Chapter 356: Chapter 231: The Gaze of Shang Xie Chapter 356: Chapter 231: The Gaze of Shang Xie Gu Changsheng finally found Zhou Zongbao’s weakness; the prodigal Taisui, little overlord Hetian like Zhou Zongbao, was actually afraid of Mr. Ban Shan, just like most students feel towards their teachers, there was an awe that came from the bottom of their hearts.
Gu Changsheng was very satisfied with this discovery, and it so happened that Mr. Ban Shan, her freshly acknowledged foster father, would mainly reside in the Gu Residence. With the foster father, this mountain, weighing down, what waves could Zhou Zongbao possibly stir up?
Looking at it this way, her Gu Residence was still her Gu Residence. Even with Zhou Zongbao around, she could still cover the sky with one hand without any hesitation!
With such a beautiful future, what reason was there not to be delighted?
Hence, Gu Changsheng’s mood was very sunny.
“Alright, I won’t keep you here chatting idly; I’ve already sent someone to Prince Mu’s Mansion to summon Zhou Mu for the ceremony. Go and see if Zhou Mu has arrived, I have other matters to attend to!” Gu Changsheng said with a particularly hearty wave of her hand, as if to signal the turn of the oppressed to sing triumphantly.
Zhou Zongbao had no words to respond.
He pointed a finger and watched Gu Changsheng, with her eyebrows raised in utmost arrogance, strides past him with her nose in the air, then leaves in a huff, only to stomp his feet in frustration before obediently checking if his Little Wood had arrived.
The formal ceremony to acknowledge a foster father was as solemn as an ancestral ritual; Gu Changsheng instructed Uncle Song to find two attentive lads to help Mr. Ban Shan move house, then she went to check on the preparation of tribute and all other matters.
With Little Monk Bu Jie, their domestic monk, who knew the rituals like the back of his hand, Gu Changsheng didn’t hesitate to make full use of him, putting Little Monk Bu Jie in charge of the affair.
When ritual and music fail, the state’s order collapses. The people who understood rituals and music best in the world were, one, the literati, and two, the monks and nuns. Coincidentally, her family had a monk who was said to be able to foresee fortune and misfortune and a great literary master, Mr. Ban Shan.
Gu Changsheng took this matter very seriously, and the people in her household dared not slack off.
“Madam, how do you soy sauce pig’s head? I just found it at the butcher’s, and it’s the biggest and most spirited pig’s head they have!” Dong Lei showed the pig’s head on a platter to Gu Changsheng, unable to contain the smile on his face.
Heaven knows, she had already prepared the kitchen knife and rope, and she had envisioned various outcomes for today’s invitation of Mr. Ban Shan.
Brutal and violent scenes that were unbearable to watch were what she thought would most likely happen. But, unexpectedly, her lady, although eccentric, always managed to surprise him.
Without resorting to force, she managed to invite Mr. Ban Shan out of seclusion. Not only had she invited Mr. Ban Shan out, but she had also acknowledged him as a foster father!
This Mr. Ban Shan, revered by literati the world over, would henceforth be their Old Grand Master!
This was truly a joyous and congratulatory event! Surely Han Qiu and Xiao Cui up on the mountain would also be overjoyed upon hearing this news.
Gu Changsheng stared at the large soy sauce pig’s head for several moments, then looked up at Dong Lei, who was seeking praise, and said candidly, “It’s not small, but I really can’t see how it looks spirited!”
Already butchered for worship on the altar table, how could the pig’s head be spirited?
“Madam!” Dong Lei called out discontentedly, pointing at the pig’s head and saying, “Everything in the world has a spirit. Even if it loses its life, the spirit remains. Look at how wide its ears are spread and its face is like a full moon. Isn’t that very spirited?”
Gu Changsheng looked at the pig’s head again following Dong Lei’s pointing and nodded silently.
Alright, she agreed that all things had spirits, but as for this pig’s head being ‘spirited’ during worship, she’d respectfully decline.
However, since Dong Lei and the others insisted on saying so, Gu Changsheng didn’t wish to contradict them. To avoid a verbal dispute, she generously praised Dong Lei a few times.
Only then did Dong Lei, satisfied, continue with his other preparations.
Gu Changsheng then went to the main hall in the front courtyard where the ceremony was to take place and saw that the incense table and offerings were all ready, with nothing missing for the ceremony to respect heaven and earth. She then nodded in satisfaction to Little Monk Bu Jie standing beside her, “Little Monk, well done. Once the ceremony is complete, I’ll give you an extra meal!”
Little Monk Bu Jie looked up with his usual kind and benevolent eyes, but those eyes, as if encompassing everything, seemed unfathomably deep. He stared intently at Gu Changsheng for a moment, then lowered his head again without responding.
“What’s the deal? That stare makes people uncomfortable!” Gu Changsheng, not understanding the reason, touched her nose and walked away feeling rather deflated.
After a while, Zhou Mu and Zhou Zongbao arrived together, with the roly-poly Yuan Bao still following behind Zhou Mu.