Chapter 13: The Li Family Sends a Grand Gift

On the day the leaves fell from the trees, Gu Nanxi's grounding period also came to an end.

"Come on, let's go shopping!" Gu Nanxi waved her hand grandly, ready to stretch her legs and get some fresh air.

"Mother, wait for me!" Su Yunyan scurried after her.

It was shopping time, after all; Mother couldn't possibly eat alone. If she bought beautiful jewelry, wouldn't she have to share a piece with her daughter?

Su Yunyan's gears were turning rapidly.

Gu Nanxi saw through her little scheme at a glance: "Go get your private savings. We'll each buy our own things."

"Mother!" Su Yunyan pouted. Seeing that Gu Nanxi had made up her mind, she stomped her foot and ran back. "Wait for me, I'll be right back!"

Su Yunyan sighed. Her mother hadn't been giving her an allowance lately, and her monthly stipend alone was nowhere near enough to spend.

Money didn't last long, and Su Yunyan didn't dare entrust her silver to the servants; she had to go and withdraw it herself.

This wait meant the mother and daughter were completely stuck indoors.

Gu Nanxi stared blankly at the scene unfolding before the manor gates. What was going on?

A small sedan chair had stopped in front of the manor.

Five servants followed behind the sedan; one held a bolt of red silk, while the other four carried four pairs of red lanterns.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered in circles in front of the Marquis of Yongchang's manor.

"What is the Marquis's manor doing?"

"It looks like a concubine recruitment. But since when does anyone bring a concubine through the main gate?"

"Look closely! Isn't the person behind the sedan a worker from the Li Medicinal Herb Shop?"

"Oh my, it really is him! I just had a drink with him a few days ago, and he was complaining that his monthly wages had been delayed for several days."

"Good heavens, could it be that the 'Beauty of the Medicinal Herbs' is being taken as a concubine?"

"I remember her saying she would never, ever be anyone's concubine!"

Coming to her senses, Gu Nanxi signaled the house servants to drive the crowd away.

What concubine recruitment? How could they be so insulting?

Although the crowd was driven away from the main gate, they remained reluctant to leave.

The main road was completely blocked by the onlookers.

The current officials only worked in the morning and were off by noon.

This main road was the mandatory route for officials returning home after work.

As the time approached, if they actually ran into this crowd of officials, things would escalate into a massive scandal.

With a grim expression, Gu Nanxi walked into the manor.

The sedan chair was also carried inside by the crowd.

"Master Li, what is the meaning of this?" Gu Nanxi asked from her seat at the head of the hall, her face stern.

Old Man Li, thick-skinned as he was, ordered his workers to help Jingniang out of the sedan chair.

"Sigh, my daughter is infatuated with Young Master Su. We tried to persuade her all through the night, but she refused to marry anyone else, no matter what."

Old Man Li made a show of wiping away tears. "We know we are not worthy of the Marquis's manor and do not dare to hope for the position of a primary wife. We only hope the Marchioness will show some mercy and allow Jingniang into the manor. Whether as a concubine or a maid, just fulfill her devotion."

Old Man Li prepared to make a quick exit. "We don't want any dowry or anything. We are handing Jingniang over to the Marchioness; from now on, she has nothing to do with us!"

The workers also let go and ran off.

*Thud!*

Jingniang collapsed heavily onto the floor, unable to get up for a long time.

Lümei rushed forward and lifted the veil, only to find a piece of rag stuffed tightly into Jingniang's mouth.

Jingniang's eyes were bloodshot and her face was covered in tears. On her porcelain-white skin, a bluish handprint was strikingly visible.

Suppressing her anger, Gu Nanxi ordered someone to call a doctor.

On his way, the doctor had heard that the Marquis of Yongchang's manor was causing another commotion. Given the current situation, it seemed there was more to the story.

After carefully checking her pulse for a moment, the doctor said with difficulty, "This woman was drugged; her limbs are weak. She will be fine once the effects of the medicine wear off."

The doctor clicked his tongue. This kind of medicine was typically used by madams in brothels to discipline disobedient girls.

Who exactly had used such a drug on this woman? The method was utterly despicable.

Gu Nanxi gave the doctor a pouch of silver. "I am feeling unwell today; thank you for making the trip. Your medical skills are superb; I feel much better already."

The doctor understood the implication and cooperated: "The Marchioness has overexerted herself; she simply needs rest."

As for whether there was a woman in the manor who had been drugged? There wasn't—at least, the doctor didn't "see" it!

Jingniang was helped into a chair. Her eyes were tightly shut, her tongue was bitten until it bled, and her whole body was trembling.

"Mother, what should we do?" Su Yunyan was at a loss.

The once decisive and formidable Jingniang was suddenly as wretched as a drowned rat; for a moment, Su Yunyan felt a pang of pity.

"Go call your eldest brother back." Gu Nanxi pressed a hand to her forehead. As expected, she shouldn't have ended the grounding!

Just as she wanted to be productive and go shopping, such a massive trouble had come knocking at her door.

Was this a warning from heaven for her to just lie flat and do nothing?

"But Brother is still at the academy." Su Yunyan wasn't sure if Gu Nanxi was being serious or sarcastic.

After all, Mother valued Brother's studies above all else. Once, when Brother had a fever that wouldn't break and wanted to ask for leave, Mother hadn't even agreed.

"Just ask for leave." Gu Nanxi decided to leave the handling of the matter to them.

When it came to matters of the heart, outsiders should not interfere too deeply.

Su Xuanming, who had been dozing off in the academy, had his first reaction upon hearing that someone had been sent to ask for his leave: "It's a fake. It must be another prank by Li Shaoyan and the others! They want to get me scolded by the teacher!"

The page boy jumped up in anxiety. "Young Master, it seems to be real. The family sent word saying Jingniang was thrown outside the manor gates in a small sedan chair by her father, claiming she is to be your concubine. The Marchioness told you to come home immediately to handle this."

Su Xuanming felt as if he were in a dream. What on earth? Mother had already agreed to him marrying Jingniang; why would she be a concubine?

Besides, Jingniang had such a strong character; how could she ever agree to be a concubine?

Confused and bewildered, Su Xuanming rushed back to the manor.

Lümei, who had been waiting by the main gate, gave him a rough account of what had happened as soon as she saw him.

Su Xuanming's heart ached so much he felt physically ill. He rushed to the main hall and pulled the withered, broken Jingniang into his arms. "Jingniang, you've suffered. How could your father be so heartless to treat you this way!"

Seeing this, Gu Nanxi finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Handle your own affairs. Whether you want to take a concubine, marry her as a wife, or part ways entirely, I will respect your decision."

The "Compassionate Mother System" suddenly popped up, emitting a loud burst of noise: [Respect my ass! The female lead is about to fall into ruin as your son's concubine! The plotline is collapsing into a mess; just get ready to wait for death!]

Gu Nanxi didn't know what possessed Old Man Li to not let his daughter be the primary wife and instead rush to deliver her as a concubine. He had played a winning hand and turned it into a disaster.

No matter how much Gu Nanxi disliked the female lead, she didn't want to see a spirited woman fall to such depths.

Jingniang, held tightly by Su Xuanming, heard Gu Nanxi's words and finally exploded: "I don't want your fake kindness! Wasn't this all your design? Are you satisfied now?!"