Chapter 664 To Establish the Image of a Good Father-in-Law
Shen Wantang smiled at Madam Gu and was about to step forward, but her hand was still being held by Gu Qianhan. She couldn't help but turn to look at him, signaling him to let go quickly.
Gu Qianhan still didn't let go. He led Shen Wantang forward and knelt on the cushion with her before finally releasing his grip.
Granny Chang brought over some tea. Gu Qianhan took it first to test if it was too hot, then handed it to Shen Wantang and took another cup for herself: "To offer tea to Father."
Shen Wantang also raised her teacup, a smile on her face, and said in a crisp voice, "Serve tea to Father."
A hint of gentleness appeared on Duke Zhenguo Gu Rongchang's usually cold and stern face: "Very well!"
He drank the tea and gave her a gift.
Shen Wantang smiled and thanked him, then took another cup of tea from Gu Qianhan and said to Madam Gu together, "Serve tea to Mother."
Madam Gu smiled and said, "Oh, good, good, good child!"
She first took a sip of Shen Wantang's tea before taking her son's.
Then, she also gave a gift.
Shen Wantang naturally smiled and thanked her, handing over the gifts to Granny Yan for safekeeping.
Next, I met the peers and younger members of the Duke's household.
Shen Wantang recognized everyone. After all, she had met all these people in her previous life. Gu Qianning was naturally a given, but she had also met her elder brother Gu Qianling and sister-in-law Meng Yunlan. She had also met the illegitimate sons and daughters of the mansion, as well as the cousins who had been staying at the Duke's mansion for the past two years. In fact, she had even given them gifts in her previous life.
She never expected to give it away again in her lifetime.
After exchanging greetings, Madam Gu smiled and told Shen Wantang to go back and rest, and everyone in the room went back to their respective courtyards.
Only Gu Rongchang and his wife remained in the room.
Gu Rongchang couldn't help but stroke his beard: "That bastard is like a completely different person. He's protecting his wife so fiercely it's unbearable to watch! Anyone who didn't know better would think we were some kind of wolves or tigers, about to devour his wife, to the point that he won't even let go of her!"
Madam Gu, however, drank her tea with a clear mind. Her second son's smooth marriage had relieved her of a great worry. She had been troubled by Gu Qianhan, fearing that he was too arrogant and would never get married.
She said calmly, "This is the wife he asked for himself, of course we should protect her. Haven't you seen how much more decent he's become since he got married? I think it's great."
Gu Rongchang nodded: "He's starting to look like a human being, but not much. All that humanity he's showing is for his wife; when it comes to me, he's still a scoundrel."
Madam Gu didn't concern herself with the affairs between the father and son. As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes, let alone a woman like her.
She then mentioned another matter: "Qianhan sent someone to tell me early this morning that his wife thought Granny Yan was quite good, so she left her in their courtyard to serve them."
Gu Rongchang asked blankly, "Granny Yan?"
"Oh dear, look at your memory! She's the long-faced, stern-faced, and unsmiling nanny that the old lady gave me when we got married!"
Oh, her!
Gu Rongchang came to his senses, slightly surprised: "The new bride actually likes Granny Yan? That's impossible, isn't it? She probably only accepted her because she's giving you, her mother-in-law, face."
Madam Gu glared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not that kind of wicked mother-in-law who forces people in front of the new daughter-in-law and makes her uncomfortable! This time, the new daughter-in-law really chose him herself!"
Gu Rongchang stroked his beard again: "It's strange. There are hardly any people in the whole mansion who like Granny Yan, but the new bride does. Can she keep Granny Yan in check?"
Madam Gu had met Shen Wantang several times, and she nodded, saying, "I think it's possible. Don't underestimate this new bride just because she doesn't come from a high social class; she's very good at handling people. Otherwise, Qianhan wouldn't have insisted on marrying her. She can even handle Qianhan, so she should be able to manage someone like Granny Yan without any problem. You know what, this new bride is a good match!"
Gu Rongchang glanced at her: "You seem quite happy."
Madam Gu didn't hide anything: "Of course. My daughter-in-law is willing to ask for the nanny by my side, which proves that she trusts me and has no suspicion of me. If it were someone with a scheming mind, why would she want the nanny by her mother-in-law's side? People would bring their own nanny they know well!"
Gu Rongchang raised an eyebrow: "So you want to have Granny Yan find out what's going on with Qian Han and pass on a message to you?"
Madam Gu glared at him directly this time: "Why would I do something so thankless? What would my daughter-in-law think if she found out? And if Qian Han found out, it would be even worse; he'd definitely tear this house down!"
Gu Rongchang sighed: "Fine, I thought we had gained an extra informant, but it's all for nothing! Well, with that stubbornness of Granny Yan, she probably wouldn't do anything to betray her master."
Madam Gu, however, said confidently, "We don't need any spies or informants. With a new bride, Qianhan will definitely be different from before. Anyway, I've noticed that he's become much more sensible since the marriage was arranged! Besides, haven't you noticed that everything has been going smoothly for us lately? This new bride is very lucky!"
Gu Rongchang: "I didn't feel that way."
He still felt that his son didn't respect him at all, and even seemed to disregard the emperor and the crown prince, having seized several of the crown prince's lucrative properties. Not only that, he even robbed the Liu family's house.
His perfectly good son, who was originally pure and simple, and disdainful of money and power, is now robbing money and power, just like a bandit!
If his son hadn't gotten married properly and seriously, he would have thought his son had gone mad, didn't want to live a normal life, and was planning a rebellion!
He had no one to confide in about his worries, fearing that if he did, his wife would also be filled with anxiety.
He could only secretly clean up the mess for his son, complaining to the emperor and the crown prince every day about his son's unruly behavior in order to reduce their suspicion of him.
Originally, the emperor and the crown prince only suspected him and his eldest son. Now, the second son has attracted all attention for him and his eldest son, to the point that the emperor has begun to suspect the second son.
Gu Rongchang was not afraid of being suspected by himself and his eldest son, because he knew that although he and his eldest son liked to compete for power, they still had bottom lines and were rational, and would not cross the line. Even if the emperor suspected them, it would be in vain.
But Gu Qianhan is different; he has no bottom line! When he goes crazy, he'll snatch anything!
If the emperor suspects Gu Qianhan, he's almost certain he'll be right! It's definitely treason!
Gu Rongchang was so worried that he scratched his head in frustration. He wanted to have a private talk with Shen Wantang and ask her to keep Gu Qianhan in check, but he also felt that the young girl had just married into the family and that he, as her father-in-law, shouldn't say such things.
Forget it, let's talk about it in a few days!
First, establish the image of a good father-in-law so that the daughter-in-law feels that he treats her like his own daughter. Then he can ask her to discipline his son in the future, right?
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