Traveling to Daliang Kingdom starts from falling into the water

Why couldn't I come to you to inquire about news? After all, you are currently in Jiangnan. If Madam Gao becomes suspicious, who else would be more suitable to contact than you?

Gu Wenxuan shook his head decisively, "No! You've misunderstood. Second Master Gao is far away in Jiangnan. She wouldn't need to know if Second Master Gao is alright."

If she really suspected something, why would she wait until our son is 100 days old to come over? 100 days is three months; how could she possibly sit still then?

I did hear your second brother mention something to me before. Apparently, there's a rumor circulating in the capital that both the tenth and eleventh princes are interested in the seventh young lady of the Gao family. This might be related to that.

Who?
Seventh Miss?
"Who's so shameless? How old is the Seventh Miss? She hasn't even reached marriageable age yet. How could she be linked to two princes?" Zhou Banxia frowned in confusion.

"I guess it's because she's too big for her britches." Gu Wenxuan reached out and smoothed the hair between her brows. "It's advantageous for Madam Gao to be based in the capital, but it's also a disadvantage."

The circle of military merit is not limited to the founding military merits. Moreover, Lord Gao was not a military general, unlike you, sir, who worked in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.

What's most remarkable is that you once led the Imperial Guards and the Beijing Garrison in a brilliant battle. Who knew then that you were a descendant of a founding military hero?

The current emperor knows.

The current emperor knew that his uncle was his cousin, which is why he allowed his uncle to lead the Imperial Guards and the Capital Garrison under the protection of the Empress Dowager, thus making him the biggest winner and enabling him to ascend the throne smoothly.

Furthermore, the Liang State Duke's Mansion is not a faction of founding military merit. Everyone knows that Zhou Shan, the Duke of Liang, was the first strategist of the founding of the state and a true civil official, not a military meritorious official.

"Well, I didn't know it at the time, but now I know that we have a bond of fighting side by side. Whether they are old or new military officers, or civil officials, they all have a good relationship with you, sir."

This is the advantage of taking things step by step. Of course, it cannot be denied that the good relationship was largely due to the fact that the gentleman had retired from his official post. After all, the gentleman had retired, unlike Mr. Gao who was still enjoying a successful official career.

Given Gao Daren's career prospects, if we don't curb them, not to mention who would want to win him over, the higher you climb in the official ranks, the fewer positions there are, and how many people will be wary of him?
But what could possibly harm Lord Gao? He has no shortage of money, and his mother is always casting a wide net to build connections. Who would dare to confront him head-on?

"So, that's how this rumor came about, which was meant to annoy the Gao family. That's why the old lady decided whether or not to bring her granddaughter back to avoid the storm, hence the talk of her coming back for a visit?"

“You could say that.” Of course, it’s not quite right either, otherwise it wouldn’t make sense. Gu Wenxuan continued thoughtfully, “Three months should be enough time for the Gao family to reduce the influence of the rumors. Then they can find some excuse to bring people back to the city. That would be the best strategy.”

Do not!
Best option?

If the best course of action to deal with such rumors were to take her granddaughter back to the capital, the best course of action would not be to bring her granddaughter back to the capital, but to ensure that her granddaughter died in the capital.

Let alone the life of a mere illegitimate granddaughter, even if it were the life of the eldest legitimate daughter, how could we break the deadlock and gain the sympathy of the world for Lord Gao?
Madam Gao will be ruthless.

In the secluded backyard of a mansion, where would one find a living bodhisattva?

The fact that the matriarch of the household can carefully raise her illegitimate sons and daughters does not mean that she is particularly virtuous and generous, but rather that her illegitimate sons and daughters can bring benefits to her legitimate sons and daughters.

What if it's not possible?
That proud Miss Gao Qi had no room to survive anymore; Old Madam Gao would never leave any hidden dangers for the happiness of a mere granddaughter.

Even if it was just a misunderstanding, the two princes clarified it, so it's hard to find a husband for this granddaughter now. She's practically useless, with only her last remaining value to be exploited.

The outcome has been decided.

Even if the old lady doesn't intervene, the first lady can't tolerate this illegitimate daughter anymore. It's just that for some reason, the rumor is that she is Gao Qi, instead of Gao Jiu, who is about the same age.

Logically speaking, if someone were targeting Master Gao, wouldn't it be better to choose Miss Gao Jiu? After all, they are both Master Gao's illegitimate daughters, but Gao Jiu is more favored. It's strange that a quiet, reserved girl is overshadowed by a more lively and outgoing one as the subject of the rumors. How could it be Gao Qi?

If we're talking about Gao Jiu, who loves to show off and always wants to compete with others, it's understandable that she might have some kind of connection with the prince in private. Could it be that Gao Jiu framed Gao Qi?

It seems that Gao Qi has already spoken about someone else, but Gao Jiu, who is a few months younger than Gao Qi, was someone the old lady had previously intended to choose for her from a poor but ambitious family.

The old lady is the old lady after all; how could she not know her granddaughter's temperament? A granddaughter who loves to compare herself to others is not as valuable as marrying down if she marries into a family of equal social standing.

Perhaps it was because of this that Gao Jiu was unwilling to lose to Gao Qi and wanted to snatch the husband's family that the old lady had chosen for Gao Qi, only to be used by someone else?

It's not impossible!
Zhou Banxia felt as if she had grasped the truth. She glanced at Gu Wenxuan, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not voice her guess. She didn't have time to say it anyway.

The child woke up.

During the day, the child is in the south room.

Only at night would the wet nurse take the child to the north room to care for him.

Gu Wenxuan learned very quickly. Two days ago, he didn't dare to hold his son, but now he no longer needed to call the wet nurse in. As soon as he saw his son wake up, he jumped up and quickly picked him up before the son could even cry out.

This speed!

Zhou Banxia's attention was instantly diverted.

"Daddy's sweetie is so good, she knows Daddy will hold her and she won't cry. Wait a minute, let Daddy check if she's peed, then she can eat right away."

"Very good, you're truly Daddy's little darling. That's right, when Daddy changes your diaper, you won't kick your little feet or move your little hands, okay..."

That's about it, I'm getting goosebumps, honey!
Zhou Banxia decisively interrupted, "Are your little hands warm?"

"Don't worry, look how lively our son is. He's not sweating, and he's dressed just right. Haha, sweetie, you've pooped. You naughty boy, you're making Daddy laugh even though you stink."

Zhou Banxia had been holding back for so long, but at this moment, she could no longer suppress her laughter and burst out laughing.

Her husband is truly a perfect example of the saying, "Even the poop of one's own son smells good." If it were Xiao Suocheng, he could at least observe how the poop is.

They ran away in fright!
"Very good, our little man knows to cooperate with his father and not move around. Look how happy your mother is. My good boy, do you know what your mother is thinking right now?"
Your mother isn't secretly happy anymore; she's probably thinking right now how amazing she is to have given birth to such a smart son like you.

Wait a minute, hot water will be brought in soon. You'll feel better after Daddy wipes your bottom. My dear, I think the three of us should move back home soon.

It's so inconvenient to get hot water here. Unlike our superior room, which is right next to the bathroom, and the bathroom is huge. We can just carry our poop to the bathroom and not have to wait for hot water at all; we can even play in the water!

Yes, the side rooms are not as comfortable as the main rooms, but they should be moved back to the inner chambers after the baby is one month old. It is too early to move back now.

Just like you said about playing in the water, it's not even May yet. Even if it's warm indoors, it's still not summer, so don't rush anything. "It'll be a month soon, not just over twenty days." (End of Chapter)