Chapter Sixty: Severe Punishment
Zhang's face burned with embarrassment. Her daughter had cried and was injured, yet in the end, it was her daughter who was at fault.
Hearing Chen say this, her face turned very ugly. Chen was making a big deal out of a small matter, directly escalating it to the point of whether it would make her mother-in-law sick, which would make it difficult for her to handle. If she took it lightly, wouldn't that be the same as indulging her daughter, not caring about her mother-in-law's health, and even agreeing with her daughter's words?
She looked at her tearful daughter. She had thought that Xuanling was at fault and asked Chen to punish Xuanling severely. Now that she found that Xuanyi was the one at fault, she could not let the matter rest without punishing her severely.
As for how to impose severe penalties?
She thought of Gu Xiuming, who was still in the ancestral hall reflecting on his mistakes and copying the family rules. She thought that Gu Xiuming, as the heir of the Marquis's mansion and the only son of the direct line, had been given twenty-five lashes, copied the family rules a hundred times, and confined to the ancestral hall to reflect on his mistakes for a month.
Given this precedent, if her daughter offends her mother-in-law with her words, bullies her younger sister, and tries to distort the truth in front of the elders, she'll probably have to punish her daughter by sending her to the ancestral hall; otherwise, it would seem too lenient.
Madam Zhang narrowed her eyes, hardening her heart: "Xuanyi, you have disappointed your mother too much. You bullied your younger sister, offended your elders with your words, and even tried to argue with your third aunt, blatantly wronging your sister. If I don't punish you severely this time, you won't know your mistake. Therefore, I will punish you by making you kneel in front of our ancestors in the ancestral hall for two hours to reflect on your mistakes, copy the family rules twenty times, and confine you to the courtyard for half a month as a punishment."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanyi was stunned. She never expected her mother, who had always doted on her, to be so heartless. She burst into tears, crying, "Mother, how cruel you are!" She then ran away crying.
Madam Chen also secretly gasped. She knew how much Madam Zhang doted on Gu Xuanyi. She was a precious jewel, pampered and spoiled. Copying the family rules twenty times and being confined for half a month were nothing compared to kneeling before the ancestors for two hours to reflect on one's mistakes. That was the real punishment. Anyone who was forced to kneel in the ancestral hall had committed a serious crime. Who wouldn't be ashamed of being forced to kneel in the ancestral hall? Madam Zhang could really be ruthless.
Fearing something might happen to her daughter, Zhang hurriedly instructed her daughter's two maids: "Go and keep an eye on the eldest daughter, and take her to the ancestral hall to be punished."
Seeing that the First Madam hadn't yet remembered to punish them, the two maids hurriedly responded and chased after her, lest the First Madam remember them later.
Madam Chen asked gently, "Sister-in-law, aren't you going to see her? Xuanyi has been pampered since childhood and seems to have never been punished like this before. If you don't go and comfort her, what will happen if she gets upset later?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang's heart tightened. She glared coldly at Chen, suppressing her anger, and gritted her teeth, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Second Sister-in-law. I'll go see right away." With that, she strode off in the direction her daughter had gone.
Gu Xuanling glanced in the direction where Zhang and her daughter had left, feeling a wave of fear. If her third aunt hadn't witnessed what happened, would she have been the one punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall, copying the family rules, and being confined for half a month?
Watching her hurried departure, Madam Chen smiled almost imperceptibly, then turned to thank Meng Jinyao: "Third sister-in-law, thank you so much this time. If you hadn't seen it, that clumsy girl Xuanling would have suffered a great loss."
Meng Jinyao replied gently, "Second sister-in-law, you don't need to be so polite. I'm just respecting the truth. Whether it was Xuanyi or Xuanling who made the mistake today, I won't take sides."
Madam Chen expressed her gratitude again: "No matter what, I still have to thank you, Third Sister-in-law. You appeared in time to stop Xuan Yi from slapping Xuan Ling. That child has quite a bit of a violent streak. If you hadn't appeared, Xuan Ling would have been outnumbered and beaten by her. Her face might have been scratched all over."
Hearing this, Gu Xuanling became even more frightened. It wasn't that her stepmother was exaggerating; her eldest sister really could act recklessly when she got angry. She was already of marriageable age, and if her face was ruined, how could she ever get married? Fortunately, her third aunt arrived in time.
Meng Jinyao didn't want to hear people thanking her repeatedly, so after exchanging a few pleasantries with Madam Chen, she left with her maid.
On the way, thinking about Chen's attitude just now, Meng Jinyao sighed, "Xuanling is a lucky child, to have a stepmother like her protecting her."
Chunliu agreed with this statement and replied, "The second young lady is very filial to her stepmother and is also very sensible. When Aunt Fang was alive, she was gentle and dutiful, never competing or fighting for anything, and she was also respectful to the second madam. The mother and daughter have won the second madam's heart, so the second madam will naturally take care of them."
Chunliu paused, then remembered something and added, "Speaking of Aunt Fang, she used to be the old lady's head maid. She was deeply loved by the old lady and caught the eye of the second master, who asked the old lady to take her away as a maidservant. After the second lady entered the family, she was elevated to a concubine."
Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood. Even if you don't care about the monk, you have to consider the Buddha. Coming out of her mother-in-law's courtyard, a concubine who is deeply loved by her mother-in-law has a different meaning than a concubine who is brought in from outside. If she is mistreated, it is an invisible slap in the face to her mother-in-law.
Besides, Aunt Fang is honest and doesn't fight or compete, and Xuanling is filial and sensible. Unless the legal mother is narrow-minded and intolerant, she wouldn't harm a concubine's daughter who has lost her birth mother to ruin her own reputation. If the concubine's daughter marries into a good family and becomes successful in the future, she might even be able to help her son. After all, fortunes can change in thirty years, and you never know what the future holds. It's better to avoid making enemies for yourself.
Judging from Chen's attitude, there was some sincerity in it. Perhaps a young girl had been filial to him as always, and over time, feelings had developed between them.
From this perspective, Chen's nature is actually not bad; she is much better than Zhang's.
A moment later, Meng Jinyao suddenly asked, "Second sister-in-law treats Xuanling quite well, so why is Xuanling so timid?"
Chunliu replied, "The eldest daughter often bullies the second daughter behind her back. The second daughter is so afraid of being bullied that she doesn't dare to interact with the eldest daughter in private. I guess with the eldest daughter, who is the legitimate daughter, as a comparison, and being ridiculed by the eldest daughter, the second daughter is somewhat inferior and timid."
Meng Jinyao glanced at her: "You seem to know quite a lot."
Chunliu explained, "When I served the old lady, the two young ladies had a conflict. The old lady was very clear-headed and knew who was at fault first. She just didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the eldest and second branches of the family, so as not to help the second young lady and cause the eldest branch to resent the old lady for being biased. So she only let the parents of both sides handle it. However, the second wife is not easy to bully. If the two young ladies' affairs were to reach the elders, the second wife would protect them."
After listening, Meng Jinyao nodded knowingly. Every family has its own problems, and there are many conflicts and disagreements. Compared to the Gu family, the Meng family is in even more trouble. Although the Gu family also has its struggles, at least they don't escalate to the point of the Meng family's situation...
That's all in the past.
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