Chapter 336 Secret Assistance
Gu Xuanyi had always respected her third uncle, so she hadn't dared to ask him directly earlier, only her third aunt. Now, after being reprimanded by her third uncle, she instinctively stood up and didn't dare to kneel anymore. But standing there facing her third uncle, she panicked so much that her legs went weak and her body swayed precariously.
Seeing his niece like this, Gu Jingxi didn't say anything more. He looked at the maid beside him and instructed, "Go and fetch a basin of clean water for the eldest young lady to wash her face, and then comb her hair."
The maidservant responded and immediately went to do it.
Gu Xuanyi was unsure of her third uncle's attitude and dared not speak again. She didn't even dare to cry anymore, tears welling up in her eyes. She could only look at her third aunt for help, hoping that her third aunt could put in a good word for her with her third uncle and help her get a divorce. She had just said that she would become her third uncle and aunt's daughter, never get married, and take good care of her third uncle and aunt.
Seeing Xuan Yi standing there trembling, looking so pitiful that she didn't dare to breathe, Meng Jinyao gave her husband a look, signaling him not to frighten the younger generation, especially one who had suffered such serious harm.
Upon receiving a signal from his wife, Gu Jingxi continued, "Everyone in the family has gone to your grandmother's place now. We'll talk about it when we get there. Don't worry, no matter what happens, the elders in the family will definitely stand by you and won't let anyone bully you. But we'll need to discuss the details with the elders together."
These words were like a reassuring pill for Gu Xuanyi, putting her mind at ease. You see, escaping from the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion was no easy feat. It took her a lot of effort to escape, and she didn't even dare to bring her personal maid, for fear that too many people would make it difficult to conceal her identity. She walked all the way back to her parents' home from the back gate of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. She had never been so disheveled in her entire life.
A moment later, the maid brought over some water and helped Gu Xuanyi wash her face. Then, as Meng Jinyao had instructed, she led her into the inner room to help her comb and style her hair.
Meng Jinyao followed her into the inner room and saw that Xuan Yi's hair was tied up, and her neck was exposed without the thick black hair covering it. She noticed that there were finger marks on her fair skin. Her pupils suddenly contracted. In addition to beating Xuan Yi, the eldest son-in-law had also choked her neck. It was clear that the eldest son-in-law had wanted to kill Xuan Yi. What kind of hatred or grudge could make him want to kill her?
However, Xuan Yi was injured, and such an obvious one at that. Would the people of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion allow Xuan Yi to return to her parents' home? If Xuan Yi returns to her parents' home, wouldn't the fact that her eldest son-in-law beat her be exposed? The Marquis of Changxing's mansion is not easy to bully. Unless the eldest son-in-law is brainless, he wouldn't dare to give Xuan Yi the opportunity to return to her parents' home with injuries.
Meng Jinyao asked, "Xuanyi, logically speaking, your husband should have kept a close eye on you and wouldn't have given you the chance to go back to your parents' home to complain. How did you get out of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion?"
Gu Xuanyi answered truthfully: "That beast didn't return to the manor last night. I heard a maid say that he might beat me again when he comes back today. I'm terrified because he almost strangled me to death yesterday. If he beats me again, I reckon I'll die."
As she spoke, she shuddered slightly, then continued, "So I wanted to leave before dawn, before the people in the mansion woke up. I figured the maid watching over me probably thought I was asleep and taking a nap, so I could find a chance to sneak out of the courtyard. I was lucky; I didn't run into anyone on the way from my courtyard to the back gate of the Marquis's mansion. When I got to the back, I didn't see any old women guarding the gate, so I secretly opened the gate and escaped from the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. In the end, I walked back to my parents' home."
Her voice trembled as she spoke, and her whole body shook, showing how terrified she was and how harrowing her escape must have been.
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao sensed something was amiss, because it all went too smoothly. It felt as if someone was secretly clearing obstacles for Xuan Yi, helping her escape successfully. But in such a large Wu'an Marquis's mansion, who would secretly help Xuan Yi return to her parents' home safely and smoothly?
Soon, Meng Jinyao thought of someone who might help Xuanyi: the old lady of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. This old lady was the second wife of the old Marquis of Wu'an, and she was not much different in age from the Marquis of Wu'an's wife. Moreover, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law did not get along.
If it wasn't the old lady of the Wu'an Marquis's mansion, then it was her own son, the Fourth Master and his wife. They were enemies of the Wu'an Marquis's family, who were the eldest branch of the family, so naturally they didn't want the eldest branch to have a good life. Now that they finally had an opportunity to use the Changxing Marquis's mansion to suppress the eldest branch, how could they let go of such a good opportunity?
But no matter what, being able to help Xuan Yi escape is a good thing for her, otherwise she doesn't know what kind of treatment she would have received.
Seeing that her aunt didn't speak, Gu Xuanyi started to overthink again and asked nervously, "Aunt, are you and Uncle really not going to send me back? I went through so much trouble to get out, I'll definitely be beaten to death if I go back."
Meng Jinyao quickly shook her head and gently comforted her, "No, don't overthink it. Your hair is done. Eat something first. We'll talk about it when we get to your grandmother's. Our whole family will work together to find a solution. We won't let you suffer in vain."
Gu Xuanyi only wanted to tell her third uncle and aunt about the matter and ask them to help her get a divorce. Her third uncle and aunt were capable of doing so. However, judging from the attitude of the two elders, it seemed that the whole family needed to express their opinions. She was uneasy, afraid that her father would oppose the divorce again because he thought divorce was shameful. But she had no other choice. She was lucky to have escaped. At worst, she would rather die than go back.
Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, Meng Jinyao was also puzzled. What had the Gu family done to make her so disappointed? She comforted her, "Xuanyi, don't worry. The elders in the family will not let others bully you. Not only your parents, but also your second and third uncles will help you. You are a daughter of the Gu family. Your husband hitting you is also a blow to the Gu family's reputation. Eat something first to fill your stomach, and then explain the whole story clearly later. Our whole family will work together to get justice for you."
Hearing this, Gu Xuanyi felt comforted and nodded gently. While eating breakfast, she was probably still scared, her face full of apprehension, the panic in her eyes still lingering, and her hand holding the chopsticks trembling slightly.
Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi sat to the side, waiting for her to finish breakfast before going to Shou'an Hall. They would discuss and resolve any issues there. For now, they would refrain from asking the reason, lest they have to bring it up again in front of other elders later. Bringing up this kind of thing every time is like reopening old wounds.
Gu Xuanyi had no appetite and only ate a couple of bites before putting down her chopsticks and looking at her two elders uneasily.
Gu Jingxi stood up and said, "Let's go."
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