Chapter 71: Perpetual Fall into Hell
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Before the elderly woman could react, Lu Yuan Ze’s face turned serious and somber.
“What’s the matter, Wan Yi?” Gu Ling asked, his voice laced with concern and confusion. “Wan Yi, what have I done to upset you?”
He tried to reach out to her, hoping to offer some comfort. However, gripped by a sudden panic, Lu Wan Yi quickly stepped back, avoiding his attempt at consolation.
“Big Brother, Big Brother, Gu Ling has been abusive. He hit me! I can’t stay in this marriage anymore. I want a divorce, I want to leave him!” Lu Wan Yi exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear and anguish.
She then poured out her heart, sharing the torment she had endured over the past six months. It all started just three days into their marriage when Gu Ling had been nothing short of a gentle and kind husband, making her feel blissfully happy. She had even felt a silent scorn for Madam Xu, who had initially opposed their marriage, convinced she had chosen a genuinely good man. But this happiness was fleeting. In less than a month, Gu Ling’s demeanor took a dark turn. One evening, after coming home drunk, he demanded she undress before mercilessly beating her with a rattan stick, leaving her with severe injuries. Once he sobered up, he was remorseful, holding her in his arms, filled with apologies. In her search for safety, she returned to her family, hoping for support. Instead, Madam Xu had Gu Ling fetch her, and while the physical abuse stopped, her suffering was far from over.
“He abused you? Please, show me where you’re hurt,” Lu Yuan Ze asked, his voice filled with worry and his brow furrowed in concern.
For a moment, Lu Wan Yi stopped crying, hesitating with her lips quivering. Since her return to Gu Ling, the physical violence had ceased, but there were things she felt too ashamed to speak of. The injuries were located in places she deemed too private to reveal. She felt trapped by Madam Xu’s assertion that her personal dignity was linked to the honor of the Marquis’s household, leading her to believe that even the smallest complaint could tarnish their reputation. It was Madam Xu’s influence that had exacerbated her situation.
“Big Brother, it’s all because of my sister-in-law. She was the one who instructed Gu Ling to hit me!” Lu Wan Yi cried out, her voice heavy with accusation and despair.
Madam Xu, who witnessed this conversation, looked on with a mix of confusion and concern.
“Wan Yi, your accusations are baseless and unjust. I have always treated you as if you were my own child. Young Master Gu Ling, despite his accomplishments in academia, does come from a simpler background, and my concerns were for your future happiness. It was you who fell for him despite my initial reservations. The decision to go ahead with this marriage was yours and Mother-in-law’s insistence. How can you now blame me for this?” Madam Xu, deeply hurt, tightened her grip on her handkerchief, her eyes brimming with tears. Her voice conveyed the pain of a guardian who had loved Wan Yi like a daughter for over a decade, only to be repaid with accusations and a lack of trust.
As Lu Yuan Ze pondered over the situation, his look of deep dissatisfaction was directed at Lu Wan Yi. “Wan Yi, what is this behavior about? Remember, it was you who chose to marry Young Master Gu Ling. Why then are you not forthcoming about the ways in which he has wronged you?”
The old madam, who had previously seen the injuries sustained by Lu Wan Yi, was now overwhelmed with sorrow for the wrongs her daughter had endured, leading her to weep uncontrollably alongside her.
“Marquis, I assure you, I have never been cruel to Wan Yi. Since the day she became a part of our family, she has held a significant position in our household; everyone in the Gu family holds her in high esteem and respects her decisions. Even on the rare occasions when I made mistakes, I have submitted to kneeling as a form of penance. This is well-known among our household members,” Gu Ling explained, his voice filled with melancholy as he let out a heavy sigh. “I understand that Wan Yi marrying into my family is a compromise by her and your side. It’s for that reason that I would never even think about harming her. Despite her occasional displays of pride, my love and leniency towards her never faltered. Whenever she found fault with me, I knelt at her behest, never showing resistance,” Gu Ling said, his expression one of hurt.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan Ze’s anger only grew as he shot a look at his sister. “You claim of being injured by your husband, yet you refuse to show us where. Being pampered in your own family is one thing, but to carry such disregard into a marriage is entirely another. Gu Ling holds a respectable official position awarded by the court, and he owes acts of kneeling solely to his parents and the king. Yet, you had the audacity to demand such a gesture from him?” Lu Yuan Ze scolded her sharply.
Between sobs, Lu Wan Yi managed to say, “He only kneels to me as an apology after he hurt me!”
Still, she kept silent about the specifics of her injuries.
Madam Xu then suggested, “Perhaps we ought to call for a female doctor to examine my sister-in-law?”
Lu Wan Yi instantly became defensive, “No, no, not a doctor.”
The thought of revealing the places where Gu Ling had bitten her was too much to bear. The disclosure of such personal violations would shatter her dignity completely.
With a firm tone, Madam Xu advised, “Wan Yi, we value you and care for you greatly, but you must stop making baseless accusations. Young Master Gu Ling is a court official, and accusations of abuse without any proof or your refusal to be examined by a physician could ruin his reputation. Have you thought about the dishonor your demands for a divorce and the ensuing scandal would bring upon the Lu family? With my husband up for a promotion, we cannot afford any scandal that would besmirch the reputation of the Marquis’s household.”
Hearing this, Lu Yuan Ze seemed to soften. He personally helped Gu Ling to his feet, saying kindly, “It seems we, the Lu family, have fallen short in our daughter’s education, and for that, you have been unjustly put to trial.”
As the elderly madam gently wiped away her tears, she expressed her deep concern and heartbreak. “It’s not true. The last time Wan Yi came home, she was visibly covered in bruises and wounds. Yuan Ze, my son, how could we overlook this?”
Gu Ling quickly tried to downplay the situation, “That incident was merely a result of Wan Yi trying to adjust to our household. She accidentally took a bad fall.”
The old lady, unconvinced and skeptical, retorted, “How can a simple fall result in such extensive injuries?” She immediately regretted not taking Wan Yi’s injuries as concrete evidence before and allowed Gu Ling to take her back.
“Enough!” boomed Lu Yuan Ze, his voice filled with authority and frustration. “Mother, you have been overindulging Wan Yi. Look at what your pampering has done to her!” He pointed towards Lu Wan Yi, his frustration evident.
What really troubled him was the fact that Gu Ling’s influential ties within the court system were a golden ticket to climbing the ranks, potentially securing him a position as a third-rank official.
Madam Xu watched this unfold, a slight frown marring her features, fully aware of Lu Yuan Ze’s underlying motives – exploiting his sister to further his career prospects as a necessary sacrifice to benefit his own standing.
“Big Brother, you have to believe me,” Lu Wan Yi implored, falling to her knees, her voice filled with desperation. “He has been physically abusive; I fear for my life if I return. Sister-in-law, I was wrong to ignore your warnings. Gu Ling is a cruel man. Please, save me from this unbearable situation.”
Despite her heartfelt pleas, Lu Yuan Ze dismissed her, “Someone remove Wan Yi from here. We’ve had enough of this drama. Marriage is not child’s play.” He then took his place beside Gu Ling, adding insult to injury by saying, “Wan Yi’s defiance is our mistake; we’ve spoiled her. Should she step out of line, correct her as you deem necessary. The Lu family will not stand in your way. To think she would make such groundless claims against you. She’s been utterly foolish.”
Gu Ling responded with a mere nod, his face betraying no emotion.
Meanwhile, as the wine flowed freely at the table, the atmosphere remained seemingly unaffected by the turmoil, with guests engaging in light-hearted conversation. In stark contrast, in the room next door, Madam Xu faced a distraught Lu Wan Yi, now isolated and amidst the ruins of her emotional outburst.
“You! You are the root of all my misery! Sending me back to him, knowing well he would hurt me in ways that wouldn’t show!” Lu Wan Yi accused, her eyes ablaze with anger.
Madam Xu, with a chilling calmness, replied, “Your accusations are groundless, Wan Yi. Recall your own words: if a man becomes violent, the blame lies with the woman for provoking him. Perhaps it’s time you reflected on whether you’ve neglected your duties to him or the household. Consider your own actions.” Her voice carried a tone of superficial concern, “After all, weren’t those your words to me, dear sister?”
Trembling with a mix of rage and despair, Lu Wan Yi pointed at Madam Xu, her entire body shaking. “You will not find peace! Do you actually think you can be happy? You’re deluded. I’ll be watching, waiting for the day you plummet into despair.”
Madam Xu remained outwardly unfazed, internally reflecting on the dramatic shift in their relationship. Once considered close, they now stood on opposing sides. Secretly, Madam Xu felt a bitter resentment, especially towards Pei Jiao Jiao, who she had almost considered a daughter. Deep down, she harbored a sinister hope for their downfall, eagerly anticipating the day they too would face their own share of endless suffering.
»Secretly, Madam Xu felt a bitter resentment, especially towards Pei Jiao Jiao, who she had almost considered a daughter« I think should be Lu Wan Yi.
Alas I can’t enjoy Wan Yi’s outcome at all. Yeah, she deserves punishment for her betrayal and there’s some irony in having her stupid words about a women’s position in marriage turned against her but… her husband should be jailed! He’s not the enemy of MC’s family so he can live happily abusing people? I don’t like it. He beat his first wife to death and tortures his new wife but is hailed as a model scholar outside — how is that different from the Marquis cheating on his wife and scheming against her family while he’s praised as modle husband outside?
Yeah her punishment doesn’t match her crime at all at it’s disturbing to see her husband get away with this.
That’s the consequence of her actions, if you make your bed, you should sleep in it.