SGEIRS -Chapter 337 Breaking Her Heart

Before leaving the room, Meng Jinyao gave her a silk handkerchief to use as a veil, so that on the way to Shou’an Hall, the maidservants wouldn’t see the injuries on her face. Surely, she wouldn’t want herself displayed like that in front of the servants.

Back when she had fled to her mother’s house, it had been different. Xuanyi hadn’t had time to care about anything—she had barely managed to find a chance to escape. The situation had been urgent, so she hadn’t bothered to dress or fix her hair, fleeing in disheveled, unpresentable chaos from the Wu’an Marquis residence.

Seeing this, Gu Xuanyi froze for a moment, but quickly understood. She gratefully looked at Third Aunt and said, “Thank you, Third Aunt.”

After saying that, she covered her face with the silk handkerchief, tied it into a knot at the back of her head, and followed them to Shou’an Hall, her heart uneasy, ready to meet her elders and explain the situation so they could discuss a plan together.

Along the way, she felt increasingly anxious. Third Uncle was an uncle, not a father, and couldn’t make decisions for her—he could only offer advice. If her father didn’t agree to a divorce, what should she do? Even if her mother agreed, could she convince her father to consent?

When Gu Jingxi and the others arrived at Shou’an Hall and were about to enter, they saw Madam Zhang rush out in a panic.

Madam Zhang froze at the sight of Gu Jingxi and his wife, but quickly noticed the young woman by their side wearing a veil. From her figure, she knew it was her daughter, and hurried forward. “Xuanyi! I just heard from the maids that you ran back in disheveled chaos, and it seems you were even hurt. And you told the servants not to inform me or your father—what happened?”

Seeing her mother so worried about her, Gu Xuanyi finally felt a little less afraid.

Gu Jingxi said, “Sister-in-law, this isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go inside.”

Hearing this, Madam Zhang quickly nodded and pulled her daughter inside.

As soon as they entered, Gu Jingsheng and his wife, Gu Jingsong and his wife, and the matriarch Old Madam Gu all turned their gaze toward them. When they saw Xuanyi wearing a silk handkerchief over her face, they all paused.

The next moment, before they could even perform the customary greeting to the matriarch, Gu Jingsheng suddenly stood up. Without asking any questions, he pointed at Gu Xuanyi and unleashed a torrent of scolding:

“Gu Xuanyi! Are you trying to drive your father to his grave? You run back to your mother’s house over every little thing, expecting your husband to come and fetch you? Just because he came once doesn’t mean he’ll lower himself a second time!”

His voice was firm. “I’ll tell you straight: if you cause a fuss about a divorce over trivial matters again, you might as well die in your in-laws’ home! I would rather you were dead than make a fool of us with your demands! And what’s with hiding your face? Are you ashamed to show yourself? Last time, you were spoiled and willful, hitting your younger sister-in-law. And now you got hit back? You’ve been willful since childhood, and now you’re still the same after marrying into another family. You married into such a good household, have such a good husband, and yet you’re still not satisfied?”

Hearing her husband speak like this, Madam Zhang assumed her daughter had caused trouble again—probably hitting or fighting with her younger sister-in-law—otherwise why would the maids say Xuanyi was injured? She anxiously said: “Xuanyi, did you quarrel with your sister-in-law again? How many times have I told you not to fight with her? Even small conflicts can make your mother-in-law displeased. Sometimes it’s better to just endure it. And now, another conflict? Do you want a divorce like last time? You’re not a child anymore, why act so impulsively? You have such a good husband—if you divorce him, could you find someone better?”

Her father’s harsh reprimand and her mother’s criticism extinguished the only spark of hope in Gu Xuanyi’s eyes. She felt a chill sweep over her, tears slipping down her cheeks again, and instinctively leaned closer to Third Aunt, seeking protection. She had known her parents would strongly oppose a divorce, so she hadn’t dared approach them first, going straight to Third Uncle and Third Aunt. Third Uncle was fair and principled, and Third Aunt, though young, had a soft heart and was easier to reason with—she might even persuade Third Uncle to support the divorce.

Meng Jinyao’s brows knitted. In an instant, she understood why Xuanyi had gone to them first instead of her parents. Seeing her lean closer, she reached out and held her hand, silently offering comfort.

The warmth from his hand gave Gu Xuanyi a flicker of hope, and her tears fell even more freely—her biological parents hadn’t even asked a single question before blaming her, yet Third Aunt stood by her side.

The matriarch Old Madam Gu frowned at the couple’s words to the child, disapproving, and scolded in a stern voice: “Eldest son, eldest daughter-in-law, how can you be parents like this? How could a child run back to her mother’s house without reason? If she ran back, she must have been wronged. No matter how good her husband is, there are times when Xuanyi is mistreated. Yet you blame her without listening—people would think you were her husband’s parents and Xuanyi was some foundling.”

Gu Jingsheng was stunned, not expecting to be reprimanded at his age. Deep down, he respected his stepmother and didn’t dare argue, murmuring, “Mother is right… it’s just that Xuanyi has always been disobedient, and I lost my temper, that’s why I scolded her.”

Madam Zhang added, “Your daughter-in-law was just too anxious. Xuanyi and her sister-in-law have always had conflicts, and last time they even fought.”

Old Madam Gu shot her a sharp look. “Last time is last time, this is this time. Is it always Xuanyi who starts it? Perhaps this time it was her sister-in-law who acted first.”

Madam Zhang was momentarily speechless. Her mother-in-law’s words had logic, but she could only assume her daughter was throwing a tantrum, which made her anxious.

“Stop standing, sit down and talk.”

The matriarch’s gaze fell on her eldest granddaughter as she spoke, her voice gentle: “Xuanyi, don’t be afraid. Tell your elders exactly what happened, and they will make a decision for you.” She waved, signaling the maids to leave.

Everyone sat down, but Gu Xuanyi didn’t sit next to her mother, Madam Zhang. Instead, she took a seat beside Third Aunt.

Seeing this, Madam Zhang felt slightly uncomfortable. She was her mother—why sit with her third aunt? But recalling her earlier words, she felt reassured.

Choking back her sobs, Gu Xuanyi said: “Grandmother, I regret it. I shouldn’t have ignored the elders’ advice and insisted on marrying that wretched man. He deceived me completely.”

She then removed the handkerchief from her face, revealing her injuries, and continued: “These were caused by him. The marks on my neck are from when he tried to strangle me. If I hadn’t called out Third Uncle’s name, bringing back the little bit of reason he had left, I probably would have died at his hands. Besides the injuries on my face and neck, there are other bruises on my body from him.”

At her words, Gu Jingsheng and his wife, Gu Jingsong and his wife, and the matriarch were all shocked. Their usually gentle and refined eldest son-in-law could actually commit such monstrous acts—a grown man beating his defenseless wife.

Gu Jingsheng looked at the injuries on his daughter’s face, thought for a moment, and asked in a grave voice: “Xuanyi, what grave mistake did you make to anger your husband so much?”