“Wasn’t it said that thieves had come here? Why isn’t the Heir Apparent of Jing’an Hou catching them, but instead standing here lecturing my daughter with such a sour expression?”
Zhuang Hefeng showed him no pleasant expression; seeing anyone from the Zhou Family was simply irritating.
Zhou Yuxiu’s face darkened, stubborn yet maintaining basic courtesy as he said, “Madam, she was originally my sister. As her elder brother, I have the right to discipline her.”
“You do not.”
Zhuang Hefeng wasted no words, stating directly.
“When your mother was forced into Heli back then, you, as the eldest son, did not stand up to defend her. Instead, you led the charge in accusing her of lacking magnanimity. When Ruanci left with your mother, you, this so-called elder brother, did not plead for them to stay but instead hurled harsh words at them. After they left, you, the Heir Apparent of the Houfu, not only felt no shame toward your faithless father but even changed your address to call that vile woman Ye Lanxin ‘Mother.’”
“For ten whole years, as the eldest son, you never searched for your mother’s whereabouts; as the elder brother, you never cared about your younger sister’s safety. Now that Ruanci has finally returned, you actually use such a flimsy excuse to barge in and put on airs as the elder brother before her. How dare you.”
“Since the descendants of your Zhou Family are so shameless, stay away from my daughter. Ruanci has already been entered into our Gu family’s genealogy and has no further relation with any of you.”
Zhuang Hefeng’s words left Zhou Yuxiu’s face flushed red.
“And her? Since she hates this son of hers so much, why doesn’t she dare to come see me herself? It’s been so many days since she returned—does she herself know she has no face to see her sons?”
Zhou Yuxiu’s words made Zhuang Hefeng feel even more sorrowful.
Hadn’t Gu Ruanci’s words that day been made so clear? How could the people of the Zhou Family still not understand?
“Your mother is in the room at the back. Go see for yourself.”
Gu Ruanci’s expression was icy, having never held any expectations for this so-called brother.
Zhou Yuxiu’s legs seemed nailed to the spot, unable to move.
He wanted to go see, to ask clearly why back then, no matter how his three sons pleaded, his mother refused to stay, showing no regard for propriety.
Grandmother was right—what man didn’t have three wives and four concubines? Moreover, Ye Lanxin was Mother’s sister. They could have looked after each other; it should have been a beautiful tale.
“The way she left the Houfu back then, she should have known that abandoning three outstanding sons was her mistake… Since she won’t come to me herself to admit her fault, why should I go see her?”
Zhou Yuxiu’s words made Zhuang Hefeng so angry she wanted to hit someone.
Worried she might harm herself from rage, Gu Ruanci took her hand and said, “Mother, why bother getting angry with such people? According to this Heir Apparent’s thinking, back then, Mother should not only have refrained from proposing Heli but should have discovered the scandal between Zhou Zhili and Ye Lanxin in advance, actively helped cover it up, and brought Ye Lanxin and her daughter into the Houfu to live together.”
“Since Mother lacked such insight, after Zhou Zhili confessed and brought the woman into the residence, she should have felt deeply ashamed, sincerely accepted them, and not been as jealous as she was back then, nor proposed Heli and left the Houfu, allowing them to live a happy life with a father and a Stepmother but without their birth mother.”
Zhou Yuxiu’s neck had turned completely red when a more alert companion hurried in from outside.
“Brother Zhou, the thieves took advantage of the chaos and fled Xuandi Guan again. We must hurry and give chase…”
Someone offered a way out, and Zhou Yuxiu immediately said, “Alright, I’m coming.”
Before leaving, he still put on an air of superiority and said to Gu Ruanci, “Tell her that if she wants us sons to acknowledge her, she must first go back and apologize to Father and Grandmother, then apologize to Mother. As for you, you caused Little Sister to contemplate suicide and Grandmother to fall gravely ill. Unless you kneel and kowtow, don’t even think about stepping into the Zhou Family’s gate.”
“What a bunch of lunatics.”
After Zhou Yuxiu left, Zhuang Hefeng glared at his retreating figure and muttered fiercely.
“Mother, today we’ve already settled the matter of placing Mother here. Why let such people disturb your peace?”
Zhuang Hefeng looked at Gu Ruanci with heartache and said, “Those blind and foolish people in the Zhou Family still haven’t realized that Hesheng has already passed away?”
“Why expect tears and repentance from heartless people once they learn the truth? The tears of an ungrateful wretch only come when death is near.”
Gu Ruanci’s words were exceptionally clear and insightful.
Qingtuan Daozhang, who had remained silent for a long while, praised, “Little Junior Sister is indeed wise and perceptive.”
In front of Zhuang Hefeng, he still concealed his relationship with Gu Ruanci.
“You’re right, such people aren’t worth it…”
Zhuang Hefeng came to terms with it—the Zhou Family had their own brand of shamelessness.
They had lunch at Xuandi Guan, and before leaving, Zhuang Hefeng specifically asked Gu Ruanci to make a donation while she herself went to Ye Hesheng’s memorial tablet to say a few words.
“Little Junior Sister, the one who impersonated a thief and broke in was the son of the Liu Family, who is close with the heir of Jing’an Hou. How would you like to handle this? Report it to the authorities and have them confront each other?” Qingtuan Daozhang asked.
Gu Ruanci shook her head. “With such powerful aristocratic families, the authorities wouldn’t dare offend them lightly. Instead, directly inform the Liu Family that something important was stolen from the temple, and it just so happened that Young Master Liu impersonated a thief and broke in at that time. If Young Master Liu is willing to return it, the temple will not make it public. If he refuses, that’s fine too—the temple won’t pursue the matter, but we hope this act of kindness from Xuandi Guan will serve as a lesson for Young Master Liu in the future.”
“Additionally, send gifts to Jing’an Houfu to thank their heir for his keen observation, dedication to duty, and relentless pursuit of the thief all the way to Xuandi Guan. Although he didn’t even catch a glimpse of the thief, he managed to scare them off, protecting the safety of all the Taoist priests and lay practitioners at Xuandi Guan…”
After hearing this, Qingtuan Daozhang stroked his beard and said, “Brilliant. This will completely humiliate Zhou Yuxiu. He just secured a position at Chengfang Junying and is already abusing his authority. Who knows what calamity he’ll face? When the Liu Family finds out that the heir of Jing’an Hou set their son up, even if the authorities don’t take action, they’ll fight among themselves, at the very least ending in mutual destruction.”
Gu Ruanci felt at ease. Since the day she lost her mother, nothing could hinder her revenge.
“Little Junior Sister, when do you plan to reveal your identity to the Gu Family?” Qingtuan Daozhang asked again.
“I’ll admit it when they find out. Let things take their natural course. My mother said that Mother has a straightforward personality and is terrible at acting, especially now that I’ve become her daughter. If she knew how exceptional I am but had to pretend otherwise, it would be too hard on her. It’s better to let everyone find out together when the time comes—it’ll be a pleasant surprise.”
After Zhou Yuxiu slunk away, those who had accompanied him couldn’t help but complain that he hadn’t consulted them beforehand and had acted on his own. If today’s situation were to be reported to their superiors, it would become even harder for them to stand out.
But Zhou Yuxiu found their grumbling irritating. As the Heir Apparent, his future achievements were bound to extend far beyond this.
He continued his duties without leaving early, yet unexpectedly, people from Xuandi Guan came knocking at his door.