RPAGF Chapter 604 Trying to manipulate people's hearts will also lead to losing their hearts.
Chapter 604 Trying to manipulate people's hearts will also lead to losing their hearts.
The study door was closed, shutting out all the noise and chaos.
As night deepened, when Gu Junze returned to his bedroom, Chu Ruohan was not asleep. She was sitting quietly on the soft couch by the window, gazing at the waning moon outside, lost in thought.
Hearing the door open, she turned around.
"Brother Lu..." Chu Ruohan asked softly.
Gu Junze took off his outer robe and casually draped it over the screen.
"Make him kneel for a whole night, to wake him up properly."
He sat down next to Chu Ruohan, took her slightly cool hand in his, and said in a lower voice, "I warned him."
Chu Ruohan looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Gu Junze's gaze was calm and composed: "I told him that if he dared to plot against you again, he should never set foot in the Zhenguo Duke's mansion again."
Chu Ruohan sighed softly and leaned on Gu Junze's shoulder.
“This child is too calculating. His move today is a desperate gamble. He’s not plotting against me; he’s gambling that you and I will completely cut off Third Aunt’s reach to them, giving them a permanent solution.”
He schemed against himself and them, causing unrest in his household, all in the hope of finding a way to escape his misery.
Gu Junze didn't say anything, but tightened his arms and pulled her into his embrace even more tightly.
He picked her up horizontally and carried her steadily to the bed.
The curtains fell, shutting out the candlelight outside.
In the darkness, Chu Ruohan's voice carried a hint of weariness and melancholy.
"I saw Yue Shu today; she's pregnant again."
She paused, then said, "Dr. Qian and Ruyan now have three children. Do you think we'll only have Qingchen as our daughter?"
"When you gave birth to her, did you really damage your body so that you could never get pregnant again?"
Gu Junze felt as if his heart had been gently pricked by a needle. He gently stroked Chu Ruohan's smooth back and comforted her with a warm voice.
“Don’t we still have Xuan-ge’er? Although he was adopted, in my heart, he is my child just like Qing-chen.”
Chu Ruohan found a comfortable position in his arms, softly hummed in agreement, and gradually closed her eyes.
Gu Junze looked down at his wife's peaceful sleeping face.
He didn't tell her that ever since she gave birth to their daughter after a near-death experience, he had been secretly drinking a contraceptive medicine.
He would never allow her to take even the slightest risk just to have another child.
He will take this secret to his grave.
As long as she can live a peaceful and safe life, that's enough.
The next day, as dawn broke.
The candle in the study finally burned out its last drop of wax, and wisps of smoke dissipated in the morning chill.
Lu Ge'er remained kneeling in place, his back ramrod straight.
The words of the Duke of Zhenguo from last night still ring in my ears.
"Those who scheme against people's hearts will eventually lose their hearts."
Of course he understood. He had schemed against his sister's marriage, his grandmother's greed, his uncle's ruthless methods, and even more so, Chu Ruohan's compassionate heart.
He knew that by doing this, he would leave an indelible thorn in the heart of his aunt, who had been the kindest to him.
But he didn't regret it.
Compared to the abyss he and his sister were about to fall into, what was this price to pay?
He will make it up to him many times over in the future...
When the first rays of dawn shone through the windowpane onto his pale face, Lu Ge'er stirred.
He braced himself against the cold ground, trying to stand up.
His legs, which had been kneeling all night, were so numb that they no longer belonged to him. A sharp, tingling sensation made his vision go black, and he staggered, almost falling again.
He leaned on the desk, gritting his teeth, and waited for the dizziness to pass before slowly and laboriously moving to the window.
With a creak, he pushed open the heavy, carved wooden window.
The cold morning wind swept in, clearing his muddled mind somewhat.
Just then, a gray pigeon silently landed and landed on the window frame with practiced ease, a small bamboo tube tied to its leg.
A glint of light flashed in Lu Ge'er's eyes.
He quickly removed the bamboo tube and poured out a finely rolled strip of paper.
Unfold the note; it contained only four words.
Everything is ready.
Lu Ge'er gripped the note tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the force.
His gaze passed over the layers of eaves of the Duke's mansion and looked towards the direction of the imperial city.
For years I've kept a low profile, swallowing my pride and enduring humiliation...
Everything was arranged, and his and his sister's freedom was now just waiting for the right opportunity.
A favorable east wind that will allow him to achieve academic success and have a bright future.
After that day, Brother Lu and Sister Lan settled down in the main courtyard.
Chu Ruohan specially prepared two elegant adjacent rooms for them.
By kneeling all night and clearing the thorn in his aunt's heart that could never be removed, Lu Ge'er brought peace to his sister.
With the autumn imperial examinations approaching, he no longer needed to be distracted by other matters.
Time flies, and half a month has passed.
Gu Qingchen, on the other hand, unexpectedly found enjoyment in his struggle with the ledger.
At first, she only forced herself to look at those densely packed numbers in order to get out of her misery as soon as possible.
But as she looked at it, she began to appreciate its flavor.
"Mother, look here!"
That afternoon, Gu Qingchen pointed to a purchasing ledger, his eyes shining with astonishing brilliance.
"Last month, when the government was procuring medicinal herbs, this century-old ginseng was priced 20% higher than the market price. The reason given by the procurement manager was that it was of excellent quality."
"But I checked the warehouse receiving slips, and they only recorded 'ordinary condition.' Where did the price difference go?"
Chu Ruohan took the ledger, looked at the place her daughter pointed out, and then looked at her daughter's smug expression that said "Praise me!" She was both surprised and delighted.
Her original intention was to use this tedious method to temper her daughter's temperament, but she didn't expect that the child would actually have some talent for accounting.
She uncovered subtle secrets that even the old stewards might not have noticed.
"Hmm, not bad." Chu Ruohan nodded calmly, her expression unchanged. "Call Manager Liu, who is in charge of procurement, over tomorrow, and ask him yourself."
Having received his mother's approval, Gu Qingchen was practically strutting around with pride.
Her eyes darted around, and she immediately moved closer to Chu Ruohan, tugging at her sleeve and acting coquettishly.
"Mom, now that I'm so capable, can I stop staying home every day?"
She blinked her eyes, her voice sweet and soft, "Please let me go back to the academy? Master Li must miss me."
"I promise, I will study hard this time and never cause trouble again!"
Chu Ruohan, watching her silly antics, knew exactly what she was up to.
It would be strange if Master Li thought she was such a troublemaker!
“Going back to the academy is fine,” Chu Ruohan agreed.
"Really?" Gu Qingchen was overjoyed.
“However,” Chu Ruohan changed the subject, “you have to come back to learn how to manage the household on your monthly days off. I will conduct spot checks on the household accounts, and if there are any problems, your confinement order will remain in effect.”