FBC – Chapter 30 Mother and Daughter

The Duke Yong’s carriage stopped in front of the Wenchang Marquis Manor.

When the gatekeeper saw the grand and luxurious carriage bearing a wooden plaque with the engraved character “Yong”, he was startled and hurried over, bowing respectfully.

“Is the Eldest Miss returning home?”

Zhou Chunyu dismounted and replied, “It’s the Second Miss of the Gu family returning home.”

The gatekeeper froze. “Second Miss?”

Dong Hua and Shen Li were the first to alight, followed by Zhou Zhilian supporting Gu Hua out of the carriage. Dong Hua stepped forward to receive Gu Hua, while Zhou Zhilian protectively guided her down with great care.

Gu Hua lifted her eyes to the plaque above the gate — four grand characters in dragon-phoenix calligraphy: Wenchang Marquis Manor.

The title of Marquis of Wenchang had been passed down for five generations, and the plaque itself was bestowed personally by the founding emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty.

Old Marquis Gu was a Hanlin scholar and had once served as the previous emperor’s tutor. Tracing further back, the Gu family had produced a Grand Preceptor, a Privy Council Minister, and two chief ministers.

The Gu ancestors were literary giants and the epitome of upright civil officials.

The Gu household had always been known for its strict observance of propriety and tradition.

But by her father’s generation, apart from earning the third-rank title of Tanhua, none of the other uncles or younger generation had achieved anything noteworthy. They all simply lived off the glory and titles of their forebears.

Because the Gu clan members consumed without producing, their once-prestigious and noble household had long become hollow within, making ends meet only with great difficulty.

According to the laws of Great Liang, her father would be the last to inherit the title unless he or his descendants achieved significant merit.

Thus, the elegant legacy of the Gu family began to change in tone with her father’s generation.

Lacking silver to grease the wheels of politics, her father took the daughter of a wealthy Jiangling merchant family — the Pei family — as a concubine, allowing her to flaunt her power within the marquisate.

He treated the daughters of the family as bargaining chips, marrying them off to powerful aristocratic families that could help solidify his status.

The more Gu Hua thought about it, the more ironic it felt.

If the world knew the filthy truths behind the Gu family’s walls, what would they think?

Her birth mother, who hailed from the esteemed Wang clan of Langya, had to endure her husband’s favoritism toward a concubine just to uphold the declining Langya Wang household and maintain her position as the legitimate wife in the marquis manor. She had to endure the shame of Concubine Pei flaunting her status thanks to her rich dowry.

The gatekeeper stared in bewilderment — this noblewoman was stunningly beautiful and looked somewhat familiar.

Could she truly be the least favored Second Miss of the Gu family?

Zhou Chunyu barked, “The marquis manor summoned the Second Miss home. Why haven’t you gone in to announce it?”

The gatekeeper snapped out of his daze and hurried to send someone to report the arrival.

Not long after, Concubine Pei came rushing out. When she saw Gu Hua dressed head to toe in a completely new ensemble, and glanced at the luxurious carriage and the entourage of attendants behind her, her expression turned dark.

When her daughter had returned home, she rode in an ordinary carriage — yet this little wretch dared to make a bigger display than her daughter?

Weren’t they supposed to bring Gu Hua back and immediately send her off to Jiao Chun Garden for the young master?

Why hadn’t her daughter returned with her?

She hadn’t received any message either — had something changed?

Unable to act out in front of people from the Duke’s estate, she questioned her harshly, “Where’s your sister? Why are you back alone?”

Gu Hua gave her a glance and ignored her, walking straight toward the gate.

Seeing her put on airs in the marquis manor enraged Concubine Pei. She moved to grab her but was suddenly stopped — her wrist firmly grasped by a seventeen or eighteen-year-old maidservant.

A mere maid dares to be unruly in front of the marquis manor?

Concubine Pei’s expression turned cold. “This is the marquis manor! You think a servant has the right to meddle when I discipline my own daughter?”

Zhou Zhilian gave her a shove and quickly caught up to Gu Hua, supporting her as they walked inside.

Concubine Pei was furious. She lifted her skirt to chase after them and shouted obscenities, “Such shameless behavior from the Duke’s servants — utterly disgraceful!”

Dong Hua’s strong arm gave her a shove on the shoulder. “Insolence! Miss Zhou is a steward of the Duke’s household. How dare a mere concubine servant like you speak out of turn?”

Concubine Pei staggered from the push. Upon hearing the words “Duke’s steward,” she immediately fell silent. Realizing something was off, she quickly followed behind.

Inside the marquis manor, news quickly spread. When Madam Wang, heard about it, she was surprised.

“The marquis manor summoned her back? Why wasn’t I told?”

Granny Zhou replied, “It was probably Concubine Pei who summoned her using the marquis’s name.”

Lady Wang felt lethargic. She didn’t care much about the matters between that mother and daughter. She said flatly, “Fine, let her return. Just have her go to Pei’s courtyard.”

“Yes.”

Granny Zhou turned to leave but was stunned when she reached the courtyard gate — in the distance, a beauty was being escorted with great ceremony.

She paused in confusion. Wasn’t it the Second Miss who was returning?

Why does it look like the Eldest Miss?

Then she thought, Perhaps the Eldest Miss came back with her, and quickly whispered to a maid beside her, “Go tell Madam that the Eldest Miss has returned.”

She personally went forward to greet them, but upon approaching and seeing that stunning face, she froze.

This… is the Second Miss?

Gu Hua saw her mother’s dowry maid and bowed respectfully. “Granny Zhou.”

Granny Zhou returned to her senses. Having served in the marquis manor for years, she immediately sensed something unusual about the situation.

Never mind Gu Hua’s attire — even the two men and women accompanying her were dressed no less finely than the manor’s masters, exuding a natural air of superiority that clearly marked them as people of high rank.

Behind them were also a young servant and two maids.

This kind of entourage was more luxurious than when the Eldest Miss returned home.

She quickly put on a warm smile. “Ah, so it is Second Miss who has returned. The Madam isn’t feeling well at the moment and instructed this old servant to tell you there’s no need for formal greetings — you may go directly to Anxiang Courtyard to speak with your concubine mother.”

Her own mother didn’t want to see her.

A dull pain stirred in Gu Hua’s heart.

She couldn’t blame her — her mother still didn’t know that her own daughter was Gu Hua.

Still, she longed to see her real mother — even if they couldn’t acknowledge each other.

Feigning surprise, Gu Hua said, “My elder sister said the Gu manor sent a letter asking me to return. Does that mean Mother wasn’t informed?”

Granny Zhou quickly glanced at the two people behind Gu Hua. If the lady of the house didn’t even know about the daughter being summoned home, then clearly she held no real authority.

She quickly corrected herself. “That’s not it. Of course, the summons was with Madam’s approval. She was just being thoughtful of you and your mother, thinking you two must have things to discuss, so she wanted you to go to Anxiang Courtyard first.”

Gu Hua replied, “It’s not proper for a daughter returning home to see her father’s concubine before greeting her mother. I’m not a married daughter returning to her natal home. This is a normal visit — I should first pay my respects to my mother.”

Granny Zhou was at a loss. “Then please wait a moment, Miss. I’ll go and inform the Madam.”

“Thank you, Granny,” Gu Hua said politely.

Zhou Chunyu turned to Gu Hua. “Second Miss Gu, I’ll go pay respects to the Marquis.”

“Very well,” Gu Hua nodded.

“She wants to see me?” Lady Wang rubbed her temples. “I really don’t feel well. Just send her away.”

There were several illegitimate girls in the manor, but this Second Miss had always been timid and submissive — besides her looks and figure, she never amounted to much and always had the air of a servant. She was never one to leave a strong impression, so Lady Wang never cared much about her.

Granny Zhou hesitated. “Madam, there are five people from the Duke’s estate accompanying her. Two of them seem to be of very high status. The Second Miss has been staying at the Duke’s estate for over a month and suddenly returned in this manner. Something must be going on. Concubine Pei is always scheming — you should be cautious.”

Lady Wang was startled and picked up on Granny Zhou’s warning. “You’re suggesting that Pei wants Gu Hua to take over Ruer’s place?”

Granny Zhou nodded. “That’s what this servant suspects.”

She leaned in and whispered, “I heard that Concubine Pei had no good intentions when she sent Second Miss to the Duke’s estate. She might have been trying to make her the Duke’s heir’s concubine. Look at how she raised the girl — she’s incredibly seductive. That woman is ambitious.”

“Concubine Pei’s always acting loyal in front of the Eldest Miss — who knows what she’s really planning? And the Eldest Miss trusts her completely. If she falls into Pei’s trap, what would happen to her?”

Concerned about her own daughter — the only legitimate young lady of the Gu family — and her future, Lady Wang no longer dared to be careless.

She immediately forced herself to sit up. “Help me get dressed.”