Chapter 14: A Visit to Express Gratitude

The next morning, in Wuyi Alley, at the Bai residence.

The funeral of the old master Bai was underway. Not only were the clan elders gathered together, but several officials and wealthy gentlemen from Yangzhou had also come to pay their respects.

Just as Bai Tingyu was preparing to break the tiles to summon the spirit, Gu Tingye appeared before the crowd, clad in plain white mourning clothes with a hemp rope tied around his waist, his expression grave, escorted by Zheng Xian and Zhao Han.

“Second brother, you’ve finally come!”

Chang Momo, Bai’s personal maid, both joyful and astonished, hurried forward to grasp Gu Tingye’s sleeve, her voice tinged with emotion.

“You… how come you’re here…”

Bai Tingyu’s eyes widened in disbelief, his movements faltered as he stared at Gu Tingye, who had suddenly appeared. He had secretly ordered someone to assassinate Gu Tingye, and the corpse lay at his private residence. He had personally verified the body—it was undoubtedly Gu Tingye.

“Bai Tingyu, you’ve got some nerve, daring to conspire for the family inheritance and hire assassins to kill the legitimate heir of the Hou Mansion!”

“Who would’ve thought Yangzhou truly was a city full of hidden talents!”

Zheng Xian snorted coldly, the authority he had accumulated over years of officialdom fully unleashed, and the ancestral hall fell silent.

The Bai clan elders exchanged glances. Though they had accepted bribes from Bai Tingyu and unanimously elected him to inherit the family business, they had no knowledge of the assassination plot.

Gu Tingye clenched his fists tightly, glaring at Bai Tingyu with fury. “The corpse in your private residence is my attendant, Zhique!”

“If it weren’t for Zhique bearing some resemblance to me, you would never have gotten away with this!”

Bai Tingyu’s face turned ashen, cold sweat streaming down his temples. He knew well the gravity of the crime—hiring assassins to kill the legitimate heir of the Hou Mansion.

“Bai Tingyu, do you plead guilty?” Zheng Xian’s voice was neither cold nor warm.

Bai Tingyu glanced at the clan elders beside him; none spoke up in his defense. With the evidence undeniable, he lowered his head and said, “I confess. I hired assassins to kill.”

At once, the accompanying constables stepped forward and firmly grasped his arms.

Bai Tingyu’s face darkened with hatred. Raising his eyes to Gu Tingye, he ground his teeth and spat, “You’re not the only one who wants you dead. When I’m gone, you’ll soon join me!”

Gu Tingye frowned but soon calmed himself. He reached into his breast and pulled out the will the old master Bai had sent him before his death.

Everyone assumed Bai Tingyu was just making empty threats in the face of death.

After the will was read aloud, the clan elders exchanged uneasy looks, clearly dissatisfied.

“This concerns the livelihoods of hundreds in the Bai family—the ancestral rites, the clan temple, the family school, and the charity hall. The success of the younger generation depends on this. It’s not just the eldest uncle’s business!”

“What does handing everything over to an outsider mean? I think the eldest uncle must be seriously ill in the head!”

Bai Tingyu’s cousin from the third branch shouted. Should the family fortune all go to Gu Tingye, the entire second branch would be left destitute.

“Yes, and in my opinion, this will is clearly forged!”

“How could the eldest uncle possibly hand the family business to someone as dissolute as you!” others from the second branch chimed in.

Gu Tingye’s notorious reputation in Bianjing was well known—womanizing, reckless, dissolute, and scandalous. Their words carried some weight.

“Since the elders refuse to accept this matter, I will not spare your pride.”

“Besides this will, I also have a letter!”

Gu Tingye’s grandfather was from the Bai family’s main branch. Orphaned young and dispossessed of his inherited land by uncles and cousins, he and his mother had been cast out, their names erased from the clan genealogy.

Later, seeing the old master Bai had amassed a great fortune but had only one daughter who had married into the Ningyuan Hou Mansion in Bianjing, many sought to attach themselves to them.

The old master Bai repaid grievances with kindness and took them in.

Gu Tingye slapped the letter before everyone’s eyes. “You may check the clan genealogy for yourselves!”

The elderly clan elders looked embarrassed, not expecting the old master to have recorded this as well.

“If you have anything else to say, return the seals to the shops belonging to the Bai family to Second Young Master Gu at once!”

With a flourish of his long sleeve, Sheng Hong barked the order.

Since the old master Bai had been removed from the clan genealogy, he was no longer considered Bai family; thus, this property was no longer the Bai family’s concern.

With the magistrate and deputy magistrate present, everyone had no choice but to comply reluctantly with Sheng Hong’s instructions.

Gu Tingye then scooped up the tile urn placed before the old master’s spirit and smashed it heavily onto the ground.

—

After concluding the Bai family affairs, Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu set out for Runzhou with the three siblings Hualan, Changbai, and Rulan to bid farewell to the Wang family.

Before leaving, Sheng Hong entrusted all household matters to Lin Qingshuang.

Meanwhile, at the Zhao residence, Gu Tingye specially visited to thank Zhao Han for his introduction.

In the main hall of the front courtyard, Zhao Han personally poured wine, and the two shared a toast, getting along quite well.

As their conversation grew lively, Gu Tingye suddenly set down his cup with a heavy sigh, a shadow of gloom clouding his brow.

“Brother Zhao, to be honest, there’s something weighing on my heart these past few days, keeping me awake and sapping my appetite.”

Zhao Han raised his brow slightly and spoke earnestly, “Zhonghuai, speak freely. Though we have only recently met, it feels like we’ve known each other forever. Perhaps I can offer some counsel.”

“I overheard Bai Tingyu say on the day of my grandfather’s funeral that he was not the only one wanting me dead. At first, I thought he was just trying to scare me, but the more I think about it, something feels off, though I can’t quite put my finger on what.”

“I came to Yangzhou under an assumed name. Except for Zhique, who is already dead, no one knows my true identity. Yet, I was attacked shortly after arriving—how strange.”

Saying this, Gu Tingye pinched the bridge of his nose.

Zhao Han pondered deeply, then asked, “Did anyone in Bianjing know your itinerary?”

“I only left a letter at home before I left.”

“In my opinion, someone must have hurried ahead to inform the Bai family of your arrival in Yangzhou. Those days, I bet every dock and inn was crawling with their spies.”

“Could it be you offended someone at home? That’s why they went to such lengths to kill you. You’ll have to be extra cautious moving forward!”

At these words, Gu Tingye’s expression stiffened.

“It couldn’t be my father. My third brother is still a naive child. The only ones I can think of are my stepmother and eldest brother.”

Ningyuan Hou Gu Yankai had married three legitimate wives in succession. His first wife was Lady Daqin, the eldest daughter of the Dongchang Hou Mansion.

Lady Daqin was frail and sickly from childhood. She looked as if she might not live long, and her eldest son, Gu Tingyu, was similarly weak.

At that time, the Ministry of Revenue faced a massive deficit. An investigation by the Imperial City Office found many nobles had borrowed heavily from the ministry.

The emperor was furious and decreed that if the nobles did not repay the deficit within six months, their titles would be revoked and they would be exiled.

Among them, the Ningyuan Hou Mansion owed 880,000 taels of silver. Even selling all their assets would not cover the debt.

Coincidentally, Lady Daqin died of illness. To preserve the title, the Gu family turned their sights to the Bai family in Yangzhou.

The Gu family needed the Bai family’s silver to cover the deficit, while the old master Bai wished for his daughter to marry into a prestigious family to elevate their status.

After negotiations, Lady Bai brought a dowry of one million taels of silver and became Gu Yankai’s second wife.

Unfortunately, within a few years, while Gu Tingye was still an infant, Lady Bai died in childbirth.

Persuaded by others, Gu Yankai married Lady Daqin’s younger sister, Lady Xiaoqin.

Gu Tingye’s so-called third brother was Lady Xiaoqin’s son, named Gu Tingwei.