Abandoned daughter reborn, legitimate son is resourceful

Yuecheng Chu Family

The Chu family is not well-known in Yuecheng, but if you ask some people on the streets, they can still tell you the exact location.

At this time, Chu Zixuan was having a poetry appreciation and tea drinking party at home with a group of close friends.

"Jingyue, why don't you quickly bring me the clothes my father ordered for me? I want to wear that dress today, so I don't want to lose face among so many young masters."

Jingyue was a personal slave bought by Chu Zixuan's father when he was young, so naturally she did not dare to disobey his orders.

"Sir, I'll get it right away."

Jingyue's face was a little pale. He had just driven the eldest son out yesterday, but the second son was playing and joking with the eldest son today. It can be seen that the second son's methods are extraordinary.

Chu Zixuan didn't have that much patience, so he just called him by his name. He just got rid of Chu Xiaoran, the annoying thing, and he felt better today.

Jingyue found the newly made clothes in the carved sandalwood wardrobe. These clothes were made of ice silk and were clean, refreshing and breathable to wear in the summer.

Jingyue held the clothes in both hands and came to Chu Zixuan with a cautious look on her face.

"Why are you looking at me? Why don't you change it for me?"

Chu Zixuan glanced at him indifferently and suppressed his temper. He was going to compete with the young master later and couldn't get angry now. He would have to adjust his mood when he went out later.

"Yes."

Jingyue helped Chu Zixuan change his clothes. The turquoise long gown matched with Chu Zixuan's pure face was indeed lovable.

Today's poetry meeting will be held in the backyard garden, which is spacious and full of colorful flowers in full bloom.

"Why hasn't the host arrived yet?"

"She must be changing her clothes. She has to look more refined when meeting guests."

The ones who were speaking were the sons of the Qiao and Gu families, who were from merchant families. Those who came today were all well-known families among the local merchants. These men were all legitimate sons of the family. Not to mention that they were spoiled with fine clothes and delicious food, they must have been well raised since childhood and were taught how to read, paint, write poetry and lyrics.

"Brother Mingli, I heard that you are engaged to the eldest daughter of the Qin family? Why are your family members so anxious to arrange a marriage for you when you just turned 18?"

Qiao Jinlian is the youngest among all the legitimate sons, only fourteen years old, but he is quite talented. He was invited here because of his reputation as a talented man in Yuecheng.

Gu Mingli frowned slightly and said nothing. Doesn’t it feel a bit offensive to ask this question?

"I've kept you waiting for a long time."

Hearing the voice before seeing the person, Gu Mingli was somewhat used to it.

"It is indeed late. I should write a poem to suit today's scene."

Qiao Jinlian is a carefree person. Even though he still has baby fat on his face, his mind is filled with a lot of poems and songs.

Qiao Jinlian has an older sister who was also brought up in a strict manner since childhood and has little time to go out. Fortunately, Chu Zixuan sent an invitation, so she was able to have time to go out for a walk today. Otherwise, she would have been tortured by the teacher and lost her energy.

"Brother Qiao, it's my fault today. I shouldn't be the first person to compose this poem."

Chu Zixuan repeatedly shook his head to refuse. He was indeed late, but he didn't know everyone's ability yet. If he rashly recited poems and composed couplets, there would definitely be people who would be better than him later.

As the saying goes, whoever sticks out first will be the first to make a fool of himself.

"Please take a seat, everyone."

Chu Zixuan waved his hand, looking like the host. In addition to the young masters of the Gu and Qiao families, the guests this time also included the young master of the Li family and the twins of the Zhou family, all of whom were famous talents among the merchants in Yuecheng.

"Today I invite you all to come and recite poems and write couplets together because I thought that it has been last year since we met at the Yuecheng Hundred Flowers Festival. This time, there are many flowers blooming in my yard, so I invite you all to enjoy the flowers, write poems, and relax yourself."

"Brother Chu, you really invited the right person. I was bored at home, and my sister always urged me to stay awake for a moment. Fortunately, you sent me the invitation, which saved me from the dire situation."

Qiao Jin clasped his hands together repeatedly to express his gratitude, and everyone couldn't help laughing.

"The younger brother of the Qiao family is interesting, but the older sister of the Qiao family is also of marriageable age. You can secretly find a husband for her. Maybe someone will be in charge of her, and she will be angry, right?"

The young master of the Li family is a man who likes to joke. He always has a smiling face on ordinary days. He is indeed the most vicious man. The more gentle and amiable his face looks, the more vicious and unpredictable he is.

"Mr. Li, please stop making fun of Brother Jinlian. You are all here to enjoy the flowers today. Why do you have to involve Sister Qiao?"

Gu Mingli is as his name suggests, well-educated, well-mannered, and able to distinguish right from wrong. He could tell at a glance that the young master of the Li family was really making fun of Qiao Jinlian. Qiao Jinlian was young and did not have such deep thoughts, so it was natural that he was easily tricked by others. He could not say too much, as if he did, he would be in trouble.

Chu Zixuan's eyes were a little complicated. He glanced at Gu Mingli and then started to speak, helping out: "Everyone, please don't make things difficult for Brother Jinlian. He is the youngest among us. Why don't we let Brother Jinlian write the first poem? This way, we can be considered as taking care of the younger one."

That being said, everyone knew that Qiao Jinlian became famous at a young age, so they just hoped that his poems wouldn't be too difficult, otherwise everyone else wouldn't be able to keep up, and they would end up being the laughing stock instead of the real deal.

"feasible?"

Qiao Jinlian sat next to Gu Mingli and asked in a low voice.

"Ah."

Qiao Jinlian got a positive answer from Gu Mingli's face, stood up, walked to a pot of water lilies, pondered for a moment, and slowly said: "The green lotus covers the green water, and the hibiscus is covered with red. There are lotus roots below and lotus flowers above."

Everyone around him was amazed by his talent. Although his poems were ordinary, they were catchy and full of charm. At such a young age, he had such talent. People of their age could not even reach his level.

"This poem by Qiao's brother is excellent."

The eldest son of the Zhou family praised.

Chu Zixuan's eyes dimmed, and he responded, "Brother Jinlian, your poem is great."

"Who will come first?"

Seeing that no one agreed, the young master of the Li family began to recite a poem on his own. Although it was not amazing, it was comparable to Qiao Jinlian's. Can it be said that his poetry was not as good as the younger one?

Chu Zixuan didn't dare to make any comments, so he could only say: "Young Master Li is also a good poet."

The two young masters of the Zhou family each wrote a poem about flowers, and then it was Chu Zixuan and Gu Mingli's turn.

"Brother Mingli, should you go first, or should I?"

Gu Mingli raised his hand and said, "Of course the boss goes first."

Chu Zixuan did not follow his lead and continued with a poem: "Green vines grow on the tree, and red flowers bloom in the heat. The trumpet vine is indeed so-called, and its essence must be passed on to a matchmaker."

"The Dong family also wrote a good poem. Now only the young master of the Gu family is left."

The eldest son of the Zhou family began to praise, and everyone's eyes fell on Gu Mingli, who wrote the last poem.

Gu Mingli was not flustered, but smiled calmly and said, "The poems you wrote today are really wonderful. Mingli is not talented and well-educated, so I can't write any good poems. I will use tea instead of wine to toast you all."

"That's fine. I came here to enjoy the flowers. I've almost finished writing the poem. I wonder if the host has anything else to do?"

Everyone was bored at home. In Yuecheng, if a young master went out, he had to be accompanied by servants and guards, so he had to tell his husband clearly where he was going.

"My mother recently came to Kyoto to do business and got a lot of high-quality cloth. You gentlemen and I are close friends, so I have discussed with my father that I will give each of you a piece of cloth. I will ask the servant to bring it over later. You can pick out the ones you like and take them back so that you can make suitable clothes."

"Why do you come here and eat your food and take your things? It's really not polite."

Gu Mingli declined hastily. Others might not see it, but he knew clearly in his heart that this guy had gotten some benefits, and if he had any problems in the future, he would come to him for help. Because of today's face, he would definitely help.

"Gu Mingli, you just like to pretend to be noble. The Chu family's younger brother gave us something because the Chu family's master husband and he has a good heart. If you despise it, you can just refuse it."

The young master of the Li family had some problems with Gu Mingli. He couldn't stand Gu Mingli's arrogant and aloof appearance.

The young master of the Zhou family next to him quickly grabbed the corner of the young master of the Li family's clothes.

"Mr. Li, this is the Chu family."

No matter what, it is Chu Zixuan who should be angry.

Chu Zixuan, contrary to his usual behavior, was still smiling. He gave a look to Jingyue beside him, who quickly bowed and retreated.

"My two brothers, please don't get angry over such a small matter. If Brother Mingli doesn't want it, I will find another rare little thing that mother sent me and send it back to you. It will also be a thought for me to see it."

Chu Zixuan thought to himself, it would be good if you accept this thing today, but if you don’t accept it, you will have to accept something else.

Gu Mingli sat at the table looking somewhat dejected. He kept his mouth shut and waited for the servants to bring the cloth over.

It's okay to accept the gift, but you really should not return the favor.

"Brother Mingli, when can I drink your wedding wine?"

Gu Mingli's face flushed a little. How could he say that?

Qiao Jinlian's words were neither loud nor soft, and everyone present heard them.

The young master of the Li family was jealous of the two's talents. When he heard that Gu Mingli was engaged, he was a little upset at first.

It was the first time Chu Zixuan heard this. He smiled like a pure boy next door. “I didn’t even know when Brother Mingli got engaged, and I don’t have a gift for you.”

Chu Zixuan took off the white jade bracelet from his hand, stood up and walked to Gu Mingli, and said with a flattering smile: "This was given to me by my father on my birthday. It has been with me for many years. It is a rare white jade and is very expensive. I will give it to my brother today."

"What the hell! No, no, I can't have it."

Gu Mingli stood up quickly and pushed back Chu Zixuan's outstretched hand with both hands. This white jade bracelet was indeed precious. Jade is commonly emerald green or dark green, and it is rare to see bracelets made of white jade. They are usually used by wealthy families to make jade pendants or rings for women.

"Brother Mingli, please accept it. You and I have known each other for so many years, and your brother only knows about such a big thing as an engagement now."

Chu Zixuan handed the bracelet over again, and the two of them pushed it back and forth in front of everyone, until Chu Zixuan exclaimed "Ah!"

This was followed by a crisp sound of jade breaking.

“Ding Dong!” “Bang!”

"Ouch! It's broken!"

Gu Mingli stood there at a loss. Chu Zixuan had just said that this thing was very expensive...

"Son!"

When Jingyue brought the things over with two servants, they saw the whole process of the white jade bracelet falling to the ground.

Chu Zixuan glanced at Jingyue's face indifferently, and then made a hurt expression.

"Brother Mingli is unwilling to accept my kindness. Just say it clearly. Why did you break the white jade bracelet that my father gave me?"

"Just now... I have never encountered this before."

Gu Mingli's face turned pale, but his good upbringing did not allow him to lose his manners.

"Woooooooo..."

Chu Zixuan turned around, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and began to sob, sobbing softly at first.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Jingyue walked forward, protected Chu Zixuan behind her, and began to attack Gu Mingli indiscriminately.

"Mr. Gu, although you are from the master's family, you and my master are not related. Today, you smashed my master's white jade bracelet, so you must give an explanation."

Seeing this, the others were afraid of getting into trouble, so they asked their followers to pick out some cloth at random and left. Only Qiao Jinlian, like a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger, stood behind Gu Mingli.

"...Mingli brother."

Qiao Jinlian was also a little panicked at the moment. Chu Zixuan looked well-educated and polite on the surface, but he was actually a smiling tiger. If he had known this earlier, he would not have come. He was the closest to the two of them just now, so it was easiest for him to see the clues.

It was Chu Zixuan who suddenly let go of his hand...

"What explanation? I just said that I didn't touch the bracelet at all. It was Brother Zixuan who didn't hold it firmly during the shoveling just now."

Jingyue knew it of course, but she knew her own young master's temper even better. If she was not satisfied, she would be the one to be punished.

"When I came back with the cloth just now, I clearly saw that it was you who dropped the bracelet."

Gu Mingli couldn't explain himself now, and Qiao Jinlian was frightened, but he and Gu Mingli had the best relationship among them.

"Jingyue, step back."

Chu Zixuan rubbed his eyes until they turned red, looking pitiful. He looked at Gu Mingli and then at Qiao Jinlian.

"This is a gift from my father. If it were just an ordinary trinket, it would be fine if it fell, but I have been wearing this bracelet for a long time. If my father asked about it, I would not dare to answer."

Qiao Jinlian couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart. What kind of person is this? Didn't he want to give the bracelet away just now?

"I'll find a white jade bracelet and give it back to you. Do you think this is feasible?"

Gu Mingli's words brought some coolness. The weather was already a bit hot, and his words actually helped to reduce the heat.

"Then I'll have to trouble Brother Mingli."

Chu Zixuan just wanted to achieve this effect. His bracelet was precious, and it might be difficult to find a white jade bracelet.

"Farewell."

Gu Mingli turned around and left with Qiao Jinlian. He was not interested in the cloth in the first place, and now he owed Chu Zixuan a bracelet.

"Brother Mingli, Chu Zixuan clearly said that he gave the bracelet to you. It was clearly him who let go and caused it to fall."

In the carriage, Qiao Jinlian complained a little that Gu Mingli was too soft-hearted and that was why he did not dare to anger the devil Chu Zixuan.

"What's the use of seeing it? It's in the Chu family. Anyone who sees it will help Chu Zixuan. But this bracelet may be hard to find."

"This is outrageous. Chu Zixuan is so abominable."

"Brother Jinlian, you should stay at home and hone yourself for a few years. When you are older, you will be able to handle these things easily."

Gu Mingli reached out and touched Qiao Jinlian's head in front of him, smiling with a doting look on his face.

"Brother Mingli, you're still laughing. Your laughter is more painful than crying."

"Don't worry, I have a plan."