The old lady held Gu Liyue's hand. Seeing the blood seeping out of her hand, a hint of hostility flashed in the old lady's eyes.
Gu Liyue said in a low voice, "It's my fault."
"What?"
Gu Liyue raised her head, took a deep breath, and said, "Grandmother, I used to think wrongly. I always thought it was better to avoid trouble than to stir it up. I always remembered the little kindness of upbringing in the past and always didn't want to cause trouble for the family. But actually, being afraid of trouble is the biggest trouble. The Liu family is a poisonous tumor and a festering sore. The more I'm afraid and try to escape, the worse the sore will become."
The old lady held Gu Liyue's hand tightly. "Liyue, don't worry. Everything will be fine with your grandmother here."
Gu Liyue leaned her head into the old lady's arms. "Grandmother, I hate them. I don't want to see them have a single bit of a good life."
The commotion outside continued. It was Liu Anping's plaintive voice. "I'm Gu Liyue's uncle. After her father died, it was always our family who took care of her. Later, when she returned to the Gu family, she was so afraid that others would know she came from the countryside and was raised by us country folk..."
Miao Shi chimed in. "We... we're not such shameless people who are desperate to claim kinship. It's just that now, both her uncle and I are in poor health due to years of hard work, and her cousin has been so dejected because he can never pass the imperial examination... We have no way out, so we came to find her. Who would have thought she's so heartless and doesn't care about the kindness of upbringing at all. She just ignores us."
Which of the old ladies who came to watch the opera today wasn't from a noble family? The elderly are the kindest. How could they bear to hear about such an unfilial act of not repaying the kindness of upbringing?
Moreover, this was a good place to create a scene. Many on - looking commoners had already surrounded them. They especially liked to watch those powerful and wealthy people bullying the weak. Isn't this exactly the case now? It turns out that even in the noble families, there are such people who despise the poor and love the rich and don't remember kindness.
However, before the whispering could start, they heard an old nursemaid scold, "Who is making such a ruckus here, disturbing the princess's journey?"
Miao Shi was stunned. She quickly kowtowed and said, "I'm the aunt of Gu Liyue, the daughter of the Marquis of Qiyang's Gu family. I..."
But the old nursemaid didn't listen to her explanation. She raised her hand and slapped Miao Shi five times on both sides of the face. "If you want to appeal for justice, go to the yamen to file a complaint. If not, you can directly go to the Dali Temple and beat the drum to appeal. Why are you blocking everyone's way here?"
Miao Shi was dizzy from the slaps. For a moment, she couldn't figure out what was going on.
Liu Anping was a bit more rational. He supported Miao Shi and said, "You... you're all covering for each other..."
The old nursemaid pretended to hit him again and sneered, "You commoners. It's already a serious crime to accuse a noble. How dare you be so arrogant? Do you think the imperial power and bloodline are just for show? Kindness? I've only heard of people repaying kindness, but I've never heard of someone like you who insults others' reputation in public to demand repayment. What a great uncle's family, what a great upbringing. How long have I been serving in the capital? I've never heard of any country bumpkin who had the honor of raising a noble and then demanding repayment."
Although these words were a bit harsh, they were very reasonable. They left Liu Anping and Miao Shi speechless.
Just then, they heard the old lady of the Gu family cough heavily. She ordered the carriage door to be opened. Supported by a maid, she got out of the carriage and looked coldly at the two people on the ground. "Thank you, Princess Jing, for speaking up for me and my granddaughter. But today's matter also involves the reputation of the Gu family. If we don't make it clear in public, if the Liu family disappears tomorrow, people might think that there's some dark secret in the Gu family and we've secretly disposed of them."
Liu Anping was trembling when he saw the old lady in front of him. He had never seen much of the world. He only felt that this lady was so elegant and noble that he didn't dare to look her in the eye. Even her words were so powerful that he didn't even dare to answer.
Miao Shi looked blank. She had just been slapped silly. Now that she came to her senses and heard what the old lady said, she was startled. She quickly shouted, "Yes, yes, yes. It's better to make it clear face - to - face. Where's Gu Liyue? Let Gu Liyue come out and talk to us!"
Liu Anping tried his best to pull her, but he couldn't make her stop talking. He shrank back, covering his face with his hands. He wished he could tell others that he didn't know this woman.
The old nursemaid beside Princess Jing immediately raised her hand and pretended to hit again. "An unmarried young lady can't show herself in public!"
Miao Shi dared not speak out against it. She could only endure it silently.
A servant borrowed some tables and chairs from a nearby house, helped the old lady sit down, and held up an umbrella to protect her from the sun.
The old lady didn't ask the questions herself. Instead, a maid beside her, observing the old lady's expression, loudly asked Liu Anping and Miao Shi, "You claim to be the uncle and aunt of our young lady. Do you have any evidence?"
Liu Anping wondered, "Do we need evidence? I am..."
"Slap his mouth!"
Liu Anping quickly kowtowed. "I'm a commoner. I'm from Xinxiang Village, Cangyun County, Quzhou. Later, because my younger sister Liu Anyuan and her husband Gu Xian died unexpectedly, their only daughter Gu Liyue was left alone with no one to take care of her. So... my family moved to Yangxin Town to take care of my niece Gu Liyue..."
The maid interrupted him. "Wait. You said you moved there later. I think Master Gu Xian of the Gu family should have his own mansion. So, you moved into the young lady's house to take care of her instead of taking her back to your place, right?"
Liu Anping was stunned. He hadn't thought so much. He thought that he could get some benefits after making a scene today. Didn't people say that the wealthy families value their reputation and like to settle things peacefully? Why does this maid ask so many questions?
Seeing that he was stuttering, Miao Shi quickly explained, "Actually, it was just an empty house. They only managed to settle in Yangxin Town with our help..."
The maid raised her eyebrows and continued, "Master Gu and his wife died unexpectedly. You took over their house by force, using the pretext of raising your niece to occupy their property, right?"
Miao Shi was shocked. "What do you mean by occupying their property? We were..."
"Isn't it? At that time, the young lady was only five years old and didn't understand anything. Yuniang, who was taking care of her, couldn't speak and always listened to Master Gu and his wife. She had no opinion of her own. So, wasn't it up to you to decide? After you moved into the Gu family's house, you even drove the original mistress Yuniang and the young lady to the wood - shed. For ten years, the young lady couldn't live in the main house. She could only squeeze into the shabby wood - shed and be a servant for your Liu family!"
Miao Shi stammered, "No... we're all poor people. Where would we get servants? Yuniang was just a servant in the first place. She..."
"You said that poor people don't have servants. Yuniang was the sister recognized by Master Gu and his wife. It's natural for her to help with the family business and raise the young lady. But it doesn't mean that she should do all the family business. Why, after your Liu family took over the house, did you become rich masters and treat Yuniang like a servant? Do you have Yuniang's slave contract or any evidence that she was a servant?"
The maid, following the old lady's instructions, questioned them word by word. She didn't mention the matter of Liu Qinting snatching Gu Liyue's fiancé because Gu Liyue was now engaged, and she didn't want to mention the past and disgrace her reputation.