Chapter 222: Pitiful Sight
The Feng family members helped Madam Wen and her child into the horse carriage, and the young men were reluctant to part.
Feng Tianzhu, wiping away tears, said, “As long as you can leave the palace, you must come. I won’t go anywhere else; I’ll just wait for you at home.”
The horse carriage left the front of the Duke Feng’s Family residence and, after turning a corner, they saw a horse carriage parked by the roadside. They recognized it as belonging to the second branch of the Gong Family.
Gong Bao’an poked his head out of the carriage and, with a mixture of joy and apprehension, called out, “Fourth Brother.”
“Bao’an, why are you here?” Gong Changan asked with a smile.
“I… I heard you were visiting Duke Feng’s Family,” Gong Bao’an wanted to say it quickly, but instead, his words became jumbled. “Today the academy is closed, and I wanted to tell you that Black Tiger has given birth to six puppies. Also… Madam has given birth too, it’s… it’s a younger sister.”
“Fifth Young Master, don’t rush, speak slowly,” Madam Wen felt a pang of heartache for the child.
His birth mother had committed a sin and abandoned him, and Gong Xu no longer favored him.
If Old Madam Gong were still alive, it would have been fine for him to be raised in her household.
With Old Madam Gong gone, it was not convenient for him to remain with the main house, as it would be awkward and invite gossip.
At such a young age, it was inevitable that he would feel lost.
Fortunately, Madam Wan was not a wicked person; the Madam he mentioned earlier was naturally Madam Wan.
“Bao’an, come into our carriage! We’ll take you to the palace gate, and then you can take your family’s carriage back.” Gong Changan knew that he had come all this way just to spend a little time with him.
Gong Bao’an was overjoyed to hear this. He turned, picked up a dark, furry thing, and jumped down from the carriage.
“Oh my, this is a puppy that hasn’t even opened its eyes yet,” Madam Wen said, seeing what he was holding as he climbed into their carriage.
“Madam, no, Madam Wen, may I bring it into the carriage?” Gong Bao’an asked carefully.
“Of course, you can. However, you should probably hold it less often in the future, otherwise, the mother dog might not recognize it if she smells a strange scent on it.
It’s so small, it needs to be nursed. Once it grows bigger, you can take it wherever you want to play,” Madam Wen said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Gong Bao’an held the puppy even tighter. His head was bowed so low that Madam Wen couldn’t see his expression.
After a long pause, he said in a muffled voice, “Little Six hasn’t been given milk by its mother since birth, and I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s because it was born last and is the weakest.
Uncle Liu said that dogs are often like this; the mother dog will often abandon the weakest puppy, leaving it to fend for itself.”
Madam Wen now understood why Gong Bao’an had brought this puppy with him; he saw a kindred spirit in the dog.
“It doesn’t look particularly thin or small. Are you feeding it?” Madam Wen asked.
“Yes!” Gong Bao’an nodded vigorously. “I learned from Auntie Wang how to feed it with goat’s milk. At first, it wouldn’t eat, but then it did! After eating, I have to massage its belly.”
Gong Bao’an chattered on, his previous dejection completely gone.
“It’s alright, Bao’an. With you taking care of it, Little Six will definitely grow up. As long as you feed it well, it will grow into a magnificent, powerful dog,” Gong Changan said, affectionately patting Gong Bao’an’s shoulder. “It’s inconvenient for me to go in and out of the palace now, but when I can leave the palace later, I’ll take you with me to play.”
As he spoke, he took out a slingshot from his bosom and said, “Here, take this. When you have nothing to do, use it to shoot fruit from the trees. But be careful not to hit anyone.”
Gong Bao’an asked excitedly, “Really, Fourth Brother? That’s wonderful! I thought you found me too young and didn’t want to take me along to play!”
“We are brothers, how could I find you too young?” Gong Changan said. “Master is busy with official duties, and Madam needs to take care of our younger sister and manage the household affairs, so she can’t always attend to you. Don’t take it to heart.
A man is born between heaven and earth; he must strive to improve himself and not wallow in self-pity. Think about it, when I was seven years old back in our hometown, I got through it too. The quality of one’s circumstances is not that important; what matters is that you have a clear plan in your heart.”
Gong Bao’an nodded repeatedly; he trusted his Fourth Brother’s words the most.
Madam Wen noticed a bruise on the inside of his arm and asked, “How did you get injured here?”
Gong Bao’an instinctively pulled his hand back, covering it and saying, “It’s nothing, I just bumped into something by accident.”
“You’re lying. How could you bump into something in this spot?” Gong Changan took his hand to examine it. “Did someone bully you?”
Gong Bao’an remained silent.
Madam Wen coaxed him, “Just tell us if something is wrong. If we can help you, we will. Don’t you trust us?”
“No, Madam Wen,” Gong Bao’an quickly explained. “It’s at the academy… Liu Chuanbin he…”
“Is this Liu Chuanbin the grandson of Prince of Shou Shan Commandery?” Gong Changan vaguely recognized the name.
Gong Bao’an nodded. “Yes, he joined our academy this spring. He relies on his high status and loves to bully people. We all secretly call him the little tyrant.”
“Have you told your family about this?” Gong Changan asked.
Gong Bao’an shook his head. “I’m afraid Father would blame me. He just wants me to study diligently at the academy and not be mischievous. Moreover, the Liu family is powerful, and he probably can’t get justice for me.
If I were to speak up, it would inevitably put him in a difficult position. Even if he were to reluctantly stand up for me, it would only be superficial.
The Liu family is known for being protective of their own. The two families would inevitably fall out over this, and Liu Chuanbin would only escalate his behavior.”
Madam Wen couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Bao’an, despite his young age, was very sensible.
Gong Xu was a complete bully within his own household, but outside, he merely played the part of a gentleman, priding himself on self-restraint and propriety, yet in reality, he was utterly useless.
“Don’t be afraid, I’ll handle this for you,” Gong Changan said magnanimously. “I’ll speak to Young Duke Qi right away and ask him to look out for you more at the academy. When I find an opportunity to leave the palace, I’ll have a good talk with that fellow surnamed Liu.”
“Fourth Brother, please don’t… don’t offend anyone for my sake, it’s not worth it,” Gong Bao’an quickly advised.
He now deeply regretted telling them everything.
However, the concern from Madam Wen and her child was overwhelming, and he poured out all his troubles. But he only wanted to vent his frustrations; it was enough that someone was willing to listen.
“I’m your Fourth Brother, how could I not care about you?” Gong Changan smiled. “Just you wait!”
With that, he jumped off the carriage and returned to the Duke Feng’s Family residence. This matter could not be left to Feng Tianzhu.
Firstly, Feng Tianzhu was ill. If he were to be provoked and fall ill, it would be bad.
Secondly, Gong Bao’an’s birth mother, Consort Song, had harmed him in the past, and Concubine Wu still spoke of it with hatred.
Xu Mang was too hot-tempered; if you told him now, he would be at the Liu family’s doorstep tonight.
Therefore, Qi Ziyu was a better choice. He was meticulous and understood the gravity of the situation, and would undoubtedly handle the matter appropriately.
