Chapter 374 Discipline

The old lady looked at Gu Yan's back, which was covered with bloody welts from the cane, and felt both heartache and anger. For a girl with questionable morals, her grandson was covered in wounds, yet he remained devoted to her.

But the more he did this, the less the old lady could please him.

If Gu Yan succeeds today, he will continue to be entangled with Meng Xiyao. If they impulsively break the taboo between men and women and Meng Xiyao becomes pregnant, then he will be unable to shake her off and will be stuck with her grandchild.

As a result, the rules she had adhered to for many years and the standards she had set for choosing a granddaughter-in-law in recent years have all become a joke.

Others would laugh at her, saying that she had no choice but to choose a discarded concubine from the harem, a woman who had almost been beaten to death by the former emperor for her immoral behavior, instead of so many noble ladies.

She really had nowhere to put her old face.

The old lady was determined not to give in no matter what, but her usually filial and sensible grandson was stubborn to the end. In particular, Gu Yan's words that if he wasn't beaten to death today, he would marry Meng Xiyao tomorrow were like a thorn stuck in her heart, which she couldn't pull out.

If the fight continues, Gu Yan's body might not be able to withstand it. But if he doesn't fight, wouldn't his grandson be able to control him?

The old lady's gaze fell on Gu Yan's resolute face, and she couldn't help but shed tears. Then she turned her face to the other side and said hatefully, "Beat him! Keep hitting him! Since he insists on courting death, I'll grant his wish today. All of you, don't hold back! Beat him to death! Anyone who pretends or doesn't use their strength will be severely punished!"

The two guards had already used six or seven tenths of their strength, and now that the general had been hit twenty or thirty times, the old lady still wanted them to use ten tenths of their strength. If they continued to hit him like this, the general would either die or be crippled.

Obeying the old lady's orders to beat the general a few times is not a life-threatening matter, but killing or maiming the general is a responsibility they cannot bear.

The two guards threw down their sticks and knelt down beside Gu Yan to plead for mercy.

"Madam, you can't fight anymore! If you keep fighting, the General will die. He's the only son of the Gu family, and your only remaining relative..."

"Yes, General, you are the junior, please apologize to the old lady. Otherwise, she will really kill you."

Both guards were roughnecks; their words of advice were less helpful than no advice at all.

After hearing this, Gu Yan's starry eyes became even more resolute. "I will never admit my mistake. Don't try to persuade her. Even if I am beaten to death today, I will not admit my mistake!"

The old woman grew even angrier, picked up the relatively intact stick from the ground, and swung it at Gu Yan's back again.

"Fine! You don't dare to fight, so I will! I'll teach you to admit your mistakes, I'll teach you to disobey your grandmother, I'll teach you to challenge me..."

Gu Yan let out a miserable groan, but gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound of pain.

When the other servants outside heard that something was wrong, they all pleaded for her. There was a lot of noise outside the door. The old lady was filled with grief and indignation when she saw that no one was on her side.

She was in pain and heartbroken as she hit him, but she couldn't stop.

The situation was getting increasingly out of control. The old lady even resented Gu Yan, who was usually so clever, for being so hopelessly stupid today. Even though he was injured like this, he was still standing with his back straight and didn't even pretend to faint. He was so stubborn that he brought trouble upon himself.

The old woman beat, cursed, and wept as she did so. The two guards and the servants outside kept pleading for mercy, but Gu Yan, who was being beaten, bit his lip and remained silent.

When General Leng arrived at the door, he heard the commotion and thought he was too late. He kicked open the door and strode into the Gu family ancestral hall.

Only after seeing that Gu Yan's back was a bloody mess, but his eyes were firm and his breathing was normal, clearly indicating that he was still alive, did he breathe a sigh of relief.

The old woman, seeing that someone had broken down the ancestral hall door, was about to vent her anger when she saw that the person who came was Leng Tieyi, and she was stunned.

"General Leng, what brings you here?"

Descendants of military families are most likely to cherish each other. There are not many military generals in the court to begin with, and the Leng family and the Gu family have always been acquainted. During the years when Old Madam Gu was raising Gu Yan with great difficulty, Leng Tieyi took good care of the Gu family. This time when Leng Tieyi returned to the capital to report on his post, Old Madam Gu even specially took Gu Yan to congratulate him.

That happened just two days ago.

On that day, Leng Tieyi had tested Gu Yan's skills and was quite impressed with him.

Thinking of her grandson, who had been so spirited in front of Leng Tieyi just two days ago, now reduced to such an unruly and battered state, the old woman felt deeply ashamed.

"The foolish things this brat did have even alarmed you?"

She thought it was because Gu Yan's infatuation with Meng Xiyao had become a secret, and even General Leng had come to advise him.

General Leng first snatched the stick from her hand and said in a gentle tone, "Madam, young people are prone to acting impulsively. However, you have lost your temper in disciplining your grandson and beat up a military officer. If this gets to the Emperor's ears, it will be a serious matter."

"How did it reach the Emperor's ears..."

The old lady had a good impression of Wen Zhiming. If it weren't for his rescue at the city gate, she would have been killed long ago.

It was precisely because she knew that the current emperor was reasonable and would not use his power to oppress people that she dared to treat Meng Xiyao so coldly.

She beat her grandson behind closed doors, which not only alarmed Leng Tieyi, but even the Emperor.

The old lady immediately guessed that Meng Xiyao had complained, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"His Majesty is wise and his word is law. He once said that he would never bestow a marriage, so why is he changing his mind now for the sake of the three daughters of the Meng family?"

"What are you saying, sir? What does hitting a court official have to do with the bestowal of a marriage?" Leng Tieyi pulled Gu Yan up from his kneeling position, looked him over, and seeing that he only had superficial injuries, said slowly.

“Gu Yan is now a third-rank military officer, a talent highly valued by the Emperor. It’s alright for you, as his grandmother, to hit him a few times, but to beat him to death like this is a serious crime of assaulting a high-ranking official. The commotion was so great that it was heard by busybodies long ago. If I hadn’t stopped them, it would have been reported to the Emperor long ago. Don’t be so impulsive in the future.”

After Leng Tieyi finished speaking, he patted Gu Yan on the shoulder twice.

"You brat, how can you argue with your grandmother like this? The old lady raised you to adulthood, and this is how you show her filial piety? Next time, speak properly, and don't act so recklessly again... Doctor, come here and apply medicine to treat General Gu's wounds."

Upon hearing this, the doctor who had come with Leng Tieyi immediately stepped forward to examine the injuries.

"The injury is too severe. It's not convenient to apply medicine here. You need to go back to your room and lie on the bed. After the medicine is applied, you need to stay in bed for at least three days."

"Then let's go back to our rooms." Leng Tieyi waved his hand, taking the initiative, and said, "It's late, so let's not disturb our ancestors here. Everyone, disperse. Madam, let's go."

The old lady was both relieved that Leng Tieyi had arrived in time, allowing her to stop gracefully, and somewhat troubled.

If the emperor interferes so much, how will she discipline her grandson in the future?