In the bedroom, Gu Jiu was nestled in Qingmei's arms, with a shocking purple mark on his neck.
The moment Gu Jiu saw Lord Gu, tears suddenly fell from his eyes.
She cried silently, her eyes misty with tears, but filled with admiration. She looked sickly and frail, which made people feel pity.
When he saw Gu Jiu, Lord Gu was startled at first.
He didn't pay much attention to his daughter. When she was sick, he didn't visit her many times.
But I didn't expect that after not seeing him for just a month or two, Gu Jiu would become so sick.
Everyone said that Gu Jiu was recuperating from an illness, but judging by her appearance, her illness wasn't healed, and instead her body was in bad shape.
Lord Gu frowned immediately, and the anger he had towards Gu Jiu disappeared in an instant.
But he still kept a straight face, "What's going on?"
Gu Jiu gestured to Qingmei to help her up, and bowed to Master Gu with a weak face, "My daughter will not be able to fulfill her filial duties by your side in the future. Please forgive me, father."
"Nonsense! If you're sick, just take care of yourself. Why are you trying to commit suicide? It's just nonsense."
Although Mr. Gu's tone was stern, his words revealed a father's concern for his daughter.
Gu Jiu smiled sadly, tears slowly falling one by one. Gu Jiu looked so wronged and helpless, it was heartbreaking to see her.
"My daughter is not talking nonsense. Even if she doesn't commit suicide today, I'm afraid she won't live for many days."
After saying that, Gu Jiu picked up a handkerchief, covered his mouth, and started coughing.
The arm exposed outside the sleeve was thin and slender, not at all like what a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old should look like.
Lord Gu frowned and looked at Gu Jiu again. This was his daughter? Why was she getting weaker and weaker while recuperating? Didn't the doctor say it was just a common cold?
Mrs. Xie, standing beside Master Gu, saw this and quickly said, "Second Miss, don't talk nonsense! You're still young, so don't let your imagination run wild. Hurry up and lie down on the bed and drink the medicine."
Gu Jiu glanced at Tao Hong who was still kneeling on the ground and said softly, "Madam, I dare not drink the medicine."
"How can you not take medicine when you are sick? You are a stubborn child." Xie was showing concern, but in fact she was blaming Gu Jiu for being petty and causing chaos, which was outrageous.
Gu Jiu coughed lightly, and looked even weaker.
She lowered her head slightly.
Life is like a play, it all depends on your acting skills.
When it comes to acting, Gu Jiu believes he has never lost.
I never lost in my previous life, and I will never lose in this life.
She had been thinking about this matter since she woke up in the early morning. How could she let Xie end it with just a few words?
"Madam, you misunderstood. It's not that I don't want to take the medicine, but I don't dare to drink it."
Mrs. Xie scolded angrily, "You're talking nonsense again. The doctor prescribed the medicine specifically for you, so why don't you dare drink it? Are you blaming the doctor's medical skills, or are you blaming me and the master for not taking good care of you?"
"I……"
"You're just being ridiculous! The doctor has already told us to take good care of the baby. Look at you, you've disturbed the whole family and even the master. Don't you know you're wrong?"
Xie asked a barrage of questions, and Gu Jiu wept silently, looking pitiful. She was clearly a poor little girl being mistreated by her stepmother.
Xie thought to herself, "Little girl, you just cry all day long. You're unlucky. I'll deal with you after the master leaves."
Gu Jiu looked at Lord Gu weakly, "Father!"
This call of "father" was filled with despair, sadness, fear and panic.
Seeing this, Xie was furious. She was about to scold him, "You dare to pretend?" But unexpectedly, Lord Gu suddenly raised his hand to stop Xie.
Gu Jiu looked at Lord Gu. Since she woke up, she had spent most of her time thinking about Lord Gu's character and how to act out this scene to impress him.
Lord Gu Zhili, a third-rank official, currently serves as the governor of Jinzhou.
The reason why Lord Gu was able to hold a high position at such a young age was due to his own abilities and Zu Meng.
Lord Gu's father, Gu Jiu's grandfather, and the current Marquis of Pingnan were brothers from the same mother.
Marquis Pingnan was the eldest son, and Gu Jiu's grandfather was the second son.
Later, the two brothers separated and Gu Jiu's grandfather lived in another mansion. The two families' mansions in the capital were separated by a courtyard wall.
Speaking of which, Gu Jiu can be considered a descendant of a marquisate.
Lord Gu grew up in the Marquis' Mansion since he was a child. He is knowledgeable and has some knowledge of the secrets of the inner residence.
So when Gu Jiu showed a look of fear, it instantly touched a corner of his heart.
"Second girl, you just said that you didn't refuse to take the medicine, but you were afraid to take it. Why?"
"Master..." Xie was anxious.
Lord Gu waved his hand to stop Xie from speaking, and even sat down on the chair in front of the desk, as if he was willing to listen to Gu Jiu's story patiently.
Gu Jiu bowed, and even this simple action made him gasp for breath.
Her frail appearance further proved that she had said before that she was afraid to take the medicine, fearing that there really was something going on.
Gu Jiu took a handkerchief and wiped away her tears, "Father, please report that since my daughter fell ill, it has been the maid Taohong who has been responsible for decocting and feeding the medicine.
Every time my daughter took the medicine, she would feel sleepy. After waking up, she would feel heavy, with panic, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and always having trouble breathing.
At first, my daughter thought she was weak and couldn't handle the effects of the medicine, but as time went on, she couldn't even get out of bed.
My daughter had asked the doctor, and he said she just had a common cold. But why was her condition getting worse? My daughter didn't want to cause any trouble, and she didn't want to suspect those around her. But today... today..."
Gu Jiu burst into tears.
Lord Gu asked, "What happened today?"
"Today I learned that although I'm called the second daughter of the family, in the eyes of some wicked people, I'm afraid I'm not even as good as a maid. They wish I'd die sooner so they wouldn't have to serve me day and night and could easily find a new master."
"Where does that come from?"
Gu Jiu wiped away her tears and pointed at the herbal medicine bag on the corner of the shelf. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that there are such vicious people in the world. They all wished I would die sooner."
Xie interrupted, "Second girl, don't speak carelessly. Everything in this mansion is in perfect order, from top to bottom, and everyone is doing their job. How could there be such a wicked person? Who would dare to wish you dead soon?"
Gu Jiu said softly, "Madam is busy managing the affairs of the mansion all day long, so it's inevitable that she has neglected the situation in Zhilan Courtyard. Those black-hearted people, seeing that Madam has never paid any attention to Zhilan Courtyard, naturally became disloyal."
"Master, listen to what she said. She is accusing me, as a mother, of not caring enough about her! Master, you can see that I work hard every day to discipline my children. I have never been lazy." Xie wiped her tears with a handkerchief, looking like she was wronged and heartbroken.
Gu Jiu said lightly, "Madam, you misunderstood. It is precisely because you work day and night and have become so tired and thin that I dare not disturb you with trivial matters. If I distract you, it will be my fault."
Xie wanted to say more, but Lord Gu was too lazy to listen.
He raised his hand to stop her, "Bring the package from the shelf."
Butler Gu Quan personally stepped forward and took out the medicine bag.
Lord Gu said with a stern face, "Open it!"
When the medicine bag was opened, it was full of medicinal herbs, and they were obviously moldy and spoiled.
In an instant, Lord Gu's face darkened.
Qingmei immediately knelt down and said, "Master, please make a decision for my daughter. Today, I was ordered to go to the storehouse to get herbs to make medicine for my daughter. The storehouse maid directly threw these herbs to me.
I tried to argue, but the maid said that Taohong usually used the same herbs to make medicine for the young lady, and they wouldn't kill her anyway, so why should I be treated any differently? I had no choice but to take the herbs back.
"You're talking nonsense!" Tao Hong suddenly shouted, "Master, please understand. I have never used moldy or spoiled herbs to make medicine for you, young lady."
Qingmei said, "If I tell a lie, I will be struck by lightning."
Taohong's face turned pale as she pointed at Qingmei, "Why are you trying to harm me? I know why. You're resentful of me for replacing you, so you're looking for a chance to take revenge on me. I'm going to fight you."
Taohong pounced on Qingmei.
Qingmei screamed exaggeratedly.
"Stop her!" Lord Gu was furious.
The servants rushed over and controlled Taohong in a few seconds, blocking her mouth at the same time.
Lord Gu slammed the table, this was too outrageous.
Even if he didn't care about his own daughter, he would not allow the servants to treat her badly like this.
And this maid named Taohong is simply lawless. She dares to hit people in front of him. You can imagine how arrogant she is in her daily life.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
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