Hualan's eyes brightened with admiration for her grandmother. She turned to Old Madam Sheng and smiled, "Grandma, you make a very close guess. If they had got on very well, General Gu wouldn't have been away from the capital for many years without returning home to see his family. After he received the General Mansion from His Majesty, he has only returned to Marquis Ningyuan Household once. Every mother will talk her husband out of hitting her son. Fifth Young Master of Duke Han Household is indeed a bully. He has done all kinds of bad things, including playing with prostitutes and gambling. What he has done is much more serious than what General Gu did that year. However, with the protection of Duchess Han, he is till safe and sound. Now I know why General Gu was punished severely by Old Marquis Ningyuan at that time. Madam Gu is not his biological mother. Surely, she would have purposely exaggerated his mistakes and given Old Marquis Ningyuan pernicious advice in bed. So in the end, Old Marquis punished General Gu brutally."

Wang shi was thickheaded and her main concern was to figure out whether Gu Tingye had a mistress outside. So she asked directly, "So... Are all those rumors false? Does he have a mistress living outside? Did that woman bear him a son and a daughter?"

Hualan's face stiffened with embarrassment and she replied in an embarrassed tone, "He does have a mistress outside. She gave birth to a son and a daughter. He has told Wenshao everything. But..." Seeing that Wang shi seemed angry, Hualan promptly added, "General Gu says that he has sent that woman to the estate. He doesn't intend to see her anymore because she always harbored evil intentions. As for his illegal son, I think that boy is unlikely to be written in the pedigree of a clan."

Wang shi felt a bit relieved.

However, Old Madam Sheng still wrinkled her brows and said slowly, "After all, the boy is General Gu's eldest illegal son. He will become a hang-up to Rulan." She turned to Wang shi and advised, "You should think carefully before you make a decision. Marquis Ningyuan Household has a high social status. Moreover, General Gu has stayed in the good graces of His Majesty. He now has powerful influence and a position of eminence. Rulan is your own daughter. You should put yourself in her shoes. For a woman, her husband's attitude toward her will decide if she can live a good life. If Rulan doesn't live well after marrying into Marquis Ningyuan Household, outsiders will regard us as cruel persons who covet wealth and rank and disregard Rulan's feelings. So, when you choose your son-in-law, you should place a high premium on what he is like as a person."

Minglan lowered her head and kept quiet. She had heard a phrase in her previous life, "Loyalty will give way to temptation." Old Madam Sheng seemed a staunch supporter of this phrase. Although she didn't think He Hongwen was the best man in the world, in her view, a doctor who devoted himself to medicinal materials and medical books, was much more reliable than a high official who frequently attended banquets.

Wang shi was caught in a dilemma. She twisted her handkerchief and became hesitant.

Realizing that Old Madam Sheng seemed unwilling to marry Rulan to Gu Tingye, and Wang shi was affected by Old Madam Sheng, Hualan was anxious. She put on a smile and complained, "Oh, dear! You should trust my husband. He won't put my sister in harm's way. When my mother-in-law heard the news, she beat her breast and regretted having promised to marry her daughter to her nephew. But we all know that Wenying has been engaged. So my mother-in-law asked Wenshao to introduce Cousin Xiumei to General Gu. My father-in-law heard that and gave her a good dressing-down. Humph! How dared she put forward this proposal? Cousin Xiumei's father, Uncle Zhang has passed away. Even if he were still alive, he could be just a toothless fifth-ranked official. Wenshao pondered for a long time and said that he thought General Gu was a good match for Rulan. Although General Gu made some crazy mistakes in the past, he has become good. Generally, he is a person of good character. Mother, he has showed his good faith and sincerely hopes to marry Rulan. If he had no mistress and illegal children, we wouldn't have this chance. Those influential noble families have no intention of marrying their daughter to General Gu because he has a bad reputation. Those who enthusiastically go to Marquis Ningyuan Household and propose a marriage are all social climbers. General Gu doesn't want Madam Gu to arrange his marriage. So he asks your son-in-law to introduce a good lady to him."

Hualan, who was articulate, spoke in a sing-song voice and every word she said was perfectly logical and reasonable. When she was frothing at the mouth with excitement, she caught the puzzled look on Minglan's face, so she asked thoughtlessly, "What's the matter?"

Minglan cast a glance at Old Madam Sheng and said under her breath, "I'm told that the widowers have difficulty in remarrying. But why is General Gu so popular? Being two children's stepmother is not an easy job. What's more, the second wife .... Click the external link below to read the whole chapter 131.