Chapter 454 Sold Off
Gu Jingxi stood at the door of the study, his face gloomy, his eyes coldly glaring at Xia Zhu, who was kneeling on the ground, shamelessly undressing in front of him and offering herself to him.
Not only did he lack a sense of shame, but he also ordered Xia Zhu to get dressed and go out. Xia Zhu dared to disobey and continued to press herself against him.
Not only that, they also used underhanded methods to add something to the tea.
That's incredibly audacious!
He opened his mouth and said coldly, "Xia Zhu is of bad character. Take her away and give her twenty strokes of the cane. Tomorrow, hand her over to the First Madam and let her find a matchmaker to sell her off."
Upon hearing this, all the maids and servants present were stunned. Xia Zhu was a senior maid, yet she wasn't even given the chance to be sent to a manor; she was sold off directly. If it were any other maid, her fate certainly wouldn't have been better than Xia Zhu's.
Xia Zhu was so frightened that her face turned pale. A maid who had made a mistake and was sold off by her master would never be a respectable maid in front of her master, even if she was bought back. She knelt down with a thud: "My lord, I know I was wrong. I was bewitched. Please forgive me this time. I will serve you and your wife well in the future."
Gu Jingxi remained unmoved, looked at the two strong old women, and said with displeasure, "Why don't you gag her and drag her away to be beaten?"
The two old women realized what was happening and quickly nodded in agreement. They immediately stepped forward, one of them holding Xia Zhu down while the other crumpled up a cotton handkerchief used for wiping sweat and stuffed it into Xia Zhu's mouth. Then the two of them pulled her away.
Xia Zhu's tears streamed down her face, her eyes filled with panic. She struggled desperately, still hoping to beg her master one more time, but her strength was no match for the old women who did the hard labor. She was completely under their control and was easily dragged away by the two old women.
The other maids were also frightened when they saw this. They never expected that the Marquis, who was usually so gentle and refined, could be so terrifying when he got angry.
Chunliu rushed over upon hearing the commotion and witnessed the scene. Her heart tightened; without asking anyone else, she knew that Xia Zhu had ultimately courted disaster.
Since they were bought into the Marquis's mansion, they have supported each other and developed a deep bond. Naturally, she hoped that Xia Zhu could come to her senses and have a good ending, but in the end, things did not go as planned.
Wealth and honor cannot be forced, but Xia Zhu could not see through it.
Being a master's concubine is actually not as good as being a head maidservant. Even if a head maidservant encounters other masters in the mansion, they will still have to give her some face. But it's different for a concubine. A woman who serves others with her looks will be despised. Just like the master's favorite concubine, none of the masters in the mansion respect her.
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The commotion here had already reached Meng Jinyao's ears, but she wasn't surprised. Maids climbing into bed were a common occurrence in most wealthy families. Her husband used to have a hidden illness, so the maids were all very well-behaved. Now that her husband's illness had been cured, the maids were getting restless. She had noticed these things before, and she was just waiting for an example to make an example of someone. She didn't expect one to pop up tonight.
Ningdong asked, "Madam, would you like me to go and take a look for you?"
Meng Jinyao gently shook her head: "No need, I believe the Marquis will handle it well."
Ning Dong said indignantly, "Xia Zhu usually seems quite honest, I never expected her to do such a thing. I was so grateful that I made medicine for her and took care of her when she caught a cold. I should have just ignored her."
"Human hearts are unpredictable. Who can guess what someone will do next?" Meng Jinyao said, picking up a pastry and tasting it carefully. Then she frowned and said, "This pastry is too sweet. It's too cloying. Tell the kitchen to put less sugar next time."
Ningdong replied, "Yes, I will tell the pastry chef next time."
Meng Jinyao put down the pastry she had only taken a bite of and said, "Speaking of which, the pastries from Yipinzhai are still the best. The cooks at home can't learn to make them. Sometimes the sweetness is the same, but the taste is different."
Ning Dong said, "Madam, Yi Pin Zhai must have its own unique family recipe to be so popular every day, which is why the cook can't make it taste the same."
Meng Jinyao nodded: "That's true."
Not long after, Gu Jingxi returned. He looked unwell and waved for the maid to leave.
Seeing his face turn red with anger, Meng Jinyao quickly stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "Husband, don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health over a maid."
Seeing that she was still quite calm, Gu Jingxi immediately became annoyed and asked in a low voice, "Ayao, aren't you going to ask me if anything happened between me and that maid?"
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "If it were before, I would have asked you, but now I don't think it's necessary, because I believe you are not that kind of person. You wouldn't do that. If you really can't help it, you would bring up the matter of taking a concubine openly with me, instead of bringing it up afterward."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi pulled her into his arms and looked at her pitifully, saying, "Ayao, I'm in pain. Please have pity on your husband."
Meng Jinyao quickly comforted her, "Don't be upset, don't be upset. I didn't misunderstand you. It was the maid's fault. If you're still angry, I'll send someone to find a matchmaker tonight and sell Xia Zhufa off immediately. Out of sight, out of mind. How does that sound?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "I have already punished her with twenty strokes of the cane. Tomorrow I will send her to my sister-in-law so that she can sell her off."
Meng Jinyao was quite satisfied with the outcome. Such a sycophantic maid should be sold off. After this incident, other maids would know better to keep their inappropriate thoughts to themselves, unless someone becomes the next Xia Zhu.
Seeing him looking at her expectantly, Meng Jinyao added, "These pastries are quite sweet; eating some will make you feel better."
"It's not that I feel bad in my heart." Gu Jingxi took her hand and moved it down. "It's that I feel bad here."
Meng Jinyao felt like she had touched a hot potato. She opened her eyes wide and looked at Gu Jingxi in surprise and astonishment. Although she didn't know what was wrong with him, she knew that she had touched something serious.
She tried to pull her hand back, but Gu Jingxi wouldn't let her. She stammered, "Husband, w-what's wrong?"
"I'll explain later. First, have pity on your husband."
After saying that, Gu Jingxi pulled her into the inner room to deal with the most important matter at hand.
She was still pregnant. Gu Jingxi restrained himself and stopped bothering her after a while. He held her hand and pleaded with her pitifully, "Ayao, please have pity on your husband."
Seeing how pitiful he was, Meng Jinyao couldn't bear it and continued to pity him. She continued to pity him for a long time until her own hands got sore, but she was still coaxed into continuing to pity him.
For a moment, Meng Jinyao didn't know whether to pity her own hand or him.
After the event, Gu Jingxi had a maid bring in hot water to help her clean up before telling her about Xia Zhu adding an aphrodisiac to the tea.
Meng Jinyao was shocked, never expecting that Xia Zhu, a mere maid, would be so bold.
Gu Jingxi added, "This kind of medicine can only make people who lack willpower submit."
Meng Jinyao rubbed her wrist and replied, "So you've given in too? My hand is sore."
Gu Jingxi's eyes turned pitiful again as he asked her, "Ayao, can you really bear to let your husband take a cold shower?"
Meng Jinyao: "..."
That's definitely something I couldn't bear to do. Early winter nights in Beijing are actually quite cold, and taking a cold shower would definitely make you catch a cold.
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