IBTSOME Chapter 72 Part 2
I BECAME THE STEPMOTHER OF MY EX-HUSBAND
Chapter 72 Part 2: Wrath
^^
Gu Cheng Yao was already
confused, but now hearing Gu Hui Yan's words, he become more and more at a
loss. He couldn't help thinking of what Yun Hui had accidentally revealed about
Gao Xi. He always thought that Gao Xi could not tolerate people and refused to
see her shu sister marrying well, so she
collude with Grand Princess Shou Kang to graft
flowers onto a tree1 and take the life-saving grace and the jade pendant
for herself. Gu Cheng Yao had always felt that Gao Xi deliberately concealed it
from him, but now Yun Hui's words gave him a shocking thunderbolt. Could it be
that Gao Xi was the one who knew nothing? The person who lied to him was
actually Gao Ran?
Standing in the living room
of his father and young stepmother, surrounded by pile of brocades, sweet fragrant
assailed the nose, everywhere revealing the presence of its mistress. But at
this moment, Gu Cheng Yao felt light-headed and could hardly breathe.
Gu Hui Yan sat at the top
seat, and Gu Cheng Yao stood at the hall below, the father and son faced each
other quietly. In the silence, a small, rustling sound of the clothes suddenly
came from behind the screen.
Gu Hui Yan and Gu Cheng
Yao both returned to their senses at the same time. Without waiting for Gu Cheng
Yao's reaction, Gu Hui Yan got up and went inside.
Lin Wei Xi felt
embarrassed from the bottom of her heart. At the time she was so angry that the
blood supply to her brain was insufficient, which made her faint. In fact, she slowly
got better after a short rest. When she woke up, Yan Wang was reprimanding his
son outside. Lin Wei Xi was lying on the bed, not knowing whether she should
continue pretending to sleep, or cover her ears to avoid the voices.
Who knew that she hasn't finish
thinking about it, and accidentally moved her sleeves. She herself felt that
this was just a small movement, but who knew that Gu Hui Yan would come in
immediately.
It was embarrassing. Lin Wei
Xi in response could only get up on her own. When Gu Hui Yan saw this he
hurriedly came to support her, as if he was treating some fragile porcelain, he
placed her carefully on a soft pillow.
Right after Lin Wei Xi
sat down, she didn't even bother to adjust the position of the pillow behind
her waist, quickly said: "Wangye, I just wake up, I didn't mean to
eavesdrop on you."
"I know." Gu Hui
Yan sighed helplessly after he said this, "What are you thinking about
every day?"
"Upright people do not speak secret words,
this kind of things better be said in advance, to save you and me from turning
over the old account in the future."
Gu Hui Yan looked at her
quietly, mindful that she had just woken up, in the end still restrain himself.
The Yan Wang with oppressing air and strong atmosphere from a moment ago,
suddenly became tolerant and patient.
Gu Cheng Yao stood
outside the screen, wondering if he should go in. The stepmother was about the same
age as him. Of course it was not good for him to go to his stepmother's inner
room, especially when Lin Wei Xi was still lying on the bed, in front of his
father, afraid he didn’t want to live anymore.
But Lin Wei Xi was awake,
Gu Cheng Yao couldn't help but walked two steps forward. Just now Lin Wei Xi
fainted, it was actually him who sent her back. At that time Lin Wei Xi's face
was pale and she was motionless. Gu Cheng Yao was so scared. He also wanted to
know how Lin Wei Xi was now.
Gu Cheng Yao stood
outside the screen, separated by five fan double-sided brocade screens, only a
vague shadow could be seen. His father sat opposite Lin Wei Xi, carefully and
slowly tested the temperature of her forehead, holding her hand and softly
comforting.
Just because Lin Wei Xi
waken up, his father seems like a completely different person. The harsh coldness
on his body was swept away, and his flexible self and character also returned.
Gu Cheng Yao couldn't
tell what he felt in his heart, but he knew he had no reason to go behind the screen.
Lin Wei Xi was inquired
about her body carefully by Gu Hui Yan. It was meticulous and cumbersome, and
even Lin Wei Xi thought he made a big fuss over nothing. She glanced outside,
and across the muslin screen and brocade she could only see a vague figure. Lin
Wei Xi pursed her lips unconsciously, and asked, "Wangye, just now you
were instructing Shizi? You already finish?"
Gu Hui Yan helped pull up
the quilt for her, and responded indifferently: "Yes." He looked up
at Lin Wei Xi, and after a while, he chuckled, "What do you want to
say?"
Lin Wei Xi's eyes rolled
slightly, and she smiled flatteringly at Gu Hui Yan: "According to reason,
Wangye is educating the children then I shouldn't interrupt. But I have
something to say to Shizi."
Gu Hui Yan looked at Lin Wei
Xi for a while, with a calm expression: "Alright."
Lin Wei Xi's hair had
already let down, and it was troublesome to ask the maid to come in and comb
her hair. She put on a coat casually, used tooth comb to gather her hair neatly
herself, and followed Gu Hui Yan outside.
Lin Wei Xi specifically came
to Gu Cheng Yao, she was actually had a purpose.
Today, Yun Hui’s affair
reminded Lin Wei Xi of an old thing.
Before Han shi became the
Duke Yingguo Shizi’s, the father in her previous life, beloved woman, there was
another favored yiniang in the inner house but she seemed to pass away
silently. Lin Wei Xi, as a young lady, of course would not have any contact with
her father’s concubine. It was a long time later as she was getting older and
began to discuss marriage, when she accidentally heard from the old servant
women’s chattering that the favored concubine seemed to be caught having an
affair, and she was punish by Shizi.
If it weren't for Yun Hui,
Lin Wei Xi wouldn't have remember it. But once she noticed, she found that the
two things looked unrelated, but they were similar.
Lin Wei Xi called, Wan
Yue came in from the outside carrying a plate, put the things on the small
square table, saluted to everyone, and quietly stepped back.
Lin Wei Xi took two pink
porcelain cups from one side, picked up the wine pot on the plate, and poured
tea in front of Gu Hui Yan and Gu Cheng Yao. "Shizi, Yun Hui and Shizi Consort
are all your women. I as an outsider shouldn't get involve with your room’s
matters. But a woman’s reputation is a matter of life and death. I think it's
better to make it clear when this kind of thing happens. Hope Shizi don’t think
I’m nosy."
After Lin Wei Xi finished
speaking, she put down the wine pot while holding her wide sleeves and let it
out for Gu Hui Yan and Gu Cheng Yao to see.
The tea that was poured from
the same pot turned out to be two colors.
Lin Wei Xi ignored Gu Cheng
Yao's face and continued: "This kind of pot is called Yin Yang pot, it
looks normal, but as long as the small hole at the handle of the pot is
blocked, the wine in the hidden pot will be poured out." Lin Wei Xi picked
up the wine pot, and pointed it out to Gu Cheng Yao the tiny invisible hole under
the handle. This air hole existed at such a place, then the person who poured
the wine by holding the handle of the pot only needs to move their little
finger lightly to change the wine unknowingly into the cup.
Lin Wei Xi poured both
cups of tea into the flowerpot at the side, calling the maid to come in and
throw away the tea set. After the things were removed, Lin Wei Xi covered her
lips and coughed, and said to Gu Cheng Yao: "This Yin Yang pot should have
been thrown away. I asked the maid to get it back secretly. I will only say
this. Return the wine pot to the original owner. What Shizi plan to do with it,
I won't get involved anymore."
After Lin Wei Xi finished
speaking, she returned to the inner room, and in a blink of an eye, only Gu Cheng
Yao was left. He stared at the delicate wine pot in front of him, and suddenly
felt into a huge trance.
Are the people around
him, the things that he thought, all true?
1 Graft flowers onto a tree, it means surreptitiously substitute one thing with another.↩
Shizi is experiencing an awakening! Welcome to real adulthood! 👏
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update!
Big oof for Gao Ran. Intended to play Yun Hui, got played to such a level, that would be really sad for her (not that I feel anything for her)
ReplyDeleteMore sad was the reveal though. Gao Xi was actually innocent but she was deliberately defamed by Gao Ran. Hope this clears her name (LWX might take effort for this)
I can't actually blame GCY because he is by what I can see, spoiled, innocent and naive, he is young after all. He was sheltered by his mother and grandmother, doing nothing while his father who should have taught him other stuff was not present while he is growing and at the age where he should be taught of proper ways (responsibility, right judgement, humbleness and how to be a smart man in that era, etc.). He's a good person let's give him that, but he's very simple minded that is why Gao Ran, a transmigrated and might be way older than him by soul is the real culprit here.
ReplyDeleteHe may be a lot of things but innocent isn't one of them. He is willfully ignorant to those around him who doesn't appease his inflated self-worth. He never worked on himself that's a choice he made why are you trying to absolve him of his misdeeds? He indirectly lead to the death of his first wife and is being used by those around him. None of which are all that smart tbh.
DeleteIgnorance is and will never be an excuse for sin. Still, @Luvie, we're not aboslving GCY here, we're not even taking his side. It's seeing how things are going of taken from his perspective. If you were born and was left somewhere where no one was around to guide you (for example Tarzan but no apes to take care of him), do you expect him to respect an elder in the woods holding a gun that's actually just a decoration thinking he's there to kill him? Being manipulated and such is stupid and never smart but can we blame him? It was his environment and upbringing that resulted in his ignorance and naivety. If a child got hold of a knife and thinking it was just a toy, he stabbed a person as per play that you should stab the supposed evil person, did the child know it was wrong? No. A lot of things has been done, sins were committed, and those mistakes can never be taken back. Now that he's actually "enlightened", it's now up to him if he's actually gonna change his ways and correct some of it in the past or not. Atleast give him a chance. We're not accepting his past deeds and forgiving him just because he was ignorant, we're trying to see if he's gonna do something about it or not. Do not quickly point fingers buddy. Try to see it in another perspective.
DeleteTutors were appointed by the ML for GCY. These dudes should have taught him not only literacy but the the ways of the world. I can only conclude GCY is not too bright.
DeleteHe isn't innocent but just had selective mind. He just want to believe what beneficial to him. In this era, none of the man grow up being spoon fed by their father. Heck, their education is left to teacher that is arranged by mother. They matured by growing their own connection and circle. GCY just thought he is above everyone and his circle of friends must be that kiss ass bunch. No substantial value. He is just cruel idiot that wanted to push all wrong to anyone and everyone else. That is why when Yan Wang said everything is his fault that gave courage to his women, he first wanted to deny but in front of absolute power he had to admit. No innocence is talking sh*t here.
DeleteSo the trick was in the wine pot ! I didn't though of it ! How ingenuous !
ReplyDeleteWe all knew there was something wrong with the wine(s). I thought it was more of a sleeve, drugging trick. (In your nail, between your finger ect..) there were ppl that were serving her
DeleteI re-read it again. GCY really thought YH was unfaithful. He has never doubted or questioned GR. I dunno..
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the best drama is drama that doesn't involve oneself.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, let's grab some melon seeds and watch everything burn!
Can't hide your head in that small little dirty hole any longer, gotta come out and face the real world, sonny.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wake up call!!
ReplyDeleteI like how the author is using the "afterlife" storybook that LWX read (Gao Ran is the protagonist), the "storybook romance" that Shen shi and GHY are said to have, and the stories that were told to GCY told throughout his life within the framework of her novel. It drives home that reality and fiction are not the same, and believing what you are told without critical thinking can create such an unrealistic perception of how life is lived, which can be very destructive.
ReplyDeleteI tend to sympathize with GCY in this instance. I think context indicates that his parents' romance was hardly the grand romance he was told. He was essentially indoctrinated into a fantasy life since he was young and unable to apply any critical thinking, and he was sheltered sure to a variety of external factors. Of course his decisions are bad: he's got very little foundation for making good decisions.
Contrast that with GR who we are told was am adult at the time of transmigrating into a young child. We have no idea what kind of upbringing she may have had in her original life (or if the transmigration story is real), but she spent decades as an adult and clearly views her own story as the only reality. Despite two distinct lifetimes, she views herself as a heroine and thus above regular morality. Other people's lives mean nothing to her, and stupid schemes and manipulations she's learned from fiction apparently seem reasonable to her. It doesn't occur to her that they are obvious to others, since they worked in the stories she read.