Chapter 724 The Second Young Master shall sleep in the study from now on.
Qiao Zhiyu was the last one to get off the bus.
She glanced at the imposing gate of the Duke's mansion and clenched her fists.
This time, she's determined to stay! She wants to live a life of luxury and never suffer again!
Seeing that Gu Qianling was about to enter, she hurriedly followed: "Brother-in-law, I wonder where my cousin is now? Could you take me to see her? It's been so long since we last met, and I want to give her a surprise."
Gu Qianling turned around and saw Qiao Zhiyu's face, only then realizing that he seemed to have forgotten about her again.
He nodded to Qiao Zhiyu: "Let's go, she should be in the Jade Dew Courtyard."
Qiao Zhiyu followed him closely as they walked inside. Along the way, the maids and servants she encountered were all dressed in gold and silver. Their clothes were far superior to what she wore at home. Even the servants of the Duke's mansion looked much more glamorous than she, the young lady.
Qiao Zhiyu secretly felt lucky that Shen Wantang had given her a brocade dress today; otherwise, she wouldn't even have a decent dress, and she would have been laughed at to death if she came to the Duke's mansion.
After passing through a series of gates and walking along the carved beams and painted corridors, we finally arrived at the spacious and elegant Jade Dew Courtyard.
The maids in Yulu Courtyard recognized Qiao Zhiyu. When they saw that she had actually returned with Gu Qianling, they were all surprised and looked at Qiao Zhiyu with unfriendly eyes.
Qiao Zhiyu pretended not to see anything, and followed Gu Qianling obediently by his side, going wherever Gu Qianling went.
Gu Qianling entered the house but didn't see Meng Yunlan. He then asked the maid, "Where is the young mistress? Why isn't she in the courtyard?"
The maid lowered her head: "The young mistress is in the madam's courtyard. The madam seems a little unhappy today, so the young mistress is with her!"
"Is Mother unhappy?"
Gu Qianling couldn't help but press her temples. Why were they all unhappy today?
"Alright, it's a good time to go see Mother. My cousin, come with me so you can pay your respects to Mother."
This was simply the proper etiquette for a junior, and Qiao Zhiyu immediately replied, "Yes, I will follow my brother-in-law's arrangements."
Just as Gu Qianling was about to leave, she suddenly turned back and asked the maid, "Has the manor received any news that the Second Young Mistress's carriage has broken down and that someone has been sent to pick her up?"
The maid paused for a moment, then looked completely bewildered: "Second Young Mistress's carriage broke down? I didn't know, no one came to tell me!"
"Okay, I understand."
——
Qionghua Courtyard.
Shen Wantang had already entered the house.
Just as Gu Qianhan was about to enter, she instructed Granny Yan, "Granny, close the door!"
With quick reflexes, Granny Yan slammed the door shut the moment Gu Qianhan lifted her foot.
Gu Qianhan, who was outside the door, almost got her nose hit by the door.
He said somewhat helplessly, "Ah Tang, can you let me in first? I'll explain what happened today to you in person and apologize."
"No need."
Shen Wantang's voice was unhurried and unchanging, revealing no emotion: "The Second Young Master's study is a treasure trove, and the guards are quite dutiful. I think you should sleep there from now on; it should be very comfortable. This courtyard is the only place I, an outsider, can freely enter and exit, so it will temporarily belong to me. The Second Young Master has no objections, does he?"
Gu Qianhan felt a chill run down his spine when she kept referring to him as "Second Young Master".
They've known each other for three lifetimes, and Shen Wantang has never spoken to him in this tone before.
This time, she was clearly very angry, so she simply wouldn't let him in the door.
He sincerely apologized and admitted his mistake: "Ah Tang, it was indeed my fault today. I'm sorry that you were wronged. From now on, I will be careful with my words and actions and manage my subordinates well. What happened today will never happen again."
Shen Wantang ignored him. With Granny Yan guarding the door, Gu Qianhan couldn't get in unless he was crazy enough to dare hit Granny Yan.
She turned and went into the bathroom, took off her almost completely soaked and cold clothes, and sat in the bathtub.
Warm water submerged her entire body until she could no longer breathe, at which point she finally poked her head out of the water.
Du Juan and Qin Xin looked at her with concern, fearing that she might have been traumatized and wanted to drown herself.
"Young Madam."
Qin Xin couldn't help but speak up to comfort him, "Are you alright? Young Master is still outside and refuses to leave. His apologies are very sincere. Actually, in my opinion, it might not have been his fault today. It was that guard who looked down on you and took it upon himself to stop you. If Young Master knew you had gone there, he would definitely have let you into the study."
Shen Wantang smiled gently: "His guards stopped me, but I'm not allowed to have Granny Yan stop him?"
"Besides, when his men stopped me, he let Meng Yunlan in to talk to him alone. I don't have any men to talk to here. I've already given him a lot of face."
"He failed to manage his subordinates properly, so isn't it only right that he, as the master, should suffer some consequences?"
Seeing that she could still smile, Qin Xin breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, that's right, young mistress. I'm not speaking up for the young master. I'm just afraid that you'll fall for the eldest young mistress's trick and have a conflict with the young master, which will affect your relationship as husband and wife. If you end up falling out again, wouldn't that make your loved ones suffer and your enemies rejoice?"
Shen Wantang laughed out loud: "No, firstly, she doesn't have that ability, and secondly, Gu Qianhan and I really have some feelings for each other, so we can't easily become estranged. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and won't go too far, but I also won't let him get away with this easily."
Seeing that she understood, Qin Xin stopped worrying about these things and focused on washing and wiping Shen Wantang's body and hair.
Du Juan tilted her head and stared blankly at Shen Wantang. She felt that her master seemed to have changed a little again.
When the mistress first married into the Duke's mansion, she was very relaxed and even became somewhat carefree. She concealed all her sharpness and, just like before in the Shen family, did not cause trouble, did not stand out, and did not retaliate even when she suffered a loss. She simply shut herself in and sought peace and quiet.
But now, all that relaxation and nonchalance is gone; even her smile has a hint of sharpness.
Du Juan was quite happy and couldn't help but say, "Young Madam, I feel like you've become more assertive again."
Shen Wantang chuckled, "What, do you mean I was too listless before?"
Du Juan scratched her head: "Hmm... it's not that I'm listless, but rather... it's that I feel like I'm detached from everything here, that I don't care about anything, and that I don't care even if I suffer a loss. It's very strange."
Shen Wantang sighed slightly. She had indeed been very indifferent before, because she knew that Gu Qianhan was about to rebel, so the trivial matters of the inner quarters seemed insignificant.
Moreover, regardless of whether Gu Qianhan succeeds or fails, her struggle in the Duke's mansion is meaningless. She should use her energy to read more books and learn more skills. If she dies and is reborn again, she will have more means to make a living and try to live longer in her next life.
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