The firecrackers rumbled, snow decorated the bloom branches. There was a palpable spirit of joy in the whole capital city. At the night before the New Year’s Eve of the Third Year of Chongde reign, the atmosphere on the dinner table was quite special. Old Madam Qin looked at the whole table of delicacies while saying sentimentally, “Alas, our family members are too few after all. Unlike your Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle, even their grandsons and granddaughters are able to fill two or even three tables.”

Gu Tingcan turned around to look out of the window, showing her neck which was as pretty and long as the swan’s, and then said nonchalantly, “That’s right. How lively our New Year’s Eve dinner used to be! Unlike this year, how can anyone have the mood of celebrating the New Year being in an empty room like this?”

Head lowered, Shao shi didn’t say anything with a depressed look on her face while looking at Xian. Zhu shi touched her large belly with her eyebrows slightly wrinkled. Minglan played dumb by putting on a bashful look as if she didn’t feel anything wrong while covering her mouth with her handkerchief from time to time.

Another person who didn’t sense the weird atmosphere was Gu Tingwei. He chuckled, “I’ve said that we should invite a group of actors. Mother, you just wouldn’t allow me to do that.”

Zhu shi looked to Shao shi at once, feeling a bit restless. Old Madam Qin glared at her son and scolded, “Don’t talk rubbish. Your Eldest Brother has only passed away less than nine months.” Gu Tingwei then chuckled with a guilty look.

Gu Tingye remained a calm face and put down his chopsticks, “You are right. It really is a bit quiet. My dad should have more children.”

The look on Old Madam Qin’s face went stiff right away.

In an agricultural society, people embraced that more family members brought more fortune to the family. Especially at every festival, only a room full of people would be considered as a sign of prosperity for a family. The three men of Old Master Gu’s generation had all got married at a young age. Right now, the elder grandsons and granddaughters of the Fourth and Fifth Master were even old enough to get married. On this point, the First Family did fall behind. At present, Gu Tingye and Gu Tingwei were the only two male adults in this family and Xian was the only boy. Now he was now sitting by a small round table with her two sisters with his nannie serving him.

This situation was caused by Old Master Gu’s dereliction of duty. He had been obsessed with a piece of barren saline land which would never grow any plants no matter how much fertilizer he had applied or water he given. Nearly ten years, not a single grain had been reaped. When Gu Tingyu had been born, Gu Tingxuan and Gu Tingyang had already been old enough to run around. After two years, Gu Tingye had been born, followed by Gu Tingwei’s birth five years later. As Gu Tingwei had been weaned, Gu Tingxuan had already started to get busy about his engagement.

The root cause of the First family losing at the starting line was that piece of barren land. In other words, it was like someone holding on to a post without doing any work and not let anyone else take over. Unfortunately, the barren land was the blood sister of Old Madam Qin who was sitting up right there.

There were too few people in the room and them sitting separately would give the place a more desolate visage. As a result, Old Madam Qin proposed that the male and female members of the first family should sit around the same table instead of eating separately as usual. The three daughters-in-law of her were supposed to serve her by putting some dishes in her bowl according to the custom. However, Zhu shi and Minglan were both pregnant and Shao shi was a poor widow. Then that custom was skipped.

After Gu Tingye had said that, the look on Old Madam Qin’s face turned sullen at once. Everyone ate the meal with their heads lowered and the servants all kept their mouths shut. ‘It’s like eating in a prison. How funny is this!’ Minlan was a bit amused by her own thought.

Actually, Old Madam Qin had worn that glum face for a few days.

On the day when Old Madam Qin handed over the Gu’s property to Gu Tingye, Minglan didn’t want to attend that occasion. However, Gu Tingye insisted on letting her go and then she could only sit behind the screen to listen. Old Madam Qin asked Mama Xiang to place the account books and all the documents in front of everyone. Though her face was covered with sadness and grievance, she didn’t utter a single complaint and even greeted the relatives in the Gu’s clan with a pretending smile. As those elder distant relatives thought of how she had pitied the elders and the young children in the family and the good deeds she had done to the Gu family, they all felt a bit sorry for her.

Minglan tugged her handkerchief, feeling herself in a struggle. Actually, the real good actors could always let the pitiful look on their faces do the speaking without wailing bitterly. Minglan felt sympathy for Gu Tingye who looked exactly like an evil villain.

Such being the case, this villain seemed to be completely ignorant of the situation. He even called two advisers who had followed him there into the room and then started to review the family property in full details irrespective of the current ambience. The expressions on the elders’ faces turned more and more sulky while Minglan also felt embarrassed sitting back there. In such an awkward atmosphere, Gu Tingye even refilled a cup of tea for himself.

“As long as we can make everything clear in front of everyone in the family, we can live a harmonious life from now on.”

Old Madam Qin, face turning pale, seemed to be about to fall down. Luckily the two advisers worked very fast and finished checking the accounts before she fainted. First, they checked, then they calculated and at last, there would be questions to be asked. Gu Tingye waved his hand and asked in front of the two advisers,

“Shouldn’t these three stores be on the Yongming Street (the bustling business district)? Why were them transferred to the Acorn Alley (A remote area)?”

“When did these three hundred acres of paddy field with spring and forests around turn into tidal land?”

“The estates we had in the Golden Building in City An and at the southern suburb were saled, why is that?”

…

Old Madam Qin, embarrassed as she felt, wanted to go off on Gu Zijin at once. However, the two advisers he had invited were very reverent and polite while Gu Tingye stayed nonchalant the whole time. She knew that if she couldn’t explain clearly, someone would make an issue of it for sure. Then she could only stop acting like a weak and delicate woman and explained right away, “When our family was in trouble and needed to pull a few strings, we have spent a lot of money. So lots of the property were sold at that time. I was worried about Tingyu’s condition and never told him this.”

Gu Tingye only smiled and said nothing. The other people of the Gu family all looked at each other with weird looks on their faces.

Everyone knew more or less that the Gu’s financial situation had remained great ever since Bai shi had married into this family. Also, Old Master Gu, the twice-bitten, thrice-shy guy, had always managed the family property carefully after he had suffered the hardships.

Now, Old Madam Qin had used up most of the savings of the family and nearly sold some of the ancestral property, but still wanted to muddle through with a few words. Actually, Old Madam Qin’s efforts in pulling the strings hadn’t had any effects at all. At last, Marquis Ningyuan’s family had only got away from the diasater because of what Gu Tingye had done. It would sound more convincing if Old Madam Qin said that she had transferred the money in case all the property would be confiscated.

However, where did she transfer the money to… No matter it was true or not, it was the best excuse she could use. After that, everyone all fixed their eyes on Old Madam Qin covertly or secretly.

Gu Tingye only chuckled and didn’t ask. Instead, he told the people of the Gu’s clan that he was willing to offer one hundred acres of farmland as the sacrifice farmland which was used for worshiping the ancestors as the clan property. After that, the atmosphere in the room changed abruptly. The clan property was owned by all the Gu’s people. Right now, all the sacrifice farmland had the output of three to four hundred ounces of silver per year. After the expenses on sacrifices to the ancestral temple and the tombs were settled, the rest of the income from the land could be split by everyone in the clan. In other words, every member in the Gu family could benefit from it.

Then, Gu Tingye’s relatives all got their eyes wandering with complicated looks on their faces. Actually, the conflicts between a stepson and his stepmother was not a strange thing. According to the current situation, this stepmother was not an innocent person either.

After Gu Tingye went back to his room, he instructed Minglan, “Never let down your guard against this person.” Considering of what had happened, Minglan translated his words to, “This old woman will never give up or admit defeat. Even if she does, she must be pretending.”

At that night, Old Madam Qin moaned on the bed and claimed that she wanted to let Minglan start to deal with all the family affairs. Little did she know that Minglan moaned even more miserably than she did. With a trembling tone, Minglan begged, “Mother, please leave all those things to me at least after January, for the sake of my pregnancy.” Old Madam Qin knew that Minglan was up to something but still had no solution. The only thing this old lady could do was gritting her teeth secretly.

Therefore, Minglan only needed to express thanks to Old Madam Qin. – Since the latter had already played tricks on the accounts long ago, there was no rush to go over them. The first three months of the pregnancy was the most important. Minglan didn’t want to wear herself out. Everything else should be put aside first.

Such being the case, on the dinner before the New Year’s Eve, Minglan already became a chubby girl with rosy cheeks. Even Gu Tingcan who was about to get married was not as radiant as she was, not to mention Shao shi, the widow, and Zhu shi who was about to give birth to a child. Minglan was not able to pretend weak anymore even if she wanted to.

Gu Tingye took a look at his brother beside him and said, “The officer in the Military Ministry promised me that you can take office after January.” Gu Tingwei got overjoyed at once since he had already got bored staying at home, “Thanks, Second Brother!” Gu Tingye the instructed, “Work hard. Life at the Five Armies is not as easy as at the Guard Camp. You are going to be troubled by so many things, take this to your heart.” Gu Tingwei chuckled, “You can rest assured, Second Brother.” Gu Tingye nodded slightly.

At night, Danju brought a red sandalwood box covered by yellow satin into the room and put it on the round table. After that, she dismissed herself. Minglan said to Gu Tingye smilingly, “This came from the imperial palace. The rest of the rewards have already been put away. These are the most valuable ones. Master, you should decide how to deal with them.”

Gu Tingye laid on Minglan’s bamboo bed with his eyes slightly closed, “It’s up to you.” During the New Year, the job in the imperial court was especially busy. Gu Tingye had been burdened with work these days and had only had a few serious meals. After a while, he still had to stay up late since it was the custom on New Year’s Eve. Now he only wanted to rest for a while.

Minglan pitied him secretly. Hard work would eventually be paid off. Lately she had a further understanding of the privileged class.

The royal family would grant them at every festival or on the ordinary days in order to show its grace. The presents included the colorful brocades, satins, damasks, Shu tapestries as well as numerous bead silks, treasure silks, soft smoke brocade and cicada’s wing gauze… not to mention the boxes of gold, silver and diamonds. What’s more, if Minglan wanted to make clothes, she didn’t even need to wait in the line, since the master in the clothes shop would give an on-the-spot service.

The New Year’s Eve was a big festival, so the reward was very rich. Minglan took out the objects in the box one after another: A white and clean jade bowl, two pairs of blue jade chopsticks inlaid with gold, a yellow jade Ruyi inlaid with gold and a scarlet object. As Minglan took it up, she found that the object was a red jade love lock. The lock catch and the head lock were in the shape of a Ruyi ribbon when they were buckled together but also looked complete when they were separated. Not only were they polished well, the jade was clearly very precious. Minglan had already seen lots of good stuffs, but such an extraordinary red jade was still rare to her. The color was bright and dazzling and the jade was warm like the hotspring. As she put it on her hand, she found it like a drop of blood from heart.