In the next few days, because of Wei Huan's handwritten letter, and Wei Zhengyin and Wei Changying's recommendations, Wei Xinyong met with every powerful official in the imperial court, and all of them spoke highly of him. Some people even questioned Wei Qi's age, "He is such a talent. No family could think they could have enough bright sparks like him! Marquis Jingcheng even allowed him to join Ruiyu Hall. Is he too old to think straight?"

They also suspected Wei Qi's children, "Or, they are jealous of him and don't want him to be famous, so they forced Wei Xinyong to join Ruiyu Hall, didn't they?"

These thoughts were from ordinary people who used common sense to speculate. The capital was so big that there could always be surprises. Since there were strange people like Gu Naizheng who had big mouths, there would be extraordinary speculations.

Firmly and full of confidence, Gu Naizheng said, "Why is it so strange that my wife's sixth uncle joined Ruiyu Hall? How do you know whether he is a real descendant of Ruiyu Hall or not?!"

As he was the husband of the lineal daughter of Wei Family's Family Head and Wei Xinyong's nephew-in-law, having been totally shocked, all the people cautiously gathered around him to ask for more details.

"Although you have never met him, perhaps you have heard that Duke Changshan's lineal oldest son, who is my wife's first uncle, is truly outstanding, have you not?" Gu Naizheng shook his fan with his hand and said confidently. Seeing all the people nod, he folded his fan and slapped it in his palm, saying, "That's right! My wife's first uncle, the lineal eldest son of Duke Changshan, is outstanding. You have also seen with your own eyes what the sixth uncle is like! Is this not enough to give you a clear picture?"

Gu Naizheng slapped the table and proclaimed the truth, "This sixth uncle may actually be the child of Duke Changshan, my wife's maternal grandfather's family. They had to raise him in Zhiben Hall from his childhood and chose the so-called biological father, Wei Ji, to bring him up! Now Wei Ji has been passed away for years and he has grown up, so he should return to his original family. If it were not the case, even though the Marquis Jingcheng is old, would he allow such a talented and handsome child to join Ruiyu Hall? No, as the sixth uncle was originally from Ruiyu Hall and the Marquis Jingcheng knows the truth, he has had to give him back to his original family with tears in his eyes!"

Although, given his position in the family, his words about the relationship between Wei Huan and Wei Xinyong seemed more truthful, not all the people around him were stupid. Someone questioned him, "Zilie, I beg to differ. If Wei Xinyong is a child of Duke Changshan's family, why did they ask Wei Ji to bring him up? Why couldn't Duke Changshan's family raise him?"

"Of course they couldn't!" Gu Naizheng looked at this person with contempt, saying, "Isn't my wife's first uncle an example? This sixth uncle is noble as the bright moon, and his talent and manners are as good as those of the noble but frail first uncle! My grandfather-in-law was worried that he would be too gifted and suffer the same fate my wife's first uncle has been through! That's why he was raised in a different family!"

"But why was he raised as a descendant of Zhiben Hall? And now his joining Ruiyu Hall is regarded as an adoption. We have never heard of any of what you have just said, Zilie!" Said another person who didn't quite agree.

Gu Naizheng became silent for a moment and said, "You are too honest! Why was he raised in Zhiben Hall? For one reason, everyone knows the good relationship between my wife's maternal grandfather and Marquis Jingcheng. And after all, they are from the same clan, so why is it strange to ask Zhiben Hall to care for their children? As for being regarded as a descendant of Zhiben Hall... I don't want to criticize you, brother. What you just asked is just like what Emperor Hui of Jin dynasty said ‘Why don't you let them eat meat porridge'. Have you not heard of a common practice that people gave their children to other families to give them a better chance to live? Children of Ruiyu Hall are all healthy, except for the lineal oldest son who has the best manners. My wife's maternal grandfather didn't want his descendant who is as excellent as their lineal oldest son to share the same sad fate. Thus, he has not only been brought up in Zhiben Hall but was also ranked according to seniority in the family, and was regarded as a descendant of Zhiben Hall. Since he is healthy and has grown up, they of course want him back!"

"Zilie, your reasoning isn't very convincing. Regardless of whether they are still alive, descendants of Duke Changshan are all recorded on the family tree. However, Madam Su's sixth uncle is not on it. He is not of a similar age either, is he?"

"You are so stubborn and silly!" Gu Naizheng sympathetically glanced at the crowd. He lowered his voice, saying, "My wife's maternal grandmother, Old Madam Song, is very strict. My wife's sixth uncle is definitely not Old Madam Song's child, so...ho!"

Gu Naizheng's personality was well-known to everyone in the capital. The first young master of the clan of the Gu Family always spoke freely. When he speculated about something, he was all over the place and the results were astonishing and impossible to comprehend. Therefore, what he said was always a joke to others and neither was it an exception this time.

People passed on what he had said to others, regarding it as a joke and no one took it seriously. However, as the words were spread from mouth to mouth, Gu Naizheng's name was gradually no longer mentioned, and the story became more and more vivid. It was said that when Duke Changshan, Wei Huan, hadn't had resigned, he had carried on an affair with a woman. The woman had been Wei Xinyong's mother. However, because of the ruthlessness of Old Madam Song, she had separated the lovebirds. Wei Huan had to painfully abandon the mother and son. Well, no, he had to abandon the woman and send Wei Xinyong to Zhiben Hall to be brought up.

Afterwards, Wei Xinyong had grown up in Zhiben Hall. Coincidentally, Ruiyu Hall was in decline and needed capable people to revitalize the family. So, Wei Xinyong must go back to his original family! However, as Old Madam Song was still alive, holding a grudge against Wei Xinyong and his mother, she wouldn't allow him to return to Wei Huan. Wei Huan had no choice but to use his deceased brother as an excuse. He had also asked the elders in the family to help. Taking advantage of Wei Shigu's birthday, he had only barely brought Wei Xinyong back to the family.

That was what had been circulating around. Wei Xinyong's mother had been said to be a maidservant, a lady from a small family, a prostitute in a brothel or a girl from a family which ran a business. Anyway, it was just like a story in a book with different versions.

Soon after Wei Xinyong had been adopted, he came to the capital to help the family. If he weren't Wei Huan's child, why would Wei Huan be so concerned about his future, being so eager to get him into the imperial court to become an official, only because he wanted his deceased brother to have an heir?

He must be Wei Huan's child!

He had been living in Zhiben Hall for many years. Wei Huan was full of guilt, so he was trying to support him as much as he could as a way of making up for him. Knowing that Old Madam Song treated the lineal children and children from concubines very differently, people believed that Wei Huan had done these things to give recompense to his bastard, Wei Xinyong. And if he had stayed in Fengzhou, Wei Huan worried that a talent like Wei Xinyong would have suffered a lot because of Old Madam Song.

Looking deathly pale, Wei Zhengyin looked at her daughter and son-in-law in the hall, asking furiously, "Where exactly did you hear these rumors? How dare you say such absurd things? It has caused a big scandal in the capital. Now everyone thinks that Wei Xinyong is your grandfather's child! Your grandmother's virtuous reputation has been damaged as well!"

This really had nothing to do with Su Yuli. By the time she had found it out, her crazy husband had already said it. He was only Wei Zhengyin's son-in-law. Although Wei Zhengyin wanted to scold only Gu Naizheng, she had to scold her daughter too. Su Yuli knew her mother's concern, but she could only glare at her husband, urging him to answer.

Although Gu Naizheng was known to everyone among the gentlefolks as for being a nuisance, he wouldn't dare to disrespect his mother-in-law as he was from an aristocratic family and his mother-in-law was a daughter of gentlefolk. He stopped being casual as he usually was, speaking respectfully, "Mother, these are my speculations. I thought that the sixth uncle and the first uncle were both people with amazing talents, so I guessed perhaps they were really brothers?"

Wei Zhengyin couldn't believe that her son-in-law actually thought that Wei Xinyong was Wei Huan's son for such an absurd reason. She took a deep breath and said, "Then from what you have said, people with amazing talents in this world should all be your grandfather-in-law's sons?"

Gu Naizheng said, "Mother, but only the sixth uncle's surname is Wei."

"..." Wei Zhengyin looked around. When she had still been a young lady, Old Madam Song had taught her to be a person with such good manners that everyone in the capital knew of her. However, though she was elegant and refined, she really wanted to hit Gu Naizheng with something!

However, her troublesome son-in-law carried on speaking, "Actually, there is another reason that I didn't tell others. This sixth uncle not only has good manners, but he is also an intellectual man with whom no ordinary man can compete! Now the fifth cousin is still young. Our maternal grandmother is even wary of the second uncle, so how could she have done nothing to a descendant of Zhiben Hall who has just been adopted? It must be that our maternal grandfather insisted on doing it. And why did he insist on it? Obviously, it is because the sixth uncle is his child."

"You shut up!" Wei Zhengyin tried hard to tell herself that he was her son-in-law and that she shouldn't offend him too much for the sake of her daughter, but she could not help but shout angrily and interrupt Gu Naizheng!

She scolded her troublesome son-in-law mercilessly. Finally, Gu Naizheng admitted his mistake, but he seemed not sincere. There was almost a look like ‘I know you are Yuli's maternal grandmother's daughter. I won't offend you'. Wei Zhengyin hated him so much. Luckily, Wei Changying was also there. Together with Su Yuli, they tried hard to comfort her and finally calmed her down.

Although she had calmed down, Wei Zhengyin still annoyed. She let her son-in-law go back first and kept her daughter there, telling her, "Your husband is outrageous! It is fine if he talks about others freely, but now he spreads rumors about his elders! They are your grandparents, but doesn't he call them grandfather and grandmother as well? He talked such nonsense. He clearly doesn't respect our Wei Family! He must be punished!"

Su Yuli also gnashed her teeth in anger and said, "Mother, you don't know. I scolded him badly at home yesterday, but he still thought he was right in front of you! When I get back, I will definitely punish him hard!"

Wei Changying had a different opinion, "These words came from Yuli's husband, but who doesn't know how he is? What he said is so ridiculous, but the rumor is becoming the truth. I'm afraid there is someone else behind the scene trying to stir things up. Yuli's husband may have been plotted against by someone."

Wei Zhengyin said, "We don't know who this person is, so let's not worry about it. Anyway, whose son-in-law is as troublesome as Naizheng? His father and mother are not in the capital and he is Yuli's husband, so I don't want to embarrass him! Otherwise..."

"Anyway, he was too out of control this time. He must be punished!" Wei Zhengyin gnashed her teeth, speaking to her daughter with an angry countenance, "I'm going to send him to a place outside of the capital. He has always had a reputation in the capital for having a big mouth. Considering that he is a child of the Gu Family and he was still young and ignorant, I had just let things go. But now he still has no respect at all! How can this work?!"

Su Yuli had always been the most understanding and immediately realized that Wei Zhengyin did these things for her, worrying that Gu Naizheng now even dared to talk nonsense about his wife's maternal grandfather and grandmother. Fortunately, Wei Zhengyin was Old Madam Song's daughter and Su Yuli was Old Madam Song's granddaughter, so there was still a chance to beg for forgiveness as her children.

Otherwise, no matter how much Ruiyu Hall was in decline, it was still gentlefolk. If Old Madam Song wanted to punish Gu Naizheng, no matter how absurd he was, he would end up being very miserable.

The Gu Family couldn't control their lineal oldest son. If Gu Naizheng was used to being indulged and offended someone who wouldn't ever forgive him, it didn't matter if he came to a bad end. However, if Su Yuli was dragged through the mud, Wei Zhengyin would be totally panicked. Taking advantage of his spreading rumors about Wei Huan and Old Madam Song, she planned to send him to work in a poorer place. So she could not only warn the other children who might be going to spread rumors but also get Gu Naizheng to behave properly and learn what to do.

Understanding her mother's reasoning, Su Yuli wouldn't stop her and nodded, saying, "Everything will be as you ordered, Mother."

"It won't be good if a person like he has no one to keep an eye on him when he is out there on his own. You need to go with him. Because your mother-in-law has gone and the Pei Family loves their daughter so they took your sister-in-law to Youzhou for a few years." Wei Zhengyin then told her daughter, "Because you were married into that family, they sent her back. They don't want her to become unmarriageable as there is a custom that ‘People never marry a dead woman's eldest daughter' and they hope that you can be there to educate her. Another reason is that she has reached her marriageable age, but the Pei Family can't make a decision about her marriage. You had better ask her who she likes. If you can find a suitor for her, you do it so that people won't say that you don't care about your sister-in-law. After all, they might say Gu Rouzhang is sixteen years old so why have you not started to find someone for her?"

Wei Changying added, "After you find a suitor and when the wedding day comes, if you and Naizheng are still living outside the capital, you just come back to help marry the couple at the wedding."

After the three of them had this discussion, Su Yuli recalled something else and apologized to Wei Changying, "My idiot husband! I found out something else when I was asking him why he spread rumors about our grandparents. I wanted to make him apologize to you in person, but I forgot about it. He is probably at home now. Allowing me to apologize to you first on his behalf."

Wei Changying said with a smile, "Yuli, are you talking about the thing in the tavern of the Xie Family? It's fine. It was just a meal."

"The thing in the tavern of the Xie Family?" Su Yuli was surprised, asking, "Did he also offend you at the tavern?"

"Isn't that what you are talking about?" Wei Changying suddenly felt something was very wrong.

Su Yuli explained, "I mean when Cangfeng took you to Spring Grass Lake. You were stopped by some rude women and they teased Cangfeng at Furong Islet. Later, they pretended to be the Crown Prince's concubines so Cangfeng taught them a lesson in anger. Isn't that what happened? And my husband, he... He told everybody that it was you who did it!"