SGEIRS -Chapter 65 Misunderstood Intentions

Ancestral Hall.

Gu Xuanyi endured her humiliation and, under the supervision of the nanny by her mother’s side, knelt before the ancestral tablets to reflect on her misdeeds.

She had grown up, yet she had never been punished so severely.

In the past, whenever she had conflicts with Gu Xuanling, their grandmother would just make them copy the family rules together. They had never been confined. But now, not only did she have to copy the rules, she also faced half a month of confinement and two hours of kneeling in the ancestral hall.

This was an utter disgrace!

Among the Gu grandchildren, only she and her third brother had ever been punished in front of the ancestors—but her brother had run away from marriage and eloped, which was a much more serious offense.

She had not run away from marriage, nor done anything to bring shame to the family, yet her mother was so heartless as to punish her so harshly—for the sake of her lowly sister.

The nanny comforted her: “Eldest miss, don’t blame Madam. Madam has no choice; this is just the punishment for your actions.”

Gu Xuanyi’s face darkened, and she snapped, “Go away, don’t stand here laughing at me.”

The nanny opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end only sighed softly and said, “I’ll leave first. Reflect properly here. When the two hours are up, I’ll come remind you. After leaving the hall, return to your courtyard. You must not step outside the courtyard for half a month.”

Gu Xuanyi impatiently replied, “Fine, I know.”

The nanny said no more and left the ancestral hall.

At this moment, Gu Xiuming, frustrated from copying the family rules, stepped out of the small room and wandered through the hall. To his surprise, he saw his eldest sister from the main branch kneeling before the ancestral tablets. He exclaimed in astonishment, “Eldest sister, what are you doing here?”

Hearing the familiar voice from behind, Gu Xuanyi’s expression tightened. Great—her brother, confined to the hall for reflection, had seen her, and surely word would spread through the household.

She turned her head and saw Gu Xiuming’s thin, haggard face. She froze. The image she had of her third brother had always been of a spirited young man. As the heir of the marquisate, he carried an unspoken air of superiority.

Now that air was gone. His entire demeanor had changed—he looked weary and sullen, like someone trapped in endless frustration.

Out of face, Gu Xuanyi didn’t directly answer his question. Instead, she asked with concern, “Third brother, are your injuries feeling any better?”

Gu Xiuming’s expression hesitated slightly, then he feigned nonchalance: “Thank you for your concern, eldest sister. I’m much better now. But how come you’re here in the hall?”

Faced with his question, Gu Xuanyi had no choice but to skirt the issue: “I had a bit of a quarrel with my second sister. She pushed me, and I fell. I wanted to push back, but Third Aunt stopped me immediately and scolded me. By then I already knew I was in the wrong.”

Her tone grew more somber as she continued, “Later, Second Aunt and my mother saw us and learned the whole story from Third Aunt. Without saying a word, my mother punished me: kneeling in the ancestral hall, copying the family rules twenty times, and confinement for half a month.”

Often, what the speaker intends and what the listener understands are two very different things.

While Gu Xuanyi spoke, she never intended to pin the blame on Meng Jinyao or guide Gu Xiuming to see her as the cause. She was just angry at her mother’s harshness—she would have endured copying the rules fifty times or confinement for a month if it spared her kneeling in the hall. As the eldest granddaughter of the Gu family, kneeling in the hall was humiliating; the servants would certainly mock her. Gu Xuanling, that lowly daughter of a concubine, was probably secretly taking pleasure in her misfortune.

But what Gu Xiuming heard was: two young girls quarreled, the eldest was pushed and fell, Meng Jinyao sided with the younger girl, and as a result, the eldest was punished while the second sister went unscathed.

A flicker of gloom crossed Gu Xiuming’s eyes. He thought: Meng Jinyao truly came from a lowly family. Did she side with the illegitimate Xuanling just to assert a sense of superiority? She really is a malicious woman. Father must have been blind to marry such a person.

He felt deep sympathy for his eldest cousin, as if they were both unfortunate souls cast adrift in the world, and said gently, “Eldest sister, you’ve suffered. I’ll stay here and keep you company; the two hours will pass quickly.”

Gu Xuanyi, seeing that her brother didn’t press further, breathed a silent sigh of relief and nodded lightly.

During these days, Gu Xiuming had been confined to the ancestral hall and knew nothing of recent events outside. The little servant attending him hadn’t told him anything, so he probed indirectly, asking Gu Xuanyi.

Though arrogant, domineering, and prone to bullying her cousins, Gu Xuanyi was not scheming. She did not realize her cousin was fishing for information and simply recounted the recent events.

After hearing her story, Gu Xiuming sneered mockingly: “Truly from a fallen family. She married my father and became the marquis’ wife, enjoying wealth and honor, yet still makes such a scene over a little dowry. How shameless.”

Gu Xuanyi dared not respond. She already held respect and fear for her third uncle, and after being scolded by Third Aunt today, she instinctively categorized Third Aunt as a fearsome elder, just like her uncle.

Sunset. The remaining sunlight cast its glow.

Weirui Pavilion.

Meng Jinyao lay on the couch, flipping through a book with one hand while using a bamboo skewer in the other to pick pieces of fresh fruit from a plate. Her legs swung leisurely, giving an air of complete relaxation.

Gu Jingxi had returned early today. Upon entering the room, he saw this scene. In fact, he hadn’t seen his little wife fully awake for two or three days. He had been busy, leaving early and returning late. In the morning, she was still asleep when he left; at night, she had already rested by the time he returned.

Hearing footsteps, Meng Jinyao thought it was a maid and casually instructed, “I’m thirsty. Pour me a cup of water.”

Gu Jingxi paused slightly, instinctively stepped toward the tea table, and checked the teapot. The tea was warm, not yet cooled, so he poured a cup and handed it to her, saying softly, “Madam, the tea isn’t hot. You can drink it now.”

She hadn’t heard this familiar voice in two or three days. Meng Jinyao’s expression froze, and she turned slowly to see Gu Jingxi standing by the couch with the tea. She suddenly realized whom she had been giving orders to, quickly set down the bamboo skewer, sat up, and took the cup with an embarrassed smile. “Thank you, husband. Why did you come back so early today?”

Gu Jingxi replied, “Hmm, today wasn’t busy.”

At that moment, Xiazhu entered to report, “Marquis, the matriarch sent someone with a message, requesting your presence.”

Gu Jingxi nodded lightly. “Alright, I understand. You may leave first.”

Meng Jinyao glanced at him. He was heading into the inner room, likely to change from his official uniform into casual clothes before going to Shou’an Hall. Watching his tall, upright back, she hesitated, then, fulfilling her wifely role, politely asked, “Husband, will you be back for dinner tonight?”

Gu Jingxi paused, then turned to look at her. Seeing her expectant gaze, he guessed she wanted to have dinner with him and did not want to disappoint her. He nodded, “Yes, I will.”