"Has Mother come up with some brilliant plan?"
"Tomorrow, announce to the public that the Gu family knows about Gu Qianluo's affair with the secret guards and has severed ties with her. From now on, everything about her will have nothing to do with the Gu family."
She will no longer be in charge of any affairs related to the Gu family's estates or shops.
"But the Gu family's business is far-reaching and extensive. If that's the case, the servants might cause trouble at the Gu residence. Mother, you must consider this carefully!"
"What are you afraid of?! Don't you have your brother?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Qianxue's eyes lit up, and she said calmly, "My younger brother has never managed the affairs of the Gu family before. I'm afraid he won't handle it well, and when Father wakes up, he might blame Mother."
Upon hearing Gu Qianxue's words, Lu's eyes lit up with doubt, and she exclaimed in surprise,
"Xue'er! When did you become so hesitant? You used to be decisive. What are you still hesitating about when it comes to a matter that threatens the life and death of the Gu family?"
Gu Qianxue's heart sank, and her memories of her past life in the Marquis's mansion flashed through her mind. It was because of her impulsiveness, recklessness, and eagerness for quick success in her past life that she met such a tragic end.
Since her rebirth, she has been cautious with every step she takes, afraid that her schemes will be exposed, which is how she managed to deceive everyone.
After a moment of silence, Gu Qianxue spoke softly, "Since Mother has already made up her mind, then I can only help Mother. Mother, rest assured, starting tomorrow, Gu Qianluo will no longer be a member of our Gu family."
If the Marquis's mansion knew that our Gu family could be so righteous as to turn against even our own relatives, they would probably handle the Gu family's situation more leniently when dealing with them.”
After saying this, Gu Qianxue turned to look at the Second Prince beside her, her eyes filled with tenderness and love, and pleaded,
"Your Highness, don't you think so?"
Upon hearing this, the Second Prince frowned, gave Gu Qianxue a deep look, and replied,
"Yes. As for the Marquis's residence, Mother-in-law, don't worry, I will plead on behalf of the Gu family. I'm sure they won't make things difficult for you out of respect for me, the Prince."
Upon hearing this, Madam Lu's eyes suddenly lit up. "With the Second Prince's words, I can finally rest assured!"
"Oh! Mother-in-law, this is a gift that I, the prince, specially selected for my father-in-law, mother-in-law, and the old lady. Do you like it?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Lu slowly stood up and looked at the treasure chest behind the Second Prince. When she saw the contents of the chest, her gaze became intense.
"Oh! Second Prince, you're really being too polite, bringing gifts on your rare trip back. You don't need to bother with that anymore. Sigh, as you know, the Old Madam and the Old Master are both ill. I wonder when they'll recover?"
"Mother-in-law, rest assured, I will send someone to the palace today to invite two imperial physicians to examine you and your father-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qianxue's eyes sparkled, and she took the Second Prince's hand gently, saying...
"Mother, His Highness and I rushed here early this morning and are now a little hungry. I wonder if you have prepared any food?"
"Yes! Let's have our meal in the flower hall."
"Uh-huh!"
The following day, in the main hall of the Marquis's residence, the Marquis specially canceled his work for the day, intending to put an end to the matter of Gu Qianluo and Zhuying's "elopement".
Lady Hou originally wanted to cover it up, but the matter was stirred up by people with ulterior motives, and the truth could not be hidden forever.
The Marquis decided to listen carefully to what the Marquis's wife had to say.
“My lord, Gu Qianluo’s incident has indeed tarnished the reputation of the Marquis’s mansion. Why don’t we draft a letter of divorce in Jinheng’s name?”
“This is easy to handle! Jinheng is on the battlefield, and such a big thing has happened at home. We must not let him know.”
"Someone, bring me the writing brush and ink."
When the eldest sister-in-law, Zhang, saw that the Marquis was so agreeable, a smug look appeared in her eyes. Only after he finished writing the letter of divorce did she tell the two elders about her plan.
"My lord and my lady, I believe that Gu Qianluo's affair with Zhuying is a crime deserving of death. I have now found a body that resembles Gu Qianluo's and it is currently placed in Luoying Palace. The funeral will be held tomorrow."
"Oh? Is that so?" Lady Hou raised her eyebrows and looked down at Zhang, who had a flamboyant expression.
Upon hearing this, the Marquis frowned, slowly stroked his silver beard, and sneered.
"In that case, announce to the public that Gu Qianluo drowned because she felt guilty, and from then on, there was no more Gu Qianluo in the world. Let this matter rest."
"Also, send men down to search for Zhu Ying. Once they find her, kill her without mercy!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruoyan's brow furrowed in surprise, and the handkerchief she clutched tightly in her hand became damp with cold sweat.
Upon hearing of the Marquis's decisive action, Zhang's eyes lit up with joy, and she stood up to flatter him, saying, "Your Excellency is wise!"
The Marquis was confident in his own shrewdness, but he always respected his wife. Seeing her furrowed brows and gloomy expression, he couldn't help but ask, "What does Madam think?"
Lady Hou was momentarily speechless. Although she disapproved of Zhang's approach, she couldn't think of a better solution. Her eyes flashed, and she changed the subject, saying...
"I agree with your approach, Your Highness, but how do you intend to handle the Gu family's situation?"
If handled too harshly, it might anger the second son-in-law of the Gu family, who is also the second prince of the current emperor.
If the punishment is too lenient, outsiders will say that the Marquis's mansion is weak and easily bullied.
“What you say is very true, Madam. However, I have inquired about this today and found that the Gu family has already posted notices throughout the streets and alleys of the capital, severing their blood ties with Gu Qianluo.”
As a result, all the estates and shops she once managed were handed over to the second son of the Gu family.
The Gu family's actions were clearly intended to be a show for the Marquis's mansion.
"Qinhe, tomorrow we will hold a grand funeral for the fake 'Gu Qianluo,' and we will make sure that everyone in the capital knows that she is dead."
"Yes! I understand!"
"Alright! Gu Qianluo's matter has been resolved! If there's nothing else, I'd like to go back and rest."
Upon hearing this, Zhang quickly took Lin Ruoyan's hand and gently reminded her.
"Reporting to the Marquis, since Gu Qianluo is no longer the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, someone has to take over the position of mistress."
The marriage between Gu Qianluo and Jin Heng was originally arranged to comply with the orders of their ancestors. Now that Gu Qianluo has made a mistake, the marriage is automatically dissolved.
The daughter-in-law boldly suggested that Miss Lin replace Gu Qianluo as Jinheng's legal wife.
Upon hearing this, the Marquis narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the Marquis's wife beside him, and said sternly,
"Madam Hou can make the decisions regarding matters within the inner quarters."
After saying this, the Marquis, leaning on his mahogany cane, staggered out of the house.
Lady Hou's heart skipped a beat. Her gaze shifted to Lin Ruoyan beside Madam Zhang, and she asked softly,
"Miss Lin, are you willing to marry Jinheng? Although Gu Qianluo was at fault, she still needs to observe mourning for a year. Are you willing to wait for Jinheng?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruoyan's eyes welled up with tears of emotion, and she responded softly.
“Madam Hou, my daughter’s feelings for Jinheng are as clear as day and night. Even if I were to stay by Jinheng’s side without any status, I would be willing to do so.”
Upon hearing this, Lady Hou's brow twitched slightly, and a look of joy appeared on her face as she said, "Alright! Then you can proceed with the matters concerning the mistress of the house first, and the wedding can be held next year."
Hearing this, Lin Ruoyan was overjoyed and readily agreed, "I will leave everything to the Lady of the Marquis's arrangements."
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