Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 902: All of Them Are Lord Lai’s Children
The letter from Steward Yue managed to extricate Gu Dashan’s family from the situation.
It was part of Gu Jinli and their plan; their family acted this way because of their fear of the noble behind Lord Lai.
The affair of the Old Gu Family had become too sensational, and if it reached the Capital, the businesses of Gu Jinli’s household would attract the attention of the Imperial Family there. Protecting their business then would be a mere fantasy.
Thus, to avoid the Imperial Family’s covetous eyes, they had to minimize their influence. Exposing Lord Lai’s wrongdoings and putting him in the spotlight was the best tactic to divert attention.
Lord Lai had a noble backing him, and if something happened to him, that noble would definitely be affected.
At that time, people in the Capital would focus only on the noble and Lord Lai, ignoring their family, and thereby overlooking their business, allowing their family to survive without their business being completely taken over by the Imperial Family.
The Emperor Chu was particularly fond of money; in recent years, he constantly increased grain taxes and head taxes, and frequently confiscated properties, never ceasing his money-gathering efforts.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Gu had Steward Yue’s letter read aloud on the spot, infuriating Lord Lai: "Scoundrel, that scoundrel, he’s slandering me!"
Lord Lai deeply hated Zhu Ba, the group of good-for-nothings who failed to kill Steward Yue, allowing him to escape and then retaliate against him.
He had even escaped to Jiangnan.
And for Yue Chong to dare to flee to Jiangnan, he must have a powerful backing there, an influential noble family capable of contending with him and the noble backing him.
Immediately, Lord Lai’s mind conjured up several renowned noble families in Jiangnan, cursing them... What do they want? Are they trying to oppose the Eldest Imperial Prince? When the Eldest Imperial Prince inherits the throne, all these noble families will be doomed!
Lawyer Wu was also infuriated; unable to implicate Gu Dashan’s family and seeing Yuan Jiagui remain calm, he was forced to turn his focus on Tian Xiwang, saying, "What are you here for? Don’t rashly accuse Lord Lai; do you know that falsely accusing a court official is punishable by execution of your entire family."
Tian Xiwang’s family was terribly frightened, his wife and son shaking, stammering, "We, we are here to testify..."
Lawyer Wu sneered, "To testify about what? Do you have any evidence? If testimony is just based on a word of mouth, I suggest you keep your mouth shut, lest you say something wrong and lose your head."
Tian Xiwang’s family grew even more fearful, uncertain about whether to speak or not.
With a clap, Magistrate Gu grew angry, striking the gavel, "Lawyer Wu, just ask your questions, do not intimidate the witnesses."
Lawyer Wu laughed and said, "Yes."
Turning to look at Tian Xiwang’s family, he immediately changed his expression, harshly scolding, "Mind your words!"
Tian Xiwang’s wife jerked, collapsing onto the ground, looking at Tian Xiwang, "Husband, what, what should we do?"
Yuan Jiagui frowned, resentful towards Tian Xiwang’s family for their lack of resolve, angrily saying, "What do you mean what to do? Naturally, tell the truth."
Tian Xiwang was bolder than his wife, thinking that Qin San Lang was not someone to be trifled with; he was ruthless and vicious. If they didn’t tell the truth, that young man wouldn’t let it go.
He swallowed his saliva, addressing Magistrate Gu, "Reporting to the Magistrate, our family used to run a Lin’s Embroidery Shop in Gaoshui County, where women from various towns and villages would bring their embroidery to sell. Ms. Pan often brought embroidery to sell, my mother always offered her a high price, and they were on good terms, with Ms. Pan sometimes staying overnight at our house."
"And whenever she stayed overnight, a well-dressed gentleman would also come to our house. Whenever he came, my mother would prepare food and wine for them, and then keep them in a room, instructing us not to disturb them."
"At that time, I was young and didn’t quite understand what was happening. Later, I found out... my mother, my mother took the silver from Young Master Lai of the Prefecture and provided a place for Young Master Lai and Ms. Pan to meet in secret."
Upon hearing this, the crowd was in an uproar.
"Ah, there’s even such a thing? Who would have thought, Granny Gu and Lord Lai had such clandestine meetings even in the county."
Someone exclaimed in confusion, "Lord Lai’s family is so wealthy; why not buy a house in the county specifically for secret meetings?"
Someone scolded, "Bearded Liu, you’re a fool! If they bought a house in the county for secret meetings, wouldn’t it eventually be discovered? By using the embroidery shop as an excuse, they could carry on their secret meetings enduringly."
Someone else commented, "Tsk tsk, I wonder what kind of fairy Granny Gu looked like when she was young, to have captivated Lord Lai enough to meet her secretly from the Prefecture."
Seeing these discussions getting out of hand, Lawyer Wu shouted, "Silence, Lord Lai is a man of integrity, he has never attended secret meetings with a married woman!"
Lord Lai wore a sullen face, staring at Tian Xiwang, hardly believing that this older-looking man was Mrs. Lin’s son.
Fearing Lord Lai’s gaze, Tian Xiwang lowered his head.
Judge Tang hurriedly said, "Tian Xiwang, do not be afraid, this is a public court, the government will protect you and your family from being harmed for your testimony, please continue."
With Judge Tang’s assurance, Tian Xiwang continued, "They met secretly at our house for a long time, from when I could barely remember, to when I was a teenager, one of our small courtyards was dedicated to them. I would sometimes eavesdrop on their conversations from the wall and learned they’d known each other since childhood. Gu Pan was a maid of the Lai Family, her parents were also Lai’s servants..."
"They were close, with Ms. Pan sometimes visiting while heavily pregnant. She even discussed baby names with Young Master Lai. However, Young Master Lai said her naming style was too elegant, not fitting for farm folk, leaving it to Ms. Pan to choose... Their last secret meeting at our house was twenty years ago, after which Young Master Lai stopped coming; I heard from my mother he’d gone to other places."
But...
"A few months after their last meeting I saw Ms. Pan in the county; she was already heavily pregnant, and by the next year, she’d given birth to a daughter named Yu Ye..."
Before Tian Xiwang could finish, Elder Gu roared furiously, "Silence! What on earth are you saying? What do you mean by this?!"
Pan Shuangniang had actually been secretly meeting Lord Lai at Lin’s Embroidery Shop in the county, maintaining this relationship for years—were Youwen, Youlu, and their little sister really his children?
Could all of them be Lord Lai’s, having nothing to do with Gu Shengxiang?!
Elder Gu was driven to madness, refusing to believe it. How could he, Gu Shengxiang, have been cuckolded, used to raise another man’s children?
Elder Gu was summoned by the government official sent by Judge Tang, who thought Elder Gu, as the husband, ought to be present given the matter concerned Granny Gu.
Yet, incredibly, Tian Xiwang revealed something so sensational, exposing the fact that Elder Gu had been cuckolded for forty years.
Spectators, eager for drama, answered Elder Gu’s bewildered questions on Tian Xiwang’s behalf: "What’s he saying? He’s saying Lord Lai cuckolded you, suggesting your children are not yours. Elder Gu, you’ve been a great benefactor to Lord Lai’s family, raising his son for forty years."
