Chapter 372: Old plan, new trick, hidden scheme
The princess's mansion, a remote servant's room.
Du Ruoling brought Gu's mother back to the mansion, but did not give her any preferential treatment.
The dark and damp room only had a hard bed and a worn-out table and chairs, and the air was filled with a faint musty smell.
"Please help yourself." The maid beside Du Ruoling placed a coarse porcelain tea bowl on the table and walked out in a cold tone.
Mother Gu didn't care at all. She sat down on the only chair and looked around slowly with a scrutinizing look.
"Tsk, it seems that being a princess isn't such a glorious thing for you. This servant's room is even worse than the worst courtyard in the Marquis's mansion back then."
These words were like a thorn, piercing Du Ruoling's heart accurately.
She originally wanted to give Gu's mother a warning and let her taste the feeling of living under someone else's roof, but she was ridiculed in return without any expression.
"You!" Du Ruoling's pretty face flushed red, anger rising. "You did it on purpose, didn't you? You won't feel happy unless you say something sarcastic to me!"
Mother Gu picked up the coarse porcelain tea bowl and blew away the non-existent hot air without even raising her eyelids.
"Wasn't it the princess who placed an old woman like me here first?"
"I……"
Du Ruoling was left speechless by her, her chest heaving, and she could only sulk alone.
The old woman in front of her seemed to be in a state of decline, but her words were full of sophistication that she found it hard to resist.
"Look..." Mother Gu put down the tea bowl and finally looked at her straight in the eye, a meaningful smile on her lips. "You can't hold your temper anymore? How can you accomplish anything with this little cunning?"
Du Ruoling was startled, then seemed to grasp something, her eyes moved slightly: "What do you mean?"
Mother Gu stood up slowly and took two steps. The dim light cast mottled shadows on her face.
"Do you think you can win a man's heart just by pretending to be pitiful and shedding a few tears?"
Du Ruoling pursed her lips and said nothing.
She had done this before, but with little effect.
"Men," Gu's mother's voice was filled with the vicissitudes and determination of someone who had experienced it, "especially men who were born into high positions. They have seen too many weak women."
"If you keep showing weakness, they will only feel annoyed and think you are a dodder that can't live without them."
"Then...what should I do?" Du Ruoling couldn't help but ask, with a hint of urgency in her tone.
Mother Gu stopped and turned to look at her, a calculating glint in her eyes.
"If you want to capture his heart, you can't just be soft. You have to make him feel that you don't have to be with him, that you have your own value and your own means."
"You need to let him see your difference, and even... make him feel a sense of crisis."
"Sense of crisis?" Du Ruoling frowned and thought.
"Yes," Mother Gu nodded slowly, lowering her voice a bit, as if to induce, "If you just keep throwing yourself at him, he will only look down on you."
"Sometimes, being distant yet close, or even deliberately provoking him, can actually arouse his desire to conquer you. You have to make him feel that controlling you is not easy."
Mother Gu moved closer and looked carefully at Du Ruoling's still pretty face.
"You have a good appearance and you are a princess. As long as you use the right method, you may be able to make him change his mind."
"The key is to know how to strike the right balance: when to advance, when to retreat, when to show weakness, and when... to show your claws."
She didn't explain it in detail, just gave the point.
But these words were like a stone thrown into Du Ruoling's already restless heart, causing ripples.
Yes, Gu Chengan is so cold-hearted that ordinary crying and begging cannot move him at all.
Maybe it's time to change our approach.
Seeing Du Ruoling lost in thought, a barely perceptible sneer flashed in Gu's mother's eyes.
Of course, she wouldn't really help Du Ruoling, she was just using her as a helper.
She wanted to get back what Gu Junze owed her bit by bit, and this foolish princess was just the chess piece she could use.
Du Ruoling sat in the servant's room for a long time, pondering Gu's mother's words over and over again.
The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She had been too humble before, which had caused Gu Cheng'an to look down on her.
I feel like she's dispensable...
The next morning.
Outside the vermilion gate of the general's mansion, a figure appeared again.
Du Ruoling dressed up carefully today, wearing a brightly colored yet dignified dress. She put on a little makeup on her face to hide some of her haggardness, but she also deliberately retained a hint of loneliness that was just right.
She did not try to force her way in as usual, nor did she cry or make a fuss, but simply asked the servants to continue reporting.
This is completely different from her previous reckless and entangled attitude.
Chu Ruohan was looking at the account books in the side hall. When she heard the servant report that Princess Anping had come again, her brows frowned slightly.
She put down the account book in her hand and rubbed her forehead, feeling a little tired. This Du Ruoling really was haunting her.
"Got it," Chu Ruohan said calmly, "If Princess Anping comes in the future, there's no need to inform her again. Just invite her in."
The servant received the order and left.
Chu Ruohan thought to herself that as long as she didn't bother herself and just focused on Gu Chengan, she could still tolerate it.
However, this time, Chu Ruohan guessed wrong.
Not long after, Du Ruoling walked in gracefully.
She is indeed different today than before, less aggressive.
There was a touch of deliberate gentleness to her. She was also holding a delicate snack box in her hand.
"The General's wife is well."
Du Ruoling walked closer, bent her knees slightly and bowed, with a faint smile on her face, but the smile did not reach her eyes.
Chu Ruohan looked at her calmly, secretly alert in her heart.
When something is abnormal, there must be something wrong.
"How come you have time to come here today, Princess?" Chu Ruohan asked calmly, motioning the maid next to her to find a seat.
Du Ruoling sat down and placed the snack box on the low table beside her. Her eyes fell on Chu Ruohan's slightly bulging belly, and her tone was filled with the concern of an experienced person.
"I came to see Madam. Pregnancy is not easy for women. When I was pregnant, I also had to deal with many inconveniences and had to be very careful."
"Madam, your pregnancy is getting worse. You must take good care of yourself. Don't overwork yourself, and don't get angry."
She paused, sighed softly, and a trace of melancholy appeared on her face.
"To be honest, I was confused and made many mistakes in the past. Now, I just want to live a peaceful life."
As she spoke, she pushed the snack box in front of Chu Ruohan with an apologetic look on her face.
"This is a snack from Chengnan Fuji. It tastes pretty good. I was ignorant before and may have offended you. I hope the general's wife will be magnanimous and not hold it against me."
Chu Ruohan still didn't believe this attitude or these words at all.
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