When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the pond will suffer.
Jiang Yushu shuddered and instinctively wanted to retreat, but she changed her mind and stood firmly, bowing and calling out, "Old Madam."
Wang ignored him. Her eyes were bloodshot from the grief she felt over the loss of her beloved son. She completely disregarded the Marquis's reserve and pointed at her new daughter-in-law. Turning to stare at her husband, she demanded, frustrated, "You always blame 'loving mothers often spoil their children,' and me for spoiling Yao'er, yet you constantly praise Honglei for being 'reasonable and filial.' Humph, if Honglei were truly filial, how did this unlucky guy get married into our family?"
"Calm down, don't let your anger get to you." Jiang Yushu said politely. With her nominal husband nearby, she felt strangely at ease and took the opportunity to observe her in-laws' every move.
Wang suddenly turned her head and scolded in disgust, "Who gave you permission to be so talkative? Don't you think the Guo family is chaotic enough? Get out of here!"
"Yes." Jiang Yushu had no intention of getting close to her mother-in-law, so she took a few steps back.
Inside the mourning hall, Marquis Jingyang sighed and struggled to his feet, his youngest son, Guo Hongxuan, rushing to support him. He stepped out, glanced at his second daughter-in-law, who lowered her head in submission, and said to his wife in a conciliatory tone, "Forget it. This is a done deal. There's no point in saying more. The most important thing right now is the funeral."
Wang, however, was filled with grief and indignation, unwilling to give up. Her face flushed with anger, she cried, "Since the Marquis is a better parent than I am, he should have raised Yao'er to be a capable person as well. Why do you always blame the eldest son? Yao'er is always blamed, and whenever he makes a mistake, you always drag me into the blame. But when Honglei disobeyed his elders, didn't you just let him do it? Honglei, blinded by lust, acted on his own, marrying a suicidal, trouble-making woman. Is that what you call 'reasonable and filial'?"
"So it sounds like you're blaming me for being partial?" Marquis Jingyang's face suddenly darkened.
"How dare I?" Wang turned her face away.
Marquis Jingyang coughed repeatedly, his face and lips purple as he spoke with difficulty, "Isn't it true that I hope my sons will become successful? But Hongyao has been lazy since childhood, and in the past two years, he's become addicted to gambling. I've been strict with him, but you've been secretly helping him pay his debts, allowing him to accumulate more and more debts, and eventually he committed the crime of embezzling military funds, bringing shame to our ancestors!"
"Actually, it's because the Marquis is usually too strict, and Yao'er is afraid of you, so he didn't dare tell his parents about his gambling debts. Otherwise, why would he take such a risk?"
"That's enough, stop making excuses!"
…
The father-in-law and mother-in-law blamed each other and argued endlessly. Jiang Yushu didn't want to interrupt and turned her head to look behind her: In order to arrange the funeral, the managers in the mansion responded one after another. Guo Honglei had no choice but to take charge and was too busy to get away for a while.
The next moment, Jiang Yushu finally heard her chubby uncle start to persuade her:
"Father, Mother, please calm down and say less. It would be bad if our relatives and friends come and see you like this." Guo Hongxuan mustered up his courage and tried to support his mother, but was pushed away.
"What a curse! The family business our ancestors worked so hard to build is going to be destroyed by that little beast Hongyao." Marquis Jingyang burst into tears and was helped back to the mourning hall by servants.
Wang was in a state of confusion, filled with worry and grief. She said to her youngest son, "Silly child, your elder brother was sentenced to death by His Majesty. A grand funeral is inappropriate. I have only sent obituary notices to a few close relatives and have not dared to invite anyone else."
Guo Hongxuan was at a loss, and said "Oh" blankly. When he turned around, he looked at his second sister-in-law at the steps below.
Jiang Yushu noticed it keenly, was stunned for a moment, and nodded slightly in greeting.
Guo Hongxuan scratched his head and called out politely, "Second sister-in-law."
Jiang Yushu was immediately in trouble: the original owner had suffered injustice and was unwilling to marry. She knew very little about the Jingyang Marquis Mansion and didn't even know the names of the four Guo brothers.
Fortunately, Guo Honglei arrived in a hurry and informed him in time: "He is the fourth brother Hongxuan."
Jiang Yushu nodded and was about to say hello when her mother-in-law, Wang, who had already stepped into the mourning hall, suddenly turned around and angrily demanded, "Honglei! Look at the good daughter-in-law you married, and she hanged herself the moment she entered the house. Outsiders will surely think that her in-laws were being harsh and intimidating, and that the Jingyang Marquis's mansion was wronged. In my opinion, a woman like this cannot be kept. If she is, she will become a disaster. What do you think?"
The young couple exchanged glances, and Jiang Yushu felt a mixture of emotions. She thought to herself: From their conversation in the bedroom, it was clear he trusted the original owner and had a good impression of her. However, the original owner was dead, and he had saved a completely unfamiliar soul. I wonder how he'll feel when he learns the truth?
Guo Honglei followed the advice, stepped forward to block his wife's way, and then, bowing, replied, "Mother, you are right. I deeply regret not heeding your advice. Jiang was truly too willful and reckless."
"Hmph. If you had listened to me before, you wouldn't have all this trouble today. You rebellious son, blame yourself if you want to. You never listen to your mother's advice and always make your own decisions!" Wang's face was long, and she poured all her anger on Jiang Yushu. She raised her head and ordered, "Since that's the case, just write a letter of divorce. There's no need to hide anything. Just tell the truth. I believe the Jiang family won't have the face to argue with you."
Guo Honglei was filled with regret, but he had no other options. "I understand, kid."
"Go ahead. Send her away quickly, lest she take advantage of the situation and commit suicide again, causing more trouble in the mansion."
"Yes," Guo Honglei replied solemnly, then changed the subject and offered comfort, "I hope you take care of yourself, mother. Otherwise, my brother's spirit in heaven will also be at peace."
In an instant, Wang burst into tears and beat her chest and cried sadly: "Hongyao, my poor son, you were still alive yesterday, but you suddenly left your mother, leaving your parents to suffer such a loss. This is going to kill me!" She returned to the mourning hall while crying, with no time to think about anything else.
The sky was filled with gloom and sadness, and the maids and servants stood there huddled together, silent as a mouse.
Guo Honglei pulled himself together and said, "Go back to your room and rest. I'll draft a divorce letter and send you back to your parents' home as soon as possible."
"I--" Jiang Yushu clenched her handkerchief tightly. Less than half a day after traveling through time, she encountered many troubles. No matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn't figure it out and was anxious.
Seeing this, Guo Honglei felt reluctant to leave the beautiful woman, and his heart softened. He comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I will explain it clearly to my father-in-law."
"Then, what will you do?" Jiang Yushu couldn't help but worry about the other party.
"Waiting for your Majesty's will." Guo Honglei said solemnly.
After a while, the group arrived at the courtyard gate and saw the housekeeper leading an old man wearing a third-rank official robe coming from afar.
"Father-in-law is here!"
"Ah?" That was the original owner's father? Jiang Yushu suddenly felt nervous, afraid that her father would find out that his daughter's heart had been replaced.
Guo Honglei acted decisively and walked quickly to meet him after saying "I'll talk to him first". The father-in-law and son-in-law came close to discuss the matter.
Jiang Yushu stopped and watched from where she stood, trying her best to recall the way the original owner got along with her father, and carefully considered: Fortunately, Jiang's father was majestic and old-fashioned, and the eldest daughter was quiet and timid. She had always been respectful to her father but not intimate enough. When they met on weekdays, they only had to greet each other and rarely chatted.
After a while, Jiang Yushu noticed that her father frowned and looked stern, shaking his head and waving his hands.
"No, that's not right." Jiang Shisen, currently serving as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, was nearly forty years old, handsome, with a long beard under his chin. He waved his hands repeatedly, "How can this be? This is absolutely inappropriate!"
Guo Honglei spoke frankly, "You've been an official for twenty years. What storms haven't you seen? I'm not exaggerating. My brother has committed a grave offense, and the rest of the culprits in the corruption case have implicated their entire families. Given Your Majesty's wisdom and justice, the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion is likely doomed."
"Alas, the prince is really confused." Jiang Shisen twirled his long beard and pondered in silence.
Guo Honglei pleaded earnestly, "The Guo family is currently struggling. Yushu only married into our family yesterday and is completely innocent. I cannot bear to see her implicated, so I beg you, father-in-law, to take her back home and evade punishment. If Your Majesty grants me mercy, I will take her back. If Your Majesty punishes me, she will not be implicated. What do you think?"
"This..." Jiang Shisen's brows furrowed into a "chuan" shape. After much deliberation, he finally answered decisively, "No! This is inappropriate. I don't agree."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"Well. I'll go see Yushu first." Jiang Shisen walked past his son-in-law and went straight to his daughter.
Jiang Yushu, who had been prepared, calmed herself down and hurried forward, kneeling and saying, "Daughter greets father."
Jiang Shisen asked in surprise, "What's wrong with your throat?"
"Ahem." Jiang Yushu was startled, her eyes drifted towards her husband, and she asked: You didn't tell him that I committed suicide yesterday?
To avoid unnecessary complications, Guo Honglei replied vaguely, "She caught a cold."
Seeing his eldest daughter still wearing a stand-up collared vest in April, Jiang Shisen believed it and sighed, "My daughter has been weak since she was a child, and she is especially afraid of the cold."
Jiang Yushu was grateful for her husband's help in covering it up and she coughed twice in cooperation.
Unexpectedly, Wang's voice suddenly rang out at the gate: "Master Jiang, you may not know that your daughter hanged herself yesterday out of anger. Fortunately, Honglei rescued her in time."
"What?" Jiang Shisen was shocked and turned around to ask, "Is this true?"
Jiang Yushu secretly groaned, but seeing that she couldn't hide it anymore, she could only nod.
"Nonsense, you are just fooling around!" Jiang Shisen scolded with a dark face.
Guo Honglei was about to smooth things over when he heard his mother standing on the steps say indifferently, "That's just nonsense! It's frightening everyone in the mansion. Therefore, please, Master Jiang, take your daughter back quickly. We're very worried she'll commit suicide again."
When the two families met, the mother-in-law was cold and indifferent, and she immediately said she wanted to divorce her daughter-in-law. Jiang Shisen's face turned ugly, but he was very knowledgeable and never bothered to argue with women. He froze in his place for a moment.
Seeing this, Jiang Yushu couldn't help but feel guilty and apologized on behalf of the original owner: "I know I was wrong and shouldn't have embarrassed you."
"Father-in-law, actually, she—" Guo Honglei was interrupted by Jiang Shisen wearily before he could finish his words: "Honglei, you don't have to cover up for Yushu. It's all my fault as a father for not teaching my daughter well."
At this time, the Marquis of Jingyang dragged his sick body to the door, coughing and gasping for air as he apologized, "My dearest, please don't be so mean to me. It's so rare that you came to visit so quickly. Please come in and sit down."
Jiang Shisen's expression softened. He stepped forward, saluted, and said comfortingly, "Now that things have come to this, I can only advise you to mourn and take care of yourself."
"Alas, misfortune has befallen our family! Please, come in and talk."
The young couple looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Shi was so embarrassed by her husband's disrespect that she blurted out, "My Lord! Miss Jiang has been trying to commit suicide since she entered the family. It's clear that she hates her in-laws. Why are we still trying to keep her here? Don't you think the house is chaotic enough? Why not let her go back to her parents' home?"
"Nonsense! I think Lei'er's wife is a good person. She was just frightened by the officials from the Ministry of Justice yesterday." In front of everyone, Jingyang Hou couldn't blame his face and ordered angrily: "Come here, send the lady back to her room to rest immediately."
"yes."
"How dare you! Get out of here!" Wang struggled hard, her hair was disheveled, wrinkles drooped at the corners of her eyes and mouth, she gritted her teeth, and had no composure at all.
Jiang Yushu, who had just arrived, looked around and chose to stand beside her father. Guo Honglei supported his father and helplessly reminded him, "Please don't get angry. The doctor said not to get angry."
Jiang Shisen's face was expressionless, his beard trembling. He took two steps forward and solemnly stated, "My Lord, I have failed to educate my daughter properly and have caused trouble for the family. I am truly ashamed. But since ancient times, women have been required to obey the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. Now that Yushu is married, she will be 'a member of the Guo family in life and a ghost of the Guo family in death'. If she is not a good person, she should be disciplined by her husband's family, even if they beat her to death." After a pause, he said passionately and resoundingly:
"The daughter of the Jiang family must not be divorced!"
"Honglei, the Jiang family won't take in married daughters. If you divorce her, you'll be forcing Yushu to death."
"Father-in-law——" Guo Honglei was dumbfounded.
Jiang Yushu was stunned, stunned, and thought to herself: Absurd, absolutely ridiculous! Would she rather be beaten to death by her in-laws than be allowed to leave? Her father refused to take in his married daughter? Was being divorced the same as being shameless to live?
Before she could come to her senses, she suddenly saw a large number of officials with swords coming from the end of the corridor, surrounding a eunuch who was holding a bright yellow cylindrical object in his hands.
Jiang Yushu held her breath and asked, "Who are they?"
Guo Honglei sighed, "Oh no! It's too late to send you off!"
"It's bad, it's over." Marquis Jingyang staggered and muttered, "It seems that our ancestral family business can no longer be protected."
In the blink of an eye, the eunuch walked up to him and solemnly announced, "The imperial edict has arrived! Everyone in the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion, come quickly to receive it!"
Wang's face turned pale, and she asked in panic, "My Lord, my Lord, what should I do?"
Marquis Jingyang's legs went weak and he fell to his knees, unable to speak.
Guo Honglei took a deep breath and instructed the housekeeper, "Luan Shun, go and call everyone out immediately to receive the imperial edict."
"Yes." The butler stumbled into the backyard.
Then, Guo Honglei held his mother with his left hand and his wife's arm with his right hand, and said to Jiang Shisen in a hoarse voice: "Father-in-law, I am ashamed of your trust. Yushu will suffer if she follows me." After speaking, he pulled the two of them to kneel slowly.
Faced with the imperial edict, Jiang Shisen had no choice but to lift his robe and kneel beside her, lamenting, "This is her fate, you are not to blame."
After a while, everyone in the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion knelt on the ground, all in fear.
The eunuch carefully unfolded the imperial edict and read out the words in a shrill voice:
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: Marquis of Jingyang, Guo Yuanming, failed to educate his son properly and neglected his supervision, allowing his eldest son to indulge in greed and disregard the law, embezzling military funds and endangering the imperial court. He has been punished. You, too, have committed offenses, and your title and property should be stripped. However, considering your grandfather's contributions to the Taizu, I will spare your life and pardon your entire family. You will be exiled to Xicang and sent to the military to cultivate the land to appease the people's anger and serve as a warning to others. I decree this."
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