Chapter 162: Taking the Blame
After much persuasion, Yu Mingying finally agreed to rest for a while in the East Side Room and drink some tea to soothe her throat.
Before leaving, she cast a glance at Gu Lan and Gu Lian, her expression clearly indicating she wasn’t ready to let the matter drop.
Madam Feng took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Gu Lian, come here."
Gu Lian looked up and saw Madam Feng’s grim expression. She took small steps forward, but before she could speak, Madam Feng slapped her across the face.
Staggering from the blow, Gu Lian covered her cheek and burst into loud sobs. Second Madam immediately rushed to her side, heartbroken.
Madam Feng was even angrier now. "Look at the daughter you’ve raised! Instead of learning proper manners, she steals others’ belongings. Our Gu family has never had a young lady like this—even the maids wouldn’t dare to pilfer. The way you’ve raised this girl… it’s utterly disgraceful!"
Though she pointed at Gu Lian and scolded her furiously, she kept her voice low, afraid Yu Mingying might overhear outside.
Seeing her younger sister’s delicate face reddening with the slap and her sobs growing more frantic, Gu Jinhua quickly interjected, "Grandmother, it might not have been Lianjie’er who took it. She has her hair-pinning ceremony tomorrow—what if you’ve hurt her badly?"
Madam Feng had never felt so humiliated before, especially in front of a junior. Overcome with rage, she no longer cared about restraint.
She continued berating Gu Lian, "Tell me, have I ever struck you before in all these years? And you still deny it? That room only had you, Gu Lan, and Chaojie—would Gu Lan or Chaojie ever steal someone else’s things? Either it was you, or you incited a maid to do it. Hand over the item now!" After a pause, still seething, she added, "If it weren’t for your hair-pinning ceremony tomorrow, I’d make you kneel in the ancestral hall all night!"
Clutching her cheek, Gu Lian sniffled and stammered, "I took it… She—she was just flaunting that bracelet, acting so high and mighty! I didn’t mean to keep it, Grandmother. You know me—would Lianjie’er ever covet someone else’s things?"
Madam Feng nearly leaped up to slap her again. "Who cares if she flaunts it? Why must you interfere? If Yu Mingying makes a scene, your reputation will be ruined. And with your hair-pinning ceremony tomorrow, all the distinguished ladies will be here—your scandal will spread without you even stepping outside. How could you be so thoughtless at your age!"
Terrified, Gu Lian could only cry, unable to respond.
Madam Feng took a deep breath and demanded, "Where is it?"
Gu Lian kept sobbing without answering. Seeing the veins on Madam Feng’s forehead bulge, Lan Zhi timidly spoke up, "Tai Furen… it’s… it’s in the Chengxin Lake near Second Madam’s courtyard…"
Second Madam whispered, "Did Second Miss throw the bracelet into the lake?"
Lan Zhi nodded. Otherwise, Gu Lian would have asked her to retrieve it as soon as the trouble started.
Madam Feng was too furious to speak.
Gu Jinhua murmured, "Then… what should we do? We can’t really hand Lianjie’er over. If this gets out, her reputation will be ruined. Tomorrow is her hair-pinning ceremony, and Madam Yao is here too…"
The thing Gu Lian feared most was her marriage prospects. At these words, her face turned pale.
A tarnished reputation… She couldn’t bear that. Otherwise, she’d end up like Gu Jinzhao—receiving no marriage proposals and becoming the subject of ridicule behind her back…Thinking of Gu Jinzhao, her eyes suddenly lit up—that's right, a tarnished reputation would greatly affect the Gu family. But for Gu Jinzhao, it didn't matter. Her reputation was already so bad—how much worse could it get?
She abruptly pointed at Gu Jinzhao and declared, "Say she stole it! Her reputation is already ruined—what's one more accusation?"
Gu Lian's shocking words left everyone staring at Gu Jinzhao in astonishment.
Gu Jinzhao had remained silent until now, only lifting her head at this moment.
Fifth Madam had stayed quiet throughout, while Second Madam and Gu Jinhua offered no rebuttal. Madam Feng, however, scrutinized her with an inscrutable gaze. Even if others couldn't decipher it, Gu Jinzhao knew exactly what she was thinking.
She believed Gu Lian's suggestion was feasible.
Madam Feng finally spoke slowly, "Don't you know to address her as 'elder cousin'? Where are your manners? How can you casually suggest someone take the blame?" She hesitated, sighed, and then said to Jinzhao, "Chaojie, Grandmother knows you've always been sensible. As for matters of reputation... we won't say much. You've gotten along better with Mingying than Lianjie has. Perhaps... you could speak with Mingying privately. After all, Lianjie is about to be married..."
Because she was sensible, she should be treated as an easy target?
Because her reputation was bad, she deserved to take the fall for Gu Lian's mistake?
There was no justice in such bullying.
Gu Jinzhao nearly laughed in anger at Madam Feng's words. To Madam Feng, there was no such thing as a more beloved granddaughter—only whoever could bring the greatest benefit to the Gu family would be protected. But with the family already beset by internal and external troubles, they were still playing these petty games. The thought chilled her.
She said softly, "You asked me to accompany Lianjie to speak with Mingying, but I've been making floral appliqués with Mingying all along. If you accuse me of stealing the bracelet, Mingying isn't foolish—how could someone who's been with her the whole time have had the chance to steal it? Earlier, when Mingying and Nanny Wen stepped out, I was also called away by the maid Chunjiang, whom you sent to question me. By the time I returned, Mingying had just come back, and only Lianjie and Lan Er were in the room. The maids outside saw everything clearly..."
Madam Feng then remembered—she had indeed sent a maid to question Gu Jinzhao, inadvertently giving her an alibi.
But Gu Jinzhao wasn't finished. She raised her head and continued, "Even so, if you want me to confess, I will... whether Mingying believes me or not, I'll say it. After all, my reputation is already ruined—what's one more stain..." Her eyes reddened as she knelt and added, "What face do I have left to live? Once I confess, I'll end my life. Just say the word, and I'll do it immediately."
Madam Feng was stunned. Gu Jinzhao had always been obedient—never had she spoken to her like this.
She quickly said, "There's no need for such drastic measures! Grandmother was only speaking hypothetically—how could I truly ask that of you?" She rose from the daybed to help Jinzhao up, but the latter refused to stand.
Gu Jinzhao continued, "My heart is already heavy... If you command it, I'll do this for Cousin Lian. The Gu family's honor is all that matters—what does it matter what happens to me?"At this, Second Madam and Gu Jinhua also came to help her up. "Chaojie, don’t say such things! Even if you admit to it, Ming Ying won’t believe you! Get up quickly!" Second Madam then glared angrily at Gu Lian. "Why aren’t you coming over to apologize? What kind of nonsense were you spouting?"
Gu Lian was also startled by Gu Jinchao’s words, but she didn’t believe that the usually gentle and composed Gu Jinchao would actually want to die. She muttered a small apology. Only then was Gu Jinchao helped up, and Madam Feng personally led her to sit on the daybed, wiping her tears and comforting her: "Chaojie, your grandmother was only joking—how could I really let you do such a thing? This is all just foolish talk from Gu Lian, don’t take it to heart! And don’t talk about life and death anymore—your grandmother truly loves you. Hearing you say such things breaks my heart."
She hadn’t expected Gu Jinchao to be so resolute.
Indeed, forcing a woman to admit to something she didn’t do, just to preserve her cousin’s reputation—even a meek person wouldn’t tolerate it. Besides, Gu Jinchao wasn’t someone she could push around. Those words earlier weren’t about forcing her to admit fault—they were practically accusing her of driving her to her death!
Madam Feng spoke to Gu Jinchao like this, but the latter didn’t say anything more, instead withdrawing her hand.
...Madam Feng coughed lightly, not daring to bring up the matter of Gu Jinchao admitting fault again. She called Gu Lian over. "Tell me, when did you take Yu Ming Ying’s bracelet?"
Gu Lian hesitated before whispering, "It was when Jinchao went out. Lian jie er and I were in the side room."
Madam Feng turned her gaze to Gu Lan, who was sitting nearby.
Gu Lan didn’t dare speak at all. Feeling Madam Feng’s eyes on her, she bit her lip nervously.
Madam Feng’s face darkened as she asked, "Lan Er, you saw Lian jie er take the thing—why didn’t you stop her?"
How could she have stopped her? Besides, she hadn’t wanted to. Deep down, she had even vaguely hoped that when the truth came out, Gu Lian would be scolded by everyone. After all the attention she’d been getting these past few days, it was time she tasted what it felt like to be the target of public criticism. But she hadn’t expected Yu Ming Ying to make such a big fuss, nor had she imagined that Madam Feng would go so far as to drag Gu Jinchao into this just to protect Gu Lian’s reputation.
If even Gu Jinchao could be dragged into this, what about her...?
Gu Lan quickly knelt on the floor, crying, "Grandmother, it’s my fault—I didn’t stop Lian jie er. Please punish me!"
Madam Feng remained unmoved, giving Gu Lan a cold look, though her tone was gentle. "This is just a childish matter—there’s no need for punishment. Lan Er, you’re sensible and reasonable—Grandmother knows that. How could this be your fault? You’ve always been close to Lian jie er—if you don’t help her now, she’ll have no way out..."
Gu Lan felt dizzy. Was Madam Feng implying that she wanted her to take the blame?
She wanted to protect Gu Lian but didn’t dare target Gu Jinchao, so she was shifting the responsibility onto her.
Finally, Gu Lian, who had been silent until now, burst into tears. "Lan Er, you have to help me! I... I’ll give you my pair of golden hairpins, alright?"Gu Lan seemed not to hear Gu Lian's words. She also wanted to imitate Gu Jinzhao, her tears falling like broken strings of pearls. "Grandmother... I don't mind admitting my mistake, but if this matter spreads, it will be even harder for me to find a suitable marriage match. Grandmother, I've always served you with respect. You can't treat me like this." She shouldn't be treated this way—the mistake was clearly Gu Lian's, so why was the blame being shifted onto her?
Madam Feng, however, said, "Lan Er, don't you know how your grandmother treats you? Are you trying to suggest this old woman has been unfair to you? Rest assured, I'll speak properly with Yu Mingying and ensure this doesn't spread. All you need to do is admit your mistake, and your grandmother will naturally compensate you..."
Was it really that simple? If Yu Mingying were truly so easy to persuade, Madam Feng wouldn't have wanted them to come forward and confess in the first place.
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