Free Web NovelChapter 636: Chapter 636: She Also Shares the Credit for the Victory
Gu Baishuang slapped someone else hard, making them stay still.
"I’ve always been sincere with you, but you dare to try to shit on my head? Let’s see if you have the guts."
"I’ve hit you, and you have to take it. Do you dare to hit back? Would you dare to slap me in the face if I offered it?"
"Whoever dares to act wild in my presence, I’ll be the one to divorce them. Don’t forget that the first rule of the Seven Reproaches is to be disobedient to parents-in-law, and if I divorce you, that’s enough."
Hearing their stepmother threaten divorce, the two daughters-in-law were so frightened that they held back their tears.
Gu Baishuang said, "If you don’t need your mouths, then keep them shut, don’t let your shoes leak air like a worn-out sole."
"Da Han, why are you here?" Gu Baishuang looked up to see Gu Dahuan and changed her tone.
Gu Dahuan knew his big sister’s temper; she seldom suffered losses even under Tong Dajiao.
Now, this was the big sister he recognized. She had been too lenient with her two daughters-in-law, to the point of bottomless indulgence.
Gu Dahuan strode into the room and said, "There’s news about Xiao Feng."
Gu Baishuang stood up, nearly losing her balance, fearing it might be bad news.
Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Sun exchanged a glance, hoping Gu Dahuan brought bad news.
Gu Dahuan had overheard Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Sun’s words earlier, knowing they were harboring ill intentions, so he deliberately said loudly, "Big sister, it’s good news! They say we won the war against Mo Bei, Xiao Feng made a meritorious contribution by killing the leading general of Mo Bei and was promoted to Deputy General."
Not only was Gu Baishuang stunned by the news, but the two daughters-in-law were also shocked.
Mrs. Sun was the first to recover, smiling a little as she asked, "Uncle, where did this news come from?"
Is this information reliable?
This kind of major news usually travels from the county to the town, and finally to the village. They hadn’t heard about the victory in town, so how could Qinghe Bay know first? It’s most likely false news.
How could Nie Xiaofeng have killed the leading general of Mo Bei and become a Deputy General?
He’s only been in the army for a little over a year; he probably hasn’t even killed an enemy warm enough to notice.
Not to mention that Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Sun didn’t believe it, even Gu Baishuang was skeptical that her son could be that outstanding.
Gu Dahuan said, "The news came from the prefecture; they said Xiao Feng is to go to Shengjing for rewards in the spring."
Gu Baishuang’s eyes turned red with excitement as she cursed, "He enlisted in the army without permission, and I’ve been angry for a year. When he returns, I must punish him sternly."
Gu Dahuan said, "You shouldn’t punish him, for he is a Deputy General now. How would the subordinates view it if you punish him?"
Gu Baishuang said, "I’m his mother; if I punish him, he has to take it."
But soon she started crying again.
Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Sun felt bitter inside.
Their brother-in-law had such great fortune.
Originally thinking he wasn’t good at academics and only good at wielding weapons, they assumed the family would have to support him. They were very pleased when they heard Nie Xiaofeng had enlisted, hoping he would die at the frontier.
That way, all the family property would belong to their two branches.
Now he not only won a battle but became a Deputy General.
The tale of the cowherd at Black Dragon Pond was now realized in their brother-in-law.
The two women exchanged looks, fearing that their father-in-law might favor their brother-in-law because of his promising future.
Now that their mother-in-law’s business was thriving, even their father-in-law could hardly suppress her. With a son like a Deputy General backing her, their two branches might fall into an inferior position.
"What? You’re not happy to hear good news about Xiao Feng? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking; you covet Xiao Feng’s share of the family property, but do you think you have the fate for that?" Gu Baishuang sneered at her two daughters-in-law.
Mrs. Zhang forced a smile and said, "Mother, you’re joking; we’re all one family. We’re just concerned about the third brother, misled by gossip, concerned as we are, we’re bound to make mistakes."
Mrs. Sun said, "Sister-in-law is joking; the news that Xiao Feng couldn’t return was told to me by you. I was foolish to believe it. I’ve always said the third brother is blessed, and indeed he is."
Mrs. Sun’s quick shift in stance left Gu Baishuang impressed. Earlier, she was attempting to claim family property; now, upon hearing that Xiao Feng became a Deputy General, she quickly aligned herself.
Mrs. Zhang was fuming.
The second daughter-in-law, who had agreed to ally with the main house to seize the family property, switched sides at the last moment.
"Do your words always turn black into white? Who suggested that Xiao Feng wouldn’t come back and that you’d propose adopting a child for him? I think you’re the one coveting Xiao Feng’s portion of the inheritance." Mrs. Zhang exposed Mrs. Sun without hesitation, acting as if no one else could backstab.
Mrs. Sun argued, "Who is coveting the third brother’s family property? Think before you speak. Are our father and mother just sitting idle? Would I gain anything by coveting it? Meanwhile, the eldest is making fake accounts outside to allocate less to Xiao Feng’s share."
Mrs. Zhang countered, "Didn’t your branch also share in that money?"
Nie Mingyuan, along with the sons from his first marriage, did business together. They were unhappy with the idea of sharing an inheritance with Nie Xiaofeng, so the eldest and second son conspired to secretly cook the books and split the additional money between the two branches.
Now, as they turned on each other, the two daughters-in-law revealed everything.
Gu Baishuang sneered; the two stepsons were cooking the books, but Nie Mingyuan was too shrewd to miss it. He saw it but chose to turn a blind eye.
In the end, it was because Nie Mingyuan was wary of her, and with that, her last bit of affection for him also disappeared.
She realized while doing business with Tong Huaqiong just how ridiculous and false Nie Mingyuan’s apparent accounts had been over the years, and how deeply suspicious he had been of her.
Now her son was a Deputy General, and her business with her stepmother had taken off, with her controlling a significant portion of the Nie family’s business interests. She would no longer invest any genuine effort in the Nie family.
After driving out the two daughters-in-law from the house, Gu Baishuang talked with Gu Dahuan.
From Gu Dahuan, she learned about Gu Dashi’s achievements as well, bringing her the same joy.
The siblings spoke for quite a while, and Gu Dahuan stayed for dinner before heading back to Qinghe Bay.
Upon reaching Qinghe Bay, Gu Dahuan recounted to Tong Huaqiong how Gu Baishuang had argued with the two stepsons’ wives.
Tong Huaqiong felt a sense of lament, realizing that in Tong Dajiao’s world, Gu Baishuang was trapped in the inner quarters, manipulated by Nie Mingyuan and the two step-sons, ending with nothing and being cast out.
But in her world, Gu Baishuang would not repeat her previous life’s fate.
Currently, due to her connection with the Lu Family, she held the economic lifeline of Nie Mingyuan, and by doing business with Tong Huaqiong, she accumulated riches. It was now her choice to abandon the Nie family, not the other way around.
Tong Huaqiong thought that Gu Baishuang hardly had any remaining affection for the Nie family. With Nie Xiaofeng becoming a Deputy General and heading to Shengjing for his reward, the court would grant him a residence. Gu Baishuang could easily separate the two stepsons and move to Shengjing with her biological son.
But there was no rush; she needed to discuss plans with Gu Baishuang about possibly moving to Shengjing after the new year.
On the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month, the newly-certified scholar Jingzhe returned from the prefecture.
He brought back a gift from Lu Zhaoyang for Tong Huaqiong.
Jingzhe explained that this gift was to thank Tong Huaqiong for her contribution to Dasheng’s defeat of Mo Bei. Tong Huaqiong was momentarily frozen, puzzled at how she was connected to the war, and wondered if Gu Dashi’s accomplishments could be attributed to her as his mother.
Upon Jingzhe’s further explanation, Tong Huaqiong realized that the Heavy Cannon Fire Gun Diagram she had given to Magistrate Yao was passed on to Lu Zhaoyang. Needless to say, the Shengjing court had many talents, creating cannons of this era based on the heavy artillery and firearms blueprints she had collected from later generations.
It was said that these cannons played a crucial role in protecting the border populace and thwarting Mo Bei’s assault plans during their siege attempts.
Therefore, Tong Huaqiong also shared the merit of winning the battle.
