Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 880: He Must Be His Son
As soon as these words were spoken, there was a gasp in the courtroom, and Magistrate Gu immediately asked, "Mrs. Qian Gu, quickly tell us what you know!"
He reminded her again, "This is a serious murder case, you must be aware that you cannot lie, or it will be a grave crime punishable by death."
Gu Dagu turned pale upon hearing this, her mouth trembling as she tried to say something.
Granny Gu saw this and hastily shouted, "Trust me, daughter!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Dagu looked at Granny Gu, thinking about how Granny Gu’s schemes have never gone wrong over the years, she steadied her mind and firmly said, "Sir, I swear, everything I say is true."
Magistrate Gu nodded, glanced at the clerks in the courtroom, signaling them to write it down, and said to Gu Dagu, "Speak!"
Gu Dagu remained silent for a good half a quarter of an hour, then, as if recalling memories from childhood, said, "At that time, I was still living in Yuan Family Village and was almost four years old, just old enough to remember things. My stepfather, Elder Gu, was already involved with my mother... they were in a relationship. He often came to see my mother, not just to be served by her, but most frequently to curse Mrs. Fei, saying this and that was wrong with her."
"Once, because rumors about him visiting a widow in Yuan Family Village spread to Gu Family Village, Mrs. Fei quarreled with him, telling him to break it off with my mother. He was very angry, and in broad daylight, he came to see my mother in the village, saying that a man should have three or four wives and concubines, that he could afford it, so why not marry my mother? He also said that if Mrs. Fei dared to interfere, he would poison her, then throw her body into the village’s old well, so she wouldn’t even be able to be buried in the Gu Family’s graveyard!"
"I was too young to understand these things at the time, but later I heard that he really found a kind of thorny blood vine and took it back for Mrs. Fei to eat. Within two months, Mrs. Fei was dead."
Elder Gu was so shocked he couldn’t speak, pointing at Gu Dagu, tremblingly asked, "Jinzhi, why... why are you framing me? Haven’t I treated you well enough? I even gave you the golden hairpin Mrs. Fei brought as dowry, treating you ten times better than I have treated Daya, yet you repay kindness with ingratitude and slander me!"
Elder Gu was sobbing uncontrollably, never imagining that the stepdaughter he gave silver, dowry, and grain to would treat him so.
The onlookers gasped at these words, shouting, "Elder Gu, you finally remember you have a biological daughter? Do you even remember what she looks like? I bet you only remember Mrs. Qian Gu, that burden."
Some mocked Elder Gu, while others stood akimbo and cursed him, "Gu Shengxiang, you are truly despicable, giving Mrs. Fei’s golden hairpin to a stepdaughter, things from the biological mother are meant for the biological daughter. Truly a bastard, confusing biological lineage with the offspring of a prostitute."
The people of He’an were keen on gossip. Hearing this, they remembered the storyteller saying not long ago that Lord Lai treated Gu Youlu and his siblings better than his own sons, and they immediately mocked, "Hey, Elder Gu, it’s said Gu Youwen and Gu Youlu are favored by Lord Lai, but he doesn’t like Gu Youfu, who looks like you. The city is abuzz that Gu Youwen and Gu Youlu are his children, are you really being cuckolded?"
They finished speaking and burst into laughter.
Among the onlookers, someone said, "Look at Gu Dashan, he resembles Elder Gu quite a bit, could it be that Gu Youwen and the others aren’t really Elder Gu’s blood?"
"Shut up, all of you shut your mouths, talking nonsense!" Elder Gu was almost furious to the point of madness. Being a man concerned with face, how could he bear others saying he was cuckolded? He defended, "Youwen and Youlu resemble the Pan Family, they are all my biological children!"
But in truth, he had never met Granny Pan’s parents. When they married, due to the distance, and Granny Gu being a widow remarrying and pregnant with Gu Youwen, they had only sent a letter to the two elders, received their consent, and then went ahead with the marriage certificate.
By the time he wanted to visit the Pan Family elders, they had passed away.
Ms. Pan’s brother came to report their death, saying their children were young and there was no need to rush back for the funeral, and even gave them ten taels, saying it was what the elders left for them.
Elder Gu was so touched at the time but now felt a chill... he had been blinded by those ten taels, actually agreeing not to attend the funeral. In what world would a son-in-law not attend the funeral of his in-laws?
As for the Pan Family, he had only met Ms. Pan’s brother, and Youwen and Youlu really didn’t resemble him much, it was all quite mysterious.
But Elder Gu still believed Youwen and Youlu were his children, for he did not want to be a cuckold!
Gu Dashan didn’t care whether Youwen and the others were Elder Gu’s biological children or not, he only wanted to ask Elder Gu one thing, "Did you really give my mother’s golden hairpin to Yuan Jinzhi?"
Elder Gu saw Gu Dashan speaking to him and was very excited, hurriedly saying, "Dashan, my dear son, we are father and son connected by blood and bone, listen to your father and withdraw the petition, anything you want to know, we can discuss at home slowly."
Gu Jin’an laughed, his gaze like a torch piercing Elder Gu, "The case is nearly solved, and you still want my father to withdraw the petition? Do you think the Magistrate will agree?"
With a slap, Magistrate Gu nearly shattered the gavel, angrily saying, "Gu Shengxiang, stop stalling, answer Gu Dashan’s question immediately." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
In fact, these words shouldn’t have been said by Magistrate Gu, but Elder Gu had gone too far, giving the dowry brought by the first wife to a stepdaughter, when the biological daughter was not dead, how could this be?
Elder Gu had no choice but to say, "Back then, Ms. Gu Pan said that Jinzhi was marrying a shopkeeper, and the dowry couldn’t be too meager, there must be a gold ornament, so I gave out Mrs. Fei’s golden hairpin."
When Gu Dashan heard this, he felt grievance on behalf of Mrs. Fei and Gu Daya, even more disappointed with Elder Gu, unwilling to talk to him anymore, he only asked Gu Dagu, "Is that golden hairpin still around?"
Gu Dagu quickly said, "It’s here, it’s here, don’t worry, sister has hidden it well for you, even during the famine, when Elder Gu wanted me to take it out to exchange for grain, I refused, saying it was lost."
She cried while pleading, "Younger brother, considering we are a family, please withdraw the petition, sister is begging you."
After learning that the hairpin was still there, Gu Dashan felt greatly relieved and ignored Gu Dagu, instead choking up and pleading with Magistrate Gu, "Sir, after this case is concluded, could the golden hairpin of my deceased mother be returned to this humble citizen?"
Magistrate Gu nodded, "Of course, as long as it belongs to your biological mother, this court will rule it to you."
Hearing this, Gu Dagu was furious, pointing at Gu Dashan and saying, "Gu Dashan, must you be so ruthless?!"
Magistrate Gu, not wanting to hear them argue anymore, ordered the government officials to hold down Gu Dagu, then said to Elder Gu, "Now Mrs. Gu Pan and her daughter both testify that you’re the real murderer of Mrs. Fei, what do you have to say?"
Elder Gu: "I’m being framed, sir, Ms. Pan and her daughter are harming me, they are colluding, Yuan Jinzhi is lying, that bloodthorn vine was given to me by Ms. Pan, I’ve never sought out any bloodthorn vine."
Elder Gu was at his wit’s end, not knowing what to do, when suddenly a government official reported, "Sir, Qian Guangzong claims to know a secret about Ms. Gu Pan and wants to testify, only asking that his family not be implicated in this case."
The Great Chu practices collective punishment; if one person commits a crime, especially a serious murder case, the family members also face consequences.
