Legend of Concubine’s Daughter Minglan - Chapter 265

265. Gu Tingye, Your Ancestor Calls You for a Chat (4)
Translator: Iris
After saying this, Gu Tingyu suddenly used full strength and pounced to Gu Tingye. Then he grabbed Gu Tingye’s collar with his thin hand and roared, “Why do you think you were entrusted with an important post? When His Majesty has just ascended the throne, you only brought a group of people to protect him. At that time, even the soldiers in the Jiangdu Camp followed your orders. There were so many followers of His Majesty taking over the military affairs with commanders’ seals. No one has handled those affairs without any difficulties like you did except for His Majesty’s brother-in-law. You could dispatch troops and gain others’ respect earlier than others, that’s why you have made so many achievements! Let me tell you, that’s because your last name is Gu! The Gu’s men have served in the army for generations! Because your last name is Gu! You…”

As saying that, Gu Tingyu was suddenly out of breath and started to cough fiercely. Meanwhile, he trembled so hard that he almost fell onto the ground. Gu Tingye only wore an indifferent look on his face, which made it hard to tell what he was thinking right now. Still, he helped his brother to sit on the chair again. After that, Gu Tingye poured a cup of water for his brother.

Gu Tingyu coughed so hard that he had to drink the water to swallow the blood in his mouth. After that, he breathed with great effort and finally calmed down. As he looked to the Red Iron Edict glowing with livid color, he said in a low voice with tears in his eyes, “When the incident happened in our family, our father has already become a commander in the Left Army. Emperor Wu and our former emperor who was still a prince at that time both thought highly of him. Even if he lost the noble title, his career wouldn’t be influenced. At last, he still abandoned my mother only because of the four words on the Iron Edict.”

Gu Tingye remained silent.

When he was a little boy, he had seen his father hiding in the study and crying to the painting of First Madam Qin more than once.

The shadows of the two brothers were lengthened by the candle light. One was tall and strong while the other was weak and stooped. Gu Tingyu stared at his own shadow with an expression of disgust. Suddenly, he felt relieved. He didn’t know if he had a grudge against Gu Tingye because of what had happened before or envied the successful life that Gu Tingye was having now. However, all those things didn’t matter to Gu Tingyu anymore.

“I know you feel angry for your mother. I understand your feeling as a son.” When Gu Tingyu spoke again, he only felt calm inwardly, “But you are also our father’s son. Half of your blood and flesh belong to the Gu family, to this family.”

“I don’t have an heir. As for how long I’ll be able to live, you can ask imperial physician Zhang. I guess I don’t have many days left.” As he said that, there was a determined look on his withered face, “Then you can inherit my title as a matter of course and deal with those people outside as you wish. They have leeched onto our father for so many years and are all very pampered. You are a capable man now, it’s not hard for you to bring them under control.”

Hearing that, Gu Tingye gave a sarcastic smile and said, “I don’t know when you have been so wise, brother. Back in the old days, you were so close to Fourth and Fifth uncle as if you were their sons.”

Especially when those men had plotted against Gu Tingye, they really had done great teamwork in inciting Gu Tingye against his father and exaggerating his mistakes.

Gu Tingyu knew that Gu Tingye was sneering at him, but only said in a flat tone, “Before one dies, he would always see things more clearly. Let alone that I knew what kind of people they were long ago.”

“You don’t worry about your wife and daughter? During the whole time we were here, you only tried to protect the noble title of the Gu’s family.” Gu Tingye sneered at his brother, “What a good descendant of our family.”

“Your sister-in-law always treats you nicely, you won’t make trouble for her. You are not that kind of person.” Gu Tingyu answered firmly, “Your wife has married into our family for quite a while, I see her as a kind woman too.”

Gu Tingye thought secretly, ‘This man is still secretly planning something until now.’

“Brother, you are so persuasive now. I don’t even know what to say.” Gu Tingye smiled indifferently and continued, “However, I am the black sheep of our family. Now you want me to swallow all the grievances I have suffered over these years for those four words, I think you are making it sound too easy. Well, you are not the one who endured the hardships after all.”

“I was the one who was tied up and almost sent to the Noble Clan Prison by father. Gu Tingyang raped a maid of father and forced her to suicide, but everyone said I did it. Gu Tingbing owed the prostitution fee and a gambling debt to others, but he wrote my name on the receipt of loan after colluding with the people in the whore house and the gambling house. At that time, father almost broke my bones. I wasn’t willing to bear the insult, so I went to the whore house to confront those people, but that only brought me more trouble. After that, my reputation was also ruined. Father vomited blood in anger but I only felt so wronged at that time and acted even more recklessly… At last, father got too disappointed and I was the one who got kicked out of our family.”

Gu Tingye said those words gently and at last he even started to mutter, “… At that time, nearly no one in our family stood up for me. Brother Xuan has defended me a few times, but later even he didn’t dare to protect me especially when the one who set me up was his blood brother. As for others, huh…”

The dark and spacious temple fell into silence and the two brothers said nothing for a long while.

After a very long time, Gu Tingyu sighed and said, “I am about to die soon. I only followed father’s order and tried to protect Gu’s family. You can always find other ways to give vent to your anger or take revenge on them. Please, please, please don’t ruin the hundred years of hard work of all the Gu’s people.”

At last, he nearly said those words in a begging tone with his voice turning lower and lower. In the meantime, he seemed unable to continue anymore because he was too weak, “I’ve said everything I should say. I’ll leave you to think over the rest of things…”

Gu Tingye raised his head and stared at the huge paintings which hung above the incense table, in which were Gu Youshan and his wife.

Most of the males in the Gu’s family liked to frown after they had become adults as if they had concealed all their thoughts deeply.

Gu Tingye suddenly remembered the most humiliating day for him. On that day, it was so hard for him to enter the mourning hall. Then he took a glance at his old father beside the coffin, finding the man whom he had thought as tall and strong as the mountains being so thin and little.

Before Gu Tingye turned fifteen, he had been self-abased and stubborn all the time because he always felt that he was inferior to others. After he met Momo Chang and knew the reason why his mother had married into the Gu’s family, he only felt the resentment burning in his heart like the gushing magma but he couldn’t find anyone to pour out his heart to. Ever since then, he had started to hate his father and always spoken rudely to the latter. As a result, the relationship between his father and him got worse and worse day by day.

He knew that he couldn’t believe Gu Tingyu’s words because he had been well aware of what kind of person his brother was since he was a little boy.

If Gu Tingye inherited the title, he would never mistreat his sister-in-law.

On the contrary, if the Gu’s family was deprived of the noble title, other families would be just fine since there were men in their families after all. But after Gu Tingyu died, his wife and daughter could only depend on their relatives for a living and what their future lives would be like was so obvious. Only if the title of Marquis Ningyuan existed forever would Gu Tingyu’s wife and daughter live a decent and wealthy life as the widow and daughter of the former Marquis Ningyuan.

Also, Gu Tingye’s choice would have a great influence on what kind of family Xian(Gu Tingyu’s daughter) would marry into.

Right now, he was not the Second Master Gu whom everyone could bully or deceive. He knew exactly what those people were thinking.

‘Brother, you want me to take care of your wife and your daughter after you die. But should I listen to you?’

While Gu Tingye was thinking about that, he suddenly felt bright light above his head. It turned out he had already walked out of the memorial temple. Then he saw a familiar and beautiful face full of anxiety right now. He loved her eyes most, which were so pure and innocent.

What was behind him was the dark past, while what greeted him was the bright future.