Chapter 749 I'm not going to hide it anymore
Granny Yan asked softly, "Young Madam, are you troubled by the young master and the family's affairs?"
Shen Wantang was taken aback, then chuckled and shook her head: "No, that's not true. The little things at home aren't worth my worry."
"What is it that worries you, young mistress?"
"For my own future."
Granny Yan was puzzled: "Isn't your future bright? The Second Young Master's affection for you is genuine. This old servant watched him grow up and is certain that he is not the kind of person who will change his mind easily. With him protecting you, you will have no worries for the rest of your life. Moreover, you yourself are intelligent, and no one can outsmart you. Why would you still worry?"
Shen Wantang looked outside, her gaze distant: "Yes, I used to think the same way, that I could rest easy after marrying Gu Qianhan. Until Meng Yunlan gave me a rude awakening, making me realize that no one can rely on you as much as you rely on yourself."
After living three lifetimes, she finally realized that power should be in her own hands.
When she married Liao Youhe, she wholeheartedly supported him, helped him seize power and become the emperor's confidant. All the hard work and exhaustion were hers, while all the glory and real power belonged to Liao Youhe.
When she married Xiao Qingyuan, she concealed all her sharpness, no longer supported her husband, and devoted herself to being a dutiful and obedient daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law. But it was no use. She didn't have the surname Xiao after all and had no real power. She was an outsider from beginning to end. Xiao Qingyuan even wanted to kill her in order to marry Liu Nanshi.
In this life, all she ever thought about was that Gu Qianhan would succeed in his rebellion and gain the greatest power so that she could live a peaceful life.
The idea was wonderful, but reality was cruel.
No matter how strong Gu Qianhan is, others will only respect Gu Qianhan, and it has little to do with her.
Gu Qianhan was indeed deeply in love with her, and even sent his capable subordinates to protect her.
For example, right now, she has already seen the fleeting figure of Qingjin through the window.
After marrying into the Duke's mansion, she felt she no longer needed anyone's protection, so she returned the Qingjin and Qingyin to Gu Qianhan. Unexpectedly, Qingjin is now protecting her again.
Shen Wantang stretched out her hand, glanced down at it, and then clenched it tightly: "Granny, I've always protected myself since I was little. How come I've regressed after getting married?"
"Although Gu Qianhan can protect me, there are always places he can't protect, whether outside or at home. I shouldn't rely on his protection, and I shouldn't become his weakness. What do you think?"
Granny Yan stared at her blankly: "What does the young mistress mean..."
Shen Wantang smiled. She had made up her mind, and the worry in her eyes had disappeared, replaced by composure and confidence.
"I'm not going to hide behind others anymore. I've been hiding for far too long, and I've almost forgotten my true abilities. I want to reveal my true strength and have power of my own!"
Granny Yan stared at her like this, unable to recover for a long time.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her face with a golden glow that made her appear dazzling and radiant, radiating confidence and spirit.
Du Juan was also stunned; she had never seen her master like this before.
The master has always adhered to the principle of keeping a low profile and preferring to conceal her talents. She rarely shows her intelligence and abilities to outsiders, and even with her own people, she keeps a low profile and appears to be indifferent to worldly affairs.
But now, she no longer suppresses herself; she reveals her sharp edge and exudes an astonishing aura.
"Cuckoo!"
"ah?"
“Take the complaint I wrote and go to Wen’anfang to find lawyer Fang Xuning. Bring him here to me.”
Fang Xuning?
Du Juan had indeed heard of this man, as he was a very famous lawyer in the capital. However, he had a bad reputation, so he was usually called a "litigation scoundrel."
"Young Madam, I've heard that he has a strange temperament and is very difficult to deal with. What if he refuses to come?"
Shen Wantang chuckled: "That's why I asked you to bring the complaint I wrote. Once he's read it, he'll definitely come."
"What if he comes and causes trouble? What if he refuses to leave?"
"No way. If I can't even subdue him, how can I build my own power?"
Du Juan looked shocked: "Young Madam, you summoned that lawyer here because you want to subdue him? You want him to become your man?"
"Yes, he's famous enough to be my first step in building my fame."
"But, but his reputation is all bad! Won't he ruin your reputation?"
"If he had a good reputation, would I have needed to subdue him? He would have been subdued by the government long ago. What I want is someone with a bad reputation and who is unsuccessful."
Du Juan scratched her head, feeling that her master was taking a risky move, but her master was confident and calm, looking like she had victory in her grasp, so she didn't ask any more questions, took the complaint, and went out.
Shen Wantang watched her leave and then looked at Granny Yan: "Granny, we still have too few people we can use. Could you help me find some more people who are suitable for running errands and delivering messages? These people don't need to be restricted by personality, age, or place of origin. We can gather all kinds of people, as long as they are controllable."
"Yes, young mistress."
"Go and call the waiter. Let's order more food and have lunch here today."
"yes."
The waiter arrived quickly, and Shen Wantang ordered all the famous dishes at Zuixianlou, then ate while waiting for Dujuan to return.
While eating, she didn't forget to note the flaws and merits of each dish.
In this life, because there was no scene of Chu Yanluo selling dim sum at Qingyunlou, Shen Wantang did not come to Zuixianlou to teach the head chef there how to improve the dishes.
So, as before, Zuixianlou was still quiet and its reputation was far behind that of Qingyunlou.
However, this time, Shen Wantang was not going to be a helpful guide. She had a far more far-reaching and extensive plan—she wanted to take over Zuixianlou and use it for her own purposes!
Restaurants are the best places to gather information and also an excellent place to spread it. Owning a large restaurant would be a great help to her.
After she had finished eating, Dujuan returned with her entourage.
Fang Xuning entered the private room and saw Shen Wantang sitting at the head of the table. His face showed a mixture of excitement and suspicion: "You are the second young mistress of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion? Did you really write that complaint?"
"It was written by me, lawyer Fang. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Impossible! That complaint was written by someone who has been in officialdom for many years and has extensive experience in solving cases. How could you, a young woman, possibly write such a sophisticated complaint without any flaws? I don't believe it!"
Shen Wantang smiled faintly. This Fang Xuning was indeed quite capable, able to see at a glance how extraordinary her complaint was.
She didn't offer much explanation, and casually started talking to him about some recent cases.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
