Chapter 30
Chapter 30: Eight More Godsons!
After a quick bite, Censor Jiang rose to take his leave.
Jiang Guang Hai pushed back from the table too, but he did it slowly, as if he could delay the moment by a few more breaths. He set down his bowl and chopsticks with obvious reluctance.
Censor Jiang’s face remained as stern as ever. “I’m granting you a special exception today. You may return late.”
Jiang Guang Hai’s eyes lit up so fast it was almost comical. The grin on his face refused to be pressed down. “Yes, Father. Father, please take care on your way.”
Gu Nan Xi stood and escorted Censor Jiang downstairs.
As they walked, he lowered his voice. “When I get back, I’ll write an impeachment memorial.”
Her reply was barely more than a thread of sound. “If you want to restore order to the Qing dynasty, that’s a good thing. But you can’t swallow an elephant in one bite. Be cautious.”
Censor Jiang’s spine stayed ramrod straight, just like his temper. “Mm. Marchioness, your position is awkward. Don’t act so impulsively again. If General Gu were still alive, he would only wish for you to live safely and smoothly.”
They fell silent until they reached the main gate. There, Censor Jiang suddenly stopped and bowed deeply to her.
“Thank you, Marchioness.”
Then he turned and strode into the heavy night, disappearing into the dark as if he were walking into a battlefield.
Gu Nan Xi watched him go—and noticed Young Lord Li Zhong coming down the stairs as well, still grumbling under his breath.
“This son is hopeless! Censor Jiang’s child at least knew to say a few words to see him off. Him? Not even a glance!”
When Young Lord Li Zhong looked up and realized Gu Nan Xi was watching, his ears went a touch red. “Marchioness, something came up at home. I’ll take my leave.”
“Don’t rush. I’ll have the sedan carriers come.”
“No, no,” he said quickly. “I didn’t drink. There’s no need for sedan carriers.”
He lingered anyway, shifting his feet in place as if he had something stuck in his throat. In the end, he only managed a soft, awkward bow. “Thank you, Marchioness.”
Madam of Marquis Yong Chang had seized the advantage and crushed the other side in public opinion. With Censor Jiang moving as well, Headmaster Wu’s troubles had only begun.
She could have done nothing. Instead, she chose a cup of tea to dissolve grudges, and she handed the other eight children a clean start.
Gu Nan Xi smiled. “You’re too polite. You’ve held to your principles in the Ministry of Justice through all that hardship. How could I ruin your beloved child’s future over children squabbling?”
Young Lord Li Zhong jerked his head up—then dropped it again at once. His nose stung with a sourness he hadn’t felt in years.
In a court where Grand Tutor Tong covered the sky with one hand, being an upright official was a cruel thing.
Young Lord Li Zhong didn’t dare claim he had never accepted a bribe. But he dared swear that no wrongful case had ever passed through his hands.
So his stubborn persistence had been seen. And remembered.
He cupped his fists, and this time he left without another word.
When Gu Nan Xi returned to the private room, the boys—freed from any guardian’s restraint—were already laughing in a messy heap.
Li Ming De jabbed a finger at Chen Yi Xuan and cackled. “Ha! Little Xuan Zi, it was just a cup of tea, and you still cried—cat tears and all!”
Chen Yi Xuan bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “You’ve got the nerve to say me? Who was it just now, using ‘going to the toilet’ as an excuse to hide in the corner and wipe his eyes?”
Li Ming De lunged, trying to clamp a hand over Chen Yi Xuan’s mouth. “Are you sick? I went to the toilet, that’s all. Why were you following me?”
Chen Yi Xuan ducked behind Jiang Guang Hai. “Brother Guang Hai, save me!”
Jiang Guang Hai caught Li Ming De by the shoulder before he could pounce. “So what if you cried? We won’t laugh at you.”
Li Ming De exploded, hopping in place. “Laugh at who? You were crying during the tea offering too. You think I didn’t see?”
Jiang Guang Hai went red all the way to his ears. “Who didn’t cry? Su Xuan Ming cried too!”
The boys tumbled into a fresh round of shouting and pointing—mocking each other, arguing, then breaking into laughter again until the room rang with it.
Su Yun Ting watched with a tightening jaw. Annoyance flashed over his face, and he lashed out with his foot, kicking Su Xuan Ming’s stool.
Su Xuan Ming, caught off guard, turned back with a blank, innocent look. “Second Brother, what’s wrong?”
Su Yun Ting lifted his chin, snorted, and refused to answer.
Su Yun Yan clicked sunflower seeds and drawled, “Brother’s jealous. You keep calling this one ‘brother’ and that one ‘brother,’ but you didn’t include him. So who’s your real brother, hmm? Right, Brother?”
Su Yun Ting flushed, mortified. He snatched a piece of walnut pastry and stuffed it into Su Yun Yan’s mouth. “You talk too much! When it’s anything else, how come you’re never this clever?”
Su Xuan Ming laughed, caught Su Yun Ting’s hand, and tapped his forehead. “What are you, a delicate beauty? Stop twisting around. Come on—be open about it.”
He pulled Su Yun Ting right up to the table. “This is my second brother, Su Yun Ting.”
Chen Yi Xuan slapped the tabletop. “Your second brother is my second brother! Come on, Second Brother—drink tea!”
“Second Brother fights way too fiercely,” someone complained, flexing an arm. “My elbow still hurts.”
“Hahaha! He looks like a little miss, but when he moves, he’s got the air of a martial arts master!”
Su Yun Ting was teased until he couldn’t hide the grin stretching across his face. “Of course! Out on Nan Shan Mountain outside the capital, I built a dueling platform! People go there every day to fight on the stage!”
“Oh?” The room perked up. “A place that good? Another day, we’re going to check it out!”
By the end of the night, boys with every kind of temper had already started calling each other brothers. The only downside was the tea—they drank too much, and one after another kept running off to use the toilet.
Su Yun Yan watched them like they were idiots. “It’s just plain tea. Why are you all so excited? You barely touched the food and still drank yourselves full.”
“That’s what young gentlemen are like,” someone said solemnly, as if it were a truth carved into stone.
Gu Nan Xi leaned against the window. Half-asleep, she caught sight of someone selling flowers along the road below.
Only then did it hit her—an entire night had passed. Dawn was already thinning the darkness.
“Yun Yan,” she said lazily, “go buy out that flower seller downstairs.”
The morning blossoms had just been picked from the branches, vivid and dewy. Just looking at them made the heart feel lighter.
Su Yun Yan dashed down, and soon returned hugging a huge bundle of flowers. She appeared in front of the boys mid-conversation like a bright burst of spring.
Chen Yi Xuan let out an impressed whoop and circled her. “As expected of Sister Yun Yan! This idea is amazing! Why don’t we become sworn siblings?”
Su Xuan Ming slapped the table. “Great idea!”
The moment he said it, the suggestion passed unanimously—like none of them had ever needed convincing in the first place.
Su Yun Yan stayed dazed while ten boys dragged her into drinking tea, kneeling to heaven and earth, and even sticking flowers into one another’s hair knots with deadly seriousness.
When it came time to rank them by seniority, she finally found a crack to speak through. “But… Brother, Brother—you’re my real brothers!”
Su Xuan Ming waved a hand and decided without hesitation. “At home, we follow the family ranking. Outside, we follow the sworn ranking.”
“Huh?”
Su Yun Yan turned to Gu Nan Xi with a face full of helpless pleading. Mother, help!
Brother-brother has gone crazy!
Gu Nan Xi only watched, smiling, as Su Yun Yan got placed at the very end—Eleventh Sister, just like that.
Ten handsome young gentlemen and one bright young girl lined up before Gu Nan Xi and spoke in perfect unison.
“We pay our respects, Godmother!”
Gu Nan Xi nearly laughed out loud. Su Xuan Ming and Su Yun Ting both called her “Mother,” but that silly girl Su Yun Yan had followed Li Ming De and the others and called her “Godmother” too.
“All right,” Gu Nan Xi said, waving them off with amusement. “In a few days, Godmother will send invitations. Come gather at Marquis Yong Chang Manor.”
“Thank you, Godmother!”
Kind Mother System sneered in her mind. “Wonderful. Congratulations—you’ve just taken in eight more cannon-fodder villains as sons!”
Gu Nan Xi closed her eyes and let the first ray of sunlight spill across her face. “I’m happy with it.”