Chapter 33 Chapter 33 is the only authentic version...
Wow.
There was an uproar all around.
This means that not only is the Prince of Jing'an cuckolded, but he's also raising his own father's son?!
Is it so extravagant to have fun in Jing'an Mansion?!
Madam Liu secretly winked at her personal maid, indicating that she should go to the front and inform her master.
"impossible!"
Lady Jing'an's face turned pale and she screamed loudly.
She pointed at Qingping with a trembling finger and asked hysterically, "Is it the Gu family? Did the Gu family bribe you to make such a fuss?"
"You demon!"
Qingping held a whisk in his hand, his face expressionless.
It seemed as if all these questions had nothing to do with him. He was like a lone boat in the storm, detached from the world.
He just said: "Madam, don't you know?"
He did not argue loudly at the top of his lungs, but his eyes were full of compassion and deep sympathy.
"impossible!"
"It must be the Gu family, it must be the Gu family!"
The wife of the Marquis of Jing'an screamed hysterically. She clutched Qingping's Taoist robe tightly and begged, "Master, please tell me, it's the Gu family, right?"
Gu must have been driven by jealousy, bribing the evil Taoist Qingping to ruin her son's reputation!
Qingping shook his head slowly, the sleeves of his Taoist robe drooping, his face showing no joy or sadness, as if he were a high and mighty god, making people want to bow down to him in worship.
"That's all I have to say. If you don't want to believe it, then don't believe it."
"Prince," Qingping said again to the stunned Jing'an Earl's son, "when it comes to offspring, there's a chance of having one, and there's a chance of not having one. It's destined. You're destined to be childless, but your wife carries an evil spirit, and killing is the main attack, which can suppress evil spirits, and thus, she was lucky enough to have a daughter. Your daughter is your only flesh and blood in this life. This is fate's will, don't force it."
He simply made his point clear, lest the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion get crazy again and cause some consequences that would implicate him.
Qing Ping appeared to be a sage, but he was actually filled with disdain. He needed to talk to his junior sister. It wasn't enough for the girl to just survive the ordeal; it would be best if she changed her surname and clan name. Otherwise, she would most likely be implicated by Qin Su's fate of no descendants, and suffer countless disasters.
Qin Su seemed to have been drained of all his energy. He told himself that this demon was talking nonsense, but his throat was tight and he couldn't utter a word.
"It's the Gu family! It must be the Gu family!" Mrs. Bo muttered to herself, "I want to go to the Gu family! I want to go to the Gu family and have a good argument with them. Why did they do this?"
"My eldest aunt has divorced your son. Who would want to get involved in your family's dirty business?"
The voice suddenly sounded, Qingmei folded her arms across her chest, leaned against the door frame, and a disdainful sneer was on her pretty face.
She was dressed like a maid, but her manners and demeanor did not seem like a maid at all.
"Who are you?" When asked this, Aunt Qiu remembered something. She slapped her thigh and shouted, "Oh right! You are from the Gu family!"
She had seen it when Gu Zhizhuo came to cause trouble!
"Yes." Qingmei took out a red and gilded invitation, held it between two fingers and shook it, "This is the invitation from your family. My daughter said that a bastard's son is not worth her trip, so she sent this servant to express her congratulations."
This uncle's mansion was a mess. When she arrived, no one greeted her or stopped her. There were people coming and going everywhere. She had been there for a long time but no one noticed her.
Blame her?
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 angry.
Her hands trembled even more violently as she pointed at Qingmei, and her lips trembled as well.
Qingmei walked over briskly, took out a small golden lock from her bosom, and gently placed it on the child. She then bowed and said, "Congratulations, Young Master, on the birth of your son."
Qingping clicked his tongue in his heart. How dark must his cheap junior sister's heart be? Even the little maid she trained was so dark. She must be afraid that she couldn't anger them to death.
Qin Su: "..."
Lady Jing'an covered her chest with her hands, and her vision went dark.
"Madam Bo! Madam Bo!"
A little maid rushed in, almost crying, and said, "Madam, Aunt Sun has run away."
Lady Jing'an lost her balance and fell on Aunt Qiu, who stumbled.
Qingmei's laughter sounded like the tinkling of silver bells.
When she arrived, she was so engrossed in the excitement and chaos that she sent a maid to find Sun Yaoniang and tell her that the lady of the lord's house and the prince already knew that the child she had given birth to was the son of the lord of the lord's house.
The Jing'an Marquis's Mansion was really lax. She sent someone to pass a message to Sun Yaoniang, and the person actually went without even asking about her identity.
Sun Yaoniang was the same. She didn't even ask beforehand and just ran away.
This running away obviously means that he is guilty.
Qin Su was stunned, and the last bit of hope in his heart disappeared.
His arms drooped limply, and the swaddling clothes in his arms slipped down, about to fall to the ground. The child's wet nurse rushed over, used her body as a cushion, and narrowly caught it.
Wow.
The child burst into tears and the wet nurse tried to comfort him in a hurry. She glanced at Qin Su cautiously and met a pair of eyes full of resentment. The anger and hatred that overflowed from those eyes almost swallowed her up.
The wet nurse's heart was beating like a drum and her face was panic-stricken.
The young master who was so pampered just a few moments ago, now neither the Lady of the Bo family nor the Crown Prince would even look at him. I'm afraid things are about to change in this mansion! As soon as this thought flashed through her mind, Qin Su fiercely grabbed the baby's swaddling clothes and lifted him up. His other hand rested on his delicate neck, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged. At this moment, the wet nurse couldn't help but suspect that he would strangle the child to death.
The nurse was anxious. In a hurry, she snatched the child from his hands and blurted out: "Master, don't be impulsive! Even if the young master is not your son, he is still your brother!"
A muffled laugh was heard in the hall. Mrs. Liu couldn't hold it back and laughed out loud. She quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and pretended to cough a few times.
Qin Su's heartstrings completely broke.
He kicked the wet nurse hard to the ground and rushed out. Lady Jing'an hesitated for a moment and then stumbled after him.
The nurse was terrified. She was right. This child was either the Crown Prince's or the Earl's. To her, they were all her masters. If anything happened to them, she would be the one to suffer!
The wet nurse thought about it again and again, gritted her teeth and ran away. However, she ran to the front yard. The uncle seemed to be entertaining guests in the front, so she had to tell the uncle quickly, because only the uncle could hold the prince back.
Sun Yaoniang was also running to the front yard.
But she had just given birth to a child and had always been delicate, so she was caught up by Qin Su halfway through her run.
"Cousin..."
Sun Yaoniang forced a smile and said, "Don't believe that evil Taoist's lies. My cousin's wife must be unable to tolerate me and my child, so she forced such a crime on me. How can I survive in the future?"
As she spoke, she sobbed, pressing a handkerchief to her eyes, and cautiously glanced in the direction of the front yard. She had already asked the maid to tell the uncle, so why hadn't the uncle come yet?!
Even now, she's still trying to get close to A Liao! Qin Su was filled with resentment, the fire rising from his chest almost swallowed him up. He drew his sword and pressed it against her fair neck, no longer showing any mercy.
"Tell me. Whose child is this?"
Qin Su almost believed it 99%, but deep down in his heart there was still a last glimmer of hope.
He hoped that this year would not be a joke.
Sun Yaoniang said timidly, "You know that I have only ever been devoted to you..."
Qin Su silently thrust his sword forward, the blade cutting through her tender skin. Blood trickled down her snow-white neck. Sun Yaoniang covered her face with her hands and knees, pale with fear. She sank to her knees, crawling on them to grab Qin Su's robe, and cried, "My concubine, my concubine... My cousin, my prince, spare my life. It was my uncle who told me to do this!"
"It's all Uncle's idea!"
The wife of the Earl of Jing'an, who arrived a step late, happened to hear these words. Her face was pale and lifeless.
"My Lord." Sun Yaoniang cried with tears and snot streaming down her face. "It was Uncle who said that the eldest son's family had no children, and this child came at the perfect time. After he was born, he could inherit the eldest son's family. This is what Uncle told me to do."
"My uncle said that I am his wife's niece and he cannot marry me. It would be a disgrace to the society."
"But he will let my child inherit the title as compensation to me."
Sun Yaoniang knelt on the ground, looking panicked.
The long sword in Qin Su's hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
All his rationality was completely shattered at this moment and turned into powder.
"Su'er!"
His despairing look made Lady Jing'an's heart ache. She grabbed her son's sleeve and viciously kicked Sun Yaoniang a few times, saying angrily, "This bitch and this bastard deserve to be dragged out and beaten to death!"
Sun Yaoniang curled up. Madam Bo was always ruthless and cold-hearted. She really would beat herself to death.
She was nominally the niece of Lady Jing'an, but in reality, she was five generations removed from the family. She was like a servant in front of Lady Jing'an, and was not as respectable as Aunt Qiu and the others.
As she grew older, the families that the Crown Prince's wife found for her were either Juren (a successful candidate in a juren degree) or guards of the Jinwu Guard, and her life was almost certain to end. She simply didn't want to accept her fate.
Sun Yaoniang vaguely recalled that day when she wanted to ask the uncle to help her and ask the wife of the prince to find a good family for her, but who knew...
Sun Yaoniang looked towards the front yard again and again, but the uncle didn't come!
She felt hopeless. Yes, she was pregnant, but her uncle refused to marry her. How could he come to save her now?
"Su'er, it's okay. Mother will marry you another good one." After saying this, Lady Jing'an pointed at Sun Yaoniang and said hatefully, "Come here! Drag her away and beat her severely! And that evil bastard, drown him..."
"Prince!"
Feeling she had no chance of survival, Sun Yaoniang screamed, "Prince, no matter how many more wives you have, it's useless. True Man Qingping said you are destined to be childless. Mrs. Bo actually knew this a long time ago, but she didn't tell you because she wanted to alienate you from the Crown Prince's wife!"
Qin Su's mind had been preoccupied with the thought that the child wasn't his. Only now did he remember that Qingping had said he was destined to be childless. And his mother knew that, too?
He was struck by lightning and looked up at Lady Jing'an. Although she hadn't said a word, the hatred in her eyes made Lady Jing'an shudder.
"Prince, do you know why the Crown Prince's wife insisted on divorcing you?"
Sun Yaoniang climbed to her feet, quietly backing away as she shouted, "Madam Bo, in order to pray for a child for you, took Ah Man's heart blood and made you drink it! With such a long needle, she stabbed you hard in the chest."
Ah Man's precious blood?!
No!
Qin Su's throat seemed to have a faint smell of blood. He subconsciously blocked his throat with his hands and retched repeatedly. His face turned pale and he was about to suffocate.
"Su'er!" Lady Jing'an panicked and said quickly, "Don't listen to that bitch's nonsense!"
"Sir, Madam Bo even ordered someone to drown Ah Man, saying that this would ensure I could give birth to a son." Sun Yaoniang took the opportunity to run away and continued, "I heard her order Madam Ping with my own ears."
"It was the day when the Crown Prince's wife and you divorced."
"It was all done by Madam Bo!"
Qin Su rushed over and pinched Madam Bo's shoulders, his eyes bloodshot: "A'man, A'man, what's wrong?!"
No wonder A Liao suddenly became so decisive and abandoned him.
He screamed, "What did you do to Ah Man?! Tell me!"
"For a little girl, you, you actually spoke to your mother like that..." Lady Jing'an's eyes were a little evasive, "I already said, it was this bitch who was talking nonsense..."
Qin Su twitched the corners of his mouth, as if crying and twitching, and his palms involuntarily increased the strength, and the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an cried out in pain.
Sun Yaoniang suddenly shouted in surprise, "Uncle."
Qin Su looked over blankly.
Marquis Jing'an came from the front yard with a few yamen runners. Sun Yaoniang seemed to have found a backer and quickly hid behind Marquis Jing'an, her soft and boneless body leaning against him: "My Lord, I was so scared. Now that you are here, I feel at ease..."
"Mrs. Bo!"
The squad leader pretended not to notice the mother and son killing each other. He bowed and said businesslike, "Madam Jing'an, Madam Ping and three others in your household have accused you of ordering them to drown your own granddaughter. The prefect has ordered us to summon you to the court."
"please!"
The Lady of Jing'an was stunned for a moment, then angrily said, "I am the Lady of a superior rank. Who allowed you to be so presumptuous here?"
The squad leader asked Qin Su with an embarrassed look on his face, "My Lord, look. According to the law, if someone accuses someone, a court session must be held."
Ha, ha, ha. Qin Su smiled bitterly. Her mother wanted to kill his daughter.
The only flesh and blood he has in his life.
The bloody taste in Qin Su's throat made him feel nauseous again and again. He couldn't get rid of the anger in his heart. He pushed the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an out viciously and said angrily, "Take her away! Take her away."
Lady Jing'an was incredulous: "Su'er?"
"Madam, please."
Lady Jing'an was bewildered and helpless. She looked at her son, whose eyes were filled with resentment. She then looked at Marquis Jing'an, who covered his face with his sleeves and sighed, "What misfortune for our family! What misfortune for our family!"
Her energy and spirit were gone in an instant, and her legs went limp.
"lady!"
Aunt Qiu supported her while crying.
"I am still here. I will go with you."
The wife of the Marquis of Jing'an was taken out of the Marquis's mansion by the yamen runners with great fanfare.
The people gathered at the gate grabbing the wedding money were stunned. They looked at each other and thought, this uncle's family still can't hold the third day bath? They have been talking about getting a wedding for so long, if they don't give the wedding money, won't it be in vain?! With this thought, they rushed forward and snatched all the silver ingots in the bamboo basket in one go, then dispersed in a hurry.
The mansion was also in a mess. There was no one to greet the guests and no one to see them off. The guests originally thought they were here to celebrate the third day of their marriage, but ended up watching a farce with empty stomachs.
Qingmei left the Bo's house and happily headed straight for Zhuque Street.
Gu Zhizhuo was on the second floor of Jin Guiyuan. He waved to her from the window. Qingmei threw the reins to the waiter and went upstairs briskly.
"Girl, this is fun!"
Qingmei felt that her life now was much more interesting than when she was in the East Factory.
She excitedly recounted everything she had seen and heard, and Qiongfang listened with great interest, frequently saying, "Really?", "What happened next?", and "Oh." Qingmei's speech became even more joyful, her face beaming with joy. After he finished, he added, "The Earl of Jing'an even cried, saying that his wife was dishonorable and had tarnished the reputation of their Qin family, and he wanted to divorce her."
"When I left, Aunt Sun was holding the child close to Marquis Jing'an, right in front of so many people, without trying to hide it at all."
"The son of the Marquis of Jing'an drew his sword, but the Marquis of Jing'an pointed at him and called him unfilial, saying that he couldn't even give birth to a son. Instead of adopting his nephew in the future, it would be better to give him to his younger brother, so that he could get it done in one go."
"The prince of Jing'an vomited blood and kept dry heaving."
Gu Zhizhuo personally poured her a cup of warm water to moisten her throat.
Even she hadn't imagined the child would be Earl Jing'an's! Her cheap senior brother was probably shocked too. But after all this pretense, not only didn't his reputation get worse, it actually seemed to be even better! He's so slippery! No wonder he's been able to thrive in the upper class in both his previous lives.
Qiongfang said, "Madam Jing'an, she shouldn't be convicted, right?"
Can't decide.
Gu Zhizhuo shook his head.
In fact, Nanny Ping and the others did not confess. After entering Jingzhao Prefecture, they repeatedly admitted that they were following the orders of the Lady Bo to take A'man to stay at the farm for a while, and they gritted their teeth and refused to give in.
The yamen runners came to see the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an just to ask questions according to the routine. Generally speaking, if the wife of a noble who had received an imperial decree was involved in a government matter, as long as the crime was not unforgivable, the servants could go to court on her behalf to stand trial.
There was no rush to open the court for this case. Gu Zhizhuo asked Lao Dan to take care of it and delay the summons for a few days. He also gave some silver to the squad leader to make them be vague in their statements so that Lady Jing'an would mistakenly believe that it was Nanny Ping who confessed.
Gu Zhizhuo shook his finger and said slowly, "It doesn't matter whether he is convicted or not."
The wife of the Earl of Jing'an is my biological grandmother. If A'man had died, the maximum sentence would have been two years in prison. Now that A'man is alive, even if she is convicted, the only sentence according to the law is a fine.
Gu Zhizhuo smiled, picked up a piece of peach blossom cake, and took a bite: "It would be interesting to make them mother and son turn against each other."
"A blunt knife cuts the flesh, and it hurts more."
She fiddled with the compass, peering into the heavens, and narrowed her eyes in delight: "And then..."
"Come on, come on, come in and have a drink! I just received the wedding money from the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion." A bearded man outside was shouting loudly and proudly, "A full two ounces of silver!"
Some people were eager to make a move: "So many?!"
Gu Zhizhuo pushed the window facing the street open a little and looked down with interest.
The bearded man said with regret, "It's gone now. The concubine of the Jing'an Earl is in love with the Earl! We won't have a third-day bath anymore."
Is there such a thing?
"The uncle held the prince's head, forcing him to recognize his half-brother as his son and inherit the title."
"I saw it with my own eyes! This concubine was extremely charming, and the prince was unwilling to give her to his father. The father and son started fighting each other in the mansion."
Oh my god!
"Even the Jingzhao government officials rushed over. Someone must have died."
"I don't know whether it was the father who killed the son, or the son who killed the father."
"Come on, let's go in and have a drink and talk slowly..."
It was noisy, with each wave higher than the last.
Gu Zhizhuo sat in the teahouse and listened to the whole audience's applause.
Normally, such a secret wouldn't be known to everyone in such a short time. Who made the Qin family so flamboyant? They wanted the whole capital to know that they had a grandson, and they were throwing baskets of copper coins and silver at the door. When such a big event happened, the whole capital was not just there to watch the fun.
Qingmei also took out a silver ingot and said cheerfully, "I got one too."
When she entered the house, her family was scattering silver, and a small silver ingot fell on her braid.
Gu Zhizhuo laughed: "You two can use this to buy candy!"
Yay!
Qingmei and Qiongfang leaned head to head and discussed: "The rose candy from the Rose Shop is especially delicious. I'll go buy some tomorrow and we'll eat it later."
"And the pine nut rice dumpling candy is also good!"
Gu Zhizhuo leaned back in his chair in a very good mood, listened to the excitement, finished all the snacks, packed up several more, and returned home happily.
She led the jade lion to the stable and stroked its snow-white mane: "Let me brush your fur, okay?"
When she brought it back, she said she wanted to take it out of town for a run, but she hasn't found the time yet.
The jade lion was happy and nudged her affectionately with its head.
She first said to Qiongfang, "Take the snacks we bought to the second and third girls, and give one portion to Ah Man. Then tell Auntie about today's excitement."
Qiongfang agreed repeatedly.
After brushing the horses and playing intimately with the jade lion for a while, Qiongfang also came back. Gu Zhizhuo led them out of the stable and walked towards the ceremonial gate.
"girl."
Qingmei called out, "Look there."
Gu Zhizhuo looked up and sneered, "Catch him back."
Good! Qingmei pushed the ground with her toes and shot forward like an arrow from a bow. She quickly grabbed Gu Yan, who was sneaking and limping towards the gate, and carried him back.
Gu Yan's limbs were flailing and he was screaming and wailing. But the moment he saw Gu Zhizhuo, he quieted down, lowered his head obediently, and even knew how to call out, "Big Sister."
The boy, who was not even six years old, was so cute and adorable that he greeted the boy obediently. If Gu Zhizhuo had not seen the hatred in his eyes with his own eyes the previous time, he would have thought that he was subdued by the beating.
Gu Zhizhuo asked, "Where are you going?"
Gu Yan's eyes rolled around: "No..."
"Want to leave the house?"
"Big sister, I don't want to leave the house."
Gu Zhizhuo's gaze fell on his forehead and he lowered his eyelids for a long time.
"You can't leave the house unless your uncle gives you permission. Which gatekeeper dares to let you out? The front yard is not the inner house."
"Remember, the front yard is not the inner house."
She straightened his messy clothes and said with a smile, "Go and play."
At this moment, Gu Yan felt as if the Gu Zhizhuo who had been so kind to him in the past had returned.
He was afraid of being caught again, so he ran away. Qingmei whispered, "Miss, this boy is not very honest."
Gu Zhizhuo didn't smile at all, and said with a hint of meaning, "You'll become more obedient if you suffer a little more." She changed the subject, "What time is it now?"
"Three quarters past noon."
Gu Zhizhuo nodded, turned and headed towards Duanfu Hall.
The Ji family had the habit of holding meetings in the afternoon, and would usually meet with the maids in charge after noon.
Duanfu Hall is located between the front yard and the inner house, on the central axis of the entire Zhenguo Mansion.
Gu Zhizhuo's appearance made the entire hall quiet.
Ji's hand holding the account book tightened involuntarily, and then a gentle smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, but her pair of dark eyes were extremely indifferent and distant.
Gu Zhizhuo lifted her skirt and stepped over the high threshold, walking over calmly.
Ji smiled and said, "Sister Zhuo, why are you here?"
Gu Zhizhuo bowed politely: "Mother."
"Your cards and account books haven't arrived yet. I think you might be too busy."
"I just came and got it myself."
"Is everything here?"
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