Chapter 124 Wicked Stepmother, Poor Child 17
At this moment, Dan Gui rushed in. When she saw Zhou Jingxuan, her eyes held a hint of resentment, and she snorted coldly.
Not only is the lady not dead, but she's still alive today. They must be disappointed!
"Madam, someone from the Zhou family has arrived and is waiting for you in the front hall. It is Madam Zhou."
Upon hearing this, Shen Ci raised an eyebrow, stood up, smoothed her clothes, and looked at the still-struggling couple with only coldness in her eyes.
"Keep a close eye on the young master and young lady, and don't let any outsiders disturb them. If anyone tries to harm them, just kill them. If anything happens, come find me."
After speaking, Shen Ci led Dan Gui towards the front hall. Her back view showed that her gait was not unsteady, but rather very steady. She did not look sick at all. Her back was straight, which was the posture of a mistress of the house.
In the front hall sat a middle-aged woman dressed in a dark purple brocade jacket; this was none other than the wife of Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Personnel.
Her appearance is dignified, and even her hair is neatly combed today, showing that she is a dignified, serious and earnest person.
However, Madam Zhou's face was not good at the moment, it was so gloomy that it looked like it could drip water, and she was gripping her handkerchief very tightly. When she saw Chen Ci coming over, she forced a faint smile, and the two greeted each other.
Shen Ci disliked Zhou Jingxuan and consequently the Zhou family. She sat down in the main seat and got straight to the point.
"Madam Zhou has arrived at just the right time."
Your niece, Zhou Jingxuan, has been living in our Gu family for quite some time now, and she is now pregnant.
Out of consideration for both families, I sent someone to your residence to propose marriage, thinking that I should at least bring her into the house in a sedan chair before her pregnancy becomes too obvious, so as to fulfill this sentiment.
"To avoid the situation where she gets pregnant later and it becomes a public scandal, which would be embarrassing for everyone."
Madam Zhou was very angry. Her chest heaved violently, but she managed to maintain her composure. She was a woman of great patience, suppressing her anger.
"Madam Gu, this matter is of great importance. Could there be some misunderstanding?"
"Could you please ask Jingxuan to come out so I can get some answers?"
She found it hard to believe that such a strict upbringing could produce such a person.
Shen Ci nodded, signaling a servant to call Zhou Jingxuan over.
Soon, after only a short while, Gu Hongjian arrived with Zhou Jingxuan. Zhou Jingxuan's eyes were still red and swollen. This pair of doomed lovers really knew how to waste time.
Upon seeing Zhou Jingxuan, Madam Zhou immediately straightened her face and slammed her hand on the table.
Kneel down! You shameless wretch!
Who gave you permission to leave the manor without permission and stay at someone else's house for several days without returning? Could you have asked for my permission before leaving the manor?
You've completely disgraced the Zhou family!
Without hesitation, Zhou Jingxuan knelt down with a thud, and tears began to stream down her face.
"Aunt, Xuan'er knows she was wrong."
But Gu Lang and I are mutually in love, and we couldn't control our emotions, that's why..."
Even if he was angry or unhappy with his aunt, he would still consider the reputation of the Zhou family when his aunt came, since there were other sisters in the family.
Her aunt will definitely help her marry into the Gu family!
Hearing Zhou Jingxuan say these words, Madam Zhou was so angry that she trembled all over. She had never seen such a person in her life, and she never expected that he would come from her own family!
"Mutual affection?"
Does mutual affection justify disregarding propriety and shame to seduce a married woman?
Is this how I've always raised you?
How can your uncle face the consequences in court? How can I face the consequences? When you did these things, did you ever think about how your sisters would be implicated?
If a niece from another house does something like this, it will only implicate her own children. They share the same fate, so she is always very strict with her children.
My niece was indeed outrageously wrong, but the man who caused her to make that mistake was even more wrong!
Madam Zhou looked at Gu Hongjian with icy eyes.
"Lord Gu, you are truly skilled!"
How can you explain yourself for humiliating my Zhou family's daughter like this?
How can a woman or a man possibly get pregnant with just one person? They're both restless creatures!
Gu Hongjian had never been scolded like this by a woman before. He was about to make amends when Shen Ci ignored him and interrupted him.
“Madam Zhou, that’s the question I should be asking you.”
While I was critically ill and bedridden, my life hanging in the balance, your daughter barged into my home and committed this shameful act of secretly conceiving a child with my husband.
I'd like to ask if this is the Zhou family's intention? Is this how the Zhou family conducts itself?
If you cannot give me a satisfactory explanation, I will risk all shame and beat the drum to appeal to the emperor, so that all the officials in the court can judge the matter.
Look at how Lord Zhou disciplined and indulged his niece in such a shameful act, even forcing her to frame his seriously ill first wife.
Madam Zhou's face turned pale instantly, and her upright posture swayed. In her life, she valued etiquette and manners the most, and she never expected to be criticized for her poor upbringing.
What she feared most was affecting her husband's career and reputation. She glared at Zhou Jingxuan with disappointment and then looked at Gu Hongjian with resentment.
"Lord Gu, things have come to this point, what exactly do you want?"
Gu Hongjian, who was always shameless, quickly cupped his hands in greeting.
"Madam, please calm down. Your son-in-law, ah, no, your junior."
"I, the younger generation, am willing to marry Jingxuan with the respect due to a second wife, and I will certainly not mistreat her."
Before he even stepped inside, he was already referring to himself as the son-in-law.
Shen Ci couldn't help but burst out laughing. The laughter was so grating that it made everyone present uncomfortable, but she herself felt good.
"A secondary wife?"
Gu Hongjian, you're dreaming.
I, Shen Ci, am not dead yet, so the Gu family can only have one legal wife. Moreover, I have not committed any of the seven grounds for divorce.
If you insist on marrying her as your secondary wife, fine, we can divorce now.
Let the whole capital see how you, the once praised scholar who never abandoned his wife in her time of need, drove her to suicide and abandoned your two young children for your new lover while I was gravely ill.
As the saying goes, "Strike the snake at its vital spot," and as a couple who had shared a bed for many years, Shen Ci knew his weakness.
Gu Hongjian suddenly fell silent, like a chicken being strangled.
He has not yet gained a foothold in the officialdom and is only relying on his past reputation. If he loses even that reputation, his accumulated fame will be completely gone, and he will be infamous and his future ruined.
This was completely different from his original plan of remarrying after Shen Ci's death.
Shen Ci looked at Madam Zhou, no longer caring what Gu Hongjian thought, and her tone softened.
“Madam Zhou, you are a reasonable person, and like me, you are a mistress of the house.”
Today, the Zhou family was in the wrong. If you insist on forcing me to accept a concubine, I will hang myself in front of the Zhou mansion gate first thing tomorrow morning, and we'll fight to the death.
Let's see if the world laughs at my jealousy and kindness, or condemns the Zhou family for abusing their power and driving the first wife to her death.
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