Chapter 153 Wicked Stepmother and Poor Child 46
Zhou Jingxuan had endured it for so long, and she was almost grinding her teeth to powder.
But the old lady kept provoking her! The statement that a concubine's child could only be a son born of a concubine was enough to infuriate her! If the old lady wouldn't acknowledge it, why should she tolerate it?
A roar came from behind the old lady, startling her so much that her heart clenched and she felt a sharp pain.
"Aaaaaah—!!"
You old hag! I've put up with you for so long!! Serves you right for being so foul-mouthed! Serves you right for being so foul-mouthed!
Gu Lang has already agreed, why shouldn't you?!
Zhou Jingxuan roared and pounced on the old lady like a mad dog. She was standing behind the old lady, in a more advantageous position, and grabbed the old lady's neck tightly with both hands.
Because of the excessive force, the fingernails dug into the flesh of her neck. Caught off guard, the old lady's eyes rolled back, and a bellows-like sound came from her throat as her hands helplessly flailing in the air.
Older people can't withstand such fright.
"Quick! Pull her away!"
Shen Ci's face turned ashen. He pretended to be panicked and directed his servants, while he himself retreated repeatedly, hiding behind a pavilion pillar, afraid of being accidentally injured.
The servants rushed forward, trying to pull Zhou Jingxuan away.
However, at this moment, Zhou Jingxuan had become incredibly strong and had fallen into a state of frenzy. She grabbed whatever was on the stone table, such as the teapot and fruit plate, and smashed it around recklessly while cursing incessantly.
"You old hag! You'll die a horrible death! You've ruined my life! I'll fight you to the death!"
For a moment, none of the three or four old women dared to approach the enraged Zhou Jingxuan, and the scene was chaotic.
Seeing this, Shen Ci quickly gave Dan Gui a wink. Dan Gui understood and immediately whispered a few words to a nimble servant. The servant turned and ran towards the gate of the mansion as fast as he could.
At this time, it was just the time for Gu Hongjian to finish his shift and arrive home.
The servant rushed to the door in one breath and bumped into Gu Hongjian getting out of the sedan chair. He didn't care about etiquette and shouted in panic.
"My lord! Something terrible has happened! A fight has broken out in the backyard!"
"Aunt Zhou, Aunt Zhou has gone mad! She's beating the old lady in the pavilion! Nobody can stop her! You'd better go and see!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Hongjian's expression changed drastically. This was outrageous! His concubine had hit his mother! Without bothering to ask any further questions, he turned and rushed to the backyard.
As soon as he stepped into the garden, he saw a scene that made him feel exhausted.
Zhou Jingxuan, her hair disheveled and her face contorted in a grotesque expression, was being barely held back by several old women, yet she still struggled to lunge at the old lady who was slumped on the ground, clutching her neck and coughing violently, her hair disheveled and looking utterly wretched! The ground was littered with shards of teacups.
"You bastard!"
"Are you insane?! How dare you lay a hand on your mother?!"
Gu Hongjian was furious. He rushed forward and yanked Zhou Jingxuan away with such force that she fell to the ground.
Zhou Jingxuan was thrown to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through her abdomen, but she still looked up and glared hatefully at Gu Hongjian, crying and cursing in a shrill voice.
"Am I crazy? You guys drove me crazy!"
What happened to the promise you made about me being your second wife? This old hag says I'll be a concubine my whole life! My children will always be illegitimate! Gu Hongjian, you're lying to me!
You and your son conspired to deceive me!
"You! What nonsense are you spouting!"
"You wicked woman! How dare you be so disobedient and unfilial! My Gu family will not tolerate you!"
Gu Hongjian was both anxious and angry at her words. He saw that his mother's face was pale and she looked like she was about to die. If his mother died, he would have to go home to observe mourning. Would he still be able to keep his official position?
Thinking of the almost serious consequences, Gu Hongjian was furious and slapped Zhou Jingxuan hard across the face.
With that slap, Zhou Jingxuan screamed in agony. A surge of heat coursed through her body, and blood quickly stained her dress. The intense pain of contractions made her curl up involuntarily, her face turning deathly pale.
"Aaaaaah! My stomach! It hurts so much!!"
Seeing the blood flowing more and more, the bright red color frightening, Gu Hongjian panicked. Looking at the bloodstains under Zhou Jingxuan, he remembered that she was nearly six months pregnant!
I felt good when I slapped him, and I didn't even think about this incident.
"Quickly! Go and fetch a doctor! Find a midwife!"
He shouted in a panic. There were still several months until the expected delivery date of Zhou Jingxuan, and the mansion had not had time to prepare anything. There were no midwives, no doctors, nothing. In an instant, everyone was in a frenzy.
Zhou Jingxuan was carried back to Shuyuxuan, showing signs of a difficult childbirth.
The old lady was frightened and pinched, and is now in a weak state. She is not seriously ill, but she is very surprised. Gu Hongjian is busy and overwhelmed. He can only settle his mother down first and ask a doctor to treat her. He then said to Shen Ci in a frustrated tone.
"Madam, you...you go and keep an eye on things at Shuyu Pavilion!"
After saying that, he hurriedly went to deal with the old lady's affairs. Now was a critical moment in his career, and his mother could not die at this time, nor could anything happen to her. He had to personally oversee things to prove his filial piety.
At times like these, it's even more important not to give anyone cause for gossip or give them leverage against you.
Shen Ci and his men stood guard outside Shuyu Pavilion. Inside, Zhou Jingxuan's screams grew louder and louder, sounding extremely chilling, clearly indicating a very dangerous situation.
Babies that are not full-term are not easy to deliver.
Meanwhile, in the old lady's room, Gu Hongjian watched as the doctor applied medicine and bandaged his mother's neck. The marks from the strangulation were truly shocking. At the same time, he sternly questioned the servants who were present at the time about what had happened.
The servants had already been bribed by Shen Ci's money, so they had to tell the truth, albeit with a slight exaggeration.
"My lord, Aunt Zhou was like a demon possessed at the time; her eyes were terrifying!"
"She attacked the old lady from behind, gripping her neck tightly while cursing her to die a horrible death!"
"Even we servants couldn't stop her. Aunt Zhou was smashing everything in sight. If Madam hadn't dodged quickly, she probably would have been in trouble too!"
"Aunt Zhou continued to curse, calling the old lady an old hag and saying that you, sir, didn't keep your word..."
Every word was true, but the more you listened, the angrier you became.
Gu Hongjian's face grew increasingly grim as he listened. He had been raised by his mother since childhood, having lost his father at a young age. He was filial and knew that if he were labeled as unfilial, his career would likely come to an end.
Gu Hongjian felt a wave of fear. Fortunately, his mother was alright. If anything had happened to her, he would never have let Aunt Zhou off the hook.
After confirming that the old lady had only suffered minor injuries and was unharmed, Gu Hongjian felt somewhat relieved and decided to go to Shuyuxuan to check on her.
After the old lady finished bandaging her wounds, she was filled with hatred for Zhou Jingxuan and insisted on going along. She wanted to see what would happen to that lowly maid who dared to lay a hand on her!
The mother and son arrived outside Shuyuxuan and just then heard Zhou Jingxuan's screams inside gradually subsiding.
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