The Duke of E remained unfazed. "No one knows a son better than his father. I know exactly what you're thinking."
Ms. Chen was slightly apprehensive.
Gu Congshao remained silent for a long time before saying, "Since Father has spoken frankly today, I will also say a few words from my heart. Back then, Jinchuan was still young, and I was indeed resentful, feeling that you were biased. Compared to my elder brother, I was only born a few years later, so why should I always give in? But ancestral etiquette and family traditions are also important, and I acknowledge my son. I can say with my hand on my heart that I have never had any intention of harming Jinchuan."
The Duke of E nodded.
“I understand.”
At the very least, the children raised by prominent families can distinguish right from wrong.
“Since you have mentioned ancestral etiquette, I will say a few more words. When His Majesty was the Crown Prince, he favored your sister because he did not want the eldest son of a concubine to overshadow the legitimate son and disrupt the hierarchy.”
Gu Congshao remained silent.
Ms. Chen was somewhat surprised.
The Duke of E's gaze was like a deep pool. "During the reign of the late emperor, the harem was mostly made up of women from aristocratic families, and the eldest son of the empress died young, which led to disunity among the people and caused chaos in the foundation of the state. In fact, the same applies to families. If any aristocratic family wants to prosper in the long term, the members of the family must work together. If there is internal discord and brothers fight each other, it is like rotting meat that breeds maggots and dried fish that breeds weevils. In the long run, it will lead to its demise and disaster."
Gu Congshao stood up and said in a somber tone, "Father's words are right, I will keep them in mind. Jinchuan has already achieved military merits at a young age, and his actions are becoming more and more mature. He is the future head of the Gu family, and I have no objections whatsoever."
The Duke of E nodded with satisfaction.
After hearing this stern warning, Chen was terrified and dared not have any other thoughts.
**
Gu Jinchuan escorted Gu Zhiqing to the door and said, "Zhiqing, don't blame me for speaking so harshly. We are cousins, and we share the same blood. If you ever suffer any injustice outside, I will certainly stand up for you. Although your aunt may not treat you like her own daughter, she can still distinguish between relatives and outsiders. As long as you don't make any serious mistakes, she will always be willing to protect you."
Gu Zhiqing looked at him.
Gu Jinchuan smiled. "A family's prosperity is not the work of one person alone, but if the parasites are not eliminated, there will be endless troubles. We are a family, and we should be of one mind and stand together against outsiders. We must not allow any discord among ourselves, lest others take advantage of the situation. Don't you agree?"
Gu Zhiqing's heart pounded.
She wasn't stupid; as a daughter of a prominent family, even if she wasn't favored, she wouldn't fall behind in learning anything she was supposed to.
That's about the family's reputation.
“Brother is right. I was confused before, but I will never do it again. Please rest assured, brother.”
Gu Jinchuan nodded.
His cousin wasn't stupid; once she emerged from the illusion of love, she understood right and wrong.
**
Emperor Hongde was keen to play matchmaker, and he often gave Gu Jinchuan time off to go on dates with beautiful women.
Jiang Shuman disliked political marriages, but after she lost her prejudice, she found that Gu Jinchuan wasn't such a bad person.
A virtuous person is open-minded and acts with integrity.
I'm willing to give it a try with him.
Jiang Shumiao begged her mother to take her to the Duke's mansion. The old lady was overjoyed to see her granddaughter.
"Our Miaomiao is such a lucky girl, she's getting prettier and prettier as she grows up."
[The male lead dared to use a curse on his grandmother; his birth date and time must have been given to him by my wicked cousin.]
The old lady's face stiffened.
Xiao Yitang's eyelids twitched as well.
Jiang Shumiao kept her head down and didn't notice their expressions; she was still troubled.
[My wicked cousin has lived in the Duke's mansion for so many years; I wonder if she's left any spies. My grandmother only knows how to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist prayers, and doesn't care about anything else. What if she gets harmed one day? And the male lead is even coveting the golden aura of merit on my grandmother's body.]
[We still have to move back in. With me, the true god, protecting this house, no demons or monsters can get close.]
Hearing her daughter's heartfelt words, Xiao Yitang had an idea in mind. She smiled and said, "Miaomiao is also worried about you. She keeps asking to come back and see you every day. I was thinking that you must be lonely living alone, so why don't we move back? You'll be happy with the children around. What do you think, Mother?"
Jiang Shumiao's eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded hurriedly.
"Okay, okay, come back and stay here. I want to live with my grandmother."
Hearing this, the old lady felt comforted. She hugged Jiang Shumiao and said, "I used to blame myself for being foolish and hurting you. Now that you are willing to forgive and forget, I am naturally happy."
Xiao Yitang said gently, "Mother, you're too kind. We're family, no need for such formalities."
Jiang Zhixu was also deeply moved when she found out.
"Ah Tang, thank you for your understanding."
Xiao Yitang smiled and said, "I also grew up calling her aunt. We are family, there's no need for us to hold a grudge over other people."
So the family moved back to the Duke's Mansion.
Fuqu was the happiest one.
The radiant aura of merit emanating from the old lady from head to toe allows her to calm her mind and dispel demonic energy.
Although Jiang Shumiao did not agree to take her as his apprentice, he was willing to give her guidance.
Divine guidance is something that can only be encountered by chance.
Fuqu truly felt she had struck it lucky, a stroke of great fortune for a demon.
The first thing Xiao Yitang did after returning to the Duke's mansion was to clean up the house, and she actually discovered several informants.
The old lady's personal attendant, Aunt Xiuqin, was sent by the Empress Dowager from the palace years ago and is absolutely loyal. There is a maid in the courtyard who is actually a spy planted by Jiang Sixian when he was alive.
There was an old woman in the kitchen who was in charge of purchasing things; she had received kindness from Shen Zhixian.
The maid in charge of offerings in the Buddhist hall, the two servants who did heavy work in the outer courtyard, and the head of the accounting office all ate at the expense of both families.
Xiao Yitang didn't waste any words. "Today, I'll let it slide because you've served me for many years and haven't made any major mistakes. You can leave the manor and fend for yourselves. Don't ever say you're from the Duke's manor again."
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