SGEIRS -Chapter 26 Was That a Warning to Her?

The last shred of hope was ruthlessly crushed, and Gu Xiuming’s heart plunged instantly into the abyss. His body trembled slightly.

Before the ancestral tablets, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he was subjected to the family punishment. Besides his instinctive fear of the family rules, he also felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation. In recent decades, he was the first descendant of the Gu family to receive such severe punishment. How would he ever hold his head up in the family again?

From a lofty heir to a disobedient sinner, he fell from the clouds into the mud. His dignity was trampled mercilessly. The intense humiliation bred strong resentment and hatred in his heart. Gu Jingxi was truly his “good” father—completely indifferent to whether he lived or died.

Soon, servants stripped off his outer clothes, leaving him in only a white inner robe on top. His lower garments remained. They pressed him down onto a long wooden bench.

The executioner, a burly man with a powerful build, raised the whip and lashed down without mercy.

“Pa!”

A sharp crack rang out, followed by Gu Xiuming’s agonized scream. His clothes split open, and a bloody welt appeared on his back.

Then came the second lash, the third, the fourth…

The sound of whipping and Gu Xiuming’s screams rose and fell in succession. After just a dozen lashes, he passed out from pain. His back was covered in horrifying wounds, torn and bloody, and the air was filled with the stench of blood.

Yet the punishment was not over.

The executioner did not stop, continuing to strike again and again onto his mangled flesh.

Everyone present turned pale. Especially the women—after watching only two or three lashes, they turned away, not daring to look anymore, while the cracking sounds echoed in their ears.

Though the whip landed on Gu Xiuming’s body, it seemed to strike everyone’s hearts as well, making their pulses race. It felt like killing a chicken to warn the monkeys, suppressing any budding schemes for the time being.

When the twenty-five lashes were finally finished, the executioner stopped.

Gu Xiuming, lying on the bench, had long since lost consciousness. He lay motionless. His white inner robe was torn to shreds, exposing his blood-soaked back.

Only then did Gu Jingsheng look up in his direction. The miserable sight frightened him so badly that he quickly turned away. His own back seemed to ache in sympathy, and he said shakily: “Third Brother, the punishment is over. Why not have Xiuming carried back to his courtyard and call the physician?”

Gu Jingxi replied calmly, merely glancing at Gu Xiuming.

“Someone who committed a grave mistake and is under confinement—how can he return to his courtyard to recuperate? There are special rooms in the ancestral hall for unruly descendants under punishment.”

He then instructed the servants, “Carry the heir inside and summon the physician. Once he recovers somewhat, supervise him in copying the ancestral rules.”

“Yes, sir,” the servants answered and carefully lifted Gu Xiuming.

Madam Zhang glanced quickly at the unconscious boy. His mangled back made her legs go weak, and she nearly collapsed.

She thought, He’s only sixteen… so young. If he really dies like this, it would be such a pity.

But then another thought followed.

Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing. If the Changxing Marquis’s residence loses its heir, a new one must be appointed. After this incident, Mother-in-law probably won’t want to adopt from collateral branches. My eldest son, Xiuyuan, is the eldest grandson and has a good reputation. He’s the closest to the heir position.

Gu Jingxi spoke again, “Thank you all for coming. Since the punishment is over, I won’t waste everyone’s time. You may all leave.”

No one wished to stay longer.

The younger generation already feared their Third Uncle. Now that fear had reached its peak. Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuhong managed better, but fifteen-year-old Gu Xiuwen was so frightened that his legs went weak. He hurriedly clutched his brothers’ sleeves and rushed out.

The eldest daughter Gu Xuanyi and the second branch’s concubine-born daughter Gu Xuanling were both pale, supported by maids.

It was truly terrifying.

If Third Uncle could be so harsh with his only son, what if they made a mistake someday? Even one lash would be dreadful, let alone twenty-five. For delicate girls like them, twenty-five lashes would send them straight to meet their ancestors.

After everyone left, only Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao remained in the ancestral hall.

Only then did Gu Jingxi remember his young wife standing beside him.

Seeing her pale face and vacant stare fixed on the bloodstained bench, he recalled how his nieces had needed support to leave. She was only a year older than them—she must have been badly frightened.

He raised his hand to block her view. When she slowly turned to look at him, he asked softly: “Scared?”

Meng Jinyao nodded honestly.

The twenty-five lashes she had imagined were nothing like this. She thought it would just be light whipping with a small whip. The Gu family’s punishment was truly horrifying.

What frightened her more was Gu Jingxi’s indifference. His son had been beaten half to death, yet he remained calm.

With lingering fear, she asked, “I’m a little scared… Husband, will you treat me like this in the future?”

Gu Jingxi raised an eyebrow. “What bad things do you plan to do? If you break the law, you’ll be sent straight to prison. If you lack virtue, then…”

…I’ll discipline you myself.

Before he could finish, Meng Jinyao shook her head vigorously. “Impossible. I’m a law-abiding citizen.”

Seeing how frightened she was, he explained, “The Gu family’s rules apply only to Gu children, not to women who marry in. If a woman commits a grave offense, she won’t be whipped—she’ll be divorced.”

Meng Jinyao was startled, then nodded.

She asked again, “Husband, won’t you go check on our good son? His injuries look serious.”

“I’m not a doctor. What good would it do for me to go? He needs a physician,” Gu Jingxi replied coldly.

Meng Jinyao glanced at him. This was probably because they weren’t biologically related. Without blood ties, he didn’t care much about life or death.

As if reading her thoughts, Gu Jingxi said, “He hasn’t woken up yet. There’s no point in seeing him now. Let’s go back first.”

Meng Jinyao thought of Gu Xiuming’s injuries. She didn’t feel pity.

He would recover eventually. But what about her life? It had been derailed by his recklessness. If anyone was miserable, it was her.

Still, she asked curiously, “Aren’t you afraid he won’t wake up?”

“That won’t happen. I’ve raised him for years—how could I beat him to death?” Gu Jingxi said confidently, then added with a half-smile, “You seem more concerned about him than I am.”

Meng Jinyao forced a smile. “What mother doesn’t care about her son?”

Gu Jingxi nodded in agreement. Seeing the sly glint in her smile, like a little fox, he said meaningfully: “That’s true. With a mother like you, he’s quite blessed. But don’t worry too much about him—just check on him occasionally. I’m afraid he’s cheap-boned and can’t handle people being too nice to him.”

Meng Jinyao fell silent. “…”

She cursed inwardly:

If you want to warn me not to kill your son, just say it outright. Who are you being sarcastic and roundabout with?