Chapter 146: For the Sake of One’s Family

Seeing Gu Xingnuo appear, even Zuo You stopped staring at Yu Xiaoxiao, to say nothing of Jing Mo. Gu Xingnuo was the eldest son of the Gu Clan who helped Gu Chen with decision-making. As the future heir, he was naturally on a different level than Gu Xinglang in terms of his thinking and self-regulation.

Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei markedly downplayed their sense of existence before Gu Xingnuo as well. Only Yu Xiaoxiao remained unaffected as she said, “Big brother, you’ve come to eat too, ah.”

Jing Mo suddenly felt that if the chefs didn’t try their hardest at the table today, he’d be letting Princess Linglong down. All she worried about was getting her meal.

Gu Xingnuo smiled. “Princess, you’re hungry?”

“Aye,” Yu Xiaoxiao felt grieved. “I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet. Neither did Little Gu.” So speaking, Her Royal Highness glanced at Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei. Sometimes pals weren’t reliable, but these two gluttons never noticed that she was starving!

Guo Xingnuo’s eyelid twitched. Thanks to everything that had happened, he hadn’t eaten a bite either. Normal people wouldn’t even have an appetite by now. Ah, wait. Eldest Young Master Gu considered the princess and his brother. Did I just think the princess was abnormal?

Yu Xiaoxiao looked to Jing Mo next. “Just when are we going to eat?” If she had to keep waiting, she might as well eat out with her family’s Little Gu. “You can’t have more girl paintings for us to see, right?”

Jing Mo could admit it was a mistake to bring these people to an art gallery. He replied, “Princess, please come with me.”

The group headed towards the rear courtyard, catching whiffs of a faint fragrance in the air as they traveled along the covered walkway. When they finally reached their destination, the chrysanthemums in the garden were currently in full bloom beneath the rain, looking especially vibrant in the wet.

Gu Xingnuo walked to Jing Mo’s side and sighed as he admired the vista before him. “The autumn rains are bleak, yet the chrysanthemums are flowering fully. This is the full meaning of enjoying autumn blooms in autumn rain, yes?”

Jing Mo almost felt like crying. Of his first three guests, one was preoccupied with food, another was preoccupied with his wife, and the last was preoccupied with stealing someone else’s wife. At last, he could find someone who sang the same tune.

Yu Xiaoxiao was behind them with Gu Xinglang and the guards. She quietly murmured to them, “Big brother seems really impressive for some reason.”

The three youths stare at all. All we did was listen to him say a sentence. What’s so impressive about his lines?

Yu Xiaoxiao praised her eldest brother again. “Big brother sounds so cultured when he speaks.”

Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei looked towards Gu Xinglang. Although they couldn’t pinpoint the reason, they felt that the Royal Son-in-Law was suffering a bout of angst right now.

Gu Xinglang was feeling quite stifled. Even I can say things like “autumn blooms in autumn rain.” What’s so cultured about that?

Zuo You turned at his moment and asked Yu Xiaoxiao, “Princess, what do you want to eat today?”

Yu Xiaoxiao replied, “Anything goes, I’m not picky. But where’s the food?” The charming bridges, flowing water, autumn rain, and chrysanthemums in this garden weren’t as cute as white mantou that could fill her stomach.

“Actually, we should’ve gone to Big Bowl Restaurant instead,” Jing Mo muttered to himself after hearing her speak.

Gu Xingnuo only pretended he heard nothing.

When the group was seated in the eight-sided pavilion in the middle of the garden pond, Yu Xiaoxiao waited patiently for the cooks to bring out the dishes. Gu Xingnuo and Gu Xinglang, as well as Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei, remained in the covered walkway directly next to the pond. Jing Mo and Zuo You knew the Gu brothers had things to discuss, so they didn’t bother the two.

—

“Speak,” Gu Xingnuo pulled up the cloak covering his brother’s body as he lowered his voice. “Why were you in such a rush to get the servants to summon me? Has the situation at Safeguard Temple hanged?” So speaking, he swept his gaze over Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei.

While Xiao Zhuang was still looking lost, Xiao Wei got the hint and pulled him away to the sidelines. Gu Xinglang then told his brother about Chen Qi and Chen Mie. At first, Gu Xingnuo was standing, but gradually he had to sit down on the railings of the walkway.

“Big brother,” Gu Xinglang asked, “Is it possible they’re not ironclad allies of Junior Master Fenglin?”

Gu Xingnuo laughed. “You’re worried that Eternal Life Temple might act against the princess once the junior master returns, so you’re planning to make sure he never goes back again?”

Gu Xinglang choked. It always felt like he couldn’t hide a thing when he discussed matters with his older brother. “I know that it’s despicable to sow discord like this,” he murmured back, “It’s not how a gentleman would act, or our Gu Clan’s style. But I—” He gritted his teeth and raised his head. “If Junior Master Fenglin does return to Eternal Life Temple, he’ll never forgive Xiaoxiao.”

“Xiaoxiao?” Gu Xingnuo’s smiled broadened. “You call the princess ‘Xiaoxiao’?”

In Gu Xinglang’s haste, he blurted out the special nickname. Although he regretted it, he only blustered, “Big brother, now’s not the time for that.”

Gu Xingnuo turned to look at the pavilion, where Yu Xiaoxiao was saying who-knew-what to Zuo You. He replied, “Xinglang, if it’s for the sake of one’s family, then I don’t see anything despicable as long as you don’t go against the principles of righteousness. It was Junior Master Fenglin who wanted to kill the State Preceptor first. If he hadn’t planned on the murder, how could the princess have accidentally ended up poisoning him? Do you know what we call people like him?”

Gu Xinglang shook his head. He was already in a mess just worrying about his wife and wanted to flee with her to the ends of the world where there was no Eternal Life Temple. How could he have the energy to consider anything else?

Gu Xingnuo continued, “He’s someone who hurts others as well as himself.”¹

“I get that, big brother, but what do we do?” Gu Xinglang asked.

“I’ve seen Chen Qi and Chen Mie back when I was at Eternal Life Temple,” Gu Xingnuo muttered. “They once guarded Zhuri’s State Preceptor Wu Huan² until he left for Zhuri. Then they returned to Mo Wen’s side.”

“So?” Gu Xinglang pressed.

“While Fenglin was in trouble, those two didn’t show up immediately to help,” Gu Xingnuo continued, “There are two possibilities here: either they trusted Beiyuan and the rest to adequately guard Fenglin and held back, or it’s as you’ve guessed—they don’t feel protective about Fenglin at all.”

Gu Xinglang only felt dizzy from his brother’s conjectures. So which one is it?

“Fenglin looks like a mild-mannered man, but he’s actually arrogant. It’s possible he has bad relations with Chen Qi and Chen Mie,” Gu Xinglang’s eyes flashed with cunning before he muttered, “We can test it out.”