The whole family died tragically? The eldest daughter is the most powerful in the capital after her

Lin Ruoxuan was slightly startled, secretly confused.

The return visit had just ended, why did Old Madam Gu suddenly summon me?

She suppressed her doubts, nodded slightly, straightened her sleeves, and followed Aunt Xu to the main hall.

When she reached the door of the main hall, Lin Ruoxuan took a deep breath, calmed herself, and slowly walked into the hall.

She looked up and saw Old Madam Gu sitting in the main seat with a sharp and cold look in her eyes.

Sitting below Madam Gu was a dignified and strong woman with a beautiful appearance and a look of majesty.

The woman was looking at Lin Ruoxuan with a scrutinizing and cold look in her eyes, obviously sizing her up.

The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, Madam Gu, sat in the second seat. Her expression was a little stiff, a change from her usual strong demeanor. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her face showed forbearance and displeasure.

Lin Ruoxuan noticed that there were two beautifully dressed young ladies standing in front of Old Madam Gu. They had charming looks, gentle and shy demeanors, but their eyes kept secretly glancing at her from time to time, as if they were searching for something.

Lin Ruoxuan felt a little confused and uneasy. She turned her gaze to Madam Xu and asked softly, "Madam, who is that lady..."

Nanny Xu explained in a low voice: "Madam, that is the prince's Aunt Yun. She is away from home all year round and rarely comes home. She has never liked Madam and there is always some resentment when they meet."

Lin Ruoxuan nodded, feeling more and more confused.

This Aunt Yun doesn't seem to be a good person.

And today's situation is probably not just a simple "discussion".

She quickly adjusted her mood and bowed to the elders in the hall with a well-behaved expression and gentle gesture, and said softly: "Ruoxuan greets grandmother, aunt, and mother."

Madam Gu nodded slightly and forced a smile, but did not speak.

Aunt Yun had a warm smile on her face and invited Lin Ruoxuan to sit next to her.

"Ruoxuan, you've just arrived and haven't sat down to chat with your aunt yet. Come here and talk to me." Aunt Yun smiled and patted the seat beside her, her tone gentle.

Lin Ruoxuan smiled slightly, bowed and said, "Thank you, aunt."

After saying this, he sat down next to Aunt Yun as he was told, with elegant manners and a gentle and respectful look.

Although she had some doubts in her heart, she concealed them very well and chatted obediently with Aunt Yun about family matters.

Aunt Yun was obviously quite satisfied. She nodded from time to time, chatted casually with Lin Ruoxuan, and praised her for her elegance and propriety from time to time.

During this casual greeting, Aunt Yun suddenly changed the subject, raised her eyes slightly, and looked at the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo who was sitting below, with a hint of impoliteness in her tone.

"Sister-in-law, I brought these two little girls here today to fulfill my father's request."

"You and I both know that when big brother's plan to take a concubine was shelved, it was my sister-in-law who strongly opposed it on the grounds of 'taking Nanyuan's marriage into consideration'. It has been shelved for so many years. Is my sister-in-law looking down on me? Do you want big brother to be alone with you for the rest of his life?"

The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo's face froze, she clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and suppressed her anger and said, "Nanyuan was not married at that time, and the affairs of the mansion should have taken care of the children's future first. Since I am the legal wife of the mansion, it is reasonable for me to worry more about everything."

Aunt Yun sneered, with obvious sarcasm in her tone: "Sister-in-law is indeed thoughtful. But now that Nanyuan and Ruoxuan are married, it is only natural for Big Brother to take two concubines, right?"

"The Gu family only has one male heir, Nanyuan. Sister-in-law, you are just ignoring the feelings of your elders. Aren't you afraid that others will say you are unfilial?"

Lin Ruoxuan was slightly stunned and looked at this sudden scene in shock.

I originally thought that the two young ladies were prepared for Gu Nanyuan, but I didn't expect that they were actually concubines for Duke Zhenguo.

She was stunned for a moment, not daring to say anything, so she could only lower her eyes silently to hide the complexity in her eyes.

Aunt Yun refused to give up and continued to sarcastically say, "Sister-in-law, although you are the eldest daughter-in-law of the Gu family, the eldest brother is old, and you have been accompanying him alone for so many years. Isn't this too unreasonable? People outside must have been talking about it for a long time, saying that the backyard of the Gu family's main house is empty, and sister-in-law is jealous and doesn't want others to accompany the eldest brother. Is this the tolerance of a lady from a noble family?"

At this time, Madam Gu put down the teacup in her hand and slowly said, "What Sister Yun said is not unreasonable. As the eldest house, the first house should be prosperous. How can it be known as a deserted inner house?"

"As the first wife of the eldest son, you should be tolerant and generous, and you must not affect the reputation of the Gu family because of your own selfishness, so you can drink this concubine's tea."

As soon as the old lady finished speaking, the hall fell silent and the atmosphere suddenly froze.

Lin Ruoxuan was shocked. She didn't expect that even the old lady would stand on Aunt Yun's side and was so determined to force the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo.

The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo raised her eyes coldly and looked at Madam Gu and Aunt Yun, her tone cold and sharp: "Mother, you must not forget that I am a princess, and I have never been disrespectful to you in the years since I entered the Gu family. Now you force me to take a concubine, and dare to force it on me by calling me unfilial and jealous. Aren't you afraid that outsiders will say that the Gu family treats me harshly, is jealous of my background, and cannot tolerate a princess?"

She said this firmly, with a hint of pride on her face.

If it was when she first married into the Gu family, the identity of a princess would indeed be quite intimidating.

However, now that nearly twenty years have passed, the princess's prestige is no longer what it used to be, and Aunt Yun and Old Madam Gu are no longer afraid of this identity.

The two smiled at each other, and Old Madam Gu was the first to sneer.

"Princess? You have been married into the Gu family for nearly twenty years, and you still use your status as a princess to make things clear. Do you think the Gu family can't accommodate a princess like you, or do you think you are noble?" There was a hint of sarcasm in Old Madam Gu's tone, and her eyes were cold and contemptuous.

"Since you have married into the Gu family, you are the daughter-in-law of the Gu family. You should follow the rules of the Gu family first. Why do you have to bring up the dignity of a princess? You are so protective of yourself, but you don't care about the family heritage. If outsiders know about this, won't they laugh at the Gu family for having such a 'jealous' daughter-in-law?"

Aunt Yun echoed from the side, her eyes full of sarcasm: "Sister-in-law, you keep saying that you want to protect the reputation of the Gu family, but our eldest brother has been alone in the courtyard for decades without even a maid to serve him personally. Everyone has seen it, and I'm afraid they have already regarded you as a mean and jealous person. How dare you talk about others?"

The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo turned pale and replied coldly, "What do you mean by jealous and mean? It's obvious that you are deliberately provoking me to slander me with such a trumped-up charge! I have been in charge of the inner house of the Gu family for many years. Whether it is dealing with people or taking care of the elders, which one of them has not been properly arranged? If I was really like what you said, how could I let the Gu family be so harmonious?"

After hearing this, Madam Gu thought her words were ridiculous. She sneered and shook her head, "If you really wanted harmony in the mansion, you wouldn't be so determined to stop it. Your 'proper arrangement' is just self-righteous."

"Besides, you are already overbearing in your actions, so why do you have to blame others? You just made Ruoxuan kneel down to listen to your lecture yesterday, and now the whole capital is saying that you are harsh to your new bride, so mean that no one can compare to you. With this kind of behavior, you still have the nerve to blame others?"