132 Not Allowed

Thinking of some past events, Madam Gu looked a little dazed. Her eyes seemed to be covered by a thin veil, and her thoughts went to a distant place.

The tree shadows swayed again, and a few dried leaves fell, along with some residual snow from the branches.

Madam Gu felt her forehead turn cold. She raised her hand to wipe away the snowflakes there and said in a low voice, “Since he wants it, just give him the bow.”

The snow melted quickly into a crystalline drop on her finger.

Madam Gu casually flicked away the water droplets on her fingertips, her eyes cold.

However, while the bow could be given, the title could not.

“Get someone to inform the Marquis,” Madam Gu instructed, planning to get Gu Jian to treat the guests.

Hence, after 10 minutes, the Marquis of Dingyuan, Gu Jian, appeared “belatedly” with a broken right arm.

He held his son and apologized repeatedly to the esteemed guests, saying that he was late because he was unwell. As long as the other party asked why Gu Yuan had left, he would chuckle helplessly.

“My apologies. Yuan’er has never been able to sit still. He just said that he’s going to practice martial arts.”

“He’s a young man with a child’s temperament. It’s normal that he can’t talk to us.”

“Everyone, please forgive me.”

Gu Jian’s words were really not beautiful enough. He was referring to Gu Yuan’s youthful temperament and eccentric personality.

The nobles present had been in the royal court for decades, and all of them were old foxes. At a glance, they could tell that the Gu family’s eldest branch and the second branch were not on good terms.

Everyone knew very well how the second branch of the Gu family got its title.

At this moment, everyone could not help but think of those old matters. They exchanged meaningful glances in twos and threes.

Eight years ago, after the “accident” of the Marquis of Dingyuan, Gu Ce, Madam Gu immediately personally abandoned the eldest branch for the late Emperor. Some people praised Madam Gu for being decisive, some felt that Madam Gu was cutting off her tail to survive, but most people felt a little disappointed.

After the second branch took over, on the surface, the Gu family had also taken care of the eldest branch’s children in the past eight years.

As Gu Ce’s eldest son, Gu Yuan could have enjoyed the blessings of the Marquis Household and directly served as a fifth-grade general in the military. However, Gu Yuan had no choice but to start from a small soldier step by step… After training in the military for so many years and making a lot of military contributions, he has come to this day.

Gu Yuan clearly had the temperament of a father and was a natural talent. At such a young age, he had become the Divine Arms Battalion’s imperial guard. After obtaining the favor of the Emperor and Imperial Duke Wei, it was obvious that he was going to make a name for himself.

As for Gu Jian…

Gu Jian was mediocre and far inferior to his brother. After inheriting the title of Marquis for so many years, he had not done much. Only this title could fool people. In the next generation, it was time to lower his status to “Uncle”.

Everyone present knew who to befriend.

Earl Yan’an was the first to stand up and cup his hands at Gu Jian. “Uncle, I still have an errand to do today. I’ll take my leave first.”

Marquis Pingjin quickly added, “Brother, you’re injured and still have to recuperate. I won’t disturb you today.”

Gu Jian quickly tried to persuade them to stay. “My injuries are fine. Brother, it’s rare for you to come. At least have a few drinks with me before leaving.”

His right arm was still in a cast and bandaged, but it wasn’t very convincing. The other party laughed and said, “Let’s drink another day,” and left.

Not only the two of them, but the other guests also found a perfunctory excuse to leave without giving Gu Jian any face. In less than half an hour, the hall was empty.

Gu Jian’s face alternated between green, white, and red. He looked at Madam Gu awkwardly and was speechless for a long time.

Initially, Madam Gu thought that it would be the same if Gu Jian entertained the guests.

However…

Looking at the guests leaving in front of her, Madam Gu’s heart skipped a beat.

From the moment Gu Yuan received the transfer order from the Divine Arms Battalion yesterday, some things seemed to have begun to change. Today, they were no longer in control.

Gu Xiao’s young face seemed to be dyed with ink as he took his leave stiffly.

Gu Jian was forcing himself to entertain his guests. Coupled with the fire in his heart, he was distracted and tripped on the threshold with his right foot when leaving.

This fall added to his injuries. His right arm hit the ground, and his shout of pain echoed through the Marquis Mansion.

That day, the main courtyard invited famous doctors from the capital to treat him. The doctors invited one after another and it took them half a night to stop. As a result, the entire Marquis Mansion fell into a state of unrest.