It was already dark when I got home.
The family washed up and rested early. The next day, they went to the Li residence. They had been away for two days and it was time to go back, so they came to have a meal with the Li family and ask Empress Dowager Jiang if she wanted to go back with them.
Gu Shouxin hadn't been able to see the Duke and Duchess Rong before, but this time he finally did.
This elderly couple seemed like kind and gentle people, but Gu Shouxin could tell they were definitely not simple.
That person was protecting a prince on his way back to the palace to inherit the throne. If he were truly so kind and benevolent, he would have been killed countless times along the way.
From what Gu Shouxin knew, the late emperor was a benevolent ruler. He was good whether he was a prince or an emperor, and there were even times when he was pressured by his ministers.
He was able to secure his throne and pass it on to the next generation, probably thanks to the Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager Jiang, and the Duke of Rong!
Gu Shouxin even had a conspiracy theory: the Duke of Rongguo had a son and a daughter. The daughter went missing, while the son was very successful. Could it be that the former Empress Dowager, now the Grand Empress Dowager, deliberately had the son killed because she was afraid that the maternal relatives would rebel?
Gu Shouxin firmly believed that the most powerful person in the Ye family of the royal family was that old lady who was over seventy years old, the current Empress Dowager.
To be honest, he really wanted to test his skills against them.
The Duchess of Rongguo's surname was Xie. As soon as the Gu family arrived, she took the hands of several young girls and chatted with them affectionately, just like she would her own granddaughters.
As the Duke of Rong spoke with Gu Shouxin, Gu Shouxin felt as if he were being tested, as if the Duke was probing his depth or testing whether he was qualified.
Ha, is he qualified?
Gu Shouxin immediately understood: this was to see if he was qualified to become in-laws with the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.
To be honest, he was still wondering if Li Muyan was good enough for his eldest daughter.
He handled the situation with ease, neither impressing the Duke of Rong with his abilities nor making him seem incompetent; he was neither good nor bad.
...
That evening, after leaving the Li family's house, Gu Xin teased Gu Nian in the car: "Sister, the way Grandma Xie looked at you was like she was looking at her granddaughter-in-law! Hahaha, she's trying to win over Brother Muyan for you!"
Gu Nian slapped her: "Don't talk nonsense! I'll beat you up!"
Gu Xin chuckled and said, "Sister, I know you'll miss it."
Gu Nian: "...The way Grandma Xie looks at Sister Huihui, Sister Sisi, and you is the same way she looks at me! Are you trying to say that she's only looking at her granddaughter-in-law?"
The eldest sister and her brother both shook their heads: "No, she doesn't. We think the same as Xin Xin (sister), she just really likes you!"
Gu Nian tickled them one by one: "Hey, are you all ostracizing me? Watch me tickle you and make you laugh!"
They returned home laughing and joking. Once inside, Gu Shouxin reminded his sisters, "Don't make fun of Nian Nian in public anymore. A girl's reputation is very important, you know?"
Gu Xin nodded: "Yes, I know, Dad. I only tease my older sister when all of us sisters are around!"
Gu Nian chased after Gu Xin: "You brat, you still want to hit me, huh?"
Gu Xin hid behind Gu Shouxin for a while, then behind Cai Xiaolian for a while, then pulled Gu Hui to block her, and then pulled Gu Si to block her.
The sisters had a great time.
Meanwhile, in Li Muyan's study, Madam Xie was chatting with him: "Muyan, your maternal grandmother saw Niannian and said she's a very good girl."
After the two elders arrived and recognized each other, they began to discuss Li Muyan's marriage. They wanted Li Muyan to get married as soon as possible, have a child, and give one to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, with the surname Jiang, so that the child could inherit the Duke's title.
They originally intended to give the title to Li Muyan, and had even submitted a memorial to the emperor requesting that he be made the heir apparent.
Li Muyan said regretfully, "Grandmother, I know she's a good person! But she doesn't want to be in a relationship!"
Madam Xie laughed and said, "A good woman is afraid of a man's persistence. Although you can't go out, you can write letters to show your concern for her! Write every day and have someone deliver them every day. One day you will move her heart."
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