Chapter 188 Fate (Second Update)
Lord Gu slammed his hand on the table: "The evidence is overwhelming, what else do you have to say?"
Those words were clearly Aunt Ling's handwriting.
Even Aunt Ling herself was stunned.
For a moment, she wondered if she had lost her memory!
Perhaps she really did write it?
This adulterer, of course, did not exist. In order to make the whole story more plausible, the old chief priest wrote a letter of severance between the two in a very sorrowful tone.
It basically says—I've had enough of this clandestine life, and I can no longer bear to see you go back to another man. Goodbye, my love. Don't come looking for me; I'll go somewhere deserted and spend the rest of my life with the memories of us together! These letters are proof that I once existed in your world, and I want to leave them to you. Take care.
Alright, now even the mystery of why Aunt Ling was holding the love letter she wrote herself has been solved.
Without Aunt Ling's love letter, it would only be the adulterer's side of the story, and Aunt Ling would simply deny that it was written to her.
It was her handwritten reply that gave this romantic story its relatability and persuasiveness.
Lord Gu: No wonder we couldn't find the adulterer; it turns out he's already left the capital!
Lord Gu was furious, not only because Aunt Ling had cheated on him, but also because the adulterer's writing was so much better than his own!
He just can't write those cheesy, mushy sentences!
...I'll take a cheat sheet and write it down for my wife later!
Lord Gu was absolutely furious about Consort Ling cheating on him, but the fact that he could still be distracted at this moment shows that Consort Ling didn't hold much weight in his heart; it was purely a matter of male pride.
In contrast, it was Old Madam Gu who was quite angry.
Aunt Ling is utterly shameless! Aren't the men in her family good enough? Why does she have to go out and cheat on them!
Which random man outside can compare to her son?
She pointed at Concubine Ling's nose, her whole body trembling: "I used to think you were a good person, treating you like my own daughter, providing you with everything you needed. Even though you were just a concubine, you lived a more glamorous life in the mansion than the principal wife! And in the end, is this how you repay the Marquis?"
Aunt Ling thought to herself, "Yes, she's even more glamorous than the first wife. Isn't that all because she drank the infertility-inducing soup? If she also gave birth to a son to compete with the three Gu brothers for the family business, would the old lady still value her so much?"
She didn't say that.
Even if she said it, Old Madam Gu wouldn't feel ashamed. She would only think that she was shameless and ungrateful. She was the one who begged to enter the Marquis's mansion and she was the one who voluntarily drank the infertility medicine. Nothing was more important than the Marquis's mansion and her sister's child.
Was she talking nonsense?
In fact, Aunt Ling never said those things, but Old Madam Gu only wanted to believe what she wanted to believe, so she assumed that Aunt Ling had said them.
When Aunt Ling drank the infertility medicine, she also opened her teary eyes wide and looked at Old Madam Gu with a wronged expression.
She didn't refuse because she couldn't refuse, not because she was willing.
However, Madam Gu insisted that it be misinterpreted as voluntary.
Madam Gu could tolerate Aunt Ling framing Yao, but she would never allow Aunt Ling to betray her son.
Aunt Ling said sorrowfully, "Don't you understand what kind of person I am? How could I do anything to betray the Marquis?"
The evidence was conclusive, but Madam Gu wouldn't listen!
The mudslinging that Aunt Ling threw at Yao back then is now being thrown back at her tenfold.
Aunt Ling's nails dug into her flesh: "Fine, you say I'm pregnant? Then I'll see if I can give birth to a child in ten months!"
But does she really have ten months to prove whether her pregnancy is real or not?
Lord Gu opened the second box, and inside were two account books.
The first book is the Marquis's household account book, which is clearly not the official public account, but rather Aunt Ling's private account.
The records show that Concubine Ling embezzled as much as 200,000 taels of silver from the Marquis's mansion!
You should know that Lord Gu's annual salary is only a few hundred taels of silver. Even if he didn't eat or drink, it would take him five hundred years to save up that much money.
Part of this money was used to help her support her brothers in her maternal family.
Compared to the impoverished Yao family, Aunt Ling's two brothers, who had separated from the family and lived independently, were living much more comfortably. Aunt Ling would casually give them thousands of taels of silver.
It was at this moment that Madam Gu realized that Madam Yao was much more reliable than this man surnamed Ling; at least Madam Yao wouldn't use the Marquis's hard-earned money to subsidize her own family.
Another portion of the silver was exchanged by Aunt Ling for gold bars and deposited in a money exchange; this was embezzled for her own use.
Old Madam Gu simply had no idea what she was doing with all that secret stash of money. Was she planning to elope with that other man?
Old Madam Gu is furious!
The remaining ten thousand taels of silver are recorded in an interesting way. It is unclear what it was used for; only the names of a few servants are recorded.
"Zhang De..." Lord Gu murmured the name, feeling that it sounded somewhat familiar.
Huang Zhong asked, "My lord, is it that young Zhang?"
Lord Gu pondered: "Little Zhang?"
Huang Zhong explained, "Zhang Budao! That guy who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk and ten thousand cups without getting drunk! He's a real heavy drinker! He used to manage the warehouse, and then he drove the carriage for my late wife for over a year!"
Now that you mention it, Lord Gu remembers him. He loves to drink and always messes things up. Later, Madam Ling sent him back to the storeroom: "Is he still at the manor?"
"I'm here!" Huang Zhong said.
"And what about these few?" Lord Gu handed the account book to Huang Zhong.
"These are all here, but this one named Liu Chun'er..." Huang Zhong wasn't quite sure.
“She’s gone! But this old servant knows where she lives!” said the old lady Gu’s trusted nanny from outside the curtain.
Huang Zhong and his trusted nanny split up to search for the people. Most of the servants listed in the ledger were found, but a few were missing. However, this did not affect the final investigation.
Lord Gu confronted them in front of Consort Ling.
They initially denied it.
Lord Gu said coldly, "You can deny it, but this is written down how much silver you took. Return it to me immediately. If you can't return it, I'll consider it stolen, and I'll report it to the authorities right now! I am a marquis; if I report someone to the authorities and they're arrested, they probably won't come out alive!"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Zhang Budao, the most cowardly of them all, was the first to kowtow and beg for mercy: "My lord, please have mercy! This servant will tell you! This money was given to us by Consort Ling. She instructed us to spread the news throughout the mansion and the capital that the late Madam had killed her!"
"She even made the maids smash the Third Young Master's most beloved inkstone and frame the Young Master!" a nanny said.
"She had the servants tell the second and third young masters that the Marquis would no longer want them once he had a new wife! If the new wife gives birth to a son, the Marquis's mansion will belong to the younger brother!" another nanny said.
Among these people, there were those who had served Gu Chengfeng and Gu Chenglin closely.
Gu Chengfeng and Gu Chenglin harbored great prejudice against Yao Shi, partly due to the influence of Old Madam Gu and the Ling family, and partly due to the relentless instigation of these servants.
But they were very skillful in their instigation, all guided by Aunt Ling behind the scenes. They were able to get the two brothers to listen without revealing the servants' intentions.
A servant said, "And... that time when he was locked in the dark room... the Third Young Master wasn't that strong, the door wasn't closed properly, it was Concubine Ling who told me to close the door tightly..."
Even Gu Chenglin himself was unaware of this matter; he genuinely believed that he had locked the door tightly.
Gu Yan couldn't open the door, suffered a heart attack, and almost died inside.
Lord Gu nearly killed the three Gu brothers.
Since Gu Changqing was always by the old Marquis's side, Aunt Ling couldn't directly target him, so she turned her attention to Gu Chengfeng and Gu Chenglin.
Whenever the two of them suffered injustice at Lord Gu's hands and cried that their father was bad and that they no longer wanted him, the servants would say, "It's not the Lord's fault. He used to treat you very well. It's all because Yao gave birth to your younger brother that the Lord stopped paying attention to you."
The two children vented all their anger on Gu Yan.
Poor Gu Yan, at such a young age, skipped and hopped to find her brothers, only to be abused by them in return.
Lord Gu's anger finally erupted completely. He stood up and kicked Aunt Ling in the chest, knocking her over!
Aunt Ling fell heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The truly disheartening moment is now.
He had never been this angry when he believed she was pregnant with another man's child, yet he was so furious over her minor actions against Yao Shi and Gu Yan.
That bitch and her son are fine, aren't they?
Aren't they living perfectly well?
She was treated like a slave in this family, and even her right to be a mother was taken away from her!
"Why did you do this?" Lord Gu looked at Aunt Ling in confusion.
"Why..." Aunt Ling smiled, "Of course it's because of you, Lord Marquis..."
From the moment I fell from the attic and you caught me, I wanted to marry you.
But why are you my brother-in-law?
I saw my sister with you, and I was so jealous I was going crazy!
My sister is dead.
My sister was very good to me when she was alive.
But I'm not sad, not at all.
Because I knew my chance had come.
...
Lord Gu ordered his men to take Concubine Ling away.
Aunt Ling's crimes are unforgivable, but firstly, she is a daughter of the Ling family, and secondly, her three sons are currently unaware of her crimes. If we rashly deal with her, her sons will not believe us and will insist that Yao did something to her, which will only deepen the misunderstanding.
Lord Gu suddenly felt very tired.
He hadn't heard many rumors about Yao, firstly because no one dared to speak of it in front of him, and secondly because Yao never complained to him. When he occasionally overheard servants gossiping, he would immediately punish them.
"My lord, what should we do with these servants?" Huang Zhong asked.
Lord Gu said impatiently, "Just a few servants! Do you even need to ask me about this?"
"Yes, yes!"
Oh, how pitiful to be the target of everyone's anger!
Huang Zhong punished the servants who deserved to be flogged, or sold them off; in short, none of them were allowed to set foot in the Marquis's residence again.
"My lord," Huang Zhong said, "it's getting late, you should go back and rest."
Before I knew it, it was already midnight.
Madam Yao had already returned to her courtyard.
Madam Gu was so angry that she had a headache. She went back to her room, took some medicine, and rested.
Lord Gu was exhausted, but instead of resting, he went to the courtyard of Gu Chengfeng and Gu Chenglin.
Gu Chengfeng had just returned from a mission, and was almost completely drained. His face was pale, which was consistent with the listless state of someone who had been woken up in the middle of the night.
Lord Gu: "Call your eldest brother here."
There's something off about his aura.
The two brothers looked at each other, not understanding what was wrong with their father.
Gu Chenglin said, "My elder brother has gone to the military camp."
Lord Gu said wearily, "Alright, I'll talk to you two first."
Lord Gu did not mention that Consort Ling had an affair, partly because it was a shameful matter, and partly because it was not something that could be discussed in front of the children.
He only mentioned that Aunt Ling embezzled money and bribed servants to spread rumors and sow discord.
The two brothers were dumbfounded.
Madam Ling passed away early. When Consort Ling entered the household, the two brothers were still at an age where they depended on their mother. They drew warmth from Consort Ling, and in their hearts, Consort Ling was their second mother.
Gu Chenglin jumped up from his chair: "I don't believe it! Aunt wouldn't do that! It must be Yao Shi! That bitch Yao Shi slandered Aunt!"
"Who are you calling a slut!" Lord Gu stood up coldly as well!
This time, Gu Chengfeng stood in front of his younger brother.
He would not allow his aunt to be wronged, nor would he allow his father to punish his younger brother for unjust charges!
For the first time, Lord Gu sensed a different aura emanating from his second son, but he didn't think much of it. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "The evidence is conclusive. Those servants are still being punished in the stables. If you don't believe me, go and ask them!"
Gu Chenglin said, "They've all been bribed by Yao! They say whatever Yao tells them to say! I don't believe them! I want to see my aunt! I want to ask her myself! I only believe her!"
Lord Gu flew into a rage: "You unfilial son!"
Gu Chenglin ignored him. In Gu Chenglin's heart, his aunt was much more important than his own father!
When he was sick, his aunt took care of him day and night without taking off her clothes!
When he missed his mother, it was his aunt who stayed up all night holding him!
He was beaten by his own father without any explanation, but his aunt comforted and coaxed him, and cooked delicious food for him!
His aunt was the best person to him in the world besides his own mother!
He only wants his concubine!
Gu Chenglin rushed to Aunt Ling's courtyard.
Gu Chengfeng was also worried about Aunt Ling's condition, so he went over with her.
"Auntie!" Gu Chenglin arrived outside the courtyard.
The guards stopped him: "Third Young Master, you cannot go in!"
"Get out of the way!"
Gu Chenglin rudely pushed the guards at the gate.
However, he couldn't push it.
Gu Chengfeng walked over, and with a flick of his finger, the guard felt as if his knee had been struck by something, causing him to bend over. Gu Chenglin took the opportunity to push him aside and entered the courtyard with Gu Chengfeng.
"Aunt! Aunt!" Gu Chenglin rushed to Aunt Ling's room.
The room was quiet and still, with no lamps lit, only a thin sliver of moonlight shining in from outside the door.
"Auntie?" Gu Chenglin called softly.
Aunt Ling sat in front of the dressing table with her hair disheveled, staring blankly at the bronze mirror.
In just one day, she seemed to have lost her youth and beauty.
“Auntie…” Gu Chenglin came up behind Auntie Ling.
Aunt Ling was very quiet.
However, her swollen eyes clearly showed that she had just cried, and there was still blood at the corner of her mouth.
Gu Chenglin felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He knelt down on one knee and looked up at Aunt Ling with heartache: "Aunt? Did Father hit you? He's such a bastard! I'll never talk to him again! I don't want him anymore!"
Aunt Ling's eyes reddened, brimming with tears. She raised her hand and stroked Gu Chenglin's cheek: "Silly child."
Gu Chenglin pressed his cheek against her palm and said confidently, "They say you framed Yao Shi and even fabricated evidence to slander you! Don't worry, Aunt, I won't fall for it! Father was deceived by that vixen. I will find a way to clear your name!"
Aunt Ling said, "Didn't you think she was stupid and incapable of framing anyone?"
Gu Chenglin snorted, "That was before! I saw her having a secret rendezvous with someone, and I ended up missing. I knew she wasn't simple! She's not a good person! Aunt, if this manor can't tolerate you, then I won't stay either! I'll take you away! I'll take you away from the Marquis's manor!"
Aunt Ling smiled bitterly: "You are the Marquis's son. The Marquis will not let you leave the Marquis's mansion. You will be brought back."
Gu Chenglin choked for a moment, then quickly said, "He...he can't catch me! Let's go hide at the Ling family's! Grandmother will definitely stand up for me!"
She'll make decisions for you, but she won't make decisions for me.
My value was already exhausted the moment you grew up.
Aunt Ling looked at him with tears in her eyes and choked out, "Let Aunt Ling hug you one more time."
Gu Chenglin nodded, wrapped his arms around Aunt Ling's waist, and buried his head in her chest.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Everything happened too fast. Gu Chengfeng, who was standing to the side, didn't even have time to react before Aunt Ling's dagger was already plunged into Gu Chenglin's heart!
Gu Chenglin looked down at the dagger in his heart, then looked up in disbelief: "Auntie—"
(End of this chapter)
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