Reborn to be replaced, remarried to the royal palace to raise children and train husband

The next morning, Gu Qinlan got up early and went to the front yard. The morning light shone on her face, and her eyes were full of determination and courage. The front yard of Prince Duan's mansion was very lively, with servants and retainers standing or sitting in groups of two or three, and the sound of discussion was one after another.

As soon as Gu Qinlan stepped into the yard, she heard a buzz of discussions.

"Have you heard? The old lady actually handed over the power of the household to that merchant girl Gu Qinlan!"

"Yes, our Prince Duan's Mansion is a hereditary palace. How can we let a merchant girl be in charge?"

"Look at her, what good can she do?"

Gu Qinlan's expression changed slightly, and she slowly walked into the crowd, with a sharp look in her eyes. When the servants saw her coming, they did not stop talking, and some even looked at her with scornful smiles on their lips.

Gu Qinlan looked around coldly, her eyes falling on the servants who were talking. She raised her chin slightly, with an expression of unquestionable majesty: "What are you talking about?"

Everyone was stunned and shut up. The yard suddenly became quiet. A brave servant answered bravely, "Princess, we are discussing the matter of the old lady handing over the power of the family to you."

Gu Qinlan smiled slightly, but her eyes became even colder: "Discuss? Are you questioning my ability?"

The servants did not dare to answer and lowered their heads.

Gu Qinlan continued, "I know you are dissatisfied and think that I am from a merchant family and not qualified to be in charge of Prince Duan's Mansion. But I want to tell you that the old lady gave me the power to manage the family because she saw my ability and character. If I am not competent, she will take back her order. But if I am competent, all of you will listen to my orders."

Everyone looked at each other with ugly expressions.

Mrs. Zhao from the kitchen couldn't help but speak up: "Princess, we don't doubt your ability, we are just worried that after you take power, you will delay the affairs of the mansion."

Gu Qinlan's eyes turned cold, and he looked directly at the old servant: "If there is a delay, it is my responsibility. But if you dare to talk behind my back and interfere with the affairs of the mansion again, don't blame me for being rude."

Mrs. Zhao's face turned pale and she retreated angrily.

Gu Qinlan looked at Mrs. Zhao in the kitchen and asked sternly, "Mrs. Zhao, do you know who you are talking to?"

Mrs. Zhao curled her lips and said disapprovingly, "She's just a prince's consort. What's so great about that? I've been serving in the kitchen for so many years, and I've never seen a master as delicate as you."

Gu Qinlan's expression became even more severe, and she said coldly: "It seems that you are tired of living, and you dare to be so rude in front of me."

At this time, the maid Hongye couldn't help but interrupt and said, "Princess, don't be angry with this kind of person. It's not worth it. I will teach her a lesson."

Hongye walked up to Mrs. Zhao and angrily scolded her, "Mrs. Zhao, you are committing treason. Do you know what respect is? You are courting death by doing this!"

Mrs. Zhao's eyes widened and she retorted, "Hongye, what qualifications do you have to teach me? You're just a maid."

Hongye was so angry that her face turned blue, and she was about to explode when Fuyu came over. She glared at Mrs. Zhao, slapped her twice without hesitation, and then kicked her in the knee, causing her to kneel on the ground.

Mrs. Zhao was in so much pain that tears came out of her eyes. She looked at Fu Yu in horror, unable to believe that this usually gentle girl would actually hit someone.

Gu Qinlan said coldly: "Mrs. Zhao, you know that your rude behavior has violated my bottom line. Now, I want to punish you."

Mrs. Zhao turned pale with fright. She struggled to stand up but was pinned to the ground by several servants.

"Twenty strokes of the cane!" Gu Qinlan ordered.

Several servants responded and began to punish her with a stick. Mrs. Zhao was unconvinced at first, but after a few beatings, the pain made her beg for mercy and admit her fault.

"Princess Consort, I was wrong. I will never dare to do it again. Please forgive me!" Mrs. Zhao cried.

Gu Qinlan looked at Mrs. Zhao and said firmly, "Mrs. Zhao, you are disrespectful and disobey your superiors. You must be punished so that you will remember this lesson."

Fu Yu looked at Mrs. Zhao with indifference, thinking to herself that such a person should be punished so that she could understand the distinction between superiors and inferiors.

After the beating, Mrs. Zhao's skin was torn and she lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

Gu Qinlan looked at Mrs. Zhao and said in a serious tone, "Mrs. Zhao, remember, Prince Duan's Mansion is not a place where you can mess around. From today on, you must reflect on your behavior, otherwise, the punishment next time will be more severe."

Mrs. Zhao nodded repeatedly. She no longer dared to think of resisting.

Everyone else in the kitchen was watching this scene, secretly thanking their luck that they were not as rude as Mrs. Zhao, otherwise they would be the ones being punished.

Gu Qinlan looked around and ordered, "Come here, bring the account book of Prince Duan's Mansion."

The maids immediately withdrew, and soon came back with an account book and handed it to Gu Qinlan.

Gu Qinlan opened the account book and scanned every page with a sharp gaze. She suddenly found that the numbers in the account book were very different from what she saw in the kitchen.

"Zheng Longyu, the kitchen purchasing manager, come here."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Longyu immediately walked out of the crowd. He was dressed in blue and had a respectful expression. He walked in front of Gu Qinlan, bent his legs, and knelt on the ground until he was three feet away from the Crown Prince's Consort.

"Princess Consort, I, Zheng Longyu, am at your service." Zheng Longyu's voice was low, but firm.

Gu Qinlan stared at Zheng Longyu with sharp eyes like a hawk, and said calmly: "Zheng Longyu, do you admit your guilt?"

Zheng Longyu was stunned, then shook his head: "I am loyal and have never deceived my superiors or subordinates. I wonder what crime the Crown Prince's Consort is accusing me of?"

"Zheng Longyu, come and take a look. Are the numbers in this account book written by you yourself?" Gu Qinlan stared at Zheng Longyu coldly, her tone full of doubt.

Zheng Longyu knelt hurriedly, looking at the account book in a panic, with cold sweat on his forehead. He said in a trembling voice: "Princess, I did write this by myself, there is absolutely no falsehood. I am loyal to the Prince Duan's Mansion, and I would never dare to deceive my superiors and hide things from my subordinates."

Gu Qinlan sneered and looked at Zheng Longyu sharply: "Loyal? Your wife, Mrs. Zhao, has just been punished. How dare you say you are loyal?"

Zheng Longyu's face was pale, and his lips were trembling. He clenched his fists tightly and said painfully, "My Lady, I really don't know about Mrs. Zhao. If she did anything wrong, I am willing to take responsibility. But please be careful, my Lady, I have been in the kitchen of Prince Duan's Mansion for many years, and I have never made any mistakes."

Gu Qinlan frowned. Zheng Longyu's performance in the kitchen had always been good, but the numbers in the account book made her doubt.

She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and asked, "Zheng Longyu, do you know why there are so many more food and ingredients in the kitchen than in the account book?"

Zheng Longyu was stunned. He opened his eyes wide and was speechless for a moment.