Font Size:
In this kind of environment, Su Yu could achieve anything with just a few words.
Old Master Gu didn’t dare to gamble with his children’s future. He opened his mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing.
“This is the last warning, Old Master Gu. I don’t want Xiao Zhi to suffer at your hands after forgetting everything,” Wang Jinhe said coldly, realizing that simply talking to these people wouldn’t be enough. They needed a warning.
Old Master Gu didn’t know what was going through Wang Jinhe’s mind, but he understood that his visit had already angered her. If he continued to pester her, it would only provoke Su Yu’s anger. The Gu family would end up worse off, just like the Yu family and the other branch of the Gu family.
The Yu family lost a lucrative iron mine and a promising future, while the other branch of the Gu family reportedly encountered business problems, which were only resolved with the Qing family’s help.
Compared to the Yu and the other branch of the Gu family, their family was far behind. If they truly angered Prince Yu’s Mansion, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Taking a deep breath, Old Master Gu left with his people.
That evening, when Su Yu returned from the old house and saw Wang Jinhe sitting by the bed, looking drowsy but not asleep, he couldn’t help but feel surprised. “What’s wrong?”
In the past, Wang Jinhe would have been asleep by the time Su Yu returned. Today, her staying awake must mean that she had something to discuss with him.
Wang Jinhe leaned on Su Yu, struggling to open her eyes. “Is there anyone from the Gu family in the court?”
“The Gu family? Which Gu family are you referring to?” Su Yu asked.
“I mean Gu Jing’s family,” Wang Jinhe looked up at Su Yu and said.
“There are a few, and one of them is already a fifth-rank official, serving in the Ministry of Revenue. Why do you ask?” Su Yu was puzzled by Wang Jinhe’s sudden interest in the Gu family today.
“Why don’t you ask the Emperor to transfer him to a less important position?” Wang Jinhe asked.
Su Yu looked at Wang Jinhe with surprise. “Why? Has something happened?”
“Today, Old Master Gu from the Gu family came again, wanting to take Xiao Zhi back. I think maybe we didn’t make ourselves clear before, and they didn’t understand our intentions. If that’s the case, then let’s just teach the Gu family a lesson,” Wang Jinhe said. She didn’t want the Gu family to cause trouble for Xiao Zhi again. If they didn’t understand, then the Gu family needed to understand.
Su Yu was surprised that the Gu family had come to their door. “Alright, I’ll go to the palace tomorrow and inform the Emperor.”
“That person doesn’t have much influence, so it wouldn’t matter even if he were transferred elsewhere,” Su Yu said softly.
As he spoke, he lifted Wang Jinhe and placed her on the bed. “You should get some rest. You look exhausted.”
“Okay,” Wang Jinhe replied before falling asleep.
As the months passed and the child grew, Wang Jinhe had become increasingly drowsy. It was truly remarkable that she had managed to stay awake until this hour today.
The next day, Su Yu went to the palace and spoke to Xuan Feiran about the matter. Xuan Feiran then issued an order to transfer the Gu family’s fifth-rank official to a less important position.
When the Gu family member heard the news, he was completely dumbfounded. “Why did Lai Fu come? What’s going on?”
He hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did the Emperor suddenly transfer him to a less important position?
“You’ll find out the reason if you ask your family about it,” Lai Fu said before leaving.
Gu Qi returned home with a grim expression and confronted his father and the others. “What have you been up to lately? Who have you offended?”
Old Master Gu looked displeased. “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing? Today, I was suddenly transferred to a less important position. When I asked Lai Fu about the reason, he told me to come back and ask you who we’ve offended,” Gu Qi said, clearly infuriated.
Although his position at the Ministry of Revenue was not particularly prestigious, it did hold real power. As long as he achieved merit, he would definitely be promoted. He had already found an opportunity, but now he was suddenly being transferred. How could he accept this?
Old Master Gu’s expression changed upon hearing Gu Qi’s words, and the family’s steward beside him felt a jolt of anxiety. “Could it be because of what happened yesterday?”
Gu Qi looked at the steward. “What happened yesterday?”
The steward hesitated, unsure of what to say.
“What’s going on?” Their family’s only member in the court, with the highest official position and the best prospects for promotion, was him. Now, because of his family, things had turned out like this. How could he accept it?
“What’s going on, Dad?” Seeing that no one was speaking, Gu Qi asked again.
Old Master Gu frowned and explained to Gu Qi about the incident with the visit to the Princess of Yu the previous day.
After hearing this, Gu Qi laughed at himself. “I see.”
He then turned and left. He had thought that he had offended someone, but now it seemed that it wasn’t him who had offended anyone, but rather his father was still dwelling on things he shouldn’t be.
“Gu Qi, stop right there,” Old Master Gu reprimanded in a cold voice.
Gu Qi looked at his father coldly. “What’s the matter?”
“What’s with your attitude?”
What attitude?
Gu Qi suddenly found the situation somewhat ridiculous. “What kind of attitude do you think I should have? After the other party severed ties with Gu Jing, you went to Prince Yu’s Mansion to cause trouble. You did it when Prince Yu wasn’t there, clearly showing that you don’t respect the Princess and deliberately sought trouble with her.”
“It’s no wonder Prince Yu took action against me. This is a warning to our Gu family not to overstep. Dad, if you still want the Gu family to prosper, then don’t provoke that child. Regardless of whether you acknowledge that the child is no longer part of our family, he is now the eldest young master of the Imperial Prince Yu’s Mansion, and his name is no longer Zhang Zhilin, but Su Zhixiao.” Everyone in the court knew that Su Yu had legally changed his adopted son’s name to his own. Although the child couldn’t inherit the Su family’s estate, he could enjoy everything under Imperial Prince Yu’s Mansion.
Prince Yu treated the child well, and in the future, it might not be impossible for him to inherit a share of the Prince’s property, alongside the Prince’s biological children. The child had changed a lot in the two years since they last saw him and was doing better and better.
“Are you blaming me for this?”
“Shouldn’t I blame you? If it weren’t for you, why would I have been transferred away from the Ministry of Revenue?” Gu Qi said angrily.
From now on, he would have very little chance of being promoted. They had caused him to end up like this, so shouldn’t he blame them?
“In the future, don’t come to me for anything related to the Gu family. I can’t help,” Gu Qi said, not giving Old Master Gu a chance to speak before leaving.
Old Master Gu slumped into a chair, his expression grim. “I didn’t expect the Princess to act so decisively.”
Yesterday, it was just a verbal warning, but today, they had dealt with their family’s member.
“What should we do next, sir?”
Old Master Gu remained silent. What could they do now? Just one visit had led to this. If they did anything else, Prince Yu would probably ruin the Gu family. He absolutely couldn’t allow that to happen.
The steward sighed softly and spoke helplessly, “Sir, it was your mistake back then.”