Chapter 119 An extra thousand taels of gold in compensation

Zuixianlou (Drunken Immortal Pavilion)

In the private room, Jixiang asked Gu Qianhan, "Young Master, it's already past 9 PM. Aren't you going back to the manor yet? Zhucui, the maidservant of Madam, has already come to urge you twice."

Gu Qianhan seemed not to hear him and asked on her own, "Did you keep the thousand taels of gold that I asked you to put in the storeroom last time?"

Jixiang was puzzled: "You've already put it away. Why are you suddenly asking about this, young master?"

"Have someone retrieve it."

"Oh? Young master, you're not going to send it to Chu Yanluo, are you? Didn't you say this gold was yours?"

“It’s mine, so I’m going to give it away.”

Who are you going to give this to?

"Give this to Xiao Qingyuan."

Jixiang was dumbfounded: "Why would you give Prince Xiao a thousand taels of gold for no reason? Today you stole his beloved woman and beat him black and blue. Knowing his temper, a thousand taels of gold won't do any good. He'll definitely have someone throw it away for you."

Gu Qianhan said indifferently, "No, now Xiao Qingyuan of the Ning Prince's Mansion doesn't have the final say. Even if he wants to throw it away, he has to ask someone else for permission first."

Jixiang's mind cleared up: "You mean, his crown princess? You wouldn't be using the pretense of sending gold to Prince Xiao, but actually sending gold to his crown princess, would you?"

Gu Qianhan remained noncommittal. He looked at the lights outside the window, his voice carrying a strange emotion: "When Xiao Qingyuan hit me, he brought generous gifts to the Gu family the next day to apologize to me. I saw all those things. They were valuable and practical, collectible and resaleable, and all ingeniously designed. So, they weren't chosen by Xiao Qingyuan, but by someone else."

Jixiang: "Did the Crown Princess choose this?"

“Xiao Qingyuan apologized to me, so naturally I should apologize to him as well. Go back to your residence now, and besides the thousand taels of gold, make a new list of everything Xiao Qingyuan brought, and send it to the Prince Ning’s residence first thing tomorrow morning.”

Jixiang: "You...you've paid a bit too much, haven't you? You've paid a full thousand taels of gold more than Prince Xiao! Is it because you kidnapped Chu Yanluo, so this thousand taels is considered money to redeem her?"

Gu Qianhan said coldly, "She's worthless."

"Huh? Then you'll have to pay an extra thousand taels of gold?"

"I took Chu Yanluo away and didn't ask Xiao Qingyuan for money, which is already good enough. How could I possibly give him an extra thousand taels of gold?"

Gu Qianhan's fingers touched the sachet at her waist.

The hard feel of the medicine bottle inside the sachet warmed his cold heart.

Jixiang saw his movements and suddenly realized, "This gold belongs to your Princess Consort Xie?"

But this young master is too wasteful! The princess gave him a small bottle of ointment, and he returned a thousand taels of gold. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the bottle contained some kind of magic pill!

The Crown Princess's ointment is indeed very effective, but it's not worth a thousand taels of gold!

Gu Qianhan naturally knew what the servant was thinking, but he said nothing.

He did want to thank Shen Wantang, but he was not only thanking Shen Wantang for the ointment she gave him in this life, but also for the pill in his previous life that ended all his suffering and brought him rebirth.

He couldn't repay that one pill even with a thousand taels of gold.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Jixiang knew that he had made up his mind, so he left Zuixianlou and went back to the Duke's mansion to do the things he had been asked to do.

Half an hour later, Jixiang returned: "Young master, everything you instructed has been prepared. We can deliver the gifts to Prince Ning's residence first thing tomorrow morning."

"gold?"

"It's all packed, one thousand taels, not a penny less."

Gu Qianhan nodded: "That's good."

Jixiang realized that although the young master said he was apologizing to Prince Xiao, his main purpose was to give the Princess Consort that thousand taels of gold. The things he gave to Prince Xiao were just incidental.

Gu Qianhan held the wine cup, looking at the fine wine inside but not taking a sip. After a while, he instructed his servant, "Jixiang, tomorrow, find some time to give my elder brother a heads-up. Tell him that I listen to my aunt the most, and have my elder brother go to my mother, and then have my mother go to the palace to cry to my aunt. It would be best if my aunt also went to the Emperor to cry and complain about me, saying that I want to keep a mistress and have no regard for propriety."

Jixiang was stunned: "Second Young Master, aren't you just making trouble for yourself? Are you drunk? No, you haven't been drinking!"

The wine on the table looked the same when he left and when he returned.

"What do you know? Do you think you can survive without taking revenge?"

"What do you mean? What do you mean by 'live'? Who wants the Second Young Master's life?!"

Naturally, it's the current emperor and the future emperor, the current crown prince. They not only want his life, but they also want the lives of everyone in the Gu family.

Of course, he couldn't tell the truth, so Gu Qianhan casually brushed off the servant: "No one wants to kill me for now, I'm just being prepared."

"But……"

Jixiang said with a worried look, "If Her Majesty the Empress goes to the Emperor to cry, you will inevitably be summoned to the palace and scolded again. Last time you knelt in the palace all night long, and your knees were swollen. Do you remember?"

"I haven't forgotten."

Gu Qianhan lowered her long eyelashes, concealing the emotions in her eyes: "What I want is to be scolded by the Emperor, what I want is to be punished by kneeling."

Ji Xiang scratched his head. How strange, someone actually goes out of their way to get scolded? Why has his young master been acting so strangely lately?

“Sometimes, a good reputation isn’t a good thing. The Gu family is too prominent, and their achievements are becoming too great. It’s time to damage the Gu family’s reputation.”

Only then will the emperor feel at ease.

Jixiang didn't understand the young master's actions, but he knew that the young master was exceptionally intelligent and that he must have his reasons for doing so.

"Don't worry, young master. I'll go see the eldest young master tomorrow and have him put some pressure on you."

Over the next period of time, Gu Qianhan met with several groups of people.

Even Jixiang didn't know what the conversation was about; he was only responsible for guarding the gate outside.

As dawn broke, Gu Qianhan emerged from inside: "Jixiang, let's go back to the manor."

"Yes, young master."

After returning to the Duke's mansion, Gu Qianhan only slept for an hour before getting up and saying, "Good luck!"

Jixiang, who was keeping watch in the outer room, jumped up at the sound and entered the inner room with two big dark circles under his eyes: "Young Master?"

"Pack your things, it's time to head to Prince Ning's residence."

Jixiang was taken aback: "Young master, are you still going yourself? Why don't you get some more sleep?"

Gu Qianhan stood up: "Of course, I should go in person to apologize."

He went out of the inner room, washed his face, changed his clothes, tidied his appearance, and then stepped out of the courtyard.

Jixiang looked up at him and saw that his fair skin glowed with a healthy luster in the sunlight, and he still had the demeanor of an aloof noble young master.

Both hadn't slept all night and had only managed an hour's sleep, yet he had dark circles under his eyes and looked listless, while the young master had no dark circles at all and was still full of energy.

It's so unfair! The young master is so handsome and smart, how come he's so good at staying up all night?