Mrs. Gu's complaints made Mr. Gu's face grow cold.
"Both punishment and reward are signs of the Emperor's grace," he rebuked her sternly. "It is Ah Xun's good fortune to be put in a position of trust by His Majesty. Watch your mouth!"
Being sent away on official business was a sign of the Emperor's trust in Ah Xun, not a banishment.
"Speak any more nonsense, and you'll be reflecting in the ancestral hall!"
Mrs. Gu knew she had misspoken. "I was just overcome with worry," she said quickly. "I won't say it again."
Xun was her own flesh and blood. After all the setbacks he had endured, how could Mrs. Gu's heart not ache for him?
Xun had done nothing wrong. He had only gotten tangled up with Mei Wanying, and for that, he earned the Emperor's "disdain."
'If Mei Wanying were to stay in the Capital City, would the Emperor drive Xun out to some remote place and forbid him from ever returning?'
