Gu Zhen and Gu Shan parted ways unhappily and left in anger.
Gu Shan smiled bitterly and asked Gu Jiu with a confused look, "Second sister, did I do something wrong?"
Gu Jiu said to her, "I've said before, you are you, and Gu Yue is Gu Yue. You shouldn't be held responsible for the mistakes Gu Yue made."
Gu Shan said weakly, "I just want to reconcile the conflict between my eldest sister and my third sister. After all, they are sisters, why make such a fuss?"
Gu Jiu secretly rolled his eyes, "Fourth sister, you don't seem to understand the serious consequences of this matter.
The third sister ruined the eldest sister's marriage, and this cannot be solved by simply saying "Why make such a fuss?"
If it were you, with a perfect marriage that was set in stone but was ruined by someone's conspiracy, ask yourself, Fourth Sister, can you really remain calm?
Gu Shan was speechless. "I, I don't know."
"Of course you don't know. Because it didn't happen to you. It was already very difficult for the eldest sister to control her temper in front of the third sister. You even persuaded her to let go of her hatred and forgive the third sister. Fourth sister, you are clearly only considering the third sister and ignoring the feelings of the eldest sister."
On the surface, Gu Shan's behavior seemed well-intentioned. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that her head was determined by her buttocks, a typical example of sacrificing the interests of the victim to smooth things over.
As the victim, Gu Zhen did not slap Gu Shan in the face. She just argued with him for a few words, which was already very polite.
Gu Shan frowned slightly, "I don't think so."
"You really didn't mean it that way, but you did it anyway."
Gu Jiu looked at Gu Shan and said in a serious tone, "This marriage with the Haixi Marquis's Mansion is an extremely rare and good match for Big Sister.
If my elder sister missed the opportunity to marry into the Haixi Marquis' Mansion, it is very likely that she would never have such a good marriage again.
But everything was ruined because of the selfishness of the third sister.
After the eldest sister learned the truth, she did not pick up the knife to kill the third sister. She was really very restrained.
Fourth sister, you can't ask more of your elder sister in this matter.
If you want to reconcile the two, you should persuade the third sister. She is the culprit. But she has never apologized to the eldest sister from beginning to end.
Don't forget, in the past, the eldest sister ran around for the third sister, acting as a vanguard. However, the third sister turned against her and never cared about the sisterhood.
Gu Shan was at a loss, "Second sister, did I do something wrong?"
Gu Jiu said with a straight face: "You care too much about your third sister and her affairs. Why do you do this?"
Gu Shan lowered her head and whispered, "I don't know. It seems like all this has become a habit. I'm used to caring about my third sister's affairs and cleaning up after her."
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "It's because you and your wife are used to cleaning up after Third Sister, so she dares to act so recklessly."
"I, I understand. Big sister must be angry with me. Second sister, can you help me explain to Big Sister?"
Gu Jiu nodded and said, "Let's wait for the opportunity. Fourth sister, you are busy, so I will take my leave first."
"Take care, second sister."
Gu Jiu stood up and said goodbye, leaving with the maid.
After leaving the hospital and walking a short distance, I was surprised to see Gu Zhen.
Gu Jiu walked up and asked, "It's so cold, why don't you go back to your room, big sister?"
Gu Zhen looked at Gu Jiu, his face turning cold and blue.
She said, "I am waiting here for my second sister."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Big sister, do you have anything to say to me?"
Gu Zhen nodded. "Second sister, are you free? Why don't we take a walk in the garden?"
"OK!"
Two sisters were walking along the garden path.
A cold wind blew, and Gu Jiu wrapped his cloak tightly.
The wind blew across my cheek, and it felt like a knife cutting, causing pain.
Gu Jiu pulled Gu Zhen and found a place sheltered from the wind.
It feels much better now that there is no wind.
She was also crazy, accompanying Gu Zhen in the garden to enjoy the breeze in the cold weather.
"Big sister, just say whatever you want to say."
Gu Zhen's eyes suddenly turned red. "They're really going too far. Gu Yue, Gu Shan, Madam... they've never considered my feelings. Is it because I'm a concubine's child that I deserve all this?"
Gu Jiu frowned, not wanting to persuade him.
Gu Zhen seemed to just want to find someone to confide in. She rambled on, "The marriage was introduced by the aunt in the hall of the Marquis's Mansion. I heard it clearly that day. Lady Haixi was extremely satisfied with me.
The aunt in the lobby even said that this marriage had an 80% chance of success. But in the end… I hated them, I hated them. Why did they treat me like this?
If my father hadn't known the truth, Gu Yue would have continued to live freely."
Gu Zhen clenched her teeth to prevent herself from crying.
Gu Jiu frowned slightly, "Why are you telling me this, big sister?"
Gu Zhen sobbed, looked at Gu Jiu, and said, "Second sister, you are also dissatisfied with the wife and third sister.
Third sister bullies you everywhere, and your wife makes things difficult for you, both overtly and covertly. Second sister, we are all the ones being bullied.
I actually really like my second sister. We had some misunderstandings in the past, and I hope she can put them behind us.
From now on, if you need anything from me, please tell me and I will not refuse."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, then shook his head slightly.
In the past, Gu Zhen was willing to be Gu Yue's pawn.
But he was betrayed by Gu Yue and stepped on harshly.
Now, Gu Zhen wants to find another ally, and it seems that she is the best candidate.
Gu Jiu looked at Gu Zhen with a half-smile, "Big sister, you have Aunt Hu, you don't need anyone's help."
"That's not the case. Auntie is just an auntie, there are many things she can't do. But Second Sister is different, Second Sister is a capable person, I think we can..."
Gu Jiu raised her hand to interrupt Gu Zhen, "Big sister, just because I know something doesn't mean I'm willing to get involved. Do you understand?"
Gu Zhen was a little confused. "But don't you hate the wife and third sister?"
"That's two different things."
"They are not two different things. If you don't want to get involved, why did you reveal the truth to Auntie?"
"Big sister, you misunderstood. I wasn't the one who leaked the news. You should ask Aunt Hu where she got the truth."
Gu Zhen shook her head repeatedly, "Second sister, you can fool others with this, but you can't fool me. Auntie said that she heard the news from the little maid in Zizhuyuan.
But there are no such coincidences in the world. From the beginning, I wondered if someone arranged all this, created a coincidence, and deliberately passed the news to my aunt's ears. After thinking about it, I thought of my second sister. Among the sisters, only my second sister has this ability.
"Big sister, you think too highly of me." Gu Jiu would of course not admit it.
Gu Zhen didn't understand and looked puzzled. "Second sister, you also want to see Third sister suffer. We have the same goal, why can't we cooperate?"
Gu Jiu smiled softly. She couldn't tell Gu Zhen: You are not worthy of my trust, and you are not worthy of cooperating with me.
Gu Jiu doesn't agree to cooperate with anyone who wants to.
Gu Jiu is very picky about his collaborators.
Forget about someone like Gu Zhen.
Gu said straightforwardly, "If you have nothing else to say, Big Sister, I'll take my leave."
"Don't go."
Gu Zhen held Gu Jiu's hand.
Gu Jiu frowned slightly, "Big sister, what else do you want to say?"
"You told Auntie the news on purpose, hoping to see a good show. I will cooperate with you. I want to make Gu Yue miserable, even more miserable than me. Second sister, can you help me?"
Gu Jiu turned around and stared at Gu Zhen, "What do you want to do, big sister?"
"I haven't thought about it yet. But sooner or later I'll find the opportunity."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Let's talk about it when you find an opportunity. Goodbye!"
Gu Jiu shook off Gu Zhen's hand and left with the maids.
Gu Zhen looked at Gu Jiu walking away and stamped her feet. Things were completely different from what she expected. What should she do?
When they returned to Zhilan Courtyard, Qingmei asked curiously, "Why don't you cooperate with the elder girl?"
Gu Jiu put down the book and smiled softly, "Why cooperate with something that has no benefits?"
Qingmei and Qingzhu both looked confused.
Gu Jiu said, "Eldest sister and Aunt Hu just want to use me to attack Third Sister, but they don't want to pay any price. I'm not stupid, how could I be a knife for them? They want to kill with a borrowed knife, but unfortunately they have chosen the wrong target."
Qingzhu nodded repeatedly, "The eldest lady is so abominable. She actually wants to take advantage of me. It's right for me to reject her."
Qingmei said, "The eldest lady and the third lady have truly become mortal enemies."
Gu Jiu sneered, “Gu Yue should have thought of this when she was ruining someone’s marriage.
If the Haixi Marquis's Mansion doesn't like the elder sister, the elder sister will accept it even if she feels regretful.
In the end, it was Gu Yue's scheme that caused the Haixi Marquis's Mansion to reject the marriage. If Big Sister could forgive Gu Yue, that would be a real mystery."
"The girl is right. The third girl is too cruel. Bad marriages will be struck by lightning."
…
The days go on as usual.
In the morning, Gu Jiu was in the meeting hall, learning how to be a housekeeper from the eldest wife, Zhang.
A few more people joined the meeting hall.
Gu Zhen, Gu Shan, Gu Lin, even Gu Jun came. This is a rare opportunity, so we must cherish it.
Gu Yue also showed up, but she was still injured and was afraid that sitting for too long would not be conducive to the recovery of her wounds, so she only sat for a while and then left.
Gu Jiu watched the housekeepers respond, and watched how the eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, managed the household and dealt with the housekeepers.
The housekeepers are all experienced.
If the wife of the house is careless, they will take advantage of it.
At the very least, it will lead to corruption; at worst, it will ruin the reputation of the owner and sow the seeds of disaster.
The housekeeper is actually responsible for managing these housekeepers and making them do things strictly according to the requirements. Those who deserve punishment will be punished, and those who deserve reward will be rewarded.
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, is very decisive and efficient in her work.
Seeing her scolding the housekeeper in harsh words and pointing out her mistakes, Gu Jiu nodded secretly.
It's just like managing a company. No matter how good a company is, without good management, it will eventually go bankrupt.
Gu Jiu carefully observed each of the housekeepers and made a judgment based on their reports. He then compared their judgments with those of the eldest wife, Zhang.
As a result, Gu Jiu's progress can be described as rapid.
"Xiaojiu, can you check this account book for your aunt to see if there is any problem?"
Gu Jiu happily took the account book, picked up the abacus and started to calculate.
The old woman was a little nervous. Gu Jiu's reputation for divine assistance in settling accounts had spread throughout the mansion, even to the neighboring Marquisate.
It would be fine if the account book fell into Gu Jiu's hands.
There were not many accounts in the account book, and Gu Jiu finished the calculation quickly.
"Reporting to Auntie, the numbers in this account are correct. But there are obvious signs of falsification."
"oh?"
The eldest wife, Zhang, became interested. "You said that the idiot woman cooked the accounts?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "I casually flipped through the old account books and found that the prices of the same types of needlework and fabrics we purchased have increased by 30% compared to the beginning of the year and by 60% compared to this time last year.
I've thought about it carefully. This year, I haven't heard of any major price fluctuations in the capital, nor have I heard of any reductions in silk weaving production in Jiangnan. It stands to reason that prices can't have risen this much.
I also heard that this winter is not as cold as last year, but the price of needlework and cloth has increased by 60% compared to last year, which is very unreasonable.
The person who did the accounting must have been very attentive, as the prices were gradually increased, making it difficult to detect that this was a fake account book."
As soon as Gu Jiu finished speaking, the old woman fell to her knees on the ground with a thud.
"Madam, please spare me, please spare me. I must have lost my mind to do such a thing that is worse than that of pigs and dogs. Please give me another chance, madam. I will definitely change my ways."
Bang!
The eldest wife, Zhang, slammed her hand on the table and said, "Shut up! I think so highly of you, and this is how you act."
You're falsifying accounts, deceiving your superiors and subordinates, and embezzling government funds. You're courting death.
Come, take her away and interrogate her thoroughly. Also, hand the account book to the accountant so they can find out exactly how much money was embezzled."
Upon hearing this, the old woman collapsed to the ground, limp as mud.
Soon, a servant came in and dragged the old woman away.
Seeing that the first wife Zhang handled the matter decisively, Gu Jiu nodded secretly.
As a steward, you should be decisive and act decisively. Don't procrastinate, as this will send the wrong signal to your servants.
The servants will think that their master is a person without his own opinions, and will naturally become more presumptuous and bold.
Moreover, as the head of the family, you must be able to distinguish what the servants say, which ones are true and which ones are misleading.
If a servant deceives others for a long time without being discovered by the mistress of the house, then the mistress of the house will be in trouble, and the servant will become more and more bold, until he makes a fatal mistake, and the master of the house will be implicated.
In short, there are so many things to learn about being a housekeeper and director.
Gu Zhen, Gu Shan, Gu Lin, and Gu Jun were all shocked when they saw Gu Jiu settling accounts for the first time.
Gu Jiu’s calculations were quick and efficient, just like a picture of a beautiful woman, making people happy.
Gu Lin bit her lip and asked Gu Shan quietly, "Fourth sister, when did second sister learn to settle accounts?"
Gu Shan shook her head. "I don't know either."
She was almost shocked. Why did her second sister always surprise people?
The eldest wife, Zhang, smiled and said, "Little Jiu is very good. You all should learn more from her and work harder in private.
The housekeeper is not only responsible for assigning tasks to the maids, but also for checking for omissions and filling gaps, and for clearly defining rewards and punishments.
Women who commit serious offenses, especially those who embezzle money, must never be tolerated.
Your indulgence will only make their appetites grow bigger and their greed will be insatiable."
"Yes! Thank you, Auntie (mother) for your guidance."
Mrs. Zhang, the eldest wife, nodded and prepared to proceed to the next step.
At this time, a maid came in to report, "Madam, the neighboring Marquis' Mansion has sent a nanny over."
"Please ask Mammy to come in. It's winter now, don't let her get frozen."
The person who came from the Marquis' Mansion was Madam Du, the dowry maidservant of the eldest lady, Xiao Wei.
Madam Du walked into the meeting hall and bowed. "Greetings to the Madam, and to all the young ladies. The plum blossoms are in bloom in the mansion, and the old lady is so happy that she wants to hold a plum blossom banquet and invite all the young ladies to come tomorrow."
The old lady also said that the girls should take their gifts and stay at the Marquis' Mansion for the night. Stay a few days longer so that everyone can have fun together. The old lady likes the girls to gather around and talk.
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang burst into laughter and asked, "Have the plum blossoms in the Marquis' Mansion bloomed?"
"Exactly."
"That's great. Go back and tell the old lady that all the girls and boys will go tomorrow. We're tired from studying, so it's time to relax."
Nanny Du bowed in response.
The eldest wife, Zhang, then asked, "Who else has the Marquis' Mansion invited to the Plum Blossom Banquet?"
"I've invited several noble families I often visit. The mansion will be very lively tomorrow. The first and second wives should also come over for a drink."
Zhang laughed and said, "I will definitely not be polite to the old lady. I will go and ask for a glass of wine tomorrow."
Madam Du laughed, "The old lady was still thinking about the first wife today, saying that she felt lonely around her without her."
Zhang laughed heartily. "The old lady is complaining about my noise. I'll go and nag her tomorrow. It's her fault for complaining about my noise."
Madam Du smiled and said, "That would be great. The old lady will definitely be very happy."
Zhang asked Shaoyao to send Nanny Du away and prepared to continue the unfinished business.
As a result, today is destined to be an uneasy day.
There was a commotion over there with Mr. Gu again.
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