Destined

"Of course," Gu Langhua sighed, "In the past, we didn't think long-term and only wanted him to live happily. Now when we try to discipline him, he simply won't listen." As he spoke, Gu Langhua looked up at Liu Yuru. "Yuru, you've just married into the family. How people interact in the future depends on the initial rules. You must establish those rules for him and never let him become arrogant. He may be immature, but I can see you're well-educated and reasonable. You must discipline him properly."

"Father-in-law," Liu Yuru showed a troubled expression, "After all, you are his parents. If even you cannot discipline him, I, as his wife, am afraid..."

"Don't worry!" Upon hearing this, Gu Langhua immediately understood Liu Yuru's concerns. He quickly said, "You go ahead and discipline him. I'll back you up. He definitely won't dare to do anything to you."

"But I'm just a woman. At most, I can only advise him a little. If he doesn't listen and leaves, there's nothing I can do..."

"Don't worry about that," Gu Langhua immediately responded, "I'll assign you the twenty top experts from the estate, specifically for you to discipline him. If he doesn't listen to advice, just have them bring him back. If you need to scold or punish him, they'll assist you!"

Liu Yuru was taken aback. Although this was indeed what she had in mind, she hadn't expected Gu Langhua to implement it so thoroughly. She had originally only wanted a couple of servants...

"Now that Yuru has married into the family," Jiang Rou followed up behind Gu Langhua, "I should take a rest. For the time being, all matters in the household, big and small, will be handled by Yuru. If there's anything you're unsure about, you can always ask me. Once you're familiar with everything, the management of the household will be completely handed over to you."

Well, now she had servants too.

Liu Yuru felt reassured. Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua seemed to have completely run out of ideas when it came to disciplining Gu Jiusi. So they were directly delegating authority to her, letting her handle it freely.

"With such support from my father-in-law and mother-in-law, I feel at ease. I will go find the young master now and persuade him to return to his studies."

"Good, good, good," Upon hearing the word 'studies,' Gu Langhua was almost moved to tears. But after a moment's thought, he worried that Liu Yuru might be discouraged if she failed in her first attempt and become too passive later. So he advised, "It's alright if you can't persuade him in one try. Just bringing him back is enough. We can take our time with the studies. If you don't succeed in persuading him, it's fine. Don't be afraid of failure. Jiusi is a stubborn child; one failure is no big deal."

"Father-in-law, mother-in-law, rest assured," Liu Yuru said with the steady demeanor of a general pledging 'certain victory' to the emperor, her words leaving no room for doubt, "I will definitely bring the young master back."

After speaking, she added, "Mother-in-law, I'd like to familiarize myself with the household staff. Could you assign a matron to help me get acquainted with the situation?"

"Matron Chen," Jiang Rou understood what Liu Yuru intended and quickly called the matron behind her. She said to Matron Chen, "From now on, you will follow the young mistress and help her familiarize herself with the household."

"Wang Shou," Gu Langhua also quickly followed up, speaking to the guard behind him, "Gather all the skilled hands in the household and follow the young mistress. From now on, do whatever the young mistress commands, and make sure the young master doesn't bully her."Nanny Chen and Wang Shou both stepped forward, acknowledged their orders, then properly paid their respects to Liu Yuru. Liu Yuru smiled and nodded before bidding farewell to Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua.

Liu Yuru led Nanny Chen and Wang Shou to the courtyard, instructing them to summon all household staff. Servants and attendants lined up in rows, filling the courtyard, and each reported their name and duties to Liu Yuru. After familiarizing herself with everyone, Liu Yuru sat down, took a sip of tea, and said slowly, "From now on, I am your young mistress. I hope you will all support me during my time in the Gu family."

Everyone listened quietly, not daring to make a sound. After speaking these gentle words, Liu Yuru's tone shifted as she continued, "My mother-in-law has entrusted me with managing the household affairs. From now on, I will be in charge. I wish for my husband to focus on his studies and strive for improvement, so I expect this household to be orderly and clean, ensuring nothing distracts the young master from his reading. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes," the kneeling servants quickly responded. Liu Yuru stood up and addressed everyone, "In seven days, I will issue new household rules. Everyone must abide by them. Today, I announce the first rule: From now on, the foremost duty of everyone in the Gu residence is to assist the young master in his studies and progress. No one is to help him engage in any activities detrimental to his learning. Do you understand?"

This time, no one dared to say they understood. Silence fell over the courtyard.

Liu Yuru said calmly, "I am now going to retrieve the young master. If necessary, I may resort to extreme measures to ensure his compliance. When I give an order, you must not hesitate or disobey. Remember this well: It is I who now manage the Gu residence, your monthly wages, and your contracts—not the young master! Anyone who feigns compliance or openly defies my orders will be sold off immediately. Is that clear?"

Hearing this, everyone glanced at Nanny Chen and Wang Shou standing beside Liu Yuru. Both remained expressionless, bowed to Liu Yuru, and said earnestly, "We are at your command, Young Mistress."

With this confirmation, everyone understood that the authority in the Gu family had truly changed hands.

Gritting their teeth, they lowered their heads and shouted in unison, "Understood!"

Liu Yuru nodded, stood up, and began issuing orders: "First, go to the study and purchase all the books a scholar should have—writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, the Four Books and Five Classics. Gather all the young master's miscellaneous books, recreational items, treasured wines—in short, anything that could interfere with his studies—and set them aside for me to deal with upon my return."

"Also, seal all the holes the young master dug to escape the residence, remove all ladders, and discard any tools used for climbing walls. Hire some craftsmen to raise the walls higher to ensure he cannot climb over them. And, Yin Hong," Liu Yuru called out to Yin Hong, who hurried forward and responded, "Yes."

"Search the bedroom thoroughly and confiscate all the hidden silver notes the young master has stored, making sure he has no private savings. Then prepare bathwater, hangover soup, and some food. Also, have the tailor make thirty plain-colored robes—no patterns, comfortable and simple, no need for stylish designs. These clothes are specifically for his studies."

"Yes!" Yin Hong replied loudly.

Those listening to Liu Yuru's instructions began to sense that Gu Jiusi's days were about to become much more difficult.After giving instructions at home to ensure Gu Jiusi would have no escape once captured, Liu Yu Ru turned around. As she did, her eyes fell upon a sword hanging in the room.

It was a small sword, just the right size for Liu Yu Ru to wield. Gu Jiusi had purchased it at a high price in the past, adorned with gemstones that made it look exceptionally beautiful. He had hung it in his room as a decorative piece.

Liu Yu Ru gazed at the sword for a moment before stepping forward and taking it down from the wall.

The servants watched as she removed the sword, and a sense of unease settled over them. Munan, the young attendant who had long served Gu Jiusi, felt a sudden panic, an urge to rush off and warn his master that trouble was brewing. But the thought that Liu Yu Ru was now in charge of the household stifled his courage.

So he stayed among the crowd, listening as Liu Yu Ru asked, "Is the young master still at the Brothel?"

Wang Shou stepped forward and replied, "Yes."

Liu Yu Ru nodded calmly and said, "Gather forty men and accompany me there."

Without hesitation, Wang Shou selected forty men—twenty elite fighters and twenty ordinary guards—and followed Liu Yu Ru as they marched in a grand procession to the Brothel.

By the time they arrived, Gu Jiusi was still asleep, having drunk heavily the night before and not yet sobered up.

As Liu Yu Ru's sedan chair stopped in front of the Brothel, the Madam knew something was wrong and hurried upstairs to wake Gu Jiusi.

Meanwhile, Liu Yu Ru stepped out of the sedan and instructed Wang Shou, "Surround the Brothel. Make sure no one can escape through any door or window."

Wang Shou acknowledged the order. Then, alone, Liu Yu Ru stood at the entrance of the Brothel, holding the sword in her hand, and looked up at the building's sign.

Her hand trembled slightly.

She knew that once she stepped into the Brothel today, there would be no turning back.

A woman who would lead a group of men to a brothel, sword in hand, to confront her husband would forever be labeled as jealous and improper. All her past efforts to build a reputable name would go up in smoke. Those who had once praised her might feel they had misjudged her, and the Ye Family might even feel relieved that they had not married such a shrew.

Even Ye Shi'an...

Her heart twinged at the thought of his name, and she felt a pang of sorrow.

She could bear how others viewed her, but the idea that Ye Shi'an might also see her as unfit to be a wife felt like needles piercing her heart.

He was the one she had admired and striven for all these years. No matter what, she had always hoped he would think well of her.

But this path was one she had to take.

She reminded herself firmly that since she had married Gu Jiusi, everything was different now. She had to carve out a future for herself.

She held no illusions that Gu Jiusi would ever come to love her. From what others had told her, she knew how deeply he valued emotions. If he were like Liu Xuan, who only cared for a woman's beauty and gentleness, she might have dared to hope that her efforts could win his affection. But a man who vowed to share his life with only one person took love too seriously and placed too much importance on it.

She admitted to herself that she could not give Gu Jiusi the love he sought, so she did not expect his love in return.What she wanted was the position of the young madam of the Gu Family, and eventually the senior madam; what she wanted was to rise above others, allowing her mother to gain status through her daughter's achievements, living a lifetime of stability, wealth, and glory; what she wanted was for Gu Jiusi to never divorce her in this lifetime—if one day Gu Jiusi truly sought love, it must be him who left the Gu Family!

Thus, she had to force Gu Jiusi to study and enter officialdom. Only by becoming an official would reputation and laws restrain Gu Jiusi from casually divorcing her;

And only if Gu Jiusi became an official and gained capability could he enable her to become an Imperial Order Lady, allowing her to rise above others, ensuring no one could ever look down upon her or her mother!

Liu Yu Ru tightened her grip on the knife, took a deep breath, and strode into the brothel.

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered outside, while in the elegant private room on the second floor of the brothel, Ye Shi'an was discussing the situation in the Eastern Capital with friends when he suddenly heard commotion.

Turning around, he saw a young girl dressed in plain white clothes and a blue embroidered wide-sleeved long skirt, holding a knife in her trembling hand as she ascended the steps of the brothel.

Her expression was resolute yet tinged with fear, like a soldier marching to battle, like a flower blooming through cracked stone.

"Oh, isn't that Liu Yu Ru, the eldest daughter of the Liu Family?" someone exclaimed in surprise beside him.

"What is she doing here?"

"Could she be here to catch Gu Jiusi?"

At this, everyone burst into laughter. Someone waved a hand dismissively: "Impossible, she's famously proper in conduct. Why would she come to such a place..."

Before the words faded, the door on the third floor was kicked open with a "bang," followed by a girl's loud shout: "Gu Jiusi, stand up right now!"—

Author's note: Gu Jiusi: Stand still? I'd be a fool! Is this a wife? This is clearly Yang Yongxin!!