Chapter 829 I was rough with myself last night

Shen Wantang ignored his teasing and continued practicing calligraphy with great enthusiasm, getting better and better at it.

If it weren't so late today, she probably would have practiced for another hour.

"Alright, that's very well written. It's time to rest."

Gu Qianhan shook his head helplessly, took the pen from her hand, and pulled her to bed.

After lying down, Shen Wantang remembered something else: "How did A Ning and Pei Yingzhu's trip to the palace go today? Did anything go wrong?"

Gu Qianhan pulled her into his arms and said gently, "Don't worry, the two of them won't cause any trouble. With Feng Shuo around, any situation can be resolved. Besides, Pei Yingzhu is incredibly shrewd, and even if A Ning is a bit dim-witted, the two of them together are enough to handle her."

Shen Wantang was both amused and annoyed: "Don't say that about A Ning! She's still very smart, just too upright and too kind."

Gu Qianhan chuckled and kissed Shen Wantang on the forehead: "Hmm, she was indeed quite clever today."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Did you tell A Ning the real reason why Pei Yingzhu contacted me?"

"Yes! We can't just keep A-Ning in the dark; she has the right to know too."

"Yes, although she learned Pei Yingzhu's true purpose for entering the palace today, she still pretended not to know and acted as if she didn't get along with Pei Yingzhu. Whenever Pei Yingzhu got close to the Crown Prince, A Ning acted like a jealous and temperamental little girl."

Shen Wantang breathed a sigh of relief: "A Ning is indeed clever; she didn't reveal a single flaw."

"Hmm, she managed to fool the Crown Prince today. He even thought that A Ning really liked him, and he spent a long time coaxing her. It's quite ridiculous. A Ning was pretending to be jealous, and the Crown Prince was pretending to like her and be jealous. They were both acting, and it was a test of who had the better acting skills."

Shen Wantang sighed softly, "A Ning has it tough too. She has to pretend to like him when facing her enemy from her past life. She must be heartbroken."

Gu Qianhan, however, took it all in stride: "It's nothing. These experiences will help her grow. After going through all this, nothing will be able to easily defeat her in the future. Besides, she won't be upset for long. Our big event is about to begin."

Shen Wantang's heart skipped a beat: "It's starting? So soon?"

"Preparations are almost complete. I don't want to wait any longer. As soon as I get the military tally from Pei Yingzhu, I'll immediately lead my men into the palace and take the lives of the Emperor and the Crown Prince!"

Shen Wantang couldn't help but hug him tightly: "You must be careful, don't rush into things and hurt yourself in the name of revenge."

Gu Qianhan could sense her tension and worry, so he hugged her tightly: "I'll be careful. Don't you know my personality? I only like to use strategies, not to act recklessly."

"Moreover, this time I've made thorough preparations and haven't let the news slip like I did in my previous life, so I'm sure I can catch them off guard this time."

"Don't be afraid, I will be the one to win this time!"

Hearing his firm and confident tone, Shen Wantang felt her tension ease slightly.

But I still didn't sleep well that night.

Gu Qianhan, who was beside her, slept quite well and woke up the next day refreshed and full of energy.

Seeing the dark circles and weariness in her eyes, he was quite surprised: "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare last night?"

Shen Wantang shook her head: "I just didn't sleep well."

Gu Qianhan pressed her back onto the bed: "Then why did you get up? Sleep a little longer."

"I'm not going to sleep anymore, I still have to go and pay my respects to my mother."

"Why bother with greetings? Ah Ning often sleeps in late and doesn't go to pay her respects. You're the same. You don't need to go. Just get some sleep."

Shen Wantang thought for a moment, but didn't insist: "Then go to the main courtyard for me and explain a few words for me. Remember to say it nicely, so that Mother doesn't feel that I don't respect her."

"Okay, I'll go explain for you."

Gu Qianhan covered her with the blanket: "Close your eyes and sleep a little longer."

Shen Wantang closed her eyes as instructed and went back to sleep.

Gu Qianhan dressed, washed her face, and headed straight for the main courtyard.

As soon as she entered, Madam Gu exclaimed in surprise, "Hmm? Why are you here today? Where is your wife?"

Gu Qianhan: "I was too rough with her last night and hurt her, so she won't be able to come for the next few days."

Madam Gu: "..."

Granny Chang: "..."

Madam Gu couldn't help but laugh and scold him: "You scoundrel, how can you say such things so casually? You may not care about your reputation, but I do! Go away, go away quickly! Go back and take good care of your wife. Only she can tolerate you! You must have accumulated great virtue in your past life to have married her!"

Gu Qianhan glanced at her: "Mother is quite the fortune teller; she actually knew that I was able to marry Atang because of the great virtue I accumulated in my past life."

Madam Gu took it as him being sarcastic and didn't bother arguing with him: "Quickly tell the kitchen to make a wild ginseng and pigeon soup for her. Give her the ginseng and the meat, and you can just eat the bones!"

"Is our Duke's mansion so poor that we can't even make two pigeons? I want to eat meat too."

"What are you going to eat? You're already so strong, what would you do if you took more supplements?"

This time, Gu Qianhan didn't argue with her. She turned around and instructed Jixiang to tell the kitchen to make pigeon soup before leaving.

Seeing him leave, Madam Gu finally breathed a sigh of relief: "What a foul-mouthed brat! It's a good thing that A Ning and Pei Yingzhu haven't arrived yet, or they would have been mortified by him."

Granny Chang smiled and said, "This old servant thinks that the Second Young Master's straightforwardness is not necessarily a bad thing. Moreover, the Second Young Master and the Second Young Mistress have such a good relationship. It's better for the young couple to be so sweet and loving than to live a cold and indifferent life."

"Yes, that makes sense."

Madam Gu sighed, "I never expected that the one who's doing the best now would be the second son. On the contrary, it's the eldest son's situation that makes me feel uneasy. I always feel that I'm the one who ruined him... Sigh!"

"Madam, there's no need to blame yourself. No one can predict the future. The Meng family put on a respectable facade, but who knows what they've been up to behind the scenes? Not to mention you, even the Emperor was deceived by Meng Deguang. He probably wouldn't be satisfied even if he killed him right now."

Madam Gu gave a bitter smile: "That's the only way I can comfort myself. Otherwise, I'll really blame myself so much that I can't eat or sleep. How's the eldest son's family? Has Meng Yunlan caused any more trouble?"

"Of course there's a commotion, but our people have guarded Jade Dew Courtyard like an iron barrel, so the eldest young mistress can't cause any trouble. Even the nannies and maids from the Meng family came to ask for help, but I chased them away."

Madam Gu nodded: "You did the right thing. If the Duke's mansion helped the Meng family at a time like this, the Duke would not be able to explain himself to the Emperor."