Chapter 373 Integrity
But who should be responsible for setting the rules?
Meng Xingyuan, the head of the civil officials, is Meng Xiyao's father. Sending him would only add fuel to the fire. Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming are Meng Xiyao's older sister and brother-in-law. It would also be inappropriate for them to handle the situation.
Those whose official rank was lower than Gu Yan dared not take on this task, while those who were too young could not assert themselves in front of their elder, Old Madam Gu.
After discussing it, Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming agreed that General Leng Tieyi, who had just returned from the northern frontier battlefield a few days ago, was the most suitable candidate.
After Wen Zhiming ascended the throne, he sent a young general to guard the northern frontier, allowing General Leng to finally return to the capital.
This old general is a few years older than the old lady, and both families are from military families. More importantly, General Leng had always valued Gu Yan when he was in the capital, so it was reasonable for him to step forward.
Leng Tieyi had once obeyed the former emperor's orders to fight against Wen Zhiming on the northern frontier battlefield. He originally thought that after Wen Zhiming became emperor, he would treat him as the former emperor's man and either dismiss him or imprison him after returning to the capital.
Unexpectedly, Wen Zhiming disregarded past grievances and not only did not punish him, but also promoted him by one rank. Now he is the only first-rank general in the court.
Leng Tieyi felt deeply ashamed and racked his brains for a way to serve the new emperor. Upon hearing Wen Zhiming's instructions, he immediately said excitedly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this old minister will definitely handle this matter properly and will not let that brat Guyan get into trouble."
Given the urgency of the situation, neither of them said much.
Wen Zhiming nodded, and Leng Tieyi immediately strode towards the Gu residence.
The lonely mansion.
After the old lady captured Gu Yan and brought him back to her mansion, she took him to the ancestral hall.
Apart from her and Gu Yan, only two burly men were left to act as thugs; everyone else was locked outside the ancestral hall.
The old lady's face was terribly dark. Gu Yan always followed her arrangements in everything, but in this matter of dealing with the three Meng girls, he deceived and misled her several times.
It's clear that the three daughters of the Meng family are truly a menace.
Thinking of this, the old lady had the two strong men strip Gu Yan of his shirt and make him kneel before the ancestral tablets of the Gu family.
“Yan’er, you are now a third-rank military officer in the court. You have grown too powerful and don’t even speak the truth to your grandmother anymore. Today, you shall swear before our ancestors that you will never see Consort Xi again. Otherwise, you will be punished by heaven, your clan will be disgraced, and you will be abandoned by both gods and men.”
“Grandmother! Xi Yao is a free woman now, she is no longer Consort Xi! I have always listened to you, Grandmother, since you asked me to swear an oath, how can I refuse?”
Gu Yan stood very straight, his eyes were stubborn, and his aura was unyielding.
The old lady was about to get angry when she heard him argue about Meng Xiyao's identity, but seeing that he agreed to swear, she held back and stood behind Gu Yan with a cold and stern face, waiting for him to speak.
Gu Yan looked calmly at the ancestral tablets of the Gu family and solemnly said, "Heaven and Earth above, ancestors and forefathers as witnesses. Gu Yan, a descendant of the Gu family, hereby swears that my heart belongs to Meng Xiyao, the third daughter of the Meng family, and that I will marry no one but her in this life. If I break this oath, I am willing to suffer divine punishment and earthly retribution, bring shame upon my clan, and be abandoned by both gods and men. The mountains and rivers bear witness, the sun and moon bear witness, and this heart and this will never change."
"Gu Yan! You scoundrel! Are you trying to kill your grandmother?"
The old woman was so angry that she swayed, grabbed a stick from a servant beside her, and began to beat Gu Yan hard on the back.
"I demanded that you sever ties with that scourge of the Meng family, yet you dare to say you won't marry anyone but her? Has that vixen bewitched you? Our Gu family is a family of upright and honest people for generations, and you are the youngest and most promising military officer in the court. You could have any woman you wanted, so why must you choose a woman who was once a concubine in the harem? Besides, this woman has been punished for promiscuity. If you marry her, our Gu family will surely become a laughingstock in the capital."
"The oath you just swore doesn't count. Swear it again, hurry up... Rather than let you utterly disgrace the Gu family, I'd rather your grandmother beat you to death today..."
The old lady beat and cursed as she did so. Usually, when she had a headache or fever, Gu Yan would be very filial and attentive to her. Today, Gu Yan had angered her so much that she was trembling, but this scoundrel showed no concern whatsoever, and didn't even bend his straight back.
Despite his cold exterior, Gu Yan couldn't help but worry about her health. However, if he were to obey his grandmother again today, it would be too irresponsible, and it would further jeopardize any possibility between him and Meng Xiyao.
Gu Yan gritted his teeth and stubbornly insisted.
“Grandmother, you can’t kill me with that much strength. Let’s send a guard instead. Grandmother raised me with great difficulty, and I owe you my life. Even if you beat me to death today, I will have no complaints. But if you can’t kill me in the future, I will still marry no one but the third daughter of the Meng family.”
"Fine, fine, fine..." The old lady was indeed tired of beating him. Seeing Gu Yan's stubborn and fearless attitude, she was even more angry and distressed. She threw down the stick that had been bent from beating him and said angrily, "My children and grandchildren all have backbone, but your father and brothers use their backbone to protect the country, while you, this stubborn brat, use it all for your love affairs. Today, your grandmother will see how tough you really are. You two, beat him! Beat him hard!"
The old lady was always strict with rules, and this was not the first time she had disciplined Gu Yan. However, Gu Yan was filial and always obediently admitted his mistakes and accepted punishment in the past so as not to disappoint his grandmother. Therefore, the most she had ever done before was to be whipped a few times.
The sticks used by the two guards were hastily acquired; they were rough on the surface and made of solid material. Even if they held back their strength, a single blow would still cause the skin to immediately become red and swollen.
The old lady only had this one grandson. No matter how much she hated him, she only wanted to give him a few blows. Once Gu Yan admitted his mistake, she would immediately call the family doctor to apply medicine. But today, Gu Yan seemed to be bewitched. He was hit dozens of times and spat out blood, but he still refused to admit his mistake.
Seeing that one of the guards had broken his stick, the old lady waved her hand to stop and looked at Gu Yan with heartache.
“Silly child, why do you suffer like this? We, grandmother and grandson, have depended on each other for many years in this humble abode. Your grandmother has always wanted what was best for you, but you are so stubborn. Listen to your grandmother, I will not be picky anymore. As long as she is a girl from a respectable family, I will marry her if I like her, okay? I know you are in too much pain to speak, but if you just nod, I will take it as your agreement…”
The old woman patiently and skillfully tried to find a way to save face for Gu Yan.
But Gu Yan lay helplessly on the ground, his eyes still stubborn, and he coughed up blood as he said, "Please forgive your unfilial grandson. If you don't kill me today, you can't stop me from marrying Xi Yao tomorrow."
"You unfilial wretch!" The old woman clutched her chest, speechless for a long time.
She had many harsh and hurtful words she could say to the child she had raised, but once those words came out, they would only hurt the grandmother and grandson.
Just like how Gu Yan is the one being beaten now, but Old Lady Gu is in even more pain than him.
Physical wounds can heal, but once hurtful words take root in the heart, the rift between the grandfather and grandson may never be bridged.
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