Chapter 381 Seeking Help
"Stop right there!" The old woman tried to chase after him, but was stopped by the thugs.
The thugs now knew her identity and were respectful, but their tone of obstruction remained firm.
"Madam, please go back. Don't make things difficult for us."
Although it was broad daylight, laughter and merriment continued throughout the Xiaofeng Pavilion, and pedestrians passed by in the dark alley. The old lady, afraid of being seen by acquaintances, reluctantly lowered her head and left after a tense standoff.
Her fingernails clenched so tightly they dug into her palms, and she staggered so much that she leaned half her body against Granny Wu. The old woman's heart was breaking. It wasn't until she left the dark alley and got into the carriage that had brought her out that she finally burst into tears.
"He truly hates me. This wretched child actually hates me to this extent... With such a foolish thing born, I'm afraid my family is doomed, and I, this old woman, will also have a difficult end..."
She thought that the young people were just being temperamental and would calm down after a while.
But now, his career and future have been ruined by Gu Yan, yet he still hasn't realized it.
No matter how capable and strong-willed she is, she is already an elderly woman and cannot support the Gu family for much longer. If Gu Yan continues like this...
The old woman dared not think too deeply, feeling only that the road ahead was dark and she could see no hope.
Granny Wu gently patted the old lady's back and sighed, "Madam, you and the young master are the closest of people. How could there be such a deep grudge between you two? Once you talk things out, everything will be fine."
"You saw it yourself, that wretched child had no interest in listening to me at all." The old woman's eyes were filled with pain, and her face was full of grievance.
“He has no parents. If I don’t consider his feelings, who will? He has such a good status, talent, and good looks, yet he insists on marrying a woman who has been married before and has a bad reputation. If I disagree, he will hold a grudge and will not hesitate to ruin his own future and reputation.”
"Now look what's happened! His reputation is even worse than that of the three Meng women. Before, it was my family who looked down on them, but now the three Meng women are the ones who should despise him. Tell me, is it my fault or this wretched child's fault?"
Granny Wu sighed deeply.
"The old lady's intentions are good, and the young master is a man of deep feelings and strong character, unable to distinguish right from wrong. However..."
Seeing that Granny Wu seemed hesitant to speak, the old lady urged, "But what is it?"
Granny Wu wiped away the tears from the old woman's eyes and said with a worried expression, "But it seems that the young master is indeed too heartbroken and is completely despondent. If we let him continue to hang out in these filthy places, let alone bring honor to the family, what if he gets infected with..."
Before she could finish speaking, the old woman turned ashen-faced with fright.
The brothels and male brothels are the dirtiest places. If Gu Yan wanders around them day and night and catches some kind of disease, he will really be doomed.
My family line is truly doomed to die out.
"Of course I don't want him to continue like this! The problem is that this wretched child won't listen to me now. If there were any other way, I wouldn't be here grieving." The old lady's voice was full of exhaustion. "As long as I can turn Yan'er back into the sensible and filial child he used to be, I would be willing to give up my life."
Granny Wu's eyes brightened slightly. "Does the old lady really think so?"
"Of course," the old woman immediately perked up. "You have a way?"
Granny Wu nodded and said softly, "It's not that difficult to get the young master back to his original state. In my opinion, the one who tied the knot must untie it. To resolve the young master's inner conflict, we still need to start with Miss Meng."
"You mean you want me to go find Meng Xiyao to persuade Yan'er?" The old lady frowned.
“But Yan’er’s reputation is already quite bad, and what I said the other day was a bit too much. I’m afraid she won’t agree.”
She used to point her finger at the girl and call her shameless, forbidding her from seeing Gu Yan. Now she pitifully begs the girl to persuade Gu Yan. Just thinking about this shameful thing makes Old Lady Gu feel ashamed.
But in order to save her grandson, the elderly woman was willing to swallow her pride and do anything.
The problem is that she offended people badly before, and even if she's willing to back down now, they might not be willing to help her.
Seeing that she was no longer as resistant to Meng Xiyao as before, Granny Wu knew that there was hope, so she looked at the old lady seriously and said.
"Think about it, my young master ruined his future and became despondent because of Miss Meng. How could Miss Meng not care about my young master? With so many rumors circulating outside, Miss Meng might be losing her appetite and feeling upset. She just doesn't dare to do anything because you dislike her so much."
"You have a point."
"This old servant has already inquired about it. It is true that Miss Meng has never served the emperor in the palace, and the rumors of her promiscuity are completely fabricated. You previously said that Miss Meng was a woman who brought misfortune to her family and that no one wanted to marry her, but that is even more untrue. This old servant heard from the matchmaker that there has been a constant stream of suitors for Miss Meng, some of whom are even better off than you, young master, but Miss Meng has never agreed. Perhaps she is still waiting for you, young master."
The old woman grew increasingly restless as she listened.
Why didn't you say these things before?
Granny Wu said timidly, "Madam, you have a deep misunderstanding about Miss Meng. Not to mention this old servant, even if the young master mentions her, you will get very angry. If there were no other way, this old servant would not dare to mention her."
"If what you say is true, then it is my fault as an old woman."
The elderly woman spoke with regret and looked dejected.
"Sometimes I also think, that Miss Meng is only a teenager. If she could make her own decisions, how could she be willing to marry an old man in his sixties? If she really did something defiled in the harem, given the former emperor's character, how could he have spared her life?"
"It's not that I don't know that the rumors outside can't be believed entirely, it's just that I valued my reputation too much before and couldn't accept a granddaughter-in-law whose reputation was damaged. Unfortunately, things always turn out the other way around. It's precisely because I cared too much about my reputation that my family has now fallen into such a disreputable state."
Granny Wu looked at the old woman with a face full of joy.
"Madam, it's not too late for you to come to your senses. Our young master is not yet married, and Miss Meng is still young and unmarried. There may still be a possibility between the two of them. The young master is both scholarly and martial. Being dismissed from his post does not mean he has no chance to make merit again. As long as we let him get what he wants, he may be able to turn over a new leaf, and everything can be restored to its original state, and everyone will be happy."
Back to where you were, everyone's happy?
This is indeed what she's been dreaming of, but...
The elderly woman hesitated.
"Even if Miss Meng has some affection for Yan'er, Yan'er's actions over the past two weeks have probably chilled her heart. Coupled with the insults I gave her back then, it's good enough if she doesn't hate us. How could she possibly accept Yan'er again?"
"When Yan'er held an official position and was rising in fame, I looked down on her. Now that Yan'er is infamous and powerless, how can I have the face to ask the prime minister's illegitimate daughter and the empress's illegitimate sister to save Yan'er?"
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