The husband who forced her to marry her couldn't keep her warm, and she didn't want him to

After Madam Jiang called Gu Jinchu over, she saw her rosy little face and comforted her, "There are still guests in the outer courtyard who haven't left. Xiaowu will go with them to entertain them. Don't worry."

"He will come to look for you after lunch. It won't be too late to meet your family members and younger generations then. You can go back to Yuanyuan Hall to rest..."

When Gu Jinchu saw Jiang Nansheng's tall figure disappear, he looked at his mother-in-law, shook his head and smiled.

She was not too worried, he seemed to have misunderstood what she said just now...

The vicious words that Jiang Nansheng whispered in her ear when he left were simply reckless.

Wang came over, accompanied by a little woman, who lowered her head and looked a little timid.

After seeing her daughter-in-law greet her, Wang smiled and said, "Mother, the guests who did not leave yesterday have been arranged and the banquet has been sent over."

"Several old ladies are heading to the flower hall under the guidance of the others. The lunch is the same as yesterday's. Leaf cards, mahjong... and some small items are also prepared for everyone."

Wang's arrangements were very thoughtful. Madam Jiang nodded and said to Gu Jinchu beside her, "Your sister-in-law is in charge of the household affairs at home now. If you are not satisfied with anything, feel free to go to her."

Wang smiled and took over the conversation: "Fifth brother's wife just married into the family. You are still young, but you must establish your authority. If there are people in the courtyard who don't obey your discipline, come to me and I will help you teach them a lesson!"

Gu Jinchu smiled without saying anything and raised his hand to stroke the hairpin on his temple.

The red nail polish on her white fingertips and the dazzling gems on the hairpin formed a sharp color contrast with her jet-black hair.

Wang seemed to have done her makeup again, and wore a silver-plated hairpin inlaid with pearls on her bun. The quality of the hairpin was slightly different from the one Gu Jinchu wore in his hair.

Gu Jinchu recognized it at a glance. It was a product of the Treasure Pavilion and there were only two sets in the world.

The last time I saw her wearing this headdress in my previous life was almost a month later, but I didn't expect to see it on the Prince's wife's head today.

Doesn’t she know who the owner behind the Treasure Pavilion is?

Wang knew that the owner behind the Treasure Pavilion was Zheng Mudan, and that the ornaments she wore in her hair were given to her by the prince. She was happy but did not ask where they came from.

When she was meeting someone, her hairpin was taken away by Gu Jinchu. She couldn't lose her manners in front of others. After hastily dressing up again, she took the set of pearl hairpins on the top shelf of the dressing table.

After Gu Jinchu thanked him, he smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, if you go to the Treasure Pavilion next time, just tell Shopkeeper Song your identity and he will give you the most affordable price."

Wang smiled reluctantly, stroking her hairpin uncomfortably, "That would be so embarrassing. If my in-laws knew about this, they would think that our Jiang family is full of people who are greedy for petty gains."

Gu Jinchu shook her head and smiled brightly, "Before the coming-of-age ceremony, I will take care of the Treasure Pavilion. Even if it is given to my sister-in-law, I can still live in it."

"The servants I trained would not dare to speak nonsense about their masters behind their backs."

After a few more polite words, Wang took her daughter-in-law to go about her business.

The servants in Yuanyuan Hall were either brought as dowry by her or sent over by the old lady to help. The rest were people around Jiang Nansheng.

The people in her courtyard were disobedient, but they needed the eldest son's wife to support them. Wouldn't she become a laughing stock in the Duke Dingguo's Mansion?

Gu Jinchu glanced at her mother-in-law who had been silent the whole time, and was a little unsure of her attitude. She smiled and asked, "Mother, you won't blame me, will you?"

It doesn’t matter if her mother-in-law blames her. She just needs to behave well in the future and make her happy.

It's better than being repeatedly rejected on the first day.

Although she was young, she married the youngest son of the mansion and had the imperial decree of the county lady. She was very sensible and dignified that she did not bully others or become arrogant because of her favor.

Some people just want to fight back. Excessive respect and tolerance will only make them worse.

Among the sisters-in-law, Wang's family is the most powerful, and she is the most honorable woman in the mansion except for the lady-in-law.

Unfortunately, the prince is not ambitious enough. As an official in the court, he cannot be compared with Jiang Nansheng, even his half-brother is on par with him in official position.

What made her happy was that her eldest son was very promising. After passing the imperial examination, he was demoted to the local area and would be able to return to Beijing to report on his work next year. However, she was somewhat dissatisfied with this marriage.

She had been competing all her life, first with her brothers and sisters in the family for her husband, and later with her children.

Every place is filled with suffocation, thinking all day long about inheriting the title and bringing benefits to future generations.

The Crown Prince’s wife was right when she said, if you have established your power, no one will dare to bully you.

Otherwise, you will be like the fourth sister-in-law, always being stepped on by others openly or secretly, and unable to say anything.

Old Madam Jiang sighed. She had not taken care of the family for many years because she had always stayed out of it and watched the people in the mansion from the perspective of an outsider.

The four daughters-in-law all came from prominent families, and she thought that if her future daughter-in-law's family background was not as good as theirs, she would take the time to teach her well.

She won't die anytime soon, and this family will ultimately have to obey the Duke.

The fact that she can be the master of her husband is her greatest confidence in this family.

Madam Jiang also wanted to warn Gu Jinchu, so she smiled and said, "You have a good sense of propriety. You didn't show your discomfort in public."

She was satisfied with her daughter-in-law. It was rare for her to achieve such success at her age. She asked again, "Have you seen Mrs. Cheng?"

Seeing Gu Jinchu nod, she continued, "She was originally my companion, and she is also considered an old person in this mansion, so I will introduce her to you. She is familiar with the relationships among the rooms, so let her help you in the future."

She couldn't refuse her mother-in-law's good intentions, so she smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Jiang Nansheng saw Mr. Wei beside his father and asked, "Did you disturb the inner courtyard and mother?"

Mr. Wei shook his head and whispered, "The Crown Prince's wife doesn't know for now. The old lady just heard some rumors. The specific matter has to be kept secret. Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain if the Fifth Lady is delayed from serving tea."

Who would explain this? Naturally, it was the Duke, who was already over sixty years old, and he had to explain to the Duchess with a smile.

After all, she was delayed from enjoying her daughter-in-law's new tea, and some dirty things almost affected the guests' viewing of the ceremony.

Mr. Wei has been with the Duke for decades, so he doesn't dare to think about the situation his master will face.

Jiang Nansheng took a few quick steps and stopped his father and elder brother.

There was no longer much anger on the Duke's face, and the Crown Prince followed beside him somewhat awkwardly.

Seeing his youngest son coming over, the Duke asked, "Why are you here, Xiaowu? Does your mother know?"

Jiang Nansheng stood there, with no emotion in his voice.

"Father, have you forgotten that this is Zhuli Pavilion? You and the prince should find a suitable place. I don't want my newlywed wife to know about this..."

"Besides, the guests and clansmen at the banquet are still waiting."