Although Gu Chaodong, due to face-saving concerns, hadn’t spoken about what Shen Guiya had done with Yuwen Houde at Youyuan Inn, she had been scantily clad, dressed like that going out, and brought back by her own husband after dark. In this era, this was inexcusable no matter how one looked at it.
Not drowning her in the lake was Madam Gu being considerate of the dignity of both the Shen and Gu families. But if she returned to the Shen residence, Shen Guiya definitely wouldn’t have good days ahead.
“Don’t lie to me.” Shen Guiya glared at Yushu: “Although I haven’t read many books, I’ve still heard that even tigers don’t eat their cubs. I’m their biological daughter—how could they beat me to death just because I was divorced and sent back?”
Yushu looked at her sympathetically: “In the past, when we had Miss study the Women’s Precepts, you wouldn’t listen. The rules of every household are like this. What’s more, with the master’s stubborn personality… You’d best think of some way to smooth this matter over. Otherwise, if you’re truly divorced and sent back, Miss’s entire life will be ruined.”
Shen Guiya gasped, her face growing even paler. How was she to know ancient times were this perverted? Didn’t all those female protagonists casually hook up with people and then live gloriously? Why did she have to suffer so miserably?
“Quick, find someone to send word to the Yuwen residence.” Shen Guiya endured the pain on her buttocks: “Have Yuwen Houde come help.”
“Yes.” Yushu hurriedly went out to find someone.
The sky slowly brightened. Shen Guiyan got up and called Gu Chaobei to rise. Today he still had to report to General Yuwen.
Gu Chaobei kept his eyes closed, wrapped in his blanket: “This blanket seems to be sewn onto my body. I can’t take it off.”
Shen Guiyan raised her brows and stepped forward to tug hard. Gu Chaobei was wrapped tightly, not moving an inch. Without opening his eyes, his mouth continued: “See, see! It really is sewn onto my body!”
Making excuses just to stay in bed! Shen Guiyan laughed despite herself, turning around: “Baoshan, catch me a worm. I hear long threadworms most love to bite thread. Let’s have it bite through the thread so Fourth Young Master can get up.”
“Yes!” Baoshan replied with a smile. The person on the bed suddenly sat up with a whoosh, face drooping: “Good wife, your husband is getting up.”
Shen Guiyan smiled, taking his official robes to help him change. Gu Chaobei half-opened his eyes, mumbling and grumbling as he planted a kiss on her face.
It was always when getting up that he was most adorable. Shen Guiyan sighed inwardly. In no time at all, once this person was fully awake, he’d definitely return to that irritating rogue manner.
“As this Commandant, today I must first go report to Yuwen Houde.” After washing up, Gu Chaobei was clearheaded. He pressed his lips together: “He’s really hard to like.”
Shen Guiyan smiled: “If you had a higher rank than him, then you could dislike him. But right now you’re beneath him, so all that dislike must be put away. Though you needn’t fawn, your attitude must be respectful to make people comfortable.”
Gu Chaobei grunted, saying gloomily: “You’re right. I’m going.”
“Husband, be careful on the road.” Shen Guiyan curtsied.
After he left, Shen Guiyan, like ordinary women of every household, tidied up the room with Baoshan, then went to the main house for breakfast.
Madam Gu sat at the table with an ashen face. Prime Minister Gu had probably also heard about last night’s events. He sat at the table’s edge without touching his chopsticks, looking at Gu Chaodong with a terrifying expression. Gu Chaonan and Xu Mengdie were quite relaxed. Seeing her arrive, Xu Mengdie even curtsied to her lightly.
Shen Guiyan sat down. Prime Minister Gu swept his eyes around the table: “Everyone’s here?”
Concubine Guan beside him didn’t make a sound. Concubine Liu’s expression was somewhat gloating as she answered: “Responding to Master, everyone’s here.”
“Then I’ll speak about the matter of Guiya from the eastern courtyard.” Prime Minister Gu said with a stern face: “Shen Shi Guiya violated the seven grounds for divorce, her behavior lewd. Now Madam has already written the divorce letter. After finishing lunch, Dong’er will drive the carriage to send her back.”
“Yes.” Gu Chaodong lowered his eyes and responded.
“Madam is still recovering from injury. With Guiya being divorced, then household matters shall be managed together by Guiyan and Mengdie. Is this acceptable?” Prime Minister Gu looked toward Shen Guiyan.
Both Shen Guiyan and Xu Mengdie stood up, nodding and curtsying: “Yes.”
Concubine Liu’s brows curved with a smile as she said in a low voice: “I told you that person was like a vixen, couldn’t manage the household, only knew how to line her own pockets. You all still treated her like a treasure. Now look—a huge green hat placed on Eldest Young Master’s head, and who knows how much she skimmed off.”
When divorced and sent back to one’s natal family, generally one could still take one’s own belongings.
Shen Guiyan thought for a moment and said: “Guiyan feels there’s no need to rush sending Guiya back. We can wait until the residence’s account books are sorted out clearly before sending her. What does Father-in-law think?”
Prime Minister Gu slightly lifted the corners of his mouth: “Your thinking is also thorough. Very well then.”
Madam Gu raised her eyes to look at her, laughing lightly: “Yan’er is truly righteously destroying her relatives. After all, you’re biological sisters. Your sister is being divorced and sent back, yet you’re still thinking about settling accounts.”
These words were full of sarcasm, but Shen Guiyan calmly received them: “When entering the Gu family’s gates, the magistrate instructed that from then on, the character ‘Gu’ would be placed above one’s original surname. Though Guiyan sympathizes with my sister, since I am a daughter-in-law of the Gu family, naturally I should prioritize the Gu family’s interests.”
“Good.” Prime Minister Gu relaxed his brow, finally smiling: “Of these two marriage alliances with the Shen family, at least one is good, enough to comfort this old man.”
Shen Guiyan nodded lightly. Madam Gu sneered without speaking.
“This is terrible! Terrible! The eldest young madam has jumped into the pond to end her life!”
Halfway through the meal, Yushu suddenly entered from outside with a pale face, shouting these words loudly, startling everyone in the room.
Prime Minister Gu immediately stood up: “What’s happened?”
Yushu walked in, falling to her knees with a thud, sobbing: “Master, Miss she… she couldn’t bear the humiliation of being divorced and jumped into the residence’s pond. She still hasn’t been fished out!”
Everyone’s expressions changed. Shen Guiyan’s heart also sank as she hurriedly lifted her skirt and followed outside to look.
The Gu residence had a large fish pond, incomparably larger than the one at the original Shen residence. Once a person went in, you couldn’t see their head. Now a group of household servants were surrounding it, trying to fish her out.
When the household members followed over, the steward sighed: “No need to search. In a little while, she should float up on her own.”
Too late to save her.
As if responding to his words, Shen Guiya truly floated up from the water—pallid face, tightly closed eyes—by all appearances, dead.
“Ah!” Concubine Liu screamed in fright, retreating repeatedly. Concubine Guan also covered her chest and turned away. Madam Gu and Prime Minister Gu couldn’t bear to look further. Only Yushu rushed forward. After Shen Guiya’s corpse was dragged ashore, she held it and wept bitterly: “My poor young miss…”
Shen Guiyan frowned, looking at Shen Guiya’s corpse, somewhat dazed. She instinctively wanted to step forward and check her breathing, but was fiercely batted away by Yushu: “Don’t you touch my young miss! If it weren’t for you, how would my young miss have died! You murderer!”
What? Shen Guiyan was very confused. Blame her?
Baoshan came up and supported her to the back, glaring at Yushu who was crying her heart out on the ground: “Even slandering people should have some basis. Your young miss did shameful things herself and chose to die, yet you’re blaming my young miss? Truly shameless.”
“Baoshan.” Shen Guiyan pressed her lips together: “Don’t be disrespectful to the dead.”
Baoshan huffed and turned her head away.
“She’s stopped breathing.” After examining her, the steward helplessly shook his head: “Master, Madam, she can only be laid to rest.”
Gu Chaodong stared at that pallid corpse in a daze for a while, stepping forward wanting to touch it, but was also blocked by Yushu: “The person is already dead and Eldest Young Master still won’t let her go? My young miss owed you nothing, yet you all forced her to death!”
This was what one called making black seem white. The dead are greater—once a person died, not only did all grievances dissipate, all past matters shouldn’t be pursued either.
Shen Guiyan stared fixedly at Shen Guiya for a while, then let out a long breath.
So it ended just like this?
Shen Guiya, such a flamboyant person—belly dancing, faking pregnancy, singing nonsensical songs. She’d thought she would live a long time, creating all sorts of spectacles. She hadn’t expected her to so quickly become a pallid corpse.
Somewhat regrettable, but she wouldn’t be sad. At most, their grievances were offset. In her next life, may she be born into a good family and no longer be so flamboyant.
Yushu’s crying was heartrending. Everyone’s hearts seemed covered with a layer of shadow. Madam Gu said softly: “The person is already dead. The divorce letter is unnecessary. Sending her back like this would make it difficult for the Shen family as well. Better to bury her in the Gu family ancestral graves.”
Gu Chaodong was stunned for a moment, then also nodded.
He had… lost his wife? Originally he felt Shen Guiya was bad in every way, but seeing her dead at this moment, he discovered he still liked her a little. After all, she was his wife.
The Gu residence suddenly quieted down. Shen Guiyan stood in a daze, supported by Baoshan to one side. Xu Mengdie, however, came to her side and said softly: “Young Madam needn’t feel sad for her at all.”
Shen Guiyan raised her head to look at her.
Xu Mengdie smiled: “True and false—there are countless such matters in this world. Being deceived into sadness and grief is so unworthy.”
What did these words mean? Shen Guiyan frowned looking at her. Xu Mengdie refused to say more, changing the subject: “With her death, the residence must still hold funeral rites. Mengdie will go with Young Madam to reconcile the accounts first.”
The crying behind them grew more distant. Shen Guiyan raised her head to look at today’s azure blue sky, and still sighed.
News of Shen Guiya’s suicide quickly spread. The Gu family set up a mourning hall, displaying the body for one day. Lord Shen and Madam Bao rushed over urgently. What they saw was paper money filling the sky.
“My daughter!” Madam Bao knelt beside the coffin, crying uncontrollably: “How did my daughter die like this? How did she die?”
As a close relative, Shen Guiyan naturally knelt to one side. When Madam Bao turned her head and saw her, without giving her a chance to speak, she rushed over and delivered a slap: “It must be you, this little slut, who caused this!”
“Insolent!” Gu Chaodong hurriedly blocked Madam Bao: “This is the Gu family’s mourning hall. How can you strike people at will?”
Madam Bao’s eyes were red from crying: “You heartless scoundrel! It must be you two adulterous dogs who killed my Guiya! You must compensate! You must compensate!”