Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Gathering of All

At a single command from Zhongli Yu, everyone halted simultaneously, and the glint of blades and swords vanished in an instant. Gu Qinghan stood there composed and unruffled, his brocade robes and jade belt accentuating his graceful demeanor—there was no trace of the fierce battle that had just occurred. Gu Qingyang’s hair was a little disheveled and his cheeks flushed, adding to his striking good looks.

Zhan Yan, with a faint, teasing smile said, “Elder Brother, Second Brother, you certainly seem to be in high spirits—using my men as your sparring partners.”

Upon seeing his sister’s expression, Gu Qingyang knew trouble was brewing. He quickly tried to curry favor, saying, “Little sister, it’s been so long. Second Brother missed you.” He stepped forward, intending to embrace her, but just as he reached out, someone pulled Zhan Yan into a sturdy embrace. Needless to say, it was Zhongli Yu who had drawn her into his arms.

Gu Qingyang’s hands grasped at empty air, hanging awkwardly mid-motion, looking rather comical. Zhan Yan couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight.

Seeing his sister laugh, Gu Qingyang realized she wasn’t angry and feigned dissatisfaction. “Little sister, your man is so petty. Can’t I even hug my own sister?”

Zhongli Yu, hearing himself mentioned, cast Gu Qingyang a provocative glance, as if to say, “What, dissatisfied? Care for a match?”

Catching the challenge in Zhongli Yu’s eyes, Gu Qingyang immediately lowered his head, pretending not to see. What a joke! The master of the Serenity Pavilion—renowned for his martial prowess. Challenging him would only end in a thrashing. He wasn’t a fool. While grumbling inwardly, he masked his thoughts, lifted his head, and grinned. “Now that my little sister is all grown up, her brother can’t even hug her. I was being too forward just now, but since I didn’t succeed, brother-in-law, please don’t be jealous.” He covered his embarrassment with laughter, and when no one was looking, cast a plaintive glance at Zhan Yan. Of course, that glance did not escape Zhongli Yu’s keen eyes. Zhongli Yu’s expression darkened instantly; this senior brother dared to exchange glances with his wife—it seemed he was asking for trouble.

Zhan Yan couldn’t help but smile at Gu Qingyang, reminded of Zhong Yijin, whom Zhongli Yu had left back in Wangcheng. She thought, Second Brother, you should count your blessings—Zhongli Yu left you alone only because you’re my brother.

Zhongli Yu, seeing Zhan Yan’s amusement, returned to his usual calm and said coolly, “You two came from afar; you must be tired. Don’t just stand there—come inside.”

“Yes, you two have been sparring all morning; you must be exhausted. Let’s head inside and sit,” Zhan Yan chimed in. They had known since early morning that someone had broken into Prince Chun’s residence but hadn’t expected it to be Gu Qinghan and the others. They thought the guards could handle it, so hadn’t paid much attention. Now, after their journey and the ensuing fight, the two must indeed be tired.

Gu Qinghan looked at Zhan Yan with gentle fondness and said warmly, “I’m not tired. Home isn’t far from here.”

“That’s true,” Zhan Yan nodded. Her brothers were skilled martial artists, and this distance was nothing to them. Moreover, the Gu estate was indeed close by—barely two hours on horseback. “By the way, Master is playing chess with my grandfather. Come, I’ll take you to them.” To distinguish her “unreasonable” grandfather from the old prince, she referred to the former as Master.

The four of them made their way to the old prince’s courtyard. From a distance, they could already hear the two old men squabbling.

“Brother Zhongli, let me take that move back just this once. I truly didn’t intend to go there,” came Gu Yan’s voice.

“Brother Gu, you can’t do that. This is your third time taking back a move. No more,” the old prince protested.

“You just took back a move yourself earlier, didn’t I let you?”

“I only did it once, but this is your third time!”

“Once or three times, it’s all the same. You can’t have one rule for officials and another for the common folk.”

“Can’t you be reasonable?”

“What’s the point of being reasonable? My name is Unreasonable! If I acted reasonably, wouldn’t that make my name a lie?”

...

The nearby maids and servants glanced at one another in astonishment. Was this truly their old prince? Had he become possessed, arguing with the old man like a child?

“Haha, Grandfather, you truly live up to your name—so unreasonable it gives me chills. From now on, don’t tell anyone I’m your grandson!” Gu Qingyang, entering the courtyard, overheard his grandfather’s outrageous words and burst into laughter. The others, hearing the exchange, couldn’t help but suppress their own laughter.

Gu Yan turned to see his disciples and a flicker of joy passed through his eyes before he scolded Gu Qingyang fiercely, “You rascal! Embarrassed by me, are you? I’ll throw you to the King of Hell and let you call him grandfather instead!”

Gu Qingyang feigned terror, shivering exaggeratedly, “Grandfather, please don’t! The King of Hell has plenty of followers—he probably wouldn’t want me anyway. I’d better stay here as your grandson. Even if it’s a bit embarrassing, I’ll endure it for the sake of your years of raising me.”

“You brat, let me skin you!” Gu Yan retorted, pulling something from his sleeve and hurling it at Gu Qingyang.

Gu Qingyang’s expression changed; he swiftly dodged and caught the object midair. Looking down, he saw it was his grandfather’s precious wine flask. He thought, thank goodness I caught it—if I’d dropped and broken it, I might really have been skinned alive. Gathering himself, he grinned, “Grandfather, this is your prized white jade wine flask. Are you sure you want to give it to me?”

Seeing his grandson catch the flask, Gu Yan smiled with satisfaction—he’d used nearly half his strength, and few could intercept it. The boy hadn’t neglected his training. But his smile vanished quickly as he said sternly, “You wish! Hand it over. If you hold it too long, it’ll stink.”

Gu Qingyang howled in protest—what did he mean by making it stink? His grandfather was the master of sharp retorts.

The old prince glanced at Gu Qinghan and Gu Qingyang with approval, “Brother Gu, you are fortunate indeed—such outstanding grandsons, and two at that!”

Gu Yan’s face lit up with pride at the compliment, though he feigned indifference. “These two rascals? Hardly outstanding—just enough to bluff outsiders. Go on, greet the old prince.”

Gu Qinghan and Gu Qingyang hurried over and bowed respectfully. The old prince received their salutation with a broad smile.

Gu Yan then turned to Gu Qinghan, puzzled, “Han, what brings you here? Aren’t you busy with your business affairs these days?”

Gu Qinghan glanced at Zhan Yan, “I heard little sister ran into some trouble, so my junior brother and I came at once.”

Gu Yan nodded, “Good that you’re here. Yan girl, since they’re your brothers, if you need anything, just ask them.”

Zhan Yan felt a warmth in her heart and nodded, “Grandfather, I know.”

With the arrival of Gu Qinghan and Gu Qingyang, Prince Chun’s residence became livelier than ever, especially with Gu Qingyang’s lively and witty presence, which brought even more vibrancy to the household.

As Zhan Yan led her brothers in, she had already instructed the kitchens to prepare a feast—a welcome banquet to honor her brothers’ arrival. Just as they were about to begin, a guard rushed in, announcing that there was a visitor.