Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 864: Father and Son Meet

Elder Gu said, "That’s right, I want to file a lawsuit against Gu Dashan, accusing him of becoming successful and not recognizing me as his father! I also want to accuse him of not treating his siblings well."

Even though Elder Gu was dressed in rags and looked haggard, the uproar over Gu Chengxian’s affairs was so big that he was quickly recognized by others.

"Hey, aren’t you Elder Gu from the Old Gu Family? The one who lived at the Vice Magistrate’s place, relying on him to get by, and ended up with your sons and grandsons contracting venereal diseases!"

"Ah? So you’re Elder Gu. Why are you suing Gu Dashan? Isn’t the eldest son Gu Youwen? When did Gu Dashan come up?"

"Yeah, I heard that the Old Gu Family only has three sons. The eldest is Gu Youwen, the second is Gu Youfu, and the third is Gu Youlu. How did Gu Dashan appear now? Who’s not recognizing who?"

These three spoke loudly, enunciating clearly, and left Elder Gu speechless in just a few words.

The crowd watching the spectacle started asking, "Yeah, Elder Gu, is it you not recognizing your son, or your son not recognizing you? Don’t you have only three sons?"

Before Elder Gu could answer, someone interjected, "Hmph, didn’t you hear Elder Gu say that Gu Dashan became successful and doesn’t recognize him as his father? Then Gu Dashan must have been a poor wretch before. Given the nature of the Old Gu Family to despise the poor and love the rich, they must have rejected Gu Dashan, so he wasn’t recognized, and now they’re coming out to acknowledge their son because he is successful."

"Ah, so that’s how it is. Elder Gu, it’s really inappropriate for you to treat Gu Dashan in such a way."

Another person asked, "Why is Elder Gu treating Gu Dashan like this? Logically, if they’re biological father and son, this shouldn’t happen. After all, he’s a son who can carry on the family lineage."

The crowd had been planted by Daqing; upon hearing this, they started revealing: "Hey, didn’t you hear from the storyteller? The storyteller said Granny Gu is Elder Gu’s second wife. Before her, Elder Gu had a wife who bore him children. It’s likely Gu Dashan is the son of the original wife. Living under the control of a stepmother, what good days can he have? Wouldn’t the stepmother urge the father to drive away the original wife’s son?"

The crowd watching the spectacle discussed loudly, leaving Elder Gu baffled.

What’s going on with these people? He just said two sentences, and they managed to turn it into a big drama! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Lord Lai’s servant noticed Elder Gu’s awkward situation and hurried over to pull him: "Quickly enter the government office and submit the petition paper."

The He’an Prefecture’s citizens love gossip. If you stay longer, all your secrets will be exposed.

Elder Gu, with a muddled mind, arrived at the courtroom, unaware that the petition paper had already been taken by Squad Leader Zhang.

Squad Leader Zhang said, "Wait here, I’ll submit the petition paper to Judge Tang. Don’t leave until you receive a response, and avoid speaking carelessly."

Squad Leader Zhang was familiar with Gu Dashan, who was the father of Gu Jin’an, the county top scorer from Tianfu County. Since Judge Tang and Magistrate Gu valued Gu Jin’an due to the matters of sweet potato tofu and jade tofu, they didn’t want him ruined by Elder Gu.

Elder Gu, a bully at home, saw Squad Leader Zhang exuding a fierce aura, dared not say much, merely agreed, and waited for news in the courtroom.

Squad Leader Zhang promptly handed the petition paper to Judge Tang.

After reviewing it, Judge Tang quickly brought it to Magistrate Gu. "Lord, an unfortunate incident has occurred; someone has accused Gu Jin’an’s father."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Gu frowned, took the petition paper and, immediately infuriated, exclaimed, "How could such a thing happen at this critical moment?"

He had just reported the matters of sweet potato tofu and jade tofu to the Capital when Elder Gu came to accuse Gu Dashan of being unfilial. Great Chu is a nation governed by filial piety; if Gu Jin’an’s biological father is unfilial, Gu Jin’an will also be implicated.

However, after Squad Leader Zhang conveyed what the citizens said to Magistrate Gu, he felt reassured... Although Great Chu governs through filial piety, there is a particular Criminal Law that protects the children of the original wife.

If Gu Dashan didn’t recognize Elder Gu due to stepmother abuse, it would be considered justified; the government would not punish him but rather rule for him to support his father.

"Summon Yu Sinong; I need to ascertain the character of Gu Dashan."

If Gu Dashan proves to be a virtuous person, he will continue to protect Gu Jin’an. However, if he turns out to be malicious, then no matter how talented Gu Jin’an is, he cannot be utilized.

"Understood." Squad Leader Zhang promptly left and brought over Yu Sinong, who had just returned from the Prefecture last night.

Upon hearing Magistrate Gu’s words, Yu Sinong assured, "Rest assured, Lord, Gu Dashan is an unquestionably virtuous person. Not only did his family teach villagers to transplant soybeans, but also purchased them at high prices, turning a low-value item into something that helps citizens prosper. His workshops employ villagers, offering generous wages. Furthermore, they teach villagers from nearby towns to cultivate medicinal herbs, enriching half the town."

He continued, "Gu Dashan’s household is affluent, with multiple servants, yet he works the fields with his two sons, without any pretension, treats the servants as family, and never scolds or beats them."

Magistrate Gu frowned as he listened: "From what you say, Gu Dashan is gentle, treating his servants well."

Squad Leader Zhang added, "Indeed, he is gentle; otherwise, how could the stepmother bully him so?"

People outside the government were going crazy, acknowledging Gu Dashan endured hardships from the Old Gu Family and ended up being rejected by Elder Gu and expelled.

Magistrate Gu, having heard all this, had plans and told Squad Leader Zhang, "You personally ride to inform Gu Dashan, demanding him to come to the Prefecture within three days to respond to the lawsuit. With the Prefecture Examination approaching, this case cannot be delayed; it must be resolved quickly for Gu Jin’an to take his exam."

"Understood." Without delay, Squad Leader Zhang grabbed the document and galloped to Tianfu County.

...

When Gu Dashan saw Squad Leader Zhang, learning about Elder Gu suing him for being unfilial, he wasn’t surprised at all. Xiao Yu and Good Brother An had already informed him, and he had been expecting this day.

The Gu Family packed their belongings immediately, and before dawn, the whole household, including Third Grandpa and Grandma, Old Mrs. Yan, Gu Dafu, Gu Dagui, Mrs. Chen, Father Luo, and Ms. Chu, headed to the Prefecture.

As for Luo Wu, Qin San Lang, and Gu Daya’s family, they had other matters to deal with and didn’t accompany them.

They brought Mrs. Chen and the others because they are not only witnesses but also the village chief’s son and daughter-in-law. Their words hold more weight and are brought for contingency.

They rode in a carriage, rushing all the way, arriving at the Prefecture by the afternoon of March 14th.

They first went to their residence in the Prefecture to stay overnight. On March 15th, Gu Dashan took Gu Jin’an and Brother Cheng to the Prefecture Government Office for the lawsuit.

The spectacle-loving citizens of the Prefecture knew of their arrival and got there earlier than them, crowding the entrance of the government office.

Seeing Gu Dashan and his companions, they immediately pointed at Gu Jin’an: "Wow, who is this young man? How come he looks so divine? He’s exceptionally handsome."

Someone said, "That’s Gu Jin’an, Gu Dashan’s son, the county top scorer from Tianfu County."

"What? Gu Dashan’s son is the county top scorer? Wow, no wonder Elder Gu wants to recognize Gu Dashan again. Apparently, Gu Dashan’s family is not only wealthy but also has such accomplished sons, much better than those who contracted venereal diseases."

Elder Gu was held by Gu Chengli, looking at Gu Dashan and his two sons, simply too scared to acknowledge them... These proud, wealthy individuals could really be his son Gu Dashan?

Wasn’t Gu Dashan always submissive, unable to raise his head in shame?

And that handsome young man, as if he walked out from a painting, could actually be his grandson Gu Jin’an?