Back in Tianhou Lane in the South City, Gu Yuebai immediately ran over as soon as she saw her mother return: "Mother, where have you been?"

"Mother went out to buy some New Year's goods, come and have some fruit." She handed a few packets of pastries to Gu Yuebai, who opened them, looked at them, and then put them down.

"Mom, I want to eat crab-stuffed oranges and lotus root meat..."

"What is crab-stuffed orange?" Guan Yingying really didn't know. She didn't think she had ever eaten it in the restaurant. She guessed it was made by the chef of the Marquis's mansion.

"I want to go to Grandma's. There's nothing here." Gu Yuebai, being a child, blurted out her dissatisfaction. "I want Rushi and Ruhua to sleep with me. I don't want to sleep with Aunt Wang. She smells too bad."

Aunt Wang's awkward smile was even more unsightly than crying.

"Mother, when can I go back?"

Guan Yingying felt extremely uncomfortable. She squatted down, grabbed his little hand, and asked, "Bai Bai, Mommy will teach you to sing, count, and make you toys. Don't you want to be with Mommy?"

Gu Yuebai shook her head: "Mother, I want to be with my great-aunt."

"Which great-aunt?"

"That great-aunt who rode in a big horse-drawn carriage and was as beautiful as a fairy."

You said she's like a fairy?

"Yes, she is so beautiful. And my third great-uncle is also very handsome, much more handsome than my father. He is like a god."

In Gu Yuebai's mind, Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao had such powerful and noble auras, like gods and goddesses. Everyone knelt before them, and he envied them so much.

He acted cute and adorable in front of them, but they didn't try to please him like others did.

Gu Yuebai really wants to be Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao's son!

Guan Yingying was suddenly overcome with anger.

A resounding slap landed hard on Gu Yuebai's face as he yelled, "You worthless bastard! Of all people to like, why did you have to fall for a woman who is the most despicable, corrupt, and filthy feudal woman?!"

"She's beautiful? She's an angel? Can't you see? She hates you the most! A woman who won't even give you a second glance, and you admire her the most?"

Gu Yuebai's face was bruised and swollen with five finger marks from the beating. She was stunned for a moment before bursting into tears.

Guan Yingying refused to forgive him. In her anger, she pinned Gu Yuebai to the ground and slapped his buttocks hard several times.

Aunt Wang felt so sorry for him that she wanted to stop him but didn't dare. She knelt down with a thud and cried, "Madam, he's just a child. How can you be angry with a child? He didn't mean it!"

Guan Yingying felt sorry for Gu Yuebai after hitting her, and pulled her up. Gu Yuebai was already crying so hard that she couldn't catch her breath, and her face was red and purple.

"Stand up, don't lie on the ground," Guan Yingying shouted sharply.

Gu Yuebai trembled with fear, standing under the corridor with her eyes wide open, filled with shock and anger.

"Tell me, what did you do wrong?"

“You’re bad, you’re a bad mother…” Gu Yuebai sobbed angrily, “The Marquis’s mansion is mine. Grandmother said you’re a bad woman… I want to go back to the Marquis’s mansion.”

He took off running.

"You run away, and you'd better never come back."

Guan Yingying was so angry that her head was throbbing.

Aunt Wang couldn't bear to part with him and quickly chased after him. Guan Yingying angrily shouted from behind, "Don't chase him! Let him run away! Running away from home? Let him starve for three days, and he'll know what he did wrong."

Aunt Wang ran out and grabbed Gu Yuebai, who then clung to Aunt Wang and cried, "I want to find my grandmother."

"Young Master, please don't hurt your mother's feelings like that. She has had it so hard. She gave birth to you and raised you to adulthood, giving you everything good."

Gu Yuebai wouldn't listen to any of the advice; she was only focused on returning to the Marquis's residence.

"Yuebai, what's wrong?"

Gu Chengyan recovered from his illness and went out in the morning, only to learn that a great change had occurred in the Crown Prince's household.

For some reason, despite his constant attempts to curry favor with the Crown Prince, he was inexplicably excited upon learning that both of the Crown Prince's sons had died.

Upon receiving the news, he rushed to Guan Yingying's location.

As soon as I entered Tianhou Alley, I saw Gu Yuebai crying and making a scene.

After finding out what happened, his face darkened, and he dragged Gu Yuebai into the courtyard. Looking at the furious Guan Yingying, he sternly said to him, "Kneel down!"

Gu Yuebai was afraid of Gu Chengyan and was too scared to cry. Tears welled up in her eyes and her little mouth pursed.

"Kneel down!" Gu Chengyan said again. "Gu Yuebai, I'll count to three. If you don't kneel down and apologize to your mother, I'll whip you right now."

Gu Yuebai finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears: "Father..."

"Don't shout! Kneel down!"

Gu Yuebai knelt down, her eyes brimming with tears, but she dared not cry anymore.

“Tell your mother that you were wrong. She is the greatest person in the world and the most undisobedient. If you dare to disobey your mother, then you will be punished according to family law!”

Gu Yuebai turned pale with fright; he had seen the family rules in the Marquis's mansion before.

Last time, Chunling and Xiahua were both punished with family discipline, beaten with iron whips until they were covered in blood, passed out after the beating, and were taken away.

Grandma said that the two people were disobedient, so she took them out and fed them to the dogs.

He was terrified. He didn't want to be eaten by wild dogs, so he knelt down and cried, "Mother, I was wrong. I only love you, Mother. I don't love anyone else."

Guan Yingying was still angry. Gu Yuebai could like anyone, but he couldn't like Xie Zhaozhao.

Xie Zhaozhao is too rich, too beautiful, married too well, and is even a first-rank imperial consort...

Thinking about how lucky Xie Zhaozhao was, she couldn't catch her breath!

“From now on, you are not allowed to associate with your third great-uncle and third great-aunt. They are the worst kind of bad people. Stay away from them, understand?” Guan Yingying said angrily. “Otherwise, you can forget about ever going to the Marquis’s mansion.”

"Bai Bai will remember this. Bai Bai only loves Mother. Bai Bai will take over the Marquis's mansion and give it to Mother in the future."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!