Chapter 32 Chapter 32 is the only genuine version...
Qingping looked at her.
If I agree to his request, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to stay in the mansions of the rich families in the capital. After all, no family would be willing to invite a fool to go over and make their secrets known to the public.
This black-hearted girl probably has the same idea!
Gu Zhizhuo smiled without hesitation. If Qingping couldn't even see this, how could he maneuver freely in the vortex of power in the capital.
"Brother, Ah Man was only three and a half years old, and she nearly died. This is your karma."
After saying this, Qingping became depressed. He waved his hand and said, "I'll think about it again."
Gu Zhizhuo said meaningfully, "Senior Brother, you should think about this carefully."
"By the way, Senior Brother," Gu Zhizhuo glanced at the direction he was going and took out two silver ingots and gave them to him. "Here, you came out to buy cinnabar, right?"
Qingping was puzzled: "I brought silver."
"Are you sure?"
Qingping was stunned for a moment, his narrow eyes slowly widened, he quickly touched his sleeve pocket, and then touched the other side.
No!
His purse is gone!
He couldn't believe it. He touched his cuffs and trousers, then took off his shoes and shook them upside down.
Still nothing. Qingping was so sad that he wanted to bang his head against the wall.
It's so pitiful. Seeing that he was about to cry, Gu Zhizhuo kindly reminded him: "Brother, you also buried the silver in the bamboo forest of Taiqing Temple."
How did you know? !
"We're from the same family, so what's so hard to figure out? You're inherently flawed and destined to lose money." Gu Zhizhuo smiled innocently, then continued to poke his heart: "I told you, your name is unlucky."
"Pure and peaceful, pure and poor, if you are not poor, who will be poor?"
What a bad mouth! She said she could do anything, and then cursed herself for losing money. It was like she was stabbing me in the heart. Qingping clutched his chest, wincing in pain, and glared at her: "You are the unlucky one, you unlucky bastard!"
Gu Zhizhuo snorted. He still despised her. One of them was unlucky, and the other was losing money. No one was better than the other!
"Brother, you have to be careful about the silver you hid in the bamboo forest. I counted on my fingers and I can't keep it." After she said that, she bowed and left.
Qingping stood there, feeling more and more uneasy the more he thought about it. He held the silver ingot in his hand and quickly ran to buy cinnabar, then hurried back to Taiqing Temple, not daring to delay for a moment.
Then, he went straight to the bamboo forest where he hid the silver.
The bamboo forest, which used to be quite quiet, was now filled with many pilgrims. The further he walked in, the noisier it became, and his heartbeats began to throb, giving him a very ominous premonition.
"My nephew," Qingping casually called over a young Taoist priest, "Why are there so many people here today?"
"Master Qingping, you're back," the young Taoist priest, no more than eleven or twelve, said with sparkling eyes, "A devout couple came to ask for a fortune. Last year, the Huai River burst its banks, flooding eight counties. I heard that the family was quite wealthy, but they couldn't bear to see the victims suffer, so they gave away all their money to donate food. As a result, their place was also flooded, and they had no choice but to flee to the capital. Alas, their son and daughter-in-law died on the way. Now they have a grandson and a granddaughter and want to return home, so they came to ask for a fortune. The temple master personally interpreted the fortune for them, and now there is light at the end of the tunnel."
"After drawing lots, the devout couple walked around the bamboo garden. Suddenly, the old woman tripped and looked down. She found a bag of silver buried in the soil. It was this silver that had tripped her."
The young Taoist priest swore: "It must be a reward from the ancestor."
Qingping was stunned and didn't react for a long time.
No! What does this have to do with the Grandmaster? This is my silver, mine! I hid it!
Qingping's expression changed, and he ran in quickly. Pushing through the crowd, he saw a ragged old couple kneeling on the ground, holding a bulging flowered bag in their arms, and kowtowing towards the Sanqing Temple.
The pilgrims around looked pious.
"Junior Brother Qingping, have you heard about this, too? Hundreds of thousands of people died in this flood." The temple master saw him and said with a gentle look, "The believer and his wife said they will return home tomorrow, bearing the blessings of our ancestor."
This couple has a very kind face, no wonder they have such an opportunity. The master of the temple is full of relief.
The old man said, "Master, we fled here together, so there should be quite a few people still alive. Autumn planting is almost here, so we can buy some good seeds and go back to plant the land and build houses with the folks. There are also some children who have lost their parents, and we, the old couple, will take care of them! Don't worry, every penny of this money will be used to help the folks affected by the disaster, and it will not be wasted."
Qingping was staggering with heartache, his eyes full of the flowered cloth bag. He moved his feet again and again, listening to the old couple talking longingly about how to rebuild their home, but in the end he still didn't go over and say that the silver was his.
But this money was really his! He had been in the capital for so long, and all the money he had worked so hard to earn, his entire fortune, was gone just like that...
I can't watch it any longer. It's too heartbreaking.
Qingping wiped away her tears and ran away.
He couldn't help but think of what Miss Gu said again. He had made a last-minute decision to buy cinnabar. There was no way Miss Gu had arranged for someone to extort his money in advance.
In other words, she does have some skills.
Is this really the master's last disciple? Now, Qingping believed it completely.
Why didn’t the master tell me that he had accepted a little junior sister?
Qingping paused, feeling the silver coins his junior sister had given him. She had given him two, one for buying cinnabar, and now he had one, plus a good deal of copper. This was all he had, all given by his junior sister; he hadn't even given her a welcome gift.
I don’t know whether he is pitiful or his unlucky junior sister is pitiful.
Why.
It’s okay to help my junior sister with something small or not, right?
After all, the cause and effect of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion was indeed caused by him himself.
That’s right, Junior Sister said that the Jing’an Marquis’ Mansion would send him a notice. If they didn’t, would he have to find a way to get one?
This matter cannot be done too deliberately.
Qingping thought about it for a long time and found that he was thinking in vain. Maybe it was because the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion hadn't held a wedding for too long, so it was really ostentatious. Before he could sit down and rest for a while, their invitation arrived.
The invitation was red with gold plating, and it also came with four first-class gifts, which was very grand.
"Master, my wife asks you to come to our house on the day of her third birthday to read the fortune and pray for our young master."
Qingping stroked his mustache, nodded slightly, and acted like a sage.
Come, of course!
He touched the silver ingot in his arms. He had to do the task assigned by his junior sister beautifully.
With this promise, Aunt Qiu felt relieved. True Man Qingping was no longer as difficult to invite as he was a year ago. Many people wanted to invite him to their homes, but all were politely declined.
Aunt Qiu returned to the mansion with a very proud face. The whole house was decorated with red. The servants received a lot of rewards. They were all in high spirits. It was even more lively than the Chinese New Year.
Aunt Qiu went straight back to the main courtyard, reported the matter, and flattered him again.
"You don't know, the Emperor summoned Master Qingping to the palace a few days ago. He's a top figure in the capital now. When I told him I wanted to hold a third-day bath for our young master, he immediately agreed."
Lady Jing'an raised her face proudly, feeling that their Gu family was about to prosper. She asked, "Have all the invitations been distributed?"
"They're all gone."
"Where is the Zhenguogong Mansion?"
“I also sent it.”
Lady Jing'an nodded with feigned reserve. "Such a plump, fair-skinned boy! I doubt Mrs. Gu would be unenvious. Humph, if Mrs. Gu had been more virtuous, my grandson would have been able to call her 'Mother'. Centuries from now, there would still be people offering incense to her. Who told her she was so ignorant!"
Uh, why would the Crown Prince's wife covet the son born to a concubine? She's not crazy! Aunt Qiu was speechless. She smiled and flattered, "Madam, you are absolutely right. If the Crown Prince's wife saw our young master, she would definitely regret it."
Lady Jing'an raised the corners of her mouth in pleasure.
"When the time comes, if the Crown Prince's wife wants to come back, it will depend on whether you are willing or not."
Her words touched the heart of Lady Jing'an: "If she's obedient, I might be able to get her back as a concubine. As for a legitimate wife, my son is now deeply trusted by the Emperor. Without that evil star, his career will only improve. Not to mention Gu, he could even marry the eldest princess!"
"Su'er is still young and is completely obsessed with Gu. He doesn't even think about the fact that everything I do is for his own good!"
Aunt Qiu quickly said, "The prince is just confused at the moment. Once he figures it out, he'll understand your painstaking efforts."
"Hey. Su'er is angry with me, and it's fine, but he still refuses to come back to see Yao Niang and her son."
"Perhaps he is busy with his work." Aunt Qiu said with a smile, "I will send someone to ask again."
The lady signed the divorce agreement on behalf of the prince, who was furious and hadn't returned home for several days. She sent someone to report the birth of the young master, but the prince still hadn't returned.
"Hurry up and go! This third-day bathing banquet must be held in a lively manner. We must not let the Gu family laugh at us."
Aunt Qiu responded with a smile, coaxed her a few more times, and then left.
The door curtain fell behind her. She looked at the maid in the corridor and asked with a stern face, "What's going on?!"
From the time she went in to the time she came out, the girl quietly lifted the door curtain at least three times to peek inside.
The maid followed her a few steps and whispered uneasily, "I went to the farm, and the head of the farm said that Madam Ping and the others had not been there."
"Didn't go?"
"right!"
It's been four days, and it's as if Nanny Ping and the other three disappeared out of thin air.
Nanny Qiu also reported this to the wife of the Earl of Jing'an, but the lady didn't take it seriously at all. She said that she had instructed them at the time to stay out of the spotlight after the matter was settled, so it was normal that they didn't come back.
But there can't be no news at all, right?
In fact, Aunt Qiu also thought about whether Aunt Ping and the others would be taken away by the Gu family.
It just so happened that because the Crown Prince's wife was getting divorced, the Crown Prince vomited blood and had a big fight with his wife, so he left the house directly. His wife was in a very bad mood and didn't dare to say much. As a result, Aunt Sun gave birth to a little boy.
Now, the lady threw herself on the little prince, and kept saying that her method must have worked, otherwise the doctor would have said that the baby would have been born with difficulty, but now she gave birth to her grandson smoothly.
It's already like this. What else can Aunt Qiu say?! Her heart is hanging in the balance, unable to move or recover.
The uncle never cared about the affairs of the inner house, saying that it was uncivilized to fuss over such trivial matters all day long.
You can't tell the prince, he won't come back!
Like her, Madam Ping and the others had lived in the mansion their entire lives. Where could they go after leaving? Perhaps the manor house, at most. She quietly sent someone to ask at the manor house, thinking that if they were there, everyone would be happy. But who would have thought...
"You go down."
Aunt Qiu raised her hand and sent her away.
The lady is now preoccupied with the young master's third-day baptism banquet. Talking about these things now will definitely make her unhappy. It is better to wait until after the banquet.
The worst-case scenario was that Madam Ping and the others were caught by the Zhenguo Mansion. So what? Would they dare confess? Madam Qiu thought about it. If it were her, she certainly wouldn't dare. Her children, grandchildren, and the head of the household were all working in the mansion. If she confessed, the Madam would either beat them to death or sell them off, most likely to some filthy place. It was the same for Madam Ping and the others; the lives of their entire family were tied to their shoulders.
Just as the maidservant was sent away, before she could even catch her breath, the housekeeper arrived and asked, "Madam instructed yesterday that the young master's third-day baptism banquet be held at the highest level, but the accountant can only withdraw 500 taels of silver. What do you think..."
Five hundred taels?! That's not enough. Aunt Qiu knew perfectly well that the Madam was holding back, determined to make the Young Master's third-day baptism banquet a grand affair and make the Crown Prince's wife regret it.
Alas. After the Crown Prince's wife married into the family, she never managed the household again. I'm afraid she doesn't even know how much money is in the account.
She started to have a headache.
These things are not something a servant like her should be involved in!
She had fought with Nanny Ping for most of her life, but all she had fought for was respectability in front of the Marquis's wife. She had never considered fighting for the right to manage the household. This Marquis's mansion was full of problems, and whoever managed it would be unlucky. I don't know how the Crown Prince's wife had managed to hold back from turning the table all these years.
Aunt Qiu had no choice but to say, "How about this. Go to the accounting office and tell them that it's Madam's order. Take all the cash flow from the shops in the capital and make up 10,000 taels first."
ah? !
The Jing'an Marquis's Mansion still had several shops under its name, and generally, they would do a consolidated accounting at the end of each year. The cash held by the shops wasn't all dividends; at least a large portion was working capital, used to purchase and restock. If this working capital had been misappropriated, it would cause significant trouble if the shops couldn't keep up with their turnover.
"Move first and talk later."
Aunt Qiu just wanted to get the third-day-birth banquet done first. As for the rest... she didn't have the ability to do that.
Anyway, neither the lady nor the master cares. If the mansion really can't survive, they can't blame her, a servant.
But if the third-day bath banquet is not held successfully, given Mrs. Bo's temper, she will definitely be blamed!
After Nanny Qiu could no longer take care of the matter, she devoted all her attention to the third-day bath banquet, determined to make sure it was praised by the whole capital.
Therefore, every invitation sent out had a red background and was gilded with gold, and came with four first-class gifts, each of which was very presentable.
Each servant in the Bo's mansion received two new sets of clothes, and dozens of new glass lanterns were bought. All of these glass lanterns were tied with red ribbons and hung around the main hall where guests were received.
On the day of the third-day bath, Qin Su finally came back. No matter what, this son was the one he had been waiting for for a long time, so how could he not be worried about him.
Five large baskets of copper coins were placed at the door of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion. Many people gathered in front of the door, saying flattering words and waiting for the money to be distributed.
Strings of firecrackers went off one after another, crackling, and the families who received the invitations came to their doors one after another. Mrs. Liu lifted the curtain of the car to take a look and was dumbfounded.
Although the Gu family did not publicize the divorce between Gu and the son of the Marquis of Jing'an, it was no secret in the capital, especially when the 128 loads of dowry were carried out of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion, many people saw it.
After the divorce, the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion held such an extravagant third-day bath for a concubine's son.
Is this an attempt to slap the face of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion?
"Madam Liu." Aunt Qiu, representing the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an, greeted the female relatives at the ceremonial gate. "Please come in."
Madam Liu frowned slightly in displeasure. "To have a servant come to greet her? Wasn't the Jing'an Marquis's House a bit arrogant?" However, those who would rush to congratulate a bastard's third birthday were mostly families far less privileged than the Jing'an Marquis's. Despite her displeasure, she maintained a smile, not letting on.
Entering the main courtyard, Madam Liu took a look around. Sure enough, the people here were all from families of similar status to her own. She curled her lips, then, with a broad smile, congratulated the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an and presented her with a gift.
"Madam, Minister Chen and his wife are here."
"Madam, Commander Zhao didn't bring his wife with him. The prince said he would come to greet her..."
"Ma'am, all our wedding money has been spent, and there are still many people waiting at the door to ask for favors."
The maids came and went, all smiling happily. Lady Jing'an felt refreshed and a little dizzy.
Look, now that the evil spirit is gone, their uncle's family has truly prospered.
"reward."
Lady Jing'an waved her hand and said, "Take two more baskets of silver ingots and go out."
Using silver ingots as wedding money?! Madam Liu was shocked. This was too extravagant. They said that the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion was now in decline, but this didn't seem like it.
She estimated that this third-day-birth banquet would cost at least ten thousand taels. Tsk, a lean camel is still fatter than a horse.
Not only Mrs. Liu, many people were secretly calculating this account in their hearts.
Lady Jing'an showed a proud look on her face. Over the years, the housekeeper of the Gu family had been very stingy, and she had not been able to enjoy such a glorious life for a long time.
She smiled and said, "Don't blame me for being partial to my little grandson. When he was born, the clouds in the sky turned red, which is a very auspicious sign."
Many people started to flatter him one after another.
Lady Jing'an looked relaxed all over, with a smile covering her entire body from the tips of her eyebrows to the corners of her eyes.
"Ma'am, the auspicious time has arrived!"
Lady Jing'an was the first to stand up.
After a lively three-day bath and just as the banquet was about to begin, Master Qingping finally arrived.
Lady Jing'an was overjoyed: "Please come in!" and ordered the child to be brought out.
"Madam, your mansion even invited Master Qingping!"
"Of course not," Lady Jing'an said modestly. "Well, it's a family disgrace that shouldn't be aired publicly. My eldest son has been married for eight years and only has a daughter. You see, I have to be anxious. Our family has a hereditary title, and raising a daughter is useless. And unfortunately, the Gu family is jealous, so my eldest son doesn't even have a concubine."
"Thankfully, I prayed to Master Qingping, and only then was I able to have this child. Master Qingping is truly a living immortal, and his miracles are very effective."
Lady Jing'an said with relief.
The name of Qingping Zhenren has been heard throughout the capital for more than a year.
After becoming famous, Master Qingping lived in seclusion and often went into seclusion. Now that they could see him, all these ladies looked expectant.
By the time the wet nurse brought the baby out, True Man Qingping had also arrived.
Lady Jing'an got up to greet them, and many people went to look curiously. Some people's expressions changed one by one, and they frowned unhappily, thinking: The Jing'an Marquis's Mansion is too unruly. Knowing that there are female relatives, the Jing'an Marquis's son actually walked into the inner house so carelessly!
Qin Su came with Qingping.
As soon as he saw the room full of women, he realized his negligence.
Over the years, Gu Liaoliao has been in charge of everything in the mansion. Qingping is a monk, so it is not a fault for him to enter the inner house. If A Liao was there, A Liao would personally welcome him in.
My mother hadn't been in charge of the household for a long time, so she obviously didn't think of this.
Qin Su felt heartbroken whenever he thought of Gu Liaoliao.
No wonder the commander had deliberately kept me that day. Commander Zhou had always been close to Gu Baibai. The Gu family deliberately wanted to leave him out, and they coaxed and deceived my mother into agreeing to a divorce.
In order to get a divorce, A Liao even used such dirty means.
He couldn't understand why A Liao was so determined. He was completely devoted to her and his feelings towards her had never changed over the years. He just wanted a son. Was he wrong?
These past few days, he held his breath and did not go to Gu's house, wanting to wait for A Liao to calm down.
Unexpectedly, without A Liao, even the third-day bathing banquet at the mansion was in chaos. Qin Su looked embarrassed. At this point, whether he left or stayed, it would be inappropriate.
"Master Qingping."
The Lady of the Marquis of Jing'an didn't notice anything wrong and smiled broadly, saying, "Ever since you set up that Feng Shui formation last time, everything has been going smoothly in our mansion. And now we've had a baby boy, all thanks to you. Please come and see him."
Lady Jing'an was only interested in showing off her grandson, and her face was wrinkled with smiles.
Qingping was wearing a loose Taoist robe and holding a whisk. He just smiled faintly in response to Jing'an Bo's compliments, looking like a sage who was detached from the world.
He said modestly, "Alright."
The wet nurse carried the child over and stood beside Lady Jing'an.
The child, who was just three days old, had grown up a bit. The dark red on his skin had gradually faded, leaving it fair and tender. He opened his pair of black eyes and looked around. The more Lady Jing'an looked at him, the more she kissed him. She liked him very much.
Qin Su also stared at the child in a daze. He had been in the palace for the past few days and had not seen the child yet.
With just one glance, he believed that there really was blood connection in the world, and the joy that rose from the bottom of his heart was something he had never experienced before.
A fatherly smile appeared on Qin Su's lips, and he couldn't help but take the child from the wet nurse's arms.
At this moment, he finally had a real sense that there was someone to succeed him.
When Ah Man was born, he felt only sadness that his wish was not fulfilled, but now, he was filled with joy and wanted to give everything for this child. He didn't understand why Ah Liao had to dwell on this matter so much when she should have been loyal to him and his wife. His child was also hers!
Qin Su held the child in his arms and remained silent for a long time. Lady Jing'an said enthusiastically, "Please give my grandson a name."
Qingping responded with a smile, walked up to Lady Jing'an and looked at the child.
He looked at it for a long time, counted on his fingers, and suddenly he exclaimed, "Huh?" This exclamation made Lady Jing'an's heart jump. She couldn't help but ask, "Master, is there anything wrong?"
She silently clutched her chest. When that little evil star was still around, Yao Niang often felt uncomfortable because of her. Now that she was gone, she wouldn't want to harm her grandson again, would she?
Qingping put away his smile, swung his whisk, and said unhappily, "Madam, are you teasing me, Madam?"
"In that case, I'll take my leave!"
He put on a stern face and made a gesture to leave.
Lady Jing'an was frightened and didn't understand what was going on. She quickly said, "Master, please stay. Please speak frankly."
Qingping sneered, "This child is clearly your uncle's son. How can you keep saying he's your grandson?"
What's the meaning? !
Lady Jing'an looked around in confusion: "Master Qingping, what are you talking about?"
Why couldn't she understand?
Qingping said firmly: "The biological father of this child is the uncle, not the prince."
"He is related to the Crown Prince by blood, but he is the Crown Prince's younger brother from the same father."
Qingping looked at Qin Su and said word by word, "My Lord, I have already told Madam Bo that you are destined to have no heirs. Even if you want to adopt someone for the sake of the title, you shouldn't treat your own brother as your son. How can this world's moral principles be violated?"
Qin Su's arms, holding the child, froze.
He stared down at the child with dilated pupils, as if he was looking at an ugly, sharp-toothed demon.
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