Chapter 29 Chapter 29 is the only genuine version...
The two maids were very anxious.
When they were surrounded at first, they thought they were bandits. Ping Ma was so scared that she took out all the jewelry and silver from the two people and begged them not to kill them, but they didn't even look at them.
There was no robbery, no killing, and no letting them go.
The other party's purpose was unclear, which made them even more afraid. It was like having a rope around their necks and not knowing when they would be hung up.
Now seeing Gu Zhizhuo, they both finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This time I won’t die.
It turns out that these are all people from the Gu family. Really, they won’t tell us anything even if we ask them... As soon as this thought flashed through her mind, Nanny Ping's heart skipped a beat. She thought: The people from the Gu family stopped them, could it be that they knew something!
Gu Zhizhuo got off the horse and walked over.
Nanny Ping quickly hugged Ah Man, clutching her tightly as if she had grabbed a lifeline. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Gu Zhizhuo kicked her to the ground, stepped on her shoulders, and leaned over to pick Ah Man up.
Ah Man's whole body was cold, and there was no color on his chubby little face. His little hands were drooping, motionless.
Gu Zhizhuo felt her pulse, and after a while, her tense back relaxed.
Fortunately, it's okay. He was just given Menghan powder, his life is not in danger.
Gu Zhizhuo carefully wiped the water off her face with a handkerchief.
Nanny Ping covered her shoulder and struggled to get up. She moved back a little, then moved again. The two Nannies supported each other and ran away.
That is, it depends on whether others let them run.
After only three or five steps, a knife pointed towards her, the sharp blade flashing a cold light under the sunlight. Nanny Ping was horrified and stepped back repeatedly, sitting back on the ground.
"Great!" she shouted loudly to cover up her inner panic, "The dignified Zhenguogong Mansion is actually doing something like blocking the road."
Gu Zhizhuo narrowed his eyes and glanced over sharply.
Nanny Ping's eyes were wandering, with a hint of fear and tension.
Gu Zhizhuo smiled slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes: "The Great Qi Law says that anyone who sells out people will be hanged."
"Luomai" means kidnapping and selling innocent people.
Hearing the word "hang", the two maids shuddered and waved their hands in denial, "No!"
"You sneakily brought a child under four years old to a place where even birds don't come," Gu Zhizhuo said coldly, "If that's not kidnapping, then it's the evil slave who kills his master."
"Be cut in half!"
"no!"
Matron Ping screamed and tried to defend herself, "It was my wife who told me to..."
"Give what?"
"Let..." Madam Ping was extremely anxious. Her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat, unable to rise or fall. After a long while, she finally uttered, "My wife asked us to take the fourth young lady to the farm to recuperate. Yes, to recuperate!"
A'man is the fourth among the granddaughters of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion.
"Yes, yes." Another maid echoed.
Gu Zhizhuo said leisurely, "Is your farm in the river?"
"The fourth girl said she was tired..."
Gu Zhizhuo hugged Ah Man, his eyes filled with sarcasm. "So after drinking Ma Fei San, Ah Man was able to speak. Is your Ma Fei San some kind of panacea?"
Madam Ping choked. She said in a timid tone, "Miss Gu, your last name is Gu, but you have no right to come to our Jing'an Marquis's Mansion."
Yes! Madam had told them to take the fourth girl to the farm, and they just happened to stop by here to rest! She kept telling herself this.
"Is that so?" Gu Zhizhuo said calmly, "Then you can go to Jingzhao Prefecture and discuss it."
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads. The two maids were shocked and frightened. Nanny Ping's back was covered with cold sweat. She asked with a stiff upper lip, "Miss Gu, the Gu family and our Jing'an Marquis' Mansion are relatives. Are you trying to sever the relationship by doing this?!"
Only Gu Zhizhuo would be crazy to argue with two servants. She turned a deaf ear to him and held Ah Man in her arms, looking in the direction they came from. It was only May now, and Ah Man had been soaked in water, so it would be easy for her to catch a cold if the wind blew.
She was waiting for Qingmei.
Qingmei was indeed very reliable in her work. She arrived only a cup of tea later than her. Not only did she bring Gu Liaoliao and the guards, she also brought a carriage.
Gu Liaoliao was still wearing the imperial dress she had worn when she entered the palace. In order to make it easier to ride a horse, she not only threw away her headgear, but also tore the hem of her skirt. Now she was riding a horse all the way here, with her hair disheveled and her dress wrinkled, and she looked extremely disheveled.
She jumped off the horse in a panic, and only came to her senses after hugging Ah Man in her arms.
"After drinking Menghan Powder, you will wake up after the effect of the drug wears off."
Gu Zhizhuo explained, and Qingmei took a cloak from the carriage and helped Gu Liaoliao wrap herself in it.
Gu Liaoliao was terrified.
On the way here, Qingmei said that Lady Jing'an wanted to drown A'man.
Seeing Ah Man's hair wet, Gu Liuliao didn't even dare to think about the danger. If her niece had reacted slower, if she hadn't found him in time, she might never see Ah Man 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, and a faint smell of blood filled her throat.
Gu Zhizhuo said, "Aunt, the servants of the Jing'an Marquis's mansion killed their master. My niece plans to send them to Jingzhao Prefecture."
Gu Liaoliao was stunned for a moment, as if thinking about something.
Ah Man's surname was Qin, and Lady Jing'an was her grandmother. Even if she brought these three back to confront and argue, what would that do? Never mind loyalty or not, the family's indentures were in Lady Jing'an's hands. For the sake of their family, even if they died, they wouldn't dare to say a word to their master.
The Lady of Jing'an could have said that she had the servants take Ah Man to stay at the farm for a while, and that the servants had failed to take good care of the young master, causing him to almost drown. At most, she could have beaten these people, even if they were beaten to death, and they would not be held responsible.
Gu Liuliao understood all of this. Her chest was burning hot and she wished she could eat Lady Jing'an alive.
"Send her to Jingzhao Prefecture first, and I'll take care of the rest." Gu Zhizhuo said solemnly, "Don't worry, I won't let anyone who hurts Ah Man go."
In the previous life, the Gu family was at the center of the storm and could hardly protect themselves.
Now, the Gu family is still alive and can protect the married aunt.
"Take Ah Man back to the carriage first, don't let her get cold."
Gu Liaoliao met her niece's gentle gaze, nodded slowly, and walked towards the carriage with Ah Man in her arms.
"Take it."
Gu Zhizhuo gave the order.
Gu Liaoliao came in a hurry, and brought only the guards who followed the car, which was only four people.
They rushed over and subdued the two maids in a few moves. Gu Zhizhuo looked down at them and ordered coldly: "Drown."
The guards immediately pulled the man by his arms and dragged him towards the river.
Aunt Ping was terrified, her lips trembling constantly. She kicked the ground desperately, but was about to be pushed into the river.
Her face was pale, and she shouted desperately: "Madam, Madam! I am Madam Bo's person, please don't mess around!"
Gu Liaoliao stopped.
She said loudly, "Madam Bo said that the Fourth Miss's horoscope is not good. Madam Bo is afraid that the Fourth Miss will scare the future young grandson, so she asked the Fourth Miss to go to the village to hide."
Gu Liaoliao turned around silently, expressionless.
Nanny Ping licked her dry lips and said angrily, "You insist on being so aggressive and angering Madam Bo. This will not be good for you. You may have to live under the whims of Aunt Sun in the future."
The two maids kept calling her "Marquis' Lady", which clearly showed that they wanted to use Marquis' Lady Jing'an to pressure Gu Liaoliao.
They really thought so. Everyone in the mansion knew that the Crown Prince's wife could not give birth to a son, and the Lady of the Earl was very dissatisfied with her. Now the only child of the eldest house was in Aunt Sun's belly. In order to ensure the safety of this baby, the Crown Prince's wife could only return to her parents' home.
If this makes Mrs. Bo unhappy again, let’s see what she will do in the future.
They were all Madam Bo's confidants, and they had heard these words many times, but they didn't dare to say them in front of Gu Liaoliao. Now that their lives were at stake, they had no time to worry about these taboos.
“Stop.”
Gu Liaoliao spoke to the guards, then handed Ah Man in her arms to Qingmei and walked towards them.
Nanny Ping breathed a sigh of relief.
A woman who cannot give birth to a son is inferior to others, even if she is the Crown Prince's wife.
Even hens lay chicks.
"Madam, please listen to my advice..."
Gu Liaoliao raised his arm high and slapped him.
Bang!
Another slap in the face came from the backhand.
Heavy and loud.
Gu Liaoliao clenched her back teeth tightly.
She had been injured on the battlefield in northern Xinjiang a few years ago. The tendons in both her arms were cut, and she could not use her arms.
These slaps were delivered with intense hatred, using all their strength. Bloody finger marks appeared on the two maidens' cheeks, leaving them red and swollen. Blood flowed from the corners of their mouths. Madam Ping choked and coughed, spitting out two large teeth. If the guards hadn't restrained their arms, she would have been knocked down immediately.
Now, she couldn't speak, and she sobbed, tears and snot streaming down her face.
Gu Zhizhuo gave a wink and the people were dragged away. The guards pushed their heads into the river. The river water poured into their mouths and noses, and blood kept spreading on the water surface.
The two maids struggled desperately and finally raised their heads to take a breath, but the guards pushed them back again.
The driver was also dragged along.
Gu Liuliao stood there, gasping for breath. Her severely injured arm was numb and had no feeling at all. It just hung down, with her palm red.
"Leave a breath and send it to Jingzhao Prefecture."
After giving the order, Gu Zhizhuo left behind a guard and asked him to find Qiongfang and the others and tell them to return home. Then, he solemnly thanked Zhao Jia before helping Gu Liaoliao back to the carriage.
This carriage was used by Gu Liaoliao when she entered the palace just now. In order to avoid any disrespect in the palace, a spare set of clothes was left in the carriage.
Gu Zhizhuo and Qingmei changed Ah Man's wet clothes together, and Gu Liaoliao silently held her in his arms.
"Aunt, do you still want to live like this?" Gu Zhizhuo said softly, "Just tell me your decision."
"To pass or not to pass."
"Don't worry, I'm here, and the Gu family is here."
Living her life over again, she only understood one thing.
As the aunt of the Gu family, you must never let yourself be wronged.
Whether it is my aunt or her two cousins.
The girl who belongs to the Gu family must live as she pleases, and she will become their greatest confidence.
Gu Liaoliao's eyes met hers, and she shook her head slowly: "That's fine. But Ah Man..."
She had long wanted to stop living this life, but according to the Daqi Law, children were to be enshrined in the husband's family ancestral hall, and women were not allowed to take their children with them whether they were divorced or divorced.
There was no way she could leave Ah Man to the Qin family.
So, what she had thought about before was to divide the property and move out of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion with Ah Man. But now, whenever she thought about having anything to do with the Qin family, she felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.
Gu Zhizhuo raised a finger to his lips, stopping her from saying anything further: "Let's go back home first."
With a shout of "Gee", the carriage started moving.
The jade lion didn't need her to call at all. It followed the carriage happily, walking with its head held high.
After entering the capital, he went straight back to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
It was now Youshi, and the sun was setting in the west.
Madam Gu was waiting anxiously. After all, she was old and could not ride a horse, so she could only come back and wait.
Ji brought Gu Yan with her and tried to comfort her softly, saying things like "good luck comes naturally to those who are lucky", but the lady ignored her.
Seeing her daughter finally come back, Madam Gu hurried over and asked, "How is Ah Man?"
She looked at Ah Man first. The little child was nestled motionless in Gu Liao Liao's arms, his little face pale without a trace of blood.
Gu Zhizhuo glanced at Ji and briefly explained the situation. The old lady was dumbfounded, her mouth opening and closing for a long time. In her life, she had never imagined that someone could be so vicious.
Madam Gu gnashed her teeth and said, "Zhuo girl, you should bring these stubborn servants back. Let's go to the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion and have a good talk with them!"
What kind of life are her daughter and her granddaughter living?
The lady's heart ached so much that it bled.
Gu Zhizhuo interrupted, "The doctor hasn't come yet. Ah Man has a slight fever."
The lady-in-waiting could no longer think of anything else and said hurriedly, "Yes, yes."
Her wait was not in vain. As soon as she came back, she asked someone to call the doctor, who was already waiting there.
She hurriedly instructed Gu Liaoliao to send Ah Man to the Bisha cabinet and called a doctor to see her.
On the way back, Gu Zhizhuo took Ah Man's pulse, so she didn't go back in. She just sat down on a chair and called out to Ji Shi: "Mother, please stay."
Ji was about to follow, but upon hearing this, she stopped and looked over, saying softly, "Sister Zhuo."
She sighed and patted her chest gently: "I was really scared, but fortunately Ah Man is not seriously injured."
She has a delicate face, and her eyebrows are slightly furrowed, with a hint of sadness.
"Mother." Gu Zhizhuo smiled, but there was no trace of laughter in her clear eyes. "Yang'er is almost six years old, and it's time for him to move to the front yard. Let's do this tomorrow."
Ji Shiwan never expected that he was caught off guard as soon as he said a word.
Gu Yan was sitting there with an unhappy look on his face. Upon hearing this, he immediately rushed to Ji Shi and interrupted her, saying, "I'm not going! Why do you care about me? Wait until I inherit it..."
Ji covered his mouth with her hand and said in embarrassment, "Zhuo Jie'er, your father is gone, and your eldest brother hasn't come back yet. We can't let Yan Ge'er live alone in the outer courtyard. Why not wait until Can Ge'er comes back and then move in, okay?"
"I will talk to my uncle and ask him to come back home and stay for a few days."
"But……"
"No need to beg. Leave Yan Ge'er to me."
A generous voice sounded, accompanied by the creaking sound of a wheelchair, and Gu Baibai, the only remaining man of the previous generation in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, was pushed in by a servant.
Gu Baibai had been recuperating at a hot spring resort outside the city and had just returned.
Gu Zhizhuo stood up, and Fu Li called out, "Third uncle, third aunt."
Gu Baibai, now in his thirties, was unparalleled in his beauty. In his youth, countless young women in the capital swooned over him. One year, when he returned to the capital to present his captives, the streets were nearly drowned by the purses and flowers thrown down. Princess Pingjia, Lu Jinrong, was the most daring, openly expressing her feelings and even dragging the bewildered Gu Baibai along to petition the late emperor for a marriage.
"Third Aunt, please sit down first. You're so pregnant and still running around, it's really troublesome." Gu Zhizhuo helped Lu sit down first. Gu Baibai was very thin, and his loose robe looked empty on him. He only asked, "Yaoyao, what do you think should be done?"
She said, "Twenty strokes of the cane, and copy the 'Book of Encouragement to Virtue' a hundred times."
Gu Baibai nodded: "Let's do it."
"Third Uncle!" Ji was anxious, almost unable to control her expression, "Yan'er is not even six years old."
Twenty lashes!
The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was a family of military commanders, and the bamboo boards used for family discipline were at least two and a half fingers thick. Twenty lashes would at least cause the victim's skin to be torn and flesh torn.
Gu Baibai's face was gentle, but his words were undeniable: "No need for tomorrow, just send it to the front yard after the fight."
Ji had been married into the family for so many years, and the second and third wives had always been very respectful to her as the eldest aunt. This was the first time that her opinion was directly rejected.
"I don't want to, I won't go!"
Gu Yan was frightened and screamed at the top of his voice.
"Brother Yan."
Ji winked at him, pretending not to hold him back, but actually gave him a subtle push from behind. Gu Yan ran out, determined to escape first and then go to the palace to plead with the emperor. He didn't believe anyone would dare to hit him again!
Uncle Emperor has always liked him the most!
Gu Zhizhuo silently stretched out a leg.
Gu Yan didn't look at the road and fell to the ground with a thump.
Gu Baibai was in disbelief for a moment, and he looked at Gu Zhizhuo with a scrutinizing gaze.
Gu Zhizhuo walked over, picked up Gu Yan, stared into his eyes, and said coldly: "Either you go and accept the punishment obediently, or..."
She patted his shoulder with the back of her hand.
This is the place where she pinched me not long ago.
Gu Yan shuddered. Thinking of her vicious behavior when she pointed the dagger at the wet nurse, he panicked from the bottom of his heart. He quickly admitted his mistake and said, "I, I will go. I will accept the punishment. Big sister, please don't be angry..."
"Qingmei. Take him there and watch him fight until he's done. Come back later."
Gu Zhizhuo let him go and turned back to her seat. When she looked up, she saw Gu Yan, who had been taken away by Qingmei, staring at her with resentment. Perhaps noticing her looking at him, Gu Yan quickly lowered his head and followed Qingmei obediently.
Gu Zhizhuo's face darkened.
Six years old! How could a child under six years old have such eyes?
It seems that in her previous life, she knew too little about this younger brother.
Ji couldn't sit still any longer, she pursed her lips and left in a huff.
Now she just wanted to go see her son as soon as possible. From childhood to adulthood, she couldn't bear to hit him even on the palm of his hand. How painful it must be to be hit by such a thick bamboo board.
"Mother."
Gu Zhizhuo said slowly, "Mother is old, and all the work in and out of the household depends on her. Fortunately, I, your daughter, have fulfilled my filial duties and can share some of the burden with you. You won't have to worry about the household chores in the future."
"Please take the trouble to sort out the account books."
"From now on, you can stay in the mansion and study Buddhism and practice Taoism."
Who is old?! She is only twenty-five! Ji Shi 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 scold Gu Zhizhuo, which meant that he agreed.
Gu Baibai is now paralyzed in bed and rarely goes out. In Beijing, many people have forgotten him. However, Gu Baibai back then was a man who was meticulous in his planning and feared by everyone.
Being looked at like this by him, Ji Shi was unable to utter a word.
She didn't say yes, nor did she say no.
She lowered her head in silence, revealing her pretty profile, tears sliding down her fair cheeks.
Ji raised his eyes slightly to look at Gu Baibai, then walked out of the main room.
Gu Zhizhuo turned to Gu Baibai and said, "Third Uncle, Ah Man is still inside, and so is my aunt. You and Third Aunt, please sit down for a while. I'll be out for a while."
"Where are you going?"
"The Jing'an Marquis' Mansion." Gu Zhizhuo grinned and said as a matter of course, "Third Uncle, our Gu family can't let others bully us for nothing. Qin Su is the son-in-law of the Gu family."
"The Qin family is disobedient now, so the Gu family can also find a new son-in-law."
"Besides, there are many good-looking men under my father's command. I can just pick another one. What's the big deal?"
Mrs. Lu couldn't help laughing. She scolded him with a smile, "You're talking nonsense."
Gu Zhizhuo made a face at her and stood still obediently.
Gu Baibai smiled faintly and said, "Go ahead, you can use the guards in the front yard as much as you want."
Gu Zhizhuo's eyes lit up and he answered loudly, "Yes!"
"Third Uncle, please find a way to keep Qin Su in the palace for as long as possible."
As soon as she finished speaking, she stormed out. Mrs. Lu walked over to him, patted his shoulder, and said dissatisfiedly, "Look at you, how could you let a little girl like Yaoyao go? What if she gets bullied?"
Gu Baibai rubbed the thumb and index finger of his right hand slowly: "Let her go."
He raised his hand and pressed the back of his wife's hand, and their hands naturally held together.
"Big sister." Gu Baibai turned around and said to the screen, "Now that Yaoyao has grown up, you don't have to keep everything to yourself."
Gu Liaoliao was standing behind the screen. She just came out and unexpectedly heard what Gu Zhizhuo said.
A faint smile appeared on her face. After Gu Baibai finished speaking, the tears that had been in her eyes finally fell. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed softly.
Lu sighed softly, saying that it would be better to cry it out. If you keep feeling depressed for a long time, you will get sick.
My eldest sister has also had a hard time in the past three years.
She had been enduring it, for Ah Man and also for the children of the Gu family. When the emperor wanted to use Qin Su, she took herself as a hostage to give Cancan and Yaoyao enough time to grow up.
"Let me go!"
"I'm going to kill you, kill you!"
“Ahhhhhh!”
Gu Yan's wails suddenly drowned out the barely perceptible sobs.
Gu Yan cried and made a fuss, 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 man towards Gu Baibai and caught up with Gu Zhizhuo.
She also brought a divorce agreement with the ink still wet on it, and Gu Liaoliao's signature on it.
Gu Zhizhuo's guards were also present, a total of twenty people.
Half of the guards at the Zhenguogong Mansion were veterans of the Northern Frontier Army, veterans of the battlefield. Some were disabled or homeless, and starting with the old Duke, they would be brought back, supposedly to serve as guards, but in reality, it was just a disguised resettlement.
Those who could not be accommodated in the mansion were placed on farms or in shops, so that there was always a way to make a living.
Gu Zhizhuo was familiar with all these faces. In his previous life, after the Gu family encountered trouble, seeing that the situation was not good, Gu Zhizhuo took the initiative to give them some money to settle down and sent them away immediately.
However, none of them left after taking the silver. When the Gu family was convicted and imprisoned, they helped deliver food and bedding to the prison. When the Gu family was exiled, they followed them from a distance on the road of exile and bribed the officials.
If it weren't for them, the Gu family wouldn't have survived the epidemic.
It’s a pity that only one in ten of these people survived.
Gu Zhizhuo held the horsewhip in his hand and used the tip to whip his palm from time to time: "You two will go out with me today."
Where are you going?
"Go to the Qin family."
She didn't have the idea that family disgrace should not be made public, so she simply told them the story. This time, they were all furious and wanted to destroy the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion.
The first generation of Jing'an Earl was an old minister who followed Taizu in his conquests across the country, and thus he was given a hereditary earldom that could not be demoted.
After the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty, three generations of monarchs never granted any new titles.
Nowadays, this hereditary title without downgrade is only for the founding heroes. Even if the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion has been incompetent for two generations, no one in the capital dares to underestimate him.
These three vermilion doors and the plaque with gold characters on a black background represent the highest glory of the Jing'an Marquis' Mansion.
Standing in front of the Jing'an Marquis's mansion, a guard who was blind in one eye and was called Lao Dan by others said angrily: "Marquis's mansion, what a joke!"
"That's right." Gu Zhizhuo curled his lips and said meaningfully, "Your virtue doesn't match your position. I think it's better not to have this title."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
