After dealing with Madam Xu and Xie Xiangxiang, Xie Zhaozhao told the old lady's personal maid, "Grandmother is not feeling well. You watch the gate of the courtyard and make sure no one, no matter who it is, comes to bother Grandmother."

Qu Yuning and his wife lost money, and even more people in the household lost money.

If everyone comes to Grandma's yard and makes a scene, won't that kill the old lady?

The old woman naturally understood this principle. She smiled wryly and said, "Miss, it's alright with the servants, but I'm afraid the people from the Second Master's and Third Master's side are the masters, and this old servant can't stop them."

Xie Zhaozhao said, "You stop the servants first. I'll go find Steward Qin to give each household a talking-to. Whoever angers Grandmother, I'll hand them over to my father to deal with."

Xie Anfeng is the clan leader. Anyone who is not afraid of death can go to the clan leader. If they go too far, Xie Anfeng dares to expel them from the clan.

Losing money gambling and then going to an old lady? What kind of good idea is that?

After taking some calming medicine, Madam Xie said to Xie Zhaozhao, "Even if these people lose everything, it has nothing to do with you. I know you bet on the right people and made a lot of money. That's your skill, and it has nothing to do with others."

Xie Zhaozhao nodded.

She wasn't that foolish to cover up the losses for Xu Shi and Xie Xiangxiang.

Qu Yuning and her husband understood the hardships of farmers, so she personally contributed 50 taels of silver.

As for that string of copper coins, she originally intended for them to stay at an inn. Did she really expect them to be treated like uncles?

She wouldn't give a single penny to the servants in the mansion.

Sure enough, the mansion was in turmoil again that night, and Shui'er, a maid in Xie Xiangxiang's courtyard, threw herself into the well.

Another maid, Qing'er, came to knock on Xie Zhaozhao's door, saying that she dared not disturb the old lady, and that Madam Xu and Xie Xiangxiang were being punished by kneeling, so she had no choice but to report to the young lady.

Xie Zhaozhao knew perfectly well that Yuanyuan and Manman could see through their tricks at a glance.

She didn't see anyone at all, and told Yuanyuan, "Go and inform Steward Qin to tell Shui'er to get some rest first. When it's light, call everyone to a meeting. I have something to say then."

The next morning after breakfast, Steward Qin reported at the gate that all the servants in the mansion had assembled in the front yard.

Xie Zhaozhao took Yuanyuan and Manman to the front yard, and Xu Mama followed them because she was worried.

Looking at the courtyard filled with a dense mass of servants, Xie Zhaozhao said, "Who are the people who bet on Prince Gu? Step forward."

Soon, a large group of servants stood on the left, numbering approximately three hundred.

Everyone stared at Xie Zhaozhao expectantly, having heard that the young lady had bet 10,000 taels on Young Master Ling Xun this time, with a win-loss ratio of 1 to 20, and she could win back 200,000 taels.

The young lady won so much money; even a little bit that slipped through her fingers would be enough for them to live on for the rest of their lives.

Shouldn't we share some of the money we made for free?

After glancing at the people who stepped forward, Xie Zhaozhao asked again, "Who bet on Young Master Ling?"

This time, only one maid stepped forward, her face beaming with smiles.

"How much silver did you bet?" Xie Zhaozhao asked the maid.

The maidservant said happily, "Reporting to Miss, I pawned five taels of silver and got one hundred taels back."

She received the news yesterday afternoon and went to the gambling den to inquire. She was so happy that she couldn't sleep well all night.

Xie Zhaozhao nodded and said to those who had bet on Gu Chengyan, "No matter how much you lose this time, it's a lesson. If you're unlucky, don't blame fate or others, and don't expect anyone to compensate you."

She told everyone not to use the threat of suicide to blackmail their master.

Anyone threatening suicide or harassing the grandmother should have the contract returned to them and be immediately expelled from the mansion.

No one will stop you from dying out there!

Her words were cold and harsh.

Everyone gave up.

They dare not hate their master, but they know how to mistreat him? Xu Shi and Xie Xiangxiang were forced to kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment, and not even a single person brought them water.

Back in her own courtyard, Yuanyuan said, "If the old lady doesn't give face to the madam and the second young lady like this, won't they hate her in the future?"

Xie Zhaozhao smiled and said, "Whether they hate them or not is not important."

Yesterday at the peony festival, Xie Zhaozhao accompanied her grandmother to see Consort Xi.

Royal rules are strict, and nothing else can be said, but my grandmother and aunt explained Gu Chengyan's matter very clearly.

Gu Chengyan and Gu Jiaojiao plagiarized other people's poems, angering His Majesty and bringing their official careers to an end. At best, they will be nothing more than empty marquises.

Consort Xi said, "If it weren't for Grand Secretary Gu, I'm afraid Gu Chengyan would have been imprisoned and beaten half to death. The marriage alliance with the Marquis's family was handled rather hastily."

The Living Buddha Yuanji said that Xie Zhaozhao's marriage to Gu Chengyan was a very bad omen, and that they should take this opportunity to completely cancel the marriage between the two families.

There are many ways to repay a debt of gratitude; marriage is not always necessary.

Madam Xie sighed, "Er Ya has gone mad, she's so eager to marry Young Master Gu. That short-sighted Xu Shi changed the betrothal papers without even noticing, we didn't even have time to stop her."

In Madam Xie's opinion, the marriage to Prince Jing's mansion was a hundred times better than that to Marquis Pingyang's mansion. She had no idea what Madam Xu and the second young lady were thinking.

Consort Xi's final advice was, "When a rooster cuts off its tail, what should be given up must be given up. We cannot let the entire household be buried with her."

Xie Zhaozhao knew that her aunt was telling the family to abandon Xie Xiangxiang.

When Xie Anfeng heard about Xu Shi and Xie Xiangxiang's instigation of others to place bets that led to their financial ruin in the morning, he only said one sentence: "Mother is too kind."

He ordered the man to kneel for three days, giving him only one meal a day, just enough to keep him alive.

In the morning, Xie Zhaozhao arranged for four guards from the manor to go with Yuanyuan to the gambling den to retrieve the winnings. They took out 10,000 taels of silver and went to Wutong Garden.

As luck would have it, they ran into Madam Tu.

Ms. Xu was also allowed to come over.

Xie Zhaozhao didn't take out her silver notes.

Taking out the money bet on Ling Xun to win at this moment would be a blatant slap in the face to the Tu and Xu families.

"Logically, we should wait until my uncle returns before presenting the betrothal gifts, but we consulted someone who calculated the auspicious date, and the Dragon Boat Festival would be the best day to do so," Madam Tu said to Old Madam Xie with a smile, glancing at Madam Xu.

Madam Xu hurriedly replied, "Yes, I also had someone choose an auspicious date, and the Dragon Boat Festival is perfect."

"Grand Secretary Gu is on official business, so we shouldn't overstep our bounds," said Madam Xie carefully. "Are there no good days on other days?"

Madam Tu smiled and said, "It's not that I'm going to overstep my uncle's bounds. He's never been too concerned about these things. It's just that since the eldest young lady is the elder, and the second young lady has already offered her betrothal, will the eldest young lady mind?"

Xie Zhaozhao glanced at Tu Shi and then at Xu Shi. The two of them were exchanging glances; they must have conspired together.

She didn't know how Xu had spoken to Tu, but judging from their cooperation, Tu seemed to be delighted by Gu Shaoyu's "early death."

She couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

The betrothal ceremony on the Dragon Boat Festival was not the intention of Lady Hou and Madam Xu, but must have been Xie Xiangxiang's idea.

In my previous life, the bad news of Grand Secretary Gu came on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival.

The current prosperity of the Marquis's mansion depends entirely on Grand Secretary Gu. It is truly chilling that Madam Tu is so eager for his "death"!

If that's the case...