Gu family

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Gu family (顾家)
Affiliation	Antique Appreciation Studio; Jingzhou City cultural relic restoration and antique-collecting circles 17 87
Occupation/Role	Multigenerational family of craftsmen, cultural relic restorers, appraisers, and restorers of ancient architecture 17 82
Status	Active; the Gu Family Ancestral Residence and Antique Appreciation Studio are restored and operating 180 200
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background & History

The Gu family has maintained a craft inheritance for several hundred years. Its members are known for cultural relic appraisal, restoration, jade work, and the preservation of historic architecture. Their scholarly and professional standing made Gu Eight Blades and Yue Jinmei respected experts in cultural relic restoration and ancient architecture. 17 82

Gu Eight Blades was personally trained in jade carving and appraisal by Tang Ruoqing, a longtime friend of the Gu family and master jade carver. Tang passed his family’s jade-carving techniques and ancestral tools to Gu Eight Blades, provoking the lasting resentment of Tang’s eldest disciple, Jin Daliang. 82 83

In Gu Jiuque's previous life, the family was destroyed through a chain of schemes: Grandpa Gu was framed, the ancestral residence burned down, Antique Appreciation Studio closed, and the family members died while Gu Jiuque was left disfigured, paralyzed, and unable to speak. Bai Yuesheng and Jin Weixie subsequently benefited from the family's collapse and took control of the studio. 4 5

Following Gu Jiuque's rebirth, the family avoids the original catastrophe. The fire damages only the west wing of the ancestral residence, while all five family members survive and begin rebuilding together. 35

Known Members

• Gu Eight Blades — Gu Jiuque’s grandfather; renowned cultural relic restorer, ancient-architecture expert, appraiser, and Tang Ruoqing’s final disciple. 17 83
• Yue Jinmei — Gu Jiuque’s grandmother; master restorer of calligraphy and paintings and an expert in ancient architecture. 8 17
• Gu Yugui — Gu Jiuque’s father; manages ancient-building restoration work and founded a construction company specializing in antique-style architecture and period-drama sets. 17
• Lu Xunmei — Gu Jiuque’s mother; actively protects the family’s interests and prepares legal action against the Bai family over the fire damage. 11 24
• Gu Jiuque — heir to Antique Appreciation Studio; cultural relic restorer, appraiser, and the family member chiefly responsible for uncovering the schemes against them. 93 128

Residence and Businesses

Gu Family Ancestral Residence

The Gu Family Ancestral Residence is a privately owned registered historic building in Jingzhou. It covers three mu and follows a residence-in-front, garden-behind layout divided into four courtyards. 17

• The front courtyard’s reversed-seat rooms serve as the storefront for Antique Appreciation Studio.
• Gu Eight Blades and Yue Jinmei reside in the five main rooms of the central residential courtyard.
• Gu Yugui and Lu Xunmei occupy the east wing.
• Gu Jiuque occupies the west wing, which is destroyed in the fire and later reconstructed. 17 18
• The local cultural heritage bureau assists with repairs and sends young restorers to study the Gu family’s methods. 17
• After Shentu Fang’s threats, the property is fitted with a surveillance system during renovation. 111

Antique Appreciation Studio

Antique Appreciation Studio is the Gu family’s ancestral business and a central part of their professional legacy. 16

• It operates from the ancestral residence and serves the local antique-collecting community. 17
• Gu Jiuque is recognized as its heir during the Antique Appraisal Tournament. 93
• The studio later reopens its livestream, allowing the public to view its collection and hear Gu Jiuque explain the history of its collectibles. 200

Gu Yugui's Construction Company

• Specializes in designing and constructing large-scale antique-style architecture. 17
• Produces period-drama sets and props replicated from museum artifacts. 17 139
• Recreated and arranged the Han-style venue for Gu Jiuque and Shen Heng’s wedding. 206 208

Heirlooms and Legacy

• Jade Celestial Pivot — the Gu family heirloom worn by Gu Jiuque. It possesses supernatural abilities and requires a drop of Gu family blood to acknowledge an owner. 164
• Tang family jade-carving tools — ancestral tools passed from Tang Ruoqing to Gu Eight Blades alongside the Tang family’s jade-carving secrets. 83
• Restoration techniques — Gu Jiuque was taught cultural relic restoration from childhood by his grandparents, learning material identification, painting restoration, color matching, brushwork repair, and traditional construction principles. 8 18

Major Conflicts

Bai Family Fire and Compensation

Bai Yuesheng sets fire to the ancestral residence’s west wing, destroying handcrafted furnishings, antiques, and architectural elements. The Gu family values the restoration at 16,825,321.22 yuan and refuses to accept the Bai family’s attempts to evade responsibility. 23 24

Gu Yugui emphasizes that the loss includes irreplaceable works handcrafted by Gu Eight Blades and Yue Jinmei, including a jade incense burner valued at no less than seven million yuan. 24

The family’s uncompromising response ends the Bai family’s expectation that neighborhood ties would excuse the damage. 15 63

Jin Family Feud

The Gu family’s conflict with the Jin family originates in Jin Daliang’s jealousy of Gu Eight Blades, whom Tang Ruoqing favored as his final disciple. Jin Daliang reported Tang Ruoqing and the Gu family during a political purge, contributing to Tang Ruoqing’s exile and a tragedy that destroyed Tang Qiqiao’s family. 83

Decades later, the Jin family attempts to undermine Gu Eight Blades through an overseas auction scheme and returns to Jingzhou through Cutting-Edge Auction House. 51 57 82

• The Gu family learns that Cutting-Edge Auction House is controlled by the Jin family and chooses to participate in its Antique Appraisal Tournament rather than withdraw. 82 84
• Yue Jinmei publicly challenges Han Songyu, the auction house’s nominal largest shareholder and Jin Weixie’s confidant. 85
• The family’s reputation and connections in Jingzhou’s antique circles help isolate the Jin family’s operation. 87 113

Shentu Fang's Threat

Shentu Fang targets Gu Jiuque and the Jade Celestial Pivot, eventually arranging Gu Eight Blades’s kidnapping through Bai Yuesheng’s parents. He demands both Gu Jiuque and the heirloom in exchange for Gu Eight Blades’s life. 164 170

Gu Eight Blades is rescued, while Shentu Fang and Bai Yanliang kill each other. Bai Yuesheng is rescued but left severely disabled and mentally unstable; his mother faces punishment for arson and kidnapping. 175

Later Developments

The family restores the ancestral residence after the kidnapping crisis, with Gu Yugui arranging for reconstruction to begin in spring. 180

Gu Jiuque’s discoveries and professional success bring renewed public attention to the family. After he identifies the authentic The Thirteen Emperors by Yan Liben inside a forgery, the Gu family declines requests to visit the residence directly and instead uses Antique Appreciation Studio’s livestream to share its collection. 199 200

The family also supports Gu Jiuque and Shen Heng’s relationship. Both families approve their marriage, which is held in an elaborate Han-style ceremony informed by historical research and the expertise of Gu family elders and Han-dynasty archaeologists. 180 205 208