Chapter 62: Wedding to Establish Authority
The news about the granary was kept strictly confidential, and no one knew about it except those who handled it. The people in Songjiang City who had been keeping an eye on Prince Qi's Mansion only knew that Zhou Changshi had been acting like he was seriously ill in the past couple of days, and had lost a lot of weight, which was alarming.
"Master, someone is coming from the Zhou family."
"No, please go out."
Liu Zhong nodded in agreement and went outside to send Zhou Changshi's son out personally, and returned all the gifts.
Zhou Chen's eldest son was asked to leave, but he didn't care about his face and knelt outside the Gu family's door in the street to ask for an audience with Princess Qi and ask for mercy.
Liu Zhong: "Go back. If this matter has nothing to do with your father, then don't implicate him."
The eldest son of the Zhou family said anxiously: "But..." His father lost the trust of his master because of this incident. How could he be in charge of Songjiang City in the future?
After all, he is Zhou Chen's carefully raised son, so he can control his mouth and knows what to say and what to swallow.
Zhou Dalang's heart was in a mess, and he could only kowtow repeatedly: "Master, please forgive my father."
Liu Zhong said no more. He knew in his heart that the master he served was just like the prince, a man who clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments. If the Zhou family hoped that this master would be soft-hearted, they had chosen the wrong person.
Liu Zhong reentered the room to report, saying, "Young Master Zhou said his father had nothing to do with the alteration of the account books and the theft of grain. This matter has been investigated. I beg the master to be merciful and put in a few good words for Chief Clerk Zhou."
Gu Youan was reading the secret letter sent from Luoyang, and without even looking up, he said, "What's the point of asking me for help? In Songjiang City, in Prince Qi's Mansion, your prince is the one who calls the shots."
After all, she wasn't the Princess of Qi yet, and her position wasn't legitimate, so she wouldn't step in and punish her subordinates for failing to do their job. Besides, since Prince Qi was in Songjiang City, he was the one who should take the lead in dealing with the offending people.
Liu Zhonglue stood there for a while, and seeing that his master didn't say anything, he knew that his master didn't want to talk about this matter anymore. The Zhou family's affairs were settled with this master.
Liu Zhong thought again, now that Zhou Chen is gone, who should be substituted in? Whose turn is it going to be?
Liu Zhong thought about the relatives and friends of the Gu family in his mind. The young ones were too young, the old ones were too old, and their identities were not suitable. There were no good candidates.
In the evening, Gu Wen came home from work and stopped at the gate of his daughter's yard. He asked the guard at the gate to pass on a message.
After a while, Gu Youan came out to greet him personally, saying with a smile, "Dad, you came to my yard and asked someone to pass on a message? When did you become so distant?"
Gu Wen walked in and said, "Everyone in Songjiang City knows that you're checking the accounts. Dad was worried that there were some account books in your room that you hadn't collected properly, and I saw something wrong when I went in."
Gu Youan smiled and walked slowly with her father, saying, "Let's not go to the study. Let's drink tea in the yard."
"That's right. Apart from spring, Songjiang City only has a good season for one or two months. After the autumn harvest and the snow, the weather will get cold."
"Well, it won't be long." The father and daughter were drinking tea under a jujube tree in the yard. Liu Zhong sent people over to set up tables, chairs, benches, tea, snacks, etc., and then he took his people and retreated to a distance to serve.
Gu Wen sat down and said, "Are you tired these past two days? Are you used to it?"
"Not tired, I'm quite used to it. Liu Zhong and the others took good care of us."
No matter what backstabbing the servants in Prince Qi's mansion had, they did their jobs well. Liu Zhong, Xiaoyue and the others even taught Xiaoju more carefully. Gu Youan really couldn't find any fault with them.
"That's good."
Gu Wen put down his teacup and said, "I just found out today when I went to the yamen. Last night, the chief secretary asked for the accounts from previous years from our yamen, and sent them back this morning. The chief officer said that nothing like this had happened before, and guessed that something big might have happened in the palace."
Gu Youan laughed and said, "Are they guessing what I've found out?"
"They didn't say it to my face, but I think that's what they meant."
Gu Youan said clearly: "They are not wrong. I have found the problem, but it is a small matter and can be solved quickly. There is no need to panic in the government office."
Gu Wen sighed and said, "Songjiang City looks impregnable, but it's actually a small place. Songjiang City is like a small boat on the sea. No matter how good the boat is, how capable the helmsman is, or how well it can handle a large ship, it's still just a small boat."
Nothing can go wrong, if anything goes wrong it will be a dead end!
Before his family discussed the marriage with Prince Qi, Gu Wen was not so anxious. But after Prince Qi's Mansion and Songjiang City were completely tied together, Gu Wen had more and more things to worry about.
Gu Youan laughed and said, "Neither he nor I have sighed yet, why are you sighing?"
"Dad is afraid that you'll be tired."
"I'm not tired. The path I chose is definitely the one I want to take. I don't feel tired."
Whenever you do something, it is important to have a legitimate reason. Once you have a legitimate reason, you can make rules and control them, and many things will go more smoothly.
The next morning, after Gu Youan got up, washed, and sat down to eat breakfast, Liu Zhong came to report: "The granary incident has been resolved. Two thousand-man households from the city defense army, five minor officials guarding the granary, and a second-level official from the Ministry of Agriculture were implicated. They have all been beheaded as a warning to others."
"Also, Lord Gu was promoted from a third-level agricultural official to a second-level agricultural official, and Lord Tian Jiaxuan was transferred from the Taxation Department to serve under Zhou Changshi as his deputy, with the title of Prince's Palace Manager, receiving a third-level official salary."
Gu Youan was slightly surprised: "Are there any other personnel transfers?"
"The positions vacated by the beheaded officials will naturally be filled by others."
Those officials who filled in the positions were not important. What was important was that Lord Gu was the master's biological father, and Tian Jiaxuan was Tian Dalang of the Tian family, a relative of the Gu family. Both of them were closely related to the master and were also closely watched by outsiders.
The transfer order was just issued this morning, and Gu Wen received congratulations from his colleagues. Those who were close to him teased him that his role as father-in-law was not in vain, while those who were not so close to him said a few sarcastic words to him, but Gu Wen did not get angry, but just smiled and thanked him.
Over at the tax bureau, Tian Dalang was both surprised and delighted. A few days ago, when he returned home, his father had said that their Tian family would be promoted sooner or later by An An. In just a few days, he had gone from a low-ranking tax official to an official with a third-level salary and a high position?
In the past, Zhou Changshi had no official deputy around him, but now he suddenly has a third-level official deputy. There must be something behind it. Tian Dalang didn't care about it. Since King Qi transferred him there, there must be a reason. He just obeyed his orders.
The Gu and Tian families are happy, and the Zhou family can also say that they are neither sad nor happy.
The prince did not take his life, nor did he remove him from his position. He just added a confidant of the princess to restrain him. This was already a very good result.
The torment of the past two days has made Zhou Chen realize who he is. Now Zhou Chen feels extremely fortunate.
Not daring to rest, Zhou Chen washed his face and woke up. Without even changing his clothes, he went out immediately and went to the tax office to pick up Tian Jiaxuan in person. Tian Jiaxuan was surprised.
Everyone has heard that Zhou Changshi is difficult to get along with, but now it seems... that's not entirely true.
Zhou Changshi could only smile bitterly. He was a servant who depended on others for his work. Why should he act so high and mighty? He just had to do his job well.
Zhou Changshi devoted himself to helping Tian Jiaxuan familiarize himself with all the affairs in Songjiang City. He was not shy about teaching him anything except one thing, which was to appear in front of his master.
When Zhou Changshi appeared in front of Gu Youan again, the marriage of the eldest son of the Gu family had been completed yesterday, and it was the day before the wedding of the prince and princess.
Gu Youan was being helped by the embroiderer to try on her wedding dress. She was tired, so she sat down to take a breath and listened to Zhou Chen's report outside the screen. After listening, she just said, "I know."
Zhou Chen kowtowed and said, "I'll take my leave."
After Zhou Chen left, Madam Du came over and said, "Master Zhou is the Chief Secretary of Prince Qi's Mansion. I think he is a good person and does a good job. When you become the princess in the future, you don't have to worry about not being able to command him."
The servants of Prince Qi's mansion in the room didn't dare to speak after hearing this.
Gu Youan smiled and said, "It looks good now, but we'll talk about it later."
A new official has three things to do when he takes office. Zhou Chen was careless in his work and ended up in her hands. It was only right for him to use him to establish his authority.
Mrs. Du smiled and said to her daughter, "You've rested enough, try on this dress again."
Gu Youan glanced weakly at the row of shelves where more than a dozen new clothes were hanging, all with festive patterns and designs in accordance with the princess' etiquette.
"Mom, can you let me take a break? I have to change my clothes, my jewelry, my shoes and socks. I'm really tired."
Mrs. Du pulled her daughter up and said, "I won't make it difficult for you. Just choose a suitable set of clothes. These are for you to wear during the worship ceremony. Don't take them lightly."
Gu Youan became serious and decided to choose a set for worship.
After the Double Ninth Festival banquet, Prince Qi mentioned that he wanted to take him to Beishan Mountain to pay homage to the late queen, but Prince Qi was too busy, so the matter was put aside. The two agreed to go to the mountain to pay homage after the wedding.
The Gu family in Minren Lane was busy, and the Qi Wang Mansion was also very busy today. The plaques, doors and windows of the main hall were wiped again and again, and various red silks and red lanterns were displayed.
In the kitchen, all the ingredients that should be prepared in advance for tomorrow's wedding banquet have been prepared. The servants coming and going make the kitchen crowded, but well organized.
Besides, in Songjiang City, because of Prince Qi's wedding, there will be a day off tomorrow. The mistresses of each family have to prepare gifts, as well as clothes, jewelry, etc. for the banquet, and they are very busy.
It's the Qi Wang Mansion's wedding, and Madam Lu asked her husband, Su Guang, "Will the Meng and Yuan families send anyone?"
"No need to say, I will definitely send someone."
The Northeast Army is almost counting on Prince Qi. Even though Prince Qi is not marrying anyone from their two families, they should still come.
Madam Lu sighed and said, "The girl from the Gu family actually became a princess."
Thinking back to when their families were exiled together, that girl was silent. Mrs. Du and she even quarreled with her because she called the girl stupid. I never expected that...
Su Guang listened impatiently: "Alright, what's the fun in talking about the past? In the future, you should respect the Gu family. Even if you are impatient, Gu Wen and I are both second-level officials. He is also the father-in-law of Prince Qi. We cannot afford to offend him."
"Don't I know this?"
Mrs. Lu thought he talked too much and retorted harshly. Su Guang didn't respond, and she felt bored again. Turning around, she saw her little daughter sitting there like a wooden statue. She made up her mind to marry her little daughter off before the New Year.
Mrs. Lu was exhausted by her youngest daughter's marriage, but Mrs. Du, who had just married her eldest daughter-in-law yesterday and was going to marry her daughter tomorrow, was very happy. Her laughter could be heard in the yard every now and then.
Grand wedding, grand wedding!
On the day of the wedding, Prince Qi, dressed in a bright red and golden prince's formal suit, rode on horseback to the Gu family to pick up the bride. The road from Minren Lane at the West City Gate to Prince Qi's Mansion was crowded with people who came to watch the fun.
Hey, I’ve lived in Songjiang City for so many years, but this is the first time I’ve seen what Prince Qi looks like. He is such a noble and handsome man!
The gift money from Prince Qi's Mansion was scattered all along the road. The people picked up the gift money and threw out all kinds of festive words in baskets, which made people happy to hear them.
Gu Wenqing, the two brothers of the Tian family, and Zhang Yinshan blocked the door. Although Prince Qi had a smile on his face today, they did not dare to stop him. Prince Qi easily entered the Gu family and arrived at the door of Gu Youan's boudoir.
"An An, I'm here to pick you up."
Gu Youan was waiting for him with her veil covered. When she heard his smiling voice, the corners of her mouth curled up.
"Congratulations to the prince and princess on their great wedding!"
"Have a baby soon!"
"A match made in heaven!"
"Happy marriage!"
After all, it was not in the capital Luoyang, so there were no royal relatives or noble families coming to celebrate. However, the wedding was simple but grand. Listening to the congratulations of the people along the way, Gu Youan had no dissatisfaction with the marriage.
This is the starting point of their marriage, and there is still a long way to go.
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