Chapter 269: Aspirations

The winter night was very cold, and white snow fell from the dark sky.

Gu Qingsong stood in front of the window in a long coat.

The ground was covered with a layer of silver and white, and the red decorations in the mansion made it look very beautiful.

Gu Qingsong could not feel the joy of the approaching New Year, only the endless coldness of the snowy night.

He could not help but think of the last New Year in Xinghua Village. At that time, Gu Huaizhi was a scholar, and the harvest in the fields was good, and the harvest in the mountains was also abundant. On the day before New Year's Eve, he bought new clothes for Gu Huaizhi and Liu. When he entered the house, he saw Liu sewed the last stitch, bit off the thread, turned back and smiled at him: "My child's father, you are back at the right time, go wash your hands and try this dress to see if it fits you?"

He was stunned and stood at the door, letting Liu pick up the newly made new undershirt and gesture on him, and finally stuffed it into his arms, urging him to change.

Gu Qingsong washed his hands and changed his clothes, only to find that the clothes were made of fine cotton cloth.

This was the first time he had worn fine cotton cloth after his family fell into poverty.

He took it off and handed it to Liu: "I am a rough man, why should I wear such fine clothes? Alter this dress and give it to Huaizhi."

Liu glared at him: "Huaizhi is still growing up. If he wears it too well, he will grow taller and the clothes will be wasted. Wear it first, and when it can't be worn anymore, alter it and give it to Huaizhi."

Gu Qingsong didn't fall asleep for a long time that night. The family conditions improved a little, but his wife and children still had to live frugally.

At about the second watch, Liu got up at night. He closed his eyes and felt her light an oil lamp, take out a box of ointment, dig out a piece of ointment and put it in her palm to melt, and then rub it on his back.

Gu Qingsong finally understood why Liu, who had always been frugal, changed his fine cotton clothes for him, all because of the injury on his back.

When she fell asleep, he turned over, hugged Liu, took out the newly bought silver hairpin from under the pillow, and put it on her head.

At dawn the next day, he went to the mountains and dug a sack of winter bamboo shoots. It was already dark.

Liu put on new clothes, wore the silver hairpin on her head, and stood at the door with a smile waiting for him to come home.

That day was also a snowy night. The whole family put on new clothes and sat around the stove. Gu Huaizhi told him about the interesting things he saw and heard in the academy. Liu fried taro beside him. There was a small pot hanging on the stove, warming a pot of wine.

The firelight illuminated Liu's eyebrows and eyes. She heard Gu Huaizhi say that the auspicious snow indicated a good harvest. She looked forward to a good harvest next year, saving more money, and doing some small business in the future. He didn't have to hunt in the mountains all day, fearing that he would encounter danger. Gu Huaizhi could study quietly without worrying about the money for the exam.

She was probably happy. She said a lot that night, even that when Gu Huaizhi graduated from high school, he should get married. The family would have a little property, so they could give more betrothal gifts to save face for the bride, and let the Jiang family know that the Gu family was not ungrateful and would not look down on Jiang Mixue because of Gu Huaizhi's bright future.

If they liked her, outsiders would not gossip about the bride marrying above her station.

Gu Huaizhi said faintly: "What if I failed the exam?"

Liu was choked and stared at him, and immediately asked him to spit a few times, even saying that children talk without restraint.

Gu Huaizhi naturally did not do so, but drank a sip of wine in silence.

Liu's dissatisfaction with him doubled: "You are drinking at such a young age. Today is New Year's Eve. I won't scold you, but I will punish you by not allowing you to eat fried taro."

Gu Huaizhi's eyes widened slightly, staring at the taro in the pot that was sizzling and fragrant. After a while, he turned his face away and spit a few times.

Liu immediately laughed heartily and scooped a big piece of taro for him.

He listened quietly, watching the mother and son bickering, and his heart was filled with warmth. He felt that she was thinking too far ahead, but the atmosphere was so good that he couldn't help but imagine the days she described, and felt particularly hopeful.

Unfortunately, the days to come did not develop as Liu imagined.

He left the mother and son, became a general in another country, and other women enjoyed happiness around him.

Liu didn't open a shop, and her life was poor and destitute. After suffering the pain of "losing her husband", she suffered the pain of her youngest son's death.

Gu Huaizhi didn't pass the imperial examination, nor did he marry Jiang Mixue, but married the eldest daughter of the official family.

Gu Qingsong couldn't help but think of the two sentences that Su Wan asked the palace maid to pass on. It was like drinking coptis water, and the bitter taste spread from his mouth to his heart.

Looking back on the first half of his life in Xinghua Village, the sky was slightly bright. Gu Qingsong went to take a bath, changed into a court dress to attend the morning court, and prepared to have a good talk with Gu Huaizhi.

Just as he arrived at the palace gate, he heard the discussion that the envoys of the Great Zhou had already set off.

When he asked, he learned that Gu Huaizhi and Su Wan were among them.

He rode to the city gate and asked the soldiers guarding the city gate. He learned that they had been gone for a long time, about an hour, and he was afraid that he could not catch up.

The snowflakes in the sky seemed to fall into his heart and condense into ice.

Gu Huaizhi was unwilling to recognize him, and even in the same place, he was unwilling to stay with him for a long time, which showed how deep his prejudice against him was.

Gu Qingsong was bitter and returned to the Changxing Palace. Looking at the huge mansion, the hole in his heart seemed to be broken bigger, and his heart was empty and uneasy.

His wife and children were all in the Great Zhou, and everything in Xiliang had no meaning to him.

Gu Qingsong suddenly woke up, as if he had figured something out. He strode to the study, took out the military token, rode to the palace, and asked the empress to take away the title and allow him to resign and return home.

Wei Yang looked at Gu Qingsong, who looked sincere, in surprise, and her eyes fell on the military token. She had heard about Gu Qingsong's deeds and knew why he did this.

"You have to think clearly. It was your lack of dedication and responsibility that separated you and your husband and wife, and your father and son for many years. When they needed you the most, you were not by their side. Now your role is dispensable to them. If you abandon the king of Xiliang and return to Dazhou without being forgiven by them, will you regret it?"

"Your Majesty, you wanted power back then, and Xiliang was short of military generals at that time. I could get what I wanted in the shortest time, and then return to Dazhou to find the enemy who murdered me. Things are not as simple as I thought. I got what I wanted and lost my freedom. Although I have achieved success, I can't go back home easily. At that time, I forgot what the original purpose of climbing to my current position was."

It was to return to Dazhou and avenge their family.

But he put the cart before the horse in the end.

He had to swallow the bitter fruit of this.

Wei Yang agreed.

Gu Qingsong kowtowed to thank the emperor for his grace, and felt his blood boiling. He returned to the mansion, handed the family business to the housekeeper, and then went to Da Zhou to meet him. He packed his bag casually and went to Da Zhou.