When Gu Jianli hurried over, she saw from a distance two old servant women holding Ji Xinglou down on a long bench, whipping his buttocks with a long vine. His pants were pulled halfway down, revealing his round, chubby little butt. The vine left a series of red marks on his white buttocks with each stroke.
The bench was set up in the courtyard, surrounded by a circle of old servant women and maids watching the scene.
“Faster,” Gu Jianli said, turning her head to Jixia, who was pushing her wheelchair.
“Yes!” Jixia responded quickly, increasing their speed as they hurried over.
When the old servant women and maids saw Gu Jianli approaching, they paused, each with a different expression on their face. When Gu Jianli had married into the family under such circumstances, everyone in the residence, not just the main household members but even the servants, had been waiting to see a joke. However, now that the new emperor had ascended the throne and was heavily using Gu Jingyuan, Gu Jianli’s status had risen accordingly, and everyone in the residence had to treat her with respect. Remembering how poorly they had treated Gu Jianli before, everyone now felt a mix of emotions.
“What did Sixth brother do wrong?” Gu Jianli asked.
Madam Jiang, who was whipping Ji Xinglou, thought to herself that no wife could like her husband’s illegitimate child, especially not a mischievous and bad one like Ji Xinglou. Ji Xinglou being beaten should make Gu Jianli happy.
Madam Jiang immediately put on a smiling face and said ingratiatingly, “Sixth brother caught crickets and threw them into the porridge for breakfast today. The old madam ordered us to give him a good beating. Fifth Madam, don’t worry. Sixth brother is so naughty, we will discipline him well.”
Nanny Fu, who was holding Ji Xinglou down, also smiled ingratiatingly, “Sixth brother has a bad temper and must have caused Fifth Madam a lot of trouble usually. Fifth Madam is kind-hearted and hasn’t been strict with him, but we can’t let him act recklessly. The old madam cherishes you the most. If Sixth brother makes you angry again in the future, you can just tell us, and we’ll handle it for you.”
Nanny Fu was so focused on talking to Gu Jianli that she didn’t notice Ji Xinglou flipping over and escaping from the bench.
“Where are you running to!” Nanny Fu stretched out her long arm and grabbed Ji Xinglou’s thin little arm. Ji Xinglou turned back and bit her on the back of her hand, making Nanny Fu cry out in pain and call for the nearby maids, “You maids, hurry and help!”
Madam Jiang and several maids rushed over to grab Ji Xinglou.
Gu Jianli’s eyebrows furrowed slightly for a moment but then quickly relaxed. She looked at Ji Xinglou and said, “Xinglou, pull up your pants.”
Ji Xinglou was startled for a moment, allowing Nanny Fu to free her hand. Ji Xinglou quickly pulled up his pants and started running.
Madam Jiang shouted, “Lianxin, Lianrui, guard the courtyard gate and don’t let Sixth brother run out!”
“Madam, are you catching a thief?” Gu Jianli’s gentle voice instantly quieted the chaotic courtyard.
“No, no…” Madam Jiang was suddenly a bit embarrassed. She had been trying to impress Gu Jianli by vigorously punishing Ji Xinglou, but it seemed she had misjudged the situation.
Ji Xinglou had already run past Gu Jianli, turning back to glare at her warily.
Gu Jianli reached out and held his shoulder. After a moment’s hesitation, Ji Xinglou let Gu Jianli pull him in front of her. Gu Jianli bent down to straighten his disheveled clothes and crooked pants. Then she looked into Ji Xinglou’s eyes and asked, “Why did you put crickets in the porridge?”
“Because I wanted to!”
Nanny Fu clicked her tongue and harshly reprimanded, “Sixth brother, you can’t talk to your mother like that! You have no manners!”
She then smiled and said to Gu Jianli, “Fifth Madam, please don’t get angry over such a motherless child; it’s not worth it.”
Ji Xinglou suddenly turned his head and glared fiercely at Nanny Jiang, saying viciously, “Next time, I’ll put rat poison in your porridge!”
Although he was only a four-year-old child, Nanny Fu was still startled by the malevolence in his eyes.
“Xinglou,” Gu Jianli reached out her hand to Ji Xinglou. Ji Xinglou abruptly slapped Gu Jianli’s hand away, turned around, and ran off like a little calf.
Nanny Lin had made a great effort to ask Gu Jianli for help, not expecting that Ji Xinglou would even offend Gu Jianli. Nanny Lin hurriedly said, “Sixth brother is still young and doesn’t understand. Please don’t mind him…” and then rushed after Ji Xinglou in a panic.
Gu Jianli looked at her hand, reddened from being slapped by Ji Xinglou, and said, “Let those two maids step aside and not block him.”
“This…” Nanny Jiang was taken aback but complied.
Nanny Song came out of the house, smiling as she approached Gu Jianli, “Fifth Madam, why did you come so early? Everyone is inside having breakfast together. Just now, they were all concerned about your leg injury; otherwise, they would have come to visit you.”
“Everyone is very kind.” Gu Jianli smiled and nodded, letting Jixia push her inside.
The wheelchair stopped at the threshold, and JiXiahelped Gu Jianli up and assisted her into the room. The gathered women inside all looked toward the door. The old madam immediately had a maid bring a chair for Gu Jianli, warmly saying, “Look at you, your leg still hasn’t healed? Seeing you walk like this pains me so much!”
Gu Jianli sat down and softly replied, “As your daughter-in-law, I am unable to bow properly due to my leg injury. Please don’t be upset.”
“Not at all, not at all,” the old madam repeatedly assured her.
The First Madam interjected, “Fifth Sister-in-law, have you had breakfast yet? If not, why not join us?”
The Third Madam also chimed in, “Yes, yes, we just served it, and no one has eaten yet.”
“No need, breakfast is already prepared in my courtyard. I’ll eat with the Fifth Master later,” Gu Jianli gently declined. She paused and continued, “I haven’t been able to care for Xinglou for a long time, and he caused trouble and disturbed everyone.”
“This child has always been so unruly; it’s not your fault, Sister-in-law!” the First Madam said.
“Yes, yes,” the Third Madam echoed.
Gu Jianli smiled and said, “But I am his mother now. If he causes trouble again in the future, please have the maids inform me, and I will punish him properly.”
Gu Jianli paused before continuing, “After all, he is a young master and is at an age where he should understand. Stripping him and beating him in front of all the servants is not appropriate.” Gu Jianli looked gently at the old madam, “Of course, I know everyone is doing it for Sixth brother’s good, wanting to teach him to be a proper child.”
The atmosphere in the room became slightly tense. No one had expected Gu Jianli to speak up for Ji Xinglou. Could there really be a woman who likes her husband’s illegitimate child from before she married him? Especially one as troublesome as Ji Xinglou.
Everyone pondered and concluded that Gu Jianli was not genuinely concerned about Ji Xinglou but was using the situation to make a point and embarrass everyone.
But what could they do? The Guangping Marquis’s household had wronged Gu Jianli in the past. Although they felt uncomfortable, they still maintained polite smiles.
Those with evil hearts cannot believe in the existence of good people.
Gu Jianli could guess what they were thinking, but she didn’t explain because she didn’t care. She had made her point clear. Supporting herself on the armrest of her chair, she stood up with a polite smile and said, “The Fifth Master should be getting up soon. I must return. I won’t disturb everyone’s breakfast any longer.”
The old madam personally got up to see Gu Jianli to the door, and everyone else stood up to see her off. Some, with sweet tongues, kept saying, “Slow down,” “Be careful,” “Button up your collar to avoid the cold,” “Wear more next time when you go out…”
The Second Madam watched Gu Jianli being pushed away in her wheelchair, feeling uneasy. Unlike the others, she hadn’t flattered Gu Jianli and had remained silent. She couldn’t bring herself to speak, feeling both embarrassed and regretful. If not for what had happened in the past, Gu Jianli would have been her daughter-in-law by now. But instead, not only was she not her daughter-in-law, but they were also now awkward sisters-in-law, even bordering on enmity. What pained her more was that her son resented her for it.
Who was to blame?
The Second Madam sighed heavily, feeling aggrieved. The matter of altering the imperial edict was the will of the palace; how could she dare to defy the emperor’s command?
Ji Xinglou rushed back, kicking off his shoes and throwing himself onto the bed.
Ji Xinglan, who was playing on the floor, dropped her colorful ball and ran to the bed, pulling Ji Xinglou’s sleeve and softly calling, “Brother, did you get beaten again? Does it hurt?”
“No, it doesn’t hurt!” Ji Xinglou replied gruffly.
Ji Xinglan tilted her little head and said, “Did you get beaten or not? If you did, how could it not hurt?”
Nanny Lin hurried in and tried to take off Ji Xinglou’s pants, muttering, “Oh dear, I saw from a distance that it was all red and swollen. Let me take a look; we need to apply some ointment immediately…”
Ji Xinglan exclaimed, “Brother, you got your butt beaten?”
Ji Xinglou suddenly jumped up, standing on the bed, and shouted at Nanny Lin, “Get out!”
Knowing his temper, Nanny Lin quickly said, “Okay, okay, I’ll go get the medicine and come back later.”
After Nanny Lin left, Ji Xinglan, standing by the bed, reached up to shake Ji Xinglou’s little hand and said, “Brother, let me see.”
Ji Xinglou impatiently shook her hand away. Ji Xinglan fell back onto the floor.
Ji Xinglou glanced at her, took a step forward, then turned his head stubbornly. Ji Xinglan dusted herself off, stood up, and grabbed Ji Xinglou’s pants to climb onto the bed. She stood in front of him, sighed heavily, furrowed her little brows, and whispered, “Brother, there’s no one else here. If it hurts, you can cry!”
Ji Xinglou glanced at her secretly, snorted, and continued to ignore her.
Ji Xinglan, half a head shorter than Ji Xinglou, took a step forward and hugged him, patting his back with her small hands, comforting him, “Brother, it doesn’t hurt!”
“It hurts!” Ji Xinglou suddenly shouted and then started crying loudly.
He cried out once, then immediately stopped making a sound, holding Ji Xinglan tightly and wiping his tears on her shoulder.
“What should we do?” Ji Xinglan pouted, on the verge of tears herself.
“It’s never possible… can’t learn… wuwuwu…” Ji Xinglou cried, mumbling incoherent words.
Outside the window, Gu Jianli listened to Ji Xinglou’s sobs and slowly furrowed her brows. What was Ji Xinglou trying to learn?
Changsheng ran up urgently and said, “Madam, the Fifth Master is looking for you!”
Gu Jianli was startled, and suddenly it became clear to her. Ji Xinglou was imitating Ji Wujing!
Everything he was doing was a deliberate attempt to mimic Ji Wujing, to prove that he was Ji Wujing’s son and gain recognition.
