I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 53 Concubinage
As the morning light began to shine, Ye Wanshu woke up from her dream and heard a commotion outside.

Glancing to the side, she saw Gu Qingmian still sleeping soundly in the quilt. She gently gathered her messy hair, quickly stood up, changed into the clothes that the maids had prepared last night, and walked out with slightly prudent steps.

Although she was not wearing any makeup, her porcelain-white face and crimson floral skirt made her look energetic and full of the unique aura of a young girl.

In the yard, Chunhong and Xingtao were arguing with Xiaodie.

Seeing her cousin, Xiaodie knelt down anxiously: "Cousin, please save the eldest master."

Ye Wanshu rubbed her brows speechlessly. It was really unlucky so early in the morning.

"What happened to your eldest son again? How can I save him?" Ye Wanshu asked unhappily, feeling a bit grumpy after waking up.

Xiaodie cried and said, "The Duke forced the eldest son to marry Miss Jiang, but he refused. The Duke ordered someone to beat him to death."

"What's going on here?" Ye Wanshu frowned, becoming increasingly confused.

Gu Tingzhou had gone to the Empress Dowager and insisted on marrying "Jiang Guiren". Now that he is satisfied, why did he change his mind?

Chunhong quickly came up to Ye Wanshu and whispered a few words to her. Ye Wanshu immediately understood and felt a little amused.

The two were originally going to get married. Although consummating the marriage in advance was against etiquette, the thing had already happened, and Gu Tingzhou would not deny the marriage.

"Xiao Die, I really can't help you with this matter." Ye Wanshu said, "Whether the eldest son marries Jiang Guiren or not is their own business. What can I do?"

"Cousin, I know that what the eldest young master did before was wrong, but he is the blood of the late Madam after all. If something goes wrong, how will I face the late Madam in the future?"

Xiaodie cried bitterly, sobbing continuously, "My cousin, you should know the Duke's temper. He has now abandoned the eldest young master. If the eldest young master does not beg for mercy, he will definitely take his life."

This reminded Ye Wanshu that Marquis Wuping had never liked her aunt. Although the two families had still had contact over the years, they had always been distant. It was impossible for the Xie family to find fault with her aunt.

Xiaodie was the maid that came with the deceased man as a dowry. Since she came to look for me, I'm afraid she must have sent people to look for the wife of Marquis Wuping, and a verbal battle would be inevitable.

Just then, Gu Qingmian had also gotten up. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she came out, glanced at Xiaodie, and complained, "Cousin, when will Big Brother and Second Brother calm down?"

Ye Wanshu sighed helplessly, "It's just right. We're going to pay our respects to your mother, so we might as well stop by and take a look."

"Ah."

Gu Qingmian responded softly, and after the two sisters packed up simply, they followed Xiaodie to the main courtyard.

The situation in the yard was not much different from the last time Gu Tingzhou was beaten. The smell of blood mixed with the fragrance of flowers in the morning was a little pungent. Looking at my aunt's face, there seemed to be less concern. She looked indifferent and watched silently beside him.

Gu Tingzhou lay on the bench with a look of despair, allowing the torture stick to hit his thinly clothed back hard, without saying a word. Jiang Yueling, who was watching from the side, was already crying her heart out, her lilac shirt stained with blood.

Before Ye Wanshu could say anything, she saw the man from Wuping Marquis's Mansion rushing over in a hurry, which was not unexpected at all.

Chang squeezed into the crowd, walked forward with heartache and fiercely pushed away the executioners. Her resentful eyes passed over Ye Wanshu, Ye Huaisu, Gu Qingmian and their mother and daughter one by one.

Then, he yelled at Gu An, "Brother-in-law really became a stepfather after marrying a new wife. He can even be cruel to his own flesh and blood. It seems that someone has been very good at persuading us."

The intention of this statement is obvious. The spearhead is directed at Ye Huaisu, as if he thinks that she is instigating the relationship between the father and son.

Ye Huaisu had a cold face and did not say anything to defend himself, but Gu Qingmian found it a bit irritating.

"What does Aunt Xie mean by that? Could this matter involve my mother again? Didn't Aunt Xie bring my elder brother to the palace to break off the engagement and marry this Miss Jiang? Now he has gone crazy and doesn't want to marry her anymore. Why is he blaming my mother?"

Upon learning that his nephew was beaten because of this incident, Chang was speechless for a moment.

Gu An's face was gloomy, and he also said: "Sister-in-law, please don't come here to make trouble. Don't you think my house is not chaotic enough?"

Chang had just heard the servant from the Duke's Mansion report that her nephew was about to be beaten to death, and she didn't know the specific circumstances. Now that she knew the truth, she looked at Gu Tingzhou in surprise.

"Tingzhou, what are you doing?" She had heard with her own ears that the boy wanted to marry a girl named Jiang. If he regretted it after things had come to this, he would be laughed at by the world.

"Aunt, this is not mother's or anyone else's business."

His piercing gaze swept across Jiang Yueling, and when he was about to look at Ye Wanshu, he immediately retracted it. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, and Gu Tingzhou felt a wave of pain in his heart.

After he said that, Ye Wanshu was too lazy to speak anymore.

She came here just because she was worried that her aunt would be bullied by the Chang family, but she was not really afraid that Gu Tingzhou would be beaten to death.

After bowing to Gu An and Chang, Ye Wanshu walked up to Ye Huaisu and said in a deep voice, "Since Aunt Xie is here, I'd better go back and rest. You've just recovered from a serious illness and your body is only just getting better. Don't catch a cold from the spring, and don't let anything stimulate you anymore."

The last sentence was deliberately emphasized.

Mentioning her illness at this time was a strong reminder. Even Chang knew that Ye Huaisu's illness a few days ago was caused by her eldest nephew, and she felt ashamed.

Thinking back to how he had been disrespectful to his stepmother because of Jiang Yueling's matter, Gu Tingzhou put his head against the spring stool, feeling extremely regretful.

Gu An was even more distressed. Others didn't know it, but he knew his step-wife's temperament very well. He had worked hard for the Duke's Mansion over the years and had taken good care of his stepson, but in the end, he was still not liked by his two sons, and even the Xie family found fault with her.

"Wanwan, take your aunt back to rest."

Gu An glanced coldly at Chang and said, "Madam, there's no need to worry about this rebellious son anymore. It's all my fault that I neglected to discipline him, allowing you to indulge this bastard, which is why he became so arrogant and ignorant."

The implication is that the second wife has never treated her two sons badly.

Staring at Gu Tingzhou, he added solemnly, "No matter how poor our mansion is, we will never do anything treacherous. You were so determined to marry this bitch, but now you've ruined her innocence and want to abandon her. You're truly despicable. I tell you, even if this bitch is a pig, you have to carry her back to your courtyard."

Although he made the decision, the words were so harsh that Jiang Yueling felt wronged and started crying again.

Ye Wanshu wanted to laugh when she heard this, but she suppressed her smile and helped Ye Huaisu up with Gu Qingmian and walked into the house.

Seeing this, Gu Tingzhou finally expressed his stance: "I will marry her."

Hearing the sound, Ye Huaisu stopped and wanted to hear what was going on.

Gu Tingzhou said, "I have one request that I hope Father and Mother will grant. I have been disrespectful to Father and Mother and the Queen Mother, and I am ashamed to see the nobles again. I will not send wedding invitations or hold a wedding banquet, but will only observe the six rituals."

Chang choked upon hearing this: "So, isn't that taking a concubine?"

"..."

Jiang Yueling looked at Gu Tingzhou in shock, with an extremely complicated expression on her face.

This result was extremely satisfying to Gu An. If he had not been unable to persuade his son, he would not have wanted to see him degenerate into marrying a prostitute as his wife.

This unfilial son brought her back to the Duke's Mansion and ruined her innocence. He must be given an explanation. It would be best if he could take her as a concubine.

Just as he was about to leave silently, Jiang Yueling called out in dissatisfaction, "Duke."

"What else do you want?" Gu An turned around and glanced at Jiang Yueling coldly: "Don't push your luck any further."

He knew his son best. Even if he was a bastard, he wouldn't be so despicable as to defame someone else's innocence. It must have been this bitch who seduced him. He didn't want to pursue the matter because he believed that family disgrace should not be made public.

"Ok, deal."

After saying that, Gu An left resolutely.

(End of this chapter)