Lord Gu fetched the family genealogy he had prepared long ago and presented it to Gu Liyue. "Back then when they left, your father was so angry that he said he wanted his name stricken from the genealogy, and your grandfather did just that. But much earlier, his name was put back in. Look, this is your father's name, Gu Shuxian. I'm Gu Boxian, and your second uncle is Gu Zhongxian."
Gu Liyue took a glance and indeed saw the names of the three brothers. There was a scratch mark on her father's name, and beside it were the added characters, still the three characters of Gu Shuxian. Next to that, another name was written: Liu Shi.
Lord Gu continued, "When I went to Cangyun County to look for your father, he got mad at me and declared that if I ever searched for him again, he would leave Cangyun County. Later, I secretly sent someone to look for him and indeed found that he had left the county seat. It wasn't until now that I learned he had just left the county and gone to a nearby town. He never sent a letter back. I thought he was still holding a grudge and refused to forgive us. I never thought... Liyue, it's my fault. Can you forgive your uncle?"
Gu Liyue's eyes were slightly red. She pursed her lips for a long time before whispering, "Why didn't my father want to come back?"
Lord Gu glanced at his father and let out a long sigh. "Liyue, about the past..."
"I was wrong in the past," the old Lord Gu stood up, walked to Gu Liyue's side, and said seriously, "It was my fault. I... I disliked your mother's humble origin and insisted that she not be allowed into the family. Your father didn't want to let your mother down, so he took her far away... Liyue, it's all your grandfather's fault. Will you forgive your grandfather, please?"
Gu Liyue vaguely remembered her parents under the lamp when she was a child. Her mother was sitting in front of the dressing table, and her father was holding a comb, gently combing her hair and then drawing her eyebrows. She couldn't remember what her parents looked like, but somehow she remembered this scene. It was the happiest time for her and the happiest moment for her parents before they passed away.
Was it her grandfather who forced the loving couple apart and drove them away?
For a moment, Gu Liyue couldn't connect the kind - looking old man in front of her with the ferocious figure in her mind who had forced her father to flee the capital.
Lord Gu added, "It's my fault. If I had been more careful in my inquiries, how could I not have found out where your father was? He never sent a letter back for so many years. I was so stupid that I didn't realize he had already... Your parents weren't such cold - hearted people. How could they have held a grudge for so many years? I should have guessed earlier..."
Gu Liyue opened her mouth. They were all talking, but she didn't know if it was true or not. In her memory, there was nothing.
The old lady's eyes were teary. She took Gu Liyue's hand. "Didn't your parents ever mention us to you?"
Gu Liyue thought for a long time before saying, "I was only five or six years old when they passed away... I was sick for a while, and it's been so long that I don't remember much of the things before..."
The old lady then looked at Yunniang.
Yunniang gestured to explain: The master and mistress never mentioned the Gu family to anyone, not even the Liu family knew much about it.
The old lady felt so heart - broken that she wished she could hug her granddaughter tightly and comfort her well. But she endured it, afraid of scaring her granddaughter. So she quickly took her granddaughter to see her new courtyard.
Just as she was about to get up, she felt a sudden dizziness and almost fell to the ground. Gu Liyue quickly supported her and called out, "Grandmother, are you okay?"
They had already paid their respects outside just now, but Gu Liyue's concerned words made the old lady feel especially comforted. Even though she wasn't feeling well, she was still happy.
"I'm fine, just a minor ailment. Come on, seeing the courtyard is more important."
But Gu Liyue wasn't willing. "Grandmother, you'd better have a good rest. Let someone else take me there."
Mrs. Jiang laughed. "Mother, if you get sick, Liyue will feel burdened. I'll take her there. That way, she won't feel so restricted."
Only then did the old lady nod. She told Mrs. Jiang to be careful before letting them go first.
Mrs. Jiang was very amiable. She introduced the family to Gu Liyue and said, "You've met me before. I'm a girl from the Jiang family who got married into this family. But since I don't visit my natal family often, you probably don't have much of an impression of me."
When the Jiang family was mentioned, Gu Liyue was shocked. The hand that was originally being supported by Mrs. Jiang unconsciously withdrew.
Mrs. Jiang quickly patted her hand to soothe her. "Don't be afraid. I know about the Jiang family. But rest assured, the Gu family is different from the Jiang family, and your situation is different now. They didn't protect you and didn't treat you as a family member. But you're a real family member of the Gu family, and we'll all protect you."
Gu Liyue felt a bit bitter in her heart. She nodded reluctantly. "Thank you, aunt."
Mrs. Jiang knew that it wouldn't be easy for Gu Liyue to let go of her knots. So she just changed the subject. "Your grandfather doesn't hold an official position now. Your uncle is the Left Commander of the Central Army and also the Commander of the Capital Guards. Your second uncle is the Deputy Commander of the Rear Army. When ordinary garrison generals return to the capital, they are all under his command for drills. Your eldest brother, Gu Junyan, whom you met yesterday, is the Vice - Minister of the Supreme Court. Your second brother, Gu Junzhe, is the Right - Assistant Censor of the Censorate. Your third brother is in the Imperial Guard and is a sword - bearing guard beside the emperor. You're familiar with your fourth brother, Gu Chengzhi. He doesn't have any serious business. Now that it's almost the New Year, he can spend more time with you."
Since Gu Liyue had been in the capital for so long and had been with Mrs. Jiang, she roughly knew something about official positions. But no matter how she listened, it seemed that she had only heard of the official positions of her eldest and second brothers, the Supreme Court and the Censorate. She didn't understand what the other positions like commander and the Central Army and Imperial Guard did.
"Your eldest brother is already married. Your sister - in - law is still in confinement, so she didn't come out today. I'll take you to see her and your nephew later. Your big nephew is already two years old. He's at the stage of being naughty and likes to pull people's hair. You have to be careful."
When it came to children, Mrs. Jiang just kept talking.
There was also a child in the Jiang family. He was five years old and had already started his studies. Gu Liyue rarely saw him and had little interaction with him. Mrs. Jiang didn't really like her playing with that young master. Usually, she only let her play with Jiang Yingyue.
It seemed that Mrs. Jiang didn't mind at all. Instead, she seemed eager for Gu Liyue to get closer to the children.
"The younger one is also a boy. He's your nephew. Have you ever seen a newborn baby?"
Gu Liyue was attracted by her chattering words. She just shook her head. "No. Yunniang, have you seen one?"
Yunniang nodded with a smile and gestured: I've seen one. When I went to your house, you were still in your mother's belly. Later, when you were born, I took care of you. You were just this tiny.
Gu Liyue asked Mrs. Jiang curiously, "Are they very small?"
Seeing that she was willing to talk, Mrs. Jiang laughed again. "Yes, he's ten days old, but he's still so tiny. You rest well today and take a bath. I'll take you to see him tomorrow."
Gu Liyue was a bit happy. She nodded shyly.
The hot spring pool in Zhuyue Tower was really comfortable. Soaking in the hot spring pool on such a cold day made people feel drowsy. Yunniang patted her on the shoulder and shook her head, not allowing her to fall asleep.
Gu Liyue smiled and said to Yunniang, "Yunniang, how long can we stay in peace this time?"
Yunniang thought for a while and gestured: For a long time, for a lifetime.
Gu Liyue frowned. For a lifetime?
Yunniang gestured again: Your father was a very gentle and kind person. He was wise and talented. He couldn't have come from an ordinary family.
Gu Liyue didn't comment. If that was really the case, why did her father flee? Without realizing it, she thought of Lu Jinchen. Last night, Lu Jinchen had wanted to take her away. Maybe compared to her mother, she lacked a bit of courage.
She wondered how Lu Jinchen was doing now.