Chapter 307 Deposing Xiu Ming
The next day.
Zhang and Chen witnessed the scene yesterday. Because they didn't know how Gu Xiuming and Li Wan'er would punish them, they were so curious and restless that they both suffered from insomnia.
Early in the morning, right after having breakfast, they all came to Wei Rui Xuan, wanting to ask Meng Jin Yao about something and satisfy their curiosity.
As soon as Zhang sat down, she skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Third sister-in-law, Xiuming and Aunt Li are still imprisoned in Qingyuxuan. What are your plans for dealing with them, third brother?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "Sister-in-law, to be honest, I don't know either."
Mrs. Chen asked in surprise, "Third sister-in-law, how could you not know?"
Meng Jinyao explained, "Yesterday, after the Marquis left Qingyuxuan, he went to my mother's place. After I came back, had dinner, and took a bath, I thought I would ask him when he came back, but I accidentally fell asleep. When I woke up today, he had already left."
Upon hearing this, Zhang and Chen looked at her with suspicion, their eyes seeming to say: Is it really that coincidental?
Meng Jinyao met their gazes and nodded slightly. She was telling the truth; she had indeed fallen asleep last night and had not deliberately hidden anything.
Zhang said, “In the past, when Xiuming made mistakes, my third brother would always educate him. But this time, Xiuming made such a big mistake, yet my third brother didn’t even scold him once. He was so calm that it was frightening.”
Meng Jinyao knew that her husband was completely heartbroken over Gu Xiuming, which was why she didn't bother to waste words with him. However, since the outcome was still uncertain, she didn't say anything more and changed the subject: "Sister-in-law, after such a big incident yesterday, what is the reaction of the people in the manor today?"
Zhang replied truthfully, "I ordered them to stop gossiping. I haven't heard anything from them openly, but they must be talking about it in private. I guess people outside have heard some rumors too. I just don't know when my third brother will deal with this matter."
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly: "Last night, the Marquis told me to handle this matter today. Once the Marquis returns, we will know how to handle it."
Afterwards, the three sisters-in-law chatted for a while before Meng Jinyao sent them away. Remembering that she hadn't taken her medicine today, she instructed her maid to prepare a cup of warm water for her. She alternated between taking pills and decoctions; when she got tired of drinking pills, she would take pills, and when she got tired of pills, she would drink decoctions.
In the afternoon, Gu Jingxi returned home after finishing his shift.
Meng Jinyao glanced up casually and saw his figure. Her eyes lit up immediately. She opened her mouth as if to ask something, but then swallowed her words back. She looked at him expectantly, her eyes full of curiosity.
Seeing this, Gu Jingxi stepped forward and patted her head: "I know what you want to ask. We'll probably have the answer soon. Let's wait for now."
"Wait a minute?"
Meng Jinyao looked at him with a surprised expression and a puzzled look in her eyes, and asked in confusion, "Husband, shouldn't you be the one to handle this? It was a bit late yesterday, but it's not too late today. Why don't you go to Qingyuxuan and handle this matter?"
Gu Jingxi shook his head gently and smiled, "Ayao really overestimated your husband. He doesn't have that ability."
Meng Jinyao was stunned again upon hearing this, finding his words quite perplexing. If a father doesn't have the ability to deal with an unfilial son, then who does?
Just as she was racking her brains trying to figure it out, a maid ran in and reported, "Lord, Madam, an imperial edict has arrived from the palace!"
Imperial edict?
Meng Jinyao was stunned. Why did an imperial edict suddenly arrive out of nowhere?
Could it be...?
She glanced at the man beside her and saw that he was calm and composed, without the slightest surprise on his face, as if he had expected it. She was almost certain of her guess.
Gu Jingxi said gently, "Ayao, let's go and hear the imperial decree."
Meng Jinyao nodded in agreement and followed his steps. The matter of receiving the imperial edict could not be delayed, so the couple hurried to the front yard to hear the decree. On the way to the front yard, they also saw the people from the first and second branches of the family rushing over.
The three families met and exchanged glances.
Gu Jingsheng asked, "Third brother, why did an imperial edict suddenly arrive from the palace?"
Gu Jingxi replied calmly, "Big brother will find out soon."
Seeing his calm demeanor and apparent lack of curiosity about the contents of the imperial edict, the crowd began to have their own doubts, sensing that he knew something.
Since he wouldn't say, no one asked any further questions to avoid wasting time.
A while after everyone arrived at the front yard, the elderly and slow-moving Madam Gu finally arrived.
Immediately afterwards, everyone saw Gu Xiuming and Li Wan'er being escorted over by servants. It was not surprising that Gu Xiuming would come to hear the imperial decree, since he was the heir of the Marquis's mansion. But why did Li Wan'er, a concubine who was not worthy of being in the public eye, also come?
The Gu family members had all arrived, and everyone knelt on the ground according to their seniority.
The eunuch reading the imperial edict glanced at them, then unfolded the bright yellow edict, and a shrill voice rang out:
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Gu Xiuming has repeatedly disrespected his elders, slandered and framed his mother, and is of wicked character, disobedient and unfilial. He is unfit to be the heir of the Marquis's family. Therefore, he is stripped of his title as heir apparent, stripped of his scholar's degree, demoted to a commoner, barred from taking the imperial examinations for life, punished with thirty strokes of the cane, and exiled to Yazhou."
Concubine Li was accused of insubordination, framing her elders, and being disrespectful and unfilial. She was given twenty strokes of the cane and exiled to Yazhou.
The fault lies with the father for not teaching his son. Marquis Gu Jingxi of Changxing was not strict in managing his household and failed to properly educate his son, which led to the misdeeds. He was ordered to stay at home for half a month to reflect on his mistakes and was fined a year's salary as punishment.
So be it.
Everyone was stunned by the imperial edict and couldn't react for a moment. They seemed not to have expected that Gu Jingxi would be so ruthless to his only son, actually submitting a memorial to the emperor.
Our dynasty governs the world with benevolence and filial piety, and the emperor is also a famously filial son. He can't stand unfilial sons the most. When he learned that Gu Xiuming was an unfilial son who had done such a terrible thing, how could he let him off easily?
But it must be said that Gu Jingxi is truly fair and just, and ruthless enough to not let others off the hook, and he doesn't even let himself off the hook.
When submitting a memorial to the Emperor requesting the removal of the heir apparent, Gu Xiuming's crimes would inevitably be listed, and Gu Jingxi himself would have to apologize to the Emperor for failing to properly educate his son. Not only would Gu Xiuming be severely punished, but Gu Jingxi himself would also be unable to escape punishment, because the ancients said that if a child is not taught, it is the father's fault. If a child makes a big mistake, the father is guilty of failing to discipline him properly. This is especially true for officials. If they fail to educate their children properly or manage their families strictly, they will be punished by being confined to their homes to reflect on their mistakes. They will definitely be fined, and some may even be demoted or dismissed from their posts.
The last official in the capital to be punished for failing to properly educate his son was the former Vice Minister of Rites, Lord Zhao. When his son's bullying of the people was exposed, the emperor was furious. However, Lord Zhao was spared from being dismissed because of his past merits. In the end, Lord Zhao, who failed to properly educate his son, was demoted to a barren place to serve as an official.
Now Gu Jingxi is being punished by being confined to his home to reflect on his mistakes and having his salary reduced. However, a year's salary reduction won't affect him much. The Gu family isn't poor; they're just being punished for lax household management and failing to properly educate their son. It would be shameful if word got out that a dignified Minister of the Court of Judicial Review couldn't even raise his son properly.
Gu Xiuming was horrified, his face turning deathly pale. He could hardly believe his ears. Thirty strokes of the cane and exile to Yazhou? Was this worse than being killed? Yazhou was barren and sparsely populated, with harsh conditions and even a lack of water resources. Life in Yazhou would be like living in hell.
Li Wan'er was so frightened that she couldn't even kneel properly and collapsed to the ground. She had been living a wealthy life that her neighbors envied, but in less than a year, she was to be exiled to Yazhou. The rest of her life would be a thousand times more bitter than when she was living with her deceased grandfather.
At this moment, Gu Jingxi kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise and mighty! Long live the Emperor!" After he finished speaking, he stretched out his hands, palms up, and respectfully accepted the imperial edict.
His voice pulled everyone back to reality, and they hurriedly kowtowed, shouting in unison, "Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Emperor!"
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(Deposing the crown prince is not something the male protagonist can decide with a single word, nor can it be decided by the clan elders. Establishing a crown prince requires a petition to the emperor, and deposing one also requires a petition to the emperor, with sufficient and well-founded reasons; fabricated facts are unacceptable. I've tried my best to make it logically sound while writing this. Gu Xiuming has made a grave mistake; there are witnesses, physical evidence, and testimonies to back it up. Please forgive any shortcomings.)
Below, I will explain two questions that readers may ask:
Why wasn't Gu Xiuming returned to his biological parents?
A: Because an adopted child cannot be re-adopted. A child isn't something you can simply take back if you want them, or have their biological parents come and take them away if you don't want them anymore. In ancient times, disobedient and unfilial people were ostracized by everyone; no one dared to associate with them, or they would be ridiculed. His biological parents would definitely want to get as far away from him as possible. Furthermore, Gu Xiuming has committed a grave error, petitioning the Emperor to depose the heir apparent. Now that the Emperor knows, he will surely punish Gu Xiuming severely; it will be difficult for him to return unscathed.
Is exile too harsh a punishment?
A: I don't think it's serious, because in ancient times, filial impiety was an unforgivable crime, punishable by death or serious injury, with no good end. Therefore, most people in ancient times were reluctant to report their unfilial children to the authorities and would give them a chance to reform. Only when they repeatedly failed to change their ways would they be forced to report to the authorities and ask the government to uphold justice.
As for Li Wan'er, the author deliberately sent her to accompany Gu Xiuming; true love must always be together, right? Her actions warrant exile.
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