After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

Gu Jingcheng was speechless, caught off guard.

Gu Ce, a top scholar, surely he can learn some business acumen?

Given his current status, he could easily recruit eight or ten staff members to work for him.

"Ah Ce, the Duke's mansion doesn't have much property to begin with. Your father-in-law is the richest man in the capital. He could easily spend any amount of money he has. Why spend the Duke's mansion's meager funds?" Gu Jingcheng thought for a long time before bringing up the Rong family.

"Second Uncle, as the saying goes, even close brothers should keep clear accounts. You're letting my husband use my family's money, are you treating me like I don't have any brothers?" Rong Yingluo thought about how he sent people to steal her money, and she hadn't even settled accounts with him for that yet, and he dared to encourage Gu Ce to spend her family's money. He was dreaming.

If her family is willing to give it, that's their business. But if Gu Ce asks for it, that's a different matter.

"Rong family, how dare you speak like that? I am your elder. You said you would give 100,000 taels of silver to the Emperor, but since your Rong family is so generous, shouldn't you give some to your own husband?" Gu Jingcheng's heart bled at the thought of those 100,000 taels.

The entire Gu family's annual harvest did not even reach 100,000 taels.

"Second Uncle is right. Qingwan is not young anymore. I hope that the husband she marries will be a high-ranking official. When that time comes, you, as her father-in-law, will give your full support, whether it's money or connections, to your son-in-law." Rong Yingluo felt that she was still too thin-skinned and far inferior to Second Uncle Gu and her mother-in-law.

"Shut up, all of you!" the old lady snapped.

It's all her fault. She didn't raise her second son well, which made him neither good at academics nor martial arts, and also greedy for money.

If the old Duke hadn't brought back a concubine and disturbed her mind, she wouldn't have raised her second son to be like this.

If she hadn't argued with the Duke and had accepted Concubine Chen, the family would have lived in harmony, and the second son wouldn't have become so useless. But by the time she realized this, the second son was beyond saving; it was all her fault.

Seeing his mother's anger, Gu Jingcheng obediently shut up.

"Jingyi, bring the land deeds of the two bookstores on Wenchang Street to Ace. He is favored by the Emperor and has many expenses. He needs more money to do his job well."

Moreover, the benefits he brought to the Gu family by becoming prime minister are beyond your wildest imagination.” The old lady was very clear-headed.

Since the Duke was away from his residence for most of the year, the attitude of the people in the capital toward the Duke's mansion depended entirely on A-Ce's reputation.

If it weren't for A-Ce's ambition, it's uncertain whether the Duke's Mansion would have maintained its current prestige in the capital.

It is only right that the Duke's mansion provide him with some financial support.

With Gu Ce around, only merchants who cooperate with the Gu family will give them face, and only then will the Gu family's shops be able to operate better. Those merchants are all cunning and opportunistic.

"Mother!" Su Jingyi exclaimed in surprise.

Not only did she not receive the reward Gu Ce was entitled to, but she also had to give him the shop. Has the old lady gone mad?

"Foolish! Why aren't you going?" The old lady's eyes turned cold.

Su Jingyi was scolded so badly that she dared not act recklessly again, and could only order Zhao Mama to fetch the land deed.

"Liuli, starting tomorrow, you will come to your grandmother's house every morning to learn how to manage the household affairs and the shops and land. A-Ce has been promoted to Prime Minister and must be very busy every day. You must help him manage them." The old lady held Rong Yingluo's hand and said earnestly.

Su will not genuinely teach her.

"Thank you, Grandmother. I will definitely learn diligently," Rong Yingluo happily agreed. Her grandmother was willing to teach her personally; let's see who dares to object.

The matter was settled.

Only then did Aunt Feng find an opportunity to step forward and pay her respects: "This humble servant greets the old lady."

"Suzhen is back? Has your grandmother's matter been settled?" the old lady asked with concern.

"Thank you for your concern, Madam. I rushed back in time, saw my grandmother one last time, and handled the funeral arrangements before leaving after the seventh day after her death." Aunt Feng's eyes reddened as she spoke of her family.

More than a month has passed, and she still can't help feeling sad.

Her parents died early, and she was raised by her grandmother. Her eldest brother married her and joined the army, earning money to support the three women.

Unfortunately, her elder brother died on the battlefield, leaving behind his sister-in-law and nephew. Before his death, he entrusted her to the Duke, which gave her the opportunity to marry into the Duke's mansion as a concubine.

With this identity, the sister-in-law and her nephew will not be bullied.

"Please accept my condolences. You must be tired from coming back, go and rest." The old lady waved her hand, already seeing her granddaughter's anxious look as she hadn't seen her aunt for so many days.

Gu Qingyu immediately stepped forward to support Aunt Feng.

Rong Yingluo rarely saw Gu Qingyu. Since her biological mother was not in the mansion, she kept a low profile and stayed in her own courtyard except for necessary greetings. She only became much more lively when she saw her biological mother.

"Auntie, Yu'er misses you so much." Gu Qingyu's coquettish voice came from outside the hall.

This shows that the mother and daughter have a very good relationship.

But does Aunt Feng even realize the deathly look on her face?

Rong Yingluo frowned. She had only met Aunt Feng for the first time today and had no prior relationship with her. She didn't want to cause any trouble and would observe for a few days before making a decision.

"Everyone, you may leave now." The old lady waved her hand, seeing that it was getting late.

Su Jingyi returned to the main courtyard and angrily smashed several teacups.

"Damn Rong, I wish I could sew her mouth shut. She's so glib. Now, with A-Ce by her side, she's even more eloquent than before."

"Madam, let's forget about it. The young master is already the prime minister, and that cannot be changed."

"Now that the Crown Prince is under house arrest again, let's wait until he's released and gives his instructions before making any decisions," Zhao Mama advised.

"But I'm really feeling terrible inside." Su Jingyi couldn't suppress her anger.

Since Rong married into the Gu family, she has suffered several setbacks and even made a huge fool of herself. If it weren't for the old lady's intervention, who knows what kind of rumors would have spread in the capital.

"Madam, the conflict between His Highness the Crown Prince and the Heir Apparent will only deepen in the future. Since he wants to kill the Heir Apparent's wife, then we should continue to think of ways to deal with it. Hasn't Madam Feng returned? The poison in her body has reached its limit, so let her step forward."

"She and the Crown Prince's wife only met today for the first time. There's no discord between them, so it might be easier for her to succeed," suggested Granny Zhao.

Su Jingyi's eyes lit up.

Feng Shi had long been completely under her control; if she disobeyed, she would die.

"Go and call her over here," Su decided immediately.

Aunt Feng and Gu Qingyu returned to Tingyu Pavilion, where the mother and daughter lived.

Gu Qingyu felt as if she had found someone to rely on, and clung to Aunt Feng's side, unwilling to part with her.

"Auntie, why did you only come back now? You have no idea how much has happened in the past two months. I listened to you and stayed in the courtyard every day, not going anywhere else." Thinking of what happened at the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet that day, the thirteen-year-old girl did not dare to leave the courtyard for several days.

Today, her elder brother was hosting a banquet, and she only dared to stay by her grandmother's side, standing in the corner like a little maid.

"Tell me quickly and carefully what has happened in the manor over the past two months?" Aunt Feng had many thoughts on her mind when she saw Rong Yingluo.

The heir apparent had lost four brides, and she knew exactly what had happened. She was one of the accomplices, but she lived under the control of the Duchess, and for her daughter's sake, she had no choice but to obey.

Gu Qingyu recounted everything that had happened in the mansion after Aunt Feng left. Although she didn't know much, Aunt Feng knew what kind of person Su was, and combined with what her daughter said, she could basically guess the gist of these events.

Just then, a maidservant entered: "Madam, the Duchess requests your presence."

Aunt Feng froze, her face turning pale.

She had just finished listening to her daughter's story and hadn't yet figured out how to respond when the Duchess sent someone to invite her.