ifetime opportunity.Seeing her joy, Gu Jingxi's mouth also curled upwards, and he said, "Just bring two maidservants. Chan'er is skilled in martial arts, so bringing Chan'er along will give me peace o...The last shred of hope was ruthlessly crushed, Gu Xiuming's heart plummeted to the bottom of a chasm in an instant, his body trembling slightly.

Under the watchful eyes of his ancestors' tablets, he was subjected to a family punishment. Besides the instinctive fear of punishment, there was also a profound sense of humiliation. As the first descendant in the Gu family to receive such severe punishment in decades, how could he possibly raise his head in the Gu family again

From the lofty prince to a disgraced descendant, he fell from the clouds into the mire. His dignity was trampled upon, the intense humiliation gave rise to deep resentment and unwillingness. Gu Jingxi truly was his good father, completely indifferent to his life or death.

Moments later, Gu Xiuming was stripped of his outer robe by the servants, leaving him in a white undergarment on top. His lower garments remained unchanged as he was pushed onto a long wooden bench by the servants and made to lie face down.

The burly, imposing enforcer raised his whip and lashed it mercilessly across Gu Xiuming's back with a resounding "snap." Immediately followed was Gu Xiuming's agonized cry of "ah," as the whip tore a gash in his clothing, leaving a bloody streak on his skin.

Then came the second lash, the third, the fourth... The sound of whips cracking against flesh and Gu Xiuming's cries rose and fell in waves. In just a dozen lashes, he was beaten unconscious. His back bore horrifying bloodstains, flesh ripped open, the air thick with the stench of blood.

However, the punishment wasn't over. The executor didn't stop, continuing to lash his whip, one blow after another landing on Gu Xiuming's blood-soaked back.

The faces of those present turned pale, especially the women. They could only watch for two or three lashes before turning their backs and refusing to look any further. The sound of the whips echoed in their ears.

The whip landed on Gu Xiuming's body, but it felt as if it had struck each of them. Their hearts pounded like drums, and there was a sense of being warned against wrongdoing. Those nascent thoughts they had dared to harbor were quickly suppressed for the time being.

After the twenty-five lashes were complete, the executioner withdrew his hand. Gu Xiuming, who was sprawled on the wooden plank, had long since lost consciousness. He lay motionless, his white tunic torn apart by the whips, revealing a back covered in bloody flesh.

When Gu Jing Sheng heard the sound of whipping stop, he finally looked up towards Gu Xiu Ming's direction. The sight frightened him so much that he hurriedly turned his head away. His own back felt a twinge of pain as if he was being whipped himself. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "Third brother, the punishment is over now. How about we carry Xiu Ming back to his courtyard and have the doctor take a look"

Gu Jingxi remained calm and merely glanced at Gu Xiuming before replying, "Someone who has committed a grave error and is currently under confinement cannot return to the courtyard to recuperate. There's a room in the ancestral hall specifically prepared for disobedient descendants who are punished with confinement," he said, then instructed his servants, “Take the young master into the room and summon the family physician to attend to him. Once his wounds have healed somewhat, urge him to copy the ancestral rules."

The servant immediately responded and hurried forward, carefully lifting Gu Xiaming up.

Zhang quickly glanced at Gu Xiuming, who was unconscious, unsure if he was dead or alive. The bloody and mangled state of his back terrified her, causing her legs to go weak and almost collapsing on the ground.

Heartfelt: At only sixteen years old, it's such a shame if he were to pass away so young.

In the next moment, she felt it was a good thing. If Changxing Houfu lost its heir apparent, they would have to choose another one. After what happened with Gu Xiuming, her mother-in-law probably wouldn't want to adopt children from the side branch anymore. Her eldest son, Xiu Yuan, is the grandson of the Houfu and has a good reputation in the mansion. He is the closest to the position of heir apparent.

Gu Jingxi spoke again: "I trouble everyone to make a trip, now that the punishment is over, I won't waste your time any longer, you all disperse."

Hearing this, no one wanted to linger any longer. The younger generation had already been somewhat in awe of their Third Uncle, but now their fear had reached its peak. Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuhong, the two older ones, were alright, but fifteen-year-old Gu Xiuwen, even as a boy, was frightened by what had just happened. His legs trembled, and he hurriedly grabbed his elder brothers' sleeves and hurried out of the ancestral hall.

...and the eldest daughter of the main wife, Gu Xuanyi, and the second daughter of the concubine, Gu Xuailing, both looked pale and were helped along by their maidservants.

This is terrifying!

Uncle Three is so strict with his only son that even if they make a mistake one day, being beaten once would be terrifying, let alone twenty-five lashes. Twenty-five lashes would probably send these delicate young girls straight to the heavens to meet their ancestors.

After everyone else left, only Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao remained in the ancestral hall.

At this moment, Gu Jingxi only then remembered the young wife standing beside him. Seeing her pale face and vacant gaze fixed on the bloodstained wooden bench, he thought of the two nieces who needed support to leave. This girl was only a year older than them, she must have been terrified.

Gu Jingxi reached out to block her line of sight. Seeing her 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. She imagined it as just being whipped twenty-five times with a small whip. The Gu family's twenty-five lashes were truly terrifying.

However, the sons were beaten nearly to death, but Gu Jingxi still had a calm and indifferent expression. She was a little scared and asked in a trembling voice, "I'm a little afraid, will my husband treat me like this in the future"

Gu Jingxi raised an eyebrow and asked her, "What evil plan does the madam have in mind If it violates the laws of our dynasty, I'll send you straight to prison. If it's morally wrong..." I'll educate you myself.

However, before he could finish his words, Meng Jinyáo shook her head repeatedly: "That's impossible. I'm a law-abiding citizen."

Gu Jingxi saw that she looked terrified and explained, "The rules of the Gu family apply only to the children of the Gu family, not to women who marry into the Gu family. If a woman makes a big mistake, she won't be whipped, only divorced."

Meng Jin yao was slightly startled, then nodded and asked, "Husband, are you going to take a look at our eldest son I think his injuries are quite serious."

"I'm not a doctor. What use would I be He needs a doctor." Gu Jingxi's words were cold and heartless.

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao glanced at him. This was probably related to the fact that they weren't biologically related. Since they weren't father and son by blood, there wasn't much familial connection between them, so he didn't care much about the other's life or death.

Gu Jingxi seemed to have seen through her thoughts and said, "Since he hasn't woken up yet, now is not the time to look at him. Even if we did, it would be useless. Let's go back first."

Meng Jin Yao thought of Gu Xiu Ming's miserable state, but she didn't feel sorry for him. Gu Xiu Ming was only beaten, he could recover, but what about her life Because of Gu Xiu Ming's recklessness, her life had gone off track. To speak of misery, she was the most miserable one.

But she was still curiously curious and asked, "Could it be that my husband isn't afraid he won't wake up"

"That's not true. After all, he is my son whom I have raised for many years. How could I possibly hit him to death" Gu Jingxi said with certainty, and then smiled ambiguously, "Madam seems to care about him more than I, his father."

Meng Jin Yao squeezed out a smile: "How could a mother not care about her son"

Gu Jingxi nodded in agreement, seeing a sly smile on her face, like a little fox. He then said with a hint of meaning: "That's true, to have such a mother as Madam is his blessing. However, Madam should still keep an eye on him and show concern from time to time. I'm afraid that this mischievous fellow can't stand being treated too well by others."

Meng Jin Yao was momentarily speechless.

I'd rather you just say it straight: if you want to warn me about killing your son, just say it. All this roundabout, cryptic nonsense is beneath you.ght rocking of the boat kept her from sleeping soundly. The bed was small and the mattress hard. For the past month and a half, she hadn't slept well, waking up with a sore back and aching muscles. No...