Resplendent – Chapter 420

Chapter 420 – Short Temper

“It was my oversight!” Chu Bufan stroked his youngest daughter’s sleek black hair, smiling with unusual warmth, yet spoke firmly, “Then we’ll wait until your assessment is over. We’ll hold the celebration banquet and the family recognition ceremony together. It’s been a long time since the manor has been lively!”

Gu Ye shrank her neck slightly. Alright, there would always be a way forward—she, Gu Ye, wasn’t afraid.

The banquet was held in the reception hall of Rong’an Garden. Gu Ye first went to the main room to greet her mother and spent a little time talking with her. 

Lady Jun felt much better and forced herself to come to the reception hall. She pulled her daughter close, unwilling to take her eyes off this long-lost and now regained child for even a moment.

The rules in the Zhenguo Manor were never too strict. On top of that, the Duke and his wife treated Gu Xiao as a respected elder. The table was filled with more than a dozen people.

Normally, the sons were all busy with their own affairs, and Lady Jun was ill, so gatherings like this were rare. Now, with their daughter back and sitting beside her, serving dishes with filial care, Lady Jun’s mood lifted. She even had an extra bowl of soup and a few more bites of food that were easy to digest. 

Gu Ye, understanding medicine, carefully picked dishes that her mother could safely eat.

During the meal, someone—no one knew exactly who—brought up Gu Ye’s tragic childhood. Lady Jun felt so heartbroken that she kept wiping away her tears. 

Chu Bufan slammed the table in fury, and the six Chu brothers ground their teeth in rage, wishing they could tear Mrs. Liu to pieces.

Chu Mushan cried uncontrollably: “If only I had found Sister earlier, she wouldn’t have suffered so much!”

Even more tormenting was the fact that, back in Yan City, he had almost crossed paths with his sister. When their eldest brother went to Yan City on official business, he shamelessly followed along, but didn’t end up at the manor where his sister was. Instead, he went to the borderlands and fought several thrilling battles with the second brother. 

If he had stayed by the eldest brother’s side, he surely would have recognized his sister at that time. Both the eldest and second brothers had been too set in their ways, and so they missed the chance to reunite with their sister!

Gu Ming lowered his head in shame. Among those who had treated his sister poorly, his own father was included. What made him feel even more guilty was that, back then, his abilities were limited. He couldn’t protect his sister, and she had endured so much suffering because of it!

“We can’t just let this go!” Although Lady Liu had received her just deserts, the six brothers were still filled with indignation. And that scheming Gu Qiao, who had aided her in wrongdoing—they couldn’t let him off so easily either!

Yan City wasn’t a thousand miles from the capital, so it wasn’t exactly convenient for them to go. But their grandfather, eldest brother, and maternal family were all over there. Were they really worried about not finding someone to avenge their sister?

That very night, Chu Bufan sent two letters with a few of his sons, urging the messengers to ride as fast as possible toward Yan City and Junlang Pass.

Chu Muhua, who had just won a major battle in the capital—driving Dirong’s forces back hundreds of miles—received the letters. Glancing at the contents, he didn’t even have time to remove his blood-stained battle robe before rushing into his grandfather’s tent.

“Grandpa, our little sister has been found!” Chu Muhua’s voice trembled with excitement. 

Old General Chu glared at him and scolded, “As a commander, no matter the circumstances, you must remain composed. Even if Mount Tai collapses before you, your expression should not change! You’re not ready yet!”

“Grandpa! Forget about all that! Father said our little sister has been found!” Chu Muhua reread the letter, his expression shifting from sheer joy to astonishment, from disbelief to delighted surprise.

He paced back and forth in Old General Chu’s tent several times, nearly making his grandfather’s eyes dizzy, before he could contain his excitement and blurted out, “Grandpa, guess who our little sister is! You’ve even met her before!”

Old General Chu didn’t just appear calm on the surface. This little granddaughter was the only girl in the Chu family in three generations. How could he, as her grandfather, not be delighted? But to guess? He didn’t have the leisure for such guessing games!

With a slap, he pushed his eldest grandson aside, snatched the letter from his hands, and read it carefully, muttering under his breath, “I’d be damned! The little girl from the Gu family is actually my own granddaughter. I must be blind! My granddaughter has been right under my nose all these years, and I didn’t even recognize her!”

“Haha! Back then, I was feeling charitable and brought Xiao Gu close to guide him. I never expected that, in the end, he would be the one to rescue my granddaughter from a sea of suffering. This must be what they call karma coming full circle!”

“Damn it! How dare the Gu family treat my granddaughter like that! They must not want to live! And that Mrs. Liu—how could someone be so cruel, almost starving my granddaughter to death! No, your father is right. Anyone who dares bully a girl from our Zhenguo household cannot be let off so easily!”

“Feng’er, grab your weapons! I will take you to Qingshan Village, peel the skins off that pair of poisonous wolves, and use them as a warning for your sister!” Old General Chu’s short temper nearly flipped his entire tent when he read the rest of the letter.

It was outrageous! His poor little granddaughter had been tormented into near ruin by that cruel couple. Those heartless scoundrels even tried to sell her to someone as a servant! 

If Gu Xiao hadn’t returned home in time, who knows if his poor granddaughter’s life could have even lasted until they managed to find her!

“Grandpa, calm down! You mustn’t act on impulse!” 

Who was it just moments ago lecturing him about lacking composure, and who was now raging and shouting about killing people? 

Chu Muhua hurried to put out the fire. “Grandpa, even if you peel their skins and make drums out of them, our little sister still has to dare to hit them! You bear the emperor’s command. Without an imperial decree, you can’t just leave the border. Leave this matter to your grandson!”

“Who says I can’t leave the border easily? They say that once a general is out in the field, not every order from the sovereign must be followed! Even the law allows exceptions! If I go to vent anger on behalf of my own granddaughter, even the emperor can’t do anything about it!” Old General Chu’s fiery temper had fully erupted and wasn’t about to settle anytime soon.

Fortunately, the grandson he had raised himself knew exactly where his weaknesses lay. “Grandpa! Where did our family’s disaster of thirteen years ago come from? Even though we were framed, the military power in our hands did provoke the late emperor’s suspicion. If you rashly leave the border now and someone with ulterior motives seizes the chance to accuse you, wouldn’t our family be facing disaster all over again

We brothers are thick‑skinned and sturdy. Being exiled again wouldn’t matter much, but think of our little sister. She’s only just reunited with her parents and family. She’s soft, delicate, and still so young. Can you really bear to let her face another separation, another calamity that could destroy her family?”

The moment his little granddaughter was mentioned—especially such an outstanding granddaughter—Old General Chu’s fury instantly deflated.

He paced the tent a few steps, then looked at Chu Muhua. “Fine! I’ll leave the matter of avenging your sister to you. But you absolutely cannot let them off lightly. Even if they don’t die, you’d better peel off a layer of their skin!”

“Don’t worry, Grandpa! Ye’er is my only blood-related sister How could I possibly swallow this anger?Just wait for my good news!” Chu Muhua clenched his fists, the joints cracking loudly one after another.