Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 482 - 318 Arrogance

Upon hearing these words, Ming Mo paused in his movements. Although he agreed that Gu Chengyu made sense, he still felt a bit uneasy. After all, he had served the young master for six years, and he and Ming Yan had always taken care of the daily necessities. Now, suddenly, they were to be handed over to Lichun.

"How could this be considered tiring? I’m not exhausted."

Gu Chengyu understood their feelings, but in the future, Ming Mo and the others would have more responsibilities, so it’s better to leave these trivial matters to Lichun.

The other servants in the household didn’t know martial arts, and the Ding Generation needed to handle affairs outside. Keeping them as servants in the house would be a waste of talent.

That girl Lichun was just right to take care of his daily needs. Besides, he didn’t require much serving, just someone to manage his room properly.

"You and Ming Yan have taken care of me for six years and have always been indispensable by my side, earning my utmost trust. I’m not having you do these trivial tasks so you can focus your energy on the tasks I assign to you. You need to handle matters outside for me, so how can you waste time on these petty matters?"

Gu Chengyu knew it would take some persuasion to change Ming Mo and the others’ mindset to prevent any hard feelings. Ming Mo and the others were reliable; they seldom failed to complete the tasks he assigned them. Even Ming Yan had matured considerably in the past two years.

Upon further thought, he realized, wasn’t it so? Ming Mo was already sixteen this year! Ming Yan was only a year younger than Ming Mo. At sixteen, if they were in Shangling Village, they would likely be getting married.

"Ming Mo, you’re sixteen this year, right? It’s also the age for marriage. Do you have someone you fancy?" Gu Chengyu asked teasingly.

There were also a few girls in the mansion who were of age, some of whom were rather attractive. Perhaps Ming Mo already had someone in mind without his knowledge?

Gu Chengyu admitted he was being a bit nosy. However, the marriage matters of his subordinates couldn’t be ignored! When servants get married, they naturally need their master’s approval. Generally, young servants in big households would have partners chosen by the head family.

Ming Mo felt a bit embarrassed; naturally, there were some girls who showed affection, but they weren’t thinking about these things at the moment. The young master wasn’t much older, yet he was already contemplating their lifelong affairs.

"Please don’t worry about it, young master. I don’t have anyone in mind." Ming Mo said, blushing, and hurried out of the room.

Gu Chengyu chuckled silently, feeling that Ming Mo was shy.

The next day, Gu Chengyu instructed Ming Yan to send someone to Tianxiang Pavilion to bring back Hua Lian and prepared a thank-you gift for Xi Yan. Since he troubled them, he wouldn’t be stingy either.

After only briefly inquiring about Hua Lian’s condition and hearing she was well, he hurriedly boarded the carriage, preparing to visit Wu Mansion first.

The carriage turned two streets and entered the northern alley. Fortunately, Wu Mansion and He Mansion weren’t far apart, even Jiang Mansion was on this street, allowing Gu Chengyu to visit all three in one morning.

After getting off the carriage, a steward from the outer courtyard led him towards the study.

Wu An was reviewing documents in the study. Upon seeing Gu Chengyu arrive, he glanced at him without showing much enthusiasm.

"Second Senior Brother!" Gu Chengyu first bowed, then sat across from Wu An.

"The cheating case is now over, and these days there will be an imperial notice to restore the reputation of you and the other examinees. With less than a month until the Imperial Examination, since First Senior Brother is already assisting you, it should be fine. You should focus your energy on studying lately."

Wu An got straight to the point, offering these encouraging words to his junior disciple, who was younger than his own eldest son, to prevent Gu Chengyu from performing poorly and tarnishing the teacher’s reputation.

Gu Chengyu nodded in agreement, stood up, and bowed deeply to Wu An, "I must thank Senior Brother for his help in the past, I am sincerely grateful."

Wu An nodded in satisfaction, acknowledging that his junior was grateful, their teacher didn’t misjudge this time.

"There’s no need for thanks between us brothers. With the teacher not in the Capital, it’s natural for us senior brothers to look after you."

After thanking him once more, they let the matter drop and moved on.

Subsequently, Wu An talked to Gu Chengyu about matters at court. Perhaps, because Gu Chengyu was going to participate in the Imperial Examination and would soon become an official, Wu An no longer held back and discussed some court matters with him.

"You should be wary of Xia Qing this time when participating in the Imperial Examination. You’re the top scorer in the exam, and officials from Jiangnan might be displeased with you and will probably find ways to bring you down. Although First Senior Brother is assisting you, you must not be complacent."

Wu An pondered and added to Gu Chengyu, "However, as long as you’ve conducted yourself properly, those people can’t do anything to you."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chengyu immediately thought, improper conduct? Does visiting a brothel count? Thinking this, his expression turned slightly embarrassed.

Last night’s visit to Tianxiang Pavilion was known to many. Would the Jiangnan officials hear about it and use it against him?

Noticing Gu Chengyu’s altered expression, Wu An frowned, "You haven’t actually done anything improper recently, have you? If there’s an issue, it’s better to speak up early so we can figure out a solution together."

Gu Chengyu suddenly felt his face heat up; such matters of visiting a brothel were indeed embarrassing to mention, even though he did nothing there, he still felt guilty.

So, he hesitantly recounted the events of the previous night’s visit to Tianxiang Pavilion.

Wu An had long heard of the literary gatherings at Tianxiang Pavilion. Although he had never been, everyone in the Capital knew of these gatherings. They were held annually and attracted a multitude of talents each time.

Wu An considered that visiting a brothel typically carried a bad reputation, even if it was just to attend a literary gathering. Although Gu Chengyu had even bid during the event, whether it was to rescue a girl, others were unaware! They might think Gu Chengyu went for romantic reasons!

Although others might have no issues, Gu Chengyu was currently at a critical point, and this matter could be used as leverage by others.

Therefore, Wu An’s expression was a bit unpleasant. However, he then remembered that Gu Chengyu was still a young man, and it was understandable to be interested in such things.

"Senior Brother, since I promised that girl, naturally I have to keep my word. Originally, I just accompanied Zhu Pang to see the literary gathering and didn’t plan to act. But since I encountered such a situation, I couldn’t stand by."

Gu Chengyu hadn’t thought so deeply before; it seemed he was overconfident, believing that with Yin Kun’s protection, there wouldn’t be any trouble. He made another mistake, realizing he was too arrogant. What kind of place is the court?

It’s a battlefield where people are figuratively killed without bloodshed. He thought he had turned the tide in the cheating case and underestimated the courtiers, not realizing that just a single malicious thought from them could leave him scrambling.

Gu Chengyu felt ashamed of his prior arrogance, realizing that with such an attitude, he wouldn’t go far in officialdom.

Seeing Gu Chengyu grasp the severity of the situation, Wu An refrained from saying more.