Chapter 185 The Truth (First Update)
Zhen Ping looked at the three people who had barged in with a panic. He had never met Lord Gu before, and Madam Yao had not had a chance to tell him.
"Who are you?" he asked.
Gu Chenglin ignored him, stepped inside, and looked around: "Where is he? Where did you hide him?"
Zhen Ping composed himself and looked at him: "Who are you? Who are you looking for?"
Lord Gu and Huang Zhong also stepped in.
Lord Gu's gaze fell on Zhen Ping's face, his coldness revealing a hint of hostility. Of course, he recognized the person in front of him. Although he had never met him before, he had investigated him.
When Gu Chenglin told him that Yao had a chance encounter with a man at a restaurant, and that the man had invited Yao to his address, he instantly guessed the man's identity.
In fact, Lord Gu was unaware that Yao was engaged. He never imagined that the Yao family would be so shameless as to conceal Yao's engagement from him and then marry her off to him.
He overheard Aunt Ling mentioning that Madam Ling had told her that Madam Yao seemed to have been engaged to someone, but he didn't know if it was true or not.
He then investigated and, following the clues, discovered Zhen Ping.
He was a down-on-his-luck scholar, unable to lift a finger or carry anything, not well-off, and not as good-looking as himself.
Lord Gu felt that the other party was not a threat at all.
Since Zhen Ping had already married someone else and had no private dealings with Yao, he didn't do anything to Zhen Ping.
If it weren't for what happened today, he would have almost forgotten about Zhen Ping.
"Has my wife, Yao, ever been here?" he asked casually.
The mention of his wife, Yao, froze Zhen Ping completely.
He never expected that this imposing and tall man was Yao Yao's husband, the Marquis of Ding'an.
Marquis Ding'an was dressed in a black brocade robe and a silver fox fur cloak. He had a resolute face and a handsome appearance. Although he had entered middle age, he was still tall and imposing, and his demeanor was undiminished.
“No,” Zhen Ping said.
"How could she not be here? I saw her leave the manor with my own eyes!" Gu Chenglin said arrogantly.
Although Gu Chenglin doesn't resemble Lord Gu as much as Gu Yan, it's not hard to tell that he is Lord Gu's son.
He didn't address Yao as "mother" or "madam" when he mentioned her, so Zhen Ping guessed what kind of life Yao was living in the Marquis's mansion.
Zhen Ping felt distressed, but he tried his best not to show it on his face. He said, "Does that mean that when the lady of the Ling family goes out, she must be coming to my place?"
Gu Chenglin scoffed, "I saw you two talking at the restaurant this afternoon, and you even invited her to your house! Don't try to deny it, my two brothers and I heard it all!"
Zhen Ping was filled with bitterness and a hint of anger. What kind of stepson would do such a thing, bringing his own father to catch his stepmother in the act?
Zhen Ping clenched his fist and said, "That's right. I did run into Madam Hou this afternoon and chatted with her for a bit. That's all, nothing else."
Gu Chenglin: "You clearly let her come to your house to see your mother!"
Zhen Ping: "I did say that, but Lady Hou refused me. She said it was not appropriate for us to have any further contact now."
Gu Chenglin: "How come I didn't hear that?"
Zhen Ping: "I don't know about that."
Gu Chenglin wanted to argue with him, but Huang Zhong had already searched the house and returned to the courtyard, shaking his head at Lord Gu.
Lord Gu frowned and said to Zhen Ping, "Excuse me."
Gu Chenglin: "Dad—look again—I heard it with my own ears—"
Lord Gu shot him a glare, and Gu Chenglin reluctantly shut his mouth.
Lord Gu said irritably, "Aren't you going back to the carriage?"
"Oh." Gu Chenglin reluctantly got into the carriage.
He had a bad feeling. Yao must be hiding somewhere. He really heard the man ask Yao to come to his house to visit his mother. Yao didn't seem to have refused decisively at all.
Lord Gu also planned to leave.
Zhen Ping stopped him: "My lord, my wife and I have long since severed ties. I hope you will not misunderstand her."
Lord Gu said coldly, "I know my own affairs, and I don't need you to interfere!"
Zhen Ping lowered his eyes.
Lord Gu flicked his sleeves and left the courtyard, getting into his carriage.
Only after the carriage had gone far away did Zhen Ping dare to close the courtyard gate. He turned around, looked at the boundless night, and his eyes were filled with endless worry.
Yao was indeed not in the house; otherwise, with Huang Zhong's abilities, he would have been able to find her.
The moment the door was kicked open, a tall figure descended from the sky, carrying Yao away as they leaped across the rooftops.
Yao had never experienced anything like this before. Like a kite, she was weaving through the cold wind. She didn't know if it was from the cold or from being scared. When she finally landed, her legs were so weak that she almost collapsed.
A strong hand caught her arm just in time.
Still in shock, Yao looked at the other person, her mouth agape in disbelief.
Gu Changqing said with this expression, "Let's hurry back to the manor. Father will be going back soon too."
Yao was utterly astonished.
She never expected that the person who took her away in the moment of crisis would be her stepson, Gu Changqing: "How could you...you..."
"Madam! Madam!"
Granny Fang rushed over from the other end of the alley, bowed to Gu Changqing, and said, "Young Master!" Then she said to Madam Yao, "Madam, please get in the carriage!"
Her carriage was originally parked near the Zhen family's house, but now it's here.
Yao had many questions in her mind, but Gu Changqing said nothing and turned to disappear into the night.
With the help of Granny Fang, Madam Yao boarded the carriage.
The old woman handed her the water pouch that had been kept warm under the hot water bottle: "It's hot, Madam, have some hot tea to calm your nerves."
Madam Yao took the water pouch, uncorked it, and gulped down several large mouthfuls before finally feeling her breath return: "Granny Fang, what happened?"
Granny Fang slapped her thigh and said, "Oh dear, I don't know either! The carriage was parked perfectly fine over there when suddenly the young master came and told me to come to this alley to pick you up. I thought to myself, 'Oh no, the young master has found out!' I didn't think twice and just did as he said. Madam, where did you go just now? How did you end up with the young master? Will he tell the Marquis and make him suspicious of you?"
Yao fell silent.
So Gu Changqing came specifically to save her.
He also overheard her conversation with Zhen Ping and knew that if she went out, she must have gone to the Zhen family.
But wasn't he the one who hated her the most?
Why did I help her?
Mr. Yao was completely baffled.
Instead of returning to the mansion immediately, Madam Yao went to Bishui Hutong.
Lord Gu waited for Madam Yao at his residence for a long time, but she did not return. So he also came to Bishui Hutong.
"Have you been here the whole time?" Lord Gu asked.
Madam Yao replied without changing her expression, "Otherwise? Where does the Marquis think I went?"
When Lord Gu returned to his residence, he gave Gu Chenglin a severe beating: "Don't you dare to go astray and start slandering your mother! Who gave you the audacity!"
Gu Chenglin was being whipped repeatedly by his own father's small leather whip.
Gu Chenglin cried out in protest: "I didn't slander her! I saw her leave the manor with my own eyes! She was acting suspiciously; it was obvious she wasn't going to do anything proper!"
"You still dare to argue!" Lord Gu lashed out with his whip again.
Gu Chenglin exploded, "If you don't believe me, go ask my eldest and second brothers! They heard it too! Yao Shi made an appointment with that man! She went to meet some random guy!"
Just then, Gu Changqing passed by the door.
Gu Chenglin felt as if he had been granted a pardon and exclaimed, "My elder brother is here! Ask him!"
"What is it?" Gu Changqing walked over.
Lord Gu said, "This boy said that when you were in the restaurant, you overheard the lady discussing a secret rendezvous with a strange man."
Gu Changqing said, "I didn't hear it."
Gu Chenglin exclaimed incredulously, "Brother, you're lying! I heard everything. Your hearing is better than mine, how could you not hear it?"
"You misheard me." Gu Changqing said, bowed to Lord Gu, and turned to return to his own courtyard.
Lord Gu truly showed no mercy this time.
Gu Chenglin was beaten really badly.
In fact, Gu Chengfeng heard it too, but he was away on a mission to pay off his debts and wasn't at home.
Although this incident was a close call, it allowed Madam Yao to witness Ling's methods once again, making her even more convinced that this concubine was not simple, and of course, quite ruthless.
It's not surprising that she targeted Yao Shi, but the fact that she would use Gu Chenglin, whom she had raised herself, shows that this woman has no heart.
All that talk of a loving mother and doting affection is just an illusion.
Gu Chenglin was spoiled and ruined, partly thanks to the old lady and partly thanks to this concubine.
Meanwhile, the information that Gu Changqing had his secret guards investigate finally made progress.
study.
The guard bowed to Gu Changqing.
Gu Changqing said calmly, "What exactly happened? Have you found those people from back then?"
The guard said, "There is a maid named Guizhi by the Madam's side. She married far away and her whereabouts are unknown. However, I found out that her younger brother is guarding the ancestral graves in the Ling family. I subtly asked him about the Madam and Concubine Ling."
Gu Changqing: "Get to the point."
The bodyguard said, "Madam Yao had never met the Marquis before marrying into the family. Madam Yao and the Marquis are innocent. Madam Yao was previously engaged."
Gu Changqing had already confirmed this last night when he saw Zhen Ping and Yao Shi together.
Yao and Zhen Ping had more than just a marriage agreement; they were truly in love with each other. They were forced to separate, and the Yao family did bad things to Zhen Ping.
The guard said, "Madam did indeed suggest to Yao that she become the Marquis's second wife more than once. Madam was unaware that Yao was already engaged. Seeing that she could no longer refuse, Yao confessed to Madam that she was about to get married, and that Concubine Ling was also present that day."
Gu Changqing frowned. So Aunt Ling knew early on that Yao was engaged to someone. The reason she didn't say it in time was probably because she didn't think the marriage would work out.
"There's one more thing," the guard said. "The Marquis saved Consort Ling."
"When did this happen?" Gu Changqing asked.
The guard said, "It happened many years ago. Even Old Madam Ling was unaware of this matter. I only found out by tracing back to Concubine Ling's birth mother. It happened after the Third Young Master's one-month celebration. When Madam Ling was carrying the Third Young Master back to her parents' home, Concubine Ling accidentally fell from the attic. It was the Marquis who caught her."
Aunt Ling probably had her eye on her brother-in-law back then.
Gu Changqing's gaze grew colder: "Continue."
The guard continued, "Furthermore, the idea of Consort Ling becoming the Marquis's concubine was proposed by her birth mother. Neither Madam Ling nor Madam Gu had originally considered this possibility. Her birth mother successfully persuaded the two elders, however..."
At this point, the guard suddenly stopped.
Gu Changqing gave him a cold look: "But what?"
The guard said, "Before Consort Ling got married, Old Madam Ling gave her a bowl of infertility medicine. She could only get into the sedan chair after drinking it, otherwise the marriage would be called off."
Gu Changqing: "She drank it?"
"She drank it." The guard nodded. "But the young master would never guess that on the night she married into the Marquis's mansion, the old lady also gave her a bowl of infertility medicine."
Madam Gu seemed unreasonable, but the guards never suspected she was so scheming.
Gu Changqing was also quite surprised by this fact. He did not expect his grandmother to do this, and in his mind, his maternal grandmother was a gentler and kinder old woman than Madam Gu.
Unexpectedly, without any prior discussion, the two of them tacitly agreed to carry out this ruthless act against Aunt Ling.
Both elderly people were trying to protect their own grandson and granddaughter.
This is the real reason why Aunt Ling has been unable to conceive for so many years.
She told her three brothers that she would never have children in her life, not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't.
Gu Changqing was at a loss for words. As a woman, she felt very sad, but if it weren't for her greed, how could she have ended up like this?
The guard continued, "I have also carefully investigated the rumors that have been detrimental to Yao over the years. They were spread by Concubine Ling. Although I do not have conclusive evidence, the letter that falsely accused Yao of seducing the Marquis should also be Concubine Ling's work."
"I understand." Gu Changqing wasn't too surprised by the result. However, if she had long harbored ambitions towards her father, then her mother had unintentionally become a thorn in her side. "What was the cause of my mother's death? Was she really sick?"
The guard thought for a moment and shook his head: "This... I'm afraid we'll have to ask Aunt Ling. The day before Madam passed away, Aunt Ling accompanied Old Madam Ling to the mansion to visit Madam, and Madam's condition deteriorated rapidly that night."
(End of this chapter)
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