CHAPTER 617: 238 OUTSMARTING ONESELF WITH EXCESSIVE CUNNING_2

Climbing up from the bottom, people like that tend to have more cunning and are ruthless in their means.

But the Gu family, worthy of being a family with a thousand-year heritage, has certain things etched into their very bones—like refinement, principles, and integrity.

When she thought about the marriage alliance that Gu Bichen was burdened with, Wen Wan could no longer smile.

Mrs. Wen patted the back of her hand and said, "Don’t worry."

Yu Ruohuan was the daughter-in-law she had chosen, and Gu Bichen was the son-in-law she had picked. Good character was indeed important, but even more so was the power of the families behind them. If the Wen family was to completely dominate in the family power struggles, she needed to have these two arranged perfectly.

Ambition surged uncontrollably in Mrs. Wen’s eyes like wild weeds growing rampant.

A willful and domineering young lady, and a principled and honorable gentleman—neither were easy to manipulate.

She needed to calm down and plan carefully in the long term.

After witnessing such a spectacle, the mood for the banquet was completely spoiled. Wei Zhuhua probably struggled hard just to refrain from directly asking people to leave, but everyone could take a hint, so they all began to rise and take their leave.

Wei Zhuhua said lightly, "Today’s matter was a misunderstanding. I trust everyone knows what can be said and what cannot be said?"

Lady Jing promptly added, "Indeed, it was just a misunderstanding between two children. Now that the misunderstanding is resolved, all is well. But if anyone spreads it and it ends up damaging their reputations, Mrs. Xiang, aren’t you the expert in handling such matters? Wouldn’t there be accountability?"

Mrs. Xiang, a straightforward and sharp woman, stood out among the group of noble ladies with her comparatively plain attire. She smiled lightly and said, "Defamation is no trivial matter. If serious, it could lead to several years of imprisonment and would also affect the children’s future prospects. I trust everyone here understands what’s more important."

This was a blatant warning—if what happened at this banquet was leaked, the Yu family would never let it slide.

At the banquet, everyone felt a chill in their hearts. Unanimously, they chose to remain silent.

No one was foolish enough to risk spreading this kind of gossip.

Yan Lu: ...

She messaged Gao Yuyue in the group: If you don’t want to screw me over, make sure you don’t let this get out, or else the Yu family will tear me limb from limb.

Everyone stood up and began saying their goodbyes.

Mei Qingdai couldn’t keep a single person from leaving. She felt utterly wronged and turned around to yell at Wei Zhuhua, without caring about decorum, "This was supposed to be my banquet, but instead, it became a stage for you and your daughter to grab all the attention. If you manage to bring honor to the Yu family, I’ll have no complaints, but look at what you’ve done! That old hag from the Gu family is a tough one—I’d like to see how you explain all this to her."

Yao Huia frowned slightly and remarked, "Is this what counts as the Second Mrs. Yu’s level of refinement? Truly an eye-opener for me today."

"And you, Yao Huia, what are you doing acting all high and mighty at a Yu family banquet as someone from the Gu family? Did your brother even give you any face? He outright embarrassed you in front of everyone. Tell me, would the old Grand Madam of the Gu family listen to her own grandson, or to you as a grandniece? You clearly don’t know your place. Why are you even meddling here? Go kneel and beg for forgiveness from your great-aunt already."

Yao Huia: ...

The temple in her forehead throbbed with anger.

But Mei Qingdai did have a point—Gu Bichen might not run back to complain to their great-aunt, and she did want good relations with the Yu family, but that didn’t mean she wanted to completely fall out with her great-aunt.

Yao Huia offered a few words to Wei Zhuhua and then rushed off with her bag, her silhouette full of urgency.

Mei Qingdai glanced smugly at Wei Zhuhua and sneered, "Let’s see how you explain things to Grandmother now."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Lady Mei and Mei Junzhe didn’t dare to leave yet. They stood outside, waiting.

When Mei Qingdai came out, Lady Mei hurried forward to greet her. "Aunt, about what happened today... look at the mess it caused...."

Mei Qingdai snapped irritably, "Look at you, spineless as ever, letting others think less of you. Besides, the trouble was caused by the elder sister-in-law and her precious daughter. What does it have to do with me? I’m the victim here. Let’s go. We need to see Grandmother—she also wants to meet Junzhe."

Mei Qingdai looked around. "Where’s Junzhe?"

Lady Mei replied, "He went to the restroom."

Feeling a bit impatient, Mei Qingdai instructed a maid, "The garden is quite large, make sure he doesn’t lose his way. Go find him and take him directly to the Grand Madam."

After the maid left, Mei Qingdai said, "It’s freezing out here. We can’t just stand around waiting. Let’s go to Grandmother’s first."

Lady Mei followed close behind, her tone cautious. "Aunt, about Junzhe and Miss Yu’s marriage... I think we should just let it go."

Mei Qingdai gave her a sidelong glance and curled her lips. "Afraid, aren’t you? That girl’s so headstrong. If she really marries into the Mei family, with your spineless nature, you’d be bullied to death by her."