Gu Chengyan held her hand, looking at her with a smile in his eyes. Xie Xiangxiang was instantly captivated by his gentle and caring gaze.
My face flushed, and my heart raced.
It's just a bit of a shame.
"The Crown Prince has already provided me with supplies for the entire extension of the Grand Canal," Gu Chengyan said gently. "The Madam's money has all been used. I've calculated that even if the relevant personnel take a cut, we can still earn two to three hundred taels of silver every day."
In fact, after deducting the tribute to the Crown Prince, he could earn at least a thousand taels of silver every day, but he wanted to leave the lion's share to Guan Yingying and his son.
Xie Xiangxiang can't be given too little either; she needs to see the benefits before she'll go all out and continuously help him.
He thought that if he gave her a profit of three hundred taels a day, which was even more profitable than usury, Xie Xiangxiang would definitely continue to find ways to raise money for him.
Sure enough, Xie Xiangxiang happily rushed over and hugged him, saying, "My husband is indeed a god of wealth."
Gu Chengyan almost broke down when she hugged him.
He gently pressed her into the chair, squatted down, looked into her eyes, and said, "I'm going to the south, and it will be a long time before I come back. You stay at home and do whatever makes you comfortable."
Xie Xiangxiang's eyes reddened: "How long are you going to be gone?"
"About three years. But I'll come back every six months to bring back some profits and give them to you."
Gu Chengyan: You're back after three years... We can get a divorce now!
Xie Xiangxiang had no idea what Gu Chengyan was thinking; she truly loved him and couldn't bear to part with him.
With tears in her eyes and a bittersweet feeling in her heart, nothing could stop a man from soaring high!
Just think about it, if she earns 300 taels a day, that's 100,000 taels a year, and 300,000 taels in three years. In this one source of income alone, she can completely outperform Xie Zhaozhao.
With her husband's love, the soon-to-be-acquired wealth of the capital's elite circles, and the future title of Duchess of the State, her life could be considered perfect.
As the two were talking, Xie Xiangxiang saw Chunling and Xia Hua carrying a basin in.
"Did you send the ice to your eldest sister?"
"It's been delivered. The Third Madam also brought you two cucumbers."
Before Xie Xiangxiang could say anything, Gu Chengyan said with a smile, "Wash the melon, peel it, cut it into pieces, and keep it chilled in ice so that Madam can have some to cool off."
Xie Xiangxiang asked Chunling, "Haven't you seen your elder sister? I heard Miss Zhang is here?"
Chunling said apologetically, "We didn't see the Third Madam. The guards at the door blocked us from entering, so Manman had the ice carried in, and the melon was also brought out by her."
Xie Xiangxiang chuckled and said, "That's interesting. We're just bringing her something, and she's blocking the door and not letting us in?"
Gu Chengyan knew about the petty squabbles among women. Yingying had once said, "In ancient times, women had no careers, so they focused on the small plot of land in the inner quarters, spending their days gossiping and spreading jealous rumors."
He sat on his usual low couch and said, "Your intentions are what matter. Even if she doesn't go in, she'll know it's your intentions sooner or later."
"Why are you speaking up for her?" Xie Xiangxiang said angrily. "She's your aunt now."
Gu Chengyan smiled helplessly, pinched her nose, and said, "Isn't it because she's your older sister? Otherwise, how would I know who she is?"
"I heard from the courtyard that Miss Zhang came to visit my elder sister so late, her eyes were red and swollen from crying. I wonder what happened? Have you heard that something happened to the Zhang family?"
Gu Chengyan was taken aback: "Miss Zhang came to ask Third Aunt for help? Then she must be asking Third Uncle for help."
"What happened?"
"Today, Young Master Zhang said something wrong and offended Consort Luo. It seems that Prince Qi was also involved. His Majesty punished Minister Zhang by making him kneel outside the Imperial Study for a whole day."
Gu Chengyan was of low rank and could not receive instruction from the emperor in person, but he was aware of what was happening in the palace, especially the major events of confiscation of property and extermination of clans.
Xie Xiangxiang immediately perked up: "Is the Zhang family in a lot of trouble?"
"Of course, the Crown Prince won't let this matter go, Princess Xiyan went to the Empress Dowager to complain, and Consort Luo even knelt outside the palace begging His Majesty to give him justice."
Gu Chengyan was not exaggerating. What may seem like a casual joke could be a matter of annihilation for the entire royal family.
Xie Xiangxiang was overjoyed, but fearing that Gu Chengyan would misunderstand her as malicious, she suppressed her joy and said, "No wonder Zhang Yanyan came to find my elder sister. It turns out that such a big matter can only be helped by Uncle San."
Gu Chengyan's eyes darkened as he thought of his third uncle. He was also jealous of this uncle!
Over the years, Third Uncle's reputation has become widely known, making him pale in comparison. If it weren't for Guan Yingying's poems from earlier years supporting him, who would he be? Where would he come from?
He looked up again, his expression still gentle and warm: "This is no ordinary lawsuit; it involves a great disrespect. If you, Uncle, forcibly intervene, you will surely bring disaster upon yourself."
“Miss Zhang is close to her elder sister, so her elder sister will definitely not ignore this,” Xie Xiangxiang said. “I’m afraid Uncle will have to suffer the consequences.”
“Third Uncle is no ordinary person. He knows the stakes involved, so he definitely won’t get involved in this matter.”
My third uncle and Minister Zhang don't have a deep relationship. My third uncle is only loyal to His Majesty, so he won't get involved in this mess.
"Chengyan, what if Uncle San gets involved and insists on helping Zhang Hexuan?" Xie Xiangxiang asked, her tone a little anxious.
She now desperately hopes for a sisterly bond with Xie Zhaozhao and is urging Grand Secretary Gu to intervene in the Zhang family's affairs.
Gu Chengyan took a sip of tea.
Guan Yingying once said that a woman's jealousy is far more terrifying than you can imagine. Once they become jealous, they are even willing to die together with their partner. The viciousness of their methods and intentions is more terrifying than having one's bones ripped out.
Third Aunt is better than Xie Xiangxiang in every way, and Xie Xiangxiang probably hates this eldest sister to the core long ago.
Even when they went to deliver ice, it probably wasn't to deliver ice, but to gather information, right?
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