Chapter 230: Chapter 66: Schemes Behind the Scenes
"Madam! Arenât there many ways to deal with this? If they donât go out, wonât the trouble just pass over them? We checked their familyâs background, and theyâre just a wealthy farming household! I heard that the Guâs Soap is made by their family. If their soap ruins someoneâs face, could their business still continue? Besides, isnât Mrs. Lv counting on her son to be an official? If that kid canât even pass the preliminary exams, how could he become an official?"
Mrs. Xi smiled and comforted Mrs. Yu. These methods were too simple, ones she was used to employing in the Yu Mansion.
"Do you have any good ideas, Mama? Quickly, let me hear it!" Mrs. Yu was impatiently shaking Mrs. Xiâs sleeve, she could hardly wait!
At this moment in the Gu Family, Gu Chengyu was also thinking about Mrs. Yuâs matters. After careful consideration, he realized the shops he bought were under a different household registration, something he managed to arrange through Mr. Wang, so others didnât know he was the shop owner. The shop should be safe.
The remaining concerns were the familyâs fertile fields, although not much land, they grew some medicinal herbs. To be cautious, he planned not to sell the herbs this year. Lastly, there was the familyâs soap business; if Mrs. Yu wanted to target something, it would be either the soap business, his exams, or his familyâs personal safety.
He felt it was necessary to discuss this with his mother and at least have them both take precautions.
By now, it was 5 PM, and having finished dinner, Gu Chengyu didnât immediately return to his room. He sat on a bench, sipping tea from a bowl.
"Xiao Bao! You should rest early too!" Mr. Gu took a puff from his pipe, seeing that Gu Chengyu was still sitting on the bench, prompting him to rest. Having been out and about these past few days, he must be tired.
Gu Chengyu put down the tea bowl; Gu Wan had just returned to her room. This was a good time to ask questions. However, he wasnât sure if he should ask. If Mr. Gu was unaware of the old matters involving Mrs. Lv, bringing them up might just create anxiety for Mr. Gu.
After some thought, Gu Chengyu stood up, intending to return to his room.
"Xiao Bao, do you have something to say?" Thereâs no one who knows a son better than his mother, and it was unusual for Gu Chengyu to linger so late without reason.
Gu Chengyu hesitated, uncertain if he should inquire or not.
"Itâs nothing! Iâll head to my room first!" He decided to postpone the question until tomorrow.
"Whatâs there you canât say to your mother?" Mr. Gu was puzzled; it was rare to see Xiao Bao this hesitant!
Gu Chengyu felt somewhat helpless; he couldnât just say it was because Mr. Gu was present. How could he ask in front of Mr. Gu, "Mother! Do you remember Jiang Mingyuan from Prefecture years ago?"
In the end, he couldnât resist. In truth, he was very curious. "Mother! The Prefect of the Prefecture?"
Mrs. Lv was sewing a pouch for Gu Chengyu to take to his exams in the Prefecture. "Oh!" Upon hearing these words, her mind wandered a bit.
"What happened? Didnât I tell you not to sew at night? Look?" Mr. Gu, seeing the blood bead on Mrs. Lvâs finger, felt a pang of heartache.
"Oh? Mother, are you alright?" Gu Chengyu took two or three steps forward to take Mrs. Lvâs hand and examine it. He hadnât realized that merely mentioning it would make his mother so agitated!
Seeing Gu Chengyu tear a piece of cloth from the sewing basket to bandage Mrs. Lvâs finger, Mr. Gu felt relieved. But then he remembered that Prefect Jiang, was he that man?
Mrs. Lvâs expression was a bit blank; she hadnât expected to hear anything about him again after so many years.
"Xiao Bao! What did you say about Prefect Jiang?" Mr. Gu glanced at Mrs. Lv, feeling somewhat stifled.
"Oh? Itâs nothing much, just that Prefect Jiang invited us to dinner; he was very kind and has a gentle and refined demeanor!"
As Gu Chengyu spoke, he watched Mr. Guâs expression, which started tense and then turned unpleasant with his praises. Now Gu Chengyu was quite sure that Mr. Gu knew Prefect Jiang too, or at least had heard about him and maybe knew something about his motherâs past.
Gu Chengyu decided to stop beating around the bush, as the Prefectâs wife was not someone easy to deal with. He wasnât worried for himself, but feared their scheming against his parents.
"Mother! I actually saw the Prefectâs wife this time!" Gu Chengyu kept a close eye on his motherâs face, noting subtle changes in her expression, though he couldnât decipher the emotion, but he was sure it wasnât hatred.
It was as if Mrs. Lv had just snapped out of her memories, "You want to know about the past, donât you?"
Looking at Mrs. Lv, Gu Chengyu replied sternly, "Yes! I met the Prefectâs wife the other day, and she seemed to recognize me, displaying hostility. I fear she will be detrimental to our family, so we need to guard against her. However, I know very little about the past and donât like being kept in the dark. I need to know the truth to develop a counter-strategy."
He didnât mention that part of it was his curiosity.
"Thereâs actually nothing that canât be said." Mrs. Lv believed her conscience was clear; it was better to clear the air after all these years.
Mr. Gu was also somewhat agitated; finally, he could know the story from the past. Though he had considered these things over the years, when he married her, she was indeed a maiden. Even if she wasnât, he wouldnât have minded, as marrying her was something he never even dreamed of achieving.
"Back then, I was sold by my parents and older siblings to traffickers, and eventually ended up in Fengding Prefecture..." Mrs. Lvâs gentle voice resonated in the room, as if she had reverted to the time when she was sold.
Gu Chengyu and Mr. Gu listened intently while Gu Chengyu summed up the story.
So, Mrs. Lv was sold to Fengding Prefecture. At that time, Jiang Mingyuan had just been promoted to Assistant Prefect of Fengding Prefecture.
The Jiang family had a prosperous business background. Jiang Mingyuan made a name for himself, becoming an Advanced Scholar and marrying the daughter of Yu Zheng, the Minister of Rites. When Mrs. Lv arrived at the Jiang Mansion, Jiang Mingyuan had just been promoted to Assistant Prefect, though he had been married to Mrs. Yu for six years.
Jiang Mingyuanâs mother was not fond of the incoming Mrs. Yu, as she often acted high and mighty, showing disdain for the Jiang family, which was once a merchant family. Moreover, Mrs. Yu had no children for years and was arrogant. Jiangâs mother obviously wasnât fond of such a daughter-in-law.
After three years, Madam Jiang noticed that a rough maid named Lv in the courtyard was quite beautiful, so she kept her close as a second-class maid, naming her Mu Jin. She planned to arrange for Lv to become Jiang Mingyuanâs concubine when she came of age, and if she bore a child, she would be elevated to Concubine.
At fourteen, Mrs. Lv was naĂŻve about these things and, having entered the Jiang Mansion, she was their servant, with no say over her fate. She could only passively comply.
But by the time she turned fifteen, Mrs. Yu opposed Jiang Mingyuan taking a concubine. Although Madam Jiang disliked this daughter-in-law, she could only tolerate her because of her powerful family background, and thus Mrs. Lv was put on hold. Perhaps Madam Jiang had hope, so she didnât match Mrs. Lv to anyone else.