Chapter 376 Ugly Behavior
The old lady's biggest obsession was to marry a respectable and virtuous girl. Even though Gu Yan was dissolute, he was still a third-rank general. If he couldn't marry a noblewoman, there were plenty of girls from poor families who would be willing to marry him.
At this point, Wen Zhiming's cooperation is needed.
In short, we must ruin Gu Yan's reputation and make him worthless, so that Old Lady Gu will think that it's not that Meng Xiyao is unworthy of Gu Yan, but that Gu Yan is not good enough for Meng Xiyao.
After the two get married, Gu Yan will slowly change back to his old self. Even if the old lady Gu senses something is wrong, she has agreed to the marriage and her grandson is slowly getting better, so she has no choice but to accept the fact. She can't possibly push her grandson to the point of being infamous again.
Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming were of one mind and immediately considered the specific implementation of this method and its possible consequences.
Only Meng Xiyao was worried and said, "But isn't this bad for Gu Yan? He always cherishes his reputation and might not agree. Besides, it would disappoint his grandmother..."
Upon hearing this, Meng Lingge frowned and said, "Everything has its gains and losses. Gu Yan cannot choose between his grandmother and you. If he still cannot find a choice among these three options—his grandmother, you, and his reputation—he is destined to lose what he cares about most."
"However, judging from the fact that he would rather be beaten to death than agree to sever ties with you today, I think he will agree. He values you more than his own life, and his reputation is far less important than his life."
"The key is that you have to trust him. No matter how bad his reputation is, you can't doubt him. Only if you trust him enough can he act without restraint."
Wen Zhiming said, "I only had someone give General Gu a suggestion. As for whether to do it or not, and how to choose, it is of course up to General Gu himself."
He neither bestowed marriages nor forcibly interfered with his subjects' choices.
If Gu Yan and Meng Xiyao had a more respectable solution, Wen Zhiming wouldn't have bothered with this matter at all.
But they've already made such a mess of things, they're clearly out of options and almost lost their lives, so what's a little reputation?
No matter what Gu Yan chooses, he won't blame her.
But if Gu Yan still wants everything and is unwilling to give up anything, he will no longer interfere in the private affairs of these two.
And she will no longer let Meng Xiyao beg Meng Lingge.
He had given them a solution; whether they listened or not was their own business. But since they neither listened to him nor stopped bothering his pregnant wife with this matter, he wouldn't stand for it.
...
Gu Yan lay in bed for three days. Just two days ago, he boasted that once he recovered, he would personally go to the Meng family to propose marriage.
The old lady was so worried that she lost her appetite and quickly arranged for two more guards to watch over Gu Yan every day to prevent him from running away and secretly getting engaged.
But three days later, when Gu Yan was able to get out of bed, he suddenly changed his personality.
Not only did he stop mentioning the Meng family girl, he also took the initiative to apologize to the old woman.
“Grandmother, I’ve thought it through. You’ve raised me with so much care and concern. You’re the only person in the world who loves me and cares about me the most. I shouldn’t have fallen out with you for the sake of a girl. From now on, I will listen to you and never see the Meng family girl again.”
Upon hearing this, the old woman was so delighted that she wanted to eat three large bowls of rice.
"It's good that Yan'er has figured it out. The day Grandmother hit you, it hurt Grandmother's heart. As long as you don't marry a girl from the Meng family, Grandmother will do whatever you want. Our Gu family has been upright for generations, and you are such an outstanding talent. What good girl can't you have? Grandmother will definitely pick the most proper and well-mannered girl for you."
Gu Yan nodded obediently: "Grandmother, I have taken half a month's leave. I have nothing to do and would like to get together with some friends."
"Good, good, that's how a man should be." The old lady nodded repeatedly, then seemed to remember something, "Your wound hasn't fully healed yet, so when you go out, take a few more people with you."
"I will do whatever my grandmother says."
The solitary inkstone responds to all.
The old lady personally selected several people to follow Gu Yan. To prevent her grandson from saying one thing to someone's face and another behind their back, she repeatedly instructed him that if Gu Yan secretly went to see the three women of the Meng family, he should be arrested and brought back immediately.
As long as he doesn't go to see that scourge, Gu Yan can do whatever he wants.
In order to make Gu Yan forget Meng Xiyao completely, the old lady Gu even instructed the accountant not to restrict Gu Yan's spending, so that he could make many friends outside and have a good time.
After Gu Yan left, the old lady Gu was restless at home, glancing at the door every now and then, very worried that Gu Yan would sneak to the Meng family and be caught by the guards, leading to a big fight with her.
She waited until evening, but still didn't see him return. Only then did the old lady truly feel relieved, knowing that Gu Yan hadn't gone to see Meng Xiyao that day.
Normally, if Gu Yan hadn't returned home by this time, she would worry. But today, she felt as if she had finally won a battle. She ate dinner in a cheerful mood, sat calmly in the hall enjoying tea, and waited for Gu Yan to return home so that the guards could report her grandson's itinerary for the day.
But while she could calmly persist for an hour or two, after waiting for four or five hours in a row, and with no sign of him near midnight, the old woman couldn't help but become anxious again.
Fortunately, some noise finally came from outside. The old lady rubbed her numb legs and went to meet them.
Before even seeing him, one could smell a pungent, unpleasant odor of alcohol.
The old lady frowned as she saw Gu Yan being helped back by several guards; he was so drunk that he could barely walk.
Seeing the old woman with a stern face about to scold him, he first exhaled a breath of alcohol, then smiled at her.
"Grandmother, why aren't you asleep yet? Grandmother is absolutely right. There are plenty of beautiful and charming girls out there. Why was I so stubborn before, clinging to just one person? ...Hiccup. Thank you for the scolding, Grandmother. In the future, Yan'er will make more female friends. I'm sure I'll meet someone Grandmother likes..."
"Where have you been?" The old woman could hardly believe that the drunken man spouting tales of womanizing was her beloved grandson. "How could you drink so much? Where did you meet your confidante?"
The lone inkstone swayed gently, then lowered its head and grinned.
"Fu Fen Lou, Zui Jiao Ge, and what else was it again, cigarettes..."
He reeked of alcohol as he spoke, and the old lady took a step back in annoyance, pointing at the guard closest to Gu Yan and saying, "What kind of place is this? You tell me, where did the general go today, and what did he do?"
Fu Fen Lou and Zui Jiao Ge – they don’t sound like nice places at all.
The old woman was struck dumb, staring intently at the guard, hoping she was wrong.
The guard was afraid, but dared not not answer.
"It was a brothel. The general visited three brothels today, met more than a dozen girls, and also made many acquaintances and invited them to..."
The more he spoke, the uglier the old lady's face became, and he dared not continue.
"You wretched child!" The old woman slammed her cane on the ground several times, her eyes red with anger. "This wretched child is going to drive me crazy! Call the family discipline, call the family discipline immediately!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Yan staggered up to her, opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly felt nauseous and vomited with a "whoosh".
Their ugly behavior was exposed, and leftover food was scattered all over the ground.
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