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“Er jiejie, as unmarried young ladies, how could we casually discuss our own marriages? Er jiejie best not bring this up again—it’s terribly embarrassing.”
Gu Jiu glanced at Gu Shan. Gu Shan looked particularly serious, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if silently asking Gu Jiu: Er jiejie, am I right?
Gu Jiu lowered her head and smiled faintly. She felt Gu Shan deserved the title, ‘Master of Smoothing Things Over’.
Unfortunately, Xie shi didn’t appreciate the effort.
“Outrageous!” Xie shi‘s sharp rebuke shattered the gentle atmosphere Gu Shan had painstakingly created.
Gu Shan trembled and cautiously looked at Xie shi. “Mother, I…”
Before she could finish, Xie shi interrupted her. Ignoring Gu Shan, Xie shi fixed her gaze on Gu Jiu. “Er yatou, are you complaining? Or perhaps you’re dissatisfied with me?”
Gu Jiu’s expression remained calm, her gaze steady as she met Xie shi’s eyes without fear.
“Taitai misunderstands. I simply had some doubts and raised them hoping that taitai might enlighten me.”
Her tone was measured, neither rushed nor slow, which only highlighted Xie shi’s awkwardness and indignation.
Gu Zhen and Gu Lin exchanged furtive glances. Both were shu daughters, caught in the middle of this conflict, powerless and too scared to move or speak. They wished the ground would open up and swallow them whole. They couldn’t provoke either side, nor did they dare to.
On one side was Xie shi, who controlled their futures. They couldn’t afford to cross her.
On the other side was Gu Jiu, a formidable figure who had even bested Xie shi. If Gu Jiu decided to seek revenge, they weren’t confident they could withstand it. Unable to offend either party, they resolved to stay as silent as quails.
Xie shi snorted coldly, wishing she could grab a blade and cut Gu Jiu down.
It was Gu Jiu, this little bitch, who had sabotaged her plans and cut off a lucrative financial avenue.
The property that now went to the laoye’s accounts was no longer hers to manage. This loss amounted to at least eight or nine thousand taels annually, possibly even tens of thousands.
With a dark expression, Xie shi scolded, “Er yatou, you keep insisting that I’ve wronged you. Isn’t that just a complaint? As a junior, to complain about your elders—what kind of upbringing is that?
“I must speak to the laoye about this. Now that you’re getting older, it’s time to invite a stricter mama to discipline you properly and teach you the rules of propriety!”
Gu Jiu opened her wide, clear eyes, her expression calm and innocent. “Taitai, you’ve truly misunderstood me. Perhaps my words were unclear, but I have never uttered a word of complaint.
“In fact, my heart aches for taitai. I fear you might exhaust yourself on account of my affairs, which would be most regrettable.”
Xie shi snorted coldly. “Er yatou, even now, you insist on being glib?”
Gu Jiu shook her head. “Taitai, it’s clear you are biased against me. I’ve always been frail, an outcast, and I can understand why people don’t like me. But san meimei is different—she is the jewel of our family.
“Her marriage is far more important than mine. Taitai is kind and has been painstakingly seeking a good match for me, and I am deeply grateful. But if my marriage delays san meimei’s lifelong affairs, that would be an unforgivable sin on my part.
“To ensure san meimei’s happiness, my marriage can be postponed, even for a couple of years. I only wish to spare taitai any trouble and show my gratitude for your efforts. Unfortunately, my clumsy words caused this misunderstanding. It’s all my fault!”
Xie shi nearly fainted from anger.
What a treacherous Gu Jiu! She had completely flipped the narrative. Earlier, she had been provocative and complaining, yet now she had the audacity to claim she was considerate of Gu Yue and grateful to her as a stepmother!
Did she think Xie shi was a fool who could be easily deceived?
Bang!
Xie shi slammed her hand on the table, startling everyone in the room.
“Er yatou, you’ve disappointed me deeply. Disrespecting your elders is outrageous enough, but arguing back—do you dare act this way in front of laoye as well? If I don’t punish you today, it will seem as though the Gu jia has no rules! Someone, take her away and give her ten strikes with the paddle!”
Gu Jiu suddenly stood, facing Xie shi directly.
“Presumptuous!” Xie shi snapped, though her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Yes, don’t be afraid to rebel. Continue to provoke.
If she didn’t make sure Gu Jiu bore the stigma of disrespecting her elders today, she wouldn’t be surnamed Xie!
But Gu Jiu remained unfazed. Her expression was calm as she asked, “Taitai, are you certain you wish to punish me?”
“Hmph! You’ve been so insolent. Why shouldn’t you be punished?” Xie shi sneered coldly, her eyes brimming with malice and triumph.
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow and replied, “Taitai knows I’m in poor health. If taitai insists on punishing me, aren’t you afraid I might die here? Or could it be that, deep down, taitai truly wishes for my death?”
Xie shi’s expression wavered. The two pozi who had rushed in to carry out her orders hesitated. They neither dared to seize Gu Jiu nor retreat. They stood frozen, utterly unsure of what to do.
Gu Shan discreetly gestured for the servants to stay quiet and not act rashly. If they laid a hand on Gu Jiu, this farce might spiral completely out of control.
Gu Yue tightly clutched her handkerchief. Emotionally, she wished Gu Jiu would be dragged out and beaten to death.
But rationally, she knew this was impossible. Her mother had lost her cool.
Gu Jiu was a di daughter, a stepdaughter, and a frail one at that. No matter how great her offense, Xie shi couldn’t beat her.
If something happened, the Gu jia would never tolerate a stepmother who crippled or killed a di daughter. Just imagining her father’s wrath made Gu Yue shudder. Still, letting Gu Jiu off felt unbearable.
Like Gu Yue, Xie shi wrestled with her emotions. Her expression changed repeatedly, as if she were unable to make up her mind.
Gu Jiu pressed her advantage. “If I’m truly beaten to death with a paddle, taitai will be labelled a stepmother who abused her stepdaughter to death. This could even jeopardise san meimei and si meimei’s marriages.
“If I’m not beaten to death but left crippled, I wouldn’t be able to marry and would have to stay in the fu as a spinster, constantly appearing before taitai. Wouldn’t that be unpleasant? And when a sister-in-law marries into the family, I’d ensure she hears all about how taitai, as a stepmother, mistreated her stepdaughter. How would taitai explain herself?”
“You… you’re insolent!” Xie shi gritted her teeth.
Gu Jiu maintained a composed demeanour and replied humbly, “As a junior, I wouldn’t dare be insolent. I merely wish to help taitai identify any oversights.”
Xie shi stared daggers at her.
Gu Yue and Gu Shan watched anxiously, silently praying that their mother wouldn’t act impulsively.
Xie shi’s expression shifted repeatedly. Hidden beneath her sleeves, her hands clenched tightly. Her fingernails dug into her palms, drawing blood, yet she didn’t notice.
She wanted to shout, Gu Jiu, go to hell!
But reason held her back.
If she truly acted on impulse, everything she had worked for over the years would crumble.
She even wanted to say, so what if I beat you?
But Gu Jiu’s words still lingered in her ears—how could she not care? No matter whether Gu Jiu ended up crippled or dead from a beating, she would not escape unscathed.
Even if Gu Jiu wasn’t beaten to death or maimed, as long as the incident reached laoye’s ears, all her efforts these past days would be wasted. Laoye would detest her even more.
Thinking about, Gu Jiu, had dragged her sick body all the way to Tianmen Temple to perform rituals for Su shi, a clear display of filial piety.
And what happened after she returned to the residence? She was beaten with a rod. What would laoye think? He would surely believe that she resented Gu Jiu for Xie Xian being harmed and Xie jia’s assets being seized, and that she was taking revenge.
And it wouldn’t stop there. Laoye would think further—if she dared to resent and retaliate against Gu Jiu, might she one day also turn against him, stabbing him in the back?
Once the seed of suspicion was planted, the relationship between her and laoye would be completely ruined. Laoye would regard her as an enemy and be on guard against her in every way.
Thinking of this outcome, Xie shi felt afraid. No, she could not ruin all her years of effort on impulse.
But she felt so unwilling!
She stared fiercely at Gu Jiu. This little wretch—she must have done it on purpose, it had to be intentional.
Gu Jiu had deliberately provoked her, trying to make her lose her temper and act impulsively, driving a wedge between her and laoye.
What a venomous Gu Jiu.
Xie shi laughed. She wouldn’t fall for it—she absolutely wouldn’t fall into Gu Jiu’s trap. She wouldn’t confront Gu Jiu head-on.
As the fu’s mistress, as long as she remained calm and composed, there were plenty of ways to deal with Gu Jiu. There was no need to leave evidence for others to take advantage of.
She certainly wouldn’t jump into the pit Gu Jiu had dug for her.
“Er yatou, look at your pale little face—don’t tell me you actually took it seriously?”
After saying this, Xie shi laughed again.
It was as if she were mocking Gu Jiu, saying: Even if you put so much effort into digging traps, lao niang1 won’t fall for it.
- Like laozi, meaning ‘this old lady’. ↩︎
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