Gu Qinlan chuckled lightly: "You believe this too. So I dare say that he will be the ultimate victor. And the questions I raised earlier, you will not be able to avoid in the future."
Zheng Dinglian's eyes turned cold as he pressed, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
Gu Qinlan explained, "The claim that the Fourth Prince has difficulty conceiving is just a smokescreen he uses to mislead the world. Now that the Fourth Prince's wife is pregnant, if you don't believe me, you can send someone to investigate. It's best to act quickly, otherwise it will be difficult to find out after a while."
Zheng Dinglian stared at her intently for a while, then summoned his trusted confidant, "Go and check the Fourth Prince's Consort's personal maid to see if there are any abnormalities in her menstrual cycle."
Zheng Dinglian waited until dawn before finally receiving the results of the investigation.
Your Highness, after a thorough investigation, it was found that the Fourth Prince's Consort's period was only a few days late. However, when she met Gu Qinlian yesterday, she specially invited the royal physician to diagnose her, and her attitude towards Gu Qinlian changed significantly. She even sent someone to her family home to fetch medicine to prevent miscarriage.
Zheng Dinglian was slightly surprised, his gaze piercingly landing on Gu Qinlian: "How did you know that the Fourth Prince's Consort was pregnant?"
Clearly, the Fourth Prince's Consort only learned of her pregnancy yesterday and has not yet announced the good news to the public. Meanwhile, Gu Qinlian was almost inseparable from Zheng Dinglian yesterday.
Gu Qinlian hadn't slept all night, and her eyes revealed a faint weariness: "That's not the key point. The key point is that the Fourth Prince is a man of great hidden depths, with a deep mind and ruthless methods. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He is good at hiding his true intentions and can be flexible and adaptable, which makes people gradually lower their guard against him."
Zheng Dinglian pondered for a long time before slowly speaking: "If what you say is true, His Highness the Crown Prince's chances of winning are almost zero."
It could even be said that they had absolutely no chance of winning.
The prince's defeat in his previous life was too tragic, and his ending was so pitiful that it makes one sigh with regret.
Gu Qinlian said in a heavy tone, "If he weren't so selfish and cruel, he would actually be more suited to that throne. But human nature is hard to change, and if he were to ascend the throne, it would be a disaster for the people of the world."
“I’m not forcing you to make a choice, but are you really willing to watch the Western Wei dynasty and its people, which the Zheng family has loyally protected for generations, fall into the hands of such a person?”
Zheng Dinglian remained silent. This matter was too important for him to consider carefully.
Gu Qinlian said no more. This was all she could do. As for Zheng Dinglian's decision, she had no say in it.
If Zheng Dinglian ultimately chooses to remain neutral, then she will need to carefully plan and secretly support the Crown Prince while also reserving a way out for herself.
If the Crown Prince still cannot defeat the Fourth Prince, then it can only be said that fate is unavoidable, and she will accept this reality.
"Your Highness, I will rest first. If there are any important matters, we can discuss them after I wake up."
Zheng Dinglian couldn't help but chuckle. She had revealed such a significant secret, which had unsettled him, yet she seemed completely unconcerned.
He couldn't help but wonder how she had come to know these deeply hidden secrets.
Even a military officer like him, who spent his days guarding the frontier, was unaware of the Fourth Prince's ambitions, and it's likely that many officials in the capital were similarly kept in the dark.
She was just a reclusive woman, so how did she know these secrets?
He always felt he couldn't see through her; there were many illogical things about her. For example, her instructing Luo Feng to train intelligence agents, and the numerous tasks she ordered the Jiang family father and son to carry out—these were not the actions of a woman confined to the inner quarters.
However, he felt that there was nothing wrong with these things.
Although he was somewhat curious, he didn't feel the need to get to the bottom of it.
She will tell him what she wants to say. If she doesn't want to, why should he force her and cause her distress? As long as he knows she means him no harm, that's enough.
With this thought in mind, Zheng Dinglian suddenly felt enlightened.
Before we knew it, it was the third day of the Lunar New Year.
Gu Qinlian and Zheng Dinglian carried several gifts and headed to the Gu family residence. This was her first New Year after marriage, and returning to her parents' home was an extremely important event. She was supposed to go back yesterday, but she had been asleep all day and was unable to do so.
Gu Qinlian and Ji Yinli were also at the Gu family home.
Upon hearing of Gu Qinlian and Zheng Dinglian's arrival, the old patriarch of the Gu family hurriedly had someone help him out to personally greet them. Gu Qinlian had not wanted to show herself, but was reprimanded by the old patriarch.
"Even though you have now established connections with the Fourth Prince's residence, you must not be too arrogant. Qin Lian is a county princess personally appointed by the Emperor, and Zheng Dinglian is a third-rank military officer. They are the Gu family's most solid support at present!"
Gu Qinlian's face turned ashen with anger, but her heart was churning with rage.
On that bright night, it is said that she won the favor of the Fourth Prince's wife. The seasoned old man was overjoyed and proudly declared that even without the support of Gu Qinlan and Zheng Dinglian, their Gu family could still stand out and have a bright future.
However, in the blink of an eye, just two days later, the old man's tone suddenly changed.
All of this was because Gu Qinlan was granted the title of County Princess!
Old Master Gu glanced at Gu Qinlian and said in a serious tone, "No matter how much resentment you feel, you must endure it on the surface! The future of the Fourth Prince is unpredictable, but if you offend the current emperor, your end will be miserable."
Gu Qinlian's rebuttal was interrupted by Old Master Gu: "Even if what you said about your past life is true, it is only the past. There are endless variables in this life. You must remember not to put all your eggs in one basket, otherwise you will be utterly defeated if something unexpected happens."
Although Gu Qinlian disagreed, she didn't dare to openly contradict Old Master Gu, and could only respond in a submissive tone: "Granddaughter has learned her lesson."
So, Grandpa Gu led his family in a warm welcome to his eldest granddaughter and her spouse.
Gu Qinlan was bathed in this unprecedented care.
Old Master Gu even bowed solemnly to Gu Qinlan: "This humble subject greets the Lady of Linchuan County."
Gu Qinlan quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Grandfather, please rise. We are, after all, a family connected by blood. There is really no need for such formalities."
Grandpa Gu beamed with joy: "Although I am an elder, there is still a distinction between superiors and inferiors, and etiquette must not be neglected. Qinlan, you have truly brought great honor to our Gu family. After the New Year, I will definitely rewrite the family genealogy and record your glory in history."
The Gu family's genealogy was lost during the refugee crisis.
Gu Qinlan smiled gently: "Then let's do as Grandfather wishes."
Gu Qinlian couldn't help but sneer, "Sister, you're really living the high life. It seems like Grandfather only has eyes for you now."
Gu Qinlan glanced at her indifferently: "It doesn't matter who Grandfather favors, what matters is who he ultimately invests his money in. I just don't understand why you would give up a perfectly good life and instead spend money to be a maid for the Fourth Prince's wife? Are you really that bored?"
Gu Qinlian's face twisted with rage: "You!"
Gu Qinlan's tone was calm yet firm: "Although our Gu family comes from a merchant family, if we don't even respect ourselves and are willing to spend money to be servants to others, then we will never be able to earn the respect of others."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com