SGEIRS -Chapter 346 Easily Startled

The heir of the Marquis of Wu’an had no idea how he had left the Marquis of Changxing’s residence. His whole body was numb, and he trailed behind his parents in a daze.

It wasn’t until they were on the carriage leaving the Marquis of Changxing’s residence that he asked, “Father… what you said back at the Gu family… was that really true?”

The Marquis of Wu’an was still seething from the humiliation he had suffered earlier. His face darkened with fury, and no matter how he looked at his son, he found him insufferable. Even hearing his voice irritated him.

He said angrily, “Your father-in-law is easy to fool, but the Marquis of Changxing is not. I had initially planned that once Xuanyi remarried, I would compensate her with a dowry, and today I would bring you home to be disciplined by family law, and that would be it. Your father-in-law wanted to accept the compensation, but the Marquis of Changxing stopped him with just a look. I had no choice but to take this extreme measure—otherwise, things today would have ended disastrously.”

The Marquis of Wu’an grew even more furious as he spoke: “Today you should be thankful that Xuanyi is not the Marquis of Changxing’s daughter. Otherwise, you would have lost your position as heir, and even if you returned home to be disciplined, it still wouldn’t have quelled the Marquis’s anger. Even I, your father, would have faced retribution!”

Upon hearing this, the heir’s face changed drastically.

The Marquis of Wu’an’s wife tried to console him: “Xiao’er, even if you’re not the heir, you are still the eldest legitimate son of your father and me. The position of heir will fall to Qi’er, your full younger brother. Whoever becomes the heir, it’s the same for the family.”

Hearing this, the heir clenched his fists tightly, unwilling to accept it but powerless to do anything. He could only watch helplessly as the position of heir was handed to his younger brother, who only knew how to indulge in eating and drinking and amusements.

Seeing the dissatisfaction on his son’s face, the Marquis said, “Do not blame me for this. If anyone is to blame, it is yourself. Reflect carefully—why does a man have such a vice? I truly thought you liked watching operas, so I kept performers for you. Since you studied diligently, I didn’t interfere. But I never imagined you would do such a thing. Had I known earlier, even if I had to strip you of your status, I would not have allowed this, to prevent disgrace when the matter came to light.”

He then turned to his wife, blaming her: “A loving mother spoils her child. If you hadn’t hidden this for him before, today’s incident would never have happened. Because of you two, I’ve lost all face today; when we go out in the future, we’ll be ridiculed!”

The Marquis’s wife lowered her head, unable to retort.

The heir’s face was pale as paper, yet he still worried about his reputation. With anxiety in his voice, he asked, “Father… will the Gu family spread this matter?”

The Marquis scolded him: “You have done such a thing, bringing shame to your parents, and you’re still worried about reputation? I originally wanted to ask the Gu family to keep it secret, but before I could say a word, the Marquis of Changxing issued a dismissal order. With his intelligence, he could probably anticipate what I wanted to say next, so he didn’t let the three of us linger any longer.”

The heir asked back: “Even now, they want to ruin my reputation? Father, will you let the Gu family oppress us like this?”

Hearing this, the Marquis glared at him: “Had you not done such a thing, would they have needed to? The Marquis of Changxing would not intentionally spread the news of your behavior. As for others, who knows? Also, don’t forget—even if the Gu family doesn’t say anything, someone in our family would. Xuanyi’s escape was thanks either to your grandmother or your fourth uncle. They could use this as leverage to completely ruin you.”

The heir turned pale, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. He thought he had been careful, but somehow the secret had leaked. He could not even imagine what he would face after today.

Feeling sorry for her son, the Marquis’s wife spoke with a choked voice: “Xiao’er, after today, if you can’t stay in the capital, return to our ancestral home—or move somewhere where no one knows you.”

The Marquis of Wu’an glanced at them but was not in the mood for sentimentality. He was very clear-headed: losing one son wasn’t a problem. He had more than one—if the legitimate second son wasn’t fit, there were still two capable concubine sons. What he had to consider now was how to minimize the pressure of public opinion.

Marquis of Changxing’s Residence

After the Wu’an family left, the matter was temporarily resolved. Gu Xuanyi carefully folded the divorce agreement, placed it in an envelope, and treated it like a treasure. With this document, she could later go to the government office to have it stamped and formally sever ties with the Wu’an household.

Gu Jingsheng, unable to contain his curiosity, asked, “Third brother, the Marquis of Wu’an said that once Xuanyi remarried, they would compensate her with a dowry. Why didn’t you agree to it? According to the dowry standard for a Wu’an legitimate daughter, that would be a very valuable sum.”

Madam Zhang looked at her husband, disapproving. Though she liked profit, she did not want this one—accepting it would feel like selling their daughter.

Gu Jingxi frowned, his tone displeased: “Eldest brother, are you suggesting taking that benefit and letting the Wu’an heir escape punishment for hurting Xuanyi?”

Hearing this, Gu Jingsheng was instantly speechless.

Gu Jingxi calmly continued: “When you accept the compensation, our family’s backbone bends, our spines can’t straighten. The Wu’an heir can continue as heir, and when they go home, they can make a lot of noise but do little. Using so-called family discipline, it would be considered done, and our family could never get proper justice.”

The matriarch, also displeased with the eldest son’s shortsightedness, interjected: “Eldest son, your third brother is right. Our Gu family’s daughter has suffered greatly, including being deceived in marriage. Even if divorced, her reputation is tarnished. If we accept such minor compensation, not only will we fail to get justice, we will be ridiculed for having no backbone—selling ourselves for petty gains. A dowry is just a dowry. Our family is wealthy and influential; why care about such trivial profit?”

Gu Jingsheng froze. He had only thought about saving some money, since Xuanyi would remarry and receive compensation later—thinking of it as a convenient gain for the main branch.

The matriarch shot him a glance and continued: “Xuanyi has suffered greatly; those who hurt her must pay the price. If we let it slide, anyone could bully our girls in the future. People will think the Gu family values profit, and that a small payment can settle everything.”

Gu Jingsong, who had remained silent, also felt their eldest brother was shortsighted and foolish. He added: “Eldest brother, mother and third brother are right. This matter cannot be taken lightly. Since we have the means to get justice for our child, they must pay the price. Everyone must know that our Gu daughters are not to be trifled with—and neither is our family.”

One by one, they criticized him, and Gu Jingsheng felt his face burn with shame. He hurriedly said, “You’re right. I didn’t think it through. At that time, I was only thinking that Xuanyi would remarry and gain a dowry.”

Gu Xuanyi’s gaze fell on her father. Honestly, she did not believe he had acted for her benefit. After seeing his attitude in the morning, she no longer trusted him to act in her interest; in this matter, her father was far inferior to her second and third uncles.