Meng Fuyan wouldn't pity those people. It's a power struggle, nothing to talk about. Besides, those people were the ones who harmed others first. Gu Tingzhi is just seeking revenge at most.
As for enemies, the more thoroughly they are dealt with, the better, so as to avoid them coming back to cause trouble in the future.
"What about the rest of the Gu family? So many of them are born out of wedlock; not all of them necessarily have a grudge against the eldest son's branch, right? What about those who depend on them?"
Lu Guozhong laughed, "You don't need to worry about that. Tingzhi will handle it. Suppression is a given. If they don't have serious crimes on their hands, Tingzhi probably won't touch them for the time being, otherwise it won't look good on his reputation. It's okay that Xu Honghua has a grudge against him, but the rest are his brothers and sisters no matter what. If he's too ruthless and deals with them all at once, those outsiders who want to find fault with him will definitely not rest easy."
Meng Fuyan nodded; she knew her father was telling the truth.
Gu Tingzhi is young and has already reached a high position. Besides those who envy him and want to climb up to him, there are even more people who are jealous and want to suppress or even replace him. The special period will not end until next year, so it is indeed not appropriate to be too flamboyant at this time.
Having learned the general situation, Meng Fuyan didn't ask any more questions. Anyway, with her father around, things wouldn't get out of control.
After dinner, Lu Guozhong went to his study, Meng Yunji did her homework, the two younger children played downstairs, Meng Fuyan made clothes upstairs, and Meng Suqin looked at some materials beside her.
Seeing that Meng Fuyan seemed absent-minded, Meng Suqin asked, "What's wrong? You've been spacing out. What are you thinking about?"
Meng Fuyan snapped out of her reverie, smiled, and continued with her needlework. "I wasn't thinking about anything, I just felt that the Gu family's affairs had come to an end. Getting revenge should be a happy thing, but for Tingzhi, I doubt he'll be happy."
"Does he feel that his revenge wasn't thorough enough, and that the Gu family has other illegitimate children who are competing with him for revenge?"
Meng Fuyan shook her head. "No, the one who deceived my mother-in-law back then was Xu Honghua and Gu Tao who conspired together. The biggest beneficiaries were Old Master Gu and Gu Tao. But these two happen to be Tingzhi's biological grandfather and biological father. Xu Honghua has no blood relation to him, so it's understandable to deal with Xu Honghua. This kind of struggle between legitimate and illegitimate children is not uncommon in the capital. Everyone is used to it."
"But Gu Tao and Grandpa Gu were not punished. They deceived Tingzhi's mother back then, causing her to die with resentment. Tingzhi can never make up for this regret."
Meng Suqin chuckled lightly, "Old Master Gu won't live for many more years. As for Gu Tao, he'll be retiring in a few years. How he lives after retirement depends entirely on Tingzhi's mood. The other children in the Gu family are no match for Tingzhi. All the resources of the Gu family belong to Tingzhi, so there's nothing wrong with that."
Meng Fuyan was taken aback, then turned to look at her mother, "Mom, don't you feel regretful about meeting someone like this?"
Meng Suqin was still holding the documents in her hand, but unlike most people, she was not filled with resentment or regret; she remained calm.
“Daughter, everyone has to pay the price for their actions. When Tingzhi’s mother and maternal grandparents chose his father, they didn’t do it without expecting something, did they? They also wanted protection in the chaos of the times, or rather, to rise to the top. How could a business family not have any ambitions? It’s just that their investment failed.”
"Besides, from another perspective, her son inherited the entire family business. Old Master Gu and Gu Tao deceived her back then, but in the end, the empire they built was inherited by her son. In another sense, she had the last laugh."
"Her son eventually inherited the family business, so she... didn't lose too much."
Meng Fuyan: "..."
Meng Fuyan didn't speak. She realized that her mother's thinking was always different from that of ordinary people. She had always thought that she was very carefree and clear-headed, but it seemed that she still couldn't do what her mother did.
"Mom, why...why?"
Meng Fuyan was a little unsure how to describe it.
Meng Suqin finally stopped what she was doing, looked up at her daughter, and asked with a smile, "Do you want to know why I seem so cold-blooded, yet also so clear-headed, carefree, and open-minded, but also so deeply affectionate throughout my life?"
Meng Fuyan nodded.
Meng Suqin replied, "Perhaps it is precisely because I have seen through human nature that I am able to be more tolerant. Marriage and love are inherently a gamble, and failure is a normal thing, isn't it? Some people have never done anything successful in their lives, yet they are inexplicably confident that the lover they chose will love them for a lifetime. There are clearly not many happy marriages around them, yet they take it for granted that they should be happy once they get married. Don't you think that's absurd?"
Meng Fuyan: "..."
"So, marriage failure is perfectly normal. Choosing the wrong man is nothing new. There's no need to be so sad and heartbroken. If you've made a mistake, you have to accept it and focus on resolving the current predicament. If I were Tingzhi's mother, things would definitely not be like this now."
Meng Fuyan suddenly became interested, "Then, Mom, what would you do if it were you?"
Meng Suqin looked at her daughter, smiled, leaned back in her chair, and said slowly, "I will live well and do my best to protect my two sons. I will also try my best to please Gu Tao and fight for the resources for my two sons to survive."
“Tingzhi’s mother is a rich young lady. Isn’t she better at coaxing a man than Xu Honghua? Even if Gu Tao is selfish, as long as Tingzhi’s mother is capable enough, the three of them won’t be left alone in the countryside. It’s entirely possible that they can be brought to live with her. Tingzhi’s mother’s family background isn’t good, but it’s based on the father’s background, not the mother’s. Tingzhi and his older brother are perfectly fine.”
"Even if Grandpa Gu and Gu Tao dislike Tingzhi's mother, they wouldn't hate their two grandsons. Such outstanding grandsons would definitely be nurtured by the Gu family. And as it turns out, that's exactly what happened, isn't it? If Tingzhi and his older brother had grown up in Kyoto and been raised by the Gu family, Xu Honghua would never have dared to use such methods against Gu Ruizhi."
"And most importantly, everyone knows that these two children belong to the Gu family. They were raised by the old man and Gu Tao and are highly valued. No one should dare to help Xu Honghua do this. They would be afraid that the old man will punish them."
Meng Fuyan remained silent, feeling that her mother's words made sense.
Although Old Master Gu's character is questionable, his strength is undeniable. If Gu Tingzhi and his elder brother had grown up in Kyoto and received the attention of some elders, others would definitely have to think twice before making a move against him.
pity……
Seeing that her daughter remained silent, Meng Suqin asked, "What's wrong? Do you think your mother is too focused on self-interest? Is your mind only on power struggles and you have no backbone at all?"
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