I want to make progress

Chapter 12: The appearance of being rich and powerful

Gu Changting also has two concubines. One of them is Concubine Zhou. Although she comes from a merchant family, her status in the Duke's Mansion cannot be underestimated because her family donated a large amount of supplies to help the old Duke of England who was on the battlefield at the time.

Aunt Zhao was given by the Emperor. No one would be treated unfairly, but she would never be treated unfairly by the Emperor.

Compared with the first wife, the second wife seems to be a declining family.

Gu Changheng is the only son of the second branch of the Gu family. His father is the younger brother of the old Duke of England, and the Duke of England's mansion has not yet been divided.

It’s just that her stepfather-in-law died at a young age, leaving behind a mother-in-law who had been widowed for many years.

Without her father-in-law, she only had to serve her mother-in-law, which reduced her pressure by half. In addition, Gu Changheng already had someone he loved and had no other woman, so it could be said that the family relationship was quite simple.

But what she cares about more is the first wife. Given her relationship with Gu Changting, she can't help but care about it.

Although there are not many masters in the big house, the relationships among them are complicated. What she is more curious about is what kind of woman Liu is.

Although she didn't want it, the fact was that they were enemies!

As soon as she returned to the capital, Gu Changheng, this bastard, once again showed his ruthlessness. He actually wanted to abandon her and go straight to the palace to report.

Fortunately, Gu Changting insisted on sending her home first. I have to say that Gu Changting is a man who can really make people cry sometimes, but he is much more heartwarming in such small matters. Gu Changheng is far inferior to him.

However, after arriving at the Duke's Mansion, the situation was better than she had imagined. Although the people in the first house were curious about her, the woman who had tempted Gu Changheng, who had always been unwilling to marry, it had nothing to do with them after all. Although they looked down on her, they did not make things difficult for her and their minds were only on Gu Changting.

As for the second wife, the cheap mother-in-law didn't even show up. She just told the servants to arrange for her to stay. It was said that she was fishing and didn't have time to see her.

At that time, Shu Yunfu was full of question marks. Is this the true nature that Qixian mentioned? This nature is really true!
But this is a good thing for her. A mother-in-law who doesn't take her seriously is always better than one who stares at her and bullies her all the time.

"Miss, this yard is really nice. It's better than the yard we had at the Shu family before."

After sending off the maid who led the way and putting down the luggage in their hands, Shu Yunfu was in a good mood looking at this well-equipped courtyard. Yuyan also liked this courtyard very much. After putting down her things, she ran around inside and outside, her little face flushed with excitement.

"It's quite good, worthy of being the Duke of England's mansion."

The situation was better than she had imagined. As a concubine of Gu Changheng and having such a shameful relationship with Gu Changting, the less noticeable she was in the Duke's Mansion, the better; the more transparent she was, the better.

Although this yard is not big, not as big as those yards of serious masters, it is not small either. It has all the necessary facilities and even a small kitchen. It is much better than when she was in the Shu family.

Although it was a bit remote, there was a small bamboo forest next to the yard, which was quiet and elegant, and she was very satisfied.

What made her even more satisfied was that she was assigned five servants to serve her. Even Yuyan felt much more relaxed. She liked the appearance of the Duke of England's mansion, which was wealthy and powerful!

"Aunt, you must be hungry. I'll go to the kitchen and get some chicken noodle soup and some snacks. You can eat first. When it's time for dinner, I'll ask the kitchen to prepare a good meal for you." "Yes! You're thoughtful. It smells delicious!"

Looking at the chicken noodle soup brought by the maid Qiutang, Shu Yunfu touched her stomach, picked up the chopsticks and started to eat sweetly. She had to say that the head maid in the Duke's Mansion was really smart. She read the master's expressions and made him very happy.

But as soon as she looked up, she met Yuyan's resentful eyes, and the noodles almost snatched her away. She quickly took two plates of snacks and stuffed them into her hands.

"Yuyan, you should go and have a rest first. You've been exhausted these days. Take a good rest. Qiutang and the others are here. Go to the small kitchen and make whatever you want to eat. You can also try these snacks. They're delicious."

She is not the kind of person who gets bored easily and easily. What she loves most is her little swift!
"Then I will go first."

Holding the snacks, Yuyan wanted to show off her status, but it took nearly two months to travel from Xuancheng to Beijing, and she was really exhausted. She could only leave with resentment. However, she made up her mind in her heart that she would never let the new slut snatch her position in the lady's heart!

"Stop busying yourself. Stop and tell me about the situation in the Duke's Mansion. I'm new here and I'm afraid I might say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing and offend someone."

Yuyan could rest, but she couldn't. She had just arrived, and although she had heard a lot of information from Qixian and Qingshi on the way, both of them had followed their men outside, and women knew more about the affairs of the inner house.

Besides, these two people are just servants, and some things are difficult for them to say, especially Qingshi, who looks down on her just like his master and is simply impatient to talk to her more, so the specific situation still needs to be asked to the maids in this mansion.

"Now that you have been assigned to my courtyard, you are my people. We will rise and fall together. If you do well, you will be rewarded. If you do wrong, I will not show mercy. Do you understand?"

This low status also has its advantages. The mother-in-law's not interfering in things has its advantages. Not having a legal wife has its advantages. At least the servants assigned to her yard don't have to worry about her having second thoughts.

But even so, we still have to strike when we need to.

"My slave understands!"

As expected, after being warned, these servants finally calmed down and did not dare to hide anything. They told the situation in the Duke's Mansion one by one, rushing to be the first to do so for fear that they would be a step slower and leave a bad impression on the new master.

Shu Yunfu also learned about the real British Duke's Mansion from them, and also learned some things that others didn't know from an elderly woman.

For example, the old British Duke and his wife really don't care about anything. They are rarely at home on weekdays. They usually live in a hot spring resort in the suburbs to recuperate. Although they are in a high position and have great power, they are rare sensible and upright masters.

For example, the British prince and his wife, who outsiders envy so much, actually do not have a very good relationship. Although the couple respect each other, they lack more feelings. However, Gu Changting is a loving father to his two children, but the two concubines are not very favored as outsiders say.

For example, the third master in the mansion was the child that the old duke and his wife had been waiting for so long. He was born prematurely and had a weak health, so he was very favored and was an existence that could not be offended in the mansion.

For example, the Duchess of England appears to be dignified, virtuous and generous, but in fact she is very jealous. The reason why the two concubines are not favored, in addition to the fact that Gu Changting himself is not a womanizer, is largely because the Duchess of England often uses children to steal their wealth without leaving any trace. There are also rumors that the two concubines have never been pregnant in many years since they entered the mansion, and this is all the work of the Duchess of England.

(End of this chapter)