Chapter 7: A Rotten Dog

Although Gu Yunlan was not his favorite, he knew what kind of person she was.

She had never dared to speak loudly since she was a child, how could she dare to question his sins in front of everyone like this?

Gu Xiude was indeed an old fox.

But so what? Even if Gu Xiude racked his brains, he wouldn’t have imagined that his daughter was still his daughter, but the core inside had been replaced.

Gu Yunlan went along with it: “I’m not Gu Yunlan, it’s true.”

Gu Xiude looked enlightened: “Who are you then? What’s your purpose in impersonating my daughter?”

“I am now the Gu of the Mu family.”

Although she didn’t like this kind of statement that relied on a man, it was quite interesting to be able to use this to tease this old man.

Gu Xiude didn’t expect Gu Yunlan to say this, and he was stunned for a moment.

But Gu Yunlan didn’t give him a chance to react, and she directly fired away: “Father, you really don’t care about what you should care about, and you meddle in what you shouldn’t. Everyone knows that a daughter is an outsider after she gets married. Father, your hand reaches far, directly into the Minister of Justice’s house, managing his daughter-in-law.”

Gu Xiude’s face flushed red: “I, I didn’t mean that!”

Mu Kangsheng, the Minister of Justice, was a tough nut to crack. Even his father-in-law, the Minister of Revenue, a first-rank official, was quite wary of him and dared not provoke him easily. How could he, who held a lower position than Mu Kangsheng, dare to do so?

Gu Yunlan continued: “Fine, let’s say you didn’t mean that. What about my brother? Gu Ziming is so violent and ruthless at such a young age. If I remember correctly, he was raised by Mother since he was a child. Mother is known for her wisdom, and her own son, Gu Ziyu, is also a virtuous gentleman with a good reputation. How come my brother is such a piece of trash?”

The crowd started to murmur.

Those with sharp eyes could see that Wu’s move was to kill with kindness. On the surface, she seemed to love Gu Ziming very much, letting him do whatever he wanted, even more so than her own son, but she never taught him about learning or manners, deliberately raising him into a notorious waste.

The perfect, kind smile on Wu’s face cracked slightly.

“That’s because he came out of your aunt’s belly. His roots are rotten, no matter how you manage him, it’s useless!” Gu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but speak up for her mother.

“Oh, I almost forgot about you.” Gu Yunlan smiled sweetly, but the coldness in her words made Gu Jiaojiao shiver involuntarily.

“You said Gu Ziming’s roots are rotten, what about you? When I was one year old, Father married your mother. At that time, you and your twin brother, Gu Ziyu, were already in your mother’s belly. What does that make you? A root of promiscuity?” Gu Yunlan spoke quickly and urgently, leaving no room for anyone to stop her.

Gu Xiude’s face was so black that you could scrape soot off it: “You rebellious daughter! Stop it right now! Someone, restrain her!”

The servants received the order and immediately surrounded her, but when they got close, Gu Yunlan had already slipped into the crowd, like an eel in the sea, incredibly slippery, and the dozen or so servants couldn’t even touch the hem of her clothes.

Gu Yunlan continued to attack Gu Jiaojiao: “It’s true, your viciousness must have been born with you! Since I was little, you’ve made me scrub your toilet, pour your chamber pot, eat your dog’s leftovers, sleep on the steps outside your door, and be your footstool. When you’re unhappy, you beat me, scold me, and don’t give me food. I’m only alive because you two, mother and daughter, have a kind heart!”

Wu and Gu Xiude cared about their face, didn’t they?

She would tear off their face and throw it on the ground, then step on it a few times!

Her initial compromise with Wu was just because she was afraid that Wu would hold Yun’er and that idiot Gu Ziming hostage. Now that they were both here, what was she afraid of?

She had come back this time to take Yun’er and the others away, but Gu Xiude wouldn’t let them go. Otherwise, how could he control her?

Since she couldn’t take them away, the more she made a scene now, the more people would pay attention, and the safer Yun’er and Gu Ziming would be.

Seeing that so many people couldn’t catch Gu Yunlan, Gu Xiude angrily lowered his voice and said to Yun’er: “Hurry up and control your good daughter! If she keeps making a scene like this, I’ll divorce you!”

Yun’er shook her head in fear: “No, Master, don’t. I’ll call her.”

“Lan’er, Lan’er, stop it!” Yun’er’s eyes were filled with tears.

Gu Yunlan saw that she had made enough of a scene, so she went along with Yun’er and ran to her side.

“What do you want?” Gu Xiude gritted his teeth: “As long as it’s not too much, I can agree to it. Just be quiet!”

She had never had any say in the Gu family. Her forbearance had only resulted in more bullying and humiliation.

Today, she had gained the power of speech by being shameless and making a scene. Otherwise, Gu Xiude wouldn’t listen to her, and he wouldn’t even “be merciful” and let her make demands.

“Well, I need to talk to my aunt first.” Gu Yunlan kept her cards close to her chest.

“Fine.” Gu Xiude agreed, turning to the guests and smiling: “This child has a wild personality and loves to make inappropriate jokes. I apologize for any offense.”

Gu Yunlan had won the power of speech, and she was kind enough not to expose Gu Xiude’s hypocrisy. She went along with it and went into a separate room with Yun’er.

“Lan’er, you’re a girl. Even though you’re married, if you don’t have your family to support you, life in your husband’s house won’t be easy.” Yun’er advised earnestly.

She was afraid of being divorced by Gu Xiude, but she was also concerned about her daughter.

“Aunt, do you think they would support me even if I didn’t make a scene?” Gu Yunlan asked with a mocking smile.

Yun’er was speechless. After a long pause, she said: “But, but he’s your father. He wouldn’t ignore you.”

“He didn’t ignore me, he just ignored Gu Jiaojiao’s constant bullying of me since I was a child. He even sent me to a dying fool for a rush marriage to get promoted.” Gu Yunlan’s tone was flat.

“Now your husband is all right, isn’t he? Although he’s a bit foolish and his legs are bad, it seems like he’s good to you.” Yun’er sighed: “Isn’t a woman’s life all about finding a good home?”

“Mother, do you think Father is a good home?” Gu Yunlan asked back.

Yun’er blushed: “How, how could he not be?”

“He’s good at studying, and he’s become an official. Now the family is wealthy…”

“But have you received any of those benefits?” Gu Yunlan pulled on Yun’er’s sleeve: “Would he give you clothes like this on a daily basis?”

“This, this…” Yun’er stammered, unwilling to lie, but also unwilling to disappoint her daughter about her father.

She still remembered that Gu Yunlan had admired Gu Xiude when she was a child. She didn’t want her daughter to be sad.

“He’s good at studying because he wants to pass the imperial examination. He became an official because he wants a better future. The family is wealthy, but you lack clothes and food and have to do embroidery to make ends meet. In winter, you can’t even afford charcoal. The chilblains on your hands, the cold in your body, weren’t they all caused by this kind of treatment? Is this the kind of life you want?” Although Gu Yunlan was asking, her eyes were red.

Yun’er didn’t say anything.

“Mother, I’ll take you away, okay?” Gu Yunlan asked with a trembling voice.

It doesn’t matter if Gu Xiude won’t let her go.

As long as Yun’er is willing, she will fight her way out of the Gu residence and take her away!