Chapter 34

Listening to the commotion, Gu Guogong, who had made his father faint, realized the gravity of his actions. He immediately rushed forward to embrace the old master and called for a doctor.

Although Gu Guogong often lacked clarity and wisdom, he was not short of cunning. Seizing the moment before everyone arrived, he knelt beside the old master and slapped himself repeatedly: "Father, I am unfilial and have upset you. You can punish me however you like, but please don't scare me."

By the time the second and third masters of the Gu family arrived, they saw that the old master had already slapped his face swollen, unaware that the old master had struck his eldest brother.

The doctor arrived quickly, diagnosing the old master with a severe emotional outburst that required rest and no further agitation.

"You all heard that. From now on, no matter what happens, you must always please your father and not upset him. Whoever makes your father upset, I will break their legs," the old lady said, her eyes red, scolding her three sons and their wives.

"We understand, Mother (Mother-in-law)," the three sons replied obediently. The old lady, satisfied, wanted to leave someone to attend to the old master, but a servant came out: "The old master has woken up and asked the old lady and the three masters to return. He wants to be alone."

In other words, the old master found the room too noisy.

The old lady, who had just been loudly scolding her children, felt a bit embarrassed and said, "The older you get, the more peculiar your rules become. Eldest, your face is injured; go home with your wife and let her treat you. Second and Third, you've been working hard all day, go home early."

The old lady was used to giving orders and showing her presence whenever possible. The three sons were accustomed to this, and their wives, no matter how dissatisfied, dared not argue with their mother-in-law, especially the third master and his wife, who dared not show any impatience, fearing the old lady would cause them trouble.

When the second and third masters learned that the old master had fainted due to the eldest brother, they immediately understood.

"The eldest must have done something that gave Zhao Wang a hold over him. Qianxue's dream of becoming a princess consort is likely shattered," the second master thought, reflecting on his own daughter who was obsessed with marrying Prince Qin, causing a headache.

The second lady agreed repeatedly, feeling a vague unease. The women of the inner chambers were more informed about family matters than the men. The second lady privately knew about the incident where Prince Chu was drugged and that on the night Prince Qin and Prince Chu visited, a maid and her daughter had gone out.

If someone investigated, even if nothing was found, it would still cause trouble.

"I hope that child doesn't do something foolish," the second lady prayed silently, hoping the matter would end there and not be further investigated, or else...

Her daughter's life would be ruined.

The second lady didn't know that the old master, fearing disgrace, wouldn't investigate the matter thoroughly, and even Gu Guogong, their sister-in-law, wouldn't dig too deep. If the investigation traced back to her, it would be even worse.

So, everyone tacitly agreed to let the matter drop, pretending nothing had happened. The Gu family and the Zhao Wang's agreement was already settled, and even if something was found, it wouldn't change anything.

The engagement between Qiancheng and Prince Chu was already dissolved, and even as Qiancheng's father, Gu Guogong couldn't reverse the situation. Similarly, Gu Qianxue could only become a concubine to Qin Yunchu, a fact that couldn't be changed unless the emperor intervened.

The Zhao Wang's actions were swift, and by the afternoon, they had returned the dowry. Seeing the dowry spread out on the ground, Gu Guogong's wife couldn't be happy. She hugged Gu Qianxue and cried bitterly.

"My poor daughter, what will you do? It's all that little wretch's fault... I curse her and her mother to have a miserable end."

Gu Guogong's wife was genuinely heartbroken. She loved her daughter and had gone to great lengths to secure the dowry for her.

"Mother, Mother... What will I do? I don't want to be a concubine. Mother, I don't want to, please help me, please help me. The imperial concubine, we should beg her, she's my aunt, and I saved the fifth prince, she will help me..." Gu Qianxue cried even harder, clutching her mother's clothes, her sunken eyes filled with desperate madness.

"Qianxue, the imperial concubine..." Gu Guogong's wife couldn't continue, and Gu Qianxue understood, feeling utterly hopeless.

"Mother, Mother... I don't want to be a concubine, I don't want to be a concubine." Gu Qianxue, sobbing, collapsed into her mother's arms. "Mother, what will I do, what will I do..."

"Qianxue, my poor daughter, don't worry, I won't let that little wretch off, I will avenge you..." The mother and daughter cried together, both knowing the situation was hopeless. Even if the imperial concubine could help, she wouldn't.

Others might not know, but the imperial concubine and the fifth prince knew that the one who saved the fifth prince was Qiancheng, not Qianxue. The fifth prince and the imperial concubine didn't mention it because they didn't care, and since the Gu family believed it was better to credit Qianxue, the imperial concubine went along with it.

To expect the imperial concubine to intervene for Gu Qianxue was a pipe dream. Even if the imperial concubine were willing, the Zhao Wang wouldn't give her face.

The mother and daughter cried and cursed Gu Qiancheng for a while, which slightly eased their pain. Meanwhile, Gu Qiancheng was also in a difficult situation.

Previously, she had sold the dowry for 800,000 taels of silver to light a perpetual lamp for her mother. Now that the Zhao Wang had returned the dowry, Gu Guogong took the cash and easily sellable gold, leaving Gu Qiancheng with a pile of hard-to-sell antiques, fabrics, jewelry, and even furniture.

The furniture was custom-made for the new house in the Zhao Wang's residence, made from high-quality rosewood, which was very expensive and hard to find. The wood for the furniture came from her mother's dowry.

Faced with a pile of impractical jewels, fabrics, and even a half-person-tall coral ornament, Gu Qiancheng was at a loss.

"How can I sell these things?" she wondered, needing to get a good price.

"Sell? Miss, what are you saying? You want to sell the dowry?" Sun Mama was stunned, thinking she had misheard, but saw Gu Qiancheng nod seriously: "Why keep them? I won't use these fabrics and jewelry in my lifetime."

"Miss, if you don't use the dowry, you can leave it for your children. You mustn't sell it. The amount of dowry represents your status in your husband's family. A woman without a dowry or with a small dowry will be looked down upon. The master and madam won't provide much dowry for you, so these are your only support. You can't sell them," Sun Mama earnestly advised, trying to dissuade Gu Qiancheng.

A dowry is a woman's private property, and her husband's family has no right to it. The more dowry a woman has, the more her family values her, and the higher her status in her husband's family.

With this dowry, Gu Qiancheng could stand on her own in her husband's family, but...

Gu Qiancheng looked at Sun Mama and said, "Sun Mama, is there anyone in the capital who would still marry me? If I marry far away, no amount of dowry can protect me."

Gu Qiancheng's words were not filled with sorrow, but Sun Mama felt the pain deeply, tears streaming down her face.

"Miss... My poor miss, your life has been ruined by them. What will you do, what will you do?" Sun Mama knelt at Gu Qiancheng's feet, sobbing uncontrollably.

Gu Qiancheng was right. Unless a family was so poor they relied on a bride's dowry, no family with any dignity would allow their son to marry Gu Qiancheng.

With a disability, being publicly rejected by Prince Chu, causing her father to faint, and disgracing her stepmother, no one would dare take her in. In those times, every family had its dirty secrets. If everyone who suffered like Gu Qiancheng publicized their grievances, how could they stand in the capital?