Chapter 300
Tao Tao said, "We'll go over there in a bit."
"It is the Princess."
The butler slowly withdrew.
She cupped his face in her hands, her gaze lingering on his features, and asked, "You seem to have some issues with them? Do you dislike them?"
Perhaps something happened between them that led to him choosing to reside in the Privy Council year-round, even though they were both in the capital.
"I don't get along with them very well."
He stated it bluntly, but did not explain why.
Every family has its own troubles, and she couldn't interfere in his affairs with the Duan family. Besides, she didn't mention that her mother was a princess of the Xia Kingdom.
Although she knew he probably knew, whether she told him or not was another matter.
He joined the army at the age of thirteen, lost both his parents, and had a bad relationship with other relatives, so he moved out to live on his own.
They look so pitiful no matter how you look at them.
A feeling of pity welled up in her heart, and she pressed her lips to his. "You still have me. If they treat you badly, we'll ignore them."
"Of course, if they come knocking on our door looking for trouble, we'll just give them a perfunctory response."
Duan Gan sensed her pity and raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was thinking. But to receive a sweet kiss was worth it.
When the two arrived in the lobby hand in hand, they were already getting impatient.
"Duan Gan! Don't you even know to bring your bride back to serve tea to your elders after your wedding?! Do you even have any respect for the Duan family or for me?"
Old Master Duan's face was gloomy, his tone was cold and hard, and he looked very dissatisfied.
As soon as she entered, she was met with a barrage of insults, which immediately put Tao Tao in a bad mood.
Now that Duan Gan's status is different, according to the laws of the Celestial Empire, shouldn't they be the ones to pay their respects to Duan Gan first?
Even if someone is an elder, you shouldn't disregard their dignity in front of so many people.
She felt uncomfortable and gripped his hand tightly.
Duan Gan sensed her emotions and turned to look at her, only to see that her originally cold face had become smiling.
She let go of his hand, took the tea from the maid beside her, and stepped forward. "Grandpa, please have some tea."
Old Master Duan sighed in frustration, looked at the tea in front of him, and slowly raised his eyes to examine the young girl.
The scrutinizing gaze made her feel vaguely uncomfortable.
Just as her hand started to ache, a large hand took it from her.
He said coldly, "Didn't you want a drink?" His eyes held a hint of warning.
Although Old Master Duan's eyesight was failing, he wasn't blind. How could he not see something so close, especially given the expression directed at him?
He immediately picked up his cane and slammed it on the ground, making a dull thud.
"What kind of attitude is this? Is this how you treat your elders?" he scolded with dissatisfaction.
“That’s right, Si Lang. Although you are now the Regent, you are still a member of the Duan family. That’s a fact you can’t change.”
As Hu spoke, a barely perceptible hint of jealousy crossed her face.
Why is it that Duan Gan can rise so high while her husband can only drag his broken body, lying in bed all day, without even an official position?
It must be that Duan Gan stole the position that originally belonged to her husband.
Hu never thought about why Duan Gan had achieved what he had today, nor did she remember that when Duan Gan was young and went to the army camp alone, no one cared about him or helped him.
Everyone was laughing at him for not taking the right path and insisting on making things difficult for himself.
A hint of impatience flashed in Tao Tao's eyes. She took the teacup from Duan Gan's hand and threw it onto the table with a clatter. "That's enough."
Duan Zhiyuan jumped to her feet, staring at her in shock. "What do you mean by this? You dare to disobey your elders on your very first day at the sect?!"
"So what? This is the Privy Council, not your Duan family's residence."
She stepped forward, pulled Duan Gan behind her, and coldly stared at the woman in front of her.
To hell with elders! Acting like an old man won't work on her. If you're nice to them, they'll take advantage of you on their turf.
Do you think she's easy to bully if I don't get angry?
Duan Gan, out of consideration for blood relations, still gave them some face, but he didn't want them to use their power like a tyrant.
"Drink it or don't, if you don't want to, get out of here."
Everyone stared in astonishment, stood up, and looked on incredulously.
I never expected that this seemingly gentle young lady would be so similar to Duan Gan in his arrogant and conceited manner.
Duan Gan stood behind her, looking down at her protective manner. The feeling of being protected was strange.
Everyone thought he was so powerful that he didn't need anyone's protection, and while that was indeed the case, this was the first time he had someone protecting him.
Especially since this person is such a petite young lady.
Madam Xie quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Niece-in-law, don't be angry. We didn't mean any harm. It's just that the old master misses Silang and wants to see you, his granddaughter-in-law."
"Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important. The Duan family is a prominent aristocratic family, so it is perfectly normal for them to value filial piety and etiquette. Don't think that we are targeting you."
After speaking, she paused, then looked at Duan Gan with a smile, "Si Lang, don't you agree?"
“Aunt, my wife is now in charge of the Privy Council, so she should be given priority. I have to listen to whatever she says and does.”
The subtext is that what he said doesn't work.
A tall, imposing man stood behind the petite woman, seemingly being protected by her, but in reality, he was sheltering her under his wings, blocking out anything that might harm her.
"You!" Jiang stared at him in disbelief.
They could hardly believe that the seemingly well-behaved Duan Gan in front of them was the same eccentric and aloof boy from before.
They understood that he was supporting his new wife.
Tao Tao glanced at them and said calmly, "Now, sit down and drink the tea I offer. If you don't, I'll have the butler ask you to leave."
The corners of everyone's mouths twitched slightly. Suppressing their inner shock, they exchanged glances and slowly sat down.
Old Master Duan had never seen such a woman before. He looked at Duan Gan with anger at his lack of ambition and was about to say something when Xie stopped him.
“Father.” She shook her head at him.
Now that the Duan family is managed by the eldest daughter-in-law of the main branch, he can't refuse to give her face.
So he calmed himself down and sat down.
Tao Tao took the tea that the maid had served again and presented it to the old man with both hands, saying, "Grandpa, please have some tea."
Old Master Duan's expression wasn't good, but he still took it and took a small sip.
Then he turned to the servant beside him and asked him to bring the things over.
He gave her an emerald green jadeite bracelet, its color vibrant and its translucency excellent; it was clearly priceless.
Tao Tao glanced at it and then had Rong'er behind her take it.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
She didn't recognize anyone else, and only said three simple, curt words: "Please have some tea."
The gifts he gave her were mostly jewelry.
She had Rong'er put them away as well.
Seeing that she didn't care at all and didn't show any gratitude, the women thought that she, as a county princess, might have seen better things.
But we can't just ignore all the superficial efforts, can we?
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