Chapter 342 Abandoning the Eldest Son
After a moment of contemplation, the Earl of Wu'an spoke with unusual coldness: "We will pretend we know nothing, and assume that Xiao'er had a fight with his wife and that Xuanyi ran back to her parents' home. We know nothing else."
Upon hearing this, Lady Wu'an was incredulous: "But if we tell the Gu family like this, wouldn't that be the same as pushing Xiao'er away?" She couldn't bear it. "Husband, Xiao'er is our first child, our eldest son. How can you be so heartless?"
"What else can we do?"
Wu Anbo frowned, his face grave: "If the Gu family finds out that we know the truth, that Xiao'er beat Xuan Yi but did not punish our own son, then we, as elders, have failed in our duty and have even shown favoritism and covered up for our own son. You may be able to afford to lose face, but I cannot."
Lady Wu'an's expression tightened. She had almost forgotten about this. If her son had beaten his wife, any reasonable in-laws would have punished him. After all, even if the daughter-in-law was wrong, she shouldn't have been physically assaulted. They knew their son had hit Xuan Yi, but they didn't punish him. Wouldn't punishing him have escalated the situation? So they kept the news under wraps, treating it as a normal marital quarrel. Xuan Yi wasn't in mortal danger, so they didn't even call a doctor, just kept her confined to let her recover.
Marquis Wu narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning sinister, and said in a deep voice, "If you want to blame someone, blame Xiao'er for acting impulsively and causing himself so much trouble. In this matter, the fourth branch must have played a part, or it was my good stepmother who did it. The second and third sons would never dare to do such a thing."
Lady Wu'an was very worried: "After such an incident, I don't think Marquis Changxing will let him off the hook. He will definitely make him pay the price for this."
Marquis Wu'an was quite open-minded about this. After all, he had two legitimate sons and two illegitimate sons, a total of four sons. Even if his eldest son was deposed, he still had three sons. So he said, "We have two legitimate sons, what are we afraid of? Even if Xiao'er is no longer the heir apparent, we still have Qi'er. Qi'er is also our son."
Lady Wu'an was shocked upon hearing this. She looked at her husband in disbelief, never expecting that he had already prepared for the worst. Qi'er was indeed their child, but Qi'er was not as outstanding as Xiao'er. Qi'er was even less promising than those two illegitimate sons. She was not cut out to be an heir at all.
Marquis Wu An instructed, "Madam, when Xiao'er comes back later, don't say these things to him, lest he cause trouble and get into more trouble at the Gu family, and we'll have to clean up the mess again."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at his wife with a warning look in his eyes.
Lady Wu'an opened her mouth, but thinking of her other son who could inherit the title, she ultimately held back and nodded gently, lest the situation become even more unfavorable for her and her son. This incident also revealed her husband's cold-heartedness; before this, Xiao'er was his most beloved son, but now he could abandon him at any time.
The Earl of Wu'an's voice was tinged with anger as he said in a deep voice, "Don't blame your husband for being heartless. Xiao'er's current situation is also due to your protection and indulgence. If you had told your husband about it back then, perhaps things wouldn't have developed to this point. It's one thing for him to lose face, but it also makes me, his father, lose face along with him."
Upon hearing this, Lady Wu'an lowered her eyes. She actually knew that Xiao'er had homosexual tendencies. When she first discovered it, she felt like the sky was falling. In order to correct her son's preference, she had drugged him and arranged for a beautiful maid to be with him. Unexpectedly, her son threw the maid out and slept with the servant boy next to him.
This was another huge blow to her. Even with the medication, she couldn't let her son touch women. Her son really had no interest in women at all. But she didn't tell her husband about this. After weighing the options, she chose to keep it a secret because her concubine's two sons were more outstanding than her second legitimate son. If her eldest legitimate son lost her husband's heart, who knew if he would be stripped of his position as heir apparent?
Choosing Gu Xuanyi as her daughter-in-law was a result of careful consideration. In fact, there were girls with better backgrounds than Gu Xuanyi; one of them had a father who was born of the principal wife, and she herself was also born of the principal wife. Although Gu Xuanyi was born of the principal wife, her father was born of a concubine. Fortunately, she came from the Changxing Marquis's mansion, and the Changxing Marquis was currently enjoying great favor from the emperor. Gu Xuanyi's background was indeed a good match for Xiao'er.
Xiao'er ultimately chose Gu Xuanyi, for no other reason than that Gu Xuanyi was more pleasing to the eye, not very smart, and liked to hear sweet words, believing whatever she was told. Such fools were the easiest to manipulate. As for Xiao'er's lack of children due to not touching women, she had already planned it out. After Xiao'er had been married for several years and his wife had not conceived, she would adopt one of Qi'er's sons.
As for Xiao'er's wife, all Xiao'er needed to do was keep her in check and prevent her from saying anything out of line. She would also help Xiao'er train her to be obedient. However, things still went wrong in the end, and Xiao'er's affair was eventually exposed, causing such a huge mess.
Marquis Wu glared at his wife and scolded her in a low voice, "It's true that a doting mother spoils her son. Look at how you've raised your children. Xiao'er is smart, but he has this shameful habit. Qi'er only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun, and your daughter is arrogant and domineering. And look at the children born to those concubines. None of them are like them. The son born to a concubine is ambitious and studious, and the daughter is dignified and elegant. You should reflect on yourself."
Upon hearing this, Lady Wu'an felt a surge of anger. It was those lowly concubines and illegitimate children who were belittling her own children and elevating her illegitimate children. If Xiao'er lost his position as heir, would that position fall to her other son?
Just as Lady Wu'an was worrying about her son's interests, a servant came to report that the young master had returned. The couple exchanged a glance and then let their son in to speak.
A short while later, the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an appeared in the couple's sight. Seeing his parents' serious expressions, although he didn't know what had happened, he became inexplicably nervous and asked, "Father, Mother, why are you in such a hurry to bring me back?"
Lady Wu'an took a deep breath and said in a heavy tone, "Xiao'er, Xuanyi and one of her maids ran away. I reckon they've already returned to the Marquis of Changxing's residence."
The heir of the Marquis of Wu'an subconsciously said, "Impossible. When I went back this morning, she was still sleeping. I also ordered the maids and servants in the courtyard to watch over her and not to let her or her maids step out of the courtyard. How could they have gone out?"
Wu Anbo replied, "Perhaps she went out a long time ago, and what you saw this morning wasn't her? After all, you didn't see her face clearly. Besides, don't forget, things aren't peaceful in this manor. The fact that they were able to leave is probably because your grandmother or your fourth uncle were involved. Not long ago, Marquis Changxing sent someone to tell me, your mother, and you to go to Marquis Changxing's manor together."
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