Turning to Grandfather Gu, she said, “Grandfather, I understand your desire to bring glory to our family. But I don’t need to say which is more secure: what you gain by bowing and scraping or what you achieve through your own efforts? The Gu family’s foundation is still shallow. If we rush things, it could lead to unimaginable consequences. I think you have your own judgment.”

“However, Grandfather, you don’t need to take my words too seriously. After all, you have already made your own choice. Therefore, I may not come back to visit you frequently in the future. After all, I don’t want His Majesty to misunderstand that the Zheng family is too close to the Fourth Prince. I hope you can understand this.”

This was precisely the purpose of her trip.

She was already impatient with getting close to the Gu family and was struggling to find a suitable excuse, but Gu Qinlian offered her an excellent reason.

At this point, Gu Qinlan presented the family seal that Old Master Gu had previously given her.

"From now on, I will trouble Grandfather to take care of the Gu family's household affairs."

Old Master Gu was naturally unwilling to take over, since he had initially allowed Gu Qinlan to manage the family affairs based on the Zheng family's power. Now that Gu Qinlan herself had become a county princess, it would be even more beneficial to the Gu family's business empire, so how could he easily relinquish it?

"You have managed the family business very well, so please continue in this role. Your grandfather has great faith in your abilities. You also know that your grandfather's health has deteriorated in recent years, and your two younger brothers are not yet fully capable in the business world. So please do your best to share the burden for the family."

Gu Qinlan replied with a serious expression: "If you want me to take over again, it's only if Grandfather can sever ties with the Ji family and Gu Qinlian."

Gu Qinlian immediately screamed at a high decibel: "Outrageous! Gu Qinlian, even if you are now a county princess, you cannot force my Gu family to sever ties with you!"

Gu Qinlan said coldly, "Just because my grandfather wants me to continue managing the Gu family business. The Zheng family will never stand on the side of any prince. Even if you are just a maidservant by the side of the Fourth Prince's wife, I must maintain absolute distance from you."

She turned her gaze to Grandpa Gu: "Grandfather, you make the choice yourself."

Master Gu looked troubled: "Qin Lan, is it really necessary to be so tense?"

He couldn't bear to part with his granddaughter, who was the county princess, nor could he forget the former glory of the fourth prince.

Gu Qinlan smiled gently: "Grandfather, greed is insatiable, and you can't have your cake and eat it too. You have to choose between me and the Gu Qinlian you love."

Grandpa Gu's gaze darted back and forth between his two granddaughters. Suddenly, he clutched his chest with both hands, appearing to be breathing rapidly in pain.

The servant attending him immediately cried out in panic, "Master, what's wrong? Quickly, help the master back to his room to rest, and go fetch a doctor..."

Everyone immediately got to work.

As Gu Qinlan watched the servants carry Old Master Gu back to his residence, she couldn't help but sneer contemptuously.

This old rascal is really getting on in years; he's even resorting to such shameless tricks.

Gu Qinlian glared at her fiercely, her eyes wide with anger: "Gu Qinlan, why can't you stand to see others doing well? Don't think you're so great just because you've become a county princess. Just wait and see, one day I'll make you cry your eyes out!"

Gu Qinlan raised her eyebrows and smiled meaningfully: "I am indeed more capable than you, isn't that an obvious fact? As for whether I will shed tears in the future, it's hard to say now, but I think you will soon taste tears."

Gu Qinlian's eyes narrowed: "What do you mean by this?"

Gu Qinlan patted her shoulder lightly: "Of course, I'm reminding you to be careful. The Fourth Prince's Consort is no pushover. You'd better be careful not to put yourself in a desperate situation."

As soon as she finished speaking, she handed the Gu family's seal of authority to Gu Qinlian, then turned to Zheng Dinglian, who had remained silent, and smiled: "Let's go, let's go home."

Gu Qinlian watched them walk away hand in hand, her hand gripping the family seal tightly, her heart filled with resentment: "Gu Qinlian, don't celebrate your victory too soon. One day I will trample you under my feet!"

Ji Yinli quietly approached and reached out to take the family seal.

Gu Qinlian glared at him warily: "What do you want to do!"

Ji Yinli snorted coldly: "Is there even a question? Gu Qinlian, now that Gu Qinlan has relinquished control of the Gu family, the Gu family can only rely on you. Don't you want to firmly grasp the power of the family in your hands?"

Gu Qinlian sneered: "I think you're just after my Gu family's assets. Ji Yinli, don't be delusional. You're not cut out for business. You'd better focus your energy on what you should be doing and pass the imperial examination as soon as possible so you can gain the favor of the Fourth Prince."

At this point, she had little patience for Ji Yinli. This man was completely different from the one in her previous life, and she couldn't help but wonder if Ji Yinli could still achieve the third-highest rank in the imperial examination if things continued like this.

Although she still held a glimmer of hope, she was not so foolish as to easily hand over the family's business empire to Ji Yinli.

After all, money can only realize its greatest value when it is in your own hands!

Seeing Gu Qinlian's wary gaze, Ji Yinli felt an uncontrollable surge of anger welling up inside him.

That despicable scoundrel!

Now that they've latched onto the Fourth Prince's household, they've completely forgotten about him!

What gives her the right to be so arrogant?

If it weren't for the scheming of that despicable man back then, he might already be Gu Qinlan's husband. Gu Qinlan has been personally bestowed the title of County Princess by the Emperor, which would allow him to enjoy immense prestige and even gain access to numerous resources.

How did things come to this, that even daily expenses have to depend on Qin Lian's mood?

Whenever he thought about his current situation, Ji Yinli felt a burning hatred, firmly believing that he had been framed by Gu Qinlian.

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