Court Marriage - Chapter 25

As the prefect’s current daughter-in-law, going back to her native home to personally greet Madam Gong a happy birthday, this is totally giving face to the Gong Family, especially how the gifts she gave to her also had a greeting letter included, written by Qiao Yingze-juren ―the son-in-law― himself.

From the Gong household’s perspective, spiritual sustenance is definitely more classy than any other golds and silvers which had just became rubbish in their eyes, and even Madam Gong felt like her sense of style seemed to have advanced a step higher; But in Gong Zhuoliang’s perspective, his little Husband’s written letter is much more valuable and precious than any of those gold and jade Buddha statues. In this way, they had truly saved a lot of money. 

Before the celebration, Madam Gong had already publicized the news regarding her visitors to the public, especially to those people who are unwilling to make friends with a merchant family such as the Gong Family so they could still somewhat find the reason to come and congratulate them, though there are still a few people who’re way too contemptuous to come. But still, this has been the most grandest and honorable birthday party Madam Gong had ever experienced in her whole life.

She then seized the opportunity to make relations with the Qiao Family and talked about making them as their(GongFam’s) backer. She even began to interact intimately with the person she disdained the most, gazing at him in a way how someone looks at a pile of gold and jades.

“When I say that I took this chance to come back, not only it is because I’ve been wanting to personally meet my birth mother, there’s also something important I had to tell you”

After sending all the servants out, Gong Zhuoliang didn’t even bother greeting Madam Gong and immediately walked to the main seat, sitting down, and began to talk about business straight away. 

“What are you going to tell me?”

Pressing her hot face against his cold back, Madam Gong’s lowered face began to show resentment, but towards Gong Zhuoliang’s proud attitude, other than her internal criticisms, she didn’t show any anger.

By lowering down her dignity, will she only be able to gain the maximum profit. With such a tactical woman, could he still involve money here?

“Recently, one of Mother-in-law’s maidservant has been keeping an eye on Ruo Lan. She wanted to make Ruo Lan into her son’s Main Wife so she requested her to talk about this matter to Mother-in-law. You probably already know that Mother-in-law very much disliked me, so naturally, I will not be able to refuse this. But the thing is, Ruo Lan’s indenture is still in your hold, so when I was asked about it, I barely survived from their suspicions.

Later on, I visited a hot spring on the pretext of helping take care of my husband just so I could avoid their questions for the time being, and I’m still afraid of going back there. Now that it’s New Year, by coming here, I hope I would be able to give them an explanation once I come back there….”

As though he had just been forced to eat shit, Gong Zhuoliang showed a resentful look, but then after that, he began to pretend as though he became frightened, while waiting for Madam Gong’s next reaction.

“And as for Ruo Zi, she’s quite troublesome. Even my husband didn’t like her, to the point that he’s starting to plan on casually marrying her into anyone else. I know you always worried for her, and it wouldn’t be easy for you to part from her, but- this person really couldn’t stay with us any longer.

After keeping her once, we couldn’t allow her to stay by our side for the second time, so you had to give me her indenture. About the rest, I could deal with it myself” 

“She…. Ruo Zi didn’t mention anything about this matter at all, ah…. ”

Madam Gong isn’t stupid. As soon as Gong Zhuoliang started talking about the two maidservants’s indentures, she immediately turned vigilant, but on the surface, she showed an embarrassed smile.

“So what? Aside from quarreling with the elder maidservants and bullying the younger ones, does she even know how to talk about serious matters? The second day of our wedding day, she even attempted to seduce the Eldest Young Master- my Husband! In the end, did the maidservant in my courtyard still talk bad about her? My reputation has totally gone downhill due to this!”

Gong Zhuoliang laughed disdainfully, contemptuously looking at Madam Gong as though he was saying to her― This is the good girl you’ve raised. 

“How could the husband’s family just casually agree on matchmaking the dowry maid their new daughter-in-law took along with her from her native home? You just had to refuse them and that’ll be the end of it, ma”

Madam Gong immediately felt so suffocated that her good mood just a while ago was now gone and her tone of speaking became unpleasant.

“Can I not refuse them? Ruo Zi’s been gossiping with you for the past two days, because you don’t know how I’ve suffered back at the Qiao Household! In this situation, how could I dare refuse my mother-in-law?” 

Gong Zhuoliang sneered. He’s totally regarding Madam Gong as garbage right now. Not only is he hesitant to complain to Ruo Lan, he couldn’t even bring himself to vent all of his grievances to his husband. If he caused him(QYZ) anger, it would be very dangerous for his health so he(GZL) could only vent it on this vixen……

“Qfii… Cybea Eeb Ojc, P’ii cjaegjiis ulnf tfg lcvfcaegf ab sbe, yea Eeb Il mbeivc’a yf wjgglfv boo sfa rlcmf rtf’r ralii erfoei. Po sbe gfjiis vbc’a kjca ab xffq tlw jcswbgf, sbe mjc pera ub ab sbeg wbatfg’r mbegasjgv jcv yglcu klat sbe akb wbgf wjlvrfgnjcar ogbw atfgf bc atf ugbecvr atja sbe meggfcais ijmx bo mbcrlvfgjaf rfgnjcar”

In regards to Gong Zhuoliang’s plight, Madam Gong isn’t suspecting him at all, after all, Ruo Zi had already complained to her about the house rules of the Qiao Family;, in addition to that, she knew Gong Zhuoliang’s furious look is no joke. As for whether Gong Zhuoliang and Qiao Yingze are secretly interacting with each other, at least the door from behind is tightly closed.

Ruo Zi had just been wronged right in the presence of Qiao Yingze, so it was reasonable for her to call him the ‘hot-headed young master’ in order to ease herself from grievances. Madam Gong is assuming that Gong Zhuoliang must be in a bad mood right now. 

“Have you already thought about what would happen? It’s already obvious how much they’ve made me suffer back there, so do you think they would still give me a chance to bring another two maidservants from my native home with me?….. I don’t want Ruo Lan to stay with me any longer. Ruo Zi may have been useful but once I turn my back on her, she’s already causing trouble. Just why did you pick such an ill-mannered servant in the first place? Instead of looking for a probable servant, you accept those who are not good!”

Madam Gong had been already anxious at the mention of marrying off one servant, let alone two. Gong Zhuoliang scolded Madam Gong as he harrumphed at her, literally hinting to her that not only is Ruo Zi extremely useful but she also has the potential to betray her own Master.

“I understand now”

Madam Gong could only reply bashfully. She couldn’t say anything else to refute Gong Zhuoliang’s words, so she could only stand up, look for Ruo Lan’s indenture and give it to Gong Zhuoliang. After that, she intended to go drinking and listening to a play just so she could continue celebrating her birthday, ne! About Gong Zhuoliang’s request to see her biological mother, she sent a servant to go call for Concubine Wu so he could meet her. 

“Madam! Ruo Lan begs Madam to save her! The madam of the Qiao Family is about to match Ruo Lan to a fool! Please Madam, save Ruo Lan…”

Ruo Lan, who had been waiting outside the door, immediately pressed her sleeves onto her eyes just as soon as she heard the sound of the door opening. The handkerchief slightly wet with a chili was wiped at the corners of her eyes, and she was kneeling down, sobbing in front of Madam Gong.

“Really? Ruo Lan ah, you have already entered the household of the Qiao Family so even if Madam really wanted to help you, she couldn’t do it. You have been serving Madam for so many years so I’m also reluctant to separate with you…. Take this with you. After that, you can do anything you want with it in the future”

When Madam Gong coldly looked down on the girl who had been beside her for many years, her suspicions towards Gong Zhuoliang the whole time decreased a lot. She inspected both her left and right hand for a while before she finally managed to pick out a pair of exquisite gold bracelets then gave it to Ruo Lan. After that, she took the servants with her and left them without looking back. 

“….. Madam!”

Ruo Lan sorrowfully called out for Madam Gong a few times, but not even once did she see her turn her head. Even if Ruo Lan is used to how cold and cruel the Madam is, when she personally experienced it today, she still couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Grasping tightly on the bracelet in her hold, she let out a cold sneer before she straightened her back again and entered the room.

“Ruo Lan, your mission is now done. So how did things go there? ”

Gong Zhuoliang was still waiting for Ruo Lan inside the room when he saw her entering, he handed her a wet handkerchief so she could wipe her eyes. 

“Mnn. This one is confident that Madam already believed in her. Though this servant may have acted quite bad, at least Madam has already given you the indentures”

Ruo Lan restrained her tears and scornfully tossed the exquisite bracelets given to her by Madam Gong on the table.

“She did, she did. A while ago, I was afraid that she might find me suspicious and become unwilling that she would end up sending someone out to seek for the real information instead. If we distract her, executing the plan would be less dangerous”

Gong Zhuoliang picked up the tossed pair of bracelets, probed it around, before putting it down again and gave Ruo Lan a newer pair of bracelets. 

“Your tears were worth it, so take this. It’ll be a good idea for you to change it into money, keep it for yourself as your own private money”

“Perhaps Madam wouldn’t even remember about the matter today. How about that Ruo Zi, ne?”

When Ruo Lan heard what Gong Zhuoliang said, she took the pair of bracelets and also kept the ones from the table, thinking that these bracelets would be proof that she will no longer involve herself with the Gong Family in the future.

“Since Ruo Zi wasn’t the one who sent that vixen to me, it seems like we could only cause a little ruckus so she would finally appear by herself and end this mission of ours on her own. 

Leisurely sitting on a chair, Gong Zhuoliang crossed his legs with one foot poised in the air, he wore a heinous expression on his face. He originally wanted to acquire Ruo Zi’s indentures too so he could quickly use her father to get rid of her, and in this way, he wouldn’t taint his name.

He’ll soon execute the finishing touches..

If she ever plans on hiring underlings for her schemes, Dream On!

“Eldest lady has a kind heart in the end. Otherwise, why do you have to go through all of this when you only wanted to get rid of that girl?” 

After a moment of silence, Ruo Lan wore a smile on her face as she talked as she gently gazed at Gong Zhuoliang with admiration in her eyes.

Even if Madam Gong and Ruo Zi had been very malicious to him, the Young Master hadn’t been cruel to them and he only thought of doing his best to defend himself.

“There’s no way I would take people’s lives so casually, ah..”

Being complimented by a little girl, Gong Zhuoliang became a little bashful. On the other hand, he had also been educated well back in the modern world. It became one of his character to not act all high and mighty and disdain on human life, despite being one of the high class people of the ancient times. If you despise that person, you just kill them? That’s way too BT. 

Though Gong Zhuoliang is not that noble as Ruo Lan thinks. He just didn’t want to turn into a villain in the end. He’s only doing all of this to get rid of the hindrances, and in the future, Gong Zhuoliang will never care whether they will live or not.

As he thought of this, the maidservant who gave the indentures to Gong Zhuoliang went knocking on the door. Ruo Lan couldn’t help gripping the documents on her hands tightly, but in the end, she still urged himself to calm down then she gave the documents to Gong Zhuoliang who smiled at her lightly and suddenly burned the papers into ashes after the maidservant left, right in front of Ruo Lan.

“Eldest Lady!”

Even if she had deeply wished there’d be a possibility Gong Zhuoliang would end up doing this, seeing that her freedom had now been laid upon in front of her, she still couldn’t help but abruptly kneel down to Gong Zhuoliang in extreme excitement. 

“Ruo Lan-jie, you’ve really done your best all these years”

Gong Zhuoliang smiled and spoke gently and comfortingly as he helped Ruo Lan stand up from the ground. After that, he told her to wait outside, saying that Concubine Wu is about to come soon, and after watching Ruo Lan leave the room and closing the door, the warmth on Gong Zhuoliang’s face gradually turned cold.

Actually, he had already spread the news within the Qiao Household. From the beginning, he only vaguely mentioned about an old maidservant wanting to take Ruo Lan as her son’s wife, but as it passes through the ears of the womenfolk in the Qiao Family, the nosier servants gradually spread it to others, and obviously, the gossip would slightly alter forms. But Gong Zhuoliang isn’t the least afraid that Madam Gong would start interrogating them…

In the first place, Madam Gong had trusted the servants of the Qiao Family that’s why she allowed Gong Zhuoliang to act as the substitute during the marriage. After this, obviously she’s not going to trust him anymore….*** 

The reason why Gong Zhuoliang wanted Ruo Lan to be the one to accomplish this scene, is clearly because Ruo Lan is a soft-hearted person. He recalled how Madam Gong has been treating her well, so by making Ruo Lan act this scene out, his plan is to end Ruo Lan’s lingering good feelings towards Madam Gong.

As for that time when he burned the indentures, Gong Zhuoliang honestly did out of goodness. He appreciated Ruo Lan’s caring for him and endurance all over these years. In the end, it is not the contract paper that would make a person more loyal than ever, but the power of genuine affections and feelings.

“In the end, I’d still rather stay with my little husband to cuddle with him, ah…. When I’m with him, I wouldn’t have to think about this mess”

Gong Zhuoliang propped his chin on the table as he dully stared up at the sky. Rather than involving himself with the mess of these women, he really preferred reading Qiao Yingze’s obvious thoughts whether he’s consenting to him or not. Whether he’s having fun being pushed down or he should further push him down. 

Gong Zhuoliang started thinking about Qiao Yingze after he recovered. Should he take him to the hot spring at night and soak together? Then while they’re at it, how about he kisses him or touches him all over? Just as when he’s starting to fall deep in his thoughts, he heard a knock on the door. He immediately stood up from the table, fixed his clothes, and when he was about to open his mouth and say “Come in”, he saw Concubine Wu stumbling in the room while a little girl was assisting her.

But the after that, she backed away and stood dozen steps away from Gong Zhuoliang, hesitating whether to approach and come in or not. Staring at Gong Zhuoliang, there was sadness and complicated feelings in her eyes.

“Mom…”

Gong Zhuoliang looked down at the little girl and finally recalled that she should be the orphaned child who Concubine Wu adopted. She was originally a little maidservant but she never had an indenture of her own. Concubine Wu spent all of her savings to provide for her food and clothing, while this little girl never listened to others but Concubine Wu. 

This girl was also the one who helped him gather information.

Being inside the body of a child having a close relationship with his biological mother, Gong Zhuoliang subconsciously felt emotional in his heart. When he saw the sheepish attitude of her mother who did not dare approach him, Gong Zhuoliang immediately took the initiative to walk towards her and embraced her. He didn’t know just when they’ll be able to see each other again so he must create good memories with her today.

“Liang’er…. Liang’er …. My son…”

Concubine Wu weakly fell onto her son’s embrace and began to cry softly with a mix of sadness and joy. Slowly, she tightly embraced Gong Zhuoliang, but still looked for herself and wiped her tears with a handkerchief so she would not make a mess on Gong Zhuoliang’s clothes. 

“Mom, this son is doing fine. Seriously, he’s living a good life now. See? He even grew taller!”

Under Concubine Wu’s warm embrace and seeing her being attentive and fussy, Gong Zhuoliang felt comforted. He gently rubbed her back and coaxed her a few times until Concubine Wu started holding back her tears as she had already cried herself to satisfaction, then he assisted her to sit on the divan before also sitting beside her.

They chatted for a while and they talked about how he’s been doing lately. Of course, he will never tell the truth, only the ones he said were much better than the ones he told Madam Gong.

“Oh, now that I think of it, my Liang’er will be 13 years old after the New Years…. Soon, his voice will undergo a change!” 

Taking Gong Zhuoliang’s hands to herself, Concubine Wu observed him very carefully and noticed that he had really grown a meat and his complexion looked much better. She finally let out a relieved smile, but then suddenly, she spoke out this sentence.

“My voice.. will change?”

The two words “voice change” rang in his ears for a while before he finally realized at last that he had completely forgotten about this. Gong Zhuoliang became stunned. He then remembered that once, when he was 13 years old, he had also undergone a voice change and the first two months were the worst! His voice almost sounded like a male duck’s and whenever he hears his own voice sounding like that, he couldn’t calm down.

If it were a little girl’s period of voice change, it would sound all shrill and thin. Even if he wanted to not sound bad, as if he could avoid it, ah! 

Imagine seeing someone wearing women’s attire, but then as soon as they opened their mouth, what came out was a man’s low voice…. How terrifying! Just how could Gong Zhuoliang continue living after today??