Two treasure maps

Baoyuan in Guojiazhuang was once the residence of Guo Bao. It is located on the central axis of the manor, like a bright pearl, shining with the glory and splendor of Guojiazhuang. Although this main courtyard has gone through wind and rain, it still maintains its simplicity and solemnity. Although it has been rumored that Guo Lin is the owner of Guojiazhuang, he once lived in the remote Yinglin Garden. Although Guo Lin now prefers Yinglin Garden, he found that the location of Baoyuan is more convenient for work, so he and Zhao Ying moved here, and Yinglin Garden was given to his two beloved daughters Guo Liuli and Guo Meili to live in, allowing them to spend a carefree life there.

As night fell, the lights in Baoyuan's study were bright. Guo Feipeng knelt on the ground, tears rolling down his cheeks, his heart full of confusion and grievance. Guo Lin looked at his son in such a state, and his heart was also mixed. He helped Guo Feipeng up and sighed helplessly: "Feipeng, I will definitely strive for a recommendation for you this year."

However, Guo Feipeng asked persistently: "Father, I just want to know why? Why was grandfather so cruel? Why did he ruin my future? I worked so hard, was it wrong?" His voice was full of unwillingness and anger.

Guo Lin sat back in his chair, his heart full of doubts. He also wanted to know why his father did this? Isn't it good to have a scholar in the family? Fei Peng has made a name for himself through his own efforts. Isn't it worth being proud of? He decided that he must have a good talk with his father when he went to Yunchan City this time to understand what he really thinks.

He tried to look at the matter from his father's perspective. The Yun family was a business family, and they had the opportunity to be given the national surname, Guo. Among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, merchants had the lowest social status, and those who were given the national surname were scholars... Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to Guo Lin's mind. His father was playing a game of chess, a game played from the perspective of a businessman.

He stared at Guo Feipeng and said in a serious tone: "Feipeng, don't be sad. Please help me think about it. Your grandfather was sure that he could return to the capital and sell the opportunity to pass the imperial examination to other merchants. Does he have other plans?"

Guo Feipeng's eyes were red, and he tried hard to control his emotions. He knew that there were some things he couldn't tell his mother, because he was her support; he couldn't tell his younger siblings, because he was their elder brother and their guide; he couldn't tell his friends, because people would say that he had such a family background, so what else could he be dissatisfied with? He could only tell his father, but he also knew that there was a limit to what his father could do, after all, it was his grandfather, his father's biological father, who did this.

"Father, what do you want to say?" Guo Feipeng looked at Guo Lin in confusion.

Guo Lin took a deep breath and said solemnly, "What I want to say is, your grandfather is so sure that he can lead everyone back to the capital. Could it be that he wants to take advantage of your sister Liuli and let her participate in the talent show?"

Guo Feipeng was stunned for a moment after hearing this. He felt a strong sense of uneasiness in his heart: "This won't work! My family has no support in Beijing, and my sister won't have any advantage in the talent show. What if something goes wrong..."

Guo Lin nodded in agreement: "I think so too. But your grandfather may not think so. He deliberately gave the recommendation quota to someone else and let you wait a few years. It's not because he doesn't value you, but because he wants to wait for your sister Liuli to grow up and send her to the capital to pave the way for the family."

"No!" Guo Feipeng objected firmly, "I am a man, how can I rely on a woman to pave the way for me? Absolutely not!" There was a firm light flashing in his eyes. He knew that he must stand up to protect his sister and protect the dignity and future of his family.

Guo Lin sat on a chair in the study, frowning, as if he had opened up an unprecedented train of thought. He was not sure whether his speculation was correct, but this was the only reason he could think of to explain his father Guo Yun's behavior. The word "family" echoed in his mind. Isn't family the kingdom of the son and the restaurant of the daughter? After enjoying the protection and resources of the family, the daughters will eventually leave, just like paying the bill after a meal. And if there is a chance to use his daughter to consolidate the kingdom for his son, what will the father do? Guo Lin believed that his father would do it without hesitation.

Such a serious question flashed through his mind. He was fifteen years older than Guo Bao, and in his memory, his mother seemed to have had other children. Were those children all girls? Did his father send them to other places for training? Where did they end up? It seemed that only his father and mother knew the answer to all this.

Guo Lin once thought that his father and mother favored his younger brother Guo Bao because he was still young. But now, if Guo Bao really had several older sisters, then everything seemed to make sense. Guo Bao was the son that his father and mother had been waiting for, the one who would inherit the family business. Then, what about himself? What was he in this family?

He waved his hand, signaling Guo Feipeng to go back first, saying that he needed to think about it carefully. Guo Feipeng thought that his father was considering the future of his sister Guo Liuli, so he said nothing more, quietly left the study, and walked out of Baoyuan.

Guo Lin, on the other hand, sat in his study all night. There was a Go board on the table, and he held the black and white pieces in his hands, as if he was playing chess with himself. He tried to put himself in the role of his father, looking at the family chess game from his father's perspective, and thinking about how his father should play the chess pieces.

His thoughts drifted back to the distant past. Everyone said that the Yun family was a business family, but Guo Lin remembered that when he was a child, the Yun family's business was not prosperous. At that time, their family life was not good, and his mother also lived a simple life by tightening her belt. So, when did the family begin to change?

He recalled that when he was about twelve years old, his father was given the national surname, and the Yun family became an imperial merchant. What happened that year? He didn't remember it clearly, and he didn't know what he had to do with what happened that year.

Then, when he was 20 years old, he passed the examination and became a scholar. His father asked him to follow his second uncle Yun Xin to gain experience. It was also during that time that he was hunted down and met the most important woman in his life - his wife Zhao Ying.

He didn't know the reason why he was being hunted, but now everyone knows it. It was done by the former Yunying, now Guo Ying. He thought he was his father's eldest son and wanted to kill him and take his place. If it weren't for his wife Zhao Ying, who came from the escort agency, was strong and skilled in martial arts, he would have become a victim of the family's power struggle.

However, among all these past events, there was one question that always troubled Guo Lin. That was his mother. Why didn't his mother choose him as the future of the family? What reason did she have to abandon him to fulfill his father's ambition? He couldn't figure it out. His father did have many concubines and children, but his mother only had two sons, himself and his younger brother Guo Bao. How could she bear to abandon him? This question was like a huge rock pressing on Guo Lin's heart, making him unable to let go.