I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 55: Stop by to visit
Gu Tingchen pinched his brows speechlessly: "Why would a father miss his son so much?"

"You should be aware of the consequences of advising His Majesty and the Queen Mother to reduce the power of the feudal lords at this time?"

As the backbone of the entire army of Daye Dynasty, Gu An cannot only consider the Gu family.

"When Wanwan advised me a few days ago, although it seemed like she was shielding Prince Yongning, she was not without reason. Currently, we are facing internal and external troubles. Yuezhou is rich and powerful, so we really can't rashly make enemies with foreign forces."

Hearing this, Gu Tingchen secretly clenched his fists.

She actually defended Prince Yongning. It seemed that Ji Yuan really wanted Wanwan to make friends with Fu Mingchi.

I thought about it for a long time last night. Since I can't stop Wanwan from going to Yuezhou, I might as well cut off the hidden danger at the source and get rid of Fu Mingchi as soon as possible to avoid any more trouble.

He believed that both his father and the Queen Mother would agree with this decision.

"Wanwan's opinions are just those of a woman. How can we trust her words?"

Gu Tingchen suppressed his anger. "Her statement further proves that she has a personal relationship with Fu Mingchi. If they really allow their father and daughter to escort Prince Yongning into Lin'an, will my Gu family have a safe place to live in the future?"

Gu An didn't want to see Prince Yongning have the chance to enter Lin'an, so he sighed deeply and asked, "What's your plan?"

"I know my father always considers the overall situation, but I'm not one to be petty."

Gu Tingchen lowered his eyes, his gaze deep, "The most urgent task is to reduce the Mu family army. The mother and daughter of Dingyuan Marquis Mansion may seem unknown, but in fact they have always had contact with the former members of the Mu family army. I am afraid that they have already colluded with Prince Yongning. It is better to eliminate them as soon as possible."

Gu An disagreed with this. "Marquis Dingyuan Mu Zhan sacrificed his life for the Great Ye Dynasty, died on the battlefield, and made unparalleled contributions to it. He only left behind a pair of widows. Even the Queen Mother couldn't bear to touch them. How dare you harbor such a chilling evil thought?"

"When did father become so soft-hearted?"

Gu Tingchen argued, "My aunt lives deep in the palace, and all matters of the court are decided by my father. I must not ruin the current good situation because of a single thought."

Gu An fell silent again.

It is easy to get rid of the mother and daughter, but it will chill the hearts of the soldiers. Who will be willing to fight for the court in the future?

Gu Tingchen vaguely guessed his father's thoughts and said, "If father considers that the mother and daughter are descendants of loyal and righteous people, why not test the waters first and have my uncle feign defeat and return to defend the passes near Lin'an? If little Zhang has no intention of competing for the throne on behalf of Fu Mingchi, she will definitely recommend the old members of the Mu family army to join the front line to fight the enemy."

"The Mu family army only has a hundred thousand men. How can they resist the thousands of northern invaders?" Gu An said angrily, "If the northern defense is lost, do you know how many people will be displaced?"

"Then we still have Fu Mingchi." Gu Tingchen smiled sinisterly, "He has commanded the army for many years. If he dares to take control of the army in a critical moment, it shows that he has ulterior motives. How to deal with my father and the Queen Mother will be decided by themselves when the time comes."

Glancing at Gu An, who looked thoughtful, he said in a gloomy tone, "As long as he is willing to lead the Yuezhou Army into the north, why would we need to implement the policy of weakening the vassal states?"

"That's a good idea. This way, we can recall your uncle and eliminate the worry that Fu Mingchi might become too powerful."

Gu An has always been worried that the Xie family's army will become alienated from himself. Since Mu Zhan died in battle, Xie Zhan has been stationed at the border. After so many years, he must have become proud of his achievements.

He dared to write threatening letters while the Empress Dowager was still alive. If the Empress Dowager passed away, who knows what he would do.

Recalling the Xie family army to consolidate the capital and letting Fu Mingchi lead the Yuezhou army to the battlefield to fend for themselves is indeed a good strategy that kills two birds with one stone.

Patting Gu Tingchen's shoulder heavily, Gu An said with a look of relief: "You bastard have finally made a lot of progress. You are not as ignorant as your elder brother. In the future, you will be in charge of the Gu family. Your father and your aunt can rest assured."

Gu Tingchen smiled and said, "My Gu family has been prosperous for a hundred years. As a son, I always have to learn to share my father's worries."

Gu An felt even more satisfied after hearing this. Thinking about his niece going to Yuezhou, he already had a plan in mind.

"Regardless of whether Wanwan went to Yuezhou under Ji Yuan's orders, we must not let Fu Mingchi get away with it."

Gu An sighed softly, "After all, she was raised under the protection of our Duke's Mansion. How could Ji Yuan be so qualified to dictate Wanwan's marriage? He can only accept it."

Seeing his father start to support him, Gu Tingchen was delighted: "What arrangements does father have?"

"Since we have decided to let Fu Mingchi enter the Northland, Yuezhou must find a way to place our own people there as soon as possible."

Gu An twirled his beard and said shrewdly, "When your uncle returns to Lin'an, I will discuss with your great-aunt and ask for permission to allow you to go to Yuezhou as an inspector to gain experience. Yuezhou is so large that they can always investigate and prosecute some officials. Then we can naturally place our people there."

Gu Tingchen smiled and nodded: "Father, this is a very good plan."

In this way, it would be much easier to get rid of Fu Mingchi.

Gu An patted his shoulder again and said earnestly, "Wanwan has finally grown up. Since you care about her, stop being so bossy. I don't think she will fall for it. Treat her well when you get to Yuezhou."

When mentioning this matter, Gu Tingchen had many things in his mind that were difficult to say, but as a father, how could he not see through his thoughts? He knew that he was acting a while ago, so he pointed it out to him directly.

"It's a good thing for a family like ours to know how to plan. Your father doesn't blame you."

Gu An consoled him, "But Tingzhou is your elder brother after all, a blood relative from the same mother. Don't go too far."

"I will definitely remember your teachings." Gu Tingchen vowed, "Don't worry, father. I am not a narrow-minded person. As long as he does his duty, I will not make things difficult for him."

"Go ahead." Gu An waved his hand in relief. "Tomorrow is your mother's birthday. Ask An to accompany Qingmian, Tingji and their siblings, and to check on Wanwan's itinerary for Yuezhou." "Yes."

After receiving his father's instructions, Gu Tingchen thought about what happened last night and wished he could see his cousin immediately, so he hurried out of the study.

When they arrived at the middle courtyard, they saw Ye Wanshu leading three little ones and a group of servants walking over, talking and laughing.

Seeing this unlucky thing, Ye Wanshu stopped laughing and glanced at Gu Tingchen with caution while protecting the three little guys.

"Wanwan, my cousin was drunk last night and didn't mean to offend you siblings. Don't take it personally."

Gu Tingchen, contrary to his usual behavior, took the initiative to step forward and apologize: "But what my cousin said last night counts. From now on, I will never go to a place of prostitution again, and I will never drink again."

This stunned everyone.

Gu Qingmian asked in shock: "Second brother, are you okay?"

"Of course I'm fine." Gu Tingchen's eyes were still fixed on Ye Wanshu. He asked with a gentle smile, "Have you prepared everything for your trip to Yuezhou? I'll arrange for someone to escort you."

"No need." Ye Wanshu was a little surprised by what he said. She didn't know what tricks he was playing. She said in a cold tone, "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. I'm just going to visit my relatives and will be back in a few months. There's no need to mobilize a large force, cousin."

He has let me down all my life, so it is reasonable for me to lie to him this time. I must not tell him that I will never return to the Duke's Mansion.

"Leaving the day after tomorrow?"

Gu Tingchen was silent for a moment. Anyway, she would be there soon, so there was no need to worry about anyone daring to embarrass her.

"It's better to go early and come back early."

He smiled and responded, "It's rare that Qingmian and Tingji are both at home. How about I accompany you to the Changle Street Theater to watch Yue Opera?"

His attitude today was getting weirder. He didn't say anything sarcastic, but he also didn't stop her from going to Yuezhou, which made Ye Wanshu confused for a moment.

After all, he is the elder brother of Qingmian and Tingji, and he cannot instigate their brotherly relationship because of himself. Ye Wanshu looked at the two siblings.

Having stayed in Yunqing Mountain for a long time, the brother and sister naturally liked the hustle and bustle of Lin'an City, and they both looked at Ye Wanshu hesitantly.

"If you like, go ahead."

Seeing that they were about to leave the Duke's Mansion, as long as Gu Tingchen did not continue to make trouble, Ye Wanshu was willing to keep her distance from him and maintain a superficially harmonious brother-sister relationship.

After being in a stalemate for so many days, seeing that his cousin's attitude towards him had finally softened a lot, Gu Tingchen's long-silent heart finally warmed a little.

He led the siblings out of the house with a forced smile, and then started to plan his cousin's trip to Yuezhou, and seemed to feel much more at ease.

Cross-state border
After traveling for several days in a row, the convoy of Prince Yongning's Palace was exhausted.

Just as they were about to enter Yuezhou City, Fu Yunni started to get angry.

"Brother, after we return to the palace, won't it take quite some time to get to Jikang County?"

Looking at the two forked roads, Xiao Douding tugged at Fu Mingchi's clothes and refused to let go: "Shall we go to Jikang County first?"

Butler Zhao frowned, "Your Highness, Princess, the Concubine Dowager has already learned that we have returned to Yuezhou. If we don't go back and see the Concubine Dowager first, I'm afraid she will be unhappy when she finds out."

"That's because mother doesn't know that my elder brother is going to Jikang County to meet my future sister-in-law. If she knew about this, she might have to rush to Jikang County herself." Fu Yunni said confidently.

"What nonsense are you talking about, you little idiot?" Fu Mingchi scolded seriously, "It's just a chance encounter, how can you call her sister-in-law?"

Just thinking about the girl being drugged, he suddenly became extremely uneasy.

I don't know if she was framed by her family or has other difficulties. I have to find out the truth to feel at ease.

Glancing at Butler Zhao with a flat expression, Fu Mingchi said in a calm tone, "It just so happens that I have some official business to go to Jikang County. Since the young princess wants to visit that girl, you can go to the city in advance to buy some more things and stop by to see her."

"On the way?"

Butler Zhao had a bitter look on his face. This was at least a two hundred li detour, and the delay would make his return trip several days late.

"Your Highness."

Just as he was about to open his mouth to persuade them, Fu Mingchi gave him a cold look. Butler Zhao had no choice but to shut up and ordered everyone, "Change the route to Ji Kang County."

Seeing this, Fu Yunni smiled with satisfaction and pulled Fu Mingchi back into the carriage.

The group rushed towards Jikang County in a dusty manner.

(End of this chapter)