The man was startled: "How can the wife of the Prince of Duan's heir be so young?"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly realized something: "The Crown Prince's wife seems to be your wife's sister? Why don't you go over and say hello?"
Ji Yinli would naturally not miss this opportunity.
The Ji family was in dire need of help, and since the father-in-law's family was just a merchant, the only person they could rely on was this sister-in-law.
So he quickly straightened his clothes, hurried upstairs, and raised his hand to greet Gu Qinlan: "Yinli greets elder sister. Has elder sister eaten yet? If not, you may put the bill in my name, as a way for your brother-in-law to entertain you."
Gu Qinlan frowned slightly, scrutinizing him with piercing eyes: "Third son of the Ji family?"
She never met Ji Yinli in her life, so pretending not to know him was the norm.
Ji Yinli bowed slightly, his smile carrying a hint of ingratiation: "I am indeed my younger sister's husband."
Gu Qinlan scoffed lightly: "Using my sister's dowry money to invite me to dinner, you really have a unique idea. I won't be eating. Qinlian's dowry is limited to begin with. You two enjoy your meal, I'll be leaving now."
After speaking, Gu Qinlan left on her own.
Ji Yinli's face was as heavy as a dark cloud, while his attendants exchanged mocking smiles, as if watching a wonderful farce.
The companion who had previously introduced Ji Yinli to the beauty strolled over to his side, glancing sideways at Gu Qinlan's graceful back, and said sarcastically, "This young master's wife is truly extraordinary. It's fortunate that you didn't become involved with her back then, otherwise you would probably be under her control day and night, without any freedom."
Ji Yinli pursed his lips and remained silent, yet his heart was churning with complex emotions.
Although he didn't know Gu Qinlan very well, he clearly realized that Gu Qinlan was far superior to Gu Qinlian in terms of family background, appearance, and knowledge.
In his early years, his family did indeed choose Gu Qinlan as his spouse.
However, ever since his unexpected encounter with Gu Qinlian at the bookstore and their intimate encounter, Ji Yinli had completely forgotten about her. Especially after learning that Gu Qinlian would be bringing a huge dowry to marry him and pave the way for his future, Ji Yinli felt incredibly fortunate. To be able to marry such a knowledgeable and understanding woman, and for her to help him achieve top honors in the imperial examinations, was truly a great blessing in his life.
However, things didn't go as planned, and the reality was quite different from his expectations!
Gu Qinlian's apparent understanding and tact were nothing but a facade! In reality, she was narrow-minded, domineering, and ignorant. What angered him even more was that the generous dowry she had promised had vanished without a trace!
In contrast, Gu Qinlan married into the Prince Duan's mansion with a generous dowry.
Ji Yinli felt deeply deceived!
Seeing Gu Qinlan again now, she seemed so unapproachable, even mocking him in front of everyone for squandering Gu Qinlan's dowry. This made him both angry and ashamed, and a sense of regret welled up in his heart.
If he hadn't been fooled by Gu Qinlian's appearance, what would his life be like now?
The more Ji Yinli thought about it, the more painful it became, and the more indignant he felt. So at the banquet, he couldn't help but drink a few more cups, trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol.
...
Inside the Prince Duan's residence.
"I told you long ago, a mere school is nothing to me!" Zheng Fenghui brandished his short sword and strode confidently into Gu Qinlan's courtyard, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, his pride overflowing.
Seeing his smug expression, Fu Yu couldn't help but want to make sarcastic remarks, but seeing Gu Qinlan give her a hint with a look, she had no choice but to give up.
Gu Qinlan smiled and said, "It seems you were chased by wild dogs for three days and three nights before you finally won this opportunity. What's there to be proud of?"
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zheng Fenghui's face, but he still gritted his teeth and insisted, "You don't understand. This is called sincerity can move mountains! If you don't believe me, look, if it were you, that stubborn old man would definitely not give you face. It's me who was clever and used a self-inflicted injury to soften the old man's heart."
Gu Qinlan scoffed lightly, her tone tinged with disdain: "Finding a school has been so difficult, and you even had to resort to tricks. If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off and think that our Prince Duan's Mansion is full of no talent."
Zheng Fenghui snorted coldly, full of arrogance: "Those academies are hoping for my patronage, but I wouldn't even deign to look at them."
He was feeling smug when he was suddenly struck hard on the back of the head. The pain made his mouth twitch, and he grimaced as he shouted, "Which bastard is that?!"
Zheng Huaiyu glared at him angrily and scolded, "It's me! Who do you think you are, calling yourself 'young master'? Are you asking for a beating?! Quickly apologize to Mother!"
She had originally intended to express her gratitude to Gu Qinlan again, since Zheng Fenghui's successful enrollment was largely thanks to Gu Qinlan's help. However, as soon as she entered, she heard Zheng Fenghui spouting nonsense.
This is utterly rude and contrary to all reason!
Zheng Fenghui looked at her with a puzzled expression: "Have you taken the wrong medicine?"
Just a few days ago, this girl was calling me "Ms. Merchant" repeatedly. How come she calls me "Mother" so naturally now?
Zheng Huaiyu's eyes widened: "You're the one who's taken the wrong medicine! I told you to apologize, didn't you hear me!"
Under the pressure of their bloodline, Zheng Fenghui had no choice but to lower his head and sincerely say to Gu Qinlan, "I'm sorry!"
Gu Qinlan didn't hold it against him, but simply said, "Since you went to great lengths to get this opportunity, you must study hard at school from now on. Even if you can't learn it, you must never cause trouble."
Zheng Fenghui replied somewhat impatiently, "Okay, I know."
He had gone to great lengths to get into school, so he was unwilling to endure a few more days of barking dogs.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go practice my sword first. Brother Polang said he's going to test me today."
As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up the small sword and ran away quickly.
Zheng Huaiyu said with a look of disdain, "This child is really too ill-mannered! Mother, in my opinion, we should find him a teacher who knows etiquette, so that he won't embarrass our Duanwang Mansion when he goes out in the future!"
Gu Qinlan smiled slightly: "The world is always more lenient towards men. As long as they don't make mistakes on the surface, who will bother to investigate whether they truly understand the rules?"
Zheng Huaiyu wholeheartedly agreed, believing that rules seemed designed specifically to bind women, while men were not bound by so many rules. In fact, men who were overly bound by rules were often looked down upon by others.
This world seems to always be unfavorable to women.
Seeing that she seemed to be deep in thought, Gu Qinlan further enlightened her: "Although rules are rigid, people are flexible. The key is how to use them flexibly. If used properly, rules will be the cornerstone of your success; if used improperly, rules will become shackles that bind you."
Although these words were rather obscure and difficult for Zheng Huaiyu to understand, she still kept them in mind.
"Mother, why don't you tell me directly that it was you who personally sought out Master Xiao, which enabled Fenghui to enter the academy?"
In this way, wouldn't Zheng Fenghui immediately realize the depth of the favor he owed?
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