Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"I don't think so!"

Gu Tingye shook his head and said, "If they didn't dare to act when the Liao emperor ascended the throne, the possibility of them directly launching a rebellion would be extremely slim. Now that the Liao emperor's position is increasingly secure, he is even less likely to launch a direct rebellion."

"No!"

Sheng Changfeng retorted, "Precisely because the Liao emperor's position is becoming more and more secure, he will inevitably take action to eliminate this hidden danger."

The fact that Liao Taishu did not fall for the trap this time shows that this method is useless, and the only solution is to use force.

Liao Taishu also commands a considerable army, which will inevitably cripple the Liao Kingdom, allowing the border between the two countries to remain peaceful for a long time!

"It's not that simple."

Gu Tingye shook his head and said, "Throughout history, how many simple people have been able to win in the struggle for imperial power?"

Even if the Liao Kingdom were to experience internal strife, regardless of who wins, it would ultimately not be a good thing for the Great Zhou.

On the contrary, their continued persistence is far more effective.

After a moment's thought, Qi Heng understood Gu Tingye's meaning.

Indeed, throughout history, no one who has risen to power through illegitimate means has ever been simple.

The most representative examples are Li Shimin and Zhu Di.

Of course, there were also some who became incompetent after ascending to the throne, such as Hu Hai and Yang Guang, both of whom were rulers who brought about the downfall of their kingdoms.

However, the former was promoted by Zhao Gao and Li Si, while the latter, although his country was destroyed, can only be described as being ambitious and eager for quick success.

While some of the others became incompetent after taking power, their performance in the early stages was not bad.

Gu Tingye said that the fact that the Liao Emperor and his uncle could not determine a winner showed that both of them lacked ability and courage, so there was no need to worry.

Moreover, their stalemate is more beneficial to the Great Zhou.

Conversely, if two people can quickly defeat each other, the winner will likely be quite capable.

Moreover, with fewer constraints and internal problems resolved, they should be more open to external threats.

From this perspective, Gu Tingye's military abilities were indeed quite good.

"Whether one is strong or weak cannot be changed, but the Liao Kingdom has been severely weakened, which is ultimately a good thing for the Great Zhou!" Sheng Changfeng still insisted on his point of view.

Gu Tingye smiled, unwilling to say more.

If the current Liao emperor were truly capable, he wouldn't need to resort to such methods.

But daring to use oneself as bait certainly shows courage.

These facts are enough to demonstrate the Liao emperor's capabilities.

At this moment, the sound of a clapper rang out, but Sheng Changfeng didn't say anything.

Because Gu Tingye was there, the Sheng family servants brought lunch to them, and the two ate in the schoolroom.

"Yuanruo, you've been studying at the Sheng family for the past few years, and you've also been busy with romance. It's not easy for you to pass the imperial examination and become a Juren," Gu Tingye said with a smile.

"Second Uncle, please stop teasing me. You still..."

Qi Heng wanted to say that she had two children, but she stopped herself from saying it.

Although there are no outsiders here, once you get into the habit of saying certain things, you might just blurt them out again.

Gu Tingye, however, understood what Qi Heng was trying to say, and his old face flushed as he said, "How can I be the same? Besides, you managed to persuade the Empress to take the Sixth Miss as your goddaughter and even get the Emperor to grant you a marriage. You must have put in a lot of effort, right?"

"Isn't Second Uncle the same?" Qi Heng retorted.

"Haha, you've really changed a lot, but that's a good thing."

Gu Tingye laughed and said, "I used to worry that you would become stupid from studying too much, just like those pedantic scholars."

"Why?" Qi Heng asked in surprise.

"Because that would be so boring!"

Gu Tingye said, "Sixth Miss Sheng is a good girl. She has suffered a lot. Treat her well!"

"Um?"

Qi Heng feigned surprise and said, "Second Uncle seems to know Sixth Miss quite well?"

"Don't misunderstand!"

Gu Tingye explained, "Back in Yangzhou..."

He recounted how he met Minglan in Yangzhou.

"So the death of Sixth Miss's birth mother wasn't just an accident!" Qi Heng's face darkened.

The reason he asked these questions was actually to give himself an excuse to talk about these things with Minglan in the future.

Minglan had been secretly investigating and also wanted revenge.

Since Qi Heng intended to marry her, he naturally didn't want her to have a thorn in her heart.

"Perhaps."

Gu Tingye shook his head and said, "I can't say anything about this!"

His statement that it was difficult to say was not due to any reservations, but rather to uncertainty.

At that time, some members of the Sheng family blocked them from seeing a doctor. Even when Minglan invited a doctor, they still prevented him from entering the house.

However, this could also be a deliberate act of letting things go unchecked, rather than something that was planned in advance.

As an outsider, he couldn't easily inquire about what happened afterward.

Qi Heng nodded, then asked curiously, "Second Uncle, given your personality, how could you possibly gamble with someone on the day of the engagement?"

He knew very well how Wei Xiaoniang died, but he was more curious about why Gu Tingye would make a bet with Sheng Changfeng on the day of the betrothal.

Gu Tingye couldn't possibly be unaware that doing so would be tantamount to slapping the Sheng family in the face.

Unless the two families have a mortal feud, no one would cause trouble on someone else's joyous occasion.

Even if Yuan Wenchun asked him for help, given Gu Tingye's personality, he would never agree.

Gu Tingye was silent for a moment before saying, "You know the situation of the Yuan family. The reason they were willing to form a marriage alliance with the Sheng family was because they wanted the Sheng family's dowry."

But if word gets out that you're thinking about bringing a dowry, people will laugh at you.

Yuan Wenchun asked me to do this, hoping to give the Sheng family a warning.

Qi Heng nodded in realization. Hua Lan had married into the Yuan family, and the Yuan family was indeed after her dowry.

Giving her a hard time on the day of the betrothal is simply to make her afraid to tell her family, and even if she does, her family won't be able to easily come to her door to demand an explanation.

It is dishonorable for the Yuan family to covet their daughter-in-law's dowry, but it is equally dishonorable for the Sheng family to cause trouble on the day of the engagement, when they almost lost their betrothal gifts.

"Given Second Uncle's personality, he wouldn't be so lenient about such a small favor as a boat ride, would he?" Qi Heng said.

"You know my story. When I arrived in Yangzhou, my maternal grandfather had already passed away."

According to normal legal principles, if the maternal grandfather has no sons, his family property should be inherited by his relatives.

Even if I have my maternal grandfather's will, it depends on whether the local officials recognize it.

When I arrived in Yangzhou, I couldn't go around telling people that I was the son of the Marquis of Ningyuan. No one in Yangzhou had seen me before, and verifying my identity would be quite troublesome.

I promised Yuan Wenchun that he would definitely use my identity to shut the Sheng family up.

"With him vouching for me, no one will doubt my identity!" Gu Tingye said.

After pondering for a moment, Qi Heng couldn't help but admire Gu Tingye's deep scheming.

Indeed, according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, if a family has no sons, its property will be inherited by its daughters.

However, this applies if the daughter is unmarried. Married daughters are ranked lower than other members of the same clan in the order of inheritance.

It could even be said that Gu Tingye was just a grandson.

However, there is one exception: when there is a will.

Gu Tingye has his maternal grandfather's will, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will inherit it.

Because he first had to prove that he was Old Master Bai's grandson, and not an imposter.

The only people who could prove his identity were the people from the Yuan family who came to propose marriage.

Only by proving his identity through the Yuan family can he successfully inherit the family business.

Otherwise, if the delay goes on too long, other members of the Bai family will be able to transfer their assets.

The Bai family had been operating in Yangzhou for many years, so it was impossible for them not to have connections with officials.

Even with the help of those officials, and despite proving their identities, they still couldn't get their family property back.

Qi Heng even suspected that Gu Tingye's assassination attempt was something he had foreseen.

Hiding for many days and not showing up until the funeral of Old Master Bai was a way of putting pressure on the officials of all ranks in Yangzhou.