Jinyo's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively took a step forward to the right. Sure enough, she saw her husband, Gu Jingxi. The moment their eyes met, the man looked at her with a smile that wa...Grandmother Gu's face darkened, and she asked in a deep voice, "Xiuming, is everything Wen said true"

Gu Xiuming dared not meet his elders' gazes, bowing his head in silence.

Seeing that he remained silent, Old Madam Gu's gaze fell upon Li Wan'er and said, "Li shi, you are the only eyewitness to this whole incident. Tell me, is what Xiuwen said true"

Li Wan'er was suddenly called out, she raised her head in astonishment, meeting the stern gaze of her elders. Her heart skipped a beat, and she dared not utter a falsehood. She gently nodded: "Yes, yes, Madam. Everything the Fourth Master said is true."

With that, she looked at the young man beside her, filled with guilt. It was her fault, but she dared not distort the facts in front of the elders. Otherwise, Meng Jin Yao wouldn't let her off, and neither would the grandfather and mistress.

Zhang glanced at Gu Xiuming, who was bowing his head in anger but dared not speak. She seized the opportunity to interject: "Mother, you must do something for Xiuwen and Meng Er Gongzi! They are good boys, and now they have been beaten like this. They still have to set off for Ling Shan Academy tomorrow."

Gu Jing Sheng also chimed in, "That's right, mother. With them looking like this, bruised and battered, if their classmates see them, they'll think they are bad kids. Those who know will think it was their older siblings at home who beat them up, while those who don't know might even think they got into a fight with someone else."

Madam Gu naturally knew this time she would severely punish Xiu Ming, but the child's parents were present, and she didn't want to take charge. She directly threw the problem to her youngest son: "Third Brother, what do you think should be done about this" She glanced at the four kneeling people and added, "Besides Xiu Ming, you three can get up first."

Before Gu Jingxi could respond, Gu Xiuming angrily raised his head, his eyes filled with resentment, and asked: "Grandmother, is it because I am not my father's biological son that you always hit and scold me"

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu was taken aback. She hadn't expected her grandson to say such things about them. Her disappointment deepened as she retorted, "Xiuming, among all your brothers, Grandmother loved you the most. Your father also fulfilled his responsibilities as a father, checking your homework whenever he had free time. When has he ever hit or scolded you Apart from that one time when you eloped and got beaten, hasn't he ever laid a finger on you"

Gu Xiuming pointed at Gu Jingxi and asked unwillingly, “If he had done his duty as a father to me, why wouldn’t he let me into Ling Shan Academy”

After hearing this, Madam Gu realized belatedly that Xiu Ming had been dwelling on this matter. She sighed softly, "Xiu Ming, this time Ling Shan Academy recruits students aged ten to fifteen. You're already overage. If not, you, Xiu Yuan, and Xiu Hong would all have a chance. Your father would have taken you all to meet Master Xu."

“Your father took Xiujian to see Elder Xu Shan, who personally tested him and granted an extra quota. This quota does not count towards the original quota. After entering Ling Shan Academy, he was placed in the lowest class. If he fails the subsequent assessments, he will also be advised to leave.”

"

Excuses, all excuses!

"

Gu Xiuming didn't believe this explanation. If his father had the ability to secure an extra quota, why not help him get one too What difference did being over-aged make As long as he had the willingness, couldn't he have gotten a spot

Elder Mrs. Gu said seriously to Xiu Ming, “Your father is also well-educated. His scholarship is no worse than that of the masters at Ling Shan Academy. If you have any questions about your studies, asking your father would be just as effective.”

She stopped speaking and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. Although she had tried her best to be fair, the results were still unsatisfactory. It was difficult to please everyone.

She originally thought that the Zhang family's excessive spoiling of their children would raise them to be useless, which is why her son tried to get Xiujian admitted to the academy. She hoped this would help him reform and stop being so lazy.

If the other grandchildren weren't overage, she would also be willing to fight for them. But since they are overage, sending them in now is like what What will others think of how they care for their family

Gu Xiuming continued, "What about Meng Chengzhang His father is his brother-in-law. With such an erudite brother-in-law, he could simply move in with us and ask his father any questions he had. Why would he need to be sent to Ling Shan Academy"

Madam Gu listened in confusion and questioned, "Xiuming, what does this have to do with Chengzhang"

Gu Xiuming felt ironic and scoffed, venting his frustration: "Father is so partial! Sending his nephew to Ling Shan Academy is understandable, after all, he's family. But Meng Chengzhang has no blood relation to him. Because Father dotes on Meng Jinyao, he sent Meng Chengzhang to Ling Shan Academy too. Father only left me behind. Could it be because I'm not his biological son If I were his biological son, would Father still be so partial"

"Xiuming, what nonsense are you talking about" Gu Jingxi's face darkened, her brows furrowed. "Who told you that Chengzhang got into Ling Shan Academy because of me"

Gu Xiuming looked up at him fearlessly and retorted, "Isn't that so"

Meng Jinyao curled her lip and took over the conversation, saying with pride: "That's not true at all. My second younger brother passed the exam through his own talent. This is verifiable. If you don't believe me, you can check it yourself. My younger brother, I wouldn't say he's outstanding in everything else, but he's really good at studying. Although he's three years younger than you, your knowledge might not be as good as his. You can have a competition with him and see who comes out on top, so that you admit defeat willingly."

Gu Xiuming was stunned. Hearing her, he didn't seem to be lying. His heart skipped a beat, and his face felt as if it had been slapped by an invisible hand, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

Gu Xiwen seemed to be afraid that he hadn't suffered enough shock, and sighed softly: "Third brother, I told you a long time ago not to talk nonsense, but you just wouldn't listen.

Mr. and Mrs. Chang watched the play, feeling very contented. Originally, they were worried about their son being hurt, but now it seemed that Gu Xiuming, who was doing the best before, had a worse fate than getting injured.

Gu Jingxi's face was as cold as frost, his eyes fixed on his son kneeling on the ground. This son really refreshed his understanding time and time again, there was no worst, only worse.

After a long silence, he narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with disappointment: "Xiu Ming, your father always taught you to seek evidence for everything. Now you're accusing your second uncle without a shred of proof, relying only on your own imagination..."

Before he could finish his words, Gu Xiuwen, afraid he would forget something else, hurriedly reminded him: "Third Uncle, not only did Third Brother wrong Second Uncle, but he also wronged me and Third Aunt. I just said a fair word for Third Aunt, and he said that I was being unchaste with her! If this got out, it wouldn't matter much to me as a man, but how could Third Aunt face anyone"

Gu Jingxi's frown deepened, his face turning as dark as thunder. He declared with finality: "Xiu Ming disrespects elders and attacks his own brother with fists and feet. He is to be confined for a month, and he must copy the Classic of Filial Piety fifty times as punishment."

The Analects of Confucius

Everyone present was taken aback. It wasn't a punishment of copying the house rules, but of copying the *Analects of Filial Piety*. That was tantamount to openly declaring Gu Xiuming unfilial.

The crime of filial piety is grave. My dynasty governs with benevolence and propriety, even the Emperor dares not act as an unfilial son. Who would dare to wear the hat of unfiliality on their head

Whoever becomes an unfilial son, saliva will drown that person.g Xining sized up her friend without making a sound, a look of astonishment flashing in her eyes. She had known Ayao for so long, and had never seen her dressed like this before. She was dazzlingly be...