newbobooks Chapter 622 With your qualifications, there are probably very few girls in the capital who could cat
Chapter 622 With your qualifications, there are probably very few girls in the capital who could cat
"Sister-in-law, do you think any of the girls in these invitations are suitable?" Madam Yang said, taking out a stack of invitation cards from her sleeve. They were obviously selected by her, and the families were all extremely prominent.
Chu Ruohan glanced at the stack of invitations but did not accept them.
"I have already made myself very clear. Gu Lu's marriage is his own decision."
The expectation on Yang's face froze.
“I will give all these posts to Attorney Gu. As for who he wants to meet and which family he wants to meet, that’s his business.”
Chu Ruohan spoke calmly, yet every word struck Yang's heart.
"As an elder, all I can do is offer him choices. As for whether he likes them or not, you can't force a cow to drink water, can you?"
Yang's face turned deathly pale.
She understood.
Chu Ruohan meant that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would not make decisions for Gu Lu, nor would it interfere with his choices.
It's impossible for her to leverage Gu Lu's influence.
"Sister-in-law, how...how could you do this?" Madam Yang's voice trembled, filled with resentment and grievance. "Gu Lu is, after all, a member of the Gu family!"
Chu Ruohan's gaze turned cold.
“Bloodline?” she repeated the word softly, with a hint of sarcasm.
"Mrs. Yang, do you still remember how Madam Gu treated Gu Lu back then?"
"And how did she treat Lan'er? If I hadn't taken this child in and raised her, she probably would have been spoiled long ago."
"Who would dare marry a girl with a ruined reputation?"
Yang's body trembled violently. She lowered her head, not daring to look Chu Ruohan in the eye.
These things are taboo for the third wife's family, and are the sins of her mother-in-law.
She thought that with the death of Madam Gu, these matters would be buried in the past.
"Gu Lu did not publicly mention these blood debts, which is already a way of preserving the last bit of dignity for the Gu family."
Chu Ruohan's voice grew even colder, "You're talking about bloodlines now? Yang, do you think Gu Lu will still acknowledge the bloodline of the third branch?"
Yang's face was deathly pale, her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word.
She knew that Chu Ruohan was telling the truth.
Gu Lu's current status is entirely earned by himself and has nothing to do with the third wife.
He could even be said to have risen to power by stepping on the corruption of the third wife's family.
"Yang, you may go back." Chu Ruohan dismissed her. "I will discuss Gu Lu's marriage with him. As for the third branch of the family, they are on their own."
Yang suddenly stood up. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she couldn't utter a single word.
Looking at Chu Ruohan's calm face, she knew that she had completely hit a wall today.
She bowed respectfully, turned around, and left the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion in a daze.
Watching Yang's departing figure, Chu Ruohan sighed softly.
She knew that Yang was unwilling, but no one could change Gu Lu's mind.
In the evening, Gu Lu finished his shift and went directly to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
When he arrived at the main courtyard, Chu Ruohan was playing chess with Gu Junze.
"Aunt, Uncle." He greeted them with great respect, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the chessboard.
"Brother Lü is here." Chu Ruohan smiled and waved. "Please sit down."
Gu Lu sat down, his gaze falling on the chessboard.
"Are you tired today?" Gu Junze asked casually, placing a piece on the board.
"It's alright," Gu Lu replied.
Chu Ruohan handed all the invitations that Haitang had carefully put away to Lawyer Gu.
"These are all for your wedding. Take a look."
Gu Lu took the box and casually flipped through a few pages. His face remained expressionless, as if those illustrious family backgrounds had nothing to do with him.
"Aunt, I don't want to see these." Gu Lu put the box aside.
Chu Ruohan looked at him, her eyes filled with understanding.
“Mrs. Yang is here today too,” Chu Ruohan said softly. “She wants to make a decision for you and choose a marriage for you so that she can win over the third branch of the family.”
Gu Lu's eyes instantly turned cold. He put down the chess piece in his hand with a soft sound.
"She's dreaming." Gu Lu's voice was cold and filled with disgust.
Gu Junze glanced at Gu Lu but didn't say anything. He knew that Gu Lu's dislike for the third branch of the family was ingrained in his bones.
"What are your plans?" Chu Ruohan asked.
Gu Lu raised his head and his gaze fell on Chu Ruohan's face.
"I will make my own decisions about my marriage. No one can interfere. As for the third wife, she has had nothing to do with me since the moment I moved out of the Gu family home."
Chu Ruohan nodded: "I have already rejected the Yang family. I also told her that you can't force a cow to drink water if it doesn't want to."
Gu Lu's icy expression softened slightly.
"Thank you, Auntie," he said sincerely.
Gu Junze looked at Gu Lu with approval in his eyes.
This child certainly didn't disappoint him. He was decisive in killing and clear about right and wrong.
"Then, do you have a girl you like?" Chu Ruohan asked.
Gu Lu thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Not for now."
“However,” he paused, a hint of amusement in his voice, “if I really have to choose, I do have a condition.”
Chu Ruohan and Gu Junze both looked at him.
"What are the conditions?" Chu Ruohan asked curiously.
Gu Lu smiled slightly, his eyes filled with profound meaning: "My wife must be someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me. She doesn't need to come from a prominent family, nor does she need to be stunningly beautiful, but she must have independent thoughts, her own insights, and she cannot be the kind of woman who is manipulated by her family."
His words were clearly a veiled reference to women from aristocratic families who sought to climb the social ladder through marriage.
Chu Ruohan and Gu Junze exchanged a glance, both seeing admiration in each other's eyes.
"Your conditions are quite interesting," Gu Junze chuckled. "However, women like this are hard to find."
“If it’s hard to find, then don’t look.” Gu Lu’s tone was calm, but it revealed his stubbornness. “Better to have nothing than something bad.”
Chu Ruohan smiled.
She knew that Gu Lu was saying this to those who wanted to achieve their goals through marriage.
It was also something he was saying to himself.
"It's good that you know what's going on," Chu Ruohan said.
Gu Lu nodded.
He picked up a black piece and gently placed it on the chessboard, making a crisp sound.
On the chessboard, the black and white pieces are locked in a fierce battle.
Gu Junze, playing white, made his moves with composure, displaying a bold and unrestrained style that exuded an undeniable dominance.
Gu Lu's henchmen proceeded cautiously, seemingly on the defensive, but inadvertently setting traps and harboring murderous intent.
"Marriage isn't urgent, but the job is more important." Gu Junze finally spoke, placing a white piece in a corner of the chessboard, instantly activating a large group of isolated pieces.
He looked up at Gu Lu, his gaze sharp, "How are things at the Hanlin Academy?"
The newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were awarded the title of Hanlin Compiler (状元) and the titles of Bangyan (榜眼) and Tanhua (探花) to Hanlin Editor (编修).
The Hanlin Academy was a prestigious and desirable place for scholars from all over the world, and also the place where prime ministers were to be selected.
But it's also a place where you gain experience and temper your character.
Gu Lu's gaze returned to the chessboard. He picked up a black piece and blocked the path of the white piece.
"Nothing to do," he said casually.
"The Grand Secretary assigned me to the old archives of the Ministry of Revenue to organize the tax case files from the previous dynasty."
Chu Ruohan frowned slightly.
The old archives of the Ministry of Revenue? What kind of place is that?
It sounds like a benchwarmer, a benchwarmer covered in dust.
To make a promising newcomer, the runner-up, do the work of sorting out old case files is clearly a form of suppression.
"Is someone making things difficult for you?" she couldn't help but ask.
Gu Lu shook his head: "No, not at all. It's just that the files are piled up like mountains, long forgotten and ignored. The old clerks in the archives spend their days drinking tea and chatting, and don't take me seriously."