At this moment, members of the other branches of the Gu family also stepped forward to speak.
“Grandpa, you are the head of the Gu family. It is your right to pass on the position of clan leader to someone else. We just wanted to make a small suggestion for the future of the entire Gu family. Besides, since Seventh Brother is not here, such an important decision should be made after the whole clan is present.”
Gu Jingyu also spoke up: "Great-grandfather, all the uncles and elders are thinking of the Gu family. Selecting the next Gu family head is a major event concerning the future of the Gu family, and it cannot be taken lightly."
Among the crowd, the eldest grandson of the Gu family's eldest branch said with a hint of anger, "If the future clan leader is the seventh uncle of the sixth branch, I won't say a word, because I know that the seventh uncle's ability is the most outstanding in the Gu family, and he is the most suitable person to serve as the clan leader. As for the others, hehe, I really don't think they are good enough."
"My eldest brother and I agree that only Uncle Qi is the most suitable candidate to become the patriarch of the Gu family in the future."
Seeing that all the younger generation stood up to support the seventh brother, while he himself was not favored by the entire clan, Gu Tingjun was instantly filled with rage.
He shot a cold glance at Old Master Gu.
"Sixth Grandfather, I, Gu Tingjun, don't really want the position of clan leader. Since they all think that the seventh brother is the most suitable, let's follow their idea and wait for the seventh brother to come back."
Beneath Old Gu's seemingly expressionless face lay a chilling indifference that revealed his complete understanding of everything.
Gu Tingjun is using a strategy of retreat as a means of advancement.
Aye is in their hands, and he knows that if he wants Aye to come back, he must give him the position of clan chief.
Therefore, this treacherous villain has thrown the problem at him.
Madam Gu looked at Old Master Gu and saw a hint of gloom in his eyes, knowing that he must be struggling internally at this moment.
Ye Yuzhen suddenly looked at Gu Zhizhou and Qin Lin.
"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, I heard that Seventh Brother went to Nanguang, and it's been about a month now, hasn't it? Why hasn't he come back yet?"
Gu Zhizhou and Qin Lin's expressions both changed.
Qin Lin, in particular, felt as if her already wounded heart had been stabbed open again, and the tearing pain was eroding her body and soul.
"Ye Yuzhen, you really have a vicious heart. Ah Ye has been away from Kunlun Mountain and hasn't returned yet. Everyone in the Gu family knows that. Why did you deliberately ask me in public when Ah Ye would return? Hmph, I know that you two have long coveted the power of the Gu family. But you'd better think it over. Even if Ah Ye is gone, we, the sixth branch, still have Gu Zhizhou. It's not your second branch's turn to take over."
After being reprimanded mercilessly by Qin Lin, Ye Yuzhen lost face, and the smile on her lips froze.
She and Qin Lin used to maintain a superficial harmony, originally intending for her niece to marry Gu Jueye, so that the Gu and Ye families could become even closer through marriage.
Unfortunately, Gu Jueye was short-sighted, preferring a woman of lowly birth like Bai Qianmo to Qian Ning, the legitimate heiress of the Ye family.
From then on, the two gradually drifted apart, and today they have completely broken off relations.
Ye Yuzhen gave a cold laugh, deciding that she no longer needed to be polite to the sixth branch of the family.
She had been subservient to Qin Lin for many years and had long since had enough of this insult.
"Fourth Aunt, what you're saying is a bit too much. I'm just concerned about A-Ye's safety and wanted to ask when he'll be back. As his sister-in-law, it's only natural for me to worry about him. You're wronging me."
“I know you’ve been in a bad mood lately. I was originally planning to go to your house to talk to you and your fourth uncle. You two have been married for half your lives, and suddenly an illegitimate child appears…”
At this point, Ye Yuzhen gasped and quickly covered her mouth, looking as if she had said something she shouldn't have.
"illegitimate child?"
"What illegitimate child?"
The Gu family members understood the key point and kept asking questions.
Everyone stared intently at Ye Yuzhen, their eyes wide with the unwavering gaze of onlookers.
Qin Lin's face turned pale instantly.
Gu Zhizhou's face was also gloomy and embarrassed.
"I...I didn't mean to tell anyone. Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, I only found out about the illegitimate child myself. I thought everyone already knew."
Madam Gu sneered, "Ye Yuzhen, I really underestimated you before. I originally thought you were just a smooth talker and a flatterer, but now it seems that you are all talk and no action."
"Sixth Grandmother, you've wronged me. I really didn't mean to say that Fourth Uncle had an illegitimate child. Actually, this illegitimate child was born to Fourth Uncle and another woman before he got married, so you can't blame Fourth Uncle."
While Ye Yuzhen was trying her best to explain that it was an unintentional mistake, she didn't forget to add insult to injury, not only revealing that Gu Zhizhou had an illegitimate child, but also exposing the child's age.
"I never imagined that my fourth uncle had another son. I really never expected that."
“Fourth Uncle doesn’t seem like that kind of person. I will never believe it unless Fourth Uncle admits it himself.” A middle-aged man of similar age to Gu Zhizhou, but a generation younger, spoke up to defend Gu Zhizhou.
“I don’t believe it either. Fourth Grandfather is such an upright person, how could he do such a thing?” a young woman said, her face full of shock.
The younger generation of the Gu family began to discuss it, mainly because Gu Zhizhou left them with the image of an upright person who acted with humility and had been a good husband and father for nearly thirty years after marrying Qin Lin.
The upper-class aristocratic circles in the capital are just a few people who all know each other. If anyone has a little bit of gossip, it will be known to everyone in less than three days.
There are plenty of people who pretend to be high-minded on the surface, but are rotten to the core.
But Gu Zhizhou is different. He has been married for almost thirty years and spends his days in the military, attending meetings, and going home. His bodyguards and assistants are all male soldiers.
It can be said that apart from his wife Qin Lin, Gu Zhizhou has never been seen with another woman by his side.
Therefore, Gu Zhizhou, who was known for his integrity, was always highly respected by the younger generation of the Gu family.
Everyone was quite surprised when they learned that Gu Zhizhou had an illegitimate child.
"Fourth brother, this matter of having an illegitimate child must be a smear campaign by someone, right? How could you possibly have an illegitimate child?" The patriarch of the fifth branch, Gu Xiangrong, was the third son, but he was a full twenty years older than Gu Zhizhou.
He watched Gu Zhizhou grow up, and he has always known Gu Zhizhou's character very well.
Therefore, Gu Xiangrong simply couldn't believe that his fourth brother would do such a thing.
Gu Zhizhou kept his lips tightly pressed together and remained silent for a long time.
He felt that everyone's eyes were on him, waiting for a definite answer.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
