Old Master Yu, originally from a humble family, was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. He was recognized by his mentor and promised the hand of his beloved daughter. From then on, he rose steadily to success, despite experiencing various trials and tribulations along the way. Eventually, he retired in glory. However, despite his wealth of knowledge and experiences throughout his life, when Gong Hongxiao, sent back by the marquis's mansion, recounted that past, he couldn't help but shake with disbelief.
How could I, a certain person, have such infuriatingly foolish son and daughter-in-law?!
"Old master, please see clearly. Madam Gu is the one who holds all the power in the Marquis's mansion! My life is in her hands. If she tells me to say something, how could I dare not to obey?" Hong Xiao knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, "I failed to reveal the truth, and caused Madam Gu to suffer injustice. It's all because of my cowardice and fear of death. I hope the old master will be merciful and spare me!"
In front of his parents and his brother's wife, having his daughter's affair exposed, Eldest Master Yu's face turned pale and red alternately. He was too embarrassed to even lift his head. First Madam Yu, on the other hand, glared fiercely at Hong Xiang on the ground, her eyes seeming to shoot fire. But because of the presence of her in-laws, she dared not to act recklessly. Eldest Master Yu stole a glance at his father's expression, seeing his chest heaving heavily. He cautiously said, "It's all because of the son's unfilial behavior that has troubled father. It's all the son's fault. I beg father to calm down and take care of yourself!"
Old Master Yu glanced at his son and sneered, "Now you know how to be filial? Even bribing Taoists, turning black into white. You've brought shame upon our family's reputation. It would be better for you to give me a bowl of poison, close your eyes early, and spare me from witnessing the filthy affairs in your household!" As expected by Gu Tingye, Old Master Yu had experienced the ups and downs of officialdom for decades, honing his cunning like an old fox. Except for treason or confiscation of property, disasters that could affect the whole family, there were few things that could make him panic, and he remained physically unharmed. Now, when he scolded someone, he was even more vigorous.
First Master Yu turned red and dared not argue. He knelt down with a thud, and First Madam Yu followed suit, gritting her teeth as she knelt down. Seeing their elder brother and sister-in-law like this, the members of the third and fourth branches dared not stand either and all knelt down together. Old Master Yu remained unruffled, addressing the trembling Gong Hongxiang, "According to the Gu family's letter, you've been held up for these years. Now they're sending you back, arrange for you to get married properly." Then he turned to Fourth Madam Yu "As for the matters of the fourth branch, you will handle them after returning to Dengzhou."
Fourth Madam Yu from the fourth branch glanced at her kneeling elder sister-in-law and hesitated, saying, "Father, this..." Before she could finish her sentence, First Madam Yu lifted her head with a resentful expression, staring angrily at Gong Hongxiang and scolding, "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world! This wicked woman has harmed us deeply. Even death would be too light a punishment! How can..."
Old Master Yu slammed his hand on the table, looking down coldly. First Master Yu quickly pulled his wife's sleeve hard. First Madam Yu turned her head and as soon as she met her father-in-law's icy gaze, she shivered and dared not speak again.
Gong Hongxiang, being shrewd, immediately began to kowtow repeatedly, crying uncontrollably, "It's all my fault. Please, Grandfather, don't be angry. Your health is more important! I know I deserve punishment, but I can't bear to abandon my elderly and weak mother. Please grant me mercy and let me take care of my mother until her old age!"
Old Master Yu slowly turned his head and said calmly, "Although you are a prominent figure in the household, you are still related to the mistress's birth family. You are neither a slave nor a servant. How can the Yu family dispose of you? However, seeing that you are now without prospects, we will find a marriage proposal for you relying on your elders." At this point, a strange and chilling smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Back then, making you accompany Yanhong as a concubine was already a grievance. It should be the Yu family who owes you an apology."
The last two sentences were deliberately emphasized, indicating a hidden meaning. Gong Hongxiang's heart skipped a beat, and she raised her head with fear. She saw the flickering light in the room, and the old man's wrinkled face seemed as terrifying as the judge of the underworld, sending shivers down her spine. She quickly lowered her head, no longer pretending, and trembled with genuine fear, realizing that the old man was truly formidable to have seen through her.
Yes, some things, she did it on purpose.
When she first learned that Yu Yanhong was having an affair, she knew it was highly inappropriate and would lead to a tarnished reputation, yet she did not strongly intervene. Later, when Old Madam Gu asked her to help deceive First Madam Yu, despite the coercion and temptation involved, she also wanted to harm First Madam Yu. But why did she do all this?
Her father was a rural scholar with a small plot of land, leading a comfortable and happy life. As his only daughter, she was doted on by her father. Unexpectedly, when her father passed away, her paternal uncles wanted to seize the land and force her widowed mother to remarry. Fortunately, their loyal servant was clever enough to help them escape and seek refuge with relatives. After many twists and turns, they ended up at First Madam Yu's residence. To live a better life, she spared no effort to please First Madam Yu and Yanhong, groveling and flattering in every possible way.
But what was the result? When trouble arose, First Madam Yu was worried that Ningyuan Marquis's mansion was too deep and that her precious daughter could not handle it, so she called her without hesitation to serve as a concubine. It wasn't that she was too proud to admire the wealth of the Marquis's mansion, but with the reputation of the second son of the Gu family, what good could she expect? Besides... Gong Hong glanced slightly to the right, looking at the third master and third mistress kneeling in front of her, then withdrew her gaze with a sigh.
Deep down, she had long had other hopes.
She was a lonely girl living under someone else's roof, and he was an unappreciated illegitimate son of the third branch. As young men and women, they fell in love with each other.
On that day, at that moment when dusk fell, he ran to her with sweat streaming down his face, unable to contain his joy. He eagerly told her that Third Mistress had already noticed their feelings for each other. Though she hinted at avoiding suspicion, she had no objection. She only feared that if they were to rashly bring it up, it might make the Mistress more suspicious. As long as the Mistress was willing to speak up first, Third Mistress would approve of their relationship.
At that time, she felt as if she were dreaming with joy. How much she loved the Yu family! The men of the Yu family were all of upright character, with no vices. The women of the Yu family, from the Old Mistress to the Third and Fourth Mistresses, were all gentle and tolerant, never showing any disdain for her as a lonely girl. She made up her mind then that if her wish could be fulfilled, she would redouble her efforts to please her elders, take on some work in the future, bring her mother over, and live a good life with her family.
Unfortunately... she could never forget the expression on First Madam Yu's face at that moment—so selfish and decisive, so utterly self-righteous. She knew this woman too well; in the face of her own interests, all bonds of affection were false, and any further pleading would be in vain. She said no more, just mechanically smiled and promised to "take care" of Yu Yanhong. On the side, she managed to extort a hefty sum of money from First Madam Yu.
That year when Yanhong's affair was exposed, she hurried to the Yu Mansion for help and happened to learn something. Elder Yu had a close friend from his school days, an elderly man with only one granddaughter. Seeing that his family line was about to end, and knowing that the Yu family had many male descendants, he sincerely asked for a marriage alliance. After discussions among the Yu family members, they settled on this illegitimate son from the third branch. By the time she found out, he had already left for Qiongzhou and married into another prestigious family.
At that moment, she felt as if her heart turned to ashes, indifferent to anything related to the Gu and Yu families, not caring a bit about anyone or anything.
Perhaps, they would never meet again in this lifetime; well, that was fine too.
Lost in a daze of memories, Hongxiao was unaware of what Old Master Yu had said. She only felt herself being lifted up by servants on both sides, being dragged away. Outside, the moon and stars were sparse, the night bright as day; a breath of cold air entered her chest, jolting her awake. She reached into the side of her skirt, where a hidden pocket held her savings of three or four small banknotes, along with some scattered silver and gold jewelry. She had long ago secretly sent these to her mother.
She reached out and pressed her chest again, where she found a 500-tael silver note given to her by Lady Gu when she left today.
"You are resourceful and capable. No matter what hardships life throws at you, you never give up," Lady Gu, the young and beautiful noblewoman, looked at her with a peculiar sense of pity. "Take this silver, and consider me a hypocrite. I drove you away, yet here I am trying to make amends. I'll leave you with this: what happened yesterday is already in the past. Focus on living well from now on."
Hongxiao was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, feeling both sorrow and joy. In a daze, she stumbled out.
After she left, the old nanny guarding outside the door closed it tightly once again. Several servants stood at a distance around, leaving only the members of the Yu family inside. "You can all get up now," said Old Master Yu, his voice gentle but authoritative enough that no one dared to disobey. The three daughters-in-law of the Yu family rose quietly, leaving only the three sons of the family on the ground.
Old Master Yu continued, "For the fourth son's family, I entrust Gong's matters to you. Find a reliable family in the countryside and let her settle down and live a peaceful life. Make sure everything is handled properly." Fourth Madame bowed respectfully and replied, "I will follow Father's orders diligently."
Over the years, the daughters-in-law had become accustomed to the innocent and naive mother-in-law who didn't concern herself with worldly affairs and the formidable and capable patriarch. Since the day they got married, Fourth Madame had been the one directly reporting to Old Master Yu, so her response was smooth and natural.
First Madam Yu felt resentful and couldn't help but voice her dissent again: "Our family has been providing for her for so many years, and she turns out to be an ingrate! Father, this is too lenient towards her! You should reconsider..."
"Shut your mouth!" First Master Yu interrupted sharply, instantly cutting off Madame Yu's words. "With me here, you have no right to speak! You don't understand any rules at all. Look at how you're behaving as the eldest sister-in-law!"
First Madam Yu's ears buzzed as she looked at her husband in astonishment. He had never been so harsh with her before.
Third Madame beside her smiled faintly and said gently, "Don't be angry, sister-in-law. Father must have his reasons for doing this. What happened with Yanhong's niece is already embarrassing enough for the Gu family. They had almost smoothed things over, but then you had to go and make trouble."
She spoke politely, but every word contained hidden sharpness, "Can the Gu family afford not to be cautious? If one day you get into a mood again and insist that your niece was wronged and demand someone's life, demanding this and that, won't the Ningyuan Marquisate suffer? You can't have Marquis Gu shouting everywhere that his wife was accused of adultery. So, this child, Hongxiao, must be kept alive."
Before this matter was exposed, everything was ambiguous; but once it came to light, as the only remaining witness, Hongxiao couldn't die.
Firstly, she couldn't stay in the Gu family, otherwise, in the future, there would be suspicion of being coerced into giving false testimony by the Gu family, which would not be convincing. Therefore, the only option was to let the Yu family take her back. Now, for fear of any denial, not only could the Yu family not let Hongxiao die, but on the contrary, to demonstrate transparency, the Yu family had to let Hongxiao live a good life, everything being open and honest.
Such a simple matter, yet First Madam Yu couldn't even understand it until now, and she still had the nerve to get angry.
"Just now your elder brother praised us siblings for being courteous, and yet you speak to your sister-in-law like this?!"
In fact, First Madam Yu didn't really understand much, but that didn't stop her from getting furious. She raised her drooping eyes and immediately started firing away. Third Madam Yu showed no sign of fear, her expression remained unchanged, as she casually replied, "Look at what Sister-in-law is saying, I'm just anxious. If there's even a slight rumor about Miss Hongxiao outside, can our Yu family's girls still marry well?"
First Madam Yu's anger subsided instantly, like a car engine suddenly turned off, and she was left speechless.
Third Madam Yu's words were like needles piercing the flesh, causing deep pain, yet not a drop of blood was shed. She still spoke softly and gently, "Don't just think about Yanrong; even Yanqing, Yanran, Yanqiao, how can they establish themselves in their in-laws' families? Sister-in-law, please don't take it lightly. Even though Yanyu is still young, if people find out about her legitimate sister's scandal, how can we face the in-laws in the future?"
With First Madame Yu left speechless and feeling the fear of her beloved daughter being implicated, Third Madam Yu respectfully took a step back and stood beside her husband, not uttering another word.
Old Master Yu sighed softly, considering his eldest daughter-in-law to be the greatest mistake of his life. She was not only morally corrupt but also foolish. When he first heard about this matter, he was rendered speechless for a long time, feeling dizzy and bewildered rather than angry.
He, a man of sharp wit throughout his life, couldn't comprehend how such a foolish and reckless person could exist within his family!
He and his wife had four sons together. Aside from the second son who died prematurely, the other three sons had grown up, married, and had children.
The fourth son was indifferent by nature, enjoying music, painting, and calligraphy. Economic and official careers seemed as distant to him as the journey to the West. It was fortunate that his fourth daughter-in-law was capable of managing the household. The third son was intelligent and talented but somehow acquired the airs of a literati. He looked down upon those who sought fame and success, even carrying himself with a certain elegance and haughtiness. Only the eldest son inherited his father's ambition but lacked the ability to achieve much. He struggled between the ranks of fifth and sixth-grade officials, unable to excel in either studying or government service.
Old Master Yu, accustomed to the Taoist philosophy of going with the flow, deeply understood that success in officialdom also depended on one's inherent talent. Some people grasped things quickly, while others could be taught endlessly with no results. Since his sons were not cut out for officialdom, he didn't force the issue. If heaven blessed his grandchildren with two talented individuals, the Yu family could prosper; if not, they would still be content with peace. With his own remaining influence and the status of his eldest son in the government, his descendants could still live comfortably in their hometown.
"Even a thousand-mile embankment can be destroyed by ants; the foundation of a family's prosperity lies in its descendants and the harmony within the household," Old Master Yu leaned back in his armchair, his aging figure becoming more apparent as he sighed. "If we had raised our children properly and instilled in them good character and values, today's troubles would not have arisen. Fortunately, the Sheng family matriarch and Old Madam Gu are somewhat understanding. If the Ning and Gu families hold grudges, it could lead to a feud between our two families. When I'm gone, can you handle the disasters that may come knocking at our door?!"
The three sons listened to their father's words and all bowed their heads in agreement. Especially Eldest Master Yu, tears streaming down his face, he knelt before his father, clutching his legs, and wept, "Father's teachings are engraved in my heart, and I will never dare to act recklessly again! I have been unfilial, unable to control my wife, and easily swayed by others' words... I've done foolish things. I've brought shame upon my brothers. I... I'm truly ashamed to be their elder brother! Please, father, take care of yourself and let me repent and fulfill my filial duty!"
With each word, he bowed repeatedly, banging his forehead against the ground, making a dull thud on the blue bricks. Old Master Yu's third and fourth sons also pressed their foreheads to the ground, and seeing this, the three daughters-in-law had no choice but to kneel down again. Old Master Yu gently stroked his son's shoulder, seeing the bruised and bloody forehead, feeling sorry for him, he sighed deeply.
Eldest Madam Yu, although not particularly wise, had sharp instincts. She sensed that her father-in-law was indirectly criticizing her, and although she knelt obediently, she felt resentful. She took out a handkerchief, pretended to cover her face, and cried, "It's all the daughter-in-law's unfilial behavior! Knowing that the Gu family is a den of wolves, you still forced Yiran to marry into it. She was so young, yet her life was ruined! But it's fine, at least Yiran is living well now. This unfortunate child, even if she had to bear this disaster for her sister..."
Eldest Master Yu, his face turning livid, realized that her words were accusing him of favoring Yiran's lifelong happiness over caring for Yiran's life. Unable to endure it any longer, he leaped up and slapped Eldest Madam Yu across the face with a resounding slap. He angrily scolded, "You despicable woman! How dare you speak such nonsense?! The marriage arrangement with the Gu family was my doing, unrelated to my father! That wretched woman brought disgrace upon our family and deserved to die! Even if she didn't die in the Gu family, she should have ended her life with a white cloth when she returned!"
Eldest Madam Yu, her face covered in shock, was left speechless by the blow.
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