Chapter 763 The Duke's Mansion will now be managed by Atang.
Meng Yunlan suddenly stopped in her tracks, her eyes turning sharp.
She began to recall what had happened in the past few days and suddenly realized that Gu Qianling's change seemed to have indeed occurred after Shen Wantang married into the family.
Gu Qianling used to be very obedient to her, never raising his voice to her, and never blaming her for the smallest things. But ever since Shen Wantang came, Gu Qianling has become impatient with her and no longer has the patience to coax her.
Meng Yunlan gritted her teeth: "You're right, Shen Wantang must have spoken ill of me to Qian Ling! I originally thought she was just trying to drive a wedge between me and Qian Han, but I didn't expect that she would also be secretly trying to drive a wedge between me and Qian Ling! She's really vicious, all because I've been so good to her!"
As Qiao Zhiyu listened to her viciously cursing Shen Wantang, she curled her lips in the darkness, revealing a strange smile on her face.
Go ahead and curse, the harsher the better!
As long as Meng Yunlan directs his attention to Shen Wantang, he will definitely lose interest in keeping an eye on her, and she will then have the opportunity to get close to Gu Qianling.
Ideally, she would let Meng Yunlan and Shen Wantang fight to the death, then she could reap the benefits.
Moreover, she only discovered today that Gu Qianling is not without temper, nor does he indulge Meng Yunlan without limits; he also has times when he is tired and frustrated.
Ironically, Meng Yunlan was spoiled; she only cared about her own feelings and her own affairs, and didn't realize how tired Gu Qianling was and how much she needed rest after returning from outside.
——
Qionghua Courtyard.
Gu Qianling had already entered the courtyard and was asking Gu Qianhan for the person.
Gu Qianhan stood in the courtyard, her expression indifferent: "Brother, go back. I didn't send people to take those two away for questioning without reason. Yesterday, no one in the manor sent a carriage to pick up Atang, so they were involved too."
Gu Qianling frowned slightly: "Does Second Brother have any evidence?"
"If you don't believe me, go and listen to my men's questions, and you'll know for sure."
"Alright, I'll go listen to them. But even if they're wrong, you shouldn't take your sister-in-law's people away without permission and punish them using your methods. After all, they've been your sister-in-law's trusted servants for many years. You should at least give your sister-in-law and me some face."
"If you want me to give you face, then you'd better learn to give Ah Tang face first. My sister-in-law has made things difficult for her time and time again. I don't believe my brother really doesn't know anything!"
Gu Qianhan's eyes were icy cold: "A few days ago, my sister-in-law used the excuse of not being well to ask Atang to manage the household for a year. But when Atang proposed to manage the household for five years, my sister-in-law went back on her word. Atang endured all this teasing and didn't say anything when she came back. If A Ning hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that she had been wronged!"
Gu Qianling was of course aware of this matter.
However, he didn't take it seriously.
The idea of having Shen Wantang temporarily manage the household for a year was not only Meng Yunlan's idea, but also his mother's. The two women, mother and daughter-in-law, hit it off immediately, wanting Shen Wantang to handle the household affairs for a year so that Meng Yunlan could relax and recuperate, and get in good health to conceive.
However, Shen Wantang was not a fool. She suddenly proposed to manage the household for five years, catching Meng Yunlan and her mother off guard.
Then, the matter of having Shen Wantang manage the household was dropped. Since Shen Wantang didn't make a fuss or even mention it to anyone else, the mansion remained peaceful and tranquil. So not only did Gu Qianling not take it seriously, but no one else in the Duke's mansion took it seriously either.
Hearing Gu Qianhan bring it up, Gu Qianling was quite surprised. Everyone thought it was just a small matter, but Gu Qianhan took it very seriously because Shen Wantang had been wronged in this matter.
He couldn't help but say, "Second brother, your sister-in-law certainly didn't mean to play tricks on you. She is indeed unwell and has been frequently visiting doctors for treatment recently, as you probably know. She trusts you and that's why she thought of letting you temporarily manage the household affairs."
"Really? Since you trust Ah Tang so much, why not let her manage the household for five years? Why only allow her to manage it for one year?"
"this……"
"Isn't it just to keep an eye on her? Isn't it just to deliberately make things difficult for her? She's only been in charge for a year and has only just become familiar with the affairs of the mansion. She's barely gotten started, and she's already taking back the power of management, as if she's afraid that A-Tang will have any say in the mansion."
Gu Qianling's face stiffened: "Second brother, you're probably overthinking it. Your sister-in-law definitely didn't mean that. We're all family, don't think too badly of her."
"As an official in the court, my elder brother must know better than anyone how different it is to serve in a certain position for one year versus five years."
Gu Qianhan's voice remained indifferent: "If you only stay in this position for a year and then leave, how many of your subordinates will be truly loyal to you? How many of your colleagues will truly confide in you? Everyone will just be going through the motions. If you want to achieve anything, it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven."
"Second brother, being an official is being an official, but the affairs of the Duke's mansion are family matters and should not be confused. As a family, we should work together and help each other, unlike officials who are deceitful and scheming."
"Yeah?"
Gu Qianhan smiled coldly: "Since we are all family, and since there is no scheming or backstabbing, then elder brother should go back and tell sister-in-law that for the next five years, the Duke's Mansion will be managed by Atang. Isn't sister-in-law in poor health? Then Atang will take on the burden of managing the household affairs for her. Five years should be enough for her to recover."
Gu Qianling opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
Of course, he couldn't agree to such a thing for Meng Yunlan. Otherwise, if Shen Wantang were to manage the household for five years, Meng Yunlan, the future mistress of the Duke's mansion, would completely lose power in the inner quarters and be ridiculed when she went out. How could she save face then?
But if he doesn't agree, then his previous remarks about being a family will become a joke.
His hand, hidden in his sleeve, slowly clenched.
All these years have passed, and he is still no match for his younger brother. A casual remark from him will be seized upon by his brother to launch a counterattack, and he is as powerless against his brother's counterattacks as ever.
In fact, Gu Qianhan hadn't spoken to him like this for several years; he had become much more restrained in his personality.
My younger brother is aloof and arrogant, and doesn't take ordinary people seriously. When he was young, he liked to argue with people and leave them speechless. As he grew up, he would only utterly humiliate people if they provoked him. If you don't provoke him, he won't bother to talk.
"Why isn't Big Brother saying anything? If Big Brother doesn't say anything, I'll take it as Big Brother agreeing. Oh, right, as long as Big Sister agrees to let Ah Tang manage the household for five years, I'll immediately send her maids and nannies back. Isn't Big Sister feeling sorry for them? It's time to test whether she's truly feeling sorry for them or not."
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