In mid-March, the trial of the case involving the death of Zhi Baiju by the Zhi family was completed.
Zhi Baiji murdered his brothers and was beheaded.
Zhu (the second maternal aunt) instigated and beat her son to death, and he was beheaded.
Qiao (the eldest maternal aunt of the Zhi family) and Wang (the third maternal aunt of the Zhi family) were each given twenty strokes of the cane. In addition, all eighteen children of the Zhi family in Beijing were exiled three thousand li away for participating in cursing, coercing, and beating the victims. They were not to be pardoned even if they were pardoned, and their three generations were not allowed to enter the capital.
Gu Chengyan, who intended to ruin his wife's reputation, was a beast in human clothing and a degenerate scoundrel. At his wife's strong request, he was given forty strokes of the cane and sentenced to castration.
Madam Tu crawled to the old lady and begged her to use her pardon to save Gu Chengyan.
The old lady consulted with Gu Boyu about opening the ancestral hall door to obtain the imperial edict.
This time, Gu Boyu didn't even consult with his clansmen and directly refused: "Mother, Yan'er has repeatedly failed to correct his ways and is now ruined. Please let your son leave something for the next Earl!"
Gu Zheng is also his son. He has no money to leave to his son, but the family heirloom cannot be wasted. This is the bottom line for a father.
Upon receiving this news, Guan Yingying frantically kowtowed to the old lady, pleading, "Old lady, I beg you, use your pardon to save Chengyan. If he's castrated, how will he ever face anyone again?"
The old lady said angrily, "You jinx! Yan'er did such a heartless thing, wasn't it you, you wretch, who instigated him? Yan'er used to be obedient and well-behaved, but ever since he met you, all sorts of absurd things have happened to him."
Everything started because of this woman!
"Steward Zhang, beat this vile woman to death! It was she who ruined the Marquis's mansion, ruined Yan'er, and caused my family to be destroyed."
Guan Yingying was beaten black and blue. In her dazed state, she murmured to herself, "Save Chengyan, save him, and I'll pay you a penny to avoid death later..."
Butler Zhang said to the old lady, "Madam, she said that if we save the young master, she will give the manor a get-out-of-jail-free card in return."
The old lady told them to stop, and Guan Yingying had already fainted.
All the concubines knelt and begged the old lady to plead with Gu Shaoyu.
The old lady said with tears in her eyes, "I begged him, but he refused to bend the law for personal gain!"
When Guan Yingying woke up, she cursed in despair, "What's the use of Uncle being such a high-ranking official? He can't even protect his nephew. He's just a figurehead!"
The old lady said, "Didn't you say you could get a get-out-of-jail-free card? Then take one to save Yan'er."
"This concubine..." Where would she get a get-out-of-jail-free card now? "After the Crown Prince ascends the throne, this concubine will get one to compensate the household."
"By the time the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Yan'er will be long dead!"
"Then the manor will lend it to the eldest young master first, and we will repay it later."
"His father wouldn't allow it..."
"Never mind, I'll go and beg the Crown Prince!"
She cursed the old lady and Gu Shaoyu a thousand times in her heart.
The old lady had seen her go to the Crown Prince to ask for silver notes and tokens, which led to his permission for her to leave the mansion. She had also instructed her not to be too ostentatious.
"Don't shout, your third uncle and aunt won't be happy if they hear you saving someone."
“They’re unhappy? They won’t even save their own nephew! I’ll hate them for the rest of my life!” Guan Yingying said recklessly. “Such a heartless third uncle doesn’t deserve respect.”
The old lady also resented Gu Shaoyu's indifference.
Ta Xue sighed inwardly. The old lady was eating and drinking the Grand Secretary's food, yet she was stirring up others' resentment towards the Grand Secretary!
Aunt Hua, Aunt Bai, Aunt Xiang, and Aunt Mei all gathered around Xie Xiangxiang's courtyard, wiping away their tears and saying, "Madam, what will we do now?"
They were expelled from the manor, their clan was expelled, and Gu Chengyan was even castrated. What will they do in the future?
Xie Xiangxiang gritted her teeth and said hatefully, "He has become a eunuch. If you are willing to leave, I will let you go."
Bai Ling said, "Mistress, could you please beg the Earl not to kick us out of the manor? Even if we have to continue as servants, we can go to the estate."
The other three nodded vigorously. Since they couldn't rely on men, it would be best if they could live out their lives peacefully.
Xie Xiangxiang said, "Let me take another look."
Peony asked cautiously, "Madam, you and the young master haven't consummated your marriage, why don't you take this opportunity to divorce him?"
Gu Chengyan is already a eunuch, and he is no longer the heir of a marquis's family. If he is expelled from the family and banished from the mansion, he will have no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Why stay?
Xie Xiangxiang had thought about this problem long ago. Her life had been ruined by Gu Chengyan and Guan Yingying, so she wanted to personally torture these two people to the point of wishing they were dead.
Guan Yingying went to plead with the Crown Prince. When Lord Meng received the news, he remained silent and immediately had Gu Chengyan castrated.
Guan Yingying had not yet found the crown prince, but Gu Chengyan had already become a eunuch.
After all, he was his own son. When Gu Chengyan emerged from the torture chamber with a face covered in ashes, Gu Boyu leaned against the fence outside the torture chamber and wept bitterly.
After bringing Gu Chengyan back to the manor, Madam Tu pleaded with Gu Boyu, "My lord, please, don't kick him out. I only have two children, one of whom is already dead. If this one is also gone, I won't be able to live."
Gu Boyu also shed tears and said, "The Earl's Mansion can't withstand any more turmoil. Zheng'er will inherit the title and call you Mother. Just treat him as your own son."
Madam Tu held a dagger to her neck and said, "My lord, if you drive him out, I will die immediately."
The old lady also felt so unwell that she fainted and fell ill.
Helpless, Gu Boyu had no choice but to agree to let Gu Chengyan recuperate in the mansion for a while until he recovered, after which he would be released from the mansion.
When Xie Zhaozhao heard that Gu Chengyan had been released, she said to Yuan Yuanman, "Let's bring some tonics and go see the young master."
Yuan Yuan's eyes rolled around. Hearing that the young master had been castrated, such a serious injury, he must be given a powerful aphrodisiac!
They knew that the young master had caused Zhi Baiju's death, and the madam had been grieving for several days!
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