When they had time, Gu Jiu and Gu Shan went to the mourning hall together to pay tribute to Jia.
It can be seen that the Marquis' Mansion had been preparing for a grand funeral for Jia from the beginning, and specially invited a great monk from Baoguo Temple to perform rituals.
Jia had no children, so there was no one to mourn for her or to break the pot for her.
Only her husband Gu Rui was guarding in front of the mourning hall.
Gu Jiu took the lit incense and walked forward, bowed three times, and then inserted it into the incense burner.
She looked at Gu Rui who was standing by the side.
In just a few days, Gu Rui, the eldest son of the Marquis's Mansion, turned into a half-human, half-ghost man, with a scruffy beard and no thought of taking care of himself.
He had lost at least a ton of weight, his face was pale, and he had dark circles around his eyes, which were bloodshot. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in days.
Gu Jiu sighed secretly, "Brother, the dead cannot be resurrected, so please be more open-minded."
Gu Rui heard the voice and looked up at Gu Jiu. "It turned out to be Sister Xiaojiu. Thank you for coming to visit her. I heard that you entered the palace and I was sorry that I couldn't help you."
"Don't say that, cousin. You must take care of yourself. Everyone in the mansion is hoping you can cheer up. We all hope you're well too."
Gu Jiu looked at Gu Rui worriedly, really worried that he would continue like this until he ran out of energy and died.
Gu Rui shook his head slightly. "Thank you for your concern, Xiaojiu. I'm fine. These days, I've been thinking about the days when Mingyue and I were together. I'm sorry for her."
Gu Jiu frowned, "Why did you say that, cousin? In my opinion, you and your cousin's wife are in perfect harmony, and you treat her sincerely. How can you say you are sorry?"
Gu Rui smiled bitterly, "Sister Xiaojiu, you don't understand. She wasn't born with such a weak body. She suffered a lot for me and even hurt herself. But I couldn't keep her. She must have been very painful when she left. I only hate that I didn't stay with her all the time, otherwise she wouldn't..."
Gu Rui couldn't finish the rest of the sentence. He was in so much pain that he curled up into a ball, gritting his teeth tightly, not letting himself make even a single sound in front of others.
He punished himself in that self-destructive way.
He blamed himself for Jia's death.
He hated himself for being incompetent and unable to save the child or Jia's life.
He couldn't hold on any longer and finally fell to the ground, crying silently.
Gu Jiu couldn't bear to see this.
Gu Shan started crying too.
"Second sister, what should we do when our cousin is like this?"
Gu Jiu squatted down and took Gu Rui's pulse through his handkerchief.
Gu Rui was too tired, he was clearly burning his body.
He needed a good sleep.
She needs to discuss this matter with Sister Mei before making a decision.
Just at this moment, someone broke into the mourning hall.
"Gu Rui, come out here. Don't think we'll let you go just because you act like you're deeply in love and don't regret it. Tell Niu that what you're doing now is what you should do. You killed my sister, and if you're sincere, you should pay for her life."
"Yes, pay with your life."
The Jia family broke into the mourning hall and forced Gu Rui to kneel in front of it regardless of his physical condition.
"Gu Rui, kneel down properly. Look, my sister died because of you. She's dead, but you're still alive. Doesn't your conscience hurt? When you married her, you said you would take care of her for the rest of her life. Is this how you take care of her? If I had known this would be the outcome of my sister marrying you, I would never have agreed to this marriage."
Gu Rui remained silent and allowed the Jia family to insult him at will.
Gu Shan pulled Gu Jiu's sleeve and said, "Second sister, what should we do? Are we really going to just watch?"
Gu Jiu bit his lip and called Xiao Cui, "Go and invite Fourth Brother Gu Yu and ask him to bring a dozen people over."
The Jia family has gone too far in bullying others. Gu Rui has become what he is now, and the Jia family cannot escape responsibility.
If Gu Rui was a scumbag and had really done something to let the Jia family down, Gu Jiu would have no objection to the Jia family treating Gu Rui so badly.
But Gu Rui was not a scumbag. As far as she knew, since they got married, Gu Rui had not even had a maidservant, and there had always been only Jia.
Gu Rui also did his best to help Jia's pregnancy and protect the fetus.
Jia's death was caused by her frail body, but more importantly, she was heartbroken and depressed. She didn't want to live anymore and had lost the will to live.
In her case, no medicine would be effective unless Jia herself had a strong desire to survive.
You know, Jia was bleeding heavily, but there was no way to get a blood transfusion.
Under such circumstances, Doctor Hu was able to save her life, which can be said to be a result of his unique skills.
If Jia is willing to follow the doctor's advice, take medicine on time, and take good care of herself, she will get better sooner or later.
However, it’s a pity…
Gu Shan whispered, "My eldest cousin is so pitiful."
The Jia family members were still pushing Gu Rui and saying all kinds of hurtful words.
Gu Rui's face became more and more ugly, he looked hopeless and wanted to die immediately.
If he was not the eldest grandson of the Marquis's family and shouldered the heavy burden of inheriting the family business, he might have really died under the instigation of the Jia family.
“That’s enough!”
Gu Jiu really couldn't bear to watch it anymore.
"Do you really want to force him to death? Leave some space for others so that we can meet again in the future. If you force him to death, I don't believe you will gain even a little benefit. If you are not afraid of the retaliation of the Marquis' Mansion, then go ahead. I want to see how many lives you will have to pay if you really force the eldest grandson of the Marquis' Mansion to death."
"Who are you? We do things, it's not your place to judge us. Go away, little girl."
Gu Jiu sneered, "Idiot!"
"Who did you call an idiot? Speak clearly, who did you just call that?"
The Jia family pointed at Gu Jiu, their fingers almost touching Gu Jiu's nose.
Gu Jiu stood there without moving, so she bet ten taels of silver that Fourth Brother Gu Yu should have arrived.
"stop!"
The sound of "stop" was like the sound of nature.
Gu Jiu felt relieved immediately. She won the bet. Fourth Brother Gu Yu was indeed very capable and came over with his men.
Gu Yu not only brought people with him.
When the brothers of the Marquis' Mansion learned that the Jia family had gone to the mourning hall to harass Gu Rui again, they were all filled with righteous indignation and rushed to the mourning hall from the outer courtyard.
"You're running wild in our Marquis's territory. Do you really think we have no one here?"
"Get out of here and take your dirty hands away. How dare you point at my little sister Xiaojiu? Are you fucking tired of living?"
The brothers of the Marquis' Mansion brought their guards and separated the Jia family and pushed them out of the mourning hall.
The two sides started arguing, neither side would give in. All it took was a single spark to start a fight.
"Call Gu Rui out. We in the Jia family only talk to Gu Rui. Everyone else, get out of here."
"Gu Rui, come out here, you coward. You killed my sister, you have to pay for his life."
Gu Rui stood up from the ground and walked silently out of the mourning hall.
Gu Jiu looked worried, "Cousin, don't go."
Gu Rui shook his head silently, "I'll go give them an explanation, otherwise they won't give up."
Gu Jiu was extremely anxious and tried to persuade him: "How are you going to explain to them? Are you really going to die as they wish?"
Do you think that your death will solve the problem? It's impossible. If you were alive, the Marquis's Mansion and the Jia family could still be relatives in the future and visit each other during festivals.
If you die, the Marquis's Mansion will become a mortal enemy with the Jia family. The eldest grandson was forced to death, and the Marquis's Mansion will never tolerate it.
If we don't kill the Jia family, this hatred will never be resolved. Big cousin, you have to think it through."
Gu Jiu was very worried that Gu Rui would be confused for a moment and really fulfill the Jia family's wish and commit suicide.
She analyzed the pros and cons thoroughly and told Gu Rui about it, hoping that Gu Rui would quickly regain his sanity and not act on his emotions.
Gu Rui frowned, his brows full of worry, "I just realized that I don't even choose death."
Gu Jiu felt sad for Gu Rui, "Brother, the dead cannot be resurrected, and the living must live well. If your sister-in-law is still alive, she would definitely not want you to torture yourself like this. When she sees what you look like now, she will definitely be heartbroken and hate that she can't be by your side."
"Really?" Gu Rui asked in confusion.
Gu Jiu nodded heavily, "Really, really. Everything I said is true. Cousin, you must think carefully and don't act on your emotions."
Gu Rui suddenly laughed. He turned around, picked up Jia's spirit tablet, and strode out.
"Shut up, everyone!"
Gu Rui held up the spirit tablet and roared.
Both parties in the quarrel fell silent.
Even the monks' chanting became quieter.
Gu Jiu glanced at the big monk who was performing a ritual in the yard. They had seen everything that had just happened. He hoped that the big monk would keep his mouth shut and not say anything else.
Gu Rui's eyes swept across everyone's faces.
He said in a resounding voice, "Jia is my wife. She is my life and my ghost. If you dare to cause trouble in her mourning hall again, I will make sure she never enters the ancestral hall of the Marquisate for the rest of her life. If her spirit is still in heaven and she blames me, it will be the responsibility of you, the Jia family."
The Jia family was stunned. They never expected that Gu Rui would dare to do this.
"Gu Rui, are you still human?"
"You won't let my sister's tablet enter the ancestral hall of your mansion, so don't blame me for being rude to you."
Gu Rui sneered, "Have you ever been polite to me these days? I told you, if you dare to make trouble again, I will immediately throw Jia's spirit tablet away like a worn-out shoe and let everyone trample on it."
"You dare!"
"Why shouldn't I dare?" Gu Rui's face was grim. "You dare to force me to death? Why can't I just throw away Jia's spirit tablet and let thousands of people trample on it?"
"You, you have such a cruel heart. I knew you were not a good person. My sister is so unlucky to marry you."
"Gu Rui, you will not die well."
"Gu Rui, you will go to hell. My sister will be waiting for you in the underworld to see what happens to you."
Gu Rui's face was cold and he said nothing. The hand holding the tablet slowly dropped, as if it would hit the ground and be trampled at any moment.
The Jia family was extremely angry, but they could not bear to watch Jia's tablet being thrown away.
"Gu Rui, you're so cruel. Let's go."
"Are you just leaving like that? That's too easy for Gu Rui."
"Let's go! Are we really going to watch Gu Rui throw away the tablet? The Gu family may not care, but we, the Jia family, cannot."
The Jia family finally left, and this time they left completely.
I don't think he will come to the Marquis' Mansion to cause trouble again.
The Gu family all looked at Gu Rui.
Unexpectedly, Gu Rui actually used Jia's spirit tablet to threaten the Jia family.
Many people even thought that the rumors that the eldest young master and the eldest young mistress had a good relationship might be fake.
Otherwise, how could the eldest young master have the heart to abandon the eldest young mistress's tablet and let it be trampled by thousands of people.
It seems that there must be something behind the eldest young lady's death.
The Jia family is making a fuss, this matter is indeed not simple.
Gu Rui doesn't care about other people's eyes, let alone other people's comments.
He returned to the mourning hall holding Jia's spirit tablet in his hands.
Then put the spirit tablet back to its original place.
He leaned on the coffin, stroking his hands, tears glistening in his eyes.
He muttered quietly.
"Forgive me for resorting to such a desperate measure, using your spirit tablet to threaten them. You're such a quiet person, yet they come to make noise every day. I was really worried they'd upset you. Fortunately, I finally drove them away. I hope you won't blame me. If you're angry, why not let me take you away, okay?"
There was no sound in the mourning hall, only the monks were chanting sutras to pray for the souls to be reborn.
Gu Rui buried his head in the coffin, motionless.
Gu Jiu stepped forward and called softly, "Cousin? Cousin?"
There was no movement.
Seeing this, Gu Yu stepped forward and pushed Gu Rui, "Gu..."
As a result, just after pushing, Gu Rui's body fell softly to the ground.
Everyone present was shocked.
"Brother, are you okay?"
"Someone come quickly!"
The mourning hall was in chaos, and everyone thought of the worst-case scenario.
Could it be that Gu Rui really went with Jia?
Gu Jiu calmed himself down and, without caring about anything else, took the lead in grabbing Gu Rui's wrist.
"He's still alive, he's still alive. Quickly carry him out, bring him back to the room, and send for the imperial physician."
"Yes, yes, yes. Send someone to call the imperial physician quickly."
"Thank God, the young master is still alive."
Gu Rui used up his last bit of energy to drive away the Jia family.
Days of continuous suffering had drained his body. As he lay on the coffin and finished talking to Jia, he could no longer endure it and passed out.
He was too tired, both physically and mentally.
Gu Rui was carried back to the room, and the imperial physician was called in. After the examination, he prescribed some medicine.
Gu Mei rushed over with red eyes and asked the imperial physician.
"How is my eldest brother? Why is he unconscious?"
"Miss, you are wrong. The young master is not in good health. He has been suffering for many days. His energy and blood are depleted, and his spirit is almost gone. Coupled with excessive grief, his body has been stretched to the limit. It is a miracle that he has held on until now. I have prescribed medicine, and you should give it to him according to the prescription. In the next few days, let him rest well, eat well, drink well, and sleep well to restore his spirit. In short, don't let him worry anymore, otherwise it will affect his lifespan."
Gu Mei was horrified and extremely panicked.
After seeing the imperial physician off, she ran to the room to visit Gu Rui.
Seeing Gu Rui so thin, bearded, and sloppy, she couldn't help crying.
The maids were crying too.
The eldest grandson of the Marquisate was tortured into this state. No wonder some people said that Jia was a vixen who had hooked the soul of the young master. When she died, the young master's heart died with her.
Gu Mei cried and asked the maids and servants to take good care of Gu Rui.
There were many guests outside, and she had to greet them. She couldn't continue crying.
After wiping away her tears and washing her face, Gu Mei took her people away.
Gu Jiu was standing under the eaves waiting for her.
Seeing her come out, he asked with concern: "Sister Mei, is my cousin okay?"
Gu Mei shook her head and said, "Thank you, Sister Xiaojiu. I'm so sorry to bother you today. You've been tired all morning, so I specially asked someone to prepare a table in the side room for you and Sister Zhen to eat together."
"Thank you, Sister Mei. Don't worry too much about your cousin, he will be fine."
Gu Mei smiled bitterly, "Big brother has unusual feelings for big sister-in-law. I don't know how long it will take him to get over it."
"You will get over it." Gu Jiu comforted.
Time is the best medicine to heal pain. One day, Gu Rui will pick himself up and start a new life.
The two of them went out together.
Gu Jiu said, "Sister Mei, I think you already know everything about the kitchen. I took the initiative to invite a cook and helpers from outside. I hope you don't mind."
Gu Mei took Gu Jiu's hand and said, "Little Jiu, I was just about to say this. I have to thank you for coming up with such a good way to deal with those ignorant old slaves.
The Marquis' Mansion has been established for many years, and there are many elderly people in the mansion. Relying on the dignity of having served the old Marquis and the old lady, they look down on us young masters and do not take us young masters seriously.
You don't know how difficult it is for us to order those old slaves to do anything. It's like they are the masters and we are the servants, and we have to beg them for things.
Your method today has dealt a heavy blow to them, and it has also made things easier for us."
Gu Jiu said: "I just came up with this idea at the last minute. I hope Sister Mei doesn't think I'm in the way."
"Little Sister Jiu, you're worrying too much. As for those people in the kitchen, you don't have to give them face. If they want to make a scene, let them make a scene. When the old lady comes back, I have to have a good talk with her about this and get rid of all those people who just take the money but do nothing."
Gu Jiu nodded secretly, that's what he should do.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
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