Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2811 Master Qingsong 29.0
"On the surface, they haven't separated, but in reality, they have. This is indeed a good solution. The two courtyards are connected, so Gongsun Yue can take care of her two sons anytime she wants, and the eldest and third sons can easily visit their father and brother, right?" Jin Miaomiao stroked her chin. "So, after separating, everything returned to normal?"

“That’s right.” Song Yaojia shrugged. “All those messy little troubles disappeared in an instant.”

"Your Highness," Merlin raised his hand timidly, smiling shyly, "I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it."

"It's alright, we're all on the same side, so feel free to speak freely." Song Yaojia smiled at Mei Lin. "But let me guess, you want to ask, which of these four—father and sons—is getting in the way of whom, right?"

"Your Highness is wise!" Merlin said with a puzzled look, "The eldest son and the third son live together without any problems, and the old marquis lives with the second son without any problems either. Haven't they tried switching them?"

“We’ve tried.” Song Yaojia sighed. “Gongsun Yue lived separately from the eldest and third young masters for a while, and nothing happened. The current Marquis also lived separately from them, and nothing happened. But when all four of them live together, trouble arises. So, it’s hard to say who’s getting in whose way.” He spread his hands helplessly and said, “Since they started living separately, the four of them have had a smooth life. Not only are they in good health, but their official careers and studies have also gone very well.”

"That's quite amazing!" Jin Miaomiao clicked her tongue twice and said, "In that case, I'm afraid everyone will have no choice but to believe the original divination results, right?"

“Indeed, even the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Uncle believe it without a doubt.” Song Yaojia sighed and said, “Originally, Gongsun Yue submitted a memorial requesting the Imperial Uncle's permission to separate the Xibo Marquis's mansion after the eldest son's coming-of-age ceremony. At first, the Imperial Uncle thought Gongsun Yue was simply being ridiculous and simply didn't approve it. But after this incident, the Imperial Uncle specifically dug out that memorial and granted Gongsun Yue's request, allowing them to separate the mansion. Moreover, the eldest and third sons changed their surnames to those of the late Marquis's wife and chose to live in separate residences. Although they weren't completely severed ties with the Xibo Marquis's mansion, at least they wouldn't live together anymore, and they could finally settle down.” That's true. Furthermore, since the eldest son of the Tan family had taken his third son to take up a post in Jiangnan, separating them from the Xibo Marquis's residence in the north and south, their interactions were limited to New Year's, festivals, and Gongsun Yue's birthday, except for official visits to the capital. Most of the time, it was the third son who returned, while the eldest son would almost always remain at his post due to his busy schedule. Later, when Gongsun Yue passed away, the eldest and third sons returned for the funeral. The three brothers all stood guard at the coffin, and everyone thought something bad might happen, but nothing went wrong, and the entire funeral proceeded smoothly. However, what also ended was the relationship between the eldest and third sons and the Xibo Marquis's residence.

“When parents are alive, siblings will still keep in touch, but when parents are gone,” Merlin sighed, “they usually drift apart, especially those who have already separated from their families, their relationships become even more distant.”

“That’s right!” Jin Miaomiao sighed. “Speaking of which, my great-uncle said that Gongsun Yue had poor eyesight and chose the second young master as his successor. Is that probably a misconception?”

“It’s not exactly a misrepresentation; it was deliberately spread to mislead people.” Song Yaojia sighed. “As I just said, my great-uncle didn’t believe in such things before. After all, the Yun family hadn’t given a clear answer regarding the fate of the Jingwang Mansion and my great-uncle and his brother. So, he didn’t take the trouble caused by the Gongsun family to heart. It’s understandable that he thought Gongsun Yue was incompetent.”

"Um," Merlin stroked his chin and asked curiously, "Your Highness, didn't the old Marquis Gongsun ever consider leaving the Marquis's mansion to the eldest and third young masters?"

"Of course he thought about it, but he consulted with Master Qingsong and several elders of the Yun family again. The divination showed that if they did this, it would be more bad than good, and it would be a very bad omen that they couldn't avoid."

"So dangerous?" "Yes!" Song Yaojia nodded. "If they insist on doing this, it's very likely that all four of them will die a violent death." He spread his hands helplessly and said, "It's a matter of life and death, they can't take the risk, so this is the only choice we have."

"I never imagined there were such hidden stories behind the division of the Xibo Marquis's family." Jin Miaomiao sighed deeply and said, "Indeed, many things cannot be judged by appearances alone, or one can easily be misled." She took a sip of tea, thought for a moment, and said, "My advisor played a very important role in this, didn't he? Is that why the two of them developed such a relationship?"

“It should be!” Song Yaojia glanced at the table, took a bite of a pastry, and said slowly, “When the Xibo Marquis’s mansion was relocated, it was when Master Qingsong had just become the First Elder. It was also the first commission he handled after becoming the First Elder. Unexpectedly, he met Gongsun Yue. Their ages, temperaments, and hobbies were very similar, so they got along very well. It can be said that the first true friend Master Qingsong made after returning to the Yun family was Gongsun Yue. The two of them were the kind of friends who could talk by candlelight all night and sleep side by side.”

"Then," Jin Miaomiao looked at Song Yaojia and asked cautiously, "Where is His Highness the Eagle King?"

“Uncle?” Song Yaojia raised an eyebrow. “The two of them are considered to be close friends despite their age difference, just like with his great-uncle. Gongsun Yue is the only friend of their generation.”

"But if there's something the advisor needs to forget, he won't tell Gongsun Yue, right?"

“That’s right.” Song Yaojia smiled. “Gongsun Yue has a particularly bad habit. He’s usually very tight-lipped, but when he drinks, he starts talking nonsense. He’ll say anything he knows or has heard.”

"Alcoholism?" Jin Miaomiao frowned. "I've never heard of any alcoholism in the Marquis of Xibo's household!"

“You think too highly of their family. Alcoholism? He’s a hopeless drinker.” Song Yaojia rolled her eyes. “Gongsun Yu, that dim-witted bastard, perfectly inherited his grandfather’s traits. He gets completely drunk after just a little bit of alcohol. When we met him that day, he was coaxed into taking a sip. Otherwise, with his guts, he wouldn’t have done something like that when he was sober.”

"So you get drunk from just one drop of alcohol?" Jin Miaomiao frowned slightly. "If you said you'd get drunk after one glass, that would be understandable, but to get drunk from just a tiny bit like that, I'm afraid it's not that simple."

"Oh?" Song Yaojia looked at her. "How is she not simple?"

"This should be a disease that can be passed from parents to children and from generation to generation."