Chapter 310 Wanting a Child
These words shocked everyone present.
Should Xiuming be expelled from the clan?
This is a big deal. Under normal circumstances, family members are not easily expelled from the clan unless they have committed a serious crime, are despised by the clan, and become a rat that everyone wants to beat.
However, Xiu Ming committed an unforgivable crime, and there were good reasons to expel him from the clan. This rotten apple had brought shame to the family. When others mentioned the Gu family, they would talk about that rebellious son who had plotted to frame his mother and was now famous throughout the capital. The Changxing Marquis's mansion had been the laughing stock of the capital for a whole year because of this rebellious son, and the clan members who had separated from the family would occasionally be teased about him.
Therefore, Master Gu Er immediately agreed and made the final decision: "I agree with Yao Ling's proposal. As a member of the Gu family, he has been taught the family precepts since childhood and should know that loyalty and filial piety are the top priorities. This kind of disobedient and unfilial son is not worthy of being a member of the Gu family and should be expelled from the family."
After he finished speaking, he looked at his nephews who had come with him: "What do you nephews think?"
"Second Uncle is right."
"This kind of unfilial son deserves to be punished by the Emperor himself; he has truly brought shame upon our family!"
"That's right. This wretched child has wasted all those years of studying the classics. We should just expel him from the clan."
Since the most senior member of the family, Old Master Gu, agreed, the other elders naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement. At the same time, they also criticized Gu Xiuming's actions.
Gu Jingxi had spent so many years raising his son, only to end up with nothing but loneliness. His son was a rebellious son, sentenced to exile, and now expelled from the clan. From now on, there will be no Xiuming in the Gu family.
Therefore, the elders comforted him again.
The Second Master Gu's gaze fell on Gu Jingxi. He was old and his eyesight was not good, so he could not see the other's face clearly. However, he could tell from the outline that the other was handsome. He felt sorry for Yaoling. Yaoling had been smart and clever since childhood and was also very knowledgeable. If it weren't for his impotence, he would have had children around him by now.
While the old man felt regretful, he also thought that he no longer had a son, so he said, "Yaoling, there are quite a few outstanding children in the clan. If you are willing, you can choose another child from the clan. It just so happens that your wife is young and has the energy to take care of the child."
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone's minds started to race, and they looked at Gu Jingxi with more eagerness, because they also had younger relatives in their families. If they could be adopted by Yao Ling, they would become the heir of the Marquis's mansion.
Not only them, even Gu Jingsheng had some ideas. He had two sons. He definitely wouldn't adopt his eldest son, Xiuyuan, but he could adopt his second son, Xiuwen. He and his third brother were biological brothers, and his son was his third brother's nephew. A biological nephew is someone you've watched grow up, so he's always closer than a cousin.
Gu Jingxi replied gently, "Second Grandfather, I don't want to think about the child for now. Let's discuss this later."
Master Gu Er believed that he was traumatized and dared not have any more children for the time being, so he stopped mentioning it and said, "Whenever you want children, you can discuss it with everyone and then choose one you like to raise."
Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "Okay."
When Gu Xiuming was removed from the clan, it was agreed that everyone would go to the ancestral hall to resolve the matter. Later, letters would be sent to Gu family members who were officials in other places or living in their ancestral home to inform them of the matter.
From then on, the Marquis of Changxing's mansion no longer had Gu Xiuming, the third young master, and the Gu family no longer had Gu Xiuming. Gu Xiuwen moved up one place in the ranking of the grandchildren of the Marquis's mansion, from the fourth young master of the Gu family to the new third young master of the Gu family. He was originally the fourth brother of the two younger sisters in the family, but now he was the third brother.
At noon, several elders stayed for lunch, and the three Gu brothers accompanied them. After lunch, they chatted for a while before the elders headed home.
Gu Jingsheng patted Gu Jingxi on the shoulder and comforted him, "Third brother, don't think too much about Xiuming's matter. He was originally a cousin, and cousins are inherently a different relationship, so it's normal that he can't be acquainted with him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Jingsong suddenly turned his gaze to him. His words were practically saying that only a biological nephew could be raised well, and his third brother only had three biological nephews. Of these three nephews, only Xiuwen had a chance. The eldest son would not be adopted, Xiuyuan was the eldest legitimate son and could not be adopted, and Xiuhong was the eldest legitimate son and only son and could not be adopted either.
For a fleeting moment, Gu Jingsong envied his elder brother for having so many children—an eldest son, followed by twins, while he only had one son and one daughter. If he had more sons, he might have had a better chance. Oh well, it's all fate. He and his wife were both in their thirties; they shouldn't think about having children anymore.
Gu Jingxi also understood his brother's implied meaning and replied calmly, "Brother, there's no need to worry. I can take it easy. I'm truly sorry that today's events have delayed your important business."
Gu Jingsong replied, "It's good that Third Brother can watch it. Actually, we didn't delay anything."
After exchanging pleasantries, the three brothers returned to their respective courtyards.
Meng Jinyao knew early this morning that her husband had invited the clan elders over to discuss removing Gu Xiuming from the clan. When she saw Gu Jingxi return, she immediately asked, "Husband, how did it go?"
Gu Jingxi said, "We have no children now."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao knew that the elders of the clan had agreed to the decision. There was a question she hadn't had a chance to ask that morning, so she asked it now: "Husband, Xiuming has been sentenced to exile in Yazhou and will never be able to come back in this lifetime. Why did you think of removing him from the clan?"
Gu Jingxi said truthfully: "First of all, his actions have made him unworthy of being a member of the Gu family; secondly, we cannot let an unfilial son take our place as the eldest son; and finally, I do not want to be a father to a rebellious son."
Meng Jinyao's eyes lit up, and she said with a smile, "I don't want to be the mother of a rebellious son either." As she spoke, she looked at him expectantly and asked, "Husband, when are we going to have a child? I don't have anything important to do now, so I have time to take care of the child."
Gu Jingxi asked with a smile, "Does Ayao like children that much?"
Meng Jinyao nodded repeatedly: "I like it. Having a child would bring more fun. I'm usually idle anyway, so having a child would let me experience what it's like to be a wife and mother."
Upon hearing this, a trace of guilt flashed across Gu Jingxi's eyes. Ayao loved children so much, yet he...
Is that quack doctor surnamed Wen any good or not?
He pulled her into his arms and said softly, "Ayao, shall we wait a little longer?"
Meng Jinyao didn't think much of it, assuming that he was traumatized by Gu Xiuming's experience and probably wouldn't want a child anytime soon. So she looked up at him with a smile and immediately changed the subject: "Okay, let's wait a few more years. Actually, I was just saying it casually. I think I'm still young and shouldn't be spending all my time with children."
Gu Jingxi lowered his head and rubbed his forehead against hers, his voice gentle and his tone firm: "Ayao, we will have children, children that belong to us."
Meng Jinyao chuckled softly: "Our child, of course, belongs to us. How could it belong to someone else?"
Gu Jingxi didn't explain. He looked at his wife in his arms, her face beaming with smiles, her eyes growing gentler and her expression becoming more tender.
For the sake of his and Ayao's future, he decided to continue to believe in that quack doctor's medical skills, even if those skills were no good!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com