Chapter 93 Chapter 93 is the only genuine version...
Ji held the embroidery frame tightly, and her fingertips turned slightly white.
Her voice trembled as she asked, "You mean, Ji Huacheng is here?"
How could that be!
There was no one around, and the maid was sweeping in the distance. The only sound in the small courtyard was the rustling of leaves in the wind.
"Yes." Ji Nanke said worriedly, "Aunt, I don't know what Seventh Uncle told her, but I'm really worried. My cousin is now living in the outer courtyard, like he's under house arrest. A few days ago, Xu Ge'er from the third room had his third day of mourning, and I didn't see my cousin."
Ji Nanke squatted down beside her, raised his eyes slightly, and said softly, "Have you seen your cousin recently?"
In her current situation, her status as the "daughter of the Zhenguo Duke's mansion" was no longer of any use to her. But if Gu Yan became Xie Yan, and her aunt could enter the palace, then her status would no longer be an obstacle. She couldn't be a concubine, absolutely not! She had to fight for herself.
Ji pressed harder with his fingertips, causing more blood to flow.
"Aunt, your hand is bleeding."
"Don't move."
Ji Nanke gently bandaged her fingers with a handkerchief. Ji Shi did not move and looked very anxious.
I'd already admitted it, so why did Gu Zhizhuo send someone to find Ji Huacheng?! How much did the Gu family know? Was Gu Zhizhuo trying to kill me?!
She was very confused.
At that time, she really shouldn't have let her seventh brother live. A living person can't keep a secret. She shouldn't have panicked and hoped for the best because of her eldest brother's death.
Ji Nanke remained calm. When she first discovered this, she thought Ji was incredibly bold, or perhaps deeply in love with the emperor, which was why he was willing to take his wife away. Later, it seemed that this was not the case. The emperor did not treat her particularly well, and even after the death of the Duke of Zhenguo, he had no intention of bringing her into the palace.
Maybe it's the excitement? As for Gu Yan, the emperor is quite fond of him.
"Auntie, the Seventh Master wouldn't dare say anything." Nanny Wan frantically advised, her words incoherent. "You gave the Seventh Master so much silver, and he promised not to tell."
"So what if I promised? I can go back on my word at any time." Ji Nan Ke blurted out, then immediately pursed her lips, realizing she had said something wrong.
"Ke'er, you..." Ji's heart was pounding, "Are you..."
There were some things she didn't even have the courage to ask.
Although she never regretted what she had done, she was afraid of seeing contempt and disgust in her niece's eyes.
"aunt."
Ji Nanke tied up her handkerchief, leaned her head on his knees, and said softly, "Although you are not my eldest aunt, in my heart, you are my only aunt."
Ji lowered her eyes and tied the handkerchief around her finger into a small bow.
"When I was most helpless, you were the only one willing to lend me a hand. No matter what happened, I would always stand by your side. Even if you are not my aunt, it doesn't matter to me at all."
Ji's eyelashes trembled slightly, a tear slid down, and he raised his hand to stroke her long hair.
"You are my aunt, and Yan Ge'er is my cousin. This will never change."
"No matter what happens, it won't change."
Ji Nan Ke raised her head, her eyes were as clear as autumn water, and her eye sockets were slightly red.
She mustered up her courage and said in one breath, "This matter is extraordinary. If Seventh Uncle tells it, he will die. But if the Gu family promises not to pursue the matter, lets him go to Minzhou, and even helps his family go to sea, he will definitely tell!"
"I'm afraid something might happen to you. I'm afraid you and your cousin might die suddenly!"
Ji was just about to say that nothing would happen to her, but the words "sudden death" made her throat spasm.
She had been the mistress of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion for so many years, and had heard a lot about the secrets of some wealthy families.
This year alone, first Gong Hai's second wife died suddenly of illness, then the eldest son of Cheng Engong and a concubine died suddenly of illness, and then a legitimate daughter of the Anyang Marquis also died suddenly. In fact, everyone knows how they died.
The house was filled with blood and wandering ghosts.
Ke'er said that if the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion discovered this secret, she and Yan'er would definitely become seriously ill and then die.
Ji's delicate body trembled slightly, she was afraid.
"Aunt, you need to make plans early. If possible, you must leave a way out for yourself and your cousin."
Ji Nanke's every word was for her own good: "Aunt, can he...can he take you away?"
"I, I don't know."
Ji looked dazed, as if he had returned to eight years ago.
At that time, the current emperor was still only the late emperor's second son, Prince Rong. He personally came to Jiangnan to marry Gu Taotao, the Duke of Zhenguo. With her elder sister's death, she finally got her wish, but her parents despised her and showed no reluctance when they sent her off. She knew in her heart that they wished she had died that day.
She set out on the journey of marrying far away alone.
Prince Rong discovered her secret, but he kept it hidden and sent her to the capital. He let her know that she could also be outstanding and that she was not born inferior to her elder sister.
She married into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, received imperial decree, and became his wife. However, she could never forget the light that shone in her life during her darkest hour. She had thought they would never meet again, but unexpectedly, not long after Gu Taotao left Beijing, she saw him again.
He asked her gently if she had been doing well these days.
He said he was always thinking about her.
He said he regretted it and that he shouldn't have let it go.
All the emotions suppressed in her heart burst out at that moment, and she knew that she was finished.
Later, she became pregnant with Yan Ge'er.
He was ambitious and capable, but because he wasn't the eldest son, he was constantly suppressed by the late emperor in order to protect the crown prince's dignity. She wanted to help him...
If it weren't for the fact that the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion wanted to marry her, she would definitely marry him. This was what the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion owed them!
Ji was silent for a long time, then said, "I think so."
Gu Zhizhuo was unable to kick her out as he wished because he was still protecting her. They had Yan'er, and if she and Yan'er were desperate, he would help them.
"Of course!"
Nanny Wan hesitated to speak.
She actually felt that things were pretty good now. She could keep her life and live a peaceful life. What was wrong with that? If she continued to suffer like this, she would die. But when she thought of the eldest girl's phoenix eyes that seemed to be able to see through all the evil spirits, Nanny Wan shivered with cold.
She looked in the direction of the courtyard gate and hesitated for a long time.
Not long after, news came from the courtyard that Ji had fallen ill. Gu Zhizhuo didn't even raise an eyebrow when he heard it, and said, "Then go call the doctor."
"Who's sick?"
It was the time for morning and evening visits, and the lady who was talking to Gu Zhijiao asked casually when she heard this.
Gu Zhizhuo said slowly, "It was Aunt Ji. She said she lost her appetite and passed out after hearing that Ji Nanke had become a concubine."
The lady sighed: "How did she become a concubine?"
Gu Zhinan asked curiously, "Didn't they say that the Third Prince loves her like a pearl, a treasure?"
Madam: "Where did you hear that?"
"That's what people say outside."
"That's not all." Gu Zhiwei said angrily, "I went out for tea a while ago and heard several storytellers saying that Ji Nanke was a blessed girl destined to be the mother of the country. The Third Prince fell in love with her at first sight. It's a pity..."
She pinched her throat, imitated the storyteller's clapping of a wake-up stick, slammed the coffee table, and said, "There is a wicked woman who is obsessed with His Royal Highness the Third Prince and is forcing them to break up. I am afraid that the welfare of our great Qi will be destroyed by this wicked woman."
Villain? Gu Zhizhuo chuckled.
"Big sister, you're still laughing!"
The lady's brows were furrowed. Even she could tell that someone was doing this deliberately to ruin Zhuo's reputation.
Fortunately, the marriage was called off. Otherwise, if Zhuo Yatou married him, she would have a concubine like Ji Nan Ke by her side, and people would always say that Zhuo Yatou was a wicked woman who broke up a couple, which would have been very disgusting.
"Grandma." Gu Zhizhuo pretended to wipe away his tears. "I feel so wronged, and you always help Ji Nanke."
"That's right, that's right!"
Ah Man was currently in the learning stage. She didn't actually understand what her sisters were saying, so she just followed them and said, "Big sister, don't feel wronged!"
The old lady's face turned red. Thinking back, she had said that she would never agree to Zhuo girl's cancellation of the engagement, which was indeed a bit too much.
She was wrong, so she should make some compensation.
"Madam Zhu, go get me that red sandalwood box with the image of happiness and longevity carved on it."
I wish Madam good health and happiness.
"Grandma, grandma, everyone who sees it will have a share." Gu Zhinan's eyes were burning.
The old lady loved it most when her granddaughters asked her for things, and she would say with great generosity, "There is a share, there is a share, you all have a share."
Nanny Zhu quickly brought the box over.
The lady opened the box with a small brass key. Inside was a pile of deeds, so full that the top few floated out and landed on the coffee table.
Gu Zhinan leaned over to take a look curiously: "Grandma, what is this?"
"The deeds to the shop and the farm," the old lady said cheerfully, "you're all grown up now. The monthly allowance from the mansion isn't enough for you, right? I'll use the bonus to buy you some flowers."
The lady had a very generous dowry, but she was not good at managing the business, so she had always left it to the stewards who came with the dowry, a total of four stewards.
Before she knew it, she had more and more businesses, so many that she couldn't even keep track of them all.
"Where is this one from?"
"It's from Yongzhou."
"It's too far." She put it back, picked up another one, and squinted her eyes to read the words on it.
"This is from Qingzhou. You own a horse farm there. This is the deed to the farm."
The lady took another one.
Nanny Zhu leaned over to take a look and said with a smile, "Yes, yes, this is in the capital, Tianxi Tower on Zhuque Street."
Wait. Gu Zhizhuo was shocked. Tianxi Tower belonged to her grandmother? Why didn't she know that?
Seeing Gu Zhizhuo looking at her, the lady handed her the deed and said, "You want it? Here it is."
Gu Zhizhuo: “…”
She took it silently and couldn't help asking, "Grandma, is it you who opened Tianxilou?"
The lady went to see Nanny Zhu.
Part of her dowry was in Lingnan, part was in Minzhou, and the last part was invested in ships. All the properties in the capital were gradually acquired later.
Nanny Zhu had a good memory and recalled it immediately: "Five years ago, the son of the previous owner of Tianxi Tower was scammed and tricked into owing a large sum of money. He was blocked outside the city and was almost beaten to death. You happened to see it, sent the thugs away, and sent the man to the clinic. Later, the previous owner came to see the steward Xiang, wanting to sell Tianxi Tower, and you asked him to offer a fair price."
At that time, many people took advantage of the situation and pushed the price down to an extremely low level.
She seemed to have a vague impression. The lady nodded solemnly, "Yes, that's it. You can play with it."
After saying that, she buried her head in her search again. After a while, she found another one. Madam Zhu smiled and said, "It's the teahouse on East Street."
"To Jiaojiao."
The restaurant was given to Gu Zhizhuo, so the Taifu went out of her way to find properties like teahouses and restaurants and gave them to her other granddaughters. Satisfied, the Taifu lowered her head and looked through the deeds to the manors in the capital.
When she picked up the deed to the villa, she was stunned for a moment. This villa came with a hot spring. She had previously planned to keep it as a beautification for Ji Nan Ke, but now, forget it.
"Grandmother, how much fertile land do you have in Qingzhou?"
"You want a place in Qingzhou? Qingzhou is too far away. I'll pick one for you in the suburbs of Beijing. You can go horseback riding there, and it's also convenient for you to stay overnight."
"Hurry up and tell me."
The Madam went to see Nanny Zhu, who quickly said with a smile, "Most of our family's fertile land is in Yizhou and Yongzhou. We only have about a hundred acres in Qingzhou."
"Grandma, June and July are the summer harvest, right?"
It was still Aunt Zhu who answered: "Yes."
"Madam Zhu, please pass on a message: All the grain from this summer's harvest must be kept and not sold. Instead, it must be shipped to Xuzhou first. All our stewards and servants in Qingzhou must leave within July and take the grain with them to wait in Xuzhou."
The Madam was puzzled. "The Thousand Machines Camp is out of food? Did Cancan have a quarrel with that Gong guy? Grandmother still has some silver."
"No. There will be an earthquake in Qingzhou in August."
"You want to hoard grain and resell it?" the lady exclaimed in disapproval.
Grandmother's focus always exceeded her expectations. Shouldn't she have first asked her how she knew about the earthquake in Qingzhou? How could she jump straight to reselling it?
The lady advised her, "This is not good. We cannot earn money at a loss. If you are short of money, you can sell a few farms and you will have more."
“No reselling!”
If he doesn't explain it clearly in one go, Gu Zhizhuo will soon become an unfilial son who has to sell all his property.
"If we keep the food, we might be able to save many lives later."
The treasury of Daqi was extremely empty. In the previous life, only about ten thousand people actually died in the earthquake. More people died of starvation, were killed in the unrest, or died of epidemics. All in all, hundreds of thousands of people died.
The Duke Zhenguo's Mansion's high-profile purchase and storage of grain is a taboo. If seen by someone with ulterior motives, they would only think that the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion is recruiting soldiers with ill intentions. However, if it is just temporarily storing the newly harvested summer grain, it will not attract attention.
It's fine as long as it's not reselling. The Madam said to Nanny Zhu, "Go talk to the steward Wei. If there's anything you don't understand, have him ask the young lady himself. If the summer grain from other states has been harvested, keep it for the young lady."
Nanny Zhu nodded repeatedly.
Steward Wei was in charge of the farmland that was part of the dowry of the old lady.
"Come on, let's pick again. Do you want a mountain villa or a Jiangnan garden?"
The lady generously spread out the deed papers and let them choose for themselves.
"garden!"
Ah Man raised his hands and spoke crisply.
"There's a bird. Ah Man, I like it!"
"Okay, okay." The lady said happily, "The garden will be given to little Ah Man."
"Madam."
After receiving the message, the maidservant beside Xu came in, lifted the curtain, and knelt down, saying, "The Second Madam said that the court in Jingzhao Prefecture will open tomorrow."
Gu Zhijiao lowered his eyes and clenched his fists at his side.
Because Gu Baibai kept a close eye on the case, Jingzhao Prefecture opened the court very quickly after arresting the person. Two trials had already been conducted, and this was the third. After this one, the person would be directly convicted.
The lady's fingers holding the deed loosened slightly, and the deed fell from her fingertips.
"Should!"
She asked, "Jiaojiao, don't go." She was afraid that she would be sad.
Gu Zhijiao said gently, "Grandma, I want to go."
She hadn't attended the first two court sessions, but she wanted to go to the final sentencing. She said she wanted to go, and the Dowager didn't stop her. Mrs. Xu, who always went along with her, agreed immediately.
They didn't need to attend class, so they didn't arrive early.
While still standing outside the court, Gu Zhijiao heard shouting and cursing from inside. It was Mrs. Xu shouting, "I'm not guilty!"
"I didn't sell her off. I raised her like a daughter, provided her with good food, and even found a good marriage for her.
"We adopted a relative's child, how can this be considered selling it off?"
Mrs. Xu was panicked and frightened about being imprisoned, and she tried her best to defend herself as soon as she went to court.
Gu Zhijiao's eyes were a tangle of emotions as she stared intently at Mrs. Xu's back. The bright summer sun didn't bring her a single ray of warmth. Even though she had returned to her roots, the thought of being stolen away, of living a life that wasn't hers for thirteen years, simmered with resentment.
This resentment continued to grow. Even when she was with her sisters, even though everyone in her family doted on her and loved her, her heart could not warm up. It was as if there was an invisible barrier that made her unwilling to give her true heart.
Gu Zhijiao didn't want to become a person who was full of resentment and didn't know how to be kind.
She hated herself like this.
She wanted to come and put an end to the past thirteen years.
"Go ahead."
Xu smiled encouragingly, and Gu Zhijiao walked into the court.
When Mrs. Xu saw her, she was stunned for a moment, then she started hysterically accusing her in a shrill voice: "Egative wolf!"
"Xu Ying'er, this heartless little bitch, will go to hell when she dies."
"You will die a miserable death!"
"I worked so hard to raise you, I would have drowned you in the shit pot. You..."
Gu Zhijiao stood in front of her, his eyes gradually focused. From childhood to adulthood, all kinds of insults rang in his mind.
She raised her hand and slapped him, the sound echoing throughout the court.
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