Chapter 112 She was the one who hit him.
As soon as the words were spoken, Gu Xuanyi froze. It was her third aunt's voice.
Mentioning her third aunt reminded her of the last time she had a dispute with Gu Xuanling, which her third aunt witnessed the whole thing. In the end, her mother punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall to reflect on her mistakes before the ancestors, confining her to her quarters for half a month, and making her copy the family rules twenty times.
This was the first time in her life she had been punished so severely.
In her mind, her third aunt was just as frightening as her third uncle; neither of them were easy to mess with.
She slowly turned to look and sure enough, she saw her third aunt standing quietly a few steps away, looking at them expressionlessly. She instantly became timid, completely losing her previous domineering demeanor, and became as obedient as a cat. She quickly curtsied and stammered, "Third Aunt."
When Li Wan'er saw Meng Jinyao, she instantly forgot to cry. She wondered if Meng Jinyao had taken her words to heart. If she had, Meng Jinyao probably wouldn't let her off the hook later. She had suspected that Meng Jinyao had instructed Gu Xuanyi to make things difficult for her, but seeing Meng Jinyao's expressionless face, she knew that Meng Jinyao definitely hadn't done it.
She bowed nervously and said, "This humble servant greets Madam."
Meng Jinyao asked calmly, "What are you two doing?"
Gu Xuanyi had a deep impression of the punishment she received last time and dared not take the risk again. Before Li Wan'er could reply, she said, "Third Aunt, it's like this. Just now, I bumped into Aunt Li at the corner and hit my forehead. I thought Aunt Li did it on purpose, so I argued with her, but it seems that she did it unintentionally."
Meng Jinyao looked at Aunt Li and asked in a low voice, "Aunt Li, is this really as the eldest young lady said?"
Li Wan'er was afraid that Gu Xuanyi would bring up what she had just said, so how could she dare to accuse Gu Xuanyi of lying? She nodded hurriedly: "Replying to Madam, it is exactly as the eldest young lady said. I was walking fast just now and accidentally bumped into the eldest young lady."
Seeing that neither side was willing to tell the truth and clearly did not want to continue to dwell on the matter, Meng Jinyao did not want to get involved. She said gently, "Since it was an accident, let's let this matter rest." As she spoke, her gaze fell on Gu Xuanyi, "Xuanyi, you should also stop holding onto this matter."
Gu Xuanyi nodded in response, "Yes, Third Aunt."
Meng Jinyao added, "Then everyone can disperse and go do what they need to do."
The two responded and, not daring to linger, headed in the opposite direction.
However, Gu Xuanyi left with a smile, but when she thought of Aunt Li being her third brother's favorite concubine, she felt uneasy and secretly annoyed that she had acted impulsively in her anger.
The next moment, she remembered the conversation she had overheard between her mother and father last night. They said that her third brother had been punished again by being confined to his quarters and made to copy the Classic of Filial Piety fifty times. He had lost her third uncle's favor and probably wouldn't be able to hold onto his position as heir for long. So she felt relieved.
Li Wan'er left with a belly full of grievances. When the neighbors learned that she was going to be the concubine of the Marquis of Changxing's son, they all said that her good days had come and they all envied her for enjoying wealth and honor in the Marquis's mansion. But when she arrived at the Marquis's mansion, she realized that a lowly concubine was only slightly higher in status than a servant and was still half a servant. Every master could bully her.
Ningdong glanced at the two people going in opposite directions and whispered, "Madam, the eldest young lady is quite likable this time. Although I am saying this with a bit of schadenfreude, I just can't stand Aunt Li's weak and frail appearance, which is always teary-eyed."
Meng Jinyao agreed, "She is indeed quite likable."
Ningdong added, "However, with the eldest young lady's bullying and cowardly nature, she only bullies the weak and treats everyone who displeases her equally. She is often disliked. I don't know how the madam raised her. A perfectly good girl has been raised to have this kind of personality."
Meng Jinyao replied calmly, "That's what happens when you're spoiled too much. You can't stand the slightest grievance or loss. Isn't Meng Jinyu the same? But she seems to be a little better than Meng Jinyu. She's openly bad, while Meng Jinyu is secretly bad."
Mentioning Meng Jinyu, she frowned slightly, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes, before changing the subject: "The sun is getting stronger at this hour, let's go back first."
Ning Dong responded, "Yes."
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Qingyuxuan.
Gu Xiuming was confined to his home and forced to copy the "Classic of Filial Piety." He felt resentful and aggrieved, but he dared not refuse to copy it, because when the confinement period ended, his father would definitely check and find that he had not copied it or had copied it less, which would surely lead to a more severe punishment.
He had no choice but to write furiously, turning his grief and anger into speed. As he copied, his mind gradually returned to calm.
Suddenly, the study door was pushed open from the outside, and a beautiful figure rushed in.
Gu Xiuming paused in his copying, put down his brush, and looked up to see a face streaked with tears. He was immediately stunned and glanced at his beloved girl.
Li Wan'er's eyes were red and tears streamed down her face. There was a red mark on her forehead and a handprint on her fair face. Judging from the size of the handprint, it was obvious that she had been slapped by a woman.
The only woman in the household who had a grudge against Wan'er was Meng Jinyao.
Thinking of this, Gu Xiuming was filled with rage, his eyes surging with hatred, and his heart aching. He couldn't bear to say a harsh word to Wan'er, yet Meng Jinyao dared to hit Wan'er.
Seeing his grim expression, Li Wan'er timidly called out, "Brother Xiuming."
Gu Xiuming asked in a deep voice, "Wan'er, is it that bitch Meng Jinyao?"
Li Wan'er asked, puzzled, "Huh?"
"I knew it was that bitch Meng Jinyao." Gu Xiuming said through gritted teeth, his anger blazing. "That poisonous woman is becoming more and more unscrupulous because of my father's favor. She doesn't dare to hit me, so she takes it out on you."
After hearing this, Li Wan'er probably realized that he had misunderstood, and quickly shook her head: "Brother Xiuming, it wasn't her, it wasn't her who hit him."
Gu Xiuming didn't believe her words and felt even more sorry for her kindness and understanding. He softened his tone and said, "Wan'er, I know you are kind, but you don't need to speak up for her. If it's not her, who else would dare to lay a hand on you? Do you mean you would hit yourself?"
Li Wan'er choked up as she said, "It was the eldest daughter who hit him."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiuming was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Did your younger sister hit you? You have no grudge against her, why would she hit you?"
Li Wan'er sobbed softly as she recounted what had just happened.
Gu Xiuming's face grew even darker upon hearing this. His younger sister had been spoiled by his aunt since childhood and had a spoiled temper. In a fit of rage, she might actually do something like this. But Wan'er was the girl he cherished most. Even if he didn't care about the monk, he still had to give her face. His younger sister hadn't shown him any respect at all.
A girl born to a concubine, who never dared to be presumptuous in front of him before, has now actually dared to climb over him?
Li Wan'er took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, and asked hesitantly, "Brother Xiuming, she is the legitimate daughter of a concubine's branch, while you are the legitimate son of the main branch and the heir apparent, with a higher status than her. Yet she dared to disrespect you and humiliate me. Is it because... because..."
She hesitated, afraid to say something that might upset Gu Xiuming, who was already filled with resentment.
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