Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

Seeing that Emperor Yongxi seemed to have already made up his mind, the mother and son did not say anything more about the matter.

The matter concerning Qin Keqing had been discussed, but Li Shulan did not rush to leave with Gu Jinhong.

Emperor Yongxi looked at his sister's hesitant expression and knew exactly what she was thinking. He smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, your little thoughts are written all over your face."

Seeing that he had figured it out, Li Shulan decided not to hide anything anymore: "Then I will speak frankly. Jincheng has been transferred to Liaodong for three years now. I heard that it is freezing cold there and people lack food and clothing."

At this point, Li Shulan's eyes reddened slightly. "And then there's Yunzhi. She had barely had two days of peace after getting married when she went north with Jincheng and stayed in that harsh, cold place for three years. I don't know if her body can handle it. I know my brother's difficulties, and I'm not forcing him, but as a mother, I can't help but worry about her."

Seeing this, Gu Jinhong stepped forward to support his mother's arm and whispered, "Mother, please don't be like this. My elder brother will definitely take good care of my sister-in-law."

Gu Jincheng knew his mother's worries. His elder brother had married Shen Yunzhi, the daughter of Shen Ke, the current Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. They came from a distinguished scholarly family, and Gu Huaiyuan and Li Shulan were both very satisfied with their daughter-in-law. Three years ago, less than a month after Shen Yunzhi married into the family, Gu Jincheng received a transfer order to go to Liaodong to guard the border. Shen Yunzhi was unwilling to stay at home and insisted on going north with her husband.

Shen Ke had only one son and one daughter, and he usually doted on his daughter. When he learned that his daughter was going to suffer in that harsh and cold place, how could he be willing? He went straight to the Marquis of Duanping's residence, but in the end, he couldn't persuade his daughter otherwise.

From then on, Shen Ke would always glare at Gu Huaiyuan whenever he saw him.

Although Shen Ke's official rank wasn't high, his position was crucial, and the Shen family had been in the court for three generations, with numerous protégés. If something were to happen to him, the Gu family truly wouldn't know how to explain it to the Shen family.

Looking at his sister's red eyes, Emperor Yongxi felt both guilty and heartbroken. He sighed, "I know you care about your son. Jincheng is my own nephew. If it weren't for dire circumstances, I wouldn't have allowed them to transfer him out of the capital. Now that the Emperor Emeritus's illness is worsening, those old fogies who were most active have become much more subdued. I promise you, I will find a way to transfer Jincheng back to the capital in a while."

Upon hearing this, Li Shulan's eyes lit up immediately: "Really? Your Majesty, I thank you." She then stood up and was about to kneel to express her gratitude.

Emperor Yongxi quickly reached out to stop him: "Get up, get up, we're family, why are you talking like family? My mother passed away early, and when I ascended the throne, my power was not yet secure, so you all suffered a lot because of her. Jincheng is a steady and reliable child, and his years in Liaodong have been a valuable experience for him. I will give him an important position when he returns."

Having received confirmation, Li Shulan glanced at the stacks of memorials on Emperor Yongxi's desk and wisely refrained from lingering any longer.

After leaving the palace and getting into the carriage, Li Shulan instructed the driver to go directly to the Marquis's residence. Then she let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes and brows beaming with joy: "Your eldest brother is finally coming back. Your sister-in-law suffered with him in Liaodong for three years; she'll have to take good care of herself now that she's back. Your father doesn't know yet; when we get back and tell him, he'll suffer less from Shen Jijiu's disdain."

The carriage stopped in front of the Marquis of Duanping's residence. Li Shulan helped Gu Jinhong out of the carriage, her steps much lighter than when she entered the palace.

Gu Huaiyuan was reading the official gazette in his study when he heard that his wife had arrived. Before he could go to greet her, Li Shulan and her son rushed in.

Seeing his wife's slightly red eyes, Gu Huaiyuan's heart skipped a beat: "Has something happened?"

Gu Jinhong recounted the events of his visit to the palace that day from the beginning.

When Qin Keqing's background was mentioned, Gu Huaiyuan's brows furrowed deeply. When he mentioned that Emperor Yongxi had agreed to transfer Gu Jincheng, Gu Huaiyuan suddenly stood up, paced back and forth in the study, and burst into laughter.

"Good! Good!" Gu Huaiyuan slammed his hand on the table. "Jincheng has been gone for three years, and it's finally over. I don't have to hide from his father-in-law anymore."

Li Shulan gave him a reproachful look: "You're still thinking about this."

"How can I not think about it?" Gu Huaiyuan snorted. "That old bastard Shen Ke used to often ask me to drink, but now he treats me like I'm his enemy."

Li Shulan sighed, "We can't really blame him. Everyone loves their own children. In the end, we were in the wrong."

Just then, the steward Gu Da's voice rang out from outside: "Your Highness, Lord Marquis, Jia Lian from the Rongguo Mansion has arrived, saying he's here to see the young master."

Gu Huaiyuan was delighted with the news that his eldest son was about to be transferred back to the capital. Upon hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Gu Jinhong: "You have a connection with him?"

Gu Jinhong was also taken aback, wondering why Jia Lian had come to see him: "We've only met twice, and we haven't even exchanged many words. I'll go and take a look."

"Although Jia Lian is not as despicable as his father Jia She, he is not a kind person either. If there is nothing wrong, just give him a few words and send him away."

"My son understands."

Gu Jinhong left the study and walked along the covered corridor towards the side hall.

In the side hall, Jia Lian saw him enter and quickly stood up, smiling and bowing, saying, "Second Master Gu."

Gu Jinhong returned the greeting and sat down in the main seat, whereupon a maidservant served tea again.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slowly said, "Second Master Lian, your timing is perfect. I just arrived at the manor and you came right away."

Jia Lian chuckled awkwardly, "That was indeed a coincidence." Could he say that he had someone keeping watch at the door the whole time, and only came over after confirming that Gu Jinhong was in the mansion?

"Second Master Lian, what brings you here today?"

Jia Lian took out a money pouch from his sleeve and placed it on the table with both hands: "This is because I lost fifty taels of silver to Master Gu in the horse race. It should have been settled today, but I didn't have the money with me yesterday, so I brought it over today."

Gu Jinhong didn't touch the money pouch, but just smiled and said, "It's just fifty taels of silver, Master Lian, why be so polite? It makes us seem distant."

"You can't say that," Jia Lian waved his hands repeatedly. "Winning and losing are common occurrences, but refusing to pay a debt is unreasonable. If we delay paying even this small amount of money, won't people laugh at us?"

Seeing this, Gu Jinhong didn't try to persuade him any further. He gestured for the maid to put the money away and casually said, "Since Second Master Lian is here today, why don't you sit for a while longer?"

Jia Lian, who was just wondering how to keep the conversation going, quickly said, "In that case, I'll be imposing on you. I saw Master Gu's excellent horsemanship yesterday; he's truly skilled. May I ask where you usually ride your horses, Brother Gu? If it's convenient, I'd like to go and learn a thing or two sometime."

Gu Jinhong saw that Jia Lian wanted to build a relationship, so he went along with it, saying, "It was just a casual stroll around my own estate; I don't have any special skills. If Second Master Lian is interested, we can arrange to go together next time."