My Dearest Sister-In-Law, I've Been Waiting For You To Get A Divorce For A Long Time - Chapter 25.1

Chapter 25.1

◎ “Unless, my lady, you take Miss Yao down!” ◎

The Marquis’s face was grim as he arrived at the woodshed. It was as if he had known what was going to happen all along. His first reaction wasn’t to look inside the woodshed. Instead, he looked at Gu Wenyao, then at Mo Shuqing. “Thanks to Shuqing’s quick thinking today, the Marquis manor’s reputation was not damaged.”

Gu Wenyao had a smile on her face. She fanned herself idly with her fan. When she met the Marquis’s gaze, she blinked her eyes twice, looking bewildered and innocent.

Mo Shuqing bowed and said the same polite pleasantries. “This is what I, your daughter-in-law, should do.”

The Marquis nodded slightly, then turned to look inside the woodshed.

He first saw Wu Mingchun, who was tied up tightly. Then he saw Wu Nianye lying on the ground, his clothes covered in dust, looking a mess. A servant boy was standing in the middle of the woodshed, soaking wet and looking wretched.

Wu Mingchun twisted and struggled, looking like he wanted to run but couldn’t. He said viciously, “How dare you worthless people lay a hand on me? I am the young master of the Earl’s manor. If you hurt me, ten of your heads won’t be enough to pay for it!”

As for Wu Nianye, he had a look of someone enjoying a show.

He hadn’t committed a serious crime, so he was in the mood to watch the drama unfold. He knew he would be able to defend himself when the time came.

The boy who tended the fire, who had been drugged, had cold water poured on him to sober him up. He was now a little more clear-headed, but his eyes were still a bit glazed over. His cheekbones were flushed, and his reaction was slow. When he saw the Marquis, he knelt down and kowtowed belatedly. “Mar… Marquis.”

When he saw the Marquis approaching, Wu Mingchun seemed to see hope. He cried out eagerly, “Uncle! Uncle, tell them to let me go! I want to see my mother! And today’s incident will not be taken lightly by my Earl’s manor! My father will definitely get justice for me!”

The Marquis’s hands were clasped behind his back. He said to Wu Mingchun with a grave face, “You know you are the young master of the Earl’s manor. But do you know that this is the Marquis manor? This is the Gu family, not your Wu family.”

He gestured to his attendant behind him. “Since the young master mentioned his father, then go to the Wu family and invite their Third Master and Fifth Master here. After all, today’s incident was caused by two young masters of the Earl’s manor in my Marquis manor. If they’re not here, it will be difficult for me to punish them, whether the punishment is too light or too severe.”

When they saw that the Marquis had really sent someone to invite their fathers, Wu Mingchun and Wu Nianye’s faces changed. Their eyes showed a hint of nervousness.

Wu Mingchun struggled to move forward. “Uncle.”

The Marquis raised his hand to stop his attempt to play on their relationship. “Wait until your fathers get here before you say anything. In the meantime, you should think carefully about how to explain this.”

“Someone! Take all three of them and guard them separately,” the Marquis looked at Gu Wenyao and then said, “Have Doctor Hu from the back courtyard come over and see what’s wrong with the First Lady. When everyone is here, if she’s still unconscious, things won’t be easy to explain.”

After all the guests were sent away, the Marquis manor became quiet. Only then did they close the front gates and begin to deal with the ridiculous incident in the Azalea Courtyard woodshed.

About half an hour later, the Third and Fifth Masters of the Earl’s manor arrived. They got off their carriage in a hurry and rushed to the main hall.

In the main hall, Wu Nianye had bl00d all over his face. His clothes were covered in dust. He knelt on the ground, looking pitiful.

The Third Master, Wu Laoshan, hurried over and bent down to look at Wu Nianye. “Nianye?”

Wu Nianye looked at the Marquis first, then said softly to the Third Master, “Father, save me.”

The Third Master immediately became angry. He was full of rage. He looked up and questioned, “What… what in the world is going on? Marquis Gu, is this how you treat your guests? My son is a guest today!”

The Marquis was sitting in the main seat, holding a teacup. He didn’t even bother to stand up. He said calmly, “A guest wouldn’t be so unruly as to break into my daughter’s Azalea Courtyard. Only a lecherous scoundrel would do that. My Marquis manor follows the rules of a military family. Any lecherous scoundrel who breaks into the back courtyard will be beaten to death with sticks. The fact that he’s still alive and whole is already a great favor to you, the Third Master of the Wu family.”

The Third Master’s face changed again and again after hearing this. He stood next to Wu Nianye and scolded him, “What in the world happened?”

Seeing his tone, Gu Wenyao, who was sitting on the side, raised her eyebrows. She covered her mouth with her fan and leaned over to speak to Mo Shuqing. “Interesting. It seems that the Third Master of the Wu family doesn’t know about his own son’s scheme. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have this attitude.”

Of course, it was also possible that he was just putting on a show for them.

When Gu Wenyao leaned over, a faint, fresh scent of tea wafted over.

Mo Shuqing looked at Gu Wenyao. The other’s eyelashes were thick like a butterfly’s wings. When she was watching the show, her eyes were bright, and her eyelashes fluttered. Her pink lips moved with a smile as she spoke to her. She looked innocent and gentle on the surface, but she was full of mischief.

But when she looked over, her spring-like eyes were pure and clear, with a hint of confusion. She asked softly, “Sister-in-law?”

Her obedient tone was like a tender feather lightly sweeping across her heart, making her bones itch.

Mo Shuqing pursed her lips. She realized that her mind had wandered. She quickly looked away and said softly, “Let’s keep watching.”

Gu Wenyao looked at Mo Shuqing suspiciously. She still thought Mo Shuqing was acting a little strange today.

Gu Wenyao raised her hand and called Yi Yun over. She tilted her head and said to her in a low voice, “Go to my room and see if my secret door is closed.”

Yi Yun said, “Yes.”

Gu Wenyao was distracted. She held her fan. The gentle breeze from the fan seemed to be filled with anxiety, which made her unable to calm down. She kept glancing at Mo Shuqing from the corner of her eye.

It wasn’t until another person entered that Gu Wenyao’s attention was diverted.

Wu Mingchun’s father, the Fifth Master, Wu Laowu, had arrived.

He was different from the Third Master’s hot temper. After looking at Wu Mingchun kneeling on the ground, he didn’t immediately ask what had happened. Instead, he politely paid his respects to the Marquis, then said, “Marquis, please don’t be angry with a bunch of young people. After all, they’re just children. They don’t know any better.”

The Marquis laughed. “My brother-in-law must be joking. These ignorant children almost committed a lewd act in my woodshed. Is it because my Marquis manor’s feng shui is so good that two people who were still children in your Wu family have grown into adults who understand such things in half an hour?”

With a single sentence, the Fifth Master’s face turned ugly. His polite facade almost fell apart.

The Marquis stopped smiling. “Now that everyone is here, please ask the two young masters of the Wu family to explain what happened today.”

Wu Mingchun raised his chin and said, “Uncle, I was just going to look for Wu Nianye. Someone said they saw him enter the Azalea Courtyard’s woodshed. I was afraid that he would cause some kind of disgraceful incident and disturb my cousin Wenyao, so I followed. Who knew that when I pushed the door open, I’d find this servant boy who had gone crazy and pounced on me, biting and nibbling!”

“While I was pushing him away, my mother came with a group of people to save me. I don’t know anything else. As for why Wu Nianye was in my cousin’s woodshed and tied up like that, you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

Wu Mingchun had some brains after all. The most important thing for him right now was to hide the fact that he was a “cut-sleeve.” As long as Wu Nianye’s crime was bigger, no one would be able to remember that he was a “cut-sleeve.”

Hearing this, Wu Nianye turned his head and spat at Wu Mingchun. “You ‘cut-sleeve’ scoundrel! You’re talking nonsense! Is it true that all the blame is on me and you and your mother are completely innocent? Today, your mother clearly said that she had put an aphrodisiac in Gu Wenyao’s drink and told me to ruin her reputation so that she would have to marry me. After the deed was done, the Ming family’s wealth would be split between us, fifty-fifty.”

The moment Wu Nianye spoke, the entire hall became silent. Everyone’s face changed at once. You could even hear a pin drop.

Wu Nianye looked Wu Mingchun up and down. “I was wondering why your mother would not use you and give this good opportunity to me. Turns out you really are a ‘cut-sleeve’.”

He looked at the Marquis and told him the truth. “I was blinded by money and agreed to this. The servant Mama who was leading me guided me all the way to the Azalea Courtyard. Who knew that as soon as I pushed the door open, I’d get knocked out with a stick? When I woke up, I was tied up and thrown in the woodshed. Then I heard Wu Mingchun and this servant boy trying to do something.”

“This servant boy is also quite handsome. If my aunt hadn’t brought people to push the door open, Wu Mingchun might have really done something with this boy.”

“I haven’t said a single lie. If you don’t believe me, call my aunt to confront me. And that servant Mama who led me here is also a witness. The bl00d on my face is also evidence. Otherwise, how would I, an outsider, know the way to the Azalea Courtyard without someone guiding me?”

His words were clear and logical. He explained the situation clearly, with evidence.

Wu Nianye knew full well that he hadn’t gotten a single benefit today. He didn’t get to sleep with a beauty, he didn’t get any money, and he was knocked out and tied up like this. If he wasn’t smart enough, he would really become a scapegoat.

The Third Master heard that this wasn’t his son’s fault and immediately stood up. He pointed at Wu Nianye’s face and said, “My son was only tempted by someone, but why did he have to suffer such a harsh blow? Who was it that hit him?!”

Gu Wenyao raised her fan and looked at the Third Master. She said slowly, “Third Uncle, my servant Yi Yun was the one who hit him.”

She glanced at Wu Nianye, who was kneeling on the ground. She smiled gently at him, which scared him so much that he shrank his shoulders and didn’t dare to look at her again.

Gu Wenyao said, “I wasn’t feeling well today, so I was lying in my room. Who knew that an outside man would push the door open and try to enter? Thankfully, my servant Yi Yun was quick and knocked him out with a stick, thus preserving my reputation. After she knocked him out, I was the one who ordered him to be locked in the woodshed.”

Gu Wenyao asked, “Third Uncle, do you think I did something wrong?”

Her counterattack was justified. She could have even killed Wu Nianye.

The Third Master’s mouth opened and closed. He turned to look at the Marquis. “I wouldn’t dare to say that Miss Yao did anything wrong. Today’s incident was indeed my son’s fault. But he was, after all, ordered by someone else. Marquis, you can’t be biased towards your own sister and make my son the scapegoat.”

He calmly sat back down, turning from a passive position to an active one. He aimed the矛头 at Madam Gu. “My son just said that it was your First Lady who ordered him. The blame can’t all be on my son, can it?”

The Third Master picked up a teacup, looked around, and asked on purpose, “Where is your First Lady? Why don’t you call her out so we can confront her?”

Madam Gu was just outside the door. Her mouth was covered, and her hands were held back by her servants. She could only listen to the conversation inside.

Inside, Gu Wenyao said, “My aunt is bedridden from rage. She won’t be waking up anytime soon.”

Her expression was confused. She asked with an innocent and naive look, “Brother Nianye said that my aunt was the one who ordered this. Then what was my aunt’s motive? She has already been divorced from my uncle. If I were to marry into the Wu family, all the Ming family’s money would be taken by the Wu family. My aunt would get nothing by staying in the Gu manor.”

Gu Wenyao glanced at her father and said slowly and deliberately, “She put in so much effort and energy to scheme for your Wu family. What could she be after?”

The Marquis’s brows furrowed. He suddenly understood something, and his face slowly turned grave.

That’s right. Madam Gu is no longer the First Lady of the Wu family. Why would she be scheming for the Wu family like this? What could she be after?

Madam Gu listened to the silence inside. Her scalp went numb, and her heart turned cold. She had only one thought in her mind.