Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

"Xuepo, Xuepo. Where did you go?"

A series of hurried footsteps approached, and Princess Anning appeared at the courtyard gate. She immediately spotted her beloved cat lying on the ground, its fur standing on end.

"What's going on?"

Li Shulan strode in, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the cat and the bird, her face immediately darkening.

Upon seeing its master arrive, Xuepo immediately abandoned its attacking stance, trotted over to Li Shulan's feet, rubbed against her, and tilted its head back, barking pitifully as if it were complaining.

Li Shulan bent down and hugged Xuepo to her arms. Reaching out, she touched the cat's head and noticed a small patch of fur that had been ruffled by pecking, with a faint red mark visible. Her expression darkened further, and her gaze slowly shifted to her son.

Cui Guan, oblivious to the danger, continued jumping around, shouting, "Snitching devil! Nitching devil!"

Gu Jinhong sensed something was wrong and quickly put on a fawning smile: "Mother, please let your son explain..."

Li Shulan, holding the cat, looked at him coldly: "This furry beast you raised pecked my Xuepo's head raw, what else do you have to say?"

Gu Jinhong moved closer to Li Shulan, reached out and tugged at her sleeve, shaking it: "Mother, you really can't blame Cuiguan. You saw it yourself, Xuepo ran into my yard by itself. Cuiguan was just sitting on the shelf, and I didn't bother it."

Li Shulan looked down at Xuepo, who was still sobbing in her arms, then looked up at her son's face, which was filled with the words "I'm innocent," and snorted coldly: "Birds don't know any better, and neither do people? If Xuepo is disfigured, I'll hold you accountable."

"It's all because my son didn't discipline it properly, letting this furry beast offend Xuepo. I'll lock it in its cage right now and punish it by not letting it eat sunflower seeds for three days!" Gu Jinhong reached out to stroke Xuepo's head again. "Xuepo, Xuepo, you're something else, a princess's beloved cat, why are you arguing with a furry beast? Isn't that lowering your status?"

When Xuepo saw him reach out, she slapped his hand away without hesitation, meowed, and buried her head in Li Shulan's arms, refusing to look at him.

The kingfisher on the perch was still gloating: "Serves you right! Serves you right!"

Li Shulan's gaze swept over the green-feathered parrot like a knife.

Cui Guan, startled by her glare, shrank back, admitting her mistake and saying, "I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"

Gu Jinhong was both annoyed and amused to see his usually unruly bird actually back down in front of his mother.

"Mother, look, even Cui Guan knows she was wrong." Gu Jinhong took Li Shulan's arm, her tone carrying a hint of coquetry.

Looking at her son's ingratiating smile, Li Shulan decided it was best not to argue with a bird: "I'll let you off this time, but if there's a next time, I'll stew you and give you to Xuepo to help her recover."

Cui Guan shivered on the bird stand and buried her head under her wings.

Gu Jinhong breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly called outside, "Someone! Go to the kitchen and tell them to make fish head soup for Xuepo to nourish her brain!"

……

Outside the East Gate, willows sway gently on both sides of the official road.

Gu Huaiyuan craned his neck to look at the end of the official road, while Li Shulan beside him nervously clenched her hands together.

A few steps behind them, Shen Ke, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, stood with a stern face and his hands behind his back. Beside him stood a man who bore a five or six-point resemblance to Shen Ke, about thirty years old, who was Shen Ke's eldest son, Shen Yanting, who was then serving as a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Shen Ke's gaze swept across the crowd and landed coldly on Gu Huaiyuan's back.

Three years ago, Shen Yunzhi married into the Gu family. The new bride hadn't even gotten to know the layout of the mansion before declaring she wanted to accompany her husband to his new post. What kind of place was Liaodong? A bitterly cold land, where the north wind was like a knife. Their own daughter had been pampered since childhood, never having done any housework, yet she was to go to such a place to suffer.

He held Gu Huaiyuan responsible for the whole affair. Gu Huaiyuan had made all the promises during the marriage proposal, but his daughter hadn't even had a chance to enjoy the good fortune before suffering the consequences.

Shen Yanting noticed that the atmosphere around his father was getting increasingly tense. He coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "Father, today is the auspicious day for my sister's return to the capital. Let's talk about it slowly when we get back."

Shen Ke snorted coldly, his frosty expression remaining unchanged.

Gu Huaiyuan suddenly shrank his neck; despite the sweltering summer heat, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. When he turned around, he met Shen Ke's icy eyes.

Gu Huaiyuan gave him an awkward smile, cupped his hands, and said, "Father-in-law, it's hot today, shall we go to the tea stall to rest for a while..."

"No need. My body can handle it, no need for Marquis Duanping to trouble himself."

Gu Huaiyuan was taken aback by Shen Ke's address of him as "Marquis Duanping." Shen Ke had always called him "Brother Gu" before, but now he had switched to a title. He awkwardly touched his nose and turned away.

Shen Yanting shook his head helplessly and could only cup his hands in greeting to Gu Huaiyuan as a gesture of respect.

Gu Jinhong stood beside his father, taking in the whole scene before him, but he managed to suppress his laughter.

It was nearly noon, and Li Shulan had already taken out her handkerchief to wipe away her sweat countless times.

"Why haven't we arrived yet?"

Before the words were finished, a cloud of dust suddenly rose from the end of the official road, and a group of people gradually appeared on the horizon. Leading the way were several fast horses, followed by a blue-curtained carriage, and bringing up the rear were dozens of dusty guards.

"Here it comes!"

Gu Huaiyuan saw it from afar and, disregarding any semblance of dignity as a marquis, rushed forward to greet it.

The group of people drew closer, and the man in the lead dismounted. He was tall and slender with a angular face, weathered and worn.

"Father! Mother!"

Upon seeing Li Shulan and Gu Huaiyuan, Gu Jincheng quickly stepped forward and, with a flick of his robe, prepared to kneel down.

Gu Huaiyuan pulled his son up, his hands trembling as he grabbed his arm: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Tears welled up in Li Shulan's eyes. She rushed forward and hugged her son tightly, ignoring the many eyes watching them. She choked out, "You've gotten so dark and thin. What hardships have you endured in Liaodong?"

"Mother, your son didn't suffer." Gu Jincheng's eyes also reddened as he patted his mother's back to comfort her. "Look, your son is back safe and sound, isn't he?"

Gu Jinhong stood to the side, his eyes also feeling a little hot.

"Big brother."

Gu Jincheng turned his head and met Gu Jinhong's eyes. Three years ago, when they parted, Gu Jinhong was just a teenager, but now he was almost as tall as him.

"Jinhong." Gu Jincheng patted his shoulder, his eyes full of satisfaction. "You've grown taller and stronger than before."

Gu Huaiyuan was grinning at the two brothers when he suddenly felt the gaze behind him grow colder. He quickly coughed lightly and stepped aside, saying, "Jincheng, why don't you go and greet your father-in-law?"

Gu Jincheng quickly straightened his clothes, strode up to Shen Ke, and respectfully bowed deeply: "Your son-in-law greets Father-in-law. It is your incompetence that has caused Yunzhi to suffer with me. Today I return to the capital, and I accept your punishment."

Shen Ke ignored him, his gaze passing over Gu Jincheng and looking at the carriage behind him.

Shen Yanting stepped forward and patted Gu Jincheng on the shoulder: "It's good that you're back. Father was just worried about Yunzhi, don't take it to heart."

The carriage curtain was lifted slightly, and first a fair hand reached out from inside, followed by a slightly pale face. Shen Yunzhi stepped down from the carriage with the help of her maid.

Seeing his daughter's appearance, Shen Ke's stern face finally crumbled. He rushed forward, grabbed her arm, and his voice trembled as he asked, "How did you become so thin?"

"Father!" Shen Yunzhi forced a smile, "Your daughter hasn't lost weight, it's just that your father hasn't seen you for too long."

Shen Ke looked his daughter up and down, feeling more and more heartache as he looked at her. He suddenly turned and glared at Gu Jincheng.

Gu Jincheng opened his mouth guiltily, about to speak, but Shen Yunzhi interrupted, "Father, my husband treats me very well. It's just that my health is not good enough. I didn't adapt to the environment in Liaodong, which is why I've lost some weight."

Shen Yanting stepped forward and looked his sister up and down. Seeing that she was thinner than before, but in good spirits, he was relieved: "You've lost weight, but your complexion is still okay. Now that you're back, you should take good care of yourself."

Upon seeing his elder brother, Shen Yunzhi couldn't hold back his tears: "Big brother."

Shen Yanting reached out and wiped away her tears, smiling, "You're married now, why do you still cry like a child?" He then turned to his father, "Father, now that my sister has returned safely, there's no need to bring up the past. My brother-in-law is now back in the capital reporting for duty, and things will only get better from now on."

Shen Ke snorted coldly, but he couldn't continue to lash out in front of his children.

Seeing this, Gu Huaiyuan quickly stepped forward and chimed in, "Father-in-law, Yanting is right. Let's talk about it back at the manor. The children must be tired from their journey."

Shen Ke looked at his daughter's tired face, then at the look in his son's eyes, and finally nodded.