Chapter 515 Private Affairs of the Second Wife
Seeing He Yin's rare display of genuine emotion, Gu Shuyan was surprisingly less disgusted by her crying and shouting for the first time.
"Alright, shut up, all of you."
This was originally a private matter for the second wife. If it weren't for the fact that Second Master Gu was still drinking and carousing when He Yin had her accident, she wouldn't have bothered with it.
Now that she has stepped in, what kind of behavior is this, with these people still crying and wailing?
When the old lady got angry, the entire room fell silent instantly. Even Gu Zongjie, who had entered the room with the air of a spoiled brat, lowered his head and remained silent, a rare occurrence for him.
"Speak! Why did you harm the child in your stepmother's womb? Do you know that it is also your brother?"
The old lady looked sternly at Gu Zongjie, who spat out, "What kind of brother is he? He's just a bastard."
"You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting! Do you think I wouldn't dare hit you?"
Before He Yin could even speak, Second Master Gu couldn't hold back any longer. Not only had he harmed his own brother, but he had also insulted his son, calling him a bastard.
"Bastard, bastard, you're a bastard! Go ahead and kill me if you dare! My mother was killed by you heartless people anyway, what's the point of me living!"
Provoked, Gu Zongjie finally spoke the words he had kept hidden in his heart for a long time.
It was only at this moment that Gu Shuyan realized that Gu Zongjie harbored resentment towards everyone in the Marquis's mansion.
That makes sense, though. Gu Zongjie was a child who was pampered and spoiled by Aunt Qiao. Now that Aunt Qiao has suddenly disappeared, and Second Master Gu knows the whole story, in order to continue living in the Marquis's mansion, he naturally won't tell anyone that Aunt Qiao was sent to the estate. Thus, the illusion that Aunt Qiao was killed was created.
Gu Jiezong used to see his birth mother every day, but after Aunt Qiao appeared once at Gu Yuhe's funeral, she disappeared without a trace. Naturally, he would have his own guesses.
If you add in the instigation of someone with ulterior motives! Gu Shuyan's gaze swept over the servants following Gu Zongjie, scrutinizing them one by one, and finally settled on an old woman who looked honest but had a calculating look in her eyes.
"You..." Master Gu was so angry that he trembled.
"My lord, my child died before even seeing the world! You must do justice for our child!"
He Yin was a sensible person. She knew that Gu Zongjie was the only son of Second Master Gu. Even if her own child was gone, Second Master Gu would not really do anything to Gu Zongjie.
Therefore, even when she cried and pleaded, she was only asking Master Gu to make decisions for her, not to avenge her child.
Faced with his wife's tearful complaints on one side and his son's angry glare on the other, it was obvious which side Master Gu's heart was leaning towards.
Seeing the family in such chaos, the old lady was about to speak when Gu Shuyan subtly tugged at her clothes. The old lady swallowed her words and quietly waited for her second son to deal with her.
“The Third Young Master has disrespected etiquette and elders. He shall be punished with five strokes of the cane and confined to his room for three months to reflect on his mistakes. He is not allowed to see anyone without my permission.”
Even if Master Gu was very angry, he only imposed this one punishment.
He Yin looked unwilling, but in order not to offend Master Gu, she did not persist.
On the contrary, Gu Zongjie started making a fuss when he heard that he was going to be caned and confined to his quarters. The old lady rubbed her temples with a headache, unable to bear it any longer. "Someone, take the Third Young Master and the Second Madam back to rest well. Remember to tell the kitchen to make some ginseng soup for the Second Madam and take good care of her."
The old lady's last words finally made He Yin feel a little better. As long as the old lady had pity on her and the master cared for her, then all the suffering she had endured today was worth it.
"Mother, Master, then I'll head back now."
He Yin got up and said goodbye to the two of them. She then walked out with the help of servants, looking weak. When Master Gu saw this, he also planned to leave, but was stopped by the old lady first.
"Wait a minute, there's something I need to tell you."
"I will listen to whatever Mother has to say." Second Master Gu lowered his head and looked listless.
"Don't put on that wronged act. In the end, what happened today was your fault for not handling things properly."
The old lady didn't want to get involved in his household affairs, but now that someone has died, she couldn't just ignore it.
“A little over a year ago, Aunt Qiao brought the children back. They were still young then, so you should have spent more time with them and raised them properly. But what did you do? Every day, besides going to brothels, you were drinking with a bunch of shady friends. You were never proper, and that's how the children got corrupted by those disreputable people.”
When the old lady said these words in front of the two younger generation, Master Gu felt a little embarrassed, but since what the old lady said was the truth, he could only purse his lips and nod.
Seeing his reaction, the old lady paused, softened her tone, and continued, "I know you don't like hearing these words, but the fact that Aunt Qiao is not in the mansion is quite a blow to Zongjie. In my opinion, rather than letting him cause trouble at home, it would be better to send him to the academy to stay overnight and let the teachers teach him some manners."
“Mother is right, but the Rongde Academy that I asked my eldest brother to help me find has not yet given me a reply.”
Master Gu still cares a lot about his son's education. Now that he has no future, he can only think about how to raise his son so that he can rely on his son to make a name for himself when he gets old.
"You don't need to worry about this. Your older brother is already looking for his classmates at the academy. Now remember, keep a close eye on the women and children in your household, and make sure nothing like this happens again."
The old lady looked quite tired after she finished speaking. Knowing that he had troubled her today, Second Master Gu quickly got up, clasped his hands in farewell, and took his leave.
Once only the three of them—grandmother, grandmother, and granddaughter—were left in the room, the old lady turned to Gu Yuxin and asked, "Yuxin, do you resent your grandmother for treating your father and brother this way?"
“Yuxin only has her grandmother, uncle and aunt, and older brother and sister. As for her father and younger brother, Yuxin dares not hope for them.”
As Gu Yuxin spoke, her eyes were filled with determination. Although that family was her closest relatives, that affection had long been worn away, so Gu Yuxin didn't care about their plight at all.
Seeing Gu Yuxin like this, the old lady couldn't tell whether she felt comforted or heartbroken.
"Good child, you've really gone through a lot of trouble."
The old lady took Gu Yuxin's hand with heartache. Initially, she had taken Gu Yuxin in out of necessity. But no one is perfect. Over the past year, the old lady's sincerity had earned Gu Yuxin's respect and love, but it had also made Gu Yuxin increasingly distant from her family.
"Grandmother, we haven't said a word about Aunt Qiao's matter to anyone. Why would Third Brother think that Aunt Qiao is no longer alive? Isn't that a bit strange?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com