I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 177 Rejecting Punishment Without Reason
The Rongguo Duke's mansion was surrounded by the patrol battalion like an iron barrel. Ye Wanshu didn't know what the situation was like outside. She guessed that the emperor must have already discussed it with her adoptive father. After all, neither of them were pushovers. Since they were determined to welcome Fu Mingchi to Lin'an, the secret edict for the emperor's support would have been prepared long ago.

Judging from Gu Tingchen's attitude today, he obviously hasn't suspected me and my adoptive father yet, which means my adoptive father still has enough time to send the imperial edict out of Lin'an.

However, the time was not yet ripe, and she worried that Fu Mingchi would be unable to wait and go to the capital ahead of schedule, which would render all her plans futile.

Having been given a second chance at life, she no longer harbors any desire for romantic love. If she can help Fu Mingchi take control of Lin'an, overthrow the Gu family, and restore peace to the world, she would not regret sacrificing her own life.

In this way, she could repay Consort Zhang and Fu Mingchi for their care and kindness.

"Fu Mingchi, I only hope that you will live up to everyone's expectations and heal this world riddled with holes. If there is an afterlife, I will definitely be willing to be an ordinary husband and wife with you for one lifetime."

Having made up her mind, Ye Wanshu looked at the gradually darkening sky and walked out of the bedroom again.

Upon entering the courtyard, she saw Gu Qingmian and Gu Tingji staring blankly at the entrance. Following their gaze, she discovered a group of grandmothers sitting under the shade of a tree outside, occasionally peering inside.

"Cousin, Second Brother has sent people to monitor you again." Gu Tingji's face was filled with disappointment and indignation: "What exactly does he want to do?"

Ye Wanshu smiled faintly: "Don't worry about it. You and your brother must remember what your cousin told you: study hard with Mr. Li."

“Cousin, Aji and I are worried that Second Brother will bully you.” Gu Qingmian sighed softly, “At this time, we want to stay by your side.”

"No," Ye Wanshu said, still smiling. "I assure you, my cousin will be fine."

Especially at times like these, she wanted to send the two siblings away as soon as possible.

“Let’s go serve Auntie her medicine,” Ye Wanshu said, glancing up at the sky. “It’s still early. After Auntie takes her medicine, you and your brother should leave the city as soon as possible, so that Old Master Li won’t have to wait too long.”

Having already missed two months of schooling, Gu Tingji knew how difficult it was for him and his sister to be able to study under Mr. Li, and not wanting his mother and cousin to continue to worry, he quickly nodded.

As soon as Ye Wanshu led her siblings out of Cuiweitang, they noticed that the group of old women had followed them, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Gu Qingmian was extremely dissatisfied with this and was about to rebuke him, but Ye Wanshu stopped her calmly.

"Going back to see Mr. Li is the priority, don't be late," Ye Wanshu whispered, then pulled the two siblings to continue walking forward.

Upon arriving at my aunt's courtyard, I suddenly heard a faint sobbing sound coming from inside the house.

Sensing something was wrong, Gu Tingji was about to rush inside when Ye Wanshu listened intently and seemed to hear her uncle's voice. She immediately pulled the two siblings back, signaling them to be quiet.

The siblings stood quietly in front of the door, listening intently, and the conversation inside the house could be heard clearly.

“Tingchen is ruthless and vicious, and violent by nature. Keeping Wanwan in the manor will only bring endless torment. She is the only bloodline of my Ye family now. Please, sir, for the sake of my years of dedication to the Duke’s manor, let her leave Lin’an,” Ye Huaisu pleaded, her voice choked with emotion.

Gu An was depressed because of what happened in the palace. He had just returned to the mansion and was thinking of visiting his wife when he saw her crying in front of him, which made him even more upset.

"When did Madam become so unreasonable?" Gu An rebuked, "Does Madam intend for Wanwan to return to Yuezhou and join forces with the Yongning Prince's Mansion to deal with my Gu family?"

With a flick of his wide sleeves, Gu An's face grew even darker: "Madam, give up on that idea. Even if I let Wanwan die in the Duke's mansion, I will never allow her to return to Yuezhou."

Ye Huaisu cried even more bitterly, and Gu An listened with extreme impatience: "Since you know Tingchen's temperament, you should advise Wanwan to behave herself. If I find out that she has any other intentions, I will be the first to not tolerate her."

After speaking, Gu An slowly bent down and gently lifted Ye Huaisu's chin, giving her a final warning: "We have been husband and wife for many years, and I have seen your diligence and dedication to the Duke's mansion. As long as you remain as obedient and docile as before, I will still respect you. But if you continue to be stubborn, don't blame me for not cherishing our marital bond." Ye Huaisu closed her eyes in despair, a tear slowly sliding down her left cheek.

She chuckled coldly, "Master is truly a good husband and father. His son disobeys his parents and mistreats his siblings. Instead of disciplining his unfilial son, Master threatens me and Wanwan."

Although Gu An was somewhat dissatisfied with his second son's actions today, since his aunt had made up her mind, he could only obey and could not allow any divisions to arise within the Gu family.

Moreover, he genuinely approved of his son, believing that he was more capable and resourceful than himself.

“Tingchen’s methods were a bit extreme, but he did it for the good of the family.”

After a moment of silence, Gu An hesitated before saying, "Since Madam is his mother, she should think more about him and learn from him to think more about this household. Madam, don't forget that you are now a member of the Gu family."

After saying this, Gu An walked out of the house with a stern face. When he saw the three siblings standing outside the door, Gu An was slightly taken aback, but then a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Qingmian, Tingji, I've made you two siblings suffer a bit these past two months, so don't blame your father."

Gu An felt a brief pang of guilt, then immediately said righteously, "As long as you listen to your second brother, Father promises that he will never be cruel to you again."

Gu Tingji was furious upon hearing this: "How does Father expect my sister and me to obey him, to stand by and watch him disobey Mother and force my cousin?"

"You scoundrel!" Gu An's eyes flashed with anger. "If your cousin hadn't been so irresponsible, how could he have ended up like this?"

Ye Wanshu was very dissatisfied, but her expression remained unchanged.

At this critical juncture, sending my younger cousins ​​out of the mansion is the most important thing, not the time to break ties with my uncle.

Ignoring her uncle's accusations, she turned to Gu Qingmian and Gu Tingji and said, "Go inside and serve your mother."

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingji calmed down and pulled his sister into the house.

Ye Wanshu was about to follow him inside when Gu An suddenly called out to her.

“Wanwan, you should know that your uncle has always treated you like his own daughter all these years. Your aunt is confused, but you have always been smart and sensible. You shouldn’t have followed her in her foolishness.”

Gu An advised in a deep voice, "Tingzhou and Tingchen were a bit neglectful to you before, but the brothers have now realized their mistake. Why do you keep holding a grudge and hurt your brother-sister relationship?"

He took a deep breath and said earnestly, "You are the eldest sister whom Qingmian and Tingji respect the most. You should set a good example for them instead of instigating them to go against their elders and cause discord in the family."

"I wonder how Uncle intends for Wanwan to set a good example?" Ye Wanshu sneered. "Do you want Wanwan to disobey her elders, or harm her own blood relatives?"

"You!" Gu An was furious and raised his hand angrily.

Ye Wanshu looked at him with an expressionless face, her cold gaze completely different from usual, making Gu An shudder.

“I saw you went to Yuezhou, and you’ve become even more unruly,” Gu An scolded. “Go back to Cuiweitang immediately and copy the ‘Admonitions for Women’ ten times.”

“Uncle, you’ve probably punished the wrong person.” Ye Wanshu’s brows furrowed. “I don’t accept punishment without a reason.”

After saying that, he strode into the house.