nucmednet Chapter 449 Seeking Repayment for a Favor?
Chapter 449 Seeking Repayment for a Favor?
Gui Shan returned to the Gui family.
He was embraced by Madam Gui and wept bitterly, expressing his worries and longing for her.
Gui Shan's face didn't show much expression; she simply asked, "Father, Second Uncle, what are your plans for the future?"
Mr. Gui and Mrs. Gui paused, exchanged a glance, and hesitated without speaking.
Uncle Gui said, "My aunt, other uncles, and I have discussed it. Your grandparents and relatives from our hometown are all here. Our Gui family has worked hard in Beijing for decades and has some savings. We'll go back and renovate our house in the countryside, build a school, and find some other ways to make a living."
Gui Shan nodded: "That's fine too. When I was in the Prince's mansion, I also thought about some businesses outside, especially the eldest daughter of the Si family. She was quite good at business. If we could follow her, it wouldn't be a bad idea."
Master Gui hesitated: "Does our Gui family intend to engage in trade?"
Merchants were not allowed to take the imperial examinations. If they went into business, they would not be able to return to officialdom later.
Uncle Gui immediately said, "We've considered this. It would be better to separate the family sooner rather than later. The main branch can stay in the countryside to run a school, while the collateral branches can go into business. This way, they can complement each other, and if something unexpected happens in the future, they won't be left with no way out."
"Second Uncle's consideration is correct." Gui Shan thought for a moment and said, "How about this, before going back, I will go to the Si family's estate to meet the eldest daughter of the Si family and see if I can find some guidance."
Uncle Gui was overjoyed: "Shanshan is so thoughtful."
Gui Shan said, "Then please ask your parents, uncles and aunts to pack up first, so we can leave the capital as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent.
In fact, Gui Shan had already guessed it when her second uncle stood up and said he would take the uncles back.
Her parents didn't want to go back.
She lowered her eyes, as if she hadn't reacted yet, and said lightly, "But I've already been married. After I go back, I'll recuperate and not mention remarriage again, Mother and Aunts."
Madam Gui couldn't contain herself and grabbed Gui Shan's hand: "Shan Shan, our family has come a long way, are we just going to go back like this?"
Gui Shan looked at her: "If we don't go back, what else can we do?"
"..."
Madam Gui and Master Gui exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and finally spoke.
"Shanshan, you have a good relationship with the Emperor. If you go to him and ask for a favor, he will surely grant our family a blessing, won't he?"
Gui Shan looked at her quietly, pulled her hand away, and said with a cold gaze, "My parents saw the fate of the deposed crown prince very clearly. All the noble families associated with the deposed crown prince, regardless of size, were wiped out overnight. His Majesty has shown mercy and pardoned our Gui family, which is already a great favor. How could I possibly ask for more favors?"
Madam Gui became anxious: "Shanshan, that's not how it works. If you don't think about yourself, you should think about your brothers. Their future depends on you."
"Rely on me?" Gui Shan chuckled. "Mother, are you joking? How can you rely on me? I'm just a widow now. My husband is not only dead, but also the former crown prince whom the current emperor dislikes. What can I do?"
“Shanshan! You can’t be so selfish,” Master Gui said. “Shanshan, your mother is right. Now your brothers all depend on you. This isn’t difficult. I heard that His Majesty spared our family because we were good friends when we were young, and you gave Prince Ning some useful information when he was investigating the case. So His Majesty remembers your kindness, and therefore…”
Gui Shan stood up and looked at Master Gui.
Having served as the Crown Princess and Princess for so long, even though her appearance hasn't changed much, her overall demeanor has changed considerably.
It was so sharp that people dared not approach it.
"Father, what a boastful tone! Are you suggesting that your daughter go to the Emperor to demand favors in return?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Gui burst into tears: "Shanshan, you can't do this. It's just a matter of a word. We don't have many demands. Your brother is exceptionally talented, so we only need to secure him a minor official position. Is that all you want? Can't you even meet that simple request?"
"How can Shanshan be so heartless? You refuse such a small request? Before, when you were with that commoner, your father begged you to help him when he had the ability, but you refused, saying that the commoner was difficult to deal with. And now? Now it's your own ability that has helped the current emperor. Shouldn't the emperor repay our family?"
Gui Shan looked at her mother, who was crying incessantly, and then at her father, who was shaking his head in disappointment. She felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow.
In the past, she would have felt that she had made a mistake, and how could she let them down?
In order not to disappoint them, she always sacrificed herself to please others.
But it seems that in the past twenty years, she has never lived for herself.
Aunt Gui couldn't bear to watch any longer and was about to speak when Gui Shan shook her head.
"I will go to the palace to plead with His Majesty."
Aunt Gui was shocked and cried out, "Shanshan..."
Gui Shan said, "Don't worry, Second Aunt, I know what I'm doing."
Aunt Gui's face showed a hint of heartache, but she didn't say anything more.
When they got back to their own yard, they saw their five-year-old daughter playing in the yard, completely oblivious to everything. They couldn't help but complain to Uncle Gui.
"Are you blinded by fame and fortune, elder brother and sister-in-law? Why are you pressuring Shanshan like this? Husband, I'm not cursing Shanshan, but if Shanshan really enters the palace, the Emperor might not refuse, but I'm afraid his affection for Shanshan will be completely gone."
Uncle Gui sighed, "He is the eldest son, and I can't change his decision. We should go back as soon as possible... After we go back, we should also send the third son away. If there is any more trouble, perhaps the third son can escape this disaster."
Aunt Gui was quite helpless. She continued, "I told my sister-in-law that if Shanshan were still alive, she would eventually come back. I told her to clean up Shanshan's yard, and she wouldn't care about anything else. When Shanshan came back, she cried for a while, but she insisted on waiting for Shanshan to agree to help her son get an official position before she would happily clean up the yard. I only knew before that she favored her son more, but I never realized how materialistic she was."
She admitted that she was biased, believing that her son was the rightful heir. But even with this bias, she couldn't bring herself to mistreat her daughter to benefit her son.
After all, they are her own flesh and blood, and she has been pampered and cherished since she was a child. In the future, even if we don't give her a lot of things, we should at least not be a burden to her. That's what parents should do, right?
Gui Shan, however, wasn't angry at all. She slept until noon the next day, and when she opened her eyes again and saw her mother beside her, she couldn't help but smile.
"It's been so long since I've had a good night's sleep, it's really rare. But why didn't my mother have anyone wake me up?"
The mother looked unwell and said in a low voice, "Miss, the First Madam has sent people to urge you to get up early and go to the palace several times. Later, the Second Madam said that you were sick and that going to the palace would disturb the noble people and that she was afraid of being blamed, so the First Madam didn't say anything."