slowly turn her head to look at him, he asked, "Are you afraid"Meng Jinyao honestly nodded. She thought the twenty-five lashes would be like those in the Gu family, but they were vastly different. Sh...The family dinner is scheduled for the evening.

Except for Gu Xuanyì, who is already married, and Gu Xiwen, who is studying at Ling Shan Academy, the twelve members of the Gu family celebrated today's happy event.

Everyone was in high spirits, the two children of the family getting married – such a joyous occasion! Everyone's faces were beaming with joy. The offspring of Changxing Houfu having achieved success meant that the glory of the Houfu would continue into the next generation.

Gu Xiuming heard the laughter in his family's voices and found it grating.

Especially seeing the smiles of his two older brothers, he couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment. He believed he was no worse than his older brothers; when they studied hard, he never slacked off. He even often sought out his father for academic guidance. How come, in the end, only he failed the exam

Could it be that his father hid it while teaching him

Gu Xiuming silently cast his gaze upon his father, only to see his father's expression was calm and composed. Today, his father seemed to have no emotional fluctuations, even upon learning of his failure on the exams, he remained unmoved. Could it be that he had already foreseen Gu Xiuming's failure

His heart sank, and he became even more certain that his father had hidden something. He thought his father wanted to cripple him, make him useless, so he could adopt his younger brother as the heir apparent. And he suspected that Meng Jin'yao had also been whispering poison in his father's ear.

Then what is he, exactly

His father married his fiancée, causing him to be ridiculed now. People call his bride a new mother-in-law and he doesn't mind that, but now he wants to have him taken care of like an invalid

Never!

This year he failed the autumn exam, but in three years' time he would be on the list of successful candidates. The position of Crown Prince was his, he had held it for over ten years, how could anyone take it from him

Gu Jingxi had indeed paid attention to his son. Seeing that his son's eyes were off, he hesitated but ultimately didn't say anything. He took care of his wife by his side, putting food into her bowl and urging her to eat more. An empty stomach hurts when drinking alcohol, though the wine they were having was difficult to get drunk from, it wasn't good.

Others at the table saw him blatantly showering Meng Jin Yao with affection, and they couldn't help but think that what they had heard from others was far less impactful than seeing it with their own eyes. This wasn't how one treats a wife!

That's clearly serving ancestors!

Gu Jingxi asked in a soft voice, "Xiu Yuan, Xiu Hong, do you have any plans for next year's Chun Wei"

As soon as these words were uttered, Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuhong were taken aback.

After a moment, Gu Xiuhong answered first: "Uncle Three, I want to try."

"Then, let's give it a try." Gu Jingxi lightly nodded her head. After thinking for a moment, she added, "If you have any questions about academics, feel free to ask me.

Gu Xiuhong's heart leaped with joy, and he nodded hastily: "Yes, Third Uncle."

Gu Xiuyuan replied, "Uncle Three, I won't be taking the Chunwei exam next year. I plan to wait for three more years and take the exam in the next session."

He wasn't like his younger brother, who scored eighteenth and might pass the imperial examination next year. But he couldn't. Shuntian Prefecture only accepted one hundred twenty-six candidates, and he was ranked one hundred twentieth. During the provincial examination, scholars from all over the country came to participate, and he had virtually no hope.

Gu Jingxi saw that he was so calm and composed, neither arrogant nor rash. He gave him a approving glance and replied, "That's good too. First, settle down for three years and accumulate strength."

After the family dinner, everyone had their fill of food and drink, and they went back to their own yards.

Meng Jin Yao was slightly drunk, her mind a little hazy. After stepping out of the room, the autumn wind, carrying a chill, hit her face, instantly sobering her up.

Seeing Gu Jingxi silently watching Gu Xiuming leave, she thoughtfully hesitated and said, "Should husband go up and appease them a bit"

Gu Jingxi retracted his gaze, shook his head slightly, and said in a soft voice, "If my words were really useful, he wouldn't have participated in this Qiu Wei exam. I had advised him not to participate for now, just in case he failed the exam and it would affect his state of mind, letting him calm down first, but he didn't listen to me and insisted on going his own way.

Meng Jinyáo asked again, "Did you already expect him to fail the exam"

Gu Jingxi said helplessly, "He was very diligent during that time, often asking me for advice. But he had distractions in his mind. He didn't study for himself; he only did it to impress me. He crammed knowledge into his head without truly understanding it. I told him about this problem, but he wouldn't listen. Even if he took the exam like this, he would be nothing more than a decorative pillow, and it was normal for him to fail."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao glanced in the direction Gu Xiuming had left and said calmly: "A person is valuable for their self-awareness. Being too confident is just arrogance."

Gu Jingxi didn't want to bother, for an unyielding child, saying more was useless. Reaching out to take her little hand, he said softly: "Let's go, let's go home."

Meng Jiny Yao nodded, took a step forward, and glanced at the man beside her. She saw that he had a cold expression and seemed indifferent to Gu Xiuming's failure in the exam. It seemed that he had truly become detached and uncaring.

After carefully raising him for so many years, my son turned out to be an ungrateful, immoral, narrow-minded person who refuses to admit his mistakes. He repeatedly damages the family's reputation and never reflects on himself. Instead of taking responsibility, he blames others. When you try to educate him, he even complains about you.

Such a disappointing son, don't even mention Gu Jingxi, even if it were her, she would be indifferent.

Waigui Pavilion.

Back at WeiRui Xuan, Meng Jin Yao ordered the maid to brew a sobering wine soup. Then she went to bathe and change her clothes. After drinking the soup, she felt sleepy soon and pulled Gu Jing Xi to bed.

Gu Jingxi saw her yawning repeatedly and smiled and asked, "It's still early, why are you sleepy"

Probably because I had too much to drink, I'm feeling drowsy.

Meng Jinyao finished speaking and couldn't help but yawn. Then she lay down on the bed.

Gu Jingxi smiled helplessly, lay down beside her, and said with a smile, "Look at your excitement, if someone didn't know, they would think it was your son who passed the imperial examination. You drank so much with your sister-in-law and second sister-in-law."

Meng Jin Yao didn't pretend to be a loving mother anymore, and said bluntly: "I'm glad he failed the exam. A person with no integrity like him wouldn't make a good official even if he entered the government."

Gu Jingxi pinched her cheek, his tone laced with a hint of exasperation: "Little troublemaker"

"Is that bad"

Meng Jinyao glared at Gu Jingxi, letting out a light hum. "Compared to what he did to me, this is nothing. I'm just saying a few words that hit his weak spot, and he's upset Because of him, I'm still being ridiculed now. If I was weaker, if I had just married him and gotten along, my life would have been ruined."

She paused, then continued, "Although you are a biased elder, if I truly married him and he mistreated me, you as my father could at most reprimand him. After all, it's not appropriate for an elder to interfere in the private affairs of younger generations. However, if I don't receive respect from my husband and endure humiliation, I will likely die a miserable death within a few years."

Gu Jingxi's heart tightened, pulling the person into his arms and saying in a soft voice, "A Yao will live a long life."

Meng Jin Yao reached out and hugged him, replying: "I wouldn't dare to dream of living a hundred years. At fifty, I know my fate. To live to fifty is enough for me. Ideally, I could outlive that disobedient son. That would give me some sense of accomplishment. At worst, this old mother of his will just light a stick of incense for him.

"

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Why don't you get along with him"

Meng Jin Yao spoke honestly and straightforwardly: "I'm a vengeful person. When I married you, there were two reasons: first, I didn't want Gu Xiuming to bully me, and second, I wanted to have the identity of an elder so that I could get back at him and make him see me obediently bowing to me and calling me mother."

When Gu Jingxi heard this, his voice was low and quiet as he asked: "What about my husband"her second sister-in-law. What can I possibly help her with""Could it be that you're hoping to get the Marquis' help through me" Ning Dong said, glancing around at the surroundings. Seeing that there...