Chapter 29 [VIP]

The two old women were filled with anxiety.

When they were first surrounded, they thought they were being robbed by bandits. Granny Ping was so frightened that she took out all the jewelry and silver from their bodies, begging that they wouldn't be killed, but the bandits didn't even look at them.

There was no robbery, no murder, and they were not let go.

The fact that the other party's purpose was unclear only made them more afraid, as if they had a noose around their necks and didn't know when they would be hung up.

Upon seeing Gu Zhizhuo, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Now I won't die.

So these are all people from the Gu family. Really, they won't say anything even when we ask them... As soon as this thought flashed through her mind, Granny Ping's heart skipped a beat. She thought: The Gu family stopped them, could it be that they know something!

Gu Zhizhuo dismounted and walked over.

Granny Ping hurriedly hugged Aman, as if she had grasped a lifeline, holding her tightly. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Gu Zhizhuo kicked her to the ground, stepped on her shoulder, and bent down to pick up Aman.

Aman was ice cold all over, her chubby little face was completely bloodless, and her little hands hung limply, motionless.

Gu Zhizhuo felt her pulse, and after a short while, her tense back relaxed.

Thank goodness. He was just given sleeping powder; his life is not in danger.

Gu Zhizhuo carefully wiped the water off her face with a handkerchief.

Granny Ping, clutching her shoulder, struggled to her feet, moved back a little, then a little more, and the two nannies, supporting each other, took off running.

That's right, it depends on whether others will let them run away.

In just a few steps, a blade was pointed at her, its sharp edge gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Granny Ping felt a chill run down her spine and retreated, finally collapsing back onto the ground.

"Fine!" she shouted, trying to hide her panic and unease. "The dignified Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has actually resorted to such underhanded tactics as blocking the road."

Gu Zhizhuo narrowed his phoenix eyes and swept them sharply.

Granny Ping's gaze darted around, subtly revealing fear and tension.

Gu Zhizhu smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "The Great Qi Code states that those who sell others shall be hanged."

“略卖” means to abduct and sell innocent people.

Upon hearing the word "strangulation," the two old women shuddered simultaneously and waved their hands in denial, saying, "No!"

“You’ve been sneaking around with a child under four years old in a place where even birds don’t come,” Gu Zhizhuo said coldly. “If this isn’t kidnapping, then it’s a case of a wicked servant killing his master.”

"Cut in half!"

"no!"

Granny Ping cried out in surprise, repeatedly explaining, "It was my mistress who ordered it..."

"Let what?"

"Let..." Granny Ping was extremely anxious, her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat, unable to come up or down, and it took her a long time to finally utter a sentence, "My mistress wants us to take the Fourth Miss to the estate to recuperate, yes, to recuperate!"

Aman is the fourth among the granddaughters of the Marquis of Jing'an.

“Yes, yes,” another nanny echoed.

Gu Zhizhuo casually asked, "Is your estate in the river?"

"The fourth sister is tired of arguing..."

Gu Zhizhuo held Aman in his arms, his eyes filled with deep sarcasm: "So after drinking the anesthetic, Aman was able to speak. Is your anesthetic some kind of miracle drug?"

Granny Ping choked, and said in a fierce but weak voice, "Miss Gu, you are surnamed Gu, but you have no right to interfere with our Jing'an Marquis's mansion."

Yes! It was Madam who instructed them to take Fourth Miss to the estate, and they just happened to be passing by here to rest! She kept telling herself this.

"I see," Gu Zhizhuo said casually. "Then you can go to the Jingzhao Prefecture to discuss it."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads. The two old women were both shocked and frightened. Granny Ping's back was covered in cold sweat. She forced herself to ask, "Miss Gu, the Gu family and our Jing'an Marquis's mansion are in-laws. Are you trying to sever our ties by doing this?!"

Gu Zhizhuo would be crazy to argue with two servants. She ignored them, holding Aman and looking in the direction they came from. It was only May, and Aman, having been soaked in water, was still easily chilled by the wind.

She was waiting for Qingmei.

Qingmei was indeed very reliable in handling matters. She arrived just a cup of tea later than Qingmei, bringing not only Gu Liaoliao and her guards, but also a carriage.

Gu Liaoliao was still wearing the official robes she wore when she entered the palace. To make riding easier, she not only threw away her headdress but also tore the hem of her skirt. Now, having ridden all the way here, her hair was disheveled, her clothes were wrinkled, and she looked extremely disheveled.

She jumped off the horse in a panic, and only came to her senses after holding Aman in her arms.

"After drinking the sleeping powder, you will wake up once the effects wear off."

Gu Zhizhuo explained, and Qingmei took a cloak from the carriage and helped Gu Liaoliao wrap herself in it.

Gu Liaoliao was filled with lingering fear.

On the way here, Qingmei told me that Lady Jing'an wanted to drown Aman.

Seeing that even Ah Man's hair was wet, Gu Liaoliao didn't dare to think about the danger that had occurred. If her niece had reacted any slower, if she hadn't found Ah Man in time, she might never have seen her again.

Her daughter is only three and a half years old!

Why would someone be so vicious as to not allow her to live?

Gu Liaoliao was filled with hatred, a faint taste of blood filling her throat.

Gu Zhizhuo then said, "Aunt, the servants of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion are wicked and have killed their master. I plan to send them to the Jingzhao Prefecture."

Gu Liaoliao paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

Aman's surname is Qin, and Lady Jing'an is her grandmother. Even if she takes these three back to confront and argue, what difference will it make? Let alone loyalty, the contracts of their entire family are in Lady Jing'an's hands. For the sake of their families, even if they die, they dare not utter a single word about their master.

Lady Jing'an could easily have said that she sent her servants to take Aman to the estate for a short stay, and that the servants hadn't taken good care of the young master, almost causing him to drown. At most, she would have given those servants a beating, and even if they had been beaten to death, it wouldn't have implicated the real culprit.

Gu Liaoliao understood all of this. Her chest was burning hot, and she wished she could devour Lady Jing'an alive.

"Send him to the Jingzhao Prefecture first, and I'll arrange the rest," Gu Zhizhuo said solemnly. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone who harmed Aman get away with it."

In their previous life, the Gu family was in the eye of the storm, barely able to protect themselves.

The Gu family is not completely wiped out yet, and they can still protect their married aunt.

"Please take Aman back to the carriage first, so she doesn't get cold."

Gu Liaoliao met her niece's gentle gaze, nodded slowly, and carried Aman toward the carriage.

"Take it down."

Gu Zhizhuo gave the order.

Gu Liaoliao arrived in a hurry, bringing only four guards with her in the carriage.

They swarmed over and subdued the two old women in no time. Gu Zhizhuo looked down at them and coldly ordered, "Drown them."

The guards immediately grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the riverbank.

Granny Ping was terrified; her lips trembled uncontrollably. She desperately kicked the ground, but she was still about to be pushed into the river.

Her face was deathly pale, and she cried out desperately, "Madam, Madam! I am the Lady's servant, please don't do anything rash!"

Gu Liaoliao stopped in her tracks.

She said loudly, "The aunt said that the fourth young lady's birth chart is not good. The aunt is afraid that the fourth young lady will frighten the future little grandson, so she asked the fourth young lady to go to the estate to avoid it."

Gu Liaoliao silently turned around, her face expressionless.

Granny Ping licked her dry lips and said in one breath, "You insist on being so aggressive and have angered Madam Bo. It won't be good for you. You might have to live at the mercy of Concubine Sun in the future."

The two old women kept calling her "Madam," clearly intending to use the title of Madam Jing'an to pressure Gu Liaoliao.

That's exactly what they thought. Everyone in the mansion knew that the Crown Prince's wife couldn't give birth to a son, and the Lady of the Heir Apparent was already very dissatisfied with her. Now, the only heir of the eldest son's family was in Concubine Sun's belly. In order to ensure the safety of this pregnancy, the Crown Prince's wife even had to go back to her parents' home.

If this upsets the Madam again, let's see what she does then.

They were all Madam Bo's confidantes, and they had heard these words many times before, but they never dared to say them in front of Gu Liaoliao. Now that their lives were at stake, they couldn't care less about such taboos.

"Stop."

Gu Liaoliao spoke to the guards, then handed Aman, whom she was holding, to Qingmei, and walked towards them.

Granny Ping breathed a sigh of relief.

A woman who cannot give birth to a son is considered inferior, no matter what if she is the wife of a prince.

Even hens have chicks.

"Your Highness's wife, please heed my advice..."

Gu Liaoliao swung her arm high and slapped him down.

Snap!

He slapped her again with his backhand.

It was heavy and loud.

Gu Liaoliao clenched her molars tightly.

She was wounded on the battlefield in northern Xinjiang a few years ago; the tendons in both of her arms were severed, and she could not use her arms.

These slaps, delivered with intense hatred and all their might, left bloody five-finger marks on the two old women's cheeks, red and swollen, with blood trickling from the corners of their mouths. Granny Ping coughed a few times, spitting out two large teeth. If the guards hadn't restrained their arms, they probably would have been knocked to the ground.

Now she couldn't speak, sobbing and tears and snot streaming down her face.

Gu Zhizhu gave a signal, and the people were dragged away. The guards shoved their heads into the river, and the river water poured into their mouths and noses, with blood constantly spreading on the surface of the water.

The two old women struggled desperately, and finally managed to lift their heads to breathe, but the guards pushed them back down once again.

The coachman was also dragged over.

Gu Liaoliao stood there, panting heavily. Her severely injured arm was numb and had no feeling at all, so it just hung down, her palms red.

"Leave him alive, and send him to the Jingzhao Prefecture."

After giving his instructions, Gu Zhizhuo left one of the guards behind to find Qiongfang and the others and tell them to return to the manor. Then, he solemnly thanked Zhao Jia before helping Gu Liaoliao back to the carriage.

This carriage was the one Gu Liaoliao used when she entered the palace. To avoid any disrespect in the palace, a spare set of clothes is always left in the carriage.

Gu Zhizhuo and Qingmei helped Aman change out of her wet clothes, and Gu Liaoliao silently held her in her arms.

"Aunt, do you still want to live this life?" Gu Zhizhuo said softly. "Just tell me your decision."

"To pass or not to pass."

"Please don't worry, I'm here, and the Gu family is here."

Having been reborn, she only understands one thing.

The aunt of the Gu family must not wrong herself.

Whether it was her aunt or her two younger cousins.

A girl who values ​​family must live freely and unrestrained; this will become her greatest source of confidence.

Gu Liaoliao met her gaze, and slowly shook her head: "No. But Aman..."

She had long since given up on this life, but according to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, children are enshrined in the husband's family ancestral hall, and women are not allowed to take their children with them, whether they are divorced or have a settlement.

She couldn't possibly leave Aman to the Qin family.

So, what she had previously thought of was to separate from the family and move out of the Jing'an Marquis's mansion with A'man. But now, the mere thought of having any connection with the Qin family made her feel nauseous.

Gu Zhizhuo put a finger to his lips, stopping her from continuing: "Let's go back to the manor first."

With a shout of "Giddy up!", the carriage started moving.

The jade lion didn't need her to call out to it at all; it followed the carriage happily, walking with its head held high and chest puffed out.

After entering the capital, they went straight back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

It was already late afternoon, and the sun was setting in the west.

Madam Gu was getting impatient. After all, she was getting old and couldn't ride a horse anymore, so she could only come back and wait.

Lady Ji, along with Gu Yan, stayed by her side, gently comforting her, saying things like "good people are always blessed," but the Grand Madam ignored her completely.

Seeing that her daughter had finally returned, Madam Gu rushed over in a few strides: "How is Aman?"

She looked at Aman first. The little child was nestled motionless in Gu Liaoliao's arms, her face pale and bloodless.

Gu Zhizhuo glanced at Madam Ji and briefly explained the situation. The old lady was dumbfounded, her mouth agape for a long time. In all her years, she had never imagined that someone could be so vicious.

Madam Gu gritted her teeth and said, "Zhuo'er, you should bring these unruly servants back. Let's go to the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion and have a good talk with them!"

What kind of life are her daughter and her granddaughter living?

The old lady's heart was bleeding with pain.

Gu Zhizhuo interrupted, "Hasn't the doctor arrived yet? Aman has a slight fever."

The old lady, no longer able to think of anything else, hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes."

She didn't wait in vain; as soon as she returned, she ordered someone to summon the doctor, who is now waiting for her.

She busied herself in instructing Gu Liaoliao to take Aman to the Bisha Pavilion, and then called the doctor over to take a look.

On the way back, Gu Zhizhuo took Aman's pulse, so she didn't go in again. Instead, she sat down on a chair and called out to Madam Ji, "Mother, please wait."

Just as Madam Ji was about to follow, she stopped and looked over upon hearing this, saying gently, "Zhuo'er."

She sighed and gently patted her chest: "That really scared me, but thankfully Aman is alright."

Her features were delicate, and her slightly furrowed brows carried a hint of melancholy.

“Mother,” Gu Zhizhuo said with a smile, but there was no smile in her clear eyes, “Yan’er is almost six years old, and it’s time to move him to the front yard. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

Ji Shi never expected that she would be caught off guard as soon as she uttered a single sentence.

Gu Yan was sitting there looking unhappy when he heard this. He immediately rushed to Ji Shi's side and interrupted, shouting, "I'm not going! What right do you have to tell me what to do? I'll inherit the family business later..."

Madam Ji quickly covered his mouth, saying with difficulty, "Zhuo'er, your father is gone, and your eldest brother has taken up his post and hasn't returned yet. We can't let Yan'er live alone in the outer courtyard, can we? How about we wait until Can'er comes back before moving him?"

“I will talk to my uncle and ask him to come back to the mansion for a few days.”

"But……"

"No need to beg. Hand Yan-ge over to me."

A deep, resonant voice rang out, accompanied by the creaking of a wheelchair. Gu Baibai, the only surviving male of the previous generation of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, was pushed in by a rough-looking old woman.

Gu Baibai had been recuperating at a hot spring resort outside the city and had just returned.

Gu Zhizhuo stood up and greeted them politely, "Third Uncle, Third Aunt."

Gu Baibai was in his thirties, handsome beyond compare. In his youth, countless young girls in the capital secretly admired him. One year, when he returned to the capital to present captives, the purses and flowers thrown down from both sides of the street almost drowned people. Princess Pingjia, Lu Jinrong, was the boldest, openly expressing her feelings and even dragging a bewildered Gu Baibai along to ask the late emperor for a marriage decree.

"Third Aunt, please sit down. You're heavily pregnant and still running around, causing yourself so much trouble." Gu Zhizhuo helped Madam Lu sit down. Gu Baibai was very thin, and the large robes he wore hung loosely on him. He only asked one question: "Yaoyao, what do you think should be done?"

She said, "Give him twenty strokes of the cane and make him copy the 'Book of Exhortations to Goodness' one hundred times."

Gu Baibai nodded: "Let's do it that way."

"Third Uncle!" Madam Ji exclaimed anxiously, almost losing control of her expression. "Yan'er is not even six years old yet."

Twenty strokes of the cane!

The Duke of Zhenguo's family was a military family, and the bamboo sticks used for family discipline were at least two and a half fingers thick. Twenty strokes would at least leave the skin torn and the flesh ripped open.

Gu Baibai's face was gentle, but her words left no room for argument: "No need for tomorrow, just send it to the front yard after you're done."

Ji Shi had been married into the family for many years, and the second and third wives had always respected her as their eldest aunt. This was the first time they had directly rejected her idea.

"I don't want to, I won't go!"

Gu Yan was terrified and screamed in a shrill voice.

"Yan-ge'er".

Lady Ji winked at him, pretending not to stop him, but actually giving him a subtle push from behind. Gu Yan took off running. He was determined to escape first, then go to the palace to plead with his uncle, the Emperor. He refused to believe anyone would dare to hit him again!

Uncle Emperor has always liked him the most!

Gu Zhizhuo silently stretched out one leg.

Gu Yan wasn't looking where he was going and tripped and fell to the ground with a thud.

For a moment, Gu Baibai was incredulous, and he cast a scrutinizing gaze at Gu Zhizhuo.

Gu Zhizhu walked over, grabbed Gu Yan and lifted him up, staring into his eyes, and said coldly, "Either you obediently go and accept your punishment, or..."

She patted his shoulder with the back of her hand.

This is the spot where she grabbed me not long ago.

Gu Yan shuddered. The thought of her fierceness when she held a dagger to the wet nurse filled him with panic. He quickly and pragmatically admitted, "I...I'll go, I'll go and accept the punishment. Big sister, please don't be angry..."

"Qingmei. Take him there and keep an eye on him until he's done fighting before you come back."

Gu Zhizhuo released him, turned around and went back to her seat. She glanced up and saw Gu Yan, who had been led away by Qingmei, staring at her with venomous eyes. Perhaps noticing her gaze, Gu Yan quickly lowered his head and obediently followed Qingmei.

Gu Zhizhuo's expression darkened.

Six years old! How could a child under six years old have such eyes?

It seems that in her previous life, she knew far too little about her younger brother.

Madam Ji could no longer sit still. She pursed her lips tightly, turned and left.

All she wants to do now is go see her son. From childhood to adulthood, she has never been able to bear to hit his palm. How painful it must be to be hit with such a thick bamboo stick.

"Mother."

Gu Zhizhuo said unhurriedly, "Mother is getting old, and she has to take care of everything in the household. Fortunately, I have finished my mourning period and can share some of the burden for you. You won't have to worry about managing the household affairs in the future."

"Could you please take the trouble to sort out the ledgers?"

"From now on, you can stay in the mansion, practice Buddhism and Taoism."

Who's old?! She's only twenty-five! Madam Ji almost vomited blood. She wanted to say something, but when she looked up, she saw Gu Baibai sitting there steadily.

Even though he didn't say a word, he also didn't reprimand Gu Zhizhuo, which means he agreed.

Gu Baibai is now bedridden and rarely goes out. In the capital, many people have forgotten about him. However, back then, Gu Baibai was a shrewd strategist who struck fear into the hearts of many.

Under his gaze, Lady Ji was speechless.

She neither agreed nor disagreed.

She remained silent, head bowed, revealing her beautiful profile, tears streaming down her fair cheeks.

Ji glanced at Gu Baibai briefly before stepping out of the main hall.

Gu Zhizhuo turned to Gu Baibai and said, "Third Uncle, Aman is still inside, and Aunt is also there. Please sit down with Third Aunt. I'll go out for a bit."

Where to?

“The Marquis of Jing’an’s residence.” Gu Zhizhuo grinned and said matter-of-factly, “Third Uncle, our Gu family can’t let others bully us for nothing. That clever Qin fellow, Qin Su, is the Gu family’s son-in-law.”

“The Qin family is no longer obedient, so the Gu family can find a new son-in-law.”

"Putting everything else aside, there are plenty of handsome men under Father's command. Aunt can just pick another one. What's the big deal?"

Madam Lu couldn't help but laugh, and she scolded with a laugh, "Nonsense."

Gu Zhizhu made a face at her, then stood up obediently.

Gu Baibai smiled faintly and said, "Go ahead, you can use the guards in the front yard as much as you like."

Gu Zhizhuo's eyes lit up, and he replied loudly, "Yes!"

"Third Uncle, I trouble you to find a way to keep Qin Su in the palace, for as long as possible."

As soon as she finished speaking, she rushed out. Madam Lu walked to his side, patted his shoulder lightly, and said with displeasure, "How could you let a little girl like Yaoyao go? What if she gets bullied?"

Gu Baibai slowly rubbed her right thumb and forefinger together: "Let her go."

He raised his hand and pressed it against his wife's hand, and their hands naturally clasped together.

“Little sister.” Gu Baibai turned around and said to the direction of the screen, “Now that even Yaoyao has grown up, you don’t need to hold back everything.”

Gu Liaoliao was standing behind the screen when she came out and unexpectedly overheard Gu Zhizhuo's words.

A faint smile appeared on her face. After Gu Baibai finished speaking, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally fell. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed softly.

Madam Lu sighed softly, "It's good to cry it out. If you keep it bottled up inside, you'll get sick."

My younger sister has had a tough three years.

She endured it all, for Aman's sake, and also for the sake of the Gu family's children. When the emperor wanted to use Qin Su, she offered herself as a hostage, giving Can Can and Yao Yao enough time to grow up.

"Let me go!"

"I'm going to kill you all, kill you all!"

"Aaaaaah!"

Gu Yan's wailing instantly drowned out the barely perceptible sobbing.

Gu Yan cried and made a scene, almost turning Ronghe Hall upside down, but twenty lashes were still twenty lashes, not a single one less.

After Qingmei finished fighting, she sent the person to Gu Baibai and then caught up with Gu Zhizhuo.

She also brought a divorce agreement that was still wet with ink, with Gu Liaoliao's signature on it.

All the guards Gu Zhizhuo had ordered had arrived, a total of twenty people.

Half of the guards in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion are veterans of the Northern Frontier Army, the kind who have shed blood on the battlefield. They are either disabled or homeless. Starting with the old Duke, they would be brought back, ostensibly as guards, but in reality, it was a disguised form of resettlement.

Those who couldn't be accommodated in the manor were placed on the estate or in the shop, so they could always make a living.

Gu Zhizhuo was familiar with all these faces. In his previous life, after the Gu family encountered trouble, seeing that things were not going well, Gu Zhizhuo took it upon himself to give them some money to settle the family and send them away immediately.

However, none of them left after taking the money. When the Gu family was convicted and imprisoned, they helped by sending them food and bedding in prison. When the Gu family was exiled, they followed them at a distance on the road to exile and bribed the officials.

If it weren't for them, the Gu family wouldn't have survived the plague.

Unfortunately, only one in ten of these people survived.

Gu Zhizhuo gripped the riding crop and flicked his palm with the tip of the crop intermittently: "You'll all come with me on this trip today."

Where are you going?

"Go to the Qin family."

She didn't believe in keeping family scandals private, and simply explained the situation. This infuriated them all, and they were so angry they wanted to smash up the Jing'an Marquis's mansion.

The first Earl of Jing'an was a veteran minister who followed Emperor Taizu in his conquest of the world, and thus received a hereditary earldom without any reduction in rank.

After the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty, none of the three monarchs bestowed any new titles.

Nowadays, this hereditary title without downgrading is only held by founding heroes. Even though the Jing'an Earl's Mansion has had two generations of incompetent rulers, no one in the capital dares to underestimate it.

The vermilion gate that opens to the door in three rooms and the plaque with gold lettering on a black background represent the highest honor of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion.

Standing in front of the Jing'an Marquis's residence, a guard who was blind in one eye and was known as Old Dan said angrily, "A Marquis's residence? What a piece of trash!"

“You’re right.” Gu Zhizhuo’s lips curved into a meaningful smile. “If your virtue doesn’t match your position, I think you might as well not have this title.”

A note from the author: