Chapter 309 Expulsion from the Clan

Wei Rui Xuan.

Gu Jingxi looked at her. Although she remained silent on the surface, seemingly heartbroken over her unfilial son, she could tell from the fact that she had eaten half a bowl of rice more than usual that she was overjoyed. She was the happiest person to see Xiu Ming end up like this.

As the couple lay down in bed to rest, Gu Jingxi suddenly asked her, "Ayao, is there anything you want to say to me?"

Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback, looking at him with a puzzled expression, and asked in return, "What does my husband want to hear?"

Gu Jingxi looked into her eyes and said slowly, "I heard yesterday that you've been taking walks in the back garden these past few days. But you're afraid of the cold, and when it's cold, you stay indoors and rarely go out. When it's especially cold, you even stay in bed and don't want to get up. Why have you been acting so strangely lately, going to the back garden for walks every day?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's expression froze, and she stammered, "Husband, you guessed it all?"

Gu Jingxi raised an eyebrow: "I've seen so many criminals, what kind of tricks haven't I seen? You think your little tricks can fool me?" After saying that, he reached out and pulled the person into his arms.

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was about to think that he was there to interrogate her tonight and felt guilty, but the next moment she was pulled into his arms, and her uneasy feelings were instantly soothed.

Gu Jingxi gently pinched her cheek: "So, can you obediently tell your husband now?"

Meng Jinyao glanced at him and stammered, "Although I set a trap for them and deliberately created the conditions for them, I didn't take the initiative. I was just waiting for the unexpected to happen. They were like rabbits that deliberately ran into a tree and killed themselves. If they didn't have any malicious intentions, then my walk wouldn't bother anyone."

Gu Jingxi could guess what was going on, but he had a question, so he asked, "How did they know that you suddenly started taking walks for exercise recently? They can't possibly be watching your every move every day."

Meng Jinyao replied truthfully, "I asked Ningdong to find an opportunity to mention my daily afternoon walks to the other maids when Xiuming passed by. After he heard this, he probably conspired with Aunt Li to pull this stunt."

After hearing this, Gu Jingxi understood and then asked, "Who knows about this?"

Listening to his barrage of questions, Meng Jinyao suddenly felt a bit like she was being interrogated, and continued to answer honestly: "Only Ningdong and I know, Qingqiu doesn't know either. It's precisely because she doesn't know anything that she doesn't have to act, which makes her seem more real. I don't take Ningdong with me when I go for walks, for fear that she's not composed enough and will give herself away."

After listening, Gu Jingxi remained silent for a while. It wasn't that he blamed her, but he didn't approve of her acting alone. He then scolded her, "Don't do this again next time. If you want to do something, you have to discuss it with me first. Don't act rashly. If nothing goes wrong, that's fine, but what if something does go wrong?"

Meng Jinyao pursed her lips and muttered softly, "It's not a big deal, and I was absolutely confident that I could get out unscathed, which is why I took action. Does my husband really not trust me?"

Gu Jingxi looked at her and said, "It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust you."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao felt a warmth in her heart, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. She reached out and hugged his waist, then asked, "Does my husband blame me for scheming against him like this?"

“When people’s hearts are corrupted, even if they don’t have the opportunity to make mistakes for the time being, they will create one. If Xiu Ming didn’t harbor any evil intentions, even if he knew you were taking a walk every day, he wouldn’t have any wicked thoughts.” Gu Jingxi’s voice was calm, but her tone revealed a hint of disappointment, which was disappointment in Gu Xiu Ming.

Meng Jinyao could tell that this meant no blame was being placed on her, but she felt guilty, like a child who had done something wrong: "Husband, I acted impulsively this time, which has also caused you to be punished by the Emperor. It's one thing to be fined a year's salary, but you also have to stay at home for half a month to reflect on your mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi smiled nonchalantly: "With such a filial son like him around, I will inevitably be punished by the Emperor sooner or later for failing to educate my son and manage my household properly. It's only a matter of time. I don't intend for him to inherit the Marquis's mansion either. Ayao has just brought forward the time when I will be punished."

Meng Jinyao looked bewildered.

Gu Jingxi kissed her cheek to comfort her, and then said, "If he wants to petition the Emperor to strip the Crown Prince of his title, then he must have made a mistake. As his father, I am guilty of failing to manage the household properly and failing to educate my son. So, Ayao, you don't need to blame yourself."

Meng Jinyao said apologetically, "But you still need to reflect for half a month, which will delay many things for you."

Gu Jingxi said dismissively, "It's not like I'm the only one working at the Dali Temple. What could be delayed? They can just continue doing what they're supposed to be doing."

He said with a smile, "It's rare to have half a month of leisure. We can also learn from other couples' refined pursuits: brewing tea and discussing poetry, betting on books and splashing tea, playing the zither and lute in harmony, playing chess, and painting."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's guilt dissipated. She snuggled against him affectionately and promised, "Husband, I will never do this again. I will definitely discuss it with you or inform you in advance."

Gu Jingxi gently patted her back and responded softly, "Good girl."

-

The following morning.

Gu Jingxi sent someone to invite his second great-uncle, who had long since retired and was enjoying his retirement at home, as well as several other senior members of the clan in the capital.

Old Master Gu is over eighty years old this year. He has a full head of white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and looks very old. He can hardly walk and is being helped by his juniors as he slowly walks into the hall and sits in the seat of honor.

After he took his seat, the other old men also took their seats one after another, followed by Gu Jingxi and other younger generations.

Gu Jingsheng and Gu Jingsong received a message from their third brother last night, and had already taken leave to work today. Now, seeing this scene, they looked at each other and then shook their heads slightly, indicating that they did not know what was going on.

But soon, a thought flashed through Gu Jingsong's mind. He looked at his elder brother and saw him nod and his lips move slightly. He understood the meaning; this time, his guess was the same as his brother's. It was probably because the Marquis's mansion had lost its heir, Xiu Ming had been sentenced to exile, and his third brother was preparing to adopt a child from the clan.

Master Gu Er Tai glanced at the younger generation present and asked, "Yao Ling, what is the reason you called us old folks here today?"

Gu Jingxi replied respectfully, "It is truly because of that wretched child in our family that we have troubled our second great-uncle and several uncles to make this trip today."

After hearing this, the elders looked at each other in dismay. They had heard about what happened yesterday, but they really didn't expect that Xiu Ming, after becoming the heir of the Marquis's mansion, would still cause such a mess and ruin his future. This kind of disobedient and unfilial son is really a disgrace to the Gu family. The Gu family values ​​filial piety, but now they have produced an unfilial son. If word gets out, they will be ridiculed.

Old Master Gu looked at Gu Jingxi and asked, "I've also heard about Xiu Ming's matter. What does Yao Ling mean?"

Gu Jingxi replied, "Xiu Ming is disrespectful to his elders, has a bad character, and is disobedient and unfilial. He is no longer worthy of being a member of the Gu family. Therefore, we have invited several elders here today to discuss the matter of removing Xiu Ming from the Gu clan."

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(During the National Day holiday, I thought everyone was playing and wouldn't have time to read, so I also played like crazy. Seeing that you guys are urging me to update, it proves that some cuties are still staying at home. I'll try harder tomorrow.)