SGEIRS -Chapter 547 Not a Cut Sleeve

The envoys from the State of Anguo had arrived.

The Ministry of Rites immediately became busy handling their reception. Gu Jingsong, the second master of the Gu family, served in the Ministry of Rites and was naturally swept up in the work as well.

The State of Zhao was vast and rich in resources; compared to Anguo, its territory was far larger. There were also far more novel sights and curiosities, and the capital city was much more prosperous. The Third Prince and Seventh Princess of Anguo were visiting Zhao for the first time and found everything fresh and exciting. For three consecutive days, they wandered about the city, enjoying themselves.

After their arrival, the siblings were granted an audience with Emperor Jingwen. However, with state affairs piling up, the emperor merely met them briefly before instructing the officials of the Ministry of Rites to see to their proper accommodation.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites were all shrewd veterans—how could they fail to understand the emperor’s meaning?

Anguo was a vassal state. Zhao, as a great empire, had no need to curry favor. Moreover, the visitors were merely a teenage boy and girl; even combined, the siblings were not yet thirty-five years old. It was only natural for the emperor to maintain a certain distance and leave them waiting for a couple of days.

That said, the Third Prince and Seventh Princess seemed completely oblivious, spending their days eating, drinking, and having fun.

Three days later, a banquet was held in the palace to welcome them and wash away the dust of travel.

Among the Gu family’s women, only those with imperial titles were permitted to attend the palace banquet. The only ones who qualified were Old Madam Gu and Meng Jinyao; Madam Zhang of the first branch and Madam Chen of the second branch held no such titles.

Since elders were going out, both Madam Zhang and Madam Chen escorted them to the carriage.

After the carriage departed, Madam Zhang shot a glance at her husband beside her. The more she looked at him, the more dissatisfied she became. The third brother and his wife could attend the palace banquet because he had earned his wife a titled rank. The Second Sister-in-law could not attend due to lacking a title, but the second brother himself was of sufficient rank to go. Only her own husband was utterly useless.

She could only blame herself for having been dazzled by the Gu family’s wealth back then and choosing such an ornamental pillow of a man.

As her biological son, Gu Xiuyuan immediately sensed his mother’s mood from her expression. In a gentle voice, he said, “Mother, I’ll work hard.”

Madam Zhang paused for a moment, then quickly understood. A surge of comfort rose in her heart. She turned and cast another disdainful look at her husband, saying, “Xiuyuan has been outstanding since childhood. In the future, he’ll surely be more capable than his father and will earn titles for both me and his wife.”

Gu Jingsheng’s face darkened instantly. “Madam Zhang, what do you mean by that?”

Madam Zhang snapped back, “Am I wrong? Xiuyuan is indeed better than you.”

Gu Jingsheng was furious. “It’s just a palace banquet! Why are you being so sarcastic? Second sister-in-law couldn’t go either—did she say anything? It’s only you, with your vanity, always comparing yourself to others.”

Madam Chen: “???”

Madam Zhang exploded. “Even though second sister-in-law couldn’t go, second brother did! And you’re still here arguing with me? If you have the energy to quarrel, why not think about how to advance your career? At your age, you’re still stuck in a sinecure—learn something from your two younger brothers!”

Since it was a marital spat, Madam Chen wisely stayed out of it and quietly stepped aside to avoid being dragged into the crossfire.

Gu Xuanyi and Gu Xiuyuan were equally helpless. Their parents’ relationship had grown worse by the day. Their mother seized every chance to mock their father; their father refused to back down, and the two would immediately start arguing. The siblings exchanged a look and hurried to mediate.

“Mother, we’re still at the front gate. If someone passes by and sees you quarreling with Father, people will laugh at our family.”

Gu Xiuyuan added, “Mother, Yunxin has probably woken up by now. If he doesn’t see Grandmother, he’ll make a fuss. Let’s go inside first.”

At the mention of her grandson, half of Madam Zhang’s anger dissipated at once, and her reason slowly returned. If their quarrel at the gate grew too loud and reached her mother-in-law’s ears, she would certainly be reprimanded—hardly worth it. Since an exit had been offered, she took it.

The siblings flanked her on either side, coaxing her back into the house, with Madam Jiang following closely behind.

Gu Jingsheng watched as his wife, children, and daughter-in-law all went inside, leaving him without a single word of comfort. A bellyful of resentment churned within him. Madam Zhang was the children’s biological mother, and he was their biological father—so why was he treated so poorly? He refused to believe Madam Zhang bore no responsibility for this.

Madam Chen watched Madam Zhang leave with her children and daughter-in-law, then saw Gu Jingsheng enter the house seething with anger. Judging by the situation, he would likely head to the inner quarters to seek solace from a concubine.

Gu Xiuhong said, “Mother, let’s go in as well.”

Madam Chen nodded and returned to her own courtyard with her son. Once there, she said to him, “Xiuhong, whatever you do, don’t become like your eldest uncle. Look at him—fickle and easily bored. Your eldest aunt has grown estranged from him; your elder brother and Xuanyi are distant as well. Even your third cousin sides with your eldest aunt now. Your eldest uncle is practically a lone man these days.”

“Mother, do I really seem like that kind of person to you?” Gu Xiuhong asked with a helpless laugh. Then he added, “I came from your womb—how is it that you don’t seem to know me very well?”

Hearing this, Madam Chen fell silent. She stared at her son for a long while before speaking again. “Whether I know you well or not is another matter. I nearly forgot—you don’t even have a sweetheart. Everything I just said may well be pointless. It’s also my fault for having been too strict with you before. There isn’t even a single pretty maid in your courtyard, and now you’ve lost interest in girls altogether.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt something was off. If her son had lost interest in women… didn’t that mean he might be interested in men?

After all, Xuanyi’s former husband had been interested in men. To conceal his preference for men, he had married Xuanyi, yet after the wedding, he never touched her.

In an instant, Madam Chen felt a chill of horror. Hesitantly, she said, “Son… you’re not a cut sleeve, are you? You don’t like men, do you? This won’t do. Your father and I only have you as a son. If you like men, your father’s line will end.”

Gu Xiuhong had just taken a sip of tea. Upon hearing this, he choked violently, coughing so hard that his face and ears turned red.

Seeing this, Madam Chen thought she had struck the truth. Despair washed over her, though she dared not scold him lest mother and son grow estranged. Carefully choosing her words, she said, “Son, perhaps you’ve simply never tasted a woman’s charms. Tonight, Mother will arrange a beautiful bedmaid for you. Once you’ve had something to compare, you’ll know women are far better than men.”

“Mother, what nonsense are you thinking?” Gu Xiuhong hurriedly said. “I don’t like men, and I’m certainly not a cut sleeve. As for a bedmaid, there’s no need.”

Madam Chen remained unconvinced. “If that’s the case, then why don’t you want one?”

“I want to keep my purity for my future wife,” Gu Xiuhong replied. As he spoke, his expression turned shy; his cheeks flushed, and even his ears reddened.

Madam Chen was stunned. Seeing that her son did not appear to be making excuses, her surprise deepened. How had she never realized before that her son was so innocent and earnest?

After a moment, she said, “You’re not young anymore. It’s time to put marriage on the agenda.”

Gu Xiuhong nodded. “Mother, I understand.”

She added, “Your standards don’t need to be too high. If you look down on everyone, you’ll just end up a bachelor. Someone suitable will do.”

Gu Xiuhong glanced at her in surprise, then smiled warmly. “I understand.”