Mrs. Jiang paused, her face full of sorrow. "It's all my fault, Liyue. This is..."
Gu Chengzhi sneered repeatedly. "Naturally, it's your fault. You let your adopted daughter bully Liyue and failed to handle things fairly. However, I don't blame you. After all, Jiang Yingyue has been raised by your side for so many years. Of course, it's impossible for Liyue to compare with her after only half a year of acquaintance."
Although this remark was unfair, it was also human nature. Mrs. Jiang let out a slight sigh of relief.
But Gu Chengzhi continued. "Moreover, in your heart, Jiang Yingyue is a noble lady, while my sister Liyue is just like a pet. She should just stay by your side obediently and endure all kinds of grievances, right?"
"I didn't..."
Gu Chengzhi didn't listen to Mrs. Jiang's argument. He interrupted her and said, "Coincidentally, I'm the same way. Liyue is my sister. Of course, I'll be partial to her. Otherwise, what is Jiang Yingyue? After bullying my sister, does she think she can get away with it?"
Jiang Yingyue was scolded by Gu Chengzhi in a volley of words and was so choked that she couldn't say a word. She remembered that the last time she was scolded like this was when she was very, very young. Since she came to the Jiang family in the capital, everything had gone smoothly for her.
She choked with sobs, feeling extremely aggrieved. She was on the verge of lying on the ground and wailing.
Finally, Duke Jiang couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't dare to talk to Lord Gu, so he said to Marquis Gu, "Brother-in-law, don't you think Chengzhi's behavior is a bit inappropriate?"
Marquis Gu calmly sipped his tea. When he heard his name called, he just looked up and said, "I don't think so. Chengzhi is right. Your younger sister just came back. It's inevitable that she feels a bit ill - at - ease. As her elder brother, you should take better care of her."
With his uncle's praise, Gu Chengzhi became even more energetic. He thought that even if Duke Jiang and his wife joined forces, they were no match for him.
But Duke Jiang just looked ugly. He looked at Jiang Yingyue with some distress and then shut his mouth and said no more.
Mrs. Jiang knew she was in the wrong and stopped talking to Gu Chengzhi. She just walked up to Gu Liyue, looked her up and down, with tears in her eyes. "Liyue, I was wrong before. But Liyue, how have I treated you on weekdays?"
Gu Liyue frowned slightly. "Madam has treated Liyue extremely well."
Mrs. Jiang said, "Yes, I've regarded you as my own daughter. Whatever Yingyue has, you have too. In fact, I've doted on you even more than Yingyue. Liyue, if it weren't for these successive incidents, you should have smoothly become my daughter. I would have taken care of you for the rest of your life. You've never called me mother, but in my heart, I've long regarded you as my own daughter."
Gu Liyue looked up and said, "Madam, I understand. Take her away."
Mrs. Jiang was a bit stunned. She opened her mouth but finally said nothing.
Gu Liyue added, "I won't pursue the past. But now I'm a daughter of the Gu family. Naturally, I can't keep tolerating like before and neglect my own reputation. What happened yesterday wasn't my doing at all. You want me to take all the blame, but I can't do it. It was she who wanted to harm me. I can choose not to settle this score, but it can't be left unclear."
Mrs. Jiang was slightly shocked. "Aren't you just trying to force Yingyue to death?"
Gu Chengzhi was furious and was about to speak when Gu Liyue pulled him back.
"If I wanted to force her to death, I wouldn't have compromised. I should have sent her to the Ministry of Justice and accused her of attempting to harm me. Madam means that I should take care of her reputation? Then can my reputation be trampled on at will?"
Mrs. Jiang looked at Jiang Yingyue, gritted her teeth and said, "Liyue, I've always treated you whole - heartedly. I don't ask you to do anything. But if Yingyue bears the stigma of harming her sister, how can she gain a foothold in the capital in the future? Liyue, this is just a dispute between sisters. You just need to say, like you did yesterday, that it was just a joke with Yingyue. Then we can..."
Gu Chengzhi angrily pointed at Mrs. Jiang. "All in all, you just want to gloss over the truth and use your kindness to gain something in return! A joke? The words your Jiang family spread yesterday, do you think we're all deaf? They all said that my Liyue was extremely jealous and tried to climb up the social ladder to replace Jiang Yingyue! Liyue had no other choice but was forced by you to flee the capital. Now, Liyue isn't alone. She has her grandfather, uncle, and us brothers. How can we just watch her being bullied like this?"
Gu Liyue looked at Gu Chengzhi's back. A warm current surged in her heart. For the first time, without having to do anything, these unfamiliar people unconditionally stood in front of her and protected her well.
Because they were family, they were truly her kin.
Mrs. Jiang bypassed Gu Chengzhi and ignored his words. She just stared at Gu Liyue. "Liyue, I don't care what others say. I only care about you. We've been like mother and daughter for almost half a year. You can say I'm using my kindness to gain something in return, or say whatever you want about me. Even if I'm begging you..."
Jiang Yingyue was also sobbing softly. "Liyue, I was wrong before. I'll definitely make it up to you in the future, okay? I'll respect you and give in to you from now on. Just let me off this time, just this once..."
Gu Liyue was a bit dazed. It seemed that Mrs. Miao had said something similar. She said she would make it up later, but all she really wanted was more.
Lord Gu coughed and said to Gu Liyue, "Liyue, this is your home. Whatever you want to say or do, we'll support you. You don't need to hesitate."
Gu Liyue pondered for a moment. From beginning to end, Mrs. Jiang had been appealing to their past kindness and feelings, and Duke Jiang hadn't used his family status to intimidate them. Her grandfather's words clearly meant that she didn't need to be soft - hearted. They weren't afraid of the Jiang family.
She had no intention of bullying others, but...
She looked up and stared directly at Mrs. Jiang. "Do you think the relationship between us in the past half - year was that of mother and daughter rather than master and servant?"
Mrs. Jiang was stunned. "I..."
Gu Liyue said, "I'm grateful for your kindness to me. You provided me with food and shelter and raised me for almost half a year, turning me from a sickly and thin girl into what I am today. But, Madam, from beginning to end, I've known clearly that on the surface, I was a substitute for your prematurely deceased daughter, but in fact, I was just a tool for you to act out of pique with the Duke and Miss Jiang."
Mrs. Jiang took a step back, her eyes flickering. She wanted to deny it but was too weak to do so.
Gu Liyue continued, "Jiang Yingyue probably did something that hurt your feelings and made you unhappy, so you wanted to teach her a lesson. Coincidentally, I showed up at that time. You deliberately doted on me, making her feel extremely insecure. It seemed that only in this way could you prove how important you were. And the Duke, from beginning to end, you never properly introduced me to him but forced him to accept me."
"The Duke, the young masters of the Jiang family, and Jiang Yingyue's dislike for me, you've seen it all. You've never taken any real action, just given some mild scoldings. Even when you knew about all the harms, big and small, that Jiang Yingyue had done to me, you chose to turn a blind eye. Madam Jiang, I didn't understand before why you insisted on keeping me by your side. I asked to leave several times, but you didn't allow it. Later, I gradually understood that I was just a catalyst for you and your family. I would leave sooner or later, but when to leave was up to you, Madam Jiang, not me, a lowly person."
Gu Liyue's tone was calm. She was sober - minded, and it was precisely because of this that she felt no trace of loss or sadness when those things happened.
Mrs. Jiang trembled all over. She was listless and covered her face and cried. "Acting out of pique... acting out of pique... Yes, it was just acting out of pique..."