Chapter 38 Chapter 38 is the only genuine version...
The little maid asked cautiously, "Mammy, are you going?"
Li Maojia gritted his teeth and said, "Go."
Of course!
Li Mao's family arrived almost on time.
There were already quite a few people in Duanfu Hall. Bai Chang's death was like a bucket of cold water poured over all the housekeepers, making them sober up, as if they were getting to know this previously inconspicuous young lady for the first time.
Li Maojia glanced over and saw that at least 70% to 80% of the housekeepers and daughters-in-law had arrived.
She walked silently to her seat and stood.
A daughter-in-law who was familiar with her whispered in a low voice: "Mrs. Li Mao, what do you think the eldest daughter is doing this time..."
"Here I come."
Someone whispered a reminder, and the whispering voices suddenly stopped. Li Maojia half raised his head, and the golden sunset enveloped Gu Zhizhuo like a veil.
She walked in as the sun set, and at that moment, Li Maojia felt as if he had seen his late wife, Mrs. Wang.
The same noble and elegant.
Just as calm and composed.
Back then, she was just a little maid and could only look up at him silently in the crowd.
Gu Zhizhuo walked calmly among them and stood in front of the armchair at the top. Her black hair was tied up and she only wore a pearl hairpin. The huge pearl was shining and left a faint reflection on her fair cheek.
After they exchanged greetings, she said slowly, "Two things. First, bring the account books for the tasks you are responsible for and report to me in person."
She held up three fingers: "I'll only give you three days."
"In two or three days, I will accept all self-recommendations. This includes mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, and maids. Anyone in the mansion who thinks they are suitable for a job can come and tell me in person."
Li Maojia's heart skipped a beat.
The eldest girl's move was really beautiful. Reporting on her work was one thing, but the most important thing was that she asked those mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law to recommend themselves. In order to show their faces in front of the eldest girl and climb to a position that they had never dared to think about, they must have racked their brains to tell her everything they knew.
This also forced the internal managers to not tell lies or conceal anything when reporting on their work.
The eldest girl could easily find out everything she wanted to know, bypassing the lady and taking control of the entire Duke's Mansion.
The young lady is so adept at this technique that she probably doesn't even need to put much thought into it.
She raised her eyes quietly and met a pair of smiling eyes.
Gu Zhizhuo's mouth curled up and he smiled, "Let's go."
After saying that, she left.
From the time she arrived to the time she left, it was less than a cup of tea, as if she really just wanted to see them, as she said.
"Li Mao's family," the daughter-in-law who knew her well whispered, "three days...are you going?"
Li Maojia didn't say it directly, but just said: "Bai Chang's family is gone."
yes.
She only came here because she heard that Bai Chang's family was gone.
"The eldest girl said five days, but the five days of Bai Chang's family are gone."
"She's been talking about this for three days now." Li Maojia turned and smiled at her, "Tell me, are you coming?"
She didn't hold back her voice at all when she said this.
She smiled and said, "I dare not not come."
Li Maojia has made up his mind. Instead of wavering, it would be better to turn to the older girl early.
She continued, "I advise you to think carefully about it. If you have been greedy or done anything, tell me honestly. My meaning today couldn't be more direct. If you tell me, it will be written off. If you don't tell me, think about Bai Chang's family."
"Oh. I don't dare."
"The eldest girl is the eldest daughter, so it's only natural."
As soon as Li Maojia left, the others couldn't help but look at each other.
Bai Chang's family was Ji's confidant, a top celebrity in the palace, holding the most lucrative job, and the wife obeyed her every word. Such a glorious person was gone just like that.
Madam can't even protect Bai Chang's family, who else can she protect?
"The eldest girl also said that the lady has committed serious sins..."
"Oh right. The Fourth Young Master seems to have been plagued by misfortunes lately."
I don't know who said this, and there was silence again.
The internal managers went out one after another.
The news of Bai Changjia's death spread throughout the mansion in just a few days. The old woman who moved the body into the thin coffin and carried it out of the mansion swore that she saw with her own eyes that Bai Changjia's back was covered in blood and flesh, and even his spine was broken. It was definitely not a wooden board but an iron rod that was used. She also said that it was Nanny Wan who watched the execution that day.
The lady clearly said that the man should be beaten with thirty boards, but the lady still beat him to death. This made the servants feel cold and uneasy.
"It's such a pity for the Bai Chang family. If they had listened to the eldest girl and confessed their guilt, she could have saved her life. Even if she was sold, the Bai Chang family has money and could have bribed a matchmaker to buy her. If they had paid more money, maybe the whole family could have escaped slavery."
In other words, the Bai Chang family is too greedy and unwilling to give up the wealth of this mansion.
"If you ask me, the eldest girl must have predicted that Madam would kill the Bai Chang family, so she said she wanted to sell her off to save her life."
"Now, this is a life lost in vain."
"Tell me, has Madam committed any sins?"
The murmuring voices stopped abruptly, and they looked at Nanny Wan who came out from the corner and quickly lowered their heads.
"Anyone who gossips will be fined half a year and given twenty strokes of the cane. If you continue to talk nonsense, you will be kicked out of the house." Nanny Wan's face was ashen. "I see that Madam has a good temper, right?"
"Take the punishment yourself!"
The servants murmured their agreement.
After yelling, Nanny Wan left angrily.
She was also holding her breath in her heart. If it weren't for the threats from the Bai Chang family, how could the lady take her life?
Now that Bai Chang's family has died, not only have the housekeepers changed their attitudes according to the wind, but now even the maids in the yard dare to gossip about them.
What is sin or not sin?
The lady has worked hard to get to where she is today, and she has seen with her own eyes how difficult the journey has been.
Nanny Wan pushed open the door and saw Ji sitting on the beauty couch, not saying a word.
She carefully walked over the scattered porcelain fragments and said with difficulty, "Madam, most of the housekeepers and wives in the inner courtyard have gone to report to the eldest lady."
In the past three days, she used threats and bribes on the internal managers, saying all kinds of good and bad things. They all acted respectful and said they were loyal to the lady and would never overstep the boundaries.
She thought she could laugh at the joke of the older girl, but in the end, she was the one who became the joke.
Not only that, Li Maojia was even more rampant. He held a pair of cards and asked her to open the warehouse to take something, but she refused to open it, saying that without the eldest lady's order, no one's pair of cards would be of any use.
How outrageous!
The rules in this mansion are completely messed up!
"Madam," Ji said expressionlessly, "If this continues, I will have no place to stay in this mansion."
"When I married into our family, Gu Zhizhuo was just this little, and I was the one who raised her! Now, she's pushing me into a dead end!"
"lady."
Aunt Wan was heartbroken.
It is said that being a stepmother is difficult. Madam worked very hard as a stepmother and managed the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion very well. But in the end, Miss Gu only needed to rely on her status as the eldest daughter to snatch away everything that Madam had worked so hard for.
"Madam, the four seasons have come quietly."
Sishi was one of the four second-class maids that Ji gave to Gu Zhizhuo.
After Rui Huang was driven away, these four maids, now only four of them, remained loyal.
Ji remained silent, so Nanny Wan could only continue, "Si Shi said she overheard Qiong Fang and Qing Mei talking. The Third Prince is trying to get the cousin back from the nunnery. The eldest daughter can't stop the Third Prince, so she wants to take the housekeeper position before the cousin returns. Otherwise, when the cousin returns, the eldest daughter won't have a chance."
Ji was slightly thoughtful.
Nanny Wan continued, "I think this is true."
"The eldest girl is inferior to the cousin in every way. She is just taking advantage of the cousin's absence and trying to take over her position. Look, even the lady's attitude towards you has changed. In the past, the eldest girl was not so good at pleasing the lady."
Ji thought about it again and again, and murmured: "Yes..."
Gu Zhizhuo is extremely naughty and has a bad temper. Unlike Ke'er who is considerate and always makes the lady smile by her side, Gu Zhizhuo is always jealous of Ke'er's favor.
"Do you remember that shortly after our third house was in trouble, an old Taoist priest said that your cousin was a lucky star and would ensure you a smooth and worry-free life. After you married her to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, everything really went well for you."
"Now, my cousin has been away for more than a month, and everything is going wrong for you."
“Even…”
Nanny Wan hesitated to speak. She wanted to say that even Ji's twin sister had suddenly become haunted.
right!
When Nanny Wan said this, Ji was stunned for a moment, and then nodded repeatedly.
Yes, that’s right!
At that time, a fire broke out in my cousin's house. The fire was so fierce that the only one who survived was Ji Nan Ke, who was less than eight years old. Originally, her father wanted to send Ji Nan Ke to the clan, but later the old Taoist's words made her interested.
She had taken on the role of the eldest sister, but she felt somewhat uneasy, as if she had lost her place. Ke'er was just a little girl, she didn't have that many thoughts, and by keeping her by her side and calling her "Auntie," it felt like she had truly become the eldest sister.
She entered the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and everything was fine.
She even gave birth to a son.
In fact, she was relieved when the Duke of Zhenguo died.
Otherwise, she always felt that those eyes seemed to have discovered something.
Everything went so smoothly, just as she had imagined. As a result, Ke'er was forcibly sent to a women's temple. Then, Gu Zhizhuo seemed like a different person. He was arrogant and disgusting. It was not enough for him to steal the favor of the lady, he also wanted to steal Ke'er's position in the mansion!
It’s time to get Ke’er back.
"But……"
Ji was a little hesitant.
Sending Ji Nan Ke to the Nuguan Temple was ostensibly the decision of the Zhenguo Mansion, but it was actually the Empress's decision.
Therefore, without the Queen's permission, even she did not dare to bring Ji Nan Ke back rashly. Otherwise, why would she wait until now?
Ji pondered for a moment and asked, "Does the Third Prince still send gifts to the Nuguan every three days?"
"Yes." Nanny Wan exclaimed happily, "His Royal Highness the Third Prince has deep feelings for our cousin."
She hummed: "No matter how jealous the eldest girl is, the Third Prince won't even look at her."
Ji nodded silently.
Yes, jealousy made Gu Zhizhuo look unrecognizable. If she couldn't snatch the Third Prince away from him, she could only try to snatch someone else!
Ji Shi made a decision: "Let's go to the Nvguan."
Nanny Wan immediately ordered someone to prepare the carriage.
The women's temple where Ji Nan Ke is staying now is only three miles away from the capital. The lady of the house would go there every year to listen to sermons and offered a lot of silver. Ji Nan Ke was "staying" here for a while, and the third prince Xie Jing sent someone to send a large sum of offerings. Not only that, every three days there were delicacies from mountains and seas, as well as silks and satins. Ji Nan Ke was never empty-handed every time. It can be said that she lived quite comfortably in the temple.
What Ji Nan Ke didn't expect was that even though she had given in again and again and had even moved into the women's temple, Gu Zhizhuo was still so aggressive that he didn't even let her aunt go.
She looked at her aunt who had lost weight for no reason and looked so haggard that it was heartbreaking.
My aunt said that Gu Zhizhuo forced her to hand over the housekeeper's power.
My aunt said that she was isolated and helpless in the mansion.
My aunt also said that even my cousin was beaten, and now they are forcibly moving Yan Ge'er to the front yard.
A child who was less than six years old was actually allowed to live alone. Gu Zhizhuo's bad behavior was really hard for Ji Nanke to accept.
Because of his jealousy, Gu Zhizhuo made things difficult for her everywhere and wanted to suppress her in everything.
As a fellow woman, she insisted on fighting with me for her own little piece of land, never even looking at the vast world outside. Now that I was retreating again and again, Gu Zhizhuo must have thought I was afraid of her.
Ji Nanke took out the letter Xie Jing wrote to her.
Since Gu Zhizhuo is never satisfied, why should she suffer such grievances?
Ji Nan Ke spread out the paper and wrote the first reply letter to Xie Jing.
The letter was brought back to Xie Jing when Xie Jing sent someone to deliver something to her.
He was both moved and distressed.
Men were not allowed to enter the women's temple. Therefore, Xie Jing could only ask people to bring his letters and carefully selected items to Ke'er every time. However, after so long, he never received a reply from Ke'er.
Xie Jing happily read the letter over and over again, then kept it close to his body and hurried out the door.
In the letter, Ke'er didn't complain or blame him. She only told him how beautiful the scenery of Nuguan was and how leisurely her life was every day. She even advised him not to bother with Gu Zhizhuo.
Even though Ke'er has fallen into this situation, she still thinks about others everywhere.
She told him a lot in the letter, and also said that a lot of elm seeds had fallen in the temple recently, and she had collected quite a few. She also mentioned that they once ate elm seed cakes, which made her miss them again and again.
Xie Jing immediately decided to buy some elm seed cakes and have them delivered to the Nuguan.
He remembered that it was also May.
He took her to see a circus, and when they passed a small stall, they saw freshly baked elm seed cakes. She said she had never eaten elm seed cakes, and neither had he, so he went to buy some. There was only one piece left, and they each split it in half.
The elm seed cake was still hot at that time, just like his heart was burning hot now.
He soon arrived at the street he remembered and saw the stall there at first sight.
The stall was selling hot, freshly baked elm seed cakes. There were more today than last time, a full ten.
"Give me ten."
"I want ten."
A voice rang out at the same time as his own. Xie Jing frowned and looked in the direction of the voice. He was just about to say that he had given her the silver and asked her to give it to him, but he discovered that the person who spoke was actually Lady Ji, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, Ke'er's biological aunt.
"lady?"
Xie Jing was a little surprised.
Why did the wife of a Duke come here in person, and buy this kind of miscellaneous food?
"Third, Third Young Master!"
Ji's face was equally surprised. She hesitated for a moment and asked, "Could you please let me have these elm seed cakes, Third Young Master?"
Xie Jing didn't say anything.
Ji is Ke'er's elder and has always been very kind to her.
Ke'er had told him that when she was young, her parents and brother died in a fire, leaving her alone and helpless with nowhere to go. It was Ji who took her in and even took her with her when she got married. Ke'er often lamented that if it weren't for Ji, she might have been forced to live in the family's charity hall, relying on charity from the clan.
Logically speaking, since Ji had already asked, she shouldn't refuse. However, Ke'er had been longing to eat the elm seed cake.
He was about to refuse when Ji said gently, "Third Young Master, Ke'er has had a hard time in the women's temple. She finally has the food she's been craving for. I want to buy some for her to make her happy."
Xie Jing's eyebrows twitched, and he blurted out, "Madam, did you buy it for Ke'er?"
"right."
"You just said that Ke'er is having a hard time?" Xie Jing said anxiously, "Ke'er wrote me a letter saying that she is doing fine!"
Ji lowered his head silently, and curled the corners of his mouth almost imperceptibly.
She was dressed in plain clothes, and her thin body looked even more fragile and boneless.
Only then did Xie Jing notice that she looked extremely haggard, with a deep sorrow between her eyebrows that could not be shaken off.
Could it be that something happened to Ke'er?! Xie Jing became even more anxious and asked hurriedly, "Madam, what exactly is going on?"
Ke'er clearly said in the letter that life in Nuguan was very leisurely and the scenery was beautiful. She would go for a walk in the back mountain every day, enjoy the scenery, write and draw, and the day would pass by in a flash.
Isn’t that right!?
Do those nuns still dare to waste Ke'er's time?!
Ji Shi seemed to realize his own gaffe and hurriedly avoided his gaze.
Xie Jing was panicked and frightened, and urged: "Madam, please tell me quickly!"
Ji sighed and said with a cruel heart, "How can it be peaceful? She has to do all kinds of chores, such as fetching water, chopping wood, washing clothes, cooking, etc. That's fine, but those nuns are all eccentric. They insist that Ke'er is unruly and seducing others with her beauty. They punish her by making her copy scriptures and only giving her one meal a day."
"Ke'er is spending days in there like years!"
"I've raised Ke'er like my own daughter since she was little, with fine clothes and delicious food. When have I ever let her suffer like this?"
"She was afraid you'd worry, so she only reported good news and not bad news..."
As Ji spoke, her eyes became blurred with tears, and tears slowly flowed down the perfect curves of her face.
Xie Jing clenched his fists tightly, his anger almost swallowing him up.
Ji said sadly, "Originally, even I couldn't go see her. But Ke'er was ill and had a high fever. The abbot was afraid something might happen, so he allowed me to go in and take a look. Ke'er..."
The corners of her lips were tightly drawn, and her beautiful eyes seemed to contain thousands of words.
Even though she didn't repeatedly talk about how hard Ji Nan Ke's life was in the women's temple, Xie Jing still felt as if his heart was being cut open and was in excruciating pain.
He touched the letter Ji Nan Ke wrote to him in his arms. Ke'er didn't want to eat elm seed cakes at all, but because she was sick and helpless, she thought of the time they spent together.
In the past, he always felt that Ke'er treated him hot and cold, but in fact, Ke'er was not heartless. She even remembered the time when they ate elm seed cakes together.
But what about him? He couldn't even rescue Ke'er.
Xie Jing felt extremely uncomfortable. For the first time, he felt how useless he was. As a prince, he didn't even have any real power.
Even the one I love the most cannot be saved.
"Sir," the stall owner asked cautiously, "would you like more?"
These two people were blocking his stall and talking non-stop, making it impossible for him to do business!
Ten elm seed cakes are just a few copper coins. They are dressed so luxuriously, could it be that they don’t have any money with them?
"want."
Xie Jing threw a silver coin to the stall owner, asking him to wrap up all the elm seed cakes, and said, "Madam, this is originally bought for Ke'er. I will take it to the women's temple to give it to her."
"this……"
"Madam, please go back home first. Ke'er is sick. How can I feel at ease if I don't see her in person?" He said firmly, "I will definitely take her out as soon as possible!"
The stall owner packed the elm seed cake and handed it over with a humble look.
Xie Jing left without even asking for the silver.
The stall owner was overjoyed. Such a big silver coin was simply a windfall!
After seeing Ji off to the carriage and watching it go away, Xie Jing also mounted his horse. He was about to leave the city and go to the Nuguan Temple when his personal eunuch Xiao Yunzi suddenly called out to him, saying, "Your Highness, look over there."
The elm seed cakes are placed under a teahouse, which is not big and has two floors.
Xie Jing looked in the direction Xiao Yunzi pointed, and this time, he met a pair of playful eyes.
Gu Zhizhuo!
Xie Jing's hand holding the reins suddenly tightened. He looked at Gu Zhizhuo, then looked at the stall selling elm seed cakes, and then looked at Gu Zhizhuo again.
This direction, this distance!
Did Gu Zhizhuo hear everything he and the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo said?
Not only was she sitting by the window, she even deliberately pushed the window open, not caring at all that she would be discovered.
Or rather, she was waiting for me to discover her.
Gu Zhizhuo sat upstairs, looking down from above.
"Third Young Master, I calculated with my fingers that you will be in great danger today."
Xie Jing: “…”
The veil covered her smile, but her curved eyebrows were enough to show her good mood.
"Be careful not to fall off your horse."
After she finished speaking, she picked up the teacup, made a gesture of offering tea, and drank a few sips on her own, calm and composed, as if she didn't care at all about Xie Jing's face standing below, which had already turned as dark as ink.
"you!"
Xie Jing squeezed out a sound from between his teeth.
At this moment, it was like an epiphany. He was certain that Gu Zhizhuo was indeed waiting for him.
She is like a cunning and despicable fox.
In order to break up the engagement with him, she would do anything!
Now, she must have bribed the nuns in the temple to torture Ke'er, making him worry and anxious, and forcing him to act according to her wishes.
Just like the last time she forced him to jump into the lake.
She was forcing him to resort to the self-torture tactic again.
Xie Jing stood downstairs, looking up at her, his eyes burning like flames.
Scoundrel!
He cursed in his heart, wishing he could pull Gu Zhizhuo out with his own hands, but in the end he gave up.
One day, he would strangle her to death!
He pulled the reins and rode away.
His mind was now filled with Gu Zhizhuo's veiled face and the evil smile in his eyes that seemed to be playing with him.
Be careful not to fall off your horse.
Gu Zhizhuo's voice was like the hum of an evil ghost, echoing in my ears again and again.
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