Rebirth and Marriage: I am the Mistress of the Palace

Madam Gu sat in the armchair at the head of the table, watching the two of them talk, her expression not very pleasant.

Why did Pei Yingzhu choose to come today of all times?

Did something happen to Meng Yunlan's family, so Pei Yingzhu deliberately came to see him make a fool of himself?

But she only found out about the Meng family's troubles today, so Pei Yingzhu probably wouldn't have known beforehand.

Madam Gu didn't want to see Pei Yingzhu's face because she looked very much like her mother. Her mother, for some reason, had bewitched her brother, who didn't care that Pei Yingzhu had been married before and had a daughter with someone else. Despite everyone's objections, she married Pei Yingzhu's mother as the Princess Consort.

What made Mrs. Gu even more upset was that her son had also fallen for Pei Yingzhu a few years ago.

It is said that nephews resemble their uncles. Gu Qianling not only inherited his uncle's looks, but also his type of woman!

Back then, it was she who wouldn't allow Gu Qianling to marry Pei Yingzhu, and instead chose Meng Yunlan for him.

She originally thought Gu Qianling would object, but to her surprise, her eldest son remained as obedient and sensible as ever. Even though he liked Pei Yingzhu, he still agreed when she asked him to marry Meng Yunlan.

Moreover, after getting married, he never contacted Pei Yingzhu again and treated Meng Yunlan very well. Apart from the fact that the couple never had children, they lived a harmonious and happy life.

Pei Yingzhu later married someone, and Madam Gu never inquired about how she fared afterward.

Thinking of this, Madam Gu coughed lightly and asked Pei Yingzhu, "Yingzhu, it's been several years since you last came. I've forgotten. Whose family is your husband's again?"

Pei Yingzhu's face stiffened slightly, but she then replied softly, "My ex-husband's family name is Yi. He was a former subordinate of my father and has always been in Hengzhou. It is normal for you to have forgotten him since you are far away in the capital."

She didn't hear a single word of what she said after that; she only caught the first two words—"ex-husband!"

Madam Gu's head was buzzing. That damned vixen had also divorced, just like her mother!

No wonder she suddenly came to the Duke's mansion; she's here to seduce her eldest son again!

Her brother had never mentioned this to her, and his monthly letters were full of nonsense!

He kept it a secret from her and sent Pei Yingzhu from Hengzhou to the capital!

Her throat started to ache again, so Madam Gu quickly took a sip of tea made with the prescription Shen Wantang had given her to calm her down.

"Yingzhu, you mentioned your ex-husband's family? Could it be that you divorced your husband after only a few years of marriage? I've never heard of this before?"

Pei Yingzhu said with a guilty look on her face, "We are divorced. It wasn't a glorious thing to begin with, so I never talked about it everywhere."

"Why do you want a divorce? Since you said your husband's family are former subordinates of the Prince, even if it's just for the Prince's sake, the Yi family should treat you well. Why do you still want a divorce?"

Pei Yingzhu lowered her head, somewhat embarrassed, and remained silent.

Gu Qianling's gentle voice rang out at the right moment: "Mother, I heard from the people down below that you haven't had dinner yet? It's getting late, you should eat something."

Madam Gu knew he was deliberately trying to help Pei Yingzhu out of a difficult situation, so she glared at him and said, "It's so late, what am I supposed to eat?"

I'm so angry I'm full!

First, she was so angry about Meng Yunlan and her family's affairs that she couldn't eat. Now, with Pei Yingzhu joining in the fun, it's no wonder she can't eat dinner!

After Madam Gu finished speaking, she glanced at Pei Yingzhu, who had her head down, and felt even more displeased.

"Alright, I'm tired too. You can all leave! Yingzhu is new here, Qianling, you—"

Madam Gu was used to giving orders, and subconsciously wanted Gu Qianling to take care of the people who came to the manor. But when she was about to say it, she remembered that she couldn't ask her eldest son to take care of Pei Yingzhu.

She immediately changed her words: "Tang'er, Yingzhu is new here, please help her settle in. Yingzhu, if you need anything, just tell Tang'er, or you can come to me."

No matter how much she disliked Pei Yingzhu, she still had to put on a show.

Of course, she was already planning how to get Pei Yingzhu away as quickly as possible.

"Yes, Mother, then let my sister stay at Biluo Courtyard for now!"

Shen Wantang knew that her mother-in-law didn't like Pei Yingzhu, so she just casually replied.

She guessed that Pei Yingzhu probably wouldn't be able to stay for more than a few days.

Biluo Courtyard is neither too big nor too small. It is close to the main courtyard, but far from Gu Qianling's courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu thought the courtyard Shen Wantang had chosen was quite good, so she nodded and said, "Yes, that's fine. Take Yingzhu there to settle in!"

Shen Wantang nodded and left with Pei Yingzhu.

Just as Gu Qianling was about to leave, Madam Gu called out to her, "Qianling, what ancient book did your uncle give you? Let me see it."

Gu Qianling stopped and handed the box over.

Madam Gu opened the box and carefully flipped through all the books inside. She found no letters hidden inside and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Pei Yingzhu had some sense and didn't take the opportunity to hide something inside or provoke Gu Qianling.

She'd seen this kind of trick far too many times.

"Qianling, the Meng family is in trouble now, you can't afford to make any more mistakes, do you understand?"

"My son understands."

"Meng Deguang's lifelong reputation was ruined by a woman. His fame, future, and family were all destroyed in an instant. You should take this as a warning, never have any frivolous thoughts, and act like a gentleman and respect the etiquette of a gentleman."

Although she didn't mention Pei Yingzhu at all, Gu Qianling knew that his mother was warning him to stay away from Pei Yingzhu.

He smiled gently: "Mother, rest assured, I know what's important and what's not, and I won't let you down."

After carefully examining his smile, Madam Gu concluded that it wasn't a forced, fake smile, but rather a genuine expression of his unease.

She felt relieved, and her gaze towards her eldest son revealed pity and affection. Her tone also became gentle: "I know that you have always been the most sensible person since you were a child. You have never caused me any trouble and you have never done anything out of line, so I have always been especially fond of you."

“Meng family—I’m sorry for not choosing a good father-in-law for you, otherwise you wouldn’t have been implicated by him.”

Gu Qianling gently comforted her, "Even a mother can't predict the future. On the surface, no one can see anything wrong with the Meng family. You've been deceived. As for being implicated, it shouldn't be that serious. I'm an official in the court, not because of my in-laws, but because of ourselves."

Madam Gu felt incredibly comforted by her son's words. The more she looked at her eldest son, the more satisfied she became, and the more satisfied she became, the more heartbroken she felt.

"Alright, you've had a long day, go and rest. You don't need to worry about the Meng family's affairs, your father and aunt will take care of everything."

“Then Mother, please rest well. Your son will take his leave.”

Gu Qianling carried the box and left the main courtyard.

Under the moonlight, he opened the box, took out the rare ancient book, and revealed the bottom of the box.

In the corner, a single character emitted a faint glow: Ling.