Chapter 33 [VIP]

Wow.

An uproar ensued.

That's ridiculous! Not only is the heir of the Marquis of Jing'an being cuckolded, but he's also raising a son for his own father!

Are they really going to have such elaborate celebrations in Jing'an Prefecture?!

Madam Liu secretly gave her personal maid a wink, signaling her to go to the front and speak with her master.

"impossible!"

Lady Jing'an's face turned deathly pale, and she screamed loudly.

With trembling hands, she pointed at Qingping and hysterically demanded, "Is it the Gu family! Did the Gu family bribe you to make baseless accusations?"

"You sorcerer!"

Qingping held a whisk in his hand, his face expressionless.

It was as if these questions had nothing to do with him; he was like a lone boat in a raging storm, detached from the world.

He simply said, "Madam, could it be that you were unaware of this?"

He didn't argue loudly; his eyes were full of compassion and deep sympathy.

"impossible!"

"It must be the Gu family, it's the Gu family!"

Lady Jing'an screamed hysterically, clutching Qingping's Taoist robe tightly as she pleaded, "Master, tell me, it's the Gu family, isn't it?"

It must be that Madam Gu is consumed by jealousy and bribed that sorcerer Qingping to ruin her son's reputation!

Qingping slowly shook his head. The sleeves of his Taoist robe fell down, and his face was expressionless, like a high and mighty deity, making people want to worship him.

"I have said all I can say. If you do not wish to believe me, then so be it."

"Your Highness," Qingping said again to the stunned Prince Jing'an, "As for offspring, you either have them or you don't; it's all predestined. You are destined to have no children, but your wife is born with a malevolent aura, a nature of killing and warfare, which can suppress evil spirits, allowing you to have a daughter by chance. Your daughter is your only bloodline in this life. This is the will of Heaven; do not force it."

He decided to make things clear to avoid the Jing'an Marquis's family from acting rashly again and causing trouble that would implicate him.

Qingping outwardly adopted the air of a wise and enlightened sage, but inwardly he felt utterly disgusted. He needed to tell his junior sister that it wasn't enough that the girl had narrowly escaped death; she should ideally change her surname and lineage. Otherwise, she would most likely be implicated by Qin Su's fate of having no heir, and suffer many more misfortunes.

Qin Su felt as if all his energy had been drained away. He told himself that the sorcerer was talking nonsense, but his throat tightened and he couldn't utter a single word.

"It's the Gu family! It must be the Gu family!" the aunt muttered to herself. "I'm going to the Gu family! I'm going to the Gu family and give them a good talking to. Why did they do this!"

“My great-aunt has already divorced your son, who would want to get involved in your family’s dirty business?”

The voice suddenly rang out. Qingmei crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame, her pretty face full of disdainful sneers.

She was dressed as a maid, but her demeanor and bearing were nothing like that of a maid.

"Who are you?" Upon hearing this question, Granny Qiu suddenly remembered, slapped her thigh, and exclaimed, "That's right! You're from the Gu family!"

She had seen Gu Zhizhuo cause trouble before!

“Yes.” Qingmei took out a red invitation card with gold embellishment, held it between two fingers and shook it. “This is an invitation from your esteemed household. My young lady said that it’s not worth her making a trip for a mere illegitimate son, so she sent me to offer my congratulations.”

This manor is in such a mess. When she arrived, no one greeted her or stopped her. There were people coming and going all day, and she walked here for quite a while without anyone noticing her.

Is it her fault?

She made a congratulatory gesture with both hands and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Madam, on the birth of your precious son."

"..."

These words made Lady Jing'an feel even more choked up.

Her hand trembled even more violently as she pointed at Qingmei, her lips quivering uncontrollably.

Qingmei walked over with light steps, took out a small gold lock from her bosom, gently placed it on the child, and then cupped her hands in greeting: "Congratulations, Your Highness, on the birth of your son."

Qingping clicked his tongue twice in his mind. How black-hearted must his cheap junior sister be? Even the little maid she trained was so black-hearted. She must be afraid of angering them to death.

Qin Su: "..."

Lady Jing'an clutched her chest, her vision blurring.

"Madam! Madam!"

A young maid rushed in, almost in tears, and said, "Madam, Aunt Sun has run away."

Lady Jing'an lost her balance and fell onto Granny Qiu, who stumbled from the impact.

Qingmei's laughter was like the tinkling of silver bells.

When she arrived, she was engrossed in the commotion and noticed the chaos around her. So she casually sent a maid to find Sun Yaoniang and tell her that the Madam and the Heir Apparent already knew that the child she had given birth to was the Earl's.

The Jing'an Marquis's residence was incredibly relaxed. She sent someone to deliver a message to Sun Yaoniang, and the person actually went without questioning her identity at all.

Sun Yaoniang was the same; she didn't even ask around before running away.

This run clearly indicates a guilty conscience.

Qin Su was stunned; the last shred of hope in his heart vanished.

His arms fell limply to his sides, and the swaddled baby in his arms slipped down, about to fall to the ground, when the child's wet nurse rushed over and used her body as a cushion to catch him.

Wow!

The child burst into tears, and the wet nurse hurriedly tried to soothe him. She glanced cautiously at Qin Su and met a pair of eyes full of resentment and hatred. The anger and hatred overflowing from those eyes almost swallowed her whole.

The wet nurse's heart pounded like a drum, and her face was filled with anxiety.

Just a moment ago, the young master was pampered and spoiled, but now neither the madam nor the young master would even glance at him. It seems the household is about to change drastically! The thought had barely crossed his mind when Qin Su grabbed the baby's swaddling clothes with a ferocious grin and lifted him up. He placed his other hand on the baby's delicate neck, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. At that moment, the wet nurse couldn't help but suspect that he was going to strangle the child.

The wet nurse panicked and, in her haste, snatched the child from his arms, blurting out, "Young Master, please don't be impulsive! Even if the young master isn't your son, he's still your brother!"

A muffled laugh rippled through the hall. Madam Liu couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. She quickly covered her mouth with her handkerchief and pretended to cough a few times.

Qin Su's heartstrings snapped completely.

He kicked the wet nurse hard to the ground and rushed out. Lady Jing'an hesitated for a moment, then stumbled after him.

The wet nurse was terrified. She wasn't wrong; this child belonged to either the young master or the earl, and to her, they were both masters. If anything happened to him, she would be the one to suffer!

The wet nurse thought and thought, then gritted her teeth and ran away. However, she ran to the front yard, where the Earl seemed to be entertaining guests. She had to hurry and tell the Earl, because only the Earl could hold back the young master.

Sun Yaoniang was also running towards the front yard.

But she had just given birth and was always delicate, so Qin Su caught up with her halfway there.

"Cousin, cousin..."

Sun Yaoniang forced a smile and said, "Please, please don't believe that sorcerer's nonsense. It must be that my cousin-in-law can't tolerate me and my child, so she's forcing this crime on me. How will I survive in the future!"

As she spoke, she sobbed, pressing a handkerchief to the corner of her eye, then cautiously glancing towards the front yard. She had already sent a maid to inform the Earl, but why hadn't he arrived yet?

Even now, she's still trying to drag A-Liao into this! Qin Su was filled with resentment and anger; the flames rising in his chest almost consumed him. He drew his sword and pressed it against her fair neck, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"Tell me! Whose child is this?!"

Qin Su was almost completely convinced, but deep down he still held onto a last glimmer of hope.

He hoped that this past year wouldn't be a joke.

Sun Yaoniang said timidly, "You know that I have only ever been with you..."

Qin Su silently pushed the sword forward a little, the blade slicing through her tender skin, blood trickling down her snow-white neck. Sun Yaoniang covered her face in shock, kneeling down and crawling to grab Qin Su's robes, crying out, "This concubine, this concubine... Your Highness, spare my life! It was the Earl who made me do this!"

"It was all Lord Earl's idea!"

Lady Jing'an, who arrived a step too late, overheard these words and turned ashen-faced, lifeless.

“Young Master,” Sun Yaoniang cried, tears and snot streaming down her face, “It was the Earl who said that the eldest branch of the family has no sons, and this child is just the right one. After he is born, he can inherit the eldest branch. It was the Earl who told me to do this.”

“The Earl said that I am the lady’s niece and he cannot take me as a concubine, as it would be a disgrace to his family.”

“But he will let my children inherit the title as compensation to me.”

Sun Yaoniang knelt on the ground, looking terrified.

The long sword in Qin Su's hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

All his reason shattered completely at that moment, turning into dust.

"Su'er!"

His despondent look pained Lady Jing'an's heart as well. She grabbed her son's sleeve and kicked Sun Yaoniang several times viciously, saying with extreme hatred, "This slut and this bastard should be dragged out and beaten to death!"

Sun Yaoniang huddled up. Her aunt was ruthless and cold-hearted; she really would beat her to death.

She was nominally the niece of the Lady of Jing'an, but in reality, they were already beyond the fifth degree of kinship. In front of the Lady of Jing'an, she was treated like a servant and was not as respectable as Granny Qiu and the others.

As she grew older, the families the Crown Prince's wife arranged for her to marry were either scholars or guards of the Imperial Guard; she could practically see the end of her life ahead of her. She simply refused to accept her fate.

Sun Yaoniang vaguely recalled that day when she had gone to ask the Earl to intervene and find her a good husband, but who knew...

Sun Yaoniang looked towards the front yard again and again, but the Earl did not come!

Her heart was filled with despair. Yes, she was pregnant, but the Earl refused to take her as a concubine. How could he possibly come to her rescue now?

"Su'er, it's alright, Mother will find you a better one." After saying this, Lady Jing'an pointed at Sun Yaoniang and said with hatred, "Guards! Drag her away and beat her severely! And that bastard child, drown him..."

"Your Highness!"

Realizing she had no way out, Sun Yaoniang cried out shrilly, "Young Master, no matter how many people your Madam finds for you, it's useless. Master Qingping said that you are destined to have no heir. Your Madam actually knew this a long time ago. She didn't tell you because she wanted to alienate you from your wife!"

Previously, Qin Su's mind was filled with the thought that this child wasn't his, but now he remembered that Qingping seemed to have said that he was destined to have no heirs. And his mother knew that too?

As if struck by lightning, he looked up at Lady Jing'an. Though he hadn't said a word, the venom in his eyes sent a shiver down Lady Jing'an's spine.

"Your Highness, do you know why your wife insists on divorcing you?"

Sun Yaoniang got up and quietly backed away, shouting, "To pray for a child for you, Madam Bo took Aman's heart's blood and made you drink it! Such a long needle, stabbing it hard into your chest."

Ah Man's heart's blood?!

No!

Qin Su felt a faint taste of blood in his throat. He instinctively covered his throat with his hand and gagged repeatedly, his face turning as white as if he were about to suffocate.

"Su'er!" Lady Jing'an panicked and hurriedly said, "Don't listen to that vile woman's nonsense!"

“Young Master, the Madam also ordered someone to drown Aman, saying that this would ensure I could give birth to a son.” Sun Yaoniang took the opportunity to run away and added, “I heard her instructing Granny Ping with my own ears.”

"On the very day that the Crown Prince's wife and you divorced."

"It was all the Lady's doing!"

Qin Su rushed over, grabbed Madam Bo's shoulders, his eyes bloodshot: "Aman, what's wrong with Aman?!"

No wonder Ah Liao suddenly became so resolute and abandoned him.

He screamed, "What did you do to Aman?! Tell me!"

"For a mere little girl, you...you actually spoke to your mother like that..." Lady Jing'an's eyes darted away. "I already said, this wretched woman is talking nonsense..."

Qin Su twitched the corners of his mouth, his expression a mixture of crying and despair, and his hand involuntarily tightened its grip, causing Lady Jing'an to scream in agony.

Sun Yaoniang suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Lord!"

Qin Su stared blankly at it.

The Earl of Jing'an came from the direction of the front yard with several constables. Sun Yaoniang felt as if she had found a backer and quickly hid behind the Earl of Jing'an, her soft and boneless body leaning against him: "My lord, I was so scared. Now that you're here, my heart feels at ease..."

"Madam!"

The head constable pretended not to see the mother and son killing each other, cupped his hands in greeting, and said in an official manner, "Madam Jing'an, three people from your household, including Granny Ping, have accused you of ordering them to drown your own granddaughter. The prefect has ordered us to invite you to the court."

"please!"

Lady Jing'an was stunned for a moment, then said angrily, "I am a Lady Jing'an of the highest rank. Who gave you permission to act so presumptuously here?"

The head constable asked Qin Su with a troubled expression, "Your Highness, you see, according to the law, if someone identifies someone, the court must be convened."

Heh, heh. Qin Su gave a low, bitter laugh; her mother wanted to kill her daughter.

His only blood relative.

The metallic taste of blood in Qin Su's throat made him feel nauseous. He was filled with rage and pushed Lady Jing'an away viciously, saying hatefully, "Take her away! Take her away."

Lady Jing'an asked incredulously, "Su'er?"

"Madam, please."

Lady Jing'an was bewildered and helpless. She looked at her son, whose eyes were full of resentment. She then looked at her husband, who covered his face with his sleeve and sighed, "What a misfortune for our family! What a misfortune for our family!"

Her energy and spirit vanished instantly, and her legs went weak.

"lady!"

Granny Qiu, weeping, helped her up.

“I am here with you. I will go with you.”

Lady Jing'an was escorted out of the Earl's mansion in a grand manner by the yamen runners.

The crowd gathered at the door, scrambling for the lucky money, were all stunned. They looked at each other, wondering if the Marquis's family was still going to hold the third-day celebration. They had said so many auspicious words for so long; if they didn't give lucky money, wouldn't all their words have been for nothing?! With that thought, they surged forward and snatched all the silver ingots from the bamboo basket before scattering in all directions.

The mansion was in complete chaos. No one was there to entertain or see off the guests. The guests had thought they were there to celebrate the baby's third birthday, but instead, they watched a farce on empty stomachs.

Qingmei left the Earl's mansion and happily headed straight for Zhuque Street.

Gu Zhizhuo was on the second floor of Jin Guiyuan. He looked out the window and waved to her. Qingmei tossed the reins to the waiter and went upstairs with light steps.

"Girl, this is so much fun!"

Qingmei felt that her life was much more interesting than when she was in the Eastern Depot.

She excitedly recounted everything she had seen and heard, and Qiongfang listened with great interest, frequently exclaiming, "Really?", "And then?", "Oh!" With someone cheering her on, Qingmei spoke even more happily, her eyebrows dancing with excitement. After finishing, she added, "Earl Jing'an even cried, saying that his wife had disgraced the Qin family and tarnished their reputation, and that he wanted to divorce her."

“When I came out, that Aunt Sun was holding the child and sticking close to the Earl of Jing’an, without trying to hide it at all in front of so many people.”

“The heir of the Marquis of Jing’an drew his sword and confronted him. In return, the Marquis of Jing’an pointed at him and cursed him for being unfilial, saying that he couldn’t even have a son. He suggested that instead of adopting a nephew later, it would be better to give him to his younger brother and make it a one-time solution.”

"The heir of the Marquis of Jing'an vomited blood and kept dry heaving."

Gu Zhizhuo personally poured her a glass of warm water to soothe her throat.

Even she hadn't expected the child to be the Earl of Jing'an's! Her cheap senior brother was probably quite shocked as well. However, after all that posturing, his reputation didn't suffer any further damage; on the contrary, it was even better! He's so slippery; no wonder he was able to thrive in the high-ranking families of both his lives.

Qiongfang said, "The Lady of Jing'an shouldn't be able to convict her, right?"

It can't be decided.

Gu Zhizhu shook his head.

Granny Ping and the others didn't actually confess. After entering the Jingzhao Prefecture, they repeatedly admitted that they were acting on the orders of the Lady of the Countess to take Aman to stay at the estate for a while, gritting their teeth and refusing to admit anything.

When the yamen runners came to see Lady Jing'an, it was just a routine inquiry. Generally speaking, if a noble lady with an imperial title was involved in a case with the government, as long as it wasn't a heinous crime, her servants could go to court on her behalf for trial.

There was no rush to open the trial for this case. Gu Zhizhuo had Lao Dan make some arrangements to delay the summons by a few days. He also slipped some silver to the head constable, asking them to be vague and make Lady Jing'an mistakenly believe that Granny Ping had confessed.

Gu Zhizhuo shook his finger and said slowly, "Whether or not a conviction is made is irrelevant."

Lady Jing'an is the direct grandmother of the Earl. If Aman were dead, the maximum sentence would be two years of penal servitude. Now that Aman is alive, even if she is convicted, the law would only impose a fine.

Gu Zhizhu smiled, picked up a peach blossom pastry, and took a bite: "It would be more interesting if they turned mother and son into enemies."

"Cutting flesh with a dull knife hurts more."

She fiddled with the compass, peering into the heavens, and narrowed her phoenix eyes with pleasure: "And then..."

"Come in, come in and have a drink! I just received a lucky money gift from the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion!" A bearded man boasted loudly outside, "A whole tael of silver!"

Some people were getting excited: "So many?!"

Gu Zhizhuo pushed open the window facing the street a little and looked down with great interest.

The bearded man said with a regretful expression, "It's over now. The concubine of the Marquis of Jing'an's heir has gotten together with the Marquis! The baby shower is off."

Is this even possible?

"The Earl pressed down on the heir's head, insisting that he recognize his half-brother as his son and let him inherit the title."

"I saw it with my own eyes! This concubine was incredibly beautiful, but the young master was unwilling to give her to his father, and the two of them were killing each other in the mansion."

Oh my god!

"Even the constables from the Jingzhao Prefecture rushed over; someone must have died."

"It's unclear whether it was a father killing his son or a son killing his father."

"Come on in, let's go inside and have a drink, then we can talk slowly..."

It was chaotic, with one wave after another.

Gu Zhizhuo sat in the teahouse and listened to the enthusiastic applause.

Normally, such a secret wouldn't have become public knowledge so quickly. But the Qin family was so ostentatious, wanting the whole capital to know they had a grandson, scattering baskets of copper coins and silver at their door. With such a grand display, the entire capital couldn't just watch the spectacle.

Qingmei also took out a silver ingot and said happily, "This servant got one too."

When she entered, they were scattering silver coins, and a small silver ingot landed on her braid.

Gu Zhizhuo laughed: "You two take this and buy some candy!"

Yay!

Qingmei and Qiongfang leaned their heads together and discussed, "The rose sugar from Rose Garden is especially delicious. I'll go buy some tomorrow, and we'll eat it later."

"Pine nut rice dumpling candy is also good!"

Gu Zhizhuo leaned back in his chair in a good mood, listened to the lively commotion, finished all the snacks, packed up several more portions, and happily returned home.

She led the jade lion to the stable and stroked its snow-white mane: "Shall I brush your fur?"

When she brought it back, she said she would take it out of town for a run, but she hasn't been able to find the time yet.

The jade lion was delighted and affectionately nuzzled her with its head.

She first said to Qiongfang, "Take the pastries we bought to the second and third young ladies, and also to Aman. Tell your aunt about the exciting things that happened today."

Qiongfang readily agreed.

After brushing the horses and spending some time cuddling with the jade lion, Qiongfang returned. Gu Zhizhuo led them out of the stable and towards the ceremonial gate.

"girl."

Qingmei called out, "Look over there."

Gu Zhizhuo looked up and sneered, "Bring him back."

Alright! With a push of her toes, Qingmei shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, nimbly grabbing Gu Yan, who was sneaking around and limping towards the gate, and carrying him back.

Gu Yan flailed his limbs and cried out, but the moment he saw Gu Zhizhuo, he quieted down, obediently lowered his head, and even knew to greet people: "Big sister."

The boy, who was not yet six years old, was exquisitely cute and obediently greeted her. If Gu Zhizhuo hadn't personally witnessed the resentment in his eyes last time, she would probably have really thought that the beating had subdued him.

Gu Zhizhuo asked, "Where are you going?"

Gu Yan's eyes darted around: "No..."

"Want to leave the manor?"

"Elder sister, I have no intention of leaving the manor."

Gu Zhizhuo's gaze fell on his forehead, and she lowered her eyes for a long time.

"You can't leave the manor even if you want to, unless your uncle allows you to go out. See which gatekeeper would dare to let you out. The front yard is not the inner courtyard."

"Remember, the front yard is not the inner courtyard."

She straightened his disheveled clothes and said with a smile, "Go have fun."

At that moment, Gu Yan felt as if the Gu Zhizhuo who had always been so kind to him had returned.

Fearing he would be caught again, he took off running. Qingmei whispered, "Miss, this boy isn't very honest."

Gu Zhizhuo's face remained expressionless, and she said meaningfully, "A little hardship will teach you a lesson." She then changed the subject, "What time is it now?"

"The third quarter of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM)".

Gu Zhizhuo nodded, turned, and headed towards Duanfutang.

Lady Ji had a habit of handling affairs in the afternoon, and she would usually meet with the head maids after 1-3 PM.

Duanfu Hall is located between the front courtyard and the inner residence, on the central axis of the entire Zhenguo Duke's Mansion.

Gu Zhizhuo's appearance silenced the entire hall.

Ji's delicate hand, which was holding the account book, tightened involuntarily. Then, a gentle smile appeared on her lips, but her dark eyes remained indifferent and aloof.

Gu Zhizhuo lifted her skirt and stepped over the high threshold, walking past calmly.

Ji Shi smiled and said, "Zhuo'er, what brings you here?"

Gu Zhizhuo curtsied gracefully and said, "Mother."

"Your cards and ledgers haven't been delivered yet. Your daughter thinks you're probably too busy."

"I just came and got it myself."

"Is everything here?"

A note from the author: