Chapter 823 - 659: Old Stories from the Past

Chapter 823: Chapter 659: Old Stories from the Past

"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Qin! You’ve been driving the carriage for so long; it must be exhausting. Now that we’ve arrived in the Capital, you and Mrs. Tan can take a break."

The gentle and melodious voice of a woman filled Uncle Qin’s ears, and he laughed heartily, "What’s so hard about just driving a carriage?"

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something, and his eyes turned red; it was really the young lady who had it tough!

"Xiao Bao, it’s your mother who’s been a burden to you all along!" As the carriage turned into Gu Mansion, Mrs. Lv’s eyes reddened.

"What is Mother saying? How could you be a burden to me? Without you, where would I be? Please don’t think like that, Mother. I’m the useless one, unable to make you stand tall."

Gu Chengyu helped his mother off the carriage, but Mrs. Lv suddenly grabbed his hand, greatly moved in her heart.

"How could it be your fault? Your only shortcoming is your background. In terms of talent, when have you ever lost? In terms of earning money, those noble sons cannot compare to you. Those spendthrifts only know how to squander money, when have they ever earned any themselves? Even amongst the wealthy, people would treasure you."

Life was tough in the past, and in Shangling Village, no one made an issue of her background.

However, after the incident with Lv Yang, she began to resent her past.

But she never expected that after her son became an official, and she came to the Capital, she would find that her son was looked down upon because of his background.

More often than not, it was because of her—because she used to be a servant.

Her son was a child of talent, yet treated with such disdain, it was heart-wrenching, but she dared not express it.

"Mother! What does it matter if one’s background is humble? In which dynasty or generation were there no officials from humble origins? Even if my origins are humble, I can still earn you the title of a noblewoman. It’s up to them how they want to speak; don’t they also face criticism behind their aristocratic facades?"

"One cannot choose their beginnings; I’ve never been resentful about it. People are superficial; once I reach a high position, they won’t care about my background. Ultimately, it is just because my rank is low, causing you grievances. Please don’t overthink it."

Seeing that they were close to the inner courtyard, Mrs. Lv nodded, knowing her son had never let her down.

The warmth between mother and son moved Ming Mo, who quietly teared up.

"Master! Old Madam!" Ming Yan hurriedly entered from the outer courtyard and saluted the two.

Gu Chengyu knew Ming Yan had something to report, so he let the maid Qingxia assist Mrs. Lv into the inner courtyard.

After returning to the outer study, Gu Chengyu washed up before allowing Ming Yan to report.

"Master! Today, Miss Yao went to Fourth Young Master’s clinic with Mrs. Gao and the others, and met Doctor Li."

Gu Chengyu nodded, expecting it was a visit to express gratitude. Yao Mengxian had indeed relied on Doctor Li’s help to escape a dire situation.

"But after Miss Yao and their party went in, they ran into Doctor Li’s wife, Mrs. Yao. They seemed to know each other, and from their conversation, one could tell there was some connection."

Ming Yan recounted the information gathered, but unfortunately, during Mrs. Yao’s conversation with Yao and the others, only the four of them were present in the room, not even the Fourth Madam was there.

In broad daylight, they couldn’t directly eavesdrop, so they only managed to gather this much information.

"Oh? Miss Yao and Doctor Li’s wife know each other?"

Gu Chengyu was somewhat shocked, but then it occurred to him that Doctor Li’s wife also had the surname Yao; could they be family?

He stood up and paced in the study. His subordinates knew Gu Chengyu was pondering, so they dared not disturb him.

He recalled an old affair when the Duke Zhen’s Mansion was in-laws with the Xue Family, who were executed. The Old Duke’s eldest daughter had married the Xue family’s eldest son, Xue Shiqian.

However, he later heard that when the Xue Family was imprisoned in the Dali Temple, the eldest lady of the Duke Zhen’s Mansion committed suicide. Could this be Mrs. Yao?

He thought of Doctor Li and wondered if Doctor Li might have played an important role in this.

Mrs. Yao was of similar age to the eldest lady of the Duke Zhen’s Mansion, but Mrs. Yao had already given birth to a son and a daughter by then. The son was already eight years old, and the little girl was still in swaddling clothes.

Even if Mrs. Yao later got together with Doctor Li, what about Doctor Li’s daughter?

Doctor Li’s daughter seemed to be around twenty-five years old, which didn’t match—when the eldest lady died, she was at least in her twenties.

Weighing his thoughts, Gu Chengyu concluded that if Doctor Li’s daughter wasn’t born to Mrs. Yao, things would make sense.

Perhaps Mrs. Yao wasn’t Doctor Li’s original wife, and the original wife might have died for some reason.

Doctor Li might have encountered Mrs. Yao, who was desperate at the time, and saved her through some means.

Ultimately, to avoid being discovered in the Capital, they moved to Shangling Village to live.

Thinking this way, everything made sense.

Doctor Li was highly skilled in medicine yet chose to stay in Shangling Village as a rural doctor. Mrs. Yao never left her home, maintaining the demeanor of an aristocratic lady.

Doctor Li and his people arrived in the Capital but were anxious to leave, which confirmed his suspicions.

This situation was quite tricky; Mrs. Yao was the legitimate daughter of the Duke Zhen’s Mansion and went into seclusion because of such circumstances.

Now that she’s in the Capital, who knows what uncontrollable events might occur? Wouldn’t these matters implicate Fourth Brother?

Fourth Brother had no foundation in the Capital, his greatest support being myself. However, I’m merely an Assistant Reader at the Hanlin Academy. If something happens, can I handle it?

Gu Chengyu sighed deeply. As for Doctor Li, he figured Doctor Li must be hiding something as well.

This could be a person with an even more intriguing story than Mrs. Yao, just hidden deeply.

It seems I will need to find an opportunity to talk with Fourth Brother. He can’t be kept in the dark. Fourth Brother becoming Doctor Li’s disciple has inevitably entangled him in these affairs.

"Is Third Young Master’s shop about to open?" Gu Chengyu turned to Ming Yan and asked.

His Third Brother had been looking for a shop recently, and he had asked the mansion’s shopkeeper to assist, but Third Sister-in-law was never satisfied. It was either due to the poor location or the high rent.

He knew Third Sister-in-law’s intention was nothing more than to have him help cover the cost.

Being family, he wouldn’t begrudge a bit of money, nor would he argue with Third Sister-in-law.

He was willing to help financially; after all, he was the one who suggested Third Brother open a shop with them in the Capital.

But Third Brother disagreed, saying he didn’t want to take advantage of his younger brother, leaving Gu Chengyu quite helpless.

The shop matter had dragged on for several days, and only recently a location had been found, and it should open in the next couple of days.

Ming Yan didn’t expect Gu Chengyu to suddenly bring up this matter; weren’t they just discussing Doctor Li?

"They say it will open the day after tomorrow. You probably can’t make it that day." Ming Yan replied. The day after tomorrow, Gu Chengyu had duties at the Hanlin Academy, so he wouldn’t be able to attend.