Chapter 95 It's time to step down.

Ruan Xingzhu watched this scene quietly, without any fear or cruelty in her eyes, just watching calmly.

Cheng's face gradually turned ashen. She only wanted Ruan Xingzhu to intimidate Gu Yun'an and let him know who was in charge in the Gu family.

To her utter surprise, Gu Yun'an was even more stubborn than she had imagined, daring to act in such a way right in front of her. Even when she brought up Gu Qingming, those people turned a deaf ear.

The others in the courtyard, witnessing this scene, trembled with fear and dared not utter a sound. Soon, blood seeped from Chengxiu's body, the crimson blood gradually staining her clothes, appearing particularly glaring in the sunlight.

At this moment, Gu Yun'an exuded a chilling aura, and even the usually domineering Cheng family couldn't help but feel a little scared under his oppressive presence.

"If you don't die after a hundred lashes, you'll be expelled from the manor," Gu Yun'an coldly swept his gaze across the crowd, his eyes as sharp as ice blades. "If you die, throw you into a mass grave."

After saying that, he ignored everyone and carried Ruan Xingzhu straight towards Huaiju.

After the royal physician was summoned and gave Ruan Xingzhu a thorough examination, Gu Yun'an's tightly closed expression relaxed slightly. However, seeing the few bruises on her body, a hint of anger and heartache still rose in his eyes.

In contrast to the tranquility of Huaiju, Yutang Courtyard was now filled with cries and wails.

Cheng Xiuxiu was beaten to the point of near death, spitting blood and breathing weakly. She had lost her previous arrogance and was weakly calling for Cheng Shi to save her.

"Aunt...please save me just once...just once."

Looking at her bloodied and mangled appearance, Cheng's eyes reddened, and she felt a pang of pain in her heart.

No matter what, Cheng Xiuxiu was a member of a collateral branch of the Cheng family. Even if her heart was cold and hard, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache upon seeing such a scene.

But when news of the Li family's young master's death and disappearance spread throughout the mansion, she knew that she couldn't help Cheng Xiuxiu this time, and that no one could help Cheng Xiuxiu this time.

Upon hearing that the young master of the Li family was dead, his body was thrown out without any mercy.

His flesh was scraped off piece by piece, the scene was extremely bloody, and the bloody remaining skin was still attached to the bones, which was chilling to look at.

Passersby who saw it were terrified and turned pale, and all tried to avoid it.

But all of this was done by Gu Yun'an, by Gu Yun'an whom she looked down upon.

Cheng closed her eyes, but the cries and screams around her were like sharp blades, fiercely warning her something in her heart.

At some point, the pleading gradually stopped, and Cheng Xiuxiu lost her life. On the eve of losing consciousness, she seemed to hear the tragic state of the Li family's young master.

Will she do the same thing?

But she was so unwilling. Why? She was just a wild girl. Why did she catch Gu Yun'an's eye?

She went to great lengths to win Cheng Shi's favor and enter the Gu family, thinking that from then on she would be superior to others and no longer have to live at the mercy of others.

But this is how it ended up.

When the sticks stopped, the yard finally returned to silence, as if nothing had ever happened.

However, the lingering stench of blood in the air was like an indelible mark.

Apart from the nauseating stench of blood, it was as if nothing was happening here.

The faint echoes of Cheng Xiuxiu's mournful cries for help seemed to linger in my ears, like a vengeful spirit haunting me, impossible to shake off.

Cheng stood quietly in the courtyard, gazing at the distant sky. The few clouds that had been piled up in the sky were scattered by the howling wind.

"It seems that the Gu family is about to undergo a major upheaval."

Cheng muttered to himself, his voice drifting away in the wind.

Inside Huaiju, Ruan Xingzhu has been recuperating from her injuries these past few days. Every day, no matter how busy Gu Yun'an is, he always makes time to rush over, just to check on her condition.

Gu Yun'an gently fed the pastry to Ruan Xingzhu's lips and said softly, "This is a freshly baked pastry, Xingzhu, have a taste."

Without hesitation, Ruan Xingzhu obediently opened her little mouth and ate it, but when Gu Yun'an was about to feed her a second piece, Ruan Xingzhu did not eat it.

A hint of worry flickered in her eyes as she softly asked, "Won't Madam... use this to restrain Fourth Brother?"

Behind Cheng Shi was Gu Qingming, her trump card. She was afraid, afraid that she would harm Gu Yun'an because of herself.

The pastries were slowly placed down, and Gu Yun'an felt a sense of relief in his eyes. He gently pulled the worried Ruan Xingzhu into his arms, his fingers tenderly stroking her soft, silky hair.

He gently comforted her, saying, "Xingzhu, just focus on recovering from your injuries."

Ruan Xingzhu listened and didn't ask any more questions in the following days.

However, the atmosphere in the entire Gu residence was extremely oppressive.

In the Jade Hall Courtyard, Madam Cheng had heard Granny Liu's low voice countless times, each word seeming as heavy as a thousand pounds, pressing down on her heart.

She sat quietly in the main seat, closed her eyes, and looked somewhat tired.

Granny Liu rushed into the room and said in a low voice, "The Fourth Young Master has arrived."

Cheng's eyes, which had just been closed, suddenly snapped open again, a complex expression flashing across them.

As soon as Granny Liu finished speaking, she saw Gu Yun'an's figure approaching with the cold air.

He was dressed in black, as if he had come from the night, and his face showed no respect for her, his mother.

"Mother, are you waiting for my eldest sister?"

Gu Yun'an did not bow, and even spoke slowly with a meaningful tone.

"Are they still waiting for Xiling's second sister?"

Upon hearing the names of these two people after so long, Cheng's fingertips twitched slightly, and a hint of emotion appeared on her usually delicate face.

But her eyes showed no fear at his words; instead, a surge of arrogance rose within them. She sneered and said, "Do you think you can bring me down by winning them over?"

Her eyes were filled with deep disdain. She had managed to sit in the position of the matriarch of the Gu family for so many years and had been able to control the Gu family members. How could she be threatened by a mere adopted person?

Gu Yun'an leisurely lowered his head to straighten the already wrinkle-free clothes, but his eyes showed no emotion as he said indifferently, "Mother is wrong, it's not about winning her over."

After saying that, he kindly explained, "I have never tried to win over anyone."

Cheng's usually indifferent brows furrowed slightly beneath her exquisite makeup, then she seemed somewhat relieved.

Yes, those people didn't need him to win them over. They hated him intensely for using them by any means necessary to secure his own position.

The dim candlelight flickered in the wind, casting shadows on Gu Yun'an's face, a faint smile playing on his lips, yet that smile was somewhat eerie.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, his tone cold and harsh, and said, word by word, "Mother, it's time for you to step down."

Something seemed to have touched a nerve, and Cheng's tense expression relaxed slightly. She then let out a cold laugh, a sharp and piercing laugh that quickly turned into a sarcastic remark.

"My biggest mistake was letting a puppet like you grow wings!"

Cheng stared intently at him, her eyes filled with resentment and a hint of sarcasm.

Without her, Gu Yun'an would probably still be a lowly illegitimate son in the hands of the third wife's widow, and he would never have had the opportunity to speak to her so openly.

Cheng's shrill voice seemed to overlap with the sound from that night. The scene of that desperate shouting seemed to reappear before my eyes.

“No, Mother, what you shouldn’t have done most,” he lowered his eyes, his tone growing colder, “was watching the Third Madam die on that winter night.”

What Cheng needed was nothing more than an obedient puppet, a sensible doll that she could manipulate at will.

At first, that was indeed the case.

Unfortunately, everything changed after that bitterly cold winter night.

After he was adopted into the Cheng family, the Third Madam was moved to the estate, ostensibly because it was a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, suitable for recuperating her mind and body. In reality, however, it was nothing more than a disguised form of exile.

Otherwise, he would have no further contact with the Third Madam.

That harsh winter, the wind was biting cold. The nanny who accompanied the Third Madam came to the Gu residence anxiously, pleading with Madam Cheng to ask a doctor to examine the Third Madam's condition.

However, Cheng Shi did not even show her face, and instead had the leisure to close her eyes and rest.

Left with no other option, the nanny had to plead with Gu Yun'an.

He still remembers the old woman's desperate voice, which was like a sharp knife cutting into his heart again and again.

"The Third Madam is bleeding terribly! Fourth Young Master, I beg you, please save the Third Madam, save your own mother!"

Later, the old woman's words became increasingly sharp and harsh.

"You ungrateful, heartless, and cruel person! You'd even abandon your own mother to climb the social ladder. People like you deserve a terrible death!"

Every night, those words would echo in his mind like a ghost, over and over again.

Later, the Third Madam ultimately did not survive that harsh winter and closed her eyes forever.

His peers from the collateral branches envied him for suddenly becoming the legitimate son and gaining a noble status; yet they also despised him for disregarding even his own mother in order to climb to the position of legitimate son.

They envy and despise him, which is exactly what Cheng wants. She wants him to be helpless and a puppet.

Outside, it started raining sometime earlier, and the raindrops rushed to the ground, just like the rain falling silently.

Gu Yun'an's thoughts were gradually pulled back. He looked at the position behind Cheng Shi that symbolized the power of the Gu family, and his tone was somewhat indifferent.

"It's time for you to step down."

He no longer called for his mother, but instead, in a superior manner, informed her that it was time for her to change positions as the head of the Gu family, a position she had held for so long.

The Gu family is ultimately surnamed Gu, and it should not rely on women marrying into high positions to secure its status, but rather on men achieving success and establishing their own careers to solidify the family's position.

Raindrops drifted into the house on the gentle breeze.

Upon hearing his words, Cheng was first taken aback, then burst into laughter, a laughter filled with madness and despair.

After laughing, she slowly stood up, looked at the torrential rain outside, and said with a somewhat crazed look, "Gu Yun'an, Gu Yun'an, do you think you can please everyone?"

"It's a pity, she's already gone." She paused, then turned her gaze to Gu Yun'an, her face cold as if looking at her former self. "Which path do you think you should take to catch up with her?"

His indifferent eyes suddenly narrowed, and Gu Yun'an instantly recalled Ruan Xingzhu's words from yesterday that she wanted to go out for a stroll. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it and let her go.

Seeing Gu Yun'an's expression, Madam Cheng smiled, a smile tinged with cruelty. Then, she stopped smiling, her face growing increasingly cold.

"What good will it do you to seize power? In the end, you'll still end up like me, despised and hated by those close to you, with no future!"