Chapter 119

Soon, as General Qiao appeared in the court, the news that the emperor rewarded the savior that General Qiao brought back spread throughout the capital, causing a huge uproar.

Among them, the voices discussing Gu Er Niang were the loudest.

After all, people in the capital are not familiar with Li Ji, Pei Liu and others, but many people know that the second wife of the Gu family was once the second wife of the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion.

Such a fake daughter once made Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion a hot topic in the city and had long been a popular figure. Later, Prime Minister Qin died by hitting a pillar, and everyone in the Qin Mansion was exiled to the southern border of Fujian. Naturally, this Gu Er Niang sparked a wave of gossip again.

And now, Gu Erniang, who was supposed to be an exiled prisoner, actually saved General Qiao, who was worried about by everyone. Not only did she return to the capital, but she also entered the palace to meet the emperor and received rewards. Isn't this more eventful and legendary than other people's stories?

After finding out where they were, all kinds of people came to the Hang family compound every day to see everyone, especially Gu Er Niang, so that everyone in the compound did not dare to go out.

But they did not go out, and the reward bestowed by the emperor was delivered by officials.

At this time, Gu Ran was smiling happily facing the pile of gold and silver he had received as a reward.

Even in her second life, when she was a talisman master, she had never seen so much gold and silver!

Fifty taels of gold, converted into silver, is five hundred taels, plus one thousand taels of silver, that is one thousand five hundred taels, not to mention an expensive jade ruyi, two pieces of Dongzhu jewelry, and the imperial tribute silk that can be sold.

She suddenly became a wealthy woman with a fortune of a thousand taels, and she could live a comfortable life without having to work for the rest of her life.

The saint rewarded her just once, and she already had so much wealth. If he rewarded her a few more times, wouldn't she be even richer?

No wonder they all want the emperor’s reward!

Gu Ran couldn't help rubbing his hands and asked with a smile, "I wonder how much silver this jade ruyi can be sold for?"

Pei Liu, Li Ji, and the Shen father and son all looked at her, seemingly in disbelief.

"Second Mother, you can't sell it!"

"Why?"

This jade ruyi is just an ornament, given by a royal saint. If you want to put it in the house, you have to find a suitable place for it, which is troublesome. It will accumulate dust after a long time. It is better to put it away as an asset in the bottom of the box. It is not as valuable as gold.

"Gu Erniang, you are really capable. Others have received rewards from saints, such as the jade ruyi, which are kept in the family as heirlooms. But you want to sell it for money." Chen Erlang shook his head helplessly.

"Second Mother, most of the rewards given by saints, like this jade ruyi and these Dongzhu jewelry, have the production numbers issued by the palace. Most people would not sell them for money. If it really comes to this, it means that the family is in decline." Master Shen also said.

"I'm just asking. When I was the second wife in the Marquis's mansion, I saw everything in the palace as a reward." Gu Ran said seriously, "I just think that if the jade ruyi given by the emperor were really sold, if someone really wanted it, the money they would give would be much more expensive than an ordinary jade ruyi, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, I'm a self-made man after all. When I received rewards before, I never thought of exchanging the rewards from the palace for money. Sure enough, since I became the head of the family, I have started to look at things from different angles."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Are there really so many angles to look at things?

Just as they were having fun, Manager Hang came in hurriedly and smiled when he saw Gu Er Niang.

"Mother Gu, your relatives are here outside."

Hearing that a relative had come to visit, everyone was stunned, and Gu Ran was also surprised, "Who? Which relative?"

"Which other relatives? Your relatives in Ningyuan Marquis Mansion!"

*

In the past two days, the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion in the capital has been quite uneasy.

What broke the peace of the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion was the shocking thunder that broke out last year. Lord Du Jiang colluded with the Jianzhou Zhou family to frame General Qiao and secretly detained and imprisoned him for many years.

Now that General Qiao has been found, the court is full of congratulations. Ningyuan Hou was also happy at first, but when he heard that the second wife of the Gu family who was exiled to Fujian was General Qiao's savior, he began to feel that something was wrong.

The second mother of the Gu family, what a coincidence, Ningyuan Hou also has the surname Gu, and there was once a second mother Gu who was mistakenly believed to be his own flesh and blood. Because her husband's family committed a crime, she was also exiled to Fujian.

No, this is Gu Er Niang, then that is Gu Er Niang, right?

Marquis Ningyuan wanted to inquire further, but General Qiao was staying in the palace for the emperor, and Lord Hang was busy reporting on his work. He sent his servants to inquire about the whereabouts of the group of people who came to the capital, but before they could find out, everyone who came to the capital with General Qiao and Lord Hang was invited into the palace to receive their reward.

When they leave the palace, they won't need to ask, because it will be clear who the second wife of the Gu family is!

"So the one who saved General Qiao was really the second lady of the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion?"

"It is indeed true. She admitted it herself, but it is said that she has severed ties with the Ningyuan Marquisate."

"They severed ties, how come we haven't heard about it?"

"That's right. When Prime Minister Qin's incident caused such a big stir, I never heard anyone from Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion say anything about it."

"Hey, is the second lady of the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion the fourth grandmother Qin?"

"She's no longer Grandma Qin Si. I heard she's divorced from Master Qin Si!"

"Divorce, how could the Qin family be so heartless? Second Lady Gu was exiled because of his family's involvement in a crime. How could they send her to a barbaric land and even look down on her by divorcing her?"

"But it seems that Gu Erniang hasn't had a very hard time after the divorce. I heard that she even bought an island in Jianzhou, the same island where General Qiao was stranded. That's why she saved General Qiao's life."

"That's right, otherwise we wouldn't know that General Qiao has been living alone on a deserted island for so many years!"

"Mrs. Gu saved General Qiao and received a reward from the Emperor. Your life will be much better from now on!"

"This is what they call a blessing in disguise!"

"I didn't expect Second Lady Gu to be so capable. I heard that even His Majesty has spoken highly of her. She is truly worthy of being a lady raised in a marquisate."

Ning Yuanhou felt quite uncomfortable when he heard this.

Although most people outside are unaware and think that the Ningyuan Marquisate is still a branch of the royal family that is trusted, ever since the current emperor ascended the throne, the Ningyuan Marquisate is no longer as prosperous as before.

As the saying goes, a new emperor appoints new ministers. Those whom the emperor relies on now are not the ministers trusted by the late emperor.

Ningyuan Hou, who was once favored by the emperor, was also subjected to the most obvious suppression. Judging from the emperor's always cold attitude, the people in Ningyuan Hou's mansion would probably no longer be reused during the current emperor's tenure.

Ningyuan Hou returned to his house in a bad mood. He saw his wife in the hall. It looked like she was waiting for him. Seeing him come back, she asked hurriedly, "My Lord, is it really our Second Mother that those people outside are talking about?"

Many people in the mansion had heard the rumors outside, and some had even seen the notice posted outside the imperial city announcing that General Qiao had been found. When the news that General Qiao's savior was Gu Er Niang spread, many people in the mansion were shocked.

After all, she was the lady who was once raised in the Marquis' Mansion. Although she left the capital because of something happening in her husband's family, everyone gradually forgot about the matter. But when it was brought up again, many people remembered it again.

Some of the gossipy servants couldn't help but speak out, and slowly the news reached the ears of their masters.

When the wife of Ningyuan Hou heard about this, she was even more shocked.

Outsiders did not know, but she, as a mother, knew it. In the second year after this second mother was exiled to Minzhou with the Qin family, she received a letter sent back from a passing post station.

She also cried and said that she regretted marrying Mr. Qin Si, and hoped that they would help her divorce him because of her youth and ignorance. She was willing to return to the capital to serve her father and mother to show her filial piety.

The tone was just like that of the beloved and beloved daughter in the family.

"You really think you are my, Marquis Ningyuan's biological daughter!" Marquis Ningyuan sneered and tore up the letter.

At that time, the Marquis's wife still felt reluctant and had some suspicions, but not much.

As the mistress of the Marquis' Mansion for many years, she naturally knew the seriousness of the situation. Now the emperor was very dissatisfied with the ministers who interfered in the fight for the throne. No matter whether they supported the third prince or the second princess, they were all touching his reverse scale.

Prime Minister Qin is a talent that the emperor should use, but he dared to support the third prince rashly, which has already displeased the emperor. Now he has committed a crime and is thrown into prison. Even if he touches the pillar to prove his innocence, it will not change the fate of exile for his entire family.

Ning Yuanhou, who has always been favored by the emperor, naturally cannot have anything to do with the Qin family, which is destined to decline.

Out of courtesy, they could naturally arrange for the divorce on behalf of the Second Lady, but in order to please the Emperor, to draw a clear line between themselves and Prime Minister Qin's family, and to show their loyalty, they could not have anything to do with the Second Lady who had married into the Qin Mansion.

Besides, she was not his biological child. Considering that he had adopted her for many years, he found a good marriage for her, which was considered to be the most he could do.

Who made her so unlucky that she had a father-in-law who was involved in the struggle for imperial power?

It's not worth exchanging the safety of the entire Ningyuan Marquis Mansion for this adopted daughter.

So the Marquis's wife was sad for two days, and then she continued to live her pampered life as a Marquis's wife, and never mentioned the second lady again.

Who could have expected that she would have such good fortune in the future?

If I had known earlier...

The Marquis's wife couldn't help but feel regretful. Seeing her husband come back, she naturally wanted to find out clearly whether this was the second mother she had mistakenly brought home to raise. When the Ningyuan Marquis confirmed that it was, the Marquis's wife was in a complicated mood and was speechless for a while.

Ning Yuanhou glanced at his wife, then tapped his fingers on the desk. "People outside say that it's because our mansion brought her up well that she's so smart and capable. Otherwise..."

Upon hearing this, the Marquis's wife straightened herself slightly.

Yes, if she hadn't thought she was her own flesh and blood and taken good care of her since she was a child, how could she have raised such a dignified and decent woman?

"I found out where she's staying. If you have time, go there."

The Marquis's wife looked at the Marquis of Ningyuan.

"The Emperor values ​​General Qiao highly now. I wonder whether he will retain him in the capital or send him back to Damao City," said Ningyuan Hou. "No matter which one, the Emperor will look up to General Qiao's men. He has even ordered the Ministry of War to reorganize the troops who followed General Qiao into battle. Those who died will be rewarded, and those who survive will be promoted. Our Ningyuan Hou Mansion..."

Ningyuan Hou did not say the rest of the words, but how could his wife, who had been immersed in officialdom for many years, not understand?

"Don't worry, my Lord. I'll go and see my daughter whom I haven't seen for many years!"

So, at the gate of the Hang family's villa, Gu Ran saw the wife of the Marquis of Ningyuan getting off the carriage, smiling at him and calling out, "Second Mother, come here quickly and let me see you. I haven't seen you for a long time. I almost don't recognize you."

Gu Ran was shocked, and then: This person in Ningyuan Marquis Mansion might be suffering from some serious illness. Didn’t she clearly say that she had severed ties with Ningyuan Marquis Mansion?

Don't understand what people are saying? You're really eager to come and recognize your relatives!

How shameless.

But with so many people watching, she couldn't be rude to avoid being laughed at, so she had no choice but to invite the marquis's wife in for a chat in front of everyone.

After entering the yard and following Gu Ran all the way to the hall, when she saw this small house and courtyard, a hint of disgust flashed across the face of Lady Ningyuan Hou.

"Ran Ran, you said you've returned to Beijing, so why don't you go home to see your mother? Why do you have to put yourself in such a difficult situation and live in such a small courtyard?"

Gu Ran turned around and asked Steward Hang to help arrange the matter. After hearing what Ningyuan Hou's wife said, he forced a smile and said, "Madam Ningyuan Hou, you're joking. Ningyuan Hou's Mansion has never been my home, so how can I go home?"

"Ran Ran..." Gu Ran interrupted the Ningyuan Marquis' wife, "Also, to avoid making things difficult for the Ningyuan Marquis and his wife, I have already told His Majesty that I have severed ties with the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion since the year Prime Minister Qin's mansion was exiled. It is really irrational for the Ningyuan Marquis' wife to come to me at this time."

Although I had mentioned it to the Saint first, and took the initiative to say it in order to avoid the troubles of the original owner, wasn't I also trying to make amends for the people in Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion?

They had not taken care of the original owner during the years of exile in Fujian. Now that she has come to Beijing, the relationship between the original owner and the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion is bound to be mentioned. Naturally, there will be people who like to gossip about it. After the original owner came to Fujian all these years, the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion ignored their adopted daughter coldly.

But since she said she broke off the relationship on her own initiative, both of them saved face.

Others would not think that the people in Ningyuan Marquis Mansion were unkind, and since she had cut off ties with Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, she did not have to pay attention to them, so naturally she was not afraid of revealing any mistakes.

Look how thoughtful she is!

But the wife of the Ningyuan Marquis came up to me one-sidedly, and it seemed that she was not the kind of person who did not know how to weigh the pros and cons. In order to avoid trouble in the future, it would be better to talk it out first.

"Ran Ran, mother finally came to see you, how could you be so heartless? After all, I have raised you for more than ten years and even found you a husband..."

"Find a good marriage?"

"Who could have expected that Prime Minister Qin would get involved in...that matter? Mother didn't expect it at the time. Do you want to blame her for this?" Lady Ningyuan Hou felt aggrieved.

"So, that's it. When I was alone in Fujian, the wife of the Ningyuan Marquis had no news at all and never asked about me. Isn't that quite heartless?"

"That's..." Ningyuan Hou's wife paused, "But, mother did think of sending someone to check on you, but it's so far away, who knows where you've been sent to? This isn't the capital, mother isn't familiar with it."

"So, I, Gu Ran, am not familiar with your wife, the Ningyuan Marquis, or anyone else in the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion."

"Ran Ran, how could you be so angry with Mother? But Mother is just a woman in the backyard, and there are many things that I haven't considered carefully. I wronged you by exiling you to that desolate place, and I didn't send anyone to look after you. It's Mother's fault, but Mother thinks that you have the Qin family, Qin Silang, to take care of you. Considering the relationship with our Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, they dare not neglect you, right?"

"Qin Si and I are divorced!"

"But mother, I don't know!"

"I wrote a letter back to Ningyuan Marquis Mansion and told him about this!"

"Really?" Lady Ningyuanhou seemed very surprised.

"Of course it's true." At Qingyi, although she was putting on a show for Mrs. Dou and others to see, she actually wrote two letters to the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion.

"But, mother never received the letter you sent back!" Ningyuan Hou's wife shook her head and denied it flatly. "Ranran, mother really didn't know about this. If I had known earlier, mother would have traveled through mountains and rivers to bring you back to the capital."

Gu Ran smiled.

The letter was lost? So what?

"Madam Ningyuan, if I haven't heard from you for two or three years, and you still consider me your daughter, shouldn't you be more concerned about whether your daughter is doing well? Would you like to help her?"

"But aren't you living well now?"

"Yes, I am alive and well, but that doesn't mean I can erase the fact that Ningyuan Marquis Mansion has ignored me in the past few years."

"You know it's only been two or three years. How can these two or three years be worth the more than ten years that my mother has cherished you like a pearl in her heart?" Lady Ningyuan was heartbroken. "It's not like my mother ignored you on purpose. Why are you so cruel and unreasonable, Ranran?"

"Yes, I am so cruel and unreasonable." Gu Ran stopped smiling and looked at the wife of Ningyuan Hou coldly.

If she were still the original owner, having received the favor of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion for many years, she might still care about some family affection, but she did not.

The original owner, who was raised by the wife of Ningyuan Hou, died during exile.

Regardless of who was right or wrong, the original owner's relationship with her Ningyuan Marquis Mansion had ended long ago, and she didn't want to pick it up again.

"Ran Ran? Do you really have to hurt my mother's heart like this?"

"It's not that I want to hurt my mother's feelings. The truth is, I have already told His Majesty that I have severed ties with the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion and will not have anything to do with it in the future. If I still talk to you, the Ningyuan Marquis' wife, as a loving mother and filial daughter, and His Majesty thinks I am deceiving him, then I will be a sinner." Gu Ran said, "Or, let a sinner who has incurred the Saint's displeasure return to the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion and call you mother again. Is that acceptable to you, Madam?"

"Ran Ran, you..." Ning Yuanhou's wife turned pale, "How can you speak like this in front of the saint?"

"I'm just telling the truth. Wasn't that exactly what happened back then?" Gu Ran asked, "Or is it possible that Lady Ningyuan Hou has a second excuse to tell outsiders by saying she never asked about my daughter's affairs in all these years?"

Lady Ningyuan Hou looked at Gu Ran in front of her, as if she was just getting to know this daughter she had raised for many years for the first time: "Ran Ran, you have changed. You were not like this before."

Gu Ran was startled, but then quickly calmed down. "Anyone who is imprisoned, exiled, and then tortured in the wilds of Minzhou for two or three years will change. If you don't believe me, the Ningyuan Marquis' wife can go to Minzhou and see if she will still be the pampered Marquis' wife you are now."

Lady Ningyuan took a slow breath, trying to maintain her composure as she said, "I understand what Ranran meant."

"That's all I understand. Steward Hang, please show the guest away."

As the wife of the Marquis of Ningyuan sat in the carriage of the Marquis' Mansion, her face gradually turned colder and colder. The handkerchief that was originally held in her hand was twisted tightly. After a long time, she let out a long sigh.

"As expected, they are not biological children. No matter how we raise them, they will never be tamed." Lady Ningyuan Hou sighed.

"lady?"

"Since she said that, I will understand. She is just a young lady who has been favored by His Majesty by chance. It is not my place to condescend and lower myself." Ningyuan Hou's wife sneered, "Even if she doesn't recognize our Ningyuan Hou Mansion, she should at least recognize her biological parents, right? I will do a kind thing and reunite their family."

As he spoke, he lifted the carriage curtain and called the steward who had accompanied him on this trip, "Go, go to that alley and find the Yuan family. Tell them that Second Lady Gu's biological daughter has returned to the capital, and she is rich and prosperous, waiting for them to come and recognize her as her own!"

"Yes, ma'am."

The wife of the Marquis of Ningyuan lowered the curtain, and the twisted handkerchief finally loosened.

"You ungrateful little girl, don't let me catch you doing anything wrong, otherwise..."

Gu Ran had no idea that Ning Yuanhou had secretly alarmed the original owner's biological parents. He was just looking at the reward money that General Qiao brought out of the palace!

It is said that General Qiao has been very busy in recent days, sorting out the case details that Du Jiang revealed after he was imprisoned, as well as the roster of soldiers from that year, so that he can rehabilitate these soldiers one by one and pay them pensions after returning to Damao City in the future.

In addition, in the capital, all the noble families and dignitaries who had good relations with the Qiao family in the past came to socialize with him, not to mention other powerful officials and nobles who came to make friends with him because of his reputation.

General Qiao's return to the villa today really surprised everyone!

At that time, everyone looked at each other's rewards and then put them away.

Gu Ran got the most, followed by Pei Liu.

Although she did not enter the palace, the people in the palace still sent her the reward.

As for Li Ji and the Shen father and son, because they asked for mercy to overturn the case, each of them only received one hundred taels of silver. The rest of the silver was sent back to Jianzhou and distributed to other guards.

General Qiao naturally received the most rewards, and it is said that he only took a small part of it.

It was also to thank everyone for saving his life, and to pay Li Ji and Pei Liu's guard wages.

Since General Qiao said so, no one lied to him and just took the things as soon as they were asked to.

"So, Grandpa Qiao, you won't stay in the capital?"

"No, my hometown is Damao City. Most of the soldiers I lead are from Damao City. Naturally, I have to go back to give them an explanation. I also want to return to my roots." General Qiao said.

"Then when will you set off? We also have to pass through Damao City on our way back to Jianzhou, so we can go together!" Gu Ran said.

"You can come together, but we can't." Mr. Shen waved his hand.

Now that the emperor has said that he will send people to Suzhou to investigate the matter of Patriarch Shen, the Shen family father and son must follow him and set off as soon as possible.

"Me too." Li Ji's situation is similar to Mr. Shen's, and he will be leaving the capital soon.

Gu Ran and Pei Liu both expressed their understanding.

After all, it is a matter of one's own life and innocence, so of course, investigating the case is the most important thing.

So on the third and fourth days after arriving in the capital, Shen's father and son and Li Ji followed the imperial envoy to Suzhou and Jianzhou respectively.

Only Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang were left in the Hang family villa.

Oh, and Lord Hang.

Unlike General Qiao who is going back to Damao City, Lord Hang is determined to stay in the capital to serve as an official. While waiting for the appointment letter to come down, he is also busy socializing with the officials in the capital.

As the prefect of Jianzhou, who was at the important battlefield for suppressing the number one bandit, and as one of the important figures who brought back General Qiao, many high-ranking and low-ranking officials vied to get close to Lord Hang, wanting to hear more about the dangers of suppressing bandits. General Qiao's adventures made him a hot topic.

University of Hangzhou enjoys it.

However, it did divert some of the attention from the vicinity of the villa. Seeing that there were fewer and fewer people waiting outside, Gu Ran began to feel itchy.

"Sixth Lady, we've been here for so long, but apart from that time we went to the palace, we haven't been to the streets of the capital. Why don't we go out for a walk today while there are fewer people around?"

"good."

Gu Ran didn't expect that this departure would allow her to open up another business.