Chapter 101 Getting Slapped in the Face
Madam Gu's face darkened with displeasure, and she asked in a deep voice, "Xiu Ming, is everything Xiu Wen said true?"
Gu Xiuming dared not meet the elders' eyes and kept his head down in silence.
Seeing that he remained silent, Old Madam Gu's gaze fell on Li Wan'er, and she said, "Aunt Li, you are an eyewitness to the whole incident. Tell me, is what Xiuwen said true?"
Li Wan'er was suddenly called out by name. She looked up in surprise and met the stern gaze of her elder. Her heart trembled. She dared not say a word of falsehood and nodded slightly: "Replying to the old lady, what the fourth young master said is true."
After speaking, she looked at the young man beside her with a guilty conscience. It was her fault, but she dared not distort the truth in front of her elders, otherwise Meng Jinyao would not let her off, nor would the master and madam.
Zhang glanced at Gu Xiuming, who was hanging his head and dared not speak out, and seized the opportunity to interject: "Mother, you must stand up for Xiuwen and Young Master Meng! Their good children have been beaten like this, and they are supposed to set off for Lingshan Academy the day after tomorrow."
Gu Jingsheng chimed in, "Yes, Mother. If their classmates see them with bruises and swelling, what if they misunderstand and think they're not studying properly? Those who know will think they were beaten by their older brothers, but those who don't will think they were fighting with someone else."
Madam Gu naturally knew that Xiu Ming would be severely punished this time, but with the child's parents present, she didn't want to get involved and simply passed the problem to her youngest son: "Third son, what do you think should be done about this?" As she spoke, she glanced at the four people kneeling and added, "Except for Xiu Ming, the three of you should get up first."
Before Gu Jingxi could reply, Gu Xiuming looked up angrily, his eyes filled with resentment, and questioned, "Grandmother, is it because I am not Father's biological son that you beat and scold me at every turn?"
Hearing this, Old Madam Gu was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected her grandson to say such a thing about them, and she felt even more disappointed. She asked in return, "Xiuming, among you brothers, your grandmother loves you the most. Your father also fulfilled his responsibilities as a father to you, checking your homework whenever he had free time. When have he ever beaten or scolded you? Apart from the time you ran away from your arranged marriage, when has he ever beaten you before?"
Gu Xiuming pointed at Gu Jingxi and asked unwillingly, "If he has fulfilled his responsibilities as a father to me, then why won't he let me enter Lingshan Academy?"
After hearing this, Madam Gu belatedly realized that Xiu Ming was still bothered by this matter, and sighed softly: "Xiu Ming, this time Ling Shan Academy is recruiting students aged ten to fifteen. You are already over the age limit. Otherwise, you, Xiu Yuan, and Xiu Hong would all have a chance. Your father would have taken you to see Headmaster Xu."
"Your father took Xiuwen to see Headmaster Xu. Headmaster Xu personally examined him and that's why he gave him an extra spot. This spot doesn't count against the original spots. After entering Lingshan Academy, he'll be in the lowest class. If he fails any of the subsequent assessments, he'll be expelled."
"Excuses, all excuses!"
Gu Xiuming didn't believe this explanation. Since his father had the ability to get an extra spot, why didn't he help him get one too? So what if he was over the age limit? As long as he had the will, how could he not get a spot?
Madam Gu said earnestly, "Xiuming, your father is also very learned. His talent is no less than that of the teachers at Lingshan Academy. If you have any questions about your studies, you can ask your father."
After she finished speaking, she rubbed her temples with a headache. Although she had tried her best to treat everyone equally, the result was still unsatisfactory, and it was still difficult to satisfy everyone.
She originally thought that Zhang's excessive pampering of the child would ruin him, so she asked her son to find a way to send Xiuwen to the academy so that he could be transformed and stop being lazy.
If her other grandsons were not over the age limit, she would be willing to try to get them admitted. But if they are over the age limit, what would it look like? What would others think of them as family-oriented?
Gu Xiuming continued, "What about Meng Chengzhang? Father is his brother-in-law. With such a learned brother-in-law, why doesn't he just stay at our house and ask Father any questions he doesn't understand? Why send him to Lingshan Academy?"
Confused, Madam Gu asked, "Xiuming, what does this have to do with Chengzhang?"
Gu Xiuming found it incredibly ironic and scoffed, venting his resentment: "Father is so biased! Sending his nephew to Lingshan Academy is one thing, after all, he's his own nephew, a blood relative. But Meng Chengzhang has no blood relation to him. Because he dotes on Meng Jinyao, he sent Meng Chengzhang to Lingshan Academy. Father, you've left me out. Isn't it because I'm not his biological son? If I were his biological son, would Father be so biased?"
"Xiu Ming, what nonsense are you spouting?" Gu Jingxi's face was displeased, his brows furrowed. "Who told you that Cheng Zhang got into Lingshan Academy through my connections?"
Gu Xiuming looked up at him fearlessly and asked in return, "Isn't that right?"
Meng Jinyao curled her lips and picked up the conversation, saying with pride, "That's really not the case. My second brother passed the exam based on his own talent. This can be verified. If you don't believe me, you can check it yourself. I can't say that my brother is outstanding in other aspects, but he is quite good at studying. Although he is three years younger than you, your knowledge may not be as good as his. You can compete with him and I'll make you admit defeat."
Gu Xiuming froze. Hearing that she didn't seem to be lying, he felt a jolt in his heart, as if he had been slapped in the face, leaving him dizzy and with ringing ears.
As if afraid that he hadn't been hurt enough, Gu Xiuwen sighed and said, "Third brother, I told you a long time ago not to talk nonsense, but you wouldn't listen."
Zhang and Gu Jingsheng sat watching the play, feeling quite pleased. They had been heartbroken when their son was injured, but now it seemed that Gu Xiuming, who was in the best condition, was in an even worse state than when he was injured.
Gu Jingxi's face was frosty, and his gaze was heavy as he looked at his son kneeling on the ground. This son was truly refreshing his understanding time and time again. There was no worst, only worse.
After a long pause, he narrowed his eyes, his tone revealing undisguised disappointment: "Xiuming, I've always taught you to seek evidence in everything. Now you've made a baseless accusation against your second uncle based solely on your own conjecture..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Xiuwen, fearing he might forget something else, quickly reminded him, "Third Uncle, Third Brother not only wronged Second Uncle, but also wronged me and Third Aunt. I was just speaking up for Third Aunt, and he said that there was something going on between us. If this gets out, it doesn't matter to me as a man, but how will Third Aunt face people?"
Gu Jingxi frowned even more deeply, his face turning terribly gloomy. He made a decisive statement: "Xiu Ming has no respect for his elders and has physically assaulted his brothers. He shall be confined to his quarters for one month and made to copy the Classic of Filial Piety fifty times as punishment."
The Classic of Filial Piety?
Those present were stunned. It wasn't a punishment of copying the family rules, but rather copying the "Classic of Filial Piety," which was tantamount to openly accusing Gu Xiuming of being unfilial.
The crime of being unfilial is very serious. Our dynasty governs the world with benevolence and filial piety. Even the emperor does not dare to be an unfilial son. Who would dare to put the label of unfilial piety on their own head?
If anyone becomes an unfilial son, he will be drowned in spittle.
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