Ziqing had originally thought the opening of the gathering would be the most tedious part, yet it had proven this lively right from the start—especially given how, just now, the two Qinse elders, delighted by such a substantial sum from the auction, had happily announced that this year’s gathering would include a tour of the sea valley for all the guests. The sea valley, after all, was the most beautiful place on Liuxian Island! So many people would never get the chance to see it even once in their entire lives!
Though the gathering had ended some time ago and everyone had returned to the west wing still buzzing with discussion, the atmosphere within the Gu family’s quarters felt distinctly off.
Ever since Patriarch Gu had walked through the door, his old face had remained set in a scowl. He hadn’t said a word since, simply sitting there, his hands gripping the armrests so tightly that veins bulged clearly along the backs of his hands!
Gu Suying and Jiang Chen were quite self-aware, not even daring to sit down, nor daring to stand in the middle of the room. Both kept their heads lowered, waiting off to one side.
The room was utterly silent. Ziqing, having stayed behind to handle the auction proceedings, arrived quite late. Seeing this scene the moment she walked in, she gave a cold smile and turned to head to her room. But after only a few steps, she turned back and sat down calmly off to the side instead.
She’d spent the whole time as the one being watched—now that there was a show to watch, why not watch it?
Seeing Ziqing return, Patriarch Gu finally spoke. “Qing’er, you worked hard today.”
Qing’er?
Madam Gu had occasionally addressed her that way before, but this must have been the first time Patriarch Gu had called her that!
She really didn’t like being addressed that way by them.
“It was fine,” Ziqing said flatly.
“After tomorrow’s zither banquet, there’s nothing scheduled for the day after. I’ll invite the two Qinse elders to come see Beiyue then. Don’t worry, Beiyue will be fine,” Patriarch Gu said earnestly.
Hearing this, Gu Meiting’s eyes flickered with something complicated, muttering inwardly, “The day after tomorrow…”
The two Qinse elders were exceedingly perceptive people. The drug and poison from before had originated from Qinse Valley itself—young master Bai had specifically requested it in the name of the Bai family patriarch. Once the two elders had contact with Jun Beiyue, wouldn’t that…
Just as she worried over this, she glanced up slightly and caught Jiang Chen’s venomous gaze directed at her. Gu Suying nodded slightly, then lowered her head again.
“Mm,” Ziqing responded flatly.
“Qing’er, there’s a question I’ve never been able to figure out. I wonder if I might ask it?” Patriarch Gu said hesitantly.
“If Patriarch Gu can’t figure it out, then I certainly won’t be able to either,” Ziqing said, somewhat impatiently, her tone rather blunt. She hadn’t stayed behind to be interrogated in front of Jiang Chen and Gu Suying.
Perhaps her way of thinking was a bit cold-hearted!
But in her heart, she truly held no notion of automatic respect for elders. Why should she owe respect to some stranger simply because they were older? Did age alone earn one’s respect?
Her respect went only to those who earned it—even a three-year-old child, if deserving, would receive the same respect from her.
As for Patriarch Gu—how much of his rescuing Beiyue had really come from paternal affection?
If he and Madam Gu had had a son of their own, would he still have acknowledged Beiyue at all? He’d probably have hidden Beiyue away, keeping him from ever returning to contest the position of family head!
Today, she—a mere woman—had stepped forward to represent the Gu family, which surely counted as having repaid the debt owed for saving Beiyue’s life!
Patriarch Gu was, without question, embarrassed. Had this been his old temperament, he would have slammed the table already—but now, he only gave an awkward smile, tactfully changing the subject, finally turning a stern gaze toward Jiang Chen and Gu Suying. “You two…”
His low voice suddenly gave way to a sharp slap on the table. “Crack!”
Jiang Chen and Gu Suying both jumped, startled, and lifted their heads in unison.
“Ha, this old man… this old man is truly a laughingstock, still hoping for something from you two! Tell me, what exactly gives this old man any reason to rely on either of you!”
Faced with this accusation, neither Gu Suying nor Jiang Chen could find a word to say.
“Speak! Jiang Chen, you first!” Patriarch Gu shouted angrily.
Jiang Chen immediately lowered his head, not daring to speak.
“Jiang Chen, I taught you for six full years! You’re now the most skilled practitioner of the Gu family’s internal cultivation techniques! Tell me, why did I bring you to this gathering at all!” Patriarch Gu demanded again.
Finally, Jiang Chen clasped his hands together and bowed at ninety degrees. “Forgive me, Father-in-law! I… I… Father-in-law, I know my own limitations—I’m no match for the Bai family’s young master, so I didn’t dare step forward rashly and shame the Gu family!”
“Step forward rashly?” Patriarch Gu laughed. “Jiang Chen, I called your name a full five times. Have you gone deaf?”
“Huh? Father-in-law called for me?” Jiang Chen feigned surprise.
“Keep pretending, go on pretending—is pretending all you’re capable of? Nonsense!” Patriarch Gu erupted in fury, lunging forward and grabbing Jiang Chen by the collar.
Patriarch Gu had only thirty percent of his internal energy left—if Jiang Chen struck him with even a single palm strike, it would surely kill him on the spot, coughing blood.
But Jiang Chen still held back. “Father-in-law, this son-in-law truly didn’t hear you. If I had heard, I would have rushed forward even at the cost of my life. I held back for two reasons: first, out of concern for the Gu family’s dignity, and second, out of concern for the young mistress’s presence—doesn’t she always represent the young master? It certainly wasn’t my place, as a mere son-in-law, to step forward. Had I done so, who knows how much gossip it might have stirred up!”
This explanation actually held some merit.
Patriarch Gu shoved him away roughly. But then, Ziqing—who rarely spoke up in such matters—suddenly said, unhurried, “So what son-in-law means is, with me, the young mistress, present, there was no need for son-in-law to step forward at all?”
This immediately left Jiang Chen speechless.
“Speak!” Patriarch Gu shouted immediately.
“I don’t… I… what I mean is, there’s an order of priority. This concerns representing the Gu family—the young mistress comes first, then the second young miss, and only then would it be my turn, isn’t that right?” Jiang Chen explained again, unbothered by Patriarch Gu’s scolding. But with Han Ziqing interjecting like this, he had to be on guard—who knew what this woman was up to!
“Ha, so it turns out you’re saving yourself for the grand finale—quite the ambition!” Ziqing said with a cold laugh.
This left Jiang Chen completely without a retort. He took a deep breath and simply shut his mouth.
Patriarch Gu flung his sleeve angrily and turned to sit back down, shouting, “Suying, you explain yourself to me!”
“There’s nothing to explain. I’m incapable, I can’t shoulder such a responsibility and I don’t dare to. With the young mistress here, why would I need to step forward? I’ll be marrying out sooner or later anyway—I’ll always be an ‘outsider’ eventually.”
After all, Gu Suying was Patriarch Gu’s own daughter. Even having done wrong, she remained unafraid, confident that her father couldn’t do much to her.
“You!” Patriarch Gu choked with anger, clearly detecting the resentment in Gu Suying’s words.
Before he could speak further, Gu Suying continued, “Father, you taught Beiyue far more than you ever taught me and my sister. What you taught Jiang Chen was more than what you taught me. I don’t have Han Ziqing’s kind of talent, and as an unmarried woman, I don’t want to make such a spectacle of myself.”
“You! You!” Patriarch Gu was so furious he could barely catch his breath. “Fine! Fine then, so why did you beg me to bring you to this gathering in the first place?”
“To represent my mother, of course!” Gu Suying snapped loudly. “If my mother hadn’t been provoked and frightened by certain people, shouldn’t she have been the one attending with you? Didn’t you see all the family matriarchs of any standing on Liuxian Island who came?”
Patriarch Gu, being a man devoted to his wife, didn’t want to scold Gu Suying further after hearing this, only sighing repeatedly.
Watching this, Ziqing smiled coldly to herself. For parents like Patriarch Gu and Madam Gu, nothing else would work—only the truth would.
She rose and left; Jun Beiyue should be waiting for her by now. But suddenly, a thought crossed her mind—why hadn’t the second young miss of the Gu family found a husband yet?
…