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

Chapter 175: Father and Son
Seeing Gu Tingzhou's increasingly sinister gaze, Jiang Yueling explained fearfully, "Young Master, please don't listen to Qingyu's nonsense, I..."

Gu Tingzhou slapped her hard across the face, the force of which knocked Jiang Yueling to the ground.

"How come I never realized you were so despicable?" Gu Tingzhou ordered Xiao Die, Cai Ju, Qiu Li, and the others, "Take out what she's hiding in her lower abdomen."

Seeing that even the young master was no longer willing to protect the courtesan, the group seized the opportunity to kick her while she was down. They rushed forward, forcibly held Jiang Yueling down, and took out the custom-made pillow core hidden in her clothes.

"Fine, you'd resort to such despicable means to deceive me." Gu Tingzhou could no longer tolerate her deception. He glared at Jiang Yueling with bloodshot eyes and said, "Send this bitch out of Lin'an and sell her as far away as possible."

Without saying a word, Xiaodie called for the servants outside the courtyard to come in, grab Jiang Yueling, and forcibly drag her out.

As Gu Tingzhou listened to Jiang Yueling's incessant cursing, his heart gradually became agitated.

Realizing he hadn't consummated his marriage with Jiang Yueling, Gu Tingzhou's expression turned cold as he listened to the commotion inside. He rushed in without making a sound.

Seeing that his second brother had cornered his cousin, Gu Tingzhou flew into a rage and shouted, "Tingchen, what do you want to do?"

"What, are you ignoring what I said, brother?" Gu Tingchen looked at him with a sinister gaze: "If you're tired of living, brother, I'll grant your wish today."

Gu Tingzhou gritted his teeth: "Tingchen, it is His Majesty and the Empress Dowager's decree to arrange Wanwan's marriage. Why are you making things difficult for her?"

After saying that, he looked at Ye Wanshu with warm eyes and said softly, "Wanwan, don't worry, I will go to the palace to see the Empress Dowager and I will definitely ask her to give up the idea of ​​a marriage alliance."

Then, he hurriedly left Cuiweitang.

Watching Gu Tingzhou disappear quickly, Gu Tingchen shook his head dismissively.

Although it was Princess Qi Ning who instigated this, he had a vague idea that his cousin must have had ulterior motives for returning to Lin'an this time.

My father told me that my cousin hurt Fu Mingchi deeply when she left Yuezhou, so I suppose she didn't really care about him.

After pondering for a moment, Gu Tingchen suddenly thought of someone.

“Ji Yunze,” Gu Tingchen said, a hint of resentment rising in his eyes.

It seems that my cousin has always held this scholar in high regard.

After the incident at the Zhenfu Shisi, she knew she couldn't protect that bookworm, so she deliberately provoked herself to oppose Fu Mingchi in order to protect the bookworm.

As Gu Tingchen carefully recalled the scene of his cousin meeting with that bookworm before returning home today, he felt even more indignant.

“Wanwan, just give up on that idea,” Gu Tingchen said. “As long as I’m alive, I will never allow you to see any man other than me again. I’ll kill that bookworm sooner or later.”

Realizing that he was targeting Ji Yunze, Ye Wanshu felt utterly exhausted.

"Gu Tingchen, the Empress Dowager has summoned me to the palace. If you don't want to end up like your brother, release me from the Duke's mansion immediately." Ye Wanshu was too lazy to mention Ji Yunze again and said coldly, "I am now a princess sent for a political marriage. According to etiquette, you cannot force me to stay in the Duke's mansion any longer."

How dare you compare me to that good-for-nothing?

Gu Tingchen glanced at her with a half-smile: "I've tolerated you in every way, even Qingmian and Tingji have gone along with you, letting them travel and study with Mr. Li. If you push your luck any further, don't blame your cousin for not caring about our sibling relationship."

Ye Wanshu guessed that her uncle had tacitly approved of everything Gu Tingchen had done, given that her aunt, cousin, and younger cousin had been made to suffer so much by this scoundrel.

If we don't send my younger cousins ​​away, who knows what will happen next.

Ye Wanshu ignored him and walked past him back to her bedroom with an icy expression.

Seeing this, Gu Tingchen couldn't help but smile smugly. As long as his mother and her two children were around, he wasn't worried that Wanwan would dare to have any other thoughts.

"Since Qingmian and Tingji are going out to study, Wanwan, you should spend more time with your mother these days if you have nothing else to do."

Gu Tingchen called out to her, "You don't need to worry about things in the palace anymore. Your cousin will take care of it for you. As for my mother, she and I have a deep bond. I hope she lives to be a hundred years old. Wanwan, please do more to show your filial piety for me."

Hearing the provocative voice behind her, and thinking of her aunt's health, Ye Wanshu hesitated for a moment.

She was ultimately not as open-minded as her mother, and it probably wouldn't be so easy for her to persuade her aunt to leave the Duke's mansion.

Moreover, this is the Gu family, not the Ji family of the past. If we forcibly take my aunt away from the Duke's mansion, it will damage the face of Empress Dowager Gu. It is hard to imagine what the situation will be like then.

With a silent sigh, Ye Wanshu ignored him and lifted the beaded curtain to enter the bedroom.

Gu Tingchen was in a hurry to enter the palace, so he also hurriedly came out of the room. Looking at Gu Qingmian and Gu Tingji who were guarding the door, he said with a smile, "Third sister, fourth brother, you have all seen it, right? Yongning Prince's Mansion is unreliable. Only your second brother can protect your cousin."

Gu Qingmian and Gu Tingji ignored him and turned their heads away at the same time.

Gu Tingchen's eyes darkened, and he walked straight out of the courtyard, instructing the old women guarding outside: "Keep a close eye on Miss Biao. Apart from Cuiweitang and Mother's courtyard, she is not allowed to approach anyone. If anything goes wrong again, none of you will live."

Everyone still vividly remembers the last time the young lady escaped. Now, facing the same task again, the nannies are naturally much more cautious, and they all assured them, "Your Highness, rest assured, we old servants will definitely keep a close eye on the young lady."

Hearing this, Gu Tingchen finally felt relieved and left Cuiweitang.

Upon arriving at the front courtyard, Gu Tingchen saw Liu Zhang already waiting at the gate. As soon as Gu Tingchen stepped forward, Liu Zhang clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Your Highness, the Duke is already waiting in the carriage outside."

"Father is also going to the palace?" Gu Tingchen asked, somewhat surprised. "I'm afraid the Duke has noticed something."

Gu Tingchen thought for a moment. His cousin and Princess Qi Ning were both conferred titles by imperial decree, while he himself was conferred titles directly in the name of his great-aunt. Perhaps his great-aunt was testing the thoughts of the court officials.

I'm afraid my father has already realized that my aunt has ambitions to rule the country. Although he does his best to take care of the family, he probably doesn't want my aunt to go against the world's opinion and try to seize the Fu family's throne.

In order to keep my cousin and for the sake of the Gu family's everlasting legacy, it seems that a decision must be made today.

"Liu Zhang, who is on duty in the palace today?" Gu Tingchen asked thoughtfully.

Liu Zhang smiled and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, ever since the Divine Might Army was transferred out of the palace, the palace is now filled with our people."

"very good."

Gu Tingchen nodded in satisfaction: "You will come with me to the palace in person and obey my orders."

After saying this, he hurriedly went out and got into the carriage. Seeing his father and elder brother already sitting in the carriage, Gu Tingchen said, "To be honest, I am a hundred times unwilling to accept this imperial decree of investiture from my aunt. Father has made great contributions and should be the one to be made a king."

Gu An was not jealous of his son being conferred a title; on the contrary, he felt that his aunt's decision to confer a title on his son at this time was worrying.

By bestowing the title of king upon her grand-nephew, she was clearly testing whether the court officials would oppose her usurpation of power.

Furthermore, the aunt must have been worried that her son would prevent her from sending Wanwan to the northern border for a marriage alliance.

“Tingchen, our Gu family has devoted itself to the court. The Empress Dowager and His Majesty have bestowed a throne upon you. As your father, I am naturally pleased for you.”

Gu An advised, "But there is one thing: today when you enter the palace, you must accompany your father to stop your great-aunt from ruling the court, and you must recommend yourself to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty to personally escort Wanwan to the northern border."