At Zhilan Courtyard, not far from Fangcaotang, Wang Yi suddenly pointed to the sky and said, "There's a fire!"
Hearing the sound, Gu Jiu hurried out of the house.
Then I saw thick smoke billowing from the direction of Fangcaotang.
"Put out the fire quickly, go to the outer courtyard and call for help."
After saying that, Gu Jiu rushed out first.
At the gate of Fangcao Hall, the maids and old women were crying and shouting, at a loss.
Gu Jiu grabbed a maid and asked, "What's going on?"
The maid cried and said, "Fourth Miss, Fourth Miss is still in there and hasn't come out yet."
Gu Jiu's expression changed.
How to save people in such a big fire?
"This servant will go in and rescue them."
Wang Yi took the initiative to step forward.
Gu Jiu yelled, "Hurry up and get a quilt and a bucket of water."
Quilts and water are ready.
Wang Yi put on the quilt, and Gu Jiu picked up the bucket of water and poured it all over the quilt.
She warned Wang Yi, "Be careful, and get out quickly if things really don't work."
Wang Yi nodded heavily, "I understand."
After saying that, Wang Yi took a deep breath and rushed into Fangcaotang.
"Wow...I hope my girl is okay."
All the maids in Fang Caotang were crying, looking shocked and scared.
Gu Jiu shouted angrily, "Shut up, everyone. Tell me, what happened? It's dry, be careful with fire, don't you know? Why did the fire start? Explain it to me clearly."
"We didn't know! When I came to my senses, the fire had already started. Second Miss, this is really none of our business!"
Gu Jiu said with a straight face, "You said it's none of your business, so let me ask you, where did the fire start? You all know that, right?"
"The fire started in the main room, I can be sure of that."
"The fourth young lady didn't make it out. If anything were to happen, I wouldn't be alive either."
The maids all started crying again.
Seeing that he couldn't ask any more questions, Gu Jiu didn't bother to pay attention to them.
The news of the fire spread throughout the city in no time.
More and more people are coming to Fangcaotang.
The housekeeper Gu Quan organized people to put out the fire.
When he heard that Gu Shan was still inside, he stamped his feet in anger.
Xie rushed over in shock, and upon learning that Gu Shan had not yet been rescued, she burst into tears. She picked up a bamboo stick and started beating the maids at Fangcaotang.
"How dare you run out before the Fourth Miss comes out? I tell you, if anything happens to the Fourth Miss, I will make you die with her."
"It's coming out. It's coming out."
The servant who was putting out the fire started to scream.
Wang Yi rushed out holding someone.
Seeing this, Xie immediately rushed over, "Is it Shan'er? Shan'er, are you okay?"
It was Gu Shan that Wang Yi rescued. She said, "The fourth lady is still breathing."
After saying that, he rushed inside again.
Gu Jiu called her, "What's going on?"
Wang Yi said, "There are still people inside."
What, there's someone else?
"It's Hongling. Hongling is still inside."
Hongling is Gu Shan's maid.
The servant stopped Wang Yi and said, "Don't go in. Let us go in."
The servant took the quilt from Wang Yi, poured water on it, and rushed in.
Mrs. Xie hugged Gu Shan and cried, "Hurry up, call a doctor."
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I've sent someone to call a doctor."
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, brought the eldest young mistress, Mrs. Xiao Zhang, to Fangcaotang.
Xiao Zhang said, "Don't worry, Second Aunt. We have already sent someone to the government office to report to Second Uncle. I believe Second Uncle will be back soon."
Gu Jiu walked towards the unconscious Gu Shan with a stern face.
Nanny Fang held Gu Jiu and shook her head slightly.
Gu Jiu whispered, "Don't worry, Ma'am. I know what I'm doing."
Nanny Fang hesitated and did not stop Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu stepped forward and first stretched out his hand to feel the patient's pulse.
The pulse is weak, but nothing serious.
It seems that Gu Shan did not inhale too much smoke and dust.
Wait, there is some clump of hair on the back of Gu Shan's head.
Gu Jiu reached out and parted her hair to check.
Xie suddenly yelled at her, "Stop! What do you want to do? What are you thinking?"
Gu Jiu said expressionlessly, "Fourth sister has a wound on the back of her head, as if she was hit by someone."
"What did you say?"
"Sister-in-law, put Shan'er down quickly."
At a command from the eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, the maids hurriedly pulled Gu Shan out of Mrs. Xie's arms and put her on a stretcher.
Xie burst into tears, "What are you going to do to Shan'er? What do you want to do?"
Zhang comforted Xie.
Gu Jiu took the opportunity to check Gu Shan's wound, and it was indeed a blow.
Maybe this is the real reason why Gu Shan is unconscious.
A little maid came to Shaoyao to talk about something.
As Shaoyao listened, her expression changed.
She hurried to the side of the eldest wife, Zhang, and said, "Madam, someone saw the third young lady coming out of Fangcao Hall when the fire started."
The eldest wife, Zhang, was stunned. "Did I see it wrong?"
Shaoyao shook her head, "I guess I'm not mistaken."
Madam Zhang gritted her teeth and said, "Arrest all the maids and servants in Fangcao Hall and interrogate them one by one. At the same time, send someone to find Gu Yue."
"As you command."
Mrs. Xie stared at Mrs. Zhang in a daze. "Sister-in-law, what are you doing? Are you suspecting that this matter has something to do with Yue'er? What nonsense are you talking about?"
The eldest wife, Zhang, had a stern face and said, "Whether it's nonsense or not, you'll know after asking."
At this time, the servant who came to rescue people came out.
The maid Hongling was rescued.
Gu Jiu went forward to check and found that the man was not dead and still breathing. However, he had inhaled too much smoke and dust.
Gu Jiu was thinking about what prescription to prescribe when Qingmei pulled Xiao Cui to her side.
"Girl, this is incredible. Xiao Cui just got some big news. You'll be shocked when you hear it."
Gu Jiu looked towards Xiao Cui, "What news?"
Xiao Cui was so nervous that she stuttered.
Nanny Fang patted her on the back and she regained her composure.
After Xiao Cui regained her composure, she hurriedly said, "Someone saw the Third Miss coming out of Fangcao Hall when the fire started. Now that she's nowhere to be found, it's very likely that she was the one who started the fire."
"Gu Yue set the fire?" Gu Jiu frowned.
Xiao Cui nodded heavily, "It's absolutely true. The eldest lady has already sent someone to look for the third young lady."
Gu Jiu asked, "Are you sure the third lady is not in the room?"
Xiao Cui nodded again.
Gu Jiu wiped his hands with a handkerchief and said, "Come on, follow me to Zizhuyuan."
Zizhuyuan is the courtyard where Gu Yue lives, very close to Fangcaotang.
Nanny Fang whispered to Gu Jiu, "Does the young lady suspect that the third young lady is hiding in there?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "I have this suspicion. Isn't it said that Gu Yue was not seen leaving through the back door or the second door? Gu Yue is either hiding in Zizhu Courtyard, or hiding in..."
Gu Jiu turned around and looked at the garden in the distance. "Or hide in the garden. Let's search Zizhu Courtyard first."
Gu Yue actually dared to hurt people and set fire. He was really very bold.
Doesn't she know what the consequences of doing this will be?
Doesn't she know that once she is discovered, she will be finished?
Shaoyao was leading people to search Zizhuyuan.
Seeing Gu Jiu, she stepped forward and saluted, "Greetings, Second Miss. Why are you here?"
"Sister Shaoyao, have you found Gu Yue?"
Shaoyao shook her head, "I haven't found it yet."
"I'll just take a look. I won't bother Sister Shaoyao."
"Second Miss, please go ahead."
Gu Jiu came to the study and casually flipped through the books on the desk.
Most of the books are brand new, and it is obvious that Gu Yue does not like reading on a daily basis.
However, one of the family rules was already frayed.
Thinking of how Gu Yue had been punished to copy the family rules several times, Gu Jiu understood.
She casually flipped through the family rules and was shocked by their contents.
Each word "death" is like a knife, flashing a sharp cold light.
How much hatred and anger must have accumulated in Gu Yue's heart to be able to write so many words of death.
From the neatness at the beginning to the sloppy writing at the end, the strokes become heavier and heavier, representing the increasing accumulation of Gu Yue's suppressed negative emotions.
Finally today came, Gu Yue suddenly exploded due to some unknown stimulation.
Gu Jiu picked up the book and handed it to Qingmei, "Keep it. Let's go to the garden."
Nanny Fang followed her and whispered, "Miss, Gu Yue is in danger right now. You'd better stay away."
Gu Jiu nodded, "I know, thank you for the reminder, Ma'am. I will stay away from her."
Gu Yue hurt Gu Shan and set the fire, possibly out of a momentary passion.
At this moment, Gu Yue hid herself, like a frightened bird. It was unclear whether she regretted it later, but she must have been terrified.
There were many people in the garden, and the housekeeper Gu Quan personally led people to search for Gu Yue's whereabouts.
Since Gu Yue was confirmed not to be seen at the back door and the second door, it is very likely that Gu Yue is hiding in the garden.
Little Zhang stared at the searchers, "We must search every place and find the third girl."
"Why is sister-in-law here?" Gu Jiu stepped forward and asked.
Seeing Gu Jiu, Xiao Zhang's expression softened a lot. "Second sister is here. You should have heard about what happened."
Gu Jiu nodded, "I heard about it."
Xiao Zhang said, "Whether or not Gu Yue set the fire, the most urgent thing is to find the person. If it's too late, I'm worried that something might happen."
"Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law."
Little Zhang shook her head. "It's all my responsibility. Second sister, why don't you go back to your room and wait for news?"
"No, I'll wait here."
Gu Jiu observed the situation around him.
She often comes to the garden, but her favorite part is the flower bed and she is not so familiar with other places.
Xiao Cui secretly told Gu Jiu, "Miss, I know there is a small cave inside the rockery. Do you think the third young lady is hiding in there?"
Gu Jiu said: "Let's go and take a look."
Gu Jiu brought his men to the rockery.
The servant had searched the rockery but couldn't find anyone.
Xiao Cui and Wang Yi pleaded, "Miss, we two servants will go in and check first. You wait outside for news."
"Be careful."
Wang Yi laughed and said, "Don't worry, Miss, with this servant here, Miss Three can't hurt anyone."
Xiao Cui and Wang Yi entered the rockery.
Gu Jiu stood outside waiting for news.
Nanny Fang said, "At first I was surprised that the Third Young Lady would do such a thing. But now that I think about it, she's certainly capable of doing such a thing. The Third Young Lady is impulsive in everything she says and does. I don't know what provoked her today to do such a cruel thing to the Fourth Young Lady."
Gu Jiu said expressionlessly: "No matter what Gu Yue's reasons are, if he dares to hurt people and set fire, he must bear the corresponding price."
Nanny Fang whispered, "If they're looking for the Third Young Lady with such fanfare, the truth will surely be revealed. If word gets to the Haixi Marquis's Mansion, I'm worried the marriage will fall through."
Gu Jiu said with a straight face, "Even if the marriage falls through, it's all Gu Yue's fault."
"Girl, I found it."
Xiao Cui ran out of the cave, "The third girl hid in the innermost part of the cave. It took a lot of effort to find her."
Soon, Wang Yi dragged Gu Yue out.
Gu Yue was alone and in a mess.
Gu Jiu walked up and without a word, raised his hand and slapped Gu Yue in the face.
"You dare to hit me? What gives you the right to hit me?"
Bang!
Bang bang bang!
Gu Jiu slapped Gu Yue seven or eight times in a row, making Gu Yue afraid to speak and her cheeks swollen.
"Just a few slaps on your face is a light punishment. For what you did, beating you to death wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"Ahhh...why did you hit me?"
Gu Yue roared.
At this moment, there was a sound of messy footsteps behind me.
Both Xie and Zhang came.
Xie's face turned pale, and she rushed forward and slapped Gu Yue in the face.
Wang Yi failed to hold Gu Yue, and Gu Yue fell to the ground.
Xie remained silent, then rushed forward again, hitting him with his hands and stepping on him.
If Xie yelled loudly, Gu Yue still had a chance to turn things around.
Now, Xie's silence can only mean that Gu Yue has been sentenced to death in Xie's eyes.
Seeing that Gu Yue was beaten black and blue, the eldest wife Zhang quickly ordered someone to hold Xie back.
"Take the third young lady away and bring her back to her room to settle her down. We'll deal with her when the second master comes back."
Then, the eldest wife, Zhang, comforted Xie, "Sister-in-law, stop fighting. We haven't figured out the details yet. Let's talk about it later."
Xie was panting, beating someone was a physically demanding job.
She pointed at Gu Yue and said in a hoarse voice: "You are not my daughter. I have never given birth to a daughter as vicious as you."
Gu Yue said nothing, the corners of her mouth swelled up, and she stared at Xie with resentment.
Xie sneered and raised her hand to hit Gu Yue again.
Zhang hurriedly stopped them and scolded the servants, "What are you all still standing there for? Take the third young lady away immediately. Tell Gu Quan to issue a silence order. Anyone who dares to say anything will have his mouth ripped off."
The maid Shaoyao took the order and left.
Gu Yue was also taken away.
Xie's body softened and she fell to the ground.
"Sister-in-law, are you okay?"
"Madam? Madam, what's wrong with you?"
Gu Jiu took his pulse and said, "He's short of breath, and with the hot weather, he has mild signs of heatstroke. Take him to the room and settle him down. He's trying to dissipate the heat, and give him some summer medicine."
"Listen to the second young lady and carry your wife away quickly." Zhang scolded Chunhe and others, asking them what they were just standing there for and why they should get to work quickly.
The chaos gradually subsided and the fire was extinguished, leaving only wisps of smoke.
Fangcaotang was completely destroyed and needed to be rebuilt. It is definitely uninhabitable at the moment.
Gu Shan inhaled less smoke and dust, and the injury on the back of her head was not serious. She would recover quickly after taking medicine.
The maid Hongling suffered a serious injury on her head. She had inhaled too much smoke and dust, and she would need some time to rest before she could recover.
Mrs. Xie took some anti-heat medicine and drank some water, which helped the heat dissipate and she recovered a little.
Chun He told her, "Madam, the master is back. He's on his way."
Xie's face was pale. "Help me up and go to Zizhu Courtyard."
"Madam, how is your health?"
"I'm fine. This matter needs to be dealt with quickly."
Mrs. Xie and Lord Gu arrived at Zizhuyuan almost at the same time.
The couple exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
Gu Jiu came out from the room and said, "Greetings to father and his wife. My third sister is locked in the room."
Master Gu hummed, "Second girl, please step aside first. I will handle this matter myself."
Gu Jiu bowed and accepted the order, then left the room.
But she didn't leave. She stood under the eaves and listened to the movements in the house.
Lord Gu and Mrs. Xie entered the bedroom together, and all the maids and servants were waiting outside.
The atmosphere in the room was solemn.
Gu Yue lay on the bed, unconscious, as if dead.
Lord Gu walked up silently, grabbed Gu Yue's wrist, pulled Gu Yue up from the bed, and threw her directly to the ground.
Gu Yue felt pain, but didn't say a word.
Lord Gu sneered, "You still dare to act like this even now. I truly regret not throwing you into the bladder and drowning you when you were born."
Gu Yue raised her head, looked at Lord Gu, and then at Mrs. Xie.
"Do you really think I'm your own daughter? We're both legitimate children, but Gu Jiu's dowry is 40,000 taels, and mine is 20,000 taels. I accept that, because Gu Jiu married the emperor's grandson. But how could Gu Shan also have a dowry of 40,000 taels? Why? She and I have the same father and mother, so why am I inferior to her? You're biased, and you're not allowed to be angry?"
Lord Gu looked towards Mrs. Xie.
Xie was confused for a moment, but she reacted quickly.
Gu Yue must have overheard her talking to Chunhe.
Mrs. Xie chuckled, "You're going to kill your own sister just because of this. You have such a cruel heart."
Gu Yue angrily said, "I learned all this from you. As the saying goes, what goes up must come down. You taught me well, so I can learn your skills."
Bang!
Without saying a word, Lord Gu slapped Gu Yue away.
"You still refuse to repent even after all this. I'll beat you to death, you vicious beast."
Gu Yue lay on the ground and roared, "If I am a beast, then I am also a beast."
Lord Gu was extremely angry and he was determined to beat Gu Yue to death today.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
