"Madam, the master is here."
Xie was stunned for a moment, then she stood up and went out to greet him in person.
"The master is coming!"
Xie met Mr. Gu at the door.
Lord Gu's face was gloomy, as if a storm was brewing.
Xie's heart skipped a beat, and she felt uneasy.
Lord Gu walked straight into the room and sat down in the main seat with a serious expression, looking intimidating without even getting angry.
His eyes fell on Xie's face, which doubled Xie's pressure.
Xie lowered her head, not daring to meet Mr. Gu's gaze.
What should I do? How should I explain Gu Zhen's matter so that the master will believe her?
Xie felt very aggrieved. She was truly innocent in Gu Zhen's matter. But would the master believe her?
She mustered up her courage and looked towards Lord Gu.
"master!"
Xie's voice was weak, clearly filled with worry, uneasiness, contradiction, struggle, and a hint of innocence.
Master Gu didn't even twitch his eyebrows. "Madam, are you going to explain the matter of Miss Zhen?"
"This is my fault."
Mrs. Xie was straightforward. "I didn't expect my sister-in-law from my mother's family to be so bold as to plot against Zhen girl right under our noses. If I had known she had such intentions, I would definitely not invite her. Even if I had invited her, I would have sent someone to keep a close eye on her. I would never let her take advantage of the situation."
Master Gu stared at Madam Xie. "Is this all you have to say, Madam?"
Lord Gu's tone was calm, but Xie could hear anger in it.
Xie no longer hesitated and said hurriedly: "Master, I neglected management and someone took advantage of the situation. This is my fault. Please punish me, Master.
But I had no idea what my sister-in-law and Xie Erlang had done. It was only when the maid noticed something was wrong and reported it to me that I learned that something had happened to Zhen.
At that time, I severely scolded my sister-in-law and Xie Erlang. They wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to marry Zhen girl, but I told them to get out. No way.
Master, every word I say is true, not a single lie. Please believe me."
Lord Gu's face was stern. "Is this your explanation to me?"
Xie was in a panic, "Master, I really didn't lie to you. I really didn't know about this matter beforehand."
Lord Gu sneered repeatedly, "It's true that you might not have known about it beforehand. But your sister-in-law from your mother's family, and your eldest brother, what kind of people are they? How could you not know?
I told you to stay away from them before, but ever since you returned to the capital, you've been associating with them again and again.
What happened to Zhen girl today was not an accident at all, it was a deliberate plot.
Your elder brother Xie Mao is really going too far. He has been bullying me time and again. Do you really think I can't do anything about him?
Since he dared to come to my house and plot against my daughter, then don't blame me for being heartless and teach him a lesson.
Lord Gu was furious. If he hadn't had a shred of rationality left in him, he would have gone to the Xie family and killed them.
Xie was terrified. "Master, there might be some misunderstanding. My eldest brother is not the kind of person who would be so superficial. Even if he really wanted to plot something, he wouldn't target Zhen, the illegitimate daughter. This is more likely to be the work of my eldest sister-in-law and Xie Erlang. Master, please look into this matter."
Lord Gu snorted coldly and laughed mockingly, "Even if it wasn't your eldest brother who did it, so what? It was him who married Ma and gave birth to Xie Ding.
One of them is his first wife, and the other is his biological son. Everything they do will be blamed on him."
"Master, if you really want to break up with Big Brother, what will happen to Zhen? How will she live the rest of her life? Can she still live a good life?"
Xie started crying.
While crying, she continued, "I didn't mean to stop you, Master. I was forced by the situation.
When Zhen girl got into trouble, the sixth lady of Haixi Earl's Mansion was nearby and saw the whole process clearly.
By now, I'm afraid the Haixi Marquis's Mansion has already heard about Zhen's misfortune. There's a high probability that Zhen's marriage will fail."
Master Gu stared at Mrs. Xie intently, "What do you want to say?"
Mrs. Xie said cautiously, "Now, Miss Zhen only has three options left. One is to wait for another two years until everyone has forgotten about this matter, and then arrange a marriage for her. But if she does that, Miss Zhen's youth will be wasted, and by then, I'm afraid she won't be able to find a good family."
Secondly, I would marry Zhen off far away, far away. But I couldn't bear to do that. A girl marrying far away, without her family, wouldn't have anyone to support her if anything happened. If her husband's family was kind, life would be manageable. But if she met someone who looked kind but had a wicked heart, Zhen would be walking into a tiger's den.
The final solution is to let Zhen Yatou marry Xie Ding. The Xie family is in the wrong, and with the master backing Zhen Yatou, Xie Ding and the Xie family will definitely not dare to wrong Zhen Yatou. The only worry is that Zhen Yatou may not be willing.
Master Gu snorted coldly, "You want Miss Zhen to marry Xie Ding?"
"It's not that I think so, but this is the best way to deal with it at the moment. Isn't that what the master thinks too?"
Lord Gu suddenly laughed, but his eyes held a piercing chill. "Ms. Xie, you must understand that Xie Mao has plotted against me several times. I cannot possibly marry his children to my own. Remember this."
Please also convey my intention to Xie Mao. If you dare to have any ideas about my children again, I don't mind acting as a matchmaker for the Xie family's daughter."
Lord Gu's words were so harsh that Xie trembled all over.
"What about Zhen girl?"
"We'll talk about Zhen's marriage after we get some news from the Haixi Marquis' Mansion."
"If the Haixi Marquis's Mansion doesn't like Zhen girl, according to Master's opinion, wouldn't that ruin Zhen girl's life?"
Lord Gu said with a stern face, "I would rather let my daughter live as an old maid than let her marry into the Xie family."
Xie was on the verge of tears, "Does the master hate my elder brother so much?"
"His wife and children dared to stir up trouble in my house. I was being polite by not killing them. From now on, no one from the Xie family is allowed to visit us. My children from the Gu family are also not allowed to visit the Xie family. As for you, you can do whatever you want."
Xie burst into tears.
She knew it would be like this.
The situation she was most worried about finally happened.
At this moment, Xie hated Ma and Xie Erlang to death. They were damned bastards who had caused her so much pain.
Xie cried and said, "Master, I am truly innocent."
Master Gu nodded, "I know it's not your fault. But after all, Xie Mao is your elder brother."
Xie's eyes were blurred with tears. "Master, can't you and my elder brother reconcile? My elder brother is loyal to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. If His Royal Highness ascends the throne and becomes emperor in the future, Master will also benefit greatly."
Lord Gu sneered, "When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince truly ascends the throne, it won't be too late to say this."
Xie was bewildered.
Lord Gu frowned. "Today's banquet is attended by people from noble families. Madam, don't you understand?"
Xie was at a loss, what did she understand?
"Isn't today's banquet to celebrate the master's promotion?"
Lord Gu laughed at himself, "Promotion? Madam, do you really think that going from Governor of Jinzhou to Prefect of the Capital is a promotion?"
Xie was speechless, she didn't understand the affairs of the officialdom.
After all, she had read few books and was good at calculating within the inner chamber, but lacked a sense of the overall situation.
The way to describe the affairs of the officialdom is that as a woman, how could she understand these things? These are matters that men worry about.
As a woman, it is enough for her to take care of her husband, children and the inner house.
Her ability was enough for Lord Gu when he was serving as a local official.
But now that they are in the capital, the political environment is completely different from that in the countryside, and Xie's knowledge is far from enough.
Lord Gu looked at Mrs. Xie, his eyes gradually becoming disappointed.
Sure enough, he couldn't have too much expectations of the Xie family.
In the past, Lord Gu felt that Xie was gentle and considerate, and she knew how to flatter and serve others, and he was extremely satisfied with her.
Comparing Xie and the deceased Su, Lord Gu always felt that Xie was better than Su.
But after returning to the capital, within just a month, reality slapped Lord Gu in the face.
As his wife, Xie was completely unqualified.
Lord Gu sighed. When he was young, he was frivolous and greedy for beauty. At that time, he did not understand the principle of marrying a virtuous wife.
He always thought that the girls from wealthy families were dignified but too boring, far from the beautiful wife he imagined.
After Xie was made his wife, she met all of Lord Gu's expectations of a virtuous wife.
During those years, the couple's relationship was as sweet as honey.
But people cannot stay in their youth forever, and their thoughts will change as they grow older.
As Mr. Gu reaches middle age, he has lost the passionate ideals of his youth and has become more and more practical.
Being in the melting pot of Beijing, I always feel powerless.
In the yamen, every time you do something, you will encounter various obstacles.
In name, he is the chief official of the capital.
In fact, there are at least thirty or fifty mothers-in-law above him.
Every mother-in-law came to find fault with him and pick on him.
In the short time since Lord Gu took office as the prefect of the capital, he has already suffered a lot of humiliation.
At this time, he urgently needed to expand his network of contacts in the capital.
The banquet was nominally to celebrate his promotion, but in reality it was to build his network.
Among them, the Marquis' Mansion made great contributions.
The Marquis' Mansion created opportunities for Lord Gu to build his network of relationships, and as his wife, Xie naturally had to fulfill her responsibilities as a good wife.
However, seeing that Xie still looked confused, it would be a lie for Lord Gu to say that he was not disappointed.
Xie was his second wife whom he personally appointed against all odds.
As satisfied he was with the Xie family in the past, he is as disappointed with them now.
Lord Gu laughed at himself. He regretted his youthful recklessness, having discarded the principles passed down by his ancestors. Now he was suffering the consequences of not listening to the elders.
If he had listened to everyone's advice and married a wife of equal social status, I wouldn't say anything else, but at least she would definitely be better than Xie in managing personal connections in the capital.
Master Gu waved his hand, "That's it."
He was tired and didn't want to continue arguing with Xie.
Xie tugged at Master Gu's sleeve, "Master, I..."
Xie looked at Lord Gu eagerly, clearly hoping that he could stay in Furong Courtyard that night.
Master Gu took Xie's hand away and said expressionlessly, "I am tired today. You should rest early. I hope you will listen to what I say."
Xie watched Lord Gu leave, sobbing silently.
Chun He walked in from outside, "Madam, the master has passed away. Don't cry anymore, or you might hurt your eyes."
After listening to Chunhe's advice, Xie gradually stopped crying.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Xie Ding and Ma Shi have hurt me so badly. I can't just let this go."
"What is your plan, ma'am?"
Xie snorted coldly, "Let's wait for news from the Haixi Marquis' Mansion. Tomorrow, go to the Marquis' Mansion and tell the eldest lady that the master has agreed to the marriage between Zhen Yatou and Han Silang."
As long as the Haixi Marquis's Mansion agrees, we can pick an auspicious day before the New Year to finalize their marriage."
Chun He looked surprised and asked in a low voice, "Madam, after what happened to the eldest daughter, can she still marry into the Haixi Marquis's Mansion?"
Xie said, "Whether you can marry into the Haixi Marquis's Mansion is not important. What's important is that we make our position clear. In short, you just do as I tell you."
Chun He nodded, "I understand. Also, the accountant has sent over the account book for all the expenses for the banquet. Madam, would you like to review it?"
Xie waved her hand, "I'm tired. Just tell me how much silver you spent in total."
Chun He flipped open the account book and said, "All expenses, including the rewards for the maids and servants, totaled 1,800 taels. 300 taels of this amount will be covered by the public office. The remaining 1,500 taels will be covered by our second branch."
"What?"
When Mrs. Xie heard this number, she almost jumped up.
"How did the accountant calculate the bill? How could so much money be spent? Have you checked it? Are the accounts correct?"
Chun He lowered her head, feeling a little embarrassed. "I can't understand the account books handed over by the accounting office, so I can't check them. Besides, all the documents are still with the accounting office."
Xie gritted her teeth, "It must be the first wife who's plotting against our second wife. That greedy woman, Zhang, not only holds the power of the housekeeper, but she even wants to take a cut of the banquet. How flattering she is."
It's late tonight, so tomorrow morning, bring the account book with me to the meeting hall. I want to ask Zhang in person: does she have any shame?
"Madam, would you like to take a look at the account books first and look for any loopholes? Then, when we meet the First Madam tomorrow morning, we'll have a clearer picture."
Chunhe suggested in a low voice.
Mrs. Xie nodded, what Chunhe said made sense.
She took the account book from Chunhe, opened it, and immediately frowned.
How the accountant does the accounting is such a mess that I can't understand it at all.
"What's going on with this account book?"
Chun He whispered, "I asked the accountants, and they said this is a bookkeeping method they learned from the Marquis' Mansion. All the wealthy families in the capital use this method. Madam, do you want to find a professional accountant to check the accounts?"
"Where can we find a professional accountant to check the accounts at this time? This is the account book of the mansion, and we can't show it to the accountant outside."
"That's right, Madam. Why don't you call the senior manager here early tomorrow morning? I remember that the senior manager also kept accounts before."
Xie frowned, "I'm afraid Gao Sanfu can't do it alone. We still need to ask Master Ma, the master's assistant, for help."
Master Ma is a financial advisor, and accounting is his best job.
When he returned to Beijing this time, Master Ma and his entire family also came to the capital and lived in a small courtyard with two entrances in the back alley of the Gu Mansion.
Master Liu did not come to the capital with him.
Nowadays, the official affairs surrounding Lord Gu are mainly handled by Master Ma and Gu Yu.
Chun He said, "Early tomorrow morning, I will ask someone to invite Master Ma into the mansion."
Xie snorted coldly, "I want to see what Zhang has to say then."
The night was long and many people did not sleep.
Gu Yue tossed and turned, feeling very anxious.
She called out, and the maid Grape came in from outside and asked, "What's wrong, young lady?"
Gu Yue sat up from the bed, "Big sister, are you still crying?"
Grape shook her head. "The young lady has been crying all day and her voice is hoarse. I didn't hear her crying, so I guess she has stopped crying by now."
Gu Yue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Big sister has been crying all day. I can hear all the noise from her over there. She's almost killing me."
Grape wanted to say, "The girl has been crying all day, isn't it you who caused her to cry?" But she didn't dare to, and could only think about it secretly in her heart.
Gu Yue frowned, looking annoyed.
At this moment, she was dissatisfied with everything.
Grape advised, "Young lady, you should go to bed early. You have to pay your respects to the mistress tomorrow morning."
"I know. I'm just too irritable to sleep."
She looked towards Hibiscus Courtyard and asked, "Grape, do you think Mother and Father have settled on Big Sister's marriage?"
Grape hesitated for a moment before saying, "I heard that the master only stayed in Hibiscus Courtyard for less than half an hour before leaving."
Gu Yue was bewildered, "Really?"
Grape nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me such an important thing?" Gu Yue was angry.
Grape said aggrievedly: "The lady was already lying in bed at that time, and I didn't dare to disturb her."
Gu Yue snorted coldly, "Do you know what the master's expression was when he left Furong Courtyard? What's the situation at Furong Courtyard?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know anything when asked. What use are you?"
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