Chapter 80 Husband and wife join hands in power
At the third-day bathing party for the eldest granddaughter of the Gu family, news of Princess Qi's pregnancy spread. After the party ended in the afternoon, the officials' families in Songjiang City became busy, and some people set their sights on the backyard of Prince Qi's mansion.
In the past, the Meng and Yuan families were very powerful, and ordinary families did not dare to compete with them. In addition, Prince Qi seemed to be a man who was not interested in women and rarely met outsiders. Even if the families in Songjiang City had ideas, they had no chance.
Now that the Meng and Yuan families have fallen on hard times, the prince has a good relationship with Princess Qi, which shows that the prince is also a womanizer. The situation has changed, and their chance has come.
The Gu family has become prosperous because of their daughter's marriage, so it is impossible not to be envied.
Those envious families secretly thought that if their daughters were sent to the palace and served the prince for a period of time on behalf of Princess Qi, even though their families could not compare to the Gu family, they could still get some benefits.
Some people who only care about benefits and don't know the depth of Prince Qi's Mansion have started to have ideas. Since they can't enter the palace and see the prince, they look for opportunities to enter the palace and make arrangements and give gifts.
Among all those who were taken care of, Zhou Chen, the chief officer of the palace, was the first to be treated. The stewards of other palaces also received a lot of tributes. Even Tian Jiaxuan, a confidant promoted by Princess Qi, had some people blindly send gifts to the Tian family.
When Tian Jiaxuan returned home and saw several boxes of generous gifts in the house, he was so angry that he laughed. Which idiot would give gifts like this?
Tian Jiaxuan's wife, Qi, sat down, holding her belly, and said to her husband with a smile, "I've inquired about this family. They're a wealthy family that just arrived in Songjiang City. They're in the cloth business, and everyone in the family is obsessed with money and doesn't know the importance of their actions."
"A wealthy cloth seller dares to set his sights on Prince Qi's mansion?"
"By the way, that family has a relative who serves as a captain in the city defense army."
"That family is capable of doing business, so they must be smart. How could they be so whimsical? They have relatives in the city defense army and have some connections. Didn't their relatives tell them about the pros and cons? They have no idea that the prince and princess are very close."
Tian Jiaxuan got angry when he saw these gifts. These people have no sense of propriety or shame. They just go for whatever they think is good. How can you get your hands on it?
After An An married into Prince Qi's mansion, how much effort did she put into managing the major and minor affairs inside and outside the mansion? An An's good relationship with Prince Qi was not just because of her beauty, but outsiders only saw the surface.
Qi advised, "Don't be angry. It's all my fault for being too sleepy this afternoon and not being able to get up. The concierge was ignorant and sent someone to bring the gift in. I've already told the housekeeper to call the servants, and they'll take it back shortly."
"It's not your fault. You're pregnant, so how can you stare at me?"
Tian Jiaxuan stood up and walked out, saying, "Tell the housekeeper to send the things back to the owner. I'm going to the palace. If you're hungry, you can have dinner. You don't have to wait for me."
Qi took two steps after him and said, "Dad wants to talk to you about something. Please go to West City later."
"knew."
After the Tian family moved into Songjiang City, they also found a house in Minren Lane to live in in order to be closer to the Gu family. Last year, Tian Jiaxuan went to the palace to work, and for convenience, the couple moved out of Minren Lane and lived in the back street of the palace.
After leaving the house and crossing the street, he arrived at Prince Qi's mansion. He entered through the back door, walked around to the office in the back house in the front yard, and asked, "Has Lord Zhou left yet?"
"In reply to Master Tian, Master Zhou has just left," the servant said attentively, "Do you have something to ask Master Zhou? Do you want me to pass on the message to the Zhou family?"
"No need, since Mr. Zhou has left, forget it."
After sending the servant away, Tian Jiaxuan was about to leave the palace through the corner gate, but unexpectedly he ran into Zhou Chen who was entering.
"Master Zhou."
"Master Tian."
Neither of them expected the other to come back after leaving duty. Zhou Chen spoke first: "Master Tian is back..."
Tian Jiaxuan pulled Zhou Chen aside and asked quietly, "Did anyone come to your house to give you a gift?"
Zhou Chen hurriedly stated his attitude: "I never accept money or property without reason. What Lord Tian said..."
Tian Jiaxuan shook his head and said, "I'm not blaming you, but since yesterday, those people who specialize in this business have been like rats in the gutter, sneaking into every corner and sending gifts to my house. The princess is just feeling better now, and we can't let these dirty things outside ruin her mood. If the prince finds out, we will suffer."
The rear quarters of Prince Qi's mansion were heavily guarded, and even the officials in charge of the mansion could not easily see the princess. However, news had its own legs, and the princess had many ears, so how could they not stop them?
Zhou Chen's heart trembled. Tian Jiaxuan was right. If the prince knew about this, he would only blame him, the chief official of the palace, for his incompetence.
Zhou Chen immediately said, "I'm going to talk to Liu Zhong. You wait here while I do this. We need to find a way to suppress those high-spirited people outside."
Zhou Chen begged Liu Zhong to help block the news and not to upset the princess. Liu Zhong agreed verbally, turned around and went back to the courtyard to report to the princess.
Gu Youan laughed and said, "You're right not to tell me. How can I, a princess, have the influence of your prince? The root of this matter lies with Zhou Qi, not me."
Words like 'your prince' were even spoken.
Liu Zhong lowered his head and said nothing.
The lively Xiaoju smiled and expressed her loyalty, saying, "You are definitely the only master in our courtyard. Only you have the final say in our courtyard."
Although Xiaoyue, Liu Zhong and others were loyal to the princess, only Xiaoju, a dowry maid, dared to say this.
Gu Youan didn't make things difficult for them. She smiled and said, "Never mind. I'll just pretend I don't know about this. When your prince comes back, ask Zhou Chen to report it to him."
Zhou Qi had almost recovered, and seeing that her appetite had improved, he went out early this morning to do some work for the city defense troops outside the city. Before leaving, he agreed to come back tonight.
Gu Youan didn't wait for him. He told her to eat dinner when it was time to eat dinner and go to sleep when she was sleepy. As a pregnant woman, was she expected to cooperate with him?
It was completely dark when Prince Qi returned home. Zhou Chen had been waiting at the door for a long time.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"What's up?"
Prince Qi threw away the whip in his hand and strode towards the main courtyard. When he saw a servant in the main courtyard, he asked the princess what she was doing as he walked.
"Reporting to the prince, the princess has gone to bed."
Zhou Chen hurriedly followed the prince and quickly finished speaking the most important words. He then said, "I have already told Liu Zhong not to mention it to the princess yet. I will deal with it as soon as possible and not let the princess be upset."
Prince Qi suddenly stopped and turned to look at him: "Which ones?"
Zhou Chen was well prepared. He asked around and made a list, which he quickly handed over.
Prince Qi didn't take it. He just glanced at the list and sneered, "Xu Zhi, you and Zhou Chen should investigate these families. If you find any problems, punish them accordingly. If not, then expel them from Songjiang City."
"yes."
Xu Zhi craned his neck to take a quick look. Wow, there was a recently promoted second-rank officer on the list. So clueless? And none of his colleagues tried to dissuade him? They just watched him become the first to take action?
Tsk, the relationship between colleagues is not very good!
Prince Qi returned to the main courtyard, washed up in the side room, changed into pajamas, and then tiptoed to the bedroom next door to rest.
When Gu Youan woke up in the morning, he saw the handsome face of the person next to him as soon as he opened his eyes. He couldn't help but touch and rub it. This handsome face was really attractive.
After being woken up by her, Zhou Qi didn't want to open his eyes and continued to sleep while hugging the person next to him.
He wanted to sleep, but Gu Youan couldn't lie down anymore. He had three urgent things to deal with.
When she came back from taking care of her urgent needs and washing her hands, he was still awake. He looked at her with his eyes, and there was only her in his eyes.
Unable to hold back his heart, Gu Youan was both happy and angry. He went over to him, leaned on him, pinched his chin and shook it, gritted his teeth and said, "You are mine, stop messing around with other girls."
Prince Qi raised the corner of his mouth, tilted his head slightly to match her movements, and said with a smile: "No matter what those people outside do, every word I said to you counts."
"You'd better be, otherwise don't blame me for being rude to you."
Prince Qi sighed and patted her waist: "Don't lie down, watch your stomach."
Rolling over from him and lying beside her, she stopped fussing over these trivial matters and asked, "How are the city guards?"
"Last month, more than a dozen generals were purged. The newly promoted one is very smart. Not only does he train and discipline his soldiers, but he also curbs his petty thoughts."
Some of the generals in the city defense army who came to surrender from the interior were quite loyal to him, but they still missed the past.
For example, the generals from Shanhaiguan, who had previously had some contact with Zhang Minghui, now not only have they no longer had any contact with Zhang Minghui, but they are also actively reporting news from Shanhaiguan to Zhang Heng, who then reports it back to him.
Gu Youan: "Cleaning up the house and showing strength does have some effect."
Zhou Qi agreed with his princess' words. It would be good for the Qi Palace to clean up the area north of Shanhaiguan, so that his subordinates would be more aware of the Qi Palace's control over the north.
There is no absolute loyalty. Loyalty is because the stakes of betrayal are too low.
He did not demand absolute loyalty from those who attached themselves to him, as that was unrealistic. He only needed them to know that they could not afford the consequences of betraying Prince Qi's Mansion, and the lesson of Caishikou would be enough for them to remember for many years.
He said, "I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on the mansion in the next few days. I plan to take the city guards to the Northeast Army's base."
"What? Drills?"
Zhou Qi didn't understand what the drill meant, but he guessed a little. He said, "Many of the lower-level military officers in the city defense army have never fought in a war. We're bringing them there to train them and let them see blood."
The city defense army is the closest army to him besides the palace guards, and it must be combat-ready. This is very important.
Gu Youan also agreed with his arrangement: "You go ahead, I can take care of everything in the mansion."
He said, "The construction of the official road to the east has been decided. After the autumn harvest, corvée labor will be conscripted to build the road. I will arrange for my father-in-law to be in charge of this matter."
It turns out that Gu Wen was someone who relied on his own abilities to rise to the position of Langzhong in the Ministry of Works. Among the officials in Songjiang City, Gu Wen was the most suitable for this position.
Gu Youan also knew that her father was suitable, but asked: "Who should be arranged as deputy?"
"Next, select a few clever junior officials of the third and fourth ranks, and call Tian Jiaxuan over."
Zhou Qi said, "Zhou Chen can still work for a few more years. It would be a waste of his talent to have Tian Jiaxuan do clerical work under Zhou Chen."
Ever since Tian Jiaxuan started helping Zhou Chen last year, he knew everything he needed to know. He would only have to do the same things and could also do other things in the palace.
There was already a shortage of capable officials, so Zhou Qi would not let Tian Jiaxuan sit around doing idle things in Prince Qi's mansion.
After finishing what needed to be said, the couple lay side by side. Zhou Qi turned his head to look at her: "I will be back before the winter solstice."
"Will it take so long?" Gu Youan frowned slightly: "Is it because of the grassland this year..."
"It is impolite not to reciprocate. This king will drive the Tartar tribe that has been entrenched in the northeast westward."
Regardless of whether the Tatars will attack the defense line this year, Zhou Qi is ready to take the initiative.
"Is the food ready?"
"I heard that the winter food and fodder provided by the imperial court has been arranged, and Songjiang City will begin to transport food and fodder in a few days."
Songjiang City had a good harvest this year. They harvested this year's new grain and replaced the old grain in the granary with the old grain from the previous year.
"An An, you need to keep an eye on this matter, too."
"It's a small matter. You can take the troops there first and I can handle it."
It turned out that the couple had agreed that he would keep an eye on the army and she would control the rear.
Zhou Qi looked at her without saying a word. Gu Youan deliberately laughed at him: "Your Highness Prince Qi, you won't be reluctant to part with me, will you?"
"I can't bear to leave you and the child."
"You have to give to gain. My dear father, go to work. My child and I are waiting to follow you to success."
Zhou Qi smiled and sighed in his heart. He now has a family, so he needs to be more cautious in his future actions.
At noon on August 17, several families on West City Second Street suddenly packed their luggage and moved in a hurry. When neighbors asked them why they were in such a hurry, they refused to answer. When they asked again, they just lowered their heads and ran away.
Later, a curious person saw the whole family leaving the city gate and felt something was wrong. In the evening, the person on duty came back and asked, and found out that the heads of those families did not go to the yamen to work that day, and it seemed that they had been expelled.
"How long has it been since you were promoted? What serious mistake did you make that got you kicked out of Songjiang City?"
"Oh, isn't that a big mistake?"
Madam Yuan was in a good mood today and had some free time to teach her husband. She asked, "My dear, was the news you passed back and forth yesterday very secretive? Do you think Prince Qi's Mansion didn't know?"
Meng Dalang laughed and said, "So what if he knows? What man doesn't have three wives and four concubines? Prince Qi has been used to this since he was a child, so how could he not understand? Besides, Prince Qi's wife is not a princess or a noble lady. Does that mean Prince Qi should remain a virgin for her?"
Madam Yuan sarcastically said, "I'm not a man, and I haven't asked Prince Qi, so how can I know what he thinks? But I do know one thing: Prince Qi drove out all those families who tried to send him women from Songjiang City."
"Is that really the case?" Meng Dalang couldn't believe it. "Maybe I made a mistake."
Madam Yuan sneered and thought to herself, your Meng family's daughter is offered to him but no one wants her. Do you think Prince Qi is like you who accepts everyone who comes to him?
"Ma'am, where did you get this information?"
"As a woman, how can I get any information? I've only heard nonsense. My husband, you work in the government, so why don't you ask your colleagues?"
Meng Dalang is neither good at literature nor at martial arts. In the past few years, he was at home enjoying himself under the pretext of studying. After coming to Songjiang City, his parents did not allow him to stay idle at home. With the help of the relationship in Prince Qi's Mansion, he is now on duty in the yamen warehouse as a small manager. He is barely called "Sir" by several minor officials under him, which is considered to save his face.
Knowing that Meng Dalang naturally had no way to inquire about inside information, Madam Yuan said, "Father and Mother must know what's going on. If you are curious, why not go ask them?"
"Okay."
Meng Dalang was very curious about King Qi's affairs, so he took the initiative to go and have dinner with his parents in the evening. He was scolded and beaten by General Meng.
Mrs. Yuan was the housekeeper's wife in the family. She naturally knew that her husband was beaten by his father-in-law and ran around the yard. She just smiled and ignored him and went to bed early.
Meng Dalang wanted to save face and didn't want his wife to see his embarrassment, so he didn't call anyone and went to the study to sleep all night.
No one disturbed her and Mrs. Yuan had a good sleep. She woke up in the morning with a radiant look and went to the front yard to see her son who got up early to study. She showed some concern and then went back to the backyard to take care of the house.
Idiots can't be taught no matter how hard you try, but smart people know they should keep their mouths shut. After several families were driven out of Songjiang City yesterday, those who were secretly plotting something have stopped.
The Gu family is now also a popular family in Songjiang City. In addition, Mrs. Du is sociable, so these things cannot be hidden from her. The eldest daughter-in-law is still at home in confinement, so Mrs. Du also took the time to visit Prince Qi's Mansion.
Gu Youan was afraid her mother would never stop nagging about her, so when her mother tried to find out the news in a roundabout way, Gu Youan was stunned: "Mom, what are you talking about? I haven't been able to move or leave the house for the past two days. What's the rumor out there?"
Mrs. Du tried to hide her mistake, but it only made it more obvious. She laughed and said, "It's not a big deal. I just heard it from someone."
"Oh, mother, you came to me today..."
"Nothing, I just missed you and came to see you. Prince Qi isn't here?"
"He's been busy these days. I don't know what he's been up to all day. When I asked him, he said he was out in the city guards."
Mrs. Du advised her daughter, "Men are responsible for their work. There's no point in asking. Look, your father is away on business every day, and I don't ask about his outside affairs. He's always doing it for the good of our family."
Gu Youan suppressed his laughter, fearing that he would be exposed, and quickly changed the subject: "Mom, how is my sister-in-law?"
"That's good. Madam Duan has been staying at our house these days. Madam Duan is always watching your sister-in-law's yard. As a mother-in-law, I won't bother you. I'll just go and see her and Ningning sooner or later."
The eldest granddaughter of the Gu family, whose full name is Gu Jiangning and whose nickname is Ningning.
"Is Ningning okay?"
Mrs. Du said happily, "Very good. This girl has a strong appetite and can eat and sleep well. The redness on her face has gradually faded in the past few days, and her little face has grown a little. I think Ningning looks like you when you were a child. Ah Xuan likes Ningning very much. She goes to see Ningning every day after studying with her husband."
"Really? I'll go take a look when the moon is full."
"You're an aunt, so you definitely have to go to Ningning's one-month celebration." Madam Du asked, "Have you had a good appetite these days? Can you eat anything?"
"Well, my appetite has fully recovered, but the taste seems different from before. The food I used to like tastes just average now."
"That's nothing. My tastes kept changing when I was pregnant with you. Your father even said I was hard to please." Mrs. Du couldn't help but sigh when she thought of the past. So many years have passed, and now An An is also going to give birth to a child.
The mother and daughter chatted for the whole morning. Gu Youan invited his mother to have lunch, and Mrs. Du returned home in the afternoon.
Mrs. Du went back home to change her clothes and went to see her eldest daughter-in-law. Ningning happened to be nursing, and Mrs. Duan and her daughter were both in the room. Mrs. Du walked in and said with a smile, "Ningning is awake?"
Mrs. Duan smiled and nodded: "My in-laws are back, come and sit down."
Mrs. Du went over and sat down. The maid brought tea. Mrs. Du smiled and said, "I went to see An'an today. An'an asked if Wanniang was doing well these days. I said she was fine, but she was a little tired of drinking chicken soup these days. An'an said that eating more fish and shrimp would be good for the body. It just so happened that someone from the farm just sent some fresh fish and shrimp. An'an asked someone to fill two buckets and asked me to bring them back to Wanniang to nourish her body."
Madam Duan laughed and said, "That's so embarrassing. Wan Niang is the eldest sister-in-law and should have taken care of the princess, but now she's taking advantage of her again."
"A little food is nothing, don't be polite, in-laws."
Mrs. Duan had to be polite and said a lot of nice things, praising Mrs. Du and Princess Qi again and again. Even Mrs. Du, who was so good at dealing with people, couldn't handle it all.
Duan couldn't help laughing as she watched her mother and mother-in-law talking.
On August 25, Prince Qi went to the North Mountain to sweep the grave of his mother.
On August 26, the defense troops outside Songjiang City were mobilized, and King Qi led most of the defense troops to the Northeast Army’s base on the eastern grassland.
Once Prince Qi left, Princess Qi was the only one in charge in Songjiang City.
After Prince Qi left last year, Princess Qi took care of the house. The officials in Songjiang City were used to it, and it made no difference to them whether Prince Qi was there or not.
There are some differences. Compared with last year, there has been a major reshuffle of officials in Songjiang City this year. In addition to the city guards outside the city, in the yamen on the west street in the city, Gu Wen, Tian Qingde, Duan Ji and other relatives and friends of the Gu family, as well as in-laws, are mostly in important positions in various yamen.
Zhou Qi and Gu Youan had a tacit understanding. He was willing to delegate power to her, and her control over Songjiang City and beyond would be further enhanced. What she said as the Princess of Qi was almost as weighty as what he said as the Prince of Qi.
Mrs. Yuan was very envious. She had never seen a couple holding hands like this.
It's not just Madam Yuan. Madam Meng also said that in her decades of life, apart from Prince Qi and his wife, she has never seen a man willing to share power with her.
No matter how capable a woman is, she can only manage the small piece of land in the house. It is a pipe dream to want to extend her hand to the power of men outside.
Princess Qi, you are living a life that is like a dream.
Gu Youan didn't know that Madam Yuan envied him. She became busy as soon as Prince Qi left.
First, the caravan returned, and Gu Youan met Manager Han and Uncle Du in the palace. He listened to them talk about the troubles they encountered during this business trip and the change in the wind direction in Luoyang City.
"Wan Fuchun wants to buy all our ginseng and is willing to cooperate with us long-term, but he said he can no longer help with the food. To express his apology, he will increase the price of our medicinal materials by 10% this time."
It was also because the originally planned grain transaction did not go through. After the medicinal materials were sold, Manager Han took the initiative and went to the south of the Yangtze River with the Du family to purchase goods and bring them back.
Gu Youan nodded and said, "When you are away from home, you are the head of the caravan. You handle the authority flexibly. Well done."
Shopkeeper Han smiled and said, "As long as the princess doesn't blame me for acting on my own will, that's fine."
The relationship between the Prince Qi's Mansion and Luoyang and the Shen family of the Grand Commander of Zhenbei has changed. The couple had long expected that there would be some obstacles in purchasing food in the future. Now that they learned that Wan Fuchun was unwilling to help them to buy food, Gu Youan was more determined to build an official road to the eastern seaport.
Gu Youan smiled and asked Uncle Du: "Are you going back to Yizhou Prefecture after buying the herbs this time?"
Second Uncle Du and the Du family exchanged glances. Second Uncle Du nodded and said, "We want to discuss something with the princess."
"You say."
"We would like to move a few families of the Du family to Songjiang City next year. What do you think?"
"The prince and I naturally hope that more and more people are willing to move to Songjiang City. I am naturally happy that the Du family has moved here."
Gu Youan gave them a sneak peek ahead of time. She said, "The prince and I plan to build a road from Songjiang City to the eastern estuary, connecting the land and sea. In the future, if we want to go south for business, we can take a boat from the east to the south."
"Really?" The Du family members became excited.
Gu Youan smiled and nodded: "Of course it's true. Prince Qi and I don't want to stay in this small area of Songjiang City. Naturally, we have to find a way to leave."
This sentence has two meanings. Uncle Du and Manager Han obviously understood it. When they thought about the rumors about Prince Qi's Mansion in Luoyang City, they understood it even more.
Shopkeeper Han offered, "Trade along the southern coast is more flexible than in Guanzhong. When we have access to the sea, I will serve as your vanguard, leading the caravan south by ship."
Second Uncle Du also hurriedly said: "We in the Du family also know people in the south who can help."
Gu Youan was more than happy to ask: "In that case, I'll be sorry to trouble you all."
The best resources for trading in Songjiang City are its medicinal herbs and wild delicacies, which can be sold in exchange for grain, cloth, tea and other goods.
In order to expand the trade volume of medicinal materials, Gu Youan still needs to discuss with the herbalist families headed by the Hu family.
Especially the Hu family. She knew that in addition to Songjiang City, each branch of the Hu family had relatives in other major medicinal material producing areas in the Great Zhou Dynasty. She needed the Hu family's connections and resources. She wanted to tie the entire Hu family to the chariot of Prince Qi's Mansion.
In Songjiang City, the Hu family had no other choice but to do business with her.
Gu Youan was confident that he could make this big deal.
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