Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Gu Mansion

As soon as Madam Gu saw off Granny Li, her personal maid said, "Madam, what does Madam Su mean by this? She actually wants a concubine's daughter to marry the young master. Who does she think she is?"

“Even if she is a concubine’s daughter, she is not someone we can aspire to. Now, Lord Su is going back to the capital to take up a post. Although we do not yet know what position he will hold, it should not be bad. Moreover, Su Wanshan is the daughter of a marquis, while Xuan’er is just the son of a wealthy man. In the end, we are the ones who are aspiring to marry above our station.”

"If the young master gets into the top three in high school next year, who knows who will be marrying whom?"

"Don't forget, the Su family also has Su Mingxuan, who is a promising candidate to achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations."

The maid then shut up.

Just then, Gu Mingxuan walked in. "Mother, what brings Granny Li here?"

"Arranging a marriage."

"Who are you arranging a marriage for?" Gu Mingxuan asked expectantly.

"Naturally, it's the Su family's daughter."

"Is that Rou'er, my little sister?"

"No, it's the second young lady of the Su family."

"How could it be her?" Gu Mingxuan's disappointment was palpable. "You agreed."

"No, I plan to discuss it with your father before making a decision."

"There's no need to discuss it anymore, I will not marry her."

"If you don't marry her, who do you want to marry, Miss Su?"

“I…” Gu Mingxuan was speechless, his thoughts exposed.

"Don't you even consider what kind of status Miss Su has? Do you think someone like you, who has no fame or fortune, can marry her?"

"When I get to high school, I will..."

"So what if you passed the imperial examination? She is the daughter of a marquis, from a distinguished family, while you are the son of a wealthy man, from a merchant family. Do you think the marquis's family would even look at you? It would be good enough if they let their concubine's daughter marry you."

"Anyway, I'm not marrying her," Gu Mingxuan said angrily before leaving.

Madam Gu sighed helplessly.

Zilanyuan

After several days of recuperation, Lin Rong's complexion improved significantly, and her face became visibly rosy.

At this moment, she had just finished drinking her medicine, wiped her mouth, and asked, "What did the Gu family say?"

"They said they would discuss it with Master Gu and give us an answer in a couple of days," Li Mama replied.

Do you think they will agree?

"It was hard to say before, but now that the master is about to return to the capital to take up his post, they will probably agree."

“Young Master Gu is a good person, and besides, he and Xuan’er are good friends, so I would never harm him. Before, didn’t that bitch Su Wanshan bribe one of the servants in our courtyard? Now, it’s time for him to play his role. Go and tell him the news, and then have him tell Su Wanshan. Make sure she knows that we will be returning to the capital soon. With her proud and arrogant nature, she definitely won’t want to marry him. At that time…” Lin Rong couldn’t help but laugh, and then said, “I just don’t know how much trouble she will cause. However, it would be best if she caused a huge scene. Only when the master is completely disappointed in her can we make our move.”

Granny Li instantly understood her meaning, smiled maliciously, and replied, "Yes, this old servant understands. This old servant will go and do it right away." After saying that, she went out.

In the afternoon, taking advantage of Su Jing'an's day off at home, Su Qianrou personally cooked a sumptuous dinner, planning for the family to have a good get-together.

At this moment, they were sitting around the dining table, their faces beaming with smiles. Even Su Jing'an, who was usually stern and unsmiling, had a faint smile on his face, which showed that he was in a good mood as well.

"Sis, when did you learn to cook? And it looks delicious, smells and tastes amazing, just as good as what you get in restaurants."

"Mine tastes even better than what you get in restaurants."

"Speaking of restaurants, sister, how did you come up with the name 'Ju Huan Xi'?" Su Haoyu had a complicated expression on his face.

"Isn't this name nice? Ju Huanxi (聚欢喜), Ju Huanxi (聚欢喜), it means to bring happiness together, isn't that great?"

"It's really good, and it has a lot of meaning."

"Right?"

"Big brother, you..."

"What, you have a problem with that?"

"No, I think it's fine too."

Lin Rong quietly looked at the three of them, a slight smile involuntarily curving her lips.

Song Shiyu couldn't help but laugh.

Then, Lin Rong said, "Alright, let's eat quickly, it'll get cold soon." Then, she looked at Su Jing'an and called out, "Master."

"Okay, let's start eating and try Rou'er's cooking," she said, picking up her chopsticks first.

Then, the family happily began to eat.

Su Haoyu wolfed down his food, completely disregarding his image. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had been abused and hadn't eaten for days.

Lin Rong couldn't help but say to him, "Eat slowly, what kind of manners are these? You've learned all the proper etiquette."

"It's so delicious! I've never eaten such delicious food before," Su Haoyu said, his words slightly muffled as he still had food in his mouth.

Lin Rong glanced at him helplessly.

Surprisingly, Su Jing'an didn't say anything to him.

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal and having a good time, a commotion came from outside the door, sounding like an argument.

Lin Rong's face immediately darkened, and she said sternly, "Who is making a scene outside?"

A moment later, Qinghui came in, looking troubled, and said, "Master, Madam, the Second Miss is making a fuss outside, wanting to come in."

"Isn't she still under house arrest? Why is she out?"

"This...this servant does not know."

Lin Rong looked at Su Jing'an, waiting for him to make a decision.

Su Jing'an's expression wasn't much better. He put down his chopsticks and said with an air of authority, "Let her in."

"Yes," Qinghui replied, and then quickly walked out.

Soon, Su Wanshan walked in. When she saw the people in the room, her expression changed several times, filled with jealousy. However, she quickly composed herself, then walked to the front of everyone and bowed, saying, "Daughter greets Father and Mother."

"What are you doing here?" Su Jing'an asked with a displeased expression.

"When a daughter needs something, she should go to her mother."

"What could possibly happen to you?"

"I……".

Lin Rong roughly knew why she had come, but she hadn't expected her to be so impatient.

“Speak, I want to see what you have that would make you disregard my orders and break free of your confinement.”

Su Wanshan hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help but say, "My daughter doesn't want to marry that poor scholar Gu Mingxuan."

Upon hearing this, Su Jing'an's face instantly turned gloomy.

Lin Rong said, "How did you find out about this? I didn't even tell Rou'er and the others. How did you find out?"

Su Wanshan lowered her head and did not answer.

"Granny Li, go and investigate. Find out who this traitor is who dared to leak information to the Second Miss."

"Yes, this old servant will go and investigate immediately," he said, and quickly walked out.

At this moment, Su Wanshan couldn't help but feel a little regretful, thinking that she shouldn't have come. However, then she thought of something, and the regret disappeared instantly, leaving only determination.