Gong Lian’s mother had originally been a personal maid to Gong Shen. Of humble status, she was frequently bullied and mistreated. Gong Lian matured at a very young age, understanding that only by proving himself exceptionally capable could he secure a better life for the two of them. Therefore, he applied himself diligently to his studies, writing tirelessly until he finally caught Gong Shen’s attention. Little did he realize that a concubine-born son remained merely a concubine-born son to Gong Shen, he was nothing more than a tool to be bartered for influence and benefit.
Ever since Gong Lian was sent to the Regent’s Manor, his mother’s existence had grown even more wretched. When she fell ill a few days prior, no one had bothered to summon a physician for her. Had a humble domestic servant, taking pity on her plight, not slipped out to deliver word to the Regent’s Manor, his mother likely wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
Given his understanding of Sima Huayao, Gong Lian had fully expected to make a wasted trip, bracing himself to beg desperately if necessary. Never had he imagined things would go so smoothly, nor that Sima Huayao would even instruct Chun Hai to prepare medicinal herbs for him to take back to the Junior Minister’s residence. If the members of the Gong family learned of this, they would undoubtedly assume he enjoyed immense favor within the Regent’s Manor. With the Regent standing behind him as a backing, they wouldn’t dare look down on him so lightly, and his mother’s days in the household would instantly become much easier.
A surge of long-denied courage flooded through helpless Gong Lian, warming his eyes until they reddened with unshed tears. He choked out, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your boundless grace.”
Witnessing his emotional state, Sima Huayao sighed inwardly and instructed, “Go on then.”
“Understood, Lian takes his leave!”
After a moment of quiet reflection, Sima Huayao commanded, “Make a trip to the palace and dispatch an imperial physician to the Junior Minister’s residence.”
Startled for a second, Hong Yang acknowledged the order and hurried out of the study, breaking into a quick jog to catch up.
Half an hour later, Gong Lian arrived before the imposing gates of the Junior Minister’s residence, and his accompanying attendant stepped forward to announce their arrival. Upon learning that it was Gong Lian returning, the gatekeepers instantly wore expressions of undisguised contempt.
“So Third Young Master has returned. Troubling you to wait a moment while I go announce your arrival.”
The attendant, named Fulu, had been temporarily assigned to Gong Lian by Chun Hai. Though young, he was Chun Hai’s most promising apprentice, handling tasks with crisp, efficient precision and slated to inherit Chun Hai’s position in the future. Capturing the porter’s disdainful expression, Fulu felt a wave of irritation flare in his chest. For someone hailing from the Regent’s Manor to be treated with such insolence was something he simply could not tolerate.
“Before our young master departed, His Highness the Regent gave explicit instructions that he must return to the manor before nightfall. If you intend to announce us, I suggest you make it snappy.”
Hearing Fulu’s words, the gatekeeper tightened up internally. If what the boy claimed was true, Gong Lian must indeed enjoy deep favor. Someone backed by the Regent was a figure they dared not offend, and he hastily scurried inside to report.
Before long, the heavy front gates of the Junior Minister’s residence swung wide open, and Madame Liu, the Junior Minister’s primary wife, emerged surrounded by a throng of maidservants.
“Didn’t they say the Third Young Master was returning? Where is he?” Glancing toward the carriage parked at the entrance, Madame Liu’s face bore undisguised displeasure.
“Our young master is still in the carriage.” Fulu looked up coolly at Madame Liu and demanded, “And who might this lady be?”
The maidservant standing beside Madame Liu instantly turned crimson with anger at the slight, screeching, “Audacious! A mere low-ranking servant dares speak to the First Mistress in such a tone? You must have eaten the gallbladder of a leopard!”
Fulu remained entirely unfazed. “My status may indeed be humble, but my young master is a favored confidant directly before His Highness the Regent. If you dare display such neglect and discouragement, aren’t you afraid His Highness will hold you accountable?”
“You—”
“There is no need for discouragement,” Madame Liu interrupted, cutting off her maid Qingluan. “How could we ever dare slight an esteemed guest from the Regent’s Manor?”
The maid hastily bowed her head in submission. “Indeed, Madam. This servant knows her wrong.”
Madame Liu carefully scrutinized Fulu. Seeing his calm, composed demeanor devoid of any servile cowardice, she couldn’t help guessing at his background. Given the Regent’s terrifying, heaven-shaking authority, she dared not cause offense.
“And how might this young brother be addressed?”
“This servant is Fulu, paying respects to Madame.”
Fulu offered a perfunctory bow simply to avoid giving anyone an excuse to claim that servants emerging from the Regent’s Manor lacked basic decorum.
“Fulu?” Madame Liu paused, feeling as though she had heard the name somewhere before, though it momentarily escaped her mind. Breaking into a warm smile, she said, “Since your young master is returning home today, treat it as visiting his maternal family. There’s no need to linger out here in the wind come right on into the mansion with me.”
Using the phrase “visiting his maternal family” was a calculated humiliation directed at a man like Gong Lian, but Fulu understood the stakes and chose not to haggle over semantics when more important matters were at hand.
“Madame speaks wisely. This servant will go invite our young master down; please wait a moment.”
Walking over to the carriage, Fulu murmured, “Young Master, the Mistress herself has come out to greet you. It’s time to alight.”
The carriage lacked proper soundproofing, allowing Gong Lian to hear every word of the exchange outside. A cold, bitter smile touched his lips as he slowly stepped down from the carriage. Approaching Madame Liu, he bowed slightly and greeted, “Mother.”
Stepping forward with a mask of affectionate warmth, Madame Liu supported his arm and beamed, “Lian’er has returned! Why didn’t you send word ahead of time so I could have proper preparations made?”
“Hearing that Auntie was unwell, Gong Lian grew deeply worried and sought His Highness’s permission to visit. His Highness took pity on me and even allowed me to bring along some medicinal herbs. Oh, and an imperial physician as well, His Highness remained worried, so he dispatched an imperial physician to diagnose and treat her directly.”
With his mother lying sick, Gong Lian had zero patience to play verbal chess with her.
Upon hearing this, the smile on Madame Liu’s face stiffened somewhat. Masking her discomfort with a sigh, she said, “It is true that Auntie Cui has fallen ill, and after consulting numerous physicians without any sign of improvement, I was growing terribly fretful and preparing to send someone to the manor to fetch you anyway. You’ve arrived just in time.”
“Thank you for your concern, Mother.” Offering a perfunctory, courteous reply, Gong Lian added, “Mother, let us head inside first; I am truly anxious about Auntie’s condition.”
Had the true circumstances remained hidden, one might genuinely have been deceived by her polished performance; right now, however, Gong Lian found her utterly nauseating. Yet because he resided away from the estate and couldn’t constantly protect his mother, he was forced to swallow his rage and swallow his pride to ensure Madame Liu wouldn’t retaliate against her later.
Leading the way forward, Madame Liu brought the group to the Plum Garden the finest courtyard in the entire estate, second only to her own Begonia Garden.
Auntie Cui had just been dragged out of her quarters by a group of chattering maidservants who forcibly washed her face and applied makeup, while Third Miss Gong Shu’er stood over her with harsh threats warning her not to speak nonsense if she valued her skin. Only then had Auntie Cui realized that her son, Gong Lian, was finally returning to the estate.
Ever since Gong Lian was packed off to the Regent’s Manor over two years prior, she had not laid eyes on him once. This recent illness had struck with terrifying suddenness; not only had Madame Liu blocked all attempts to summon a physician, but she had also deliberately cut down her food and clothing rations. The maidservants assigned to her had long since abandoned her to seek out new masters, leaving her entirely alone in that tiny, dilapidated courtyard that felt chillingly vast. She had genuinely believed she would draw her final breath without ever seeing Gong Lian again, making his unexpected return feel like a miracle that instantly brought tears to her eyes.
Gong Shu’er roared with impatient fury, “What are you blubbering for?! Your lowly son isn’t dead yet who on earth are you crying funeral dirges for?”
“Third Miss, how can you speak such words? Lian’er is your older brother, after all!”
She could endure any grievance directed at herself, but she refused to let them heap insults upon Gong Lian.
“A filthy plaything kept to warm another man’s bed this young lady has no such older brother! Auntie Cui, I’m warning you to mind your tongue and know what can and cannot be said once he arrives, or else I’ll make you regret it!”
“Lian’er has been clever since childhood, passing the provincial examinations at a tender age. If not for how could things have ended up like this? You refuse to acknowledge his achievements and instead heap insults upon him are you all utterly ungrateful wretches?”
Gong Lian had always been the thorn buried deep in Auntie Cui’s heart, a source of endless, agonizing pain. Gong Shu’er’s words struck squarely at that raw nerve, pushing her past her breaking limit.
“You dare scold me?!” Gong Shu’er stared at Auntie Cui in sheer disbelief, never expecting that someone who had always bowed her head in submissive silence would suddenly dare talk back.
“Gong Shu’er, you are willful, overbearing, selfish, and utterly useless—you aren’t even worthy of carrying Gong Lian’s shoes!”
Slap, Gong Shu’er raised her hand and struck Auntie Cui across the face, shouting in a rage, “You bitch! Who do you think you are, daring to hurl abuse at me? You’re nothing more than a cheap whore who crawled into my father’s bed, and the son you spawned is just as cheap fit only to be dragged out and sold for his body!”
“Gong Shu’er, I’ll fight you to the death!” Snapping under the fury, Auntie Cui lunged straight at Gong Shu’er.
As the entourage stepped into the courtyard, a chaotic din of shouting drifted out from the rooms, darkening Gong Lian’s expression instantly. Madame Liu’s heart gave a violent lurch; terrified that Gong Shu’er might blurt out something even more unforgivable or worse, come out on the losing end of a physical scuffle she hurried her steps and burst through the doorway.
“Shu’er!”
Stepping inside, Madame Liu saw Gong Shu’er pinned beneath Auntie Cui as the two women frantically clawed at each other’s hair. Seeing her own daughter pinned down, a blind fury erupted like a tidal wave straight to Madame Liu’s head. Completely forgetting that Gong Lian was standing right behind her, she rushed forward and delivered a vicious kick straight to Auntie Cui’s shoulder.
Knocked sprawling to the floor by the heavy blow, Auntie Cui let out an involuntary cry of pain. Seizing the opportunity, Gong Shu’er scrambled up, preparing to climb right back on top of her.
“Stop right there!”
Gong Lian’s thunderous roar commanded absolute stillness across everyone present in the room.
Recognizing the familiar voice, Auntie Cui snapped her head up. Her beloved son stood right before her eyes, and hot tears instantly flooded her reddening eye rims as she choked out, “Lian’er…”
Gong Lian’s own eyes swam with tears as he hurried forward, dropped to his knees to support Auntie Cui, and sobbed, “Mother, your son has returned.”
Reaching out with a trembling hand, Auntie Cui stroked Gong Lian’s face. Her throat felt choked with a million unsaid words, yet no sound emerged.
Kneeling before her, Gong Lian wept openly. “Auntie, your son has returned too late—it is my unfilial fault!”
Tears streamed down Auntie Cui’s face as well, and after a long, choked pause, she finally managed, “As long as you’ve returned, as long as you’re back…”
“You wretched bitch! You actually dared hit me!”