Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Azure Glass Residence

Gu Qingping received the medicine bottle and nodded. “I will feed it to him later. By the way, Li’er, is there anything wrong with this medicine for Yu’er?”

Gu Qingping was asking about the Cloud Fragrance, which the nanny had given them. He had wanted to ask about it before, when his mother was dealing with the nanny, but his mother had directly thrown the woman out. Asking then would have been pointless since the person was already gone.

He had originally wanted to hand the nanny over to the authorities for investigation. However, his mother had said that with Li’er and Yunjing present, it wouldn’t be prudent to involve the authorities, so they hadn’t reported it.

Gu Qingli glanced at Gu Qingping and Ms. Su, saying, “Mother, Big Brother, it’s really not a big deal now. I just checked, and the baby’s face is only slightly red. A few days of care, and he should be just fine.”

Gu Qingping sighed in relief. “Then I’m relieved. Otherwise…” As he spoke, a chill emanated from Gu Qingping, his unspoken meaning clear: even if they couldn’t officially deal with the nanny, he would drag that old woman back and tear her limb from limb.

“Li’er, your mother wants to hold a family reunion banquet for you to formally recognize your ancestry. What do you think?” Ms. Su asked Gu Qingli, glancing at her son. My son really underestimated me. Let the nanny off so easily? Is that possible? If I can’t deal with it openly, can’t I do it covertly? Doesn’t he consider my origins?

Gu Qingli nodded. “Alright, let’s do it before Yunjing ascends the throne.”

It was the Original Host’s lifelong wish to return to the Gu Family. By doing this, I would fulfill that wish and, in a way, add a layer of prestige to my own identity. After all, I am to be the Empress of Daqian. Being born a peasant girl will surely attract criticism and provide a reason for Xiao Yunjing to take more concubines. A peasant-born empress, what would she know? They would argue that a woman of virtue and talent is needed to manage the harem. There might even be talk of deposing the Empress. This is a precaution. Although I’m not afraid of the difficulties the Civil and Military Officials might create, too many problems would become tiresome. After returning to the Gu Family, though my origins would still be that of a peasant girl, the nature of my status would be different. I would be a genuine young lady of the Gu Family. The Gu Family’s long-lost daughter.

“Alright, then I will arrange it in the next few days.” Ms. Su understood her daughter’s intentions. Holding the banquet before Yunjing’s ascension meant her daughter’s status would no longer be simply that of a peasant girl, but the lost daughter of the Gu Mansion. Furthermore, it would prevent talk of the Gu Family trying to curry favor with imperial relatives. At most, people might guess our intentions. But so what? It’s all true. It will just give the people of the Capital City more to talk about, but the impact will be minor.

Thus, both a mother eager to dote on her daughter and a brother eager to cherish his sister wished for Gu Qingli to return to the Gu Family as soon as possible.

“It’s a pity your father can’t come back,” Ms. Su sighed.

“Mother, don’t be sad. You still have me,” Gu Qingping comforted Ms. Su. “On the day of recognizing her ancestry, without my approval as the legitimate son of the Gu Family, and that of the Old Master of the Gu Family, this event cannot proceed.”

Luckily, Father played the ’disappearing act’ back then, Gu Qingping thought. If he had constantly been under Qingchen’s watch, the Gu Family probably wouldn’t be enjoying such good days now; they would have long struggled for self-preservation.

“Yunjing, can my father not return yet?” Gu Qingli asked Xiao Yunjing, seeing her mother’s disappointment.

Xiao Yunjing patted her hand and said softly, “Someone has already gone to take over your father’s duties. He will return soon and should arrive just in time.”

Upon hearing Xiao Yunjing’s words, both Ms. Su and Gu Qingping looked at him in pleasant surprise. Ms. Su, in particular, took Xiao Yunjing’s hand and patted it. “Yunjing, Mother truly thanks you. If it weren’t for you, who knows what hardships this large Gu Family would be enduring right now.”

Xiao Yunjing smiled. “Mother, what are you saying? We are family.”

As long as people are genuinely good to Li’er and me, I will treat them sincerely. But if anyone tries to scheme against or mistreat us, I won’t go out of my way to seek trouble with them. Take the Jiang Family, for example. Although the Jiang father and son are talented, their intentions aren’t pure. I wouldn’t heavily rely on such people, even if they are relatives. Such people haven’t emerged yet. But once I ascend the throne and my true identity from Lushan is revealed, some will surely come forward. Fortunately, these individuals aren’t in the imperial court yet, so they haven’t come trying to claim connections.

In many ways, I should thank Qingchen for thoroughly overhauling the imperial court. Qingchen replaced everyone, good or bad, so I don’t need to worry about replacing personnel when I take over. Half of the newly appointed officials are new aristocrats, and the other half belong to established, powerful families. These families are deeply entrenched in Daqian and not easily replaced. They not only occupy positions in the court but also dominate the economy. They are interconnected, with relationships like a web, both overt and covert. Toppling one family could potentially destabilize all of Daqian. While they can ruin a country, they can also stabilize one. For now, these major families are still needed to maintain order. However, these deeply entrenched aristocratic families must be uprooted. Their influence is too vast; a single misstep could plunge Daqian into irredeemable ruin.

Ms. Su and Gu Qingping were both overjoyed. Firstly, Xiao Yunjing didn’t treat them as outsiders. Secondly, Gu Xicheng was returning, which meant the Gu Family would regain its pillar of support. Thirdly, they were happy for Gu Qingli; her future husband, even as a prospective Emperor, was considerate of her and her family’s situation. If it had been anyone else in his position, they might not have done the same. Given Li’er’s current status, she wasn’t truly fit to be the Empress. Xiao Yunjing would have countless reasons to not make Li’er the Empress and instead choose a young lady from an aristocratic family.

The four chatted for a while longer. Then, Gu Qingping personally escorted Xiao Yunjing and his family to the Azure Glass Residence. After arranging for servants to attend to them, he left.

Gu Qingli looked around the brand-new courtyard, which was even named after her. A warmth spread through her heart, and she was deeply touched.

“Yunjing,” Gu Qingli sniffed. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

“Yes, my dear, you have a good mother,” Xiao Yunjing said, holding her and kissing her forehead.

Gu Qingli nodded. A bittersweet feeling rose in her heart. All of this belonged to the Original Host, not her. In her previous life, she had never been treated this way.

The two embraced in the bedroom. Wuqing and the others felt too embarrassed to disturb them, so they took the three little ones to be washed first.

Once the bittersweet feeling in her heart subsided, Gu Qingli lifted her head from Xiao Yunjing’s chest. After sharing another kiss, they went to help wash the three little ones.

After the three little ones were bathed and tucked into bed, and had fallen asleep, the two of them washed up and went to bed.

Technically, they should have slept in separate rooms at her mother’s house. However, Ms. Su insisted they shouldn’t, arguing that Li’er couldn’t possibly manage three children on her own. So, Xiao Yunjing stayed with her.

Gu Qingli sighed. My mother is quite clever, using this method to ensure Xiao Yunjing and I don’t grow distant. She has too little faith in the bond between us. It’s not as if a little separation would make us grow distant, nor is our connection unbreakable only because we’re constantly together.

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