Following Marquis Gu’s Manor’s Customs (Part Two)
Marquis Gu’s Manor had fallen silent since before the end of the year, and when the new year came, only a few of the closer officers of the Gu family’s army visited to pay them a visit for the new year.
The scene of a crowded courtyard from people visiting to pay their respects from years past could not be found. Those who feared Ning ChengZhi and Yin Shuo did not dare visit, and those that did dare to visit were turned away by Gu HuaiJiang.
“Marquis Gu’s Manor is currently in the midst of a struggle. This marquis accepts your kind intentions, but you absolutely must not become implicated.”
Gu HuaiJiang was not at all concerned about himself. On the contrary, he was concerned about the court officials. This loyalty was moving and also made others feel ashamed.
Now that it was finally time for the Lantern Festival, the manor hung up lanterns like in years past. Gu ShuBai and the other members of the younger generation would be going out to see the lanterns in Lin’An’s streets. With this, the manor regained a bit of a celebratory atmosphere.
“Second brother, when will you be going to pick up JiYao?”
Seeing that it was getting late, everyone gathered in the Western Wing, and Yu Fu directed this question at Gu JiuGe.
Gu JiuGe said: “She said that it would be inconvenient to pick her up from the prime minister’s manor. She said that it would be easier for her to come here. Fortunately, she is from the prime minister’s manor, and even if others saw her visiting Marquis Gu’s Manor, it would not implicate her.”
Yu Fu nodded a little anxiously, “JiYao does not have much freedom in her manor, and we don’t know if her father and elder brother will refuse to allow her to go out!”
“Young miss, young sirs, have some tangyuan before going out!”*
Aunty Li, Lian Zhu, Lian Bi, and the other servants came in with tangyuan. Warm and sweet, the group ate in the room while they awaited Yin JiYao’s arrival.
“Arf!”
A white blur entered the room upon catching a scent of the fragrance. Gu HanMo noticed and quickly caught the white blur’s tail.
“Arf arf arf!”
It turned out that it was the white fox that had been sent in from the hamlet. Yu Fu was raising it with Pang Jiu and had named it Pang Wu.
Having had its tail caught by Gu HanMo, it pitifully brought its front paws together, resembling a person bringing their hands together and bowing.
Everyone saw this and laughed, and Gu Yi nearly spat out the tangyuan that he was eating from laughter. He did his best to control himself but still ended up coughing up a sesame seed, which landed directly on Gu Xiang’s cheek.
The twins immediately started fighting.
Waking up from its nap, Pang Jiu looked around its kennel and found that its new friend was missing, thus it moved its round body and started forward on its four legs.
Hearing the sound of Gu Xiang and Gu Yi fighting, it looked around the rear corridor and barged in while barking.
It could not be said that it actually barged into the room, as its chubby little legs could not move very quickly. Gu HanMo heard the cry from the other side of the room and placed Pang Wu on the ground.
Pang Jiu and Pang Wu came together, as the white blur and fat white blur rolled around together. Gu JiuGe suddenly burst out laughing, “Fifth brother, sixth brother, doesn’t this look exactly like when you two are fighting?”
Gu Xiang and Gu Yi stared at the two animals. Pang Jiu flailed its short legs for a time before relying on its weight to overpower Pang Wu under its fat butt, and Pang Wu just wailed.
It turned out that their form was lacking to such a degree in Gu JiuGe’s eyes?
The two refused to relent until Gu JiuGe admitted that he had misspoken. Only then did they finally stop.
Yu Fu ate tangyuan while laughing, taking quite some time just to eat a couple. She also noticed that Aunty Li had done something interesting with the tangyuan, “Eldest brother, what filling did your tangyuan have?”
Gu ShuBai said: “Black sesame seeds, while yours had sweet osmanthus. Second brother, what did yours have?”
Gu JiuGe had been busy playing with the two and only now had a chance to look at the tangyuan in his bowl. He picked it up and took a bite. The white ball of glutinous rice revealed a pink filling. It looked to be very appetizing.
“Oh, it’s a rose filling.”
Lian Bi was standing to the side, and her face suddenly turned red, as she lowered her head. Yu Fu happened to see her expression and came to a sudden realization.
“Yu Fu!’
A familiar voice came from the courtyard, and Lian Bi immediately picked up the platter from the table. With her head down, she retreated via the rear corridor.
Yin JiYao cheerfully walked in, her footsteps brisk. It was completely different from her sick and weak pace from before. Everyone in the room was quite shocked.
Yu Fu did not seem surprised, stepping forward and grabbing her hands, “You’ve finally arrived. What made you so happy?”
Aunty Li handed her a bowl of tangyuan, and Yin JiYao sat down without and reservations and started eating. Gu JiuGe could not help but raise an eyebrow upon seeing this.
It had not been long since they last met, yet it was as if she had become a completely different person…
The sight of her teary expression when he had told her the truth of her heritage was etched into his memories. Seeing her present self no longer fret over trivial matters, she now had more of a bearing of someone from a military family.
He felt a strange and indescribable feeling in his heart, as he heard Yin JiYao say: “I was originally planning to climb over the manor’s walls and sneak out, but who knew that I would be found out by my father. He asked me where I was going, and I told him the truth. You have no idea how nervous I was at that time. I was thinking that if he did not agree to it, I would question him on why he repeatedly tried to suppress Marquis Gu’s Manor and why he would willingly watch His Majesty’s absurdity without intervening!”
Gu ShuBai and the others were moved by hearing this.
Yu Fu hastily said: “He is still your father, after all. How could you speak like that to him? More importantly, I don’t think that the previous prime minister intended for the situation in court to become like this. At the very least, he was willing to try and persuade Yin Shuo. It’s just that it wasn’t successful.”
Yin JiYao smiled and said: “That’s right. In the past, I always felt that father and eldest brother were the same. Looking at them now, I don’t think that they’re the same. Hearing that I was coming to Marquis Gu’s Manor, father fell silent for a moment before ordering a carriage be prepared to send me here. He even advised me to be careful.”
The group was even more shocked to hear this.
It seemed that a divide had formed between the former prime minister and Yin Shuo.
Yin JiYao suddenly frowned, “So sour… Why is there a kumquat in this tangyuan?”
She had been eating quite happily earlier, but this one had a very sour kumquat. Spitting it out, she found that the filling was green.
It was no wonder that it was so sour. It was clearly an unripe kumquat.
Aunty Li stepped forward feeling a little conflicted, “Young miss Yin, have some tea to wash out the taste first. How strange, how did a sour kumquat filling get in there? I was clearly keeping an eye on them…”
Gu Xiang testified on Aunty Li’s behalf, “That’s right. All of the ones in my bowl had sweet kumquat fillings. How could there be a sour one?”
Yu Fu looked toward the rear corridor in the direction that Lian Bi had departed and could not help but smile.
She stood up and grabbed Yin JiYao’s hand, “Alright, alright, let’s not worry about this. Let’s go out and enjoy the lanterns!”
Yin JiYao followed her with a smile, while Gu JiuGe was left behind.
His gaze followed Yin JiYao’s parting figure with a slightly complicated expression. Gu ShuBai suddenly came over and patted him on the shoulder.
“In the past, you did not like young miss Yin. Now that young miss Yin does not take the initiative to come and get close to you, do you feel a little disappointed?”
Gu JiuGe had his feelings exposed but would rather be beaten to death than admit it, “How could that be? There are so many girls who are close to me. If I felt disappointed after each of them left, would there be any end to the disappointment?”
“Then what are you staring at her for?”
Gu JiuGe averted his gaze with a guilty conscience, “I was just curious. When did she become so close to Yu Fu? Doesn’t eldest brother feel that every girl that gets close to Yu Fu ends up becoming influenced by her?”
Gu ShuBai thought for a moment then nodded slightly, “You’re talking about how young miss Yin has become much more cheerful, right? I also feel this way.”
“It’s not just her. There’s also that princess from Western Kun. When she first arrived in Eastern Lin, she endured hardship and humiliation. After spending time with Yu Fu, she became much bolder and is no longer as restrained as when she first arrived.”
Gu ShuBai remembered the sour tangyuan that Yin JiYao had eaten and thought to himself that those two were not the only ones that had become bolder after spending time with Yu Fu. It was just that Gu JiuGe did not know.
At the beginning of the night, the lights were dim. It was the best time to look at the lanterns.
Gu HuaiJiang ordered Qi Zhou to send them out. Gu WenQing wanted to stay in the manor to keep him company, but he was sternly refused, “The Lantern Festival does not happen often. You should all go out to play. Steward Qi and I will look at the lanterns in the manor. There’s no need for the younger generation to keep us company.”
As a result, Yu Fu said that she would bring back some of the new desserts that Yu Shan Building had invented. Everyone said their goodbyes to Gu HuaiJiang and then cheerfully set out.
Yin JiYao spoke while walking: “Will we be going by carriage? I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
Yu Fu smiled and said: “Our manor’s custom for looking at lanterns is to neither ride in a carriage nor ride a horse. The main street is not far away. We will be there after just one street. Look.”
Yu Fu reached out and pointed, her smile suddenly freezing.
Everyone looked in the direction that she was pointing and saw a long procession heading toward Marquis Gu’s Manor. It lumbered along mightily, and the person walking next to the sedan looked very familiar.
Was it not Eunuch Chi, the one usually by Ning ChengZhi’s side?
As for the person sitting in the sedan, it was evident without any need for thought.
The procession stopped outside of the manor’s gates, and Eunuch Chi bent at the waist to lift the sedan’s curtain. Ning ChengZhi strode out wearing a set of casual clothes, “We came at the right time. You were just about to go out and look at the lanterns, right? Tonight, We shall also adhere to Marquis Gu’s Manor’s customs. We will not ride in a sedan and will walk around to look at the lanterns.”
The celebratory atmosphere instantly plummeted and hit rock bottom. The cheerful smiles on everyone’s faces immediately became stiff and awkward.
*TN: Tangyuan are desserts made of glutinous rice stuffed with various fillings. They are usually served in a hot broth.
TN: The dog’s name is Pang Jiu (Fat Nine) and the fox’s name is Pang Wu (Fat Five)…
Following Marquis Gu’s Manor’s Customs (Part Two)
Marquis Gu’s Manor had fallen silent since before the end of the year, and when the new year came, only a few of the closer officers of the Gu family’s army visited to pay them a visit for the new year.
The scene of a crowded courtyard from people visiting to pay their respects from years past could not be found. Those who feared Ning ChengZhi and Yin Shuo did not dare visit, and those that did dare to visit were turned away by Gu HuaiJiang.
“Marquis Gu’s Manor is currently in the midst of a struggle. This marquis accepts your kind intentions, but you absolutely must not become implicated.”
Gu HuaiJiang was not at all concerned about himself. On the contrary, he was concerned about the court officials. This loyalty was moving and also made others feel ashamed.
Now that it was finally time for the Lantern Festival, the manor hung up lanterns like in years past. Gu ShuBai and the other members of the younger generation would be going out to see the lanterns in Lin’An’s streets. With this, the manor regained a bit of a celebratory atmosphere.
“Second brother, when will you be going to pick up JiYao?”
Seeing that it was getting late, everyone gathered in the Western Wing, and Yu Fu directed this question at Gu JiuGe.
Gu JiuGe said: “She said that it would be inconvenient to pick her up from the prime minister’s manor. She said that it would be easier for her to come here. Fortunately, she is from the prime minister’s manor, and even if others saw her visiting Marquis Gu’s Manor, it would not implicate her.”
Yu Fu nodded a little anxiously, “JiYao does not have much freedom in her manor, and we don’t know if her father and elder brother will refuse to allow her to go out!”
“Young miss, young sirs, have some tangyuan before going out!”*
Aunty Li, Lian Zhu, Lian Bi, and the other servants came in with tangyuan. Warm and sweet, the group ate in the room while they awaited Yin JiYao’s arrival.
“Arf!”
A white blur entered the room upon catching a scent of the fragrance. Gu HanMo noticed and quickly caught the white blur’s tail.
“Arf arf arf!”
It turned out that it was the white fox that had been sent in from the hamlet. Yu Fu was raising it with Pang Jiu and had named it Pang Wu.
Having had its tail caught by Gu HanMo, it pitifully brought its front paws together, resembling a person bringing their hands together and bowing.
Everyone saw this and laughed, and Gu Yi nearly spat out the tangyuan that he was eating from laughter. He did his best to control himself but still ended up coughing up a sesame seed, which landed directly on Gu Xiang’s cheek.
The twins immediately started fighting.
Waking up from its nap, Pang Jiu looked around its kennel and found that its new friend was missing, thus it moved its round body and started forward on its four legs.
Hearing the sound of Gu Xiang and Gu Yi fighting, it looked around the rear corridor and barged in while barking.
It could not be said that it actually barged into the room, as its chubby little legs could not move very quickly. Gu HanMo heard the cry from the other side of the room and placed Pang Wu on the ground.
Pang Jiu and Pang Wu came together, as the white blur and fat white blur rolled around together. Gu JiuGe suddenly burst out laughing, “Fifth brother, sixth brother, doesn’t this look exactly like when you two are fighting?”
Gu Xiang and Gu Yi stared at the two animals. Pang Jiu flailed its short legs for a time before relying on its weight to overpower Pang Wu under its fat butt, and Pang Wu just wailed.
It turned out that their form was lacking to such a degree in Gu JiuGe’s eyes?
The two refused to relent until Gu JiuGe admitted that he had misspoken. Only then did they finally stop.
Yu Fu ate tangyuan while laughing, taking quite some time just to eat a couple. She also noticed that Aunty Li had done something interesting with the tangyuan, “Eldest brother, what filling did your tangyuan have?”
Gu ShuBai said: “Black sesame seeds, while yours had sweet osmanthus. Second brother, what did yours have?”
Gu JiuGe had been busy playing with the two and only now had a chance to look at the tangyuan in his bowl. He picked it up and took a bite. The white ball of glutinous rice revealed a pink filling. It looked to be very appetizing.
“Oh, it’s a rose filling.”
Lian Bi was standing to the side, and her face suddenly turned red, as she lowered her head. Yu Fu happened to see her expression and came to a sudden realization.
“Yu Fu!’
A familiar voice came from the courtyard, and Lian Bi immediately picked up the platter from the table. With her head down, she retreated via the rear corridor.
Yin JiYao cheerfully walked in, her footsteps brisk. It was completely different from her sick and weak pace from before. Everyone in the room was quite shocked.
Yu Fu did not seem surprised, stepping forward and grabbing her hands, “You’ve finally arrived. What made you so happy?”
Aunty Li handed her a bowl of tangyuan, and Yin JiYao sat down without and reservations and started eating. Gu JiuGe could not help but raise an eyebrow upon seeing this.
It had not been long since they last met, yet it was as if she had become a completely different person…
The sight of her teary expression when he had told her the truth of her heritage was etched into his memories. Seeing her present self no longer fret over trivial matters, she now had more of a bearing of someone from a military family.
He felt a strange and indescribable feeling in his heart, as he heard Yin JiYao say: “I was originally planning to climb over the manor’s walls and sneak out, but who knew that I would be found out by my father. He asked me where I was going, and I told him the truth. You have no idea how nervous I was at that time. I was thinking that if he did not agree to it, I would question him on why he repeatedly tried to suppress Marquis Gu’s Manor and why he would willingly watch His Majesty’s absurdity without intervening!”
Gu ShuBai and the others were moved by hearing this.
Yu Fu hastily said: “He is still your father, after all. How could you speak like that to him? More importantly, I don’t think that the previous prime minister intended for the situation in court to become like this. At the very least, he was willing to try and persuade Yin Shuo. It’s just that it wasn’t successful.”
Yin JiYao smiled and said: “That’s right. In the past, I always felt that father and eldest brother were the same. Looking at them now, I don’t think that they’re the same. Hearing that I was coming to Marquis Gu’s Manor, father fell silent for a moment before ordering a carriage be prepared to send me here. He even advised me to be careful.”
The group was even more shocked to hear this.
It seemed that a divide had formed between the former prime minister and Yin Shuo.
Yin JiYao suddenly frowned, “So sour… Why is there a kumquat in this tangyuan?”
She had been eating quite happily earlier, but this one had a very sour kumquat. Spitting it out, she found that the filling was green.
It was no wonder that it was so sour. It was clearly an unripe kumquat.
Aunty Li stepped forward feeling a little conflicted, “Young miss Yin, have some tea to wash out the taste first. How strange, how did a sour kumquat filling get in there? I was clearly keeping an eye on them…”
Gu Xiang testified on Aunty Li’s behalf, “That’s right. All of the ones in my bowl had sweet kumquat fillings. How could there be a sour one?”
Yu Fu looked toward the rear corridor in the direction that Lian Bi had departed and could not help but smile.
She stood up and grabbed Yin JiYao’s hand, “Alright, alright, let’s not worry about this. Let’s go out and enjoy the lanterns!”
Yin JiYao followed her with a smile, while Gu JiuGe was left behind.
His gaze followed Yin JiYao’s parting figure with a slightly complicated expression. Gu ShuBai suddenly came over and patted him on the shoulder.
“In the past, you did not like young miss Yin. Now that young miss Yin does not take the initiative to come and get close to you, do you feel a little disappointed?”
Gu JiuGe had his feelings exposed but would rather be beaten to death than admit it, “How could that be? There are so many girls who are close to me. If I felt disappointed after each of them left, would there be any end to the disappointment?”
“Then what are you staring at her for?”
Gu JiuGe averted his gaze with a guilty conscience, “I was just curious. When did she become so close to Yu Fu? Doesn’t eldest brother feel that every girl that gets close to Yu Fu ends up becoming influenced by her?”
Gu ShuBai thought for a moment then nodded slightly, “You’re talking about how young miss Yin has become much more cheerful, right? I also feel this way.”
“It’s not just her. There’s also that princess from Western Kun. When she first arrived in Eastern Lin, she endured hardship and humiliation. After spending time with Yu Fu, she became much bolder and is no longer as restrained as when she first arrived.”
Gu ShuBai remembered the sour tangyuan that Yin JiYao had eaten and thought to himself that those two were not the only ones that had become bolder after spending time with Yu Fu. It was just that Gu JiuGe did not know.
At the beginning of the night, the lights were dim. It was the best time to look at the lanterns.
Gu HuaiJiang ordered Qi Zhou to send them out. Gu WenQing wanted to stay in the manor to keep him company, but he was sternly refused, “The Lantern Festival does not happen often. You should all go out to play. Steward Qi and I will look at the lanterns in the manor. There’s no need for the younger generation to keep us company.”
As a result, Yu Fu said that she would bring back some of the new desserts that Yu Shan Building had invented. Everyone said their goodbyes to Gu HuaiJiang and then cheerfully set out.
Yin JiYao spoke while walking: “Will we be going by carriage? I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
Yu Fu smiled and said: “Our manor’s custom for looking at lanterns is to neither ride in a carriage nor ride a horse. The main street is not far away. We will be there after just one street. Look.”
Yu Fu reached out and pointed, her smile suddenly freezing.
Everyone looked in the direction that she was pointing and saw a long procession heading toward Marquis Gu’s Manor. It lumbered along mightily, and the person walking next to the sedan looked very familiar.
Was it not Eunuch Chi, the one usually by Ning ChengZhi’s side?
As for the person sitting in the sedan, it was evident without any need for thought.
The procession stopped outside of the manor’s gates, and Eunuch Chi bent at the waist to lift the sedan’s curtain. Ning ChengZhi strode out wearing a set of casual clothes, “We came at the right time. You were just about to go out and look at the lanterns, right? Tonight, We shall also adhere to Marquis Gu’s Manor’s customs. We will not ride in a sedan and will walk around to look at the lanterns.”
The celebratory atmosphere instantly plummeted and hit rock bottom. The cheerful smiles on everyone’s faces immediately became stiff and awkward.
*TN: Tangyuan are desserts made of glutinous rice stuffed with various fillings. They are usually served in a hot broth.
TN: The dog’s name is Pang Jiu (Fat Nine) and the fox’s name is Pang Wu (Fat Five)…
