Coming Kingly Son-in-Law: Don't Provoke the First Daughter - Chapter 38

Chapter 38 The Screen Left Behind by Gu Qiang’s Deceased Mother
The fifteen-year-old Gu Qiang sat in the yard of the Gu Family and looked at Ye and Gu Zhihua cleaning their houses, which were close together. Ye told her to come here on purpose. She didn’t know why in the beginning, but now she did.

Ye asked servants to carry out an emerald screen. It was very heavy and featured by a design of a beauty playing the zither. So beautiful.

The design was engraved so well that one couldn’t take his or her eyes away from it. Besides, the screen looked familiar to Gu Qiang.

It looked familiar of course. Gu Qiang recalled immediately where she saw it before. It was left behind by her deceased mother and used to be placed in her mother’s room. Why did Ye carry it out?

Gu Qiang stood up instantly, rushed to Ye, pointed at the screen, and said, “Why is it here?”

Ye was stunned. The screen was given to Gu Qiang’s mother by Prime Minister Gu. It was said that he was obsessed with her mother and had someone make the valuable screen. After her mother died, the screen remained there. It was an eyesore to Ye. Now when the chance came, she was determined to throw it out.

So long as it was out of Ye’s sight, she didn’t care how to deal with it, even if it was thrown away. However, it could be given to Empress Su now. It was precious and presentable. She could also impress Empress Su with it.

Though it wouldn’t work for sure, she couldn’t go there with empty hands as Gu Qiang did.

If Gu Qiang hadn’t been so stingy and offended Empress, the latter wouldn’t have had a prejudice against Ye. Consequently, she had to try to make a good impression again.

Besides, no one in the Gu Family would talk about the screen. After all, Gu Qiang’s mother had died for over ten years. Ye thought Gu Qiang didn’t know what it was, but she was wrong. When Gu Qiang rushed over, Ye knew it was beyond her control.

“Mother, what is it?” Gu Qiang pointed to the screen and asked. The screen was covered with dust. It seemed that it had been idle for several years.

“It is a screen. It has been idle for a long time. We can take the advantage of the chance to give it to Empress. It can bring glory to our family, can’t it?” Ye’s palms were sweaty. She wasn’t afraid of Gu Qiang. But once thinking of the screen, she always felt as if Gu Qiang’s mother were staring at her.

It was not a good job to dispose of what the deceased left behind. Ye made her mind to dispose of the screen today. She didn’t believe that Gu Qiang could prevent her.

Gu Qiang was the first daughter of Gu Family in name but not in reality. Even food was a problem for her. Was she qualified to meddle with how Ye, who managed the Gu Family, would dispose of something?

“Madam, I think you know it was left behind by my deceased mother, don’t you? It has been placed in her room for many years. No one touched it. Today you carry it out to donate it?” Gu Qiang pulled a face immediately. She was busy these days and had no time and mood to care what Ye did.

Did Ye think she could ride roughshod over Gu Qiang because of that? Did she still regard Gu Qiang as a kid or the one that she used to be?

Ye pulled a face too. It seemed that Gu Qiang was waiting for her explanation. So ridiculous. Ye said, “Qiang, it has been idle for a long time. Besides, when you went to the palace, you were clear that Her Highness hoped all madams and ladies could donate money. However, you did nothing. That offended Her Highness. If we don’t do anything to make up for it, she will get angry.”

Gu Qiang met Ye’s eyes. Though Ye wore a cold face, she talked in a soft voice and persuaded Gu Qiang patiently. Gu Qiang was made to think herself wrong at one point.

“It has been put aside for so long time. Why not give it to Her Highness and change her attitude to you? It will be regarded as your donation, OK?” Ye said.

In the past, she thought she could dispose of the screen when Gu Qiang was kept in the dark. But Gu Qiang saw it now, so it had to be regarded as hers. So long as it would be taken away, Ye didn’t care where it would be at last.

Suddenly Gu Qiang laughed coldly and said, “Madam, did you ask my father about it? If he agrees, I will agree too. Of course, maybe my father will agree to please you, but can it work? It is just here. Even though their love has gone away and may not exist now, it existed before. So long as the screen is in the world, it can prove their love.”

What did Gu Qiang satirize? Did she satirize that Prime Minister Gu kept loving her mother or Ye was just a substitute for her mother?

Did Gu Qiang have a strong belief in love?

“Qiang, if your father loved your mother so deeply, I wouldn’t be here. You’re not married and know nothing about love.” Ye waved and servants were going to take away the screen.

Gu Qiang rushed to the two servants and slapped their faces hard. It was so loud that Ye and Gu Zhihua were shocked. Did she dare to hit servants?

As a lady, how could she not behave herself and hit servants? Ye and Gu Zhihua knew it was not Gu Qiang’s intention. She was protesting against Ye.

Gu Qiang turned around. The two servants stood there in a panic. They were just Ye’s flunkies.

“It belongs to the former madam. How dare you move it? Carry it to my room.”

Then Ting Feng and Chui Xue walked over and stared at the screen.

Ye was furious. She moved to Gu Qiang and rebuked her in a trembling voice, “Are you crazy? Don’t you know who has the final say in the Gu Family? I can dispose of everything here, including the screen!”

Gu Qiang nodded and responded coldly, “I know you can dispose of everything in the Gu Family, but it doesn’t belong to the family. If I take it away, no one dares to object, or I will say it was left by my mother to my brother. I remember my brother is not a member of the Gu Family anymore, right?”

Gu Qiang turned around, met Ye’s scarlet eyes, and smiled suddenly. She was protesting. Then she told Ting Feng and Chui Xue, “Move it away!”

Ye parted her lips, but she knew the screen was sure to be carried away by Gu Qiang today. Just as Gu Qiang said, if she told Prime Minister Gu about it, he would comfort her but he might also think of that short-lived woman.

The woman was dead and no one else was her rival anymore. However, it would be miserable if she was less important than a dead woman in the heart of Prime Minister Gu. There was a faint hope to win if she was jealous of a dead person, because that woman had died and her most beautiful image would be left in the man’s heart forever.

That was just like something a man loved but he didn’t own. However, Prime Minister Gu might not care about it.

Gu Zhihua walked over cautiously and asked, “Mother, are you OK?”

Ye turned around suddenly, looked at Gu Zhihua with scarlet eyes, and said, “Do you think I’m OK?”

Then she returned to her room. Gu Zhihua was left there and had no idea what happened.

But it was not the first time that Gu Zhihua had seen her mother get angry. Before Gu Qiang changed, her mother always could control her temper and pretended to be kind outside. Of course, her mother was quite nice to her.

Others all stood there embarrassedly. Gu Qiang used to be cowardly, but she hit servants today. Apparently, she was telling all servants that she was not the one she used to be and not to bully her.

Gu Qiang was looking at the screen placed in the main hall of her room. She didn’t look good. Facing the screen, she felt as if she were facing her mother. The woman’s appearance became unclear in Gu Qiang’s memory. She was probably a dignified woman.

Many dignified women were ignored by men in the beginning. Only after losing the women would the men miss them. However, at that time, everything was meaningless. Meaningless love was cheap.

Ting Feng put dishes on the table and said to Gu Qiang, “My Lady, please eat something. You have had nothing since you returned.”

Looking at the dishes on the table, Gu Qiang shook her head. The screen might not be valuable, but it belonged to her mother, so she would protect it.

Ting Feng nodded. She could understand how Gu Qiang felt. But she also knew that she could not give enough help to Gu Qiang as a servant girl.

“Take it to my brother and let him keep it. I think he will be glad.” Gu Qiang said.

“Yes, I will do it. But My Lady, both madam and Gu Zhihua give something to Her Highness. Won’t you do it, too?” Ting Feng asked. She wanted to ask the question long before. After all, Her Highness hosted the contribution, and it was necessary to save her face.

Otherwise, if Empress made things hard for Gu Qiang, how could she stand it?

Gu Qiang shook her head. Donations didn’t work at all this time, because food was short. Even if there were many things, they were useless. No matter how good and delicate the valuable things were, they were nothing if no one bought them.

If she could get chances or connections through this disaster, it would be a sudden rise for her. As for what to do, perhaps she needed to look for the answer in the diary.