Xie Zhaozhao signaled the female soldiers to let go, and only then did they release their grip on Gu Chengyan's hand and return to Xie Zhaozhao's side.
Gu Chengyan was furious but could not disregard the etiquette of a junior to an elder. Suppressing his temper, he said, "Third Aunt, I am, after all, the heir of a marquis's mansion. How dare you humiliate me like this?"
"Without rules, there can be no order. Is Prince Gu really willing to break the established order for a lowly concubine?"
Xie Zhaozhao said calmly, "This time it's thirty strokes of the cane and thirty slaps to the face, but next time it won't be thirty."
Gu Chengyan was beaten with thirty strokes of the cane. He was originally supposed to be beaten with forty strokes before the New Year, but on the sixth day of the New Year, he was beaten again by several old women. Now he feels pain all over his body.
He tried to pull Guan Yingying up, but after crawling for a while, he couldn't stand up.
Xie Zhaozhao's beating today was swift and decisive, without any hesitation. By the time Zhang Qing told Tu Shi and Tu Shi rushed over in a panic, Xie Zhaozhao had already finished.
Madam Tu retorted angrily, "Third sister-in-law, even when beating a dog, one should consider its owner, let alone Yan'er, who is the heir apparent. How can you embarrass him like this in the future, both in the manor and in the court?"
Xie Zhaozhao looked at her amusedly: "Sister-in-law, you probably don't know, but the Crown Prince has already been expelled from the court by His Majesty, haven't you?"
"What?" Tu said in disbelief, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Madam Lu had been watching the commotion from the sidelines. Upon hearing Xie Zhaozhao's words, she exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, Third Sister-in-law says the Crown Prince has been expelled from the court!"
"The Censorate impeached the Crown Prince for openly embracing and kissing his mistress in the street, which is a breach of moral conduct. His Majesty issued an oral decree before the new year, ordering him to never be employed again. If you don't believe me, you can go to the Ministry of Personnel to inquire yourselves."
Madam Lu wished the entire household would hear the news immediately: "Oh dear, the heir has been banished from the court? And permanently banned from employment? That's terrible, from now on he can only rely on the family's land to make a living!"
Tu glared at Xie Zhaozhao with hatred. Xie Zhaozhao was meticulous in her work, and arguing in front of others would only bring her shame.
She said angrily, "No matter what, the young master has parents, he doesn't need you, his third aunt, to discipline him! You beat him thirty times for a disagreement, do you want to kill him? Let's go to Mother and have her judge us!"
She turned and left after she finished speaking.
Xie Zhaozhao was naturally not afraid of her, and said to the female soldiers, "You all go back to the courtyard first, and Yuanyuan will accompany me to Ci'en Hospital."
Ping An and the two servants quickly helped Gu Chengyan up, while Yan Ke and Nian Ke also helped Guan Yingying away.
Gu Chengyan instructed Yan Kenian to help Guan Yingying to Qinyaxuan, but not to go to Ci'en Courtyard, as she would definitely be beaten if she went there.
Ping An and the servants carried Gu Chengyan to Ci'en Courtyard, where Tu Shi and Xie Zhaozhao were arguing fiercely.
"The heir apparent is the face of the Marquis's mansion. If the third sister-in-law disrespects him, it is to slap the face of the entire Marquis's mansion," Madam Tu said angrily.
"There are no secrets in the world. Many servants and men in the mansion know that we went to the east city to catch the adulterers. It's all over the place. If Mother and Sister-in-law don't believe it, they can go out of the mansion and listen."
Xie Zhaozhao said righteously, "The Crown Prince has seriously damaged the reputation of the Marquis's Mansion. Since Mother and Sister-in-law are not taking any action, I will discipline him on behalf of the Marquis's Mansion so that the entire mansion will not be dragged down."
“Mother, listen to this. The Marquis is still alive, and the Third Branch wants to bypass him.”
Seeing that she always used this sentence to pressure her, Xie Zhaozhao smiled slightly and said, "If it is inconvenient for elder brother and sister-in-law to follow the rules, I am happy to do it for them."
The old lady's face was very ugly. She shouted, "Shut up, all of you! Madam Tu, you need to have a proper talk with the young master. He must take the matter of Consort Yue seriously. Third Madam, you should inform your elder brother and sister-in-law about the young master's matter, instead of hitting people arbitrarily. If you don't follow the rules, won't the Marquis's mansion be in chaos?"
Xie Zhaozhao nodded: "Mother is right. From now on, I will consult with Mother before making any decisions."
As they were talking, Gu Chengyan was carried over, and the old lady asked him to explain why he had been beaten today.
Gu Chengyan was furious after being beaten by Xie Zhaozhao, but when he saw Xie Zhaozhao being questioned by the old lady and Tu Shi, he said with a quick tongue, "It's all my fault. I was disrespectful to my third aunt."
Tu was furious. She had been beaten but dared not tell the truth.
The old lady took the opportunity to scold Xie Zhaozhao and then told her to go back.
He asked Gu Chengyan, "Is it true that your third aunt said you were dismissed from your post?"
Gu Chengyan had already prepared his explanation: "Grandmother, it's true, but not because of any improper behavior. Rather, it's because I took on the Grand Canal project, arranged by the Crown Prince, and His Majesty and the Wei family..."
The old lady and Madam Tu automatically filled in the blanks in their minds: Gu Chengyan was the Crown Prince's man, and His Majesty hated the Crown Prince and the Cheng'en Duke's family, so he took his anger out on Gu Chengyan!
"What are we going to do? You've lost your job, and now you'll be stuck at home?"
"No, the Crown Prince has made arrangements for his grandson." Gu Chengyan looked up at his grandmother and mother and said tentatively, "Don't tell your third uncle about your grandson's relationship with the Crown Prince."
The old lady and Madam Tu automatically filled in the blanks in their minds: Gu Shaoyu is His Majesty's man, Yan'er is the Crown Prince's man, and His Majesty dislikes the Crown Prince...
After Gu Chengyan's smooth talk, they returned to Qinyaxuan without any real danger.
When Guan Yingying saw him return, she touched the spot where two teeth were missing and burst into tears, blood flowing from her mouth and soaking her clothes.
Gu Chengyan lay on the small couch and coaxed her, saying, "Wait here, I'll go and talk to Father later to separate the third branch of the family."
"I want her dead, I want her dead!" Guan Yingying wanted nothing more than to devour Xie Zhaozhao alive. "What a corrupt, backward, feudal, and vicious woman!"
"Yingying, don't be angry. You need to learn some rules in the future. You're so smart, why did you have to be so stubborn?"
Seeing Guan Yingying's hysteria, he suddenly felt extremely tired and said, "Third Aunt, as arrogant as she may be, has never hit a servant in the six months since she married into the Marquis's mansion, not even once, let alone raised her voice to scold them..."
"You're still defending her? Do you regret not marrying her?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Keep your voice down!"
Since Yingying came back from taking care of her, every day has been chaotic.
Xie Xiangxiang, Madam Tu, the old lady, Xie Zhaozhao... all condemned Guan Yingying for her lack of manners!
Gu Chengyan covered for her and protected her in every way, cleaning up her messes and tidying up her problems all day long, leaving him exhausted.
Today, I ended up getting dragged into this and beaten up myself.
He lay down and said to her, "You rest for a while, I need to arrange for someone to send the elixir of immortality to the Crown Prince as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Guan Yingying said, "I'll send it to the Crown Prince!"
"Are you trying to escape?" Gu Chengyan immediately said, "Stop making a fuss. Wouldn't it be better to stay quietly for a few days? If you want to go out, you need to inform your mother."
"What do you need to report? Do I need a permit just to go out?"
“Yingying, the Marquis’s mansion has its own rules. We are the younger generation, so we should naturally inform our elders before going out.”
"I'm going crazy, I'm going crazy!"
Guan Yingying tore her hair into a mess, touched the bald patches on her head, and the gaps in her missing teeth, and shouted, "I'm going to wipe out the entire Marquis's mansion..."
Gu Chengyan: ...
"Your Highness, hurry and receive the imperial decree!"
Ping An called out through the curtain, "The imperial court has come to deliver an imperial edict. Everyone in the manor should go to the front courtyard to receive it!"
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