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

The two arrived at Gu Jingheng's study.

The study wasn't large. A desk was wiped very clean, and the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone were neatly arranged.

There are two bookshelves, stacked with layers of books.

Rong Yingluo only glanced at it briefly, after all, the two were not very familiar with each other, and she was too embarrassed to look at it casually.

"Third Uncle, what trouble have you run into?" Rong Yingluo asked.

"I received news the day before yesterday that a batch of silk I ordered had been robbed, and it might not be possible to get the goods back in a short time, but the shop is already out of stock."

"I'd like to ask for your help. Could you spare some goods from the Rong family's trading company for me to replenish my shop's stock? I'll supply the Rong family with the goods once I've placed a new order." Gu Jingheng had asked several families for help in the past two days, but none of them were willing to assist him.

At the end of the year, everyone's business is at its best, and no one wants to share goods with him at this time.

If he bought it at the market price, he wouldn't make a profit, and he wouldn't be able to explain it to his second brother.

Rong Yingluo thought about it and realized that she really couldn't make the decision. She had never been involved in the Rong family's business before and dared not agree to it outright.

"Third Uncle, do you know which bandits did this? Which bodyguards did they hire?" Rong Yingluo suddenly thought of a solution.

"Gongxian County is more than a hundred miles from the capital. There is a mountain there called Huangling Mountain. That's where the bandits are." Gu Jingheng had already found out.

But reporting this to the authorities was useless.

I heard there are over a hundred bandits on that mountain, and the government has organized several campaigns to suppress them, but without success.

Those bandits always knew the government's actions accurately. As soon as the government troops arrived, they would flee into the deep mountains, leaving the government troops empty-handed.

This repeated itself, and the problem could not be eradicated.

Rong Yingluo felt that something was amiss.

Two months ago, on her way back from Jing'an Hall with Ke Miaoran, she encountered a group of bandits who had come from elsewhere and were very likely the same bandits her third uncle had mentioned.

The fact that they found out her whereabouts so quickly means it was all planned in advance.

Those bandits were likely deliberately kept by someone, or they were in cahoots with the government.

The more Rong Yingluo thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

"Third Uncle, I'll write to my father right away and see if we can borrow some goods for you to replenish the shop. If not, I'll ask my husband to help you find a way." Rong Yingluo thought that soon Su would hand over the management of the household, and then she would take down her second uncle and Su together.

The entire Duke's mansion was in her and Gu Ce's hands, and her third uncle was their best helper.

"Then thank you very much, Third Uncle." Gu Jingheng cupped his hands in thanks.

He had only met this nephew's wife three times and wasn't very familiar with her, but the fact that she had survived for more than two months showed that she was a capable person.

He had learned about her indirectly over the past few days and found her to be a very shrewd woman.

Since she entered the manor, it seems that A-Ce's luck has changed, and he has been promoted to the position of prime minister in one step.

This was something he had never expected.

Unfortunately, he was just an illegitimate son and had no official rank, so he could only manage some property matters for the family and wait for the day when the family would be divided.

"We're all family, no need for thanks." Rong Yingluo felt somewhat familiar with Gu Jingheng, and then she openly looked around his study.

"Does Uncle Gu usually enjoy reading?" Rong Yingluo asked casually, picking up a book that Gu Jingheng was reading from the desk—the Five Classics and Their Correct Meaning.

She turned the pages and was surprised to find them covered with annotations.

After reading a few sentences, I felt the annotations were very apt.

"Third Uncle, did you write these annotations?" Rong Yingluo had read quite a few books, so she could naturally tell whether they were good or bad.

"I just wrote it down randomly," Gu Jingheng said sheepishly.

Rong Yingluo continued to turn the pages, carefully writing annotations on each one.

She looked at the books on the bookshelf again; every single one was very old, indicating that the owner had read them countless times.

Combining the stories my grandmother told me today, a bold idea rushed into my mind.

Is it what she thinks?

Rong Yingluo put down her book, walked to the bookshelf, and took out a copy of "Collected Annotations on the Four Books".

When I opened the book, just as I had guessed, it was filled with annotations and reflections after reading it.

Upon closer inspection, the handwriting was identical to the one on the table earlier; it was also written by my third uncle.

Without needing to read the next book, Rong Yingluo's resolve deepened.

"Third Uncle, why didn't you advance any further after passing the county-level imperial examination?" Rong Yingluo asked directly.

"I'm not cut out for studying; I'd be lucky to even pass the lowest level of the imperial examinations," Gu Jingheng said somewhat embarrassedly.

"No, Third Uncle, you're lying to me. You're academically gifted, but you're willing to give up your ideals and be a law-abiding illegitimate son just to live a peaceful life without any trouble." Rong Yingluo forcefully dug open Gu Jingheng's heart.

"You..." Gu Jingheng stared at the girl in front of him in shock.

Even his daughter didn't realize that his niece-in-law had discovered his long-hidden thoughts in front of the children just by looking at two books in his study.

"Third Uncle, today Grandmother told me about the things that happened between her and Aunt Chen after Aunt Chen entered the mansion."

"Grandmother deeply regrets how she treated you and your mother. Because of this, she neglected Second Uncle, which resulted in him being neither good at academics nor martial arts. Now I realize that you also suffered because you didn't want to stand out," Rong Yingluo sighed.

It's impossible to say who's right or wrong in matters concerning the inner quarters, yet they've caused such a huge impact.

No matriarch likes to see a concubine's son more outstanding than her own son.

No woman wants to see her husband have children with another woman.

Was the old lady wrong? In essence, no.

But in this world, men can take concubines to have more children and for their own selfish desires, while women have to fight and struggle for their status in the inner quarters.

Rong Yingluo was very fortunate that she was a Taoist priest and didn't have to pay attention to these things.

"Liuli..." Gu Jingheng's throat tightened.

His wife was also a concubine's daughter. She suffered all kinds of bullying from her elder sister when she was in her maiden home. She finally made it to marriage, but he couldn't give her a life where she could hold her head high.

Only by separating from the family could they live the lives they wanted, but what good would that do? He had already missed the best years of his life; he was thirty-five now, the old lady was still alive, and who knew when the separation would finally take place. Once the old lady passed away, he would have to observe three years of mourning. He had no more chances.

"Third Uncle, would you like to participate in the imperial examination?" Rong Yingluo knew she had guessed correctly.

"I'm not even a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), how can I participate in the metropolitan examination?" Gu Jingheng thought she was being delusional.

"Then go take the exam!" Rong Yingluo wanted to roll her eyes. "What Grandmother said today shows she doesn't care anymore. You're only thirty-five now. Start working hard now and take the provincial exam next year. As long as you pass, your husband will find you a suitable job. Three years later, you can take the metropolitan exam. You'll only be thirty-eight then, which isn't too late." Rong Yingluo encouraged her.

Apart from the Duke of Zhenguo, who was a martial artist, neither the second nor the third uncle of the Gu family inherited the old Duke's martial arts talent.

Then let's take the path of a civil servant.

It's perfectly normal that many of the founding heroes eventually abandoned their military careers for civil service. Martial arts require a greater test of willpower than academic studies. While leading an army brings power, it also involves risking one's life, whereas a civil official can remain in office until old age.

"Can I really do it?" Gu Jingheng asked hopefully.

Rong Yingluo's words rekindled Gu Jingheng's withered life.