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

"If it's true, as you and I suspect, that Second Brother is Second Uncle's child, then is it possible that Qingya is also his child?" Gu Ce analyzed from a man's perspective.

If the father knew that his second brother was not his child, then Su Shi would be dirty in the father's eyes. A normal man would not touch this woman again, especially since she was his wife.

"Very likely. Gu Qingya looks more like Su Shi, so I can't be sure." Rong Yingluo couldn't be certain.

"Whether it is or not, it doesn't really matter anymore. As long as Gu Xi is not Father's child, once this matter is exposed, the Su family will not have a good ending." Gu Ce could already imagine the Su family's fate.

He just didn't know why his father had tolerated her until now.

"Should we think of a way to expose this?" Rong Yingluo asked. She had already come up with a plan, it was just a matter of whether Gu Ce wanted to implement it.

"No. At least not now. It would be better to expose him when Father is around." Gu Ce thought for a moment and then waved his hand.

If he truly wasn't his father's child, then he couldn't repay kindness with enmity. This matter couldn't be exposed by him and his wife; it was a family scandal for the Gu family, though they could certainly fan the flames.

"I understand. Only Father can execute Su Shi, after all. We are the younger generation. Besides, we can't be sure if Gu Qingya is Father's child." Rong Yingluo said with a hint of helplessness.

"Don't worry about that for now. We'll add fuel to the fire when the time is right," Gu Ce said.

"Also, what do you think about Aunt Miao's suspicion that Madam Su has sided with the Crown Prince?" Rong Yingluo has spent too little time in the capital and doesn't know many things.

"I knew about this a long time ago. When I first became the top scholar in the imperial examination, the Crown Prince approached me privately more than once, wanting me to work for him."

But I ignored him, and he started attacking me repeatedly. After several exchanges, he didn't gain any advantage.

The Emperor saw this, which led to the current situation where I am fighting against him in the court.

He previously thought that by getting through the Su family and my second uncle, I would have no choice but to get on his ship.

Unfortunately, he did not understand the true nature of the Gu family. On the surface, Su Shi and his second uncle controlled the entire Gu family, but in reality, it was his father who was in control.

Their petty squabbles could not shake their father's decision, nor could they shake the foundation of the Gu family.

As long as the border guarded by his father remains impregnable, the emperor will continue to rely on him.

My father's memorials were sent to the Emperor every month, and I wrote to him every month as well. My father was fully aware of what was happening in the capital." Gu Ce still recognized the Duke of Zhenguo's control over him.

Su could only control the servants and the guards in the mansion. Second Uncle had some manpower given to him by his grandfather, but probably not many. Gu Ce guessed that the core strength of the Gu family must be in his father's hands, either scattered in the capital or taken to the border.

Rong Yingluo nodded to herself after hearing this. Gu Ce wasn't as weak as she had imagined; he knew everything he needed to know.

"By the way, did you run into some trouble?" Rong Yingluo thought of how he looked worried when he first came in.

"The Emperor spoke with me today. The Prime Minister has been ill for several days and submitted his resignation. The Emperor asked me who I would recommend as Prime Minister." Gu Ce leaned back and began to speak about politics.

He knew that Rong Yingluo was no ordinary young lady, and he wanted to hear her thoughts.

"The Emperor is asking for your opinion; he's giving you connections." Rong Yingluo immediately guessed the Emperor's meaning.

"Do you think it's better for me to recommend myself, or for me to recommend someone else?" Gu Ce smiled faintly.

"Your ambition is too great! The Prime Minister is the head of all officials. You've only been an official for a few years, and you're already thinking of coveting that position." Rong Yingluo couldn't help but admire his ambition.

Gu Ce smiled but remained silent.

"Are you really planning to recommend yourself? You're only a third-rank official now, while the Prime Minister is a first-rank official. I doubt the Emperor will approve." Rong Yingluo thought Gu Ce had gone mad.

However, considering the Emperor's level of trust in him, it might actually work out.

If he really becomes prime minister, the crown prince will definitely be so angry he'll vomit blood.

"The Crown Prince's men have been very active these past two days," Gu Ce said leisurely.

"Did they recommend Minister Gao?" Rong Yingluo blurted out, thinking of the relationship between the Gao family and the Imperial Concubine.

"You guessed right, it's Minister Gao." Gu Ce gave her an approving look.

"Ha, then you can secretly find a few officials to report my riot at the Gao residence to the Emperor. His dream of becoming Prime Minister will definitely be shattered."

"His inability to manage his own household is a major stain on his reputation. As the saying goes, 'If you can't sweep your own house, how can you sweep the world?' He can't even manage his own family. How can he be the prime minister, the head of all officials?" Rong Yingluo felt that she had unintentionally done Gu Ce a huge favor.

"What you say is right, it coincides with my own thoughts," Gu Ce said confidently.

The emperor wanted to suppress the crown prince's power, so he was naturally happy to see the crown prince lose power.

Gao Shangshu rarely had any faults that could be found against him, but he was not without faults.

The lady, because of her second sister's matter, conveniently provided the emperor with a very good reason.

However, this was not enough to discredit Gao Shangshu; he needed to add more leverage. He already had a plan in mind.

"Aren't you going to thank me?" Rong Yingluo asked, seeking praise.

"What does Madam wish for?" Gu Ce asked with a smile.

"Aunt Miao wants us to interfere in Second Sister's marriage. Can you help?" Rong Yingluo offered this as payment.

"You mean that scholar surnamed Zhou?"

"That's right. I had someone inquire about him, and he seems to be a decent person. As for his academic performance, I don't know. Since you were the top scholar five years ago, you could try to find an opportunity to test him." Rong Yingluo was determined to help him to the end.

"Alright, come with me to meet this Young Master Zhou another day."

The two agreed to this.

After dinner, Gu Ce went to his study to attend to something and told Rong Yingluo that he would be busy until late and that she didn't need to wait for him.

Rong Yingluo planned to visit the old lady again.

One acupuncture session today should be enough.

As darkness fell, she changed into black clothes and quietly left the Silver Willow Courtyard.

As soon as she stepped out of the courtyard, she was spotted by An Yi, who was hiding in the shadows.

The Emperor gave Gu Ce five men, and he renamed them An Yi to An Wu, with An Yi being the leader of the five.

"Your Highness, the lady, dressed in black, has climbed over the wall and left Silver Willow Courtyard," An Yi reported as he entered the study.

"Which direction?" Upon hearing this, Gu Ce immediately got up and chased after him.

An Yi followed closely behind.

Just like the previous two times, Rong Yingluo secretly sneaked into the old lady's Shousong Courtyard.

"Liuli is here. She seems to have arrived a little earlier tonight." The old lady was overjoyed to see Rong Yingluo.

"Grandmother, don't you want your granddaughter-in-law to come sooner?" Rong Yingluo teased, seeing how happy the old lady was.

"Of course I want you to come sooner. I hope you can keep this old woman company and talk to her every day." The old lady held Rong Yingluo's hand and lovingly led her to sit down at the table.

The old lady is now able to move around freely, but she still cannot stand for long periods of time. Her body was severely depleted before, and she needs a long period of recuperation.

Rong Yingluo took the old lady's pulse and gave her acupuncture again.

The blood quickly turned bright red after this bleeding.

"Grandmother, this is the last bloodletting treatment. From now on, you just need to take the medicine as I tell you every day. At most, it will take a month for the poison in your body to be completely eliminated."

"Liuli, thank you so much. It's actually me who has benefited greatly from A-Ce marrying you. If it weren't for you, I might die in this Shousong Courtyard one day and no one would even know," the old lady said with emotion.

"Grandmother, aren't Mother, Second Uncle, and Second Aunt coming to pay their respects to you?" Rong Yingluo asked, puzzled.

No matter what, the old lady is still my second uncle's biological mother. Filial piety is a serious crime. If the censors catch her, they will impeach her in a major case.