If it had been left to her father to handle, the worst outcome would only have been being sent to the back mountain to reflect behind closed doors for a few years, kept under house arrest. But when it came to Jun Beiyue, she had absolutely no idea what to expect. All she knew was that this man was utterly ruthless!

But who could have known that at this very moment, Gu Meiting suddenly cried out in fury, “Marry her off! Marry her off as soon as possible, it’s all her fault, all her fault, all her fault…”

Her anger flared up, and she looked ready to rush forward. Fortunately, Madam Gu hurried to hold her back. Gu Meiting’s emotions seemed to teeter on the edge of madness, alternating between silence and rage. With Madam Gu restraining her like this, she quieted down again, muttering under her breath, repeating over and over, “It’s all her fault, all her fault!”

Since Jiang Chen had returned, she hadn’t so much as glanced at him. Her venomous, resentful gaze was fixed on Gu Suying like a nail, placing all the blame for her husband’s affair and infidelity squarely on Gu Suying!

Gu Suying listened in silence, not even sparing her elder sister a glance, and lowered her head again.

But Jun Beiyue remained silent all this while, idly toying with a few strands of Ziqing’s hair, looking rather amused.

The Patriarch of the Gu family frowned at Gu Meiting, who had grown somewhat erratic, feeling a bit helpless. He reminded, “Beiyue…”

Who would have thought that Jun Beiyue would decline? “Patriarch Gu, this is a family matter of the Gu clan—it’s best you, the head of the family, handle it yourself. This king is merely one of the victims in this affair; I only need to know the outcome.”

At these words, everyone was astonished. Madam Gu was the first to look over, and there was no gratitude in her expression, only wariness. Would Jun Beiyue really let it go so easily? What was he planning?

Ziqing had already relaxed considerably, lounging lazily in the man’s embrace, thinking to herself with resignation—truly, you could offend anyone in this world except Jun Beiyue!

His words sounded so gracious, handing authority back to the Patriarch.

But in this clan, only those with real power held real authority. This was clearly a polite way of pressuring the Patriarch, demanding that he handle it personally—and deliver a result that would satisfy him!

And that phrase, “you, the head of the family”—the meaning was just as clear. He would protect the Patriarch’s position! He had no intention, for now, of taking over the Gu clan himself.

The Patriarch was a shrewd man, and he understood at once. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Very well. Rest assured, this old man will give you an answer!”

With that, he immediately gave the order, “Bring out the family law!”

Family law? What was that?

Ziqing was still puzzling over it when Madam Gu suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up. “No!”

“Madam, these children were spoiled by your indulgence. Do you realize the Gu clan very nearly fell because of the two of them!” The Patriarch no longer showed any favoritism—Gu Suying’s actions had truly disappointed him too much.

“My lord, if you intend to cast Ying’er out of this family, then drive me out along with her!” Madam Gu’s tone was fierce and unyielding. She moved to stand beside Gu Suying, gripping her hand tightly.

So the family law meant expulsion from the household. The Patriarch was truly resolute this time, but his wife was equally resolute, wasn’t she?

Children with a mother truly were treasured—no matter how great a disaster they caused, no matter how much they disappointed the whole world, there was always a mother who would shield them in the end.

A flicker of secret delight passed through Gu Suying’s eyes. She immediately dropped to her knees, weeping loudly. “Mother, it’s all my fault. Mother, I’ve been unfilial, I can no longer serve you!”

“Don’t be afraid, Ying’er, Mother will go with you! After all… after all, this family has no place for us anymore, does it?” Madam Gu said, unable to help herself, and knelt down as well, holding Gu Suying and weeping bitterly!

Watching this scene, Ziqing felt her interest waning considerably. She could only be thankful that Jun Beiyue had cleanly pushed the matter away earlier—otherwise, with the two of them putting on such a pitiful act, Jun Beiyue would have ended up as the villain who destroyed a family’s bonds of affection!

They had been repeating this same tragic performance since the very beginning—wasn’t Madam Gu tired of it?

Perhaps one day, even after Gu Suying schemed against Madam Gu herself, Madam Gu would still shield her!

This was the tragic side of blood ties.

The Patriarch was clearly growing irritated, his brow furrowed tightly. “Madam, I am still the head of this household, I am still the one in charge—how is there no place for you here?”

“Then is there a place for your daughter? Your own flesh and blood!” Madam Gu immediately shot back.

The Patriarch was so angry he practically leapt up rather than merely standing, roaring, “She committed the gravest of crimes, colluding with the Bai family to frame the heir of the Gu clan! Tell me, if I don’t deal with her properly, how will I ever administer reward and punishment fairly within the Gu clan in the future? When I pass, how will I have the face to meet the ancestors of the Gu clan?”

Madam Gu was not to be outdone either, shouting back in anger, “As for facing the ancestors of the Gu clan, it should be me who has no face to show them! If I hadn’t failed to bear you a son, would this bastard child have been allowed to enter our home so grandly, throwing our entire Gu clan into chaos?”

As she spoke, she pointed directly at Jun Beiyue. Today, she had decided to stake everything—once she was done dealing with Gu Suying, there was still Jiang Chen to handle, and Jiang Chen was directly tied to Gu Meiting and her precious grandchild!

Outside, the Gu clan’s reputation had already been utterly ruined. Inside the household, what face did she have left to preserve?

Today, she had resolved to fight to the death—she would absolutely not let Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing walk away with the advantage for nothing!

The moment these words left her mouth, even Ziqing sucked in a sharp breath of cold air—she clearly sensed the killing intent radiating invisibly from the man behind her!

Unexpectedly, the Patriarch suddenly lunged forward in a single stride, grabbed Madam Gu, and struck her hard across the face. “That’s enough out of you!”