A commotion broke out, and Xie shi was carried away. The situation looked quite serious.
Gu daren also left. Gu Ting was called away as well.
Gu Yue remained standing in place, looking as if she hadn’t yet processed what had happened.
Gu Shan, worried about Gu Yue, stayed by her side.
Gu Jiu, on the other hand, felt frustrated.
At this critical moment, Xie shi had suddenly played her trump card, completely disrupting her plans. As expected, Xie shi could not be underestimated.
Gu Yue finally snapped out of her daze. She stared at Gu Jiu and slowly enunciated, “I didn’t push you today. You framed me.”
Gu Jiu remained silent, meeting Gu Yue’s gaze head-on.
“Say something! Have you gone mute?” Gu Yue roared in anger.
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow and replied coldly, “He who harms others will eventually be harmed. San meimei, are you sure you didn’t push me today?”
“You won’t frame me!”
Gu Yue’s expression twisted, looking like a vengeful ghost.
Gu Jiu chuckled softly. “I have never falsely accused you.”
“You are framing me! You made a fool of me, humiliated me, and made me lose face. I hate you!”
“Compared to you nearly causing my death, which is worse?” Gu Jiu questioned.
Gu Yue’s chest heaved violently. She pointed at Gu Jiu. “You’re a jinx, a calamity. As long as you are in this family, there will never be peace!”
Gu Jiu sneered. “San meimei, from the beginning, you’ve never been able to tolerate any of your sisters. Even if I were gone, the other sisters would still be thorns in your side. Me, da jiejie, si meimei, wu meimei—none of us have ever met your standards. To you, even a random stranger on the street is more pleasing than your own sisters. Isn’t that the kind of person you are?”
“You’re lying! That’s not true!”
“It is true! You are selfish and vicious. And today, you did push me. I did not falsely accuse you.”
“Ahh… Stop spouting nonsense!” Gu Yue screamed in fury.
Gu Jiu was unafraid. If Gu Yue wanted to go mad, she would go madder.
At that moment, Steward Zhang Gui entered. Seeing the scene in the room, he paused, looking hesitant.
Gu Jiu took a deep breath and calmly asked, “Steward Zhang, are you here because Father has a message?”
Zhang Gui nodded and bowed. “Laoye asked me to inform er guniang that taitai is pregnant and that you should take good care of yourself.”
What?! Xie shi was pregnant?
Gu Jiu was stunned.
Could this be the trump card Xie shi had been holding back all along? That would mean she had known about her pregnancy for some time. And choosing today to reveal it was a calculated move to catch her off guard.
Gu Jiu laughed. “Taitai’s pregnancy is wonderful news. San meimei, congratulations.” Another crisis averted.
Gu Yue was dumbfounded. She had no idea her mother was pregnant!
Gu Shan, however, seemed deep in thought. Like Gu Jiu, she wondered if their mother had known about her pregnancy all along. Choosing this precise moment to announce it was indeed well-timed.
Zhang Gui continued, “Additionally, the master has ordered that san guniang be punished with ten strokes of the ruler and then confined to reflect on her mistakes. She must also copy the family rules and Instructions for Women.”
As expected, with Xie shi pregnant, Gu daren’s punishment for Gu Yue had become lenient. Instead of a beating, it had been reduced to strikes on the palms—far too easy on her.
But Gu Yue didn’t see it that way. Even before the punishment, she could already feel the pain in her palms. She glared fiercely at Gu Jiu, as if to say, Just you wait.
Then, she turned to Zhang Gui and said, “I accept the punishment. Steward Zhang, please lead the way.”
Zhang Gui nodded. “Er guniang, please take care of your health. San guniang, this way.”
Gu Yue left. Gu Shan followed.
Gu Jiu sat by her bed, frowning in thought.
Qing Mei, her maid, grew worried. “Guniang, your health is more important. Be careful not to catch a chill.”
“I’m fine.”
Gu Jiu gazed out the window. “I never expected taitai to get pregnant at this time.”
Qing Mei whispered, “Guniang, what should we do now? With taitai pregnant, laoye will surely prioritise her.”
Gu Jiu smiled. “Who knows if this pregnancy is even real?”
“Guniang, please don’t say things like that carelessly!” Qing Mei was terrified that such words might be overheard.
Gu Jiu chuckled. “I was just speaking casually.”
Xie shi’s pregnancy was far too convenient, occurring right at this crucial moment. It was only natural for Gu Jiu to have doubts.
It seemed that this was the ultimate move Xie shi had been waiting to use. Now, it was like Xie shi was holding a shangfang sword1, killing even gods and Buddhas if they stopped her—invincible. No one could challenge her position.
Even if Gu Jiu had a thousand schemes, she would have to abide by the rules for now.
Still, she felt unwilling.
Gu Jiu let out a self-mocking laugh.
But what could she do?
Xie shi had played her trump card, and she had no choice but to accept it.
Qing Mei asked, “Guniang, should we still inform laoye about Pei guniang’s situation?”
Gu Jiu nodded. “Of course. But now that taitai is pregnant, we can’t tell him directly. Find a way to let Steward Gu Quan hear about it.”
Qing Mei immediately understood. “Guniang, don’t worry. I will handle it properly.”
Gu Jiu smiled. “Good girl, Qing Mei. Today, I was worried something might go wrong, but you handled everything even better than I expected.”
Qing Mei grinned. “It’s all because guniang has taught me well.”
Gu Jiu asked with concern, “Does your knee still hurt?”
Qing Mei rubbed her knee. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Gu Jiu instructed, “When Doctor Chen arrives, have him prescribe some medicine to promote blood circulation and reduce bruising.”
Qing Mei protested, “That would be too much trouble. I don’t need it.”
Gu Jiu feigned a stern expression. “Who says you don’t need it? Listen to me and take care of your knee. Otherwise, when you’re older, it will ache whenever the weather changes. How will you bear it then?”
In the main house, Doctor Xu was taking Xie shi’s pulse.
Gu daren sat nearby.
Once the examination was complete, Gu daren eagerly asked, “How is it?”
Although he already had five sons and five daughters, one could never have too many children.
Doctor Xu bowed slightly and replied, “Reporting to daren, taitai’s pulse is unstable. I will prescribe a remedy to help stabilise the pregnancy. During this time, taitai must avoid emotional distress and stay calm. Only then will the pregnancy be secure.”
Xie shi asked anxiously, “Doctor Xu, can the child be saved?”
“As long as taitai follows my instructions and takes the medicine on time, the child will be fine.”
Tears of joy welled up in Xie shi’s eyes. “Thank you, Doctor Xu. Laoye, we’re having another child!”
Gu daren nodded, his face showing a faint smile of satisfaction. “Take good care of yourself, furen. Doctor Xu, please write the prescription.”
Doctor Xu stepped out to prepare the prescription.
Xie shi, with tears in her eyes, said, “Laoye, today’s incident was entirely my fault for not teaching our daughter properly. I will be stricter with Yue’er in the future.”
Gu daren held her hand. “For now, focus on your pregnancy. I will handle everything else. Don’t worry about Yue’er.”
Xie shi hesitated. “Laoye, qieshen pleads with you to be lenient. She is still a young girl, and harsh punishment could harm her body.”
“Rest assured, furen. I have already changed the punishment to strikes on the palms. I hope san yatou will learn her lesson from this.”
Xie shi sighed in relief, smiling through her tears. “Thank you, laoye. I will take good care of myself and give you another son.”
Gu daren laughed. “A son or a daughter, as long as it’s yours, I will love them all the same.”
Xie shi felt a mix of gratitude, excitement, and triumph.
She knew she had made the right bet this time.
Doctor Xu wrote the prescription, and Gu daren instructed Xie shi to take good care of her health before leaving shangfang.
Before departing, Doctor Xu glanced toward the bedroom and subtly exchanged a meaningful look with Xie shi. Without words, they understood each other perfectly.
Once everyone had left, Xie shi relaxed and leaned against the bedpost.
With a calm expression, she said, “Now that I am with child, I need someone reliable to attend to me. Laoye often says that Bai yiniang is the best at serving others. Go and call her here. From now on, she will take care of me personally.”
Chun He smiled and said, “For taitai to allow Bai yiniang to serve you—she must have accumulated great fortune in her past life. Nubi will go inform her at once, so she can prepare herself to move into shangfang and focus on serving you.”
Xie taitai nodded with a smile. “You’re always quick-witted, Chun He. Go now and bring her over.”
“Nubi obeys!”
- Imperial sword that gives the bearer arbitrary powers – license to kill. ↩︎
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