Fu Yu and Hong Ye looked at each other, both of them were surprised. Fu Yu couldn't help but said, "Madam, the eldest daughter of Prince Duan's Mansion, Zheng Huiyi, is really stupid. She almost ruined the entire Zheng family fortune. She is courting her own destruction!"

Gu Qinlan smiled gently, with a hint of pride flashing across her brows. She picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then slowly said: "Hongye, you are only half right. Zheng Huiyi's stupidity is certainly one of the reasons why she almost lost her family fortune, but there is something deeper behind her."

After hearing this, Hongye's eyes flashed with doubt. She frowned and asked in confusion: "Deeper water? Madam, what do you mean by this?"

Gu Qinlan put down the teacup, her eyes became deep, she looked at Hongye and said lightly: "Hongye, you don't know that the Zheng family's master's wasteful behavior is actually manipulated by a black hand behind the scenes. This black hand is the Zheng family's housekeeper."

Hongye and Fuyu looked at Gu Qinlan in surprise at the same time, their eyes full of shock. Although they knew that there was something wrong with the Zheng family's housekeeper, they didn't expect Gu Qinlan to know so much.

Fu Yu couldn't help but ask, "Madam, how do you know all this?"

Gu Qinlan smiled slightly and said mysteriously: "This is a secret."

Hongye and Fuyu looked at each other and saw the doubt in each other's eyes. They all knew what Gu Qinlan was talking about, but she answered like this, obviously deliberately teasing them.

Hongye couldn't help but laugh and said, "Madam, are you deliberately trying to whet our appetite?"

Gu Qinlan smiled and looked at Hongye with a hint of teasing in her eyes: "Hongye, you are too smart. I did deliberately whet your appetite, but this is also to make you understand that not everything in this world can be seen with the eyes."

After Fu Yu heard this, a flash of realization flashed across her eyes. She looked at Gu Qinlan and said with emotion, "Madam, you are really hard to guess."

Gu Qinlan smiled. She looked at Fu Yu with a hint of tenderness in her eyes: "Fu Yu, are you praising me?"

Fu Yu blushed, lowered her head, and said softly, "Madam, I just think you are very mysterious and hard to guess."

Gu Qinlan smiled, turned around, pinched her chin and thought hard: the manpower around her was limited. Except for Fu Yu and Hong Ye, the other servants were generally mediocre in ability. They could barely do errands and miscellaneous tasks, but they were obviously incapable of taking on the responsibility of managing affairs, let alone serving as housekeepers.

After careful consideration, Gu Qinlan decided on her cousin Jiang Zhiyu as the candidate for the position of housekeeper.

Jiang Zhiyu is the eldest son of his uncle Jiang Wenyuan. He is smart and capable, and his business acumen is no less than his father's.

As soon as she thought of this, she turned to her maid Hongye and said, "Hongye, go get some writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone. I want to write a letter to my uncle."

Hongye immediately took the order and brought over the four treasures of the study in a short while.

Gu Qinlan picked up the pen and pondered for a moment, then began to write, pouring out all his plans on the paper.

After the letter was written, Gu Qinlan handed it to Hongye: "This letter is of great importance. You must hand it to your uncle in person. There must be no mistakes."

Hongye took the letter, put it carefully in her arms, and left.

A few days later, Hongye returned to Prince Duan's Mansion with a reply from her uncle Jiang Wenyuan. Gu Qinlan couldn't wait to open the envelope, and she couldn't help but feel happy when she saw her uncle's promise to let Jiang Zhiyu come to Prince Duan's Mansion as a housekeeper.

That night, Gu Qinlan summoned Hongye to the study and asked her about the process of delivering the letter. Hongye described in detail the conversation with Jiang Wenyuan and Jiang Zhiyu. After listening to it, Gu Qinlan looked forward to Jiang Zhiyu even more urgently.

Finally, Jiang Zhiyu arrived at Prince Duan's Mansion. Gu Qinlan hosted a banquet in the flower hall, and Fu Yu and Hong Ye were waiting on the side.

After three rounds of drinks, Gu Qinlan said, "Cousin, I have no choice but to ask you to come to Prince Duan's Mansion to serve as the housekeeper. I am short of staff and there are many affairs in the mansion. I am afraid that I will not be able to handle it. You are smart and capable, I would like to ask you to lend me a hand."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhiyu smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, cousin. Now that I have come to Prince Duan's Mansion, I will naturally do my best to live up to your expectations. However, I have just arrived and I still need to familiarize myself with the affairs of the mansion. I am afraid that there will be omissions. I hope my cousin will forgive me."

Gu Qinlan smiled and nodded: "Cousin, you are too modest. I believe in your ability. However, when you come to Prince Duan's Mansion, you must first understand the rules and personnel of the mansion to avoid inconvenience in the future."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded in agreement, and then he discussed various matters of Prince Duan's Mansion with Gu Qinlan. Hongye and Fuyu listened on the side and could not help but be impressed by Jiang Zhiyu's intelligence.

Hongye couldn't help but say, "Master, you are so talented. No wonder the lady trusts you so much."

Jiang Zhiyu smiled and said, "Miss Hongye, you are too kind. I only know a little bit. I hope you can give me more guidance in the future."

Hongye smiled shyly and said nothing more.

……

The next morning.

Hongye brought a shocking news: Princess Duan actually went to kneel in the ancestral temple!

Gu Qinlan heard this, and the cup in her hand trembled slightly, and a few drops of tea spilled out. She immediately put down the cup, hurried out of the house, and headed straight for the ancestral hall.

In the ancestral hall, Princess Duan looked particularly lonely. She was wearing a plain dress, kneeling on the cold ground with her head lowered, as if praying silently. Gu Qinlan walked into the ancestral hall and looked at her mother-in-law's back, with a complex emotion in her heart.

"Mother, what are you doing?" Gu Qinlan's tone was gentle, but she could not hide the worry in her heart.

Princess Duan slowly raised her head, a trace of sadness flashed in her eyes, but she soon regained her composure: "I dreamed that your father blamed me, saying that I did not protect Prince Duan's mansion well. I felt guilty, so I came here to kneel and atone for my sins."

Gu Qinlan walked forward, gently held her mother-in-law's hand, and tried to get her to stand up: "Mother, your health is important. This kind of thing can be left to the servants. Why do you have to kneel in the ancestral hall yourself?"

Princess Duan shook her head and said firmly: "No, this is a debt in my heart, and I must repay it personally."

Gu Qinlan's eyes flashed with helplessness, but she still patiently advised: "Mother, I know you feel guilty, but if you do this, it will only make the people in Prince Duan's Mansion worry. Please stand up, I will kneel with you."

Princess Duan looked at Gu Qinlan with a hint of gratitude in her eyes, but she still insisted: "You are filial, but I have made up my mind. If you really want to do good for me, let me do this."

Gu Qinlan was silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, since you insist, I will kneel with you."

The two knelt side by side in the ancestral hall, and the atmosphere seemed a little heavy.

Gu Qinlan knelt with Princess Duan for a while. Princess Duan turned her head to look at her and couldn't help but said, "Qinlan, stop kneeling. Go and take care of your own things."

Although Princess Duan's voice was soft, it contained unquestionable majesty. Gu Qinlan slowly stood up, bowed slightly, and replied respectfully: "My daughter-in-law obeys your command. Thank you mother for your concern."

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like