After court, Gu Shaoyu did not return to his residence first, but went to Moon Lake.

Before long, Bei Chen arrived as well.

"Tell me, what did you find?"

Two guards from Moon Lake Garden said, "A few days ago, Madam told Young Master Yin and Young Master Li that after the earthquake and before winter, she planned to make another trip to Xiandou."

"Let them bring back more salt, grain, and daily necessities."

Bei Chen looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Gu Shaoyu looked at him and said, "Is there anything you can't say?"

“The birds that Yuanyuan raises are not for playing with; they are messengers.”

"Are they sending a message?"

"Yes, it should be. It's happened two or three times already."

"Stop investigating. You don't need to investigate what Madam wants to do, and you shouldn't interfere."

Gu Shaoyu said, "Yuanji said that the lady is a compassionate person, and what she wants to do must be beneficial to the country and the people. You can assist her in secret, but you must not spy on her, stop her, or tell outsiders."

"Yes," several voices answered simultaneously.

After Gu Shaoyu finished asking his questions, Nanxing drove the carriage back to the mansion.

Upon arriving at Qingpu Courtyard, Xie Zhaozhao greeted them as soon as they entered the courtyard.

Gu Shaoyu held her hand; it was as white as jade, but a little cold.

"It's getting cold, so you should wear more clothes."

"You too, no matter how busy you are with national affairs, don't overwork yourself."

"Don't worry, I'll still take care of family matters and national affairs, no matter how busy I am." He chuckled softly and tightened his grip on her hand.

"His Majesty has severely punished them." Gu Shaoyu explained the punishment of the Cheng'en Duke's family. "Princess Yurong is not allowed to enter the palace without an imperial edict, and she can no longer exchange messages between the palace and the Cheng'en Duke's residence."

Emperor Hui gradually marginalized the Wei clan from the court.

Xie Zhaozhao lowered her eyes, still feeling lingering fear.

Princess Yu Rong's suicidal move was extremely vicious. She was already utterly despicable, so she didn't care about adding another layer of lewd infamy.

If Gu Shaoyu hadn't been vigilant and had fallen into the trap, without the powerful background of the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion, his life would have been ruined and he would have lost his life.

"Don't worry. Matters of state and the lives of others are nothing compared to the worry I feel when you frown." Gu Shaoyu held her in his arms, tracing her eyebrows and eyes with his fingers. "Remember, I'm best at killing three birds with one stone."

She was about to praise him when she sensed something was wrong with his body. Her face flushed, and she looked at him incredulously.

Let's get down to business. Why did you release the ferocious beast?

He lowered his head and whispered in my ear, "When I'm with you, I don't want to think about anything else."

They carried the person into the inner room, and the two of them got excited and took off their clothes one by one. But just as they were about to leave, Nanxing knocked on the door from the outside.

"Your Excellency, are you asleep?"

Gu Shaoyu turned his head and coldly said, "Asleep!"

"..." Nanxing was confused. It would be more reasonable if you didn't reply.

Xie Zhaozhao chuckled softly. That laugh deflated both of them, and their initial irritation dissipated.

He gave him a push and said, "It must be something extremely urgent, you should go quickly."

Gu Shaoyu roared, "A million soldiers have charged into battle, and we're about to take the position, and you tell me to 'go take a piss first'? That's suicidal!"

Xie Zhaozhao buried her face in the pillow and laughed so hard her shoulders shook.

After dressing, Gu Shaoyu went out, and he was once again the refined and serious Grand Secretary.

Nanxing shrank his neck to its shortest length and said, "Lord Leng said there's something extremely urgent!"

Leng Luo?

He's a rare guest!

Gu Shaoyu and Leng Luo had a private conversation in the study. When Gu Shaoyu returned to his room, Xie Zhaozhao had already taken a nap.

Gu Shaoyu had scalded his hands and feet in hot water before carefully crawling into bed, but he still woke Xie Zhaozhao up.

"Are you done talking?"

"Yes, the Duke of Cheng'en, along with all the civil and military officials, will force His Majesty to hand over grain at the palace gate tomorrow to resist the invasion of Western Xia."

Xie Zhaozhao remained silent for a while.

Gu Shaoyu, her, and the Xie family's honor and disgrace are tied to Emperor Hui. If Emperor Hui gets into trouble, Gu Shaoyu, her, the Xie family, and even the major aristocratic families will repeat the tragic mistakes of the previous life.

She could give away all the food she had; in fact, she had already earned back her investment long ago.

However, giving away so much grain doesn't necessarily bring her good fortune; being accused of "malicious hoarding" could cost her her life.

Gu Shaoyu thought she was worried about His Majesty's safety, so he warmed his hands on his own belly before touching her face.

"Don't worry, Leng Luo has decided to find a way to make those messengers admit in public that they were the ones who spread the rumors."

This method can only resolve the immediate crisis. Duke Cheng'en will surely have other tricks up his sleeve. To be honest, right now, all we need is a batch of grain that can impress Duke Cheng'en's mansion and gain the trust of the people.

Xie Zhaozhao buried her face in his chest and asked, "How much grain would it take to silence the gossip?"

"Don't worry about it. Even if your ships set off right now, it won't be in time, and it will only expose your trade routes."

"Just tell me how much grain you need."

"At least tens of thousands of shi (a unit of dry measure)." Gu Shaoyu thought, 100,000 shi would definitely be enough for an emergency, the more the better...

But at this time, where can we get 100,000 shi of grain?

Xie Zhaozhao looked up from his chest, the haze in her eyes had disappeared, and her eyes were dark and gleaming.

She reached out and traced a circle around his thin lips, then leaned in and kissed him.

"My lord, I have provisions!"

...

The next day, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Gu Shaoyu, who had only slept for less than an hour, quietly got up, looked at Xie Zhaozhao who was still sleeping, and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

The Imperial Palace.

Most officials got up earlier than usual today, and almost all of them had memorials in their hands, discussing something in twos and threes.

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