SGEIRS -Chapter 24 Indulging the Wayward Son

“Outrageous!”

Gu Jingxi barked angrily. His expression darkened visibly. He had never expected that his usually well-mannered, filial adopted son could show such a vile side. He wasn’t even dead yet, and the boy already dared to speak so rudely to his elders. If he truly were gone, who knew how badly this young woman would be treated?

Fury surged in his voice. “If she were truly a vicious woman, then that frivolous Miss Wan’er would never have been allowed through the Gu family’s gates. No matter how much you like her, at best you could only keep her outside as a secret mistress. You’ve repeatedly shown disrespect to your elders, which proves you feel no remorse. It seems the punishment was too light—add another five lashes.”

Another five lashes—wouldn’t that make twenty-five in total?

Fear rose in Gu Xiuming’s heart. He stared at his father in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that the man who had raised him for so many years would want to beat him to death over a woman. It seemed Meng Jinyao really was skilled at bewitching people—she hadn’t wasted that pretty face of hers.

Li Wan’er, meanwhile, turned deathly pale. The words “frivolous conduct” echoed endlessly in her mind. No young woman could accept such an evaluation—it was sheer humiliation. All her neighbors were common folk, yet her father had been a scholar. When she was young, she had learned characters with him and could read a little. She had always thought herself better than those illiterate village girls. If her father hadn’t died early, perhaps he could have passed the imperial exam, and she might have become an official’s daughter.

Meng Jinyao, however, wasn’t angry at all. She only found her former fiancé naïve—spoiled into innocence. He had likely always gotten whatever he wanted, never been refused by elders, never suffered setbacks. Or perhaps he had lost his reason because of love. He actually believed that a low-born girl could marry him as his legal wife. Even if the girl hadn’t eloped, she still wouldn’t meet the standards of a main wife in a noble household—unless she were exceptionally outstanding. Clearly, Miss Wan’er wasn’t.

She looked at Gu Xiuming as if he were a fool and said calmly, “My son, you’re the heir of a marquis’s household. Don’t you know the saying: ‘A betrothed woman is a wife; one who elopes becomes a concubine’? The future marchioness must manage the household. How could someone who once ran away with a man possibly take that role?”

Seeing Gu Xiuming stiffen, as if only now understanding the situation, she curved her lips into a gentle smile and spoke in the softest tone while striking straight at his heart.

“My son, Mother knows you like Miss Wan’er. But she can only be a concubine. Don’t worry—I’ll choose a dignified, virtuous noblewoman to be your proper wife.”

She sighed lightly, sounding regretful. “You can’t blame us parents for being heartless. This is all the result of your own recklessness—you must bear the consequences. If you had explained things clearly earlier and broken off the engagement, then worked hard to gain your father’s approval and married Miss Wan’er properly with formal rites, she could have become your wife.”

These words finally calmed Gu Xiuming. He fell silent.

He knew she was right. If time could turn back, he would never have let things reach this point. But there were no “ifs.” On the eve of the wedding, he had regretted everything. Wanting only to be with the woman he loved, he had gone to find Wan’er and planned to leave the capital for a while, waiting until his father cooled down before returning.

Li Wan’er stared blankly at Meng Jinyao. She hadn’t known noble families had so many rules. In her neighborhood, a girl who had eloped was brought back and still allowed to marry. Yet she, whose reputation was already ruined, wasn’t being formally married in—she would have to wait until another woman became the main wife before being taken as a concubine.

For the first time, she truly realized the gap between noble households and common families.

Gu Jingxi watched his young wife—who was barely older than his unfilial son—carry herself with perfect authority. Ignoring her youthful face, she truly looked like a proper mother. He curled his lips slightly. Against this girl, Xiuming had no chance.

After a long silence, Gu Xiuming finally lowered his head to Meng Jinyao for the first time.

“Father, Mother… After my confinement ends, I wish to choose an auspicious day to take Wan’er into the household. I beg you to grant your permission.”

He knew when to yield. He and Wan’er had already been intimate. If she became pregnant before entering the household, the child would be born out of wedlock—and might even be aborted to protect the family’s reputation.

Gu Jingxi frowned deeply. “How can you take a concubine before your main wife enters? No noble family would dare be so absurd. If you haven’t even married properly, what respectable lady would agree to marry you?”

Gu Xiuming looked at Wan’er leaning against him. Her eyes were brimming with tears, red-rimmed and timid, too afraid even to cry aloud.

Such a pure, fragile girl—if he had a proper wife, how would Wan’er survive? He had heard of the schemes in inner courtyards, even if he’d never experienced them himself. Being a concubine was already unfair to her. How could he let her suffer more?

In that instant, he made up his mind.

“Father, in this life, I want no one but Wan’er. Even if she is only a concubine, I will not marry a main wife.”

Li Wan’er was stunned, then overjoyed. Her anxious heart was instantly wrapped in sweetness. She cried tears of happiness, trying hard to suppress her smile. At this moment, she felt like the happiest woman in the world. Without a main wife above her, what did it matter if she was a concubine? If she bore a son, perhaps one day she might even be promoted.

Meng Jinyao was equally surprised.

In noble families, such devotion was rare. Yet it was built on harming an innocent girl—something despicable. A noble young man being faithful was fine, but did that mean an innocent woman deserved to become a laughingstock?

If Gu Xiuming had spoken up earlier, she would never have ended up like this. She could have changed grooms or broken off the engagement. She wasn’t dependent on him.

He had the courage to flee a wedding, the courage to refuse a proper wife—yet not the courage to first annul the engagement and fight for his beloved to become his lawful wife.

Now he acted deeply affectionate, moved only by himself.

Gu Jingxi’s face, however, was unusually calm. No emotion could be read from it. He gazed at Gu Xiuming for a long while before speaking lightly: “Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t stop you. We’ll do as you say. In one month, we’ll choose an auspicious day to bring Miss Wan’er into the household. I only hope you won’t regret it later.”

Gu Xiuming was overjoyed. “Thank you, Father, for granting my wish!”

Li Wan’er followed quickly, “Wan’er thanks Lord Marquis for your grace.”

Meng Jinyao glanced at the smiling pair, then at the man beside her. She hadn’t missed the fleeting trace of disappointment on Gu Jingxi’s face earlier.

One only felt disappointed in someone when one had once placed great hopes in them.

And disappointment hidden behind such calmness—was never a good sign.