Chapter 99: The dispute between wife and concubine
The woman who brought the wine was named Sun Mengli, the daughter of a distant aunt of Marquis Gu.

Gu Hou's ancestor was originally an official in the court, but his grandfather was accidentally involved in a dispute over the succession to the throne, so he was demoted and his family was exiled to the northwest, where they fell into decline.

This aunt from the northwest, her husband's surname is Sun, and he is a centurion. Although the Sun family is not extremely wealthy, they are considered wealthy in the local area.

After the Gu family was exiled to the northwest, Gu Jianshen's father died early, and the family had a hard time making ends meet. The Sun family did a lot to help the Gu family in distress.

The master of the Sun family liked Gu Jianshen's character and did not despise his poor family, so he betrothed his only daughter, Sun Mengli, to him. Sun Mengli also loved Gu Jianshen and even sold her dowry to help him start his career.

Otherwise, how could Gu Jianshen, a son of a poor family, who had great talents, gain a foothold in the army at such a young age and earn the title of marquis?

Lu Ji was deeply impressed by Sun Mengli.

When they were recovering Hexi, General Han's carelessness led to the occupation of the grain route, and the army was in danger. They could only survive on wild vegetables and tree bark. When Sun Mengli learned about this, she actually carried a bag of dry food and wine, risked being captured by the Qi army, crossed mountains and ridges to find the army, and sent food to her fiancé.

Those high mountains were steep and precipitous, and even adult men could not climb over them. Moreover, there were Qi troops patrolling and wild beasts roaming in the forest. It was unbelievable that such a weak woman could make it through carrying such a heavy load under such harsh conditions.

This is the power of love.

Hearing Lu Ji mention this, Gu Jianshen's gaze towards Sun Mengli unconsciously softened.

It can be seen that Lord Gu loves Sun Mengli very much.

Gu Jianshen smiled at Sun Mengli and said, "Li'er's heroic act of saving me back then was admired not only by me but also by my brothers."

As he said that, he stood up and pulled Zhao Mengli to his side: "Remember General Lu? He, the dignified prince, drank the wine you brought and wiped his mouth and said, 'This wine is comparable to nectar.'"

Sun Mengli smiled cheerfully upon hearing this: "Why don't I remember?" He then said: "General Lu not only praised my wine, but also the dry food I brought with me, saying that it tasted better than dragon liver and phoenix gall."

Lu Ji laughed heartily: "In those days, we ate wild vegetables all day long. When we saw wine and dry food, we naturally ate them with great pleasure."

Sun Mengli smiled brightly at Gu Jianshen, then looked at Lu Ji and said jokingly, "Now that my cousin and General Lu are both high-ranking officials, they can enjoy all the fine wines in the world. I wonder if the wine I brought today will be acceptable to you."

Sun Mengli was about to raise her hand to pour wine for Lu Ji and Gu Jianshen, when she heard Zhang, who was sitting beside her, speak coldly: "Auntie Sun, don't you know your own identity?"

Zhang was the wife and Sun Mengli was the concubine.

There is a difference between superiority and inferiority.

As soon as Zhang said this, the originally lively scene immediately became cold.

Seeing this, Gu Jianshen's smile froze on his face. He looked at Zhang and called out in a deep voice, "Jingxian——"

He frowned and whispered, "We have guests."

Zhang, who was originally dignified and reserved, now changed her expression. She suppressed her anger and asked, "Does the Marquis know that there are guests?"

As she spoke, she raised her hand and stroked her chest, intending to suppress her anger: "In such an occasion, the Marquis allows a concubine to come out and entertain guests in public. May I ask, where do you place me, the Marquis?" Zhang's words were so powerful that Gu Jianshen was speechless for a moment.

Gu Jianshen's brows were tightly furrowed, and the blue veins on his forehead were bulging. It can be seen that he was extremely angry, but he was just forcing himself to hold it back in front of outsiders.

While the couple was in a stalemate, Sun Mengli knelt down and said to Zhang, "Madam, don't be angry. It's all my fault. I lost my temper when I saw an old friend coming to my house today. Please forgive me."

After saying this, she bowed down to Zhang.

Qin Xiaoning could see that such a strong-willed woman could be so humble and submissive. She didn't want to make things difficult for Gu Jianshen.

Zhang was also concerned about the guests, so she didn't bother to dwell on the matter. Instead, she waved her hand to let Sun Mengli stand up, but her eyes were filled with jealousy. She wanted to let the matter go, but she couldn't control her jealousy, so she coldly ordered her attendants, "Auntie Sun has violated the house rules. Drag her to the backyard, give her thirty lashes, and confine her to her room for a month."

It is only natural for the wife to punish the concubine.

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Jianshen on the side suddenly clenched the cup in his hand. Although Qin Xiaoning was far away from him, his heavy breathing could be heard clearly.

Gu Jianshen moved his lips again and again, but in the end no words came out, but sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.

Seeing the maids coming to take Sun Mengli away, Lu Ji put down the wine cup in his hand with a "click" and said in a clear and cold voice: "Sister-in-law, please forgive me when you can."

Even if they were brothers who had shared life and death together, Lu Ji should not interfere in other people's family affairs. He was not a fussy person, but he was just grateful for what he had done to others. When Sun Mengli was in trouble, he drank and drank at her expense. Seeing her being bullied like this, Lu Ji could not bear it anymore.

Gu Jianshen had a rich expression at this moment. He first looked at Lu Ji with gratitude, then cast his gaze on Sun Mengli who was kneeling on the ground, with undisguised heartache and guilt in his eyes. Seeing that Zhang refused to give in, he looked up at his wife again, with anger and begging on his face.

"Forget it, since General Lu has asked, I will forgive you this time today." Zhang finally gave her husband face.

Sun Mengli stood up and without lingering any longer, bowed and retreated. His lonely and thin figure disappeared from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

Gu Jianshen then sat down and said to his wife, "I still have something to say to Brother Lu, you should go back and rest first."

After such an experience, Zhang felt bored to stay any longer. She stood up and exchanged pleasantries with Lu Ji and Qin Xiao: "I am sorry that my wife does not know the rules and regulations and has embarrassed the distinguished guests."

Lu Ji was silent, and Qin Xiao replied politely, "He is not a stranger, Madam, please don't worry."

Zhang got the excuse and left angrily.

A good banquet was ruined by his wives and concubines. After everyone left, Gu Jianshen looked at Lu Ji, wanting to say something but stopping himself, looking embarrassed.

Lu Ji raised his hand and poured him a glass of wine, saying calmly: "Last year you wrote to me saying you wanted to get married, and I thought you were going to marry a girl from the Sun family."

They had been engaged for a long time, and they were in love with each other. Sun Mengli had given so much for Gu Jianshen, and finally she saw Gu Jianshen become successful. The two of them deserved to be together.

Gu Jianshen was silent for a long while, then replied slowly, "Zhang is the daughter of the governor of Jizhou. After I became famous and successful in the northwest, my mother no longer looked down on the Sun family. She threatened to die, so she canceled the marriage with the Sun family and let me marry Zhang instead."

(End of this chapter)