The red and orange ray upon the horizon dimming shone behind the father and sons when they and the ten guards arrived at the Gu Manor. They dismounted, and five guards came out and took their horses away from them.
Gu Tingfang looked intently at his three sons and the ten guards. He issued a chilling, absolute command: "Whatever happened in that old temple between Yingjie and Zhu Mingyang will not be mentioned. If I know that any word is to slip from your mouth, then there will be no reason for you to be able to talk or hear. Does everyone understand?"
The guards bowed in unison. "Yes Master, we understand."
Gu Tingfang looked pointedly at Gu Xiaowen and Gu Gouliang. He said firmly, "That also includes you two."
Gu Xiaowen and Gu Gouliang were unhappy about the situation, but there wasn't much they could do since Gu Tingfang had always favored Gu Yingjie. The two brothers looked at each other and replied, "Yes father."
Gu Tingfang addressed his long-time steward. "Guard Lin, take Yingjie back to his quarter." He sighed. "When he finishes taking a bath and changes his clothes, take him to my study hall."
Lin Ruchao replied, "Yes, Chief." He immediately grabbed Gu Yingjie's hand. "Young master, this way."
Inside the backyard of Si Pangfua's quarter, Xiaotao walked straight to Si Pangfua, who was trimming flowers.
Xiaotao said, "Furen, Chief and the two young masters are back."
Si Pangfua sighed, "Xiaotao, who else came with the Chief and the two young masters?"
"Master Yingjie is here too," Xiaotao replied.
Si Pangfua's scissors fell from her hand to the floor. Xiaotao hurriedly bent down, picked up the fallen scissors, and placed them on the table next to the flowerpot. Si Pangfua stood up and walked towards her rose bushes.
Si Pangfua said, "I hope I never see this thorn again." She looked at the rose. "Why does such an ugly thing have to grow alongside such a beautiful thing?" She stared at the rose thorn intently. "If I want a rose, I must be careful of the thorns."
Xiaotao suggested, "Then cut the rose from the bush and trims off the thorns."
Si Pangfua sighed, "Xiaotao, this plan is perfect, but I hate to fight for power in this family. I used to do it back then, but I end up with nothing, even when I have two sons. I still can't compare with that bastard child."
"Furen, she is no longer here, you don't have to think about her anymore," Xiaotao reminded her.
Si Pangfua said madly, "How could I not think of her? She took my husband away while she was still alive. Now she is dead, her son has taken away my sons' title as heir to the Gu Household. No matter how much I tried, that bitch always prevails just because she is..."
Xiaotao hurriedly stopped Si Pangfua, fear in her voice. "Furen, remember that we swore never to mention her again. If Chief heard, he would cut our tongues and ruin our hearing."
Si Pangfua angrily knocked the flowerpot on the table to the ground. She yelled, "What are you so afraid of? I'm already this old, I'm not afraid of anything or anyone anymore."
"I know, but what about the two young masters?" Xiaotao said, her voice dropping to a persuasive tone. She held Si Pangfua's bleeding left hand. "Their welfare is still in your best interest."
Si Pangfua's tears began to fall. She looked at Xiaotao. She sadly said, "Xiaotao, we entered the Gu family when we were young, and now look at us, my hair is beginning to turn white." She held Xiaotao's hand. "I wasted your youth. Can you find the heart to forgive me?"
Xiaotao was earnest. "Furen, I never thought about leaving you. Over the years, I'm very happy to serve you. I don't regret it."
Si Pangfua's sadness quickly morphed back into bitter resolve. "I will let that dead woman knows. I, Si Pangfua, will be the winner in the end. My son will be the heir of the Gu family, and her son will continue to be an illegitimate child. I am a noble birth, and she was a slave birth. I am better than her in every aspect, and so are my sons." She squatted down by the broken flowerpot and began to remove the soil from the roots of the flower. She picked up two arrowheads and held them in her right hand. She looked at the arrowheads and smirked. "Ten years have passed, these arrowheads can finally be put into use." She stood up and handed the two arrowheads to Xiaotao. "You know what to do."
Xiaotao took the two arrowheads and replied, "Furen, don't worry, I know what to do."
Early the next morning, Gu Xiaowen and Gu Gouliang responded to Gu Tingfang's request and escorted Si Pangfua to Gu Yingjie's living quarter. When the mother and sons arrived, the food was already waiting on the table in the backyard.
Yuan Chaomei walked to Si Pangfua and greeted her respectfully. She took Si Pangfua by the hand and led her to the table.
Si Pangfua looked around the garden. "Chaomei, since you live here, this garden has been beautifully filled with so many different types of flowers."
Yuan Chaomei accepted the compliment gracefully. "Thank you, Mother. This garden was created by Yingjie and I just took care of it." She smiled at Si Pangfua. "Mother, if you wish to take some flowerpots back, I will have the maids send some to you."
Si Pangfua saw her opportunity. "If I look around, you don't mind?"
"Go ahead, Mother, I don't mind," Yuan Chaomei replied, granting her access to the private area.
Si Pangfua walked around in the flower field, knocking over one of the flowerpots with one foot. The flowerpot hit another flowerpot, and the two flowerpots broke on the ground. She squatted down quickly, trying to save the root of the flower. Suddenly, Si Pangfua grunted in pain with a bleeding finger.
Yuan Chaomei quickly rushed over, "Mother, are you alright?"
Si Pangfua played the victim. "I'm fine. I was not careful. Child, I'm sorry, I broke your two flowerpots."
"It doesn't matter; it's a ceramic pot. I can always get another one," Yuan Chaomei said dismissively. She lowered her head and saw two arrowheads. She picked them up. "Yingjie, why are there two arrowheads inside this flowerpot?" She turned around, holding the two arrowheads in her hand, presenting the evidence.
Gu Tingfang immediately dropped his chopsticks, quickly got up from the chair, and rushed toward Yuan Chaomei. He snatched the two arrowheads from her hand.
The memories of holding his daughter's lifeless body in his arms came rushing through him. He remembered how broken-hearted he was when he had to pull the arrow that killed his youngest child from her chest.
Without another word, he turned around, staring coldly at the arrowheads, then glared at Gu Yingjie bitterly. He said angrily, "Guards, take Gu Yingjie to the punishment hall."