Gu Zaili nodded gently, “There is nothing worth reminiscing about.”
Madam Tao opened her mouth, wanting to persuade her, but held back. She understood these two stepdaughters, or rather, she understood Gu Jingyuan’s attitude towards raising children. Gu Jingyuan would guide his children on different paths and outcomes but always left the final choice to them. Even if he disagreed, he wouldn’t stop them. Thus, these two girls, who lost their biological mother at a young age, could make their own decisions and were very independent. Both girls were somewhat stubborn; once they made a choice, no one could stop them. The Gu family was used to it—taking responsibility for themselves and not interfering in others’ choices.
Gu Zaili brewed her own medicine, raised the bowl, and drank it calmly.
As the bitter medicine entered her mouth, she thought of the countless fertility medicines she had taken over the past three years, and a feeling of relief washed over her.
For three years, what had she been seeking a child for?
It wasn’t simply the joy and anticipation of having children.
A woman’s life is encapsulated in a simple phrase: “Obey your father at home, your husband after marriage, and your son in old age.” A woman must be tamed. A mother’s status rises with a son; it seemed the entire purpose of a woman’s life was to bear sons. Giving birth to a son meant a worry-free life; failing to have children or only having daughters meant enduring gossip and slander, and if the husband said it was okay, one must be profoundly grateful.
How pathetic.
These three years of painstakingly seeking a child were just to reduce the husband’s family’s reproaches, to lessen the gossip, to ease the fear of an unstable status, to diminish the unwarranted guilt. Over three years, her initial simple desire for a cute child had been worn away.
Drinking the last drop of the bitter medicine, Gu Zaili’s lips curled up slightly.
Fortunately, it was all over.
Gu Jianli pulled her sister’s hand and said with a smile, “Sister, wait for me. Wait for me to also get divorced and escape from the Marquis of Guangping’s mansion. I’ll be with you every day.”
“Alright.” Gu Zaili looked at her sister and smiled, “Men in this world are all the same; none are as good as my sister.”
“Yes, yes!” Gu Jianli responded earnestly.
Madam Tao looked at the two sisters holding hands and talking, speechless.
Gu Jianli and her sister lay facing each other on the bed, holding hands and talking, just like when they were young. They talked about past fun times, many future hopes, and plans. Gu Jianli had endless things to say when she was with her sister, but unfortunately, the day was too short, and she had to return to the Marquis of Guangping’s mansion.
On the way back to the Marquis of Guangping’s mansion, Gu Jianli tilted her head slightly, resting her temple against the side of the sedan chair. With the slight jolting of the sedan chair, she gently swayed. But she didn’t notice, lost in thoughts about her family. Thinking about her father’s injustice, her stepmother’s difficulties, her sister’s future, and the regret of her younger brother pausing his studies.
“Jianli! Jianli—”
Madam Tao caught up, panting.
Gu Jianli hastily stopped the sedan chair, got out, and walked up to meet her in surprise, “Why did you chase after me? Did something happen?”
Gu Jianli had been gone for quite a while, and Madam Tao had run all the way to catch up, her chest heaving with each breath, her face flushed.
Madam Tao grabbed Gu Jianli’s arm, panting heavily, and said, “Today, I was only focused on your sister’s matter and forgot to ask you carefully if you’ve been mistreated at the Marquis of Guangping’s mansion?”
Gu Jianli’s nose tingled with emotion.
“You already asked me, and I told you everything is fine, truly fine.” Gu Jianli tried hard to suppress the lump in her throat.
Madam Tao shook her head, still catching her breath, “I fear you only tell the good news and not the bad!”
“Really, no,” Gu Jianli smiled and shook her head, “everything is fine. If things were truly bad, I wouldn’t be able to come back today, right?”
Only then did Madam Tao nod. She stuffed a pair of shoes into Gu Jianli’s hands, saying, “These were just made this morning. You feel the cold easily, so they’re lined with padding to keep you warm.”
Gu Jianli nodded and tightly clutched the shoes Madam Tao had made for her. She then got back into the sedan chair under Madam Tao’s urging. As the sedan chair was lifted again, Gu Jianli looked down at the shoes in her hands, and tears fell onto the lotus-colored shoe tops.
Gu Jianli was reluctant to leave her father and worried about her sister’s future, but given her current situation, she couldn’t afford to be willful. She returned to the Marquis of Guangping’s mansion under the glow of the setting sun.
She hadn’t even entered the courtyard when she saw from a distance that there were many people inside, and the maids were bustling around hurriedly.
“What happened…” Gu Jianli’s heart sank. She lifted the hem of her skirt and hurried back.
“Oh? Fifth Aunt is finally willing to come back.” Ji Yueming stood at the doorway, draped in a bright red fur cloak, holding a warm hand warmer. Her gaze towards Gu Jianli was openly gloating.
Gu Jianli had a bad feeling. She didn’t want to deal with Ji Yueming and quickly stepped through the doorway.
The female members of the Marquis of Guangping’s mansion were all seated in the hall, waiting.
The scene was so familiar—it was just like last night when Ji Wujing woke up and everyone rushed over to see him.
Gu Jianli asked, “What’s happened here?”
The First Madam spoke, “Fifth Brother suddenly fainted. The imperial physician from the palace came to treat him, but he hasn’t woken up yet.”
Gu Jianli slowly turned her head to look in the direction of the inner room. Ji Wujing’s fox-like eyes flashed before her mind. That detestable person, had he fallen ill again? This morning when she left, although his face was pale, he seemed fine.
The Second Madam glanced at Gu Jianli and said, “You’ve just married into the family and aren’t familiar with Fifth Brother’s condition.”
Her implication seemed to be that Gu Jianli shouldn’t assume everything was fine just because Ji Wujing woke up yesterday.
Bringing Gu Jianli to accompany Ji Wujing in his illness was the intention of the entire Marquis of Guangping’s mansion. At the moment, the Second Madam particularly wished for this, as she was concerned about how to explain it to her own son.
Gu Jianli’s initial surprise faded, and her gaze gradually became calm as she quietly looked in the direction of the inner room.
Ji Yueming followed Gu Jianli inside, smiled, and whispered so only the two of them could hear, “I said yesterday, you really can bring good fortune. As soon as you came, my Fifth Uncle woke up. But now that you’ve been away for a day, he fainted again. Tell me, isn’t it your fault?”
She let out a mocking laugh, “Or maybe yesterday was just his last flare-up before death?”
Gu Jianli raised her hand and slapped her hard.
With Ji Wujing’s life hanging in the balance, everyone had solemn expressions. The room was full of masters and servants, yet there wasn’t a single sound. The crisp “slap” echoed exceptionally loudly.
Ji Yueming was stunned by the slap, staggered back a few steps, and fell to the side. As she fell, she knocked over a triangular table, and the porcelain vase on it shattered on the ground.
Everyone was shocked, even the experienced madams didn’t react for a moment. The slap Gu Jianli gave Ji Yueming seemed to have stunned the whole room.
Ji Yueming covered her aching face, looking at Gu Jianli in disbelief.
Gu Jianli stood still, looking down at Ji Yueming from a high position, “Ming’er, your usual lack of manners can be overlooked. You’re young, and I don’t hold it against you. But speaking nonsense about your Fifth Uncle today—how can you lack such decency? No matter what, you shouldn’t curse his life! This slap is on behalf of your Fifth Uncle. If you dare to curse him again, I will report you to the Emperor for your unfilial, disrespectful, unkind, and ungracious behavior!”
Although Gu Jianli had just reached adulthood, her voice was naturally sweet and soft. But her imposing manner while scolding was astonishing, leaving everyone momentarily dumbfounded.
Forced by circumstances, Gu Jianli had endured a lot. But she didn’t have to tolerate everything. Especially with someone as foolish as Ji Yueming, if she didn’t retaliate now, she’d be just as foolish.
“You…” Ji Yueming pointed at Gu Jianli, trembling with anger, “You’re just using my Fifth Uncle as an excuse to humiliate me!”
“Yueming!” The First Madam stood up abruptly, “Stop your nonsense!”
A woman’s reputation is extremely important. Ji Yueming’s marriage prospects were already not smooth, and she couldn’t bear another stain on her name.
“What’s the commotion outside? Don’t you know Old Fifth can’t handle noise?” The Old Madam came out, supported by Nanny Song, her gaze sweeping across the hall with a frown.
One of the maids quickly approached the Old Madam and explained what had just happened.
Gu Jianli lowered her eyes, her right hand hidden in her sleeve gently clenched and unclenched. This was her first time slapping someone, and she didn’t know the technique—her hand hurt… She couldn’t help but think of Jixia. If Jixia were here, she wouldn’t have had to do it herself.
Feeling Ji Yueming’s hateful glare, Gu Jianli boldly met her eyes. Actually, Gu Jianli couldn’t understand why Ji Yueming always targeted her. This wasn’t just a simple matter of dislike. Was there some reason she didn’t know about?
Listening to the maid’s explanation, the Old Madam’s gaze shifted from Gu Jianli to Ji Yueming, and then back to Gu Jianli. She couldn’t help but recall the gossip of the maids. When Gu Jianli married over, Ji Wujing, who had been in a coma for half a year, woke up. Now, after Gu Jianli left for a day, Ji Wujing’s condition worsened again. Was this too much of a coincidence? Although it seemed strange, it was a fact.
The lords in the household were not the Old Madam’s biological sons, so she maintained a distant relationship with all of them. She only wanted her own life to be comfortable. She dared not get involved in Gu family’s affairs, and as for Ji Wujing, it would be best if he didn’t die… After all, the Old Madam still remembered Ji Wujing’s glorious days before he fell ill.
“Jianli, you must take good care of Wujing, put in more effort,” the Old Madam said.
“Yes, mother-in-law. I will do my best,” Gu Jianli replied obediently.
The Old Madam then glared disapprovingly at Ji Yueming, “In the future, don’t come here to disturb your Fifth Uncle anymore! Go back to your own courtyard!”
“Mother…” The First Madam wanted to speak up for her daughter, but a stern look from the Old Madam silenced her.
Ji Yueming gave Gu Jianli an unwilling glare before turning away in anger.
If it weren’t for Gu Jianli, her marriage prospects wouldn’t be so troubled. Yet, Gu Jianli acted as if she was oblivious to everything, which was infuriating!
With her hands twisting a handkerchief, Ji Yueming internally cursed Gu Jianli a thousand, ten thousand times.
The sky outside had already darkened. Ji Yueming, walking aimlessly in her anger, came across two shadowy figures near a rock garden. Judging by their shapes, they seemed to be Zhao Fengxian and the steward Song’s son, Song Baoyun.
Curious, Ji Yueming quietly approached.
“That’s all the money there is, no more can be given!” It was Zhao Fengxian’s voice.
Song Baoyun, with a sly grin, replied, “Cousin, what you did that night while drunk was no small matter. If word got out, it wouldn’t sound good…”
Ji Yueming accidentally stepped on a dry branch, the snapping sound revealing her presence.