Chapter 157 The Wicked Stepmother and the Poor Child (50)
Zhou Jingxuan's words hit a nerve, and Gu Hongjian's face instantly turned very ugly.
He didn't want anyone to mention his health problems in the first place, and hearing this made him even more furious. Since Zhou Jingxuan was ungrateful and didn't know what was good for her, he was too lazy to coax her anymore. She wouldn't listen to reason, so she had to suffer the consequences!
The thought of the twisted, terrifying lines on her belly, resembling centipedes, and her thickened waistline from pregnancy and childbirth filled him with uncontrollable disgust and repulsion. He had no desire to be close to Zhou Jingxuan again.
After Shen Ci gave birth, she also developed similar symptoms, and he never got close to her, otherwise he wouldn't have only had one son and one daughter.
Gu Hongjian snorted coldly and stormed off. He had come to comfort her with good intentions, but Zhou Jingxuan was ungrateful! Well then, she could stay alone in her empty room!
Shen Ci was leisurely sipping tea in the main courtyard when a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Ding-dong!"
The detection revealed a breakdown in the relationship between key figures. Gu Hongjian and Zhou Jingxuan's relationship was completely severed, their alliance of interests collapsed, and Zhou Jingxuan shifted her target of hatred due to potential threats.
Villain's salvation value +10%, current salvation value 40%.
Note: The core of saving this world lies in eliminating the survival threat to the villainous cubs.
The primary threat has now shifted to internal attrition.
After Shen Ci understood what the system was saying, she smiled with relief. The biggest threat to the children had begun. It was better for those two scumbags to tear each other apart than for them to unite against their own children.
She provided layer upon layer of protection for the children. Gu Hongjian only had these two children, his only two bloodlines, so the old lady would never let anything happen to them, and Gu Hongjian would also have reservations.
The system quickly issued a new task.
"Triggering a limited-time mission: Protection of a Master Teacher".
Task requirements: Within one month, find a qualified tutor for Gu Mingzhang and Gu Mingzhu and pay them a tuition fee of no less than five thousand taels of gold.
Task Rewards: 100x cashback on spending, and 2 Intelligence Pills (for designated use, significantly boosting intelligence and comprehension).
Five thousand taels of gold! A glint flashed in Shen Ci's eyes!
This price is enough to hire no ordinary scholar; at least a great Confucian scholar of the time, or even an imperial tutor!
Products made by the system are always of the highest quality. These intelligence pills are specially made for the two children, one for each of them.
She wanted to see just what kind of person this tutor, who was worth five thousand taels of gold, really was.
Shen Ci immediately gave the order.
"Dan Gui, go to the entrance of Tianxiang Tower and post a notice. Don't cover it up, just write it down."
Seeking renowned teachers for my five-year-old son and daughter. Tuition starts at one thousand taels of gold, with no upper limit. Details to be discussed in person.
There is only one requirement: the teacher must possess both virtue and talent, come from a distinguished family, and have the ability to protect his disciples.
The notice was quickly posted, and since it was posted at the entrance of Tianxianglou, all the guests coming and going could see it, which aroused a lot of speculation.
After all, Tianxianglou has never done anything like this before. The person who can post a notice here is probably the owner of Tianxianglou.
A thousand taels of gold just for a teacher? The crowd buzzed with discussion, curious about the identity of the person behind this. How distinguished must someone be to spend a thousand taels of gold to hire a tutor? Must they have so much money they don't know what to do with it?
With such a generous reward, there was no shortage of applicants. However, Shen Ci set extremely high standards. Not only did applicants need to be knowledgeable, but they also needed to have enough power and status to be a solid support for their two children when storms came.
This is not just about finding a teacher, but also about seeking a talisman for the children. Even if the Gu family commits a serious crime that leads to the confiscation of their property and exile, this teacher can still protect the two children.
A thousand taels of gold to protect two lives is well worth it.
While Shen Ci was busy spending money and finding suitable teachers for her two children, news from the Gu family spread and even quietly reached Lord Zhou's ears.
Rumors circulated that Consort Zhou of the Gu family had given birth to a monstrous child with a terrifying appearance, who had been secretly disposed of by the Gu family.
Lord Zhou calculated that his niece's due date should be several months away, so how could there be any talk of childbirth? But the rumors were so detailed and detailed, and they even implied that the Gu family's moral failings had brought this disaster upon them, so he couldn't help but have doubts.
Upon returning home, Lord Zhou informed his wife of the matter.
Although Madam Zhou was annoyed by her niece's lack of ambition, she was still her own flesh and blood and couldn't rest easy. So she picked a day, prepared gifts, and went to the Gu residence under the pretext of visiting her niece to find out what was going on.
No matter how disappointing she is, she's still my child. Things have already come to this point, what else can I do? I just hope she can have a better life.
Upon arriving at the Gu residence, one should first pay respects to the matriarch, but Shen Ci kept claiming that she was still recovering from illness and could not receive guests. Since the current head of the household was also the old lady, Madam Zhou went to pay her respects to the old lady Gu, who was in charge of the household.
Both women were very polite, and their greetings were superficially harmonious.
Seeing that the time was right, Madam Zhou asked to see her niece. Wasn't the whole trip just to see her niece?
But then she saw Old Madam Gu's eyes flicker and she gave a evasive answer.
“Aunt Zhou has not been feeling well lately. The doctor told her not to be exposed to the wind, so it’s probably best for her to rest and recuperate. It’s not convenient for her to see guests.”
Madam Zhou had a plan in mind; she was afraid those rumors might be true.
The more she tried to stop them, the more worried Madam Zhou became. Surely they couldn't have killed someone and then be unable to produce the body!
"Madam, Jingxuan is my Zhou family daughter. She is pregnant. How could I, as her aunt, not come to visit her?"
Now that I'm here, I must see him no matter what, so I can feel at ease.
This was something her uncle had repeatedly told me about at home.
She brought up Lord Zhou, and seeing her resolute attitude, Madam Gu knew that she probably couldn't stop her. The truth would eventually come out, so she had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
"Someone, take Madam Zhou to Shuyu Pavilion to see Aunt Zhou. Don't neglect her."
As they walked along, they saw that Shuyuxuan was deserted and even more impoverished than when they were in the Zhou family.
They entered Shuyuxuan, but there wasn't even a servant to announce their arrival. It was quiet all around, and the ground was covered with a layer of fallen leaves. Soon, Zhou Jingxuan's personal maid, Ju'er, hurriedly came out to greet them.
When Madam Zhou entered the room, she saw her niece leaning alone by the window. She was thin and frail, with a sallow complexion, and her once protruding belly was now flat!
Madam Zhou's heart sank suddenly; most of those street rumors were probably true!
She suppressed her shock and quickly stepped forward, tightly grasping Zhou Jingxuan's hand, only to find that her niece's hand was terrifyingly cold! Madam Zhou asked in a trembling voice.
"Jingxuan, when did you give birth?"
"Where is the child? Where is the child?"
Her once strong-willed and stubborn niece seems to be having a very bad time now!
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