!
“Lord Marquis!” Yao shi withdrew her hand from his grasp with bitterness and resentment.
Marquis Gu quickly denied it, "I didn't! What I mean is, I intend to!"
Yao shi was furious, "You, you actually have such intentions?"
Marquis Gu shook his head so hard like a rattle-drum that small ripples appeared on his cheeks, he said, "I... I don’t, I don’t anymore. I will listen to you, don't leave!"
Yao shi calmed her mood and responded to Marquis Gu, "How can I go back to the capital if I don't leave?"
Marquis Gu was surprised at her words. He said, "You’re willing to go back at last? You have finally straightened out your thinking? But Yan'er and... Ahem, what about JiaoJiao?"
Yao shi merely smiled without uttering a word.
Grannie Fang, who was on the side, said with a smile, "Lord Marquis, you probably don't know yet. Guye[1] passed the exam brilliantly and became a Jieyuan. He’s going to study at the Imperial Academy, and the young master and eldest young miss are going to the capital with him."
Marquis Gu was stupefied for a moment. Did he hear correctly? That little cripple passed the exam brilliantly and became a Jieyuan?
He scolded the other party for being worthless, so he turned himself into a Jieyuan for him to see?
What did he mean by this? Was it to give him a slap in the face?
Marquis Gu pursed his mouth. It was just a Jieyuan from a small provincial capital, how great was it? There were twenty or thirty Jieyuan like him in the whole State of Zhao. He probably was the worst one amongst them!
However, it did solve his urgent problem.
If they still don't return to the capital, he could have only wronged Jinyu and held her coming-of-age ceremony in the villa!
Gu Jinyu also heard the news that Yao shi was packing her luggage. She happily came to help Yao shi organize her things, but unexpectedly overheard the reason why Yao shi agreed to return to the capital.
Only because Gu Yan and Gu Jiao were going to the capital...
Gu Jinyu felt as though her heart was pierced by something.
Mom kept saying that she saw her as her own, but in her heart, the one she loved most would always be her own flesh and blood.
"Ah, that’s right." Marquis Gu suddenly recalled that the Gu Family's son also took the provincial exam this year. What was the child's name again?
Gu... Gu... Gu Shunzi? Gu Shunfeng?
Gu Dashun!
"Has Gu Dashun passed the exam?" Marquis Gu asked.
Yao shi went to the yamen to see the list in person. She remembered the name on the list clearly, and there was no examinee surnamed Gu.
Grannie Fang sneered disdainfully and said, "Lord Marquis is talking about the son of that family, right? I did hear that he also took the provincial exam, but he didn't even manage to become a Juren! He’s far worse than our guye! As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and a baby born by a rat can only dig holes! Apart from the deceased Gu Sanlang and his wife, that family doesn’t have a single good thing, and they still thought they could pass the provincial exam? Bah! Maybe in their next life!"
This remark was a bit harsh and was something rude to say in front of one’s master, but that family did treat Gu Jiao really badly, so even the gentle Yao shi didn't refute Grannie Fang's words.
Although Marquis Gu was a little displeased that Grannie Fang raised the little cripple so high, he agreed with the rest of her words. That family was indeed very hateful.
As for Gu Jinyu, Marquis Gu never regarded her as a part of that Gu Family, so he didn't feel that this harsh statement was criticizing her.
Of course, Grannie Fang was only referring to those Gu Family members and didn't mean to condemn Gu Jinyu whatsoever.
However, the speaker had no intention but the listener read her own meaning into it.
Gu Jinyu's face flushed so red. She felt this was more humiliating than being slapped by Gu Jiao in public.
In the end, she didn't go in to help Yao shi pack her luggage, but turned around with her eyes red and went back to her room silently.
"Grannie." Yao shi, who was in the room, suddenly spoke. "Don't say anything like this again in the future. Be careful not to let Jinyu hear it. That child's mind is sensitive, lest she think too much."
"Yes, Madame." Grannie Fang bowed down and answered.
Yao shi looked at the three sets of clothes in the box, all made by her own hands. After knowing JiaoJiao was her own child, she was anxious to make it up to JiaoJiao and ended up neglecting Jinyu a bit.
She made these three sets of clothes for Jinyu.
Knowing that JiaoJiao was uncomfortable with them, Yao shi did not ask her to go together with them, but instead arranged for her to travel with the Marquis Estate's best coachman and carriage.
Marquis Gu didn’t have a problem with this. After all, there was also the weak Gu Yan on their side, and a good carriage could reduce the jolts during the journey to a great extent.
As Gu Jinyu sat in a bumpy carriage, she felt more and more insignificant in this family.
Yao shi did give her three sets of clothes, but she gave Gu Jiao the best carriage!
Gu Jinyu looked out of the window, her face full of grievances.
……
On a sunny morning, Gu Jiao, Xiao Liulang and the rest of the family set out on their way to the capital. The weather these days was still very nice. After more than a month's long journey, they finally arrived in the capital.
Feng Lin wasn’t with them as he went home by water, but Feng Lin's travel permit was in the hands of Xiao Liulang, and Grandaunt and Little Jing Kong were registered on his travel permit.
Xiao Liulang himself was an Imperial Academy student and could enter the capital with the admission documents alone.
Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun were registered on Xiao Liulang’s travel permit. Unlike ordinary travel permits, this student travel permit could include family members, but only two at most.
As for Gu Yan and the coachman, they were originally from the capital.
It was still early when they entered the capital, so they first went to the nearest post house to take a short rest and feed the horses, and by the way inquire about the houses in the capital.
On the way here, Gu Jiao discussed with Xiao Liulang about settling down near the Imperial Academy so that it would be more convenient for him to attend school.
After spending money to open up the mountain, they only have 1,000 taels left on hand. One thousand taels could buy several houses in the county, but not in the imperial capital.
The best way was to rent a house.
Fortunately for them, there happened to be an intermediary at the post house.
This intermediary, also known as guarantor, was similar to agents of Gu Jiao's previous life. They would register at the Yamen to legally buy and sell servants, properties, livestock and so on.
The guarantor surnamed Zhang was a man in his early thirties.
When Guarantor Zhang heard that they had come to the capital to attend the Imperial Academy, he immediately cupped his hand in greeting and showed a respectful look. "It turns out to be an Imperial Academy student, in that case let me assist you! Rest assured, whichever location you fancy, I will offer you the lowest price!"
Gu Jiao was not familiar with the capital.
Xiao Liulang told her about the approximate location of the Imperial Academy, which was in the northeast corner of the junction of Chang'an Street and Xuanwu Street. It was closer to Chang'an Street, but Chang'an Street was a commercial street with heavy traffic congestion of people and carriages, so choosing it didn’t really make any difference.
Guarantor Zhang was surprised as he said, "Has this brother ever been to the capital? You seem very familiar with the capital?"
1. ↑ — A form of address for the husband used by the members of his wife's family.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l