Gu Jiu came to the study in the outer courtyard.
"I, your daughter, pay my respects to my father. I am so happy that he has returned safely."
"Sit down and talk."
Gu Jiu bowed and accepted the order, sitting upright on the chair.
Lord Gu looked at Gu Jiu and asked, "Have you taken any medicine recently? How is your health? Are you adapting to the climate in the capital?"
Gu Jiu bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for your concern, father. I'm still taking medicine and I'm feeling much better now. Beijing isn't as cold as the northwest, so I can adapt to the weather here."
"That's good. If you need anything, just say it. Don't keep it bottled up. You were in poor health in the past because you thought too much."
Gu Jiu bowed, "My daughter will remember my father's teachings."
Master Gu hummed, "I heard that you went to pay your respects to the old man a few days ago?"
Gu Jiu was stunned. He didn't expect that this matter had reached the ears of Lord Gu.
She nodded calmly, "Yes, my daughter came to pay her respects to the old man a few days ago."
Lord Gu stared at Gu Jiu, as if trying to tell what she was thinking from her expression.
"Why did you think of paying your respects to the old man?"
Gu Jiu pursed her lips and said, "There's no special reason. I just suddenly remembered to pay my respects to the old man. The New Year is coming soon, and as a younger generation, it's my duty to do so."
Master Gu nodded. "Yes, it's almost New Year's Day. I heard that you and the old man chatted for half an hour. What did you talk about? Can you tell me about it?"
Gu Jiu pondered the implication of Lord Gu's words.
Is Lord Gu simply asking, or has he guessed something?
Gu Jiu said, "The old man was drunk and not very sober. He didn't recognize his daughter at first. Later, I asked the maid to make tea and persuaded the old man to drink it, and then he woke up.
Although my daughter stayed in the room for half an hour, the time she actually spent talking was very limited. Most of the time, the old man was drunk.
"Really? After you left, the old man ran away from the mansion. Does this have anything to do with you?"
Gu Jiu shook her head and looked at Master Gu innocently: "My daughter is also confused. I don't understand why the old man ran out when it was so cold outside in the middle of winter."
Master Gu stared at Gu Jiu with a sharp gaze, "You really don't know?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "My daughter really doesn't know."
Lord Gu frowned.
Master Ma stepped forward and said, "Second Miss, this morning the Master went to the Marquis' Mansion to pay his respects. According to the old Marquis, the Master's safe release from prison was not due to the Marquis' Mansion.
It's not just you who's confused about this matter. I have many questions too. Who helped the master get out of prison safely? Why did he do such a good deed but refused to leave his name? What are your thoughts on this matter, Miss?
Gu Jiu looked bewildered. "I always thought it was the Marquis' Mansion that helped rescue my father. Isn't that right?"
"It's certainly not the Marquis's Mansion's credit. My Lord and I have made a bold guess. The person who helped you was either from the palace or from officials who have influence with His Majesty. The latter has been ruled out. Only the former possibility remains. Second Miss, try to guess who in the palace is most likely to take the initiative to help you?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "I can't guess. Could it be the Queen?"
Master Ma shook his head and said with certainty, "It's not the Empress."
Gu Jiu tried to guess, "Could it be someone close to His Majesty? Their words should be more influential than those of ordinary officials. Especially in cases like my father's, if you say it's serious, it's very serious, but if you say it's not serious, it's actually a trumped-up charge."
Master Ma stared at Gu Jiu and said, "Oh, I didn't expect that the second young lady and I had the same guess. However, Your Excellency didn't make such a good connection in the palace. This is really puzzling."
Gu Jiu lowered his head and pretended to think hard.
She secretly left the house, met with Liu Zhao, and persuaded Mr. Gu to hand over the things so that Liu Zhao could fulfill his promise and release Mr. Gu. Gu Jiu did not intend to tell anyone about this series of events.
Gu Jiu still hasn't figured out Lord Gu's attitude towards her.
She saved Lord Gu out of her own interests and the interests of the overall situation.
Only when Lord Gu is well can their whole family be well.
Lord Gu is in trouble, and as the daughter of the Gu family, she will definitely not have a good ending.
As for Mr. Gu's attitude towards her, was it more of a father-daughter relationship, or was it because he saw her as useful? Perhaps it was a bit of both.
No matter what the reason was, Gu Jiu didn't mind.
Being useful is itself an affirmation of one's own abilities.
It would be tragic if a person had no value at all.
The reason why Gu Jiu refused to tell the truth was because she was unsure to what extent Lord Gu would use her after knowing the truth. Would he use her ruthlessly?
She was also worried that after Lord Gu knew the truth, he would do something impulsive and destroy the current situation.
It's easy to imagine that Lord Gu must have a bad impression of Liu Zhao.
After learning that Liu Zhao saved him, no one knows what action Lord Gu will take next.
When it comes to things that are out of control, Gu Jiu would rather go slower and take it easier.
The truth is not important. What is important is that Lord Gu has returned safely and has been reinstated. Everyone in the Gu family is overjoyed.
As children, they can continue to enjoy their father's love and live a stable life.
Gu Jiu said, "What Master Ma can't figure out, I can't figure out even more."
Master Gu said in a deep voice, "It's good to be filial. However, you are a girl, and the old man lives a ridiculous life. In the future, without an elder to lead you, you'd better not go to see the old man, so as to avoid encountering an unbearable scene."
Gu Jiu bowed and said, "My daughter will listen to my father. I will be careful with my words and actions in the future and will not dare to act recklessly again."
"After returning, make good preparations. On the morning of the first day of the new year, follow your wife to the palace to pay respects."
"My daughter obeys."
Gu Jiu stood up, said goodbye to Lord Gu, and left the study in the outer courtyard.
Master Gu asked Master Ma, "How is it?"
Master Ma hesitated for a moment, then said, "I think the second young lady is not telling the truth."
Master Gu frowned, "Why do you say that?"
Master Ma said, "In my humble impression, the Second Young Lady is someone with strong opinions and ideas. However, today, the Second Young Lady has been following the adults' words and has never offered any opinions."
"how so?"
Master Ma said, "I have a bold guess, Your Excellency, please listen to it. Perhaps the Second Miss knows the reason why Your Excellency was released safely, and also knows who is behind it. But for some reason, the Second Miss cannot tell you."
Lord Gu laughed at first, then his expression turned extremely serious. "Your guess is really too bold. Xiaojiu is just a young girl who hasn't even reached the age of marriage yet. How could she possibly accomplish something that even the Marquis' Mansion couldn't? How could a girl like her, a boudoir girl, possibly know anyone in the palace?"
Master Ma also thought his speculation was absurd. "Your Excellency is right. This matter should have nothing to do with the Second Young Lady. However, I am still very curious as to why the Second Young Lady wanted to see the Old Master."
Master Gu frowned and said, "I'll go ask the old man later and hear what he has to say."
…
When Old Master Gu saw Master Gu, he was not polite at all. He jumped up, pointed at Master Gu's nose and cursed him, calling him an unfilial son.
"Because of you, the whole government is in turmoil. What kind of official are you? Go home and eat free meals as soon as possible. It's shameful, shameful, so shameful. Why did I give birth to a fool like you?"
Lord Gu's face was dark.
Butler Gu Quan quickly hid away, not daring to listen any further, fearing that Lord Gu would "murder him to silence him."
Lord Gu clenched his fists and finally managed to control his inner anger.
"Father, when Xiaojiu came to pay his respects to you that day, did he say anything?"
"What? Who are you talking about? Who is Xiaojiu?"
Mr. Gu spitted as he spoke, and the saliva sprayed all over Lord Gu's face.
Master Gu closed his eyes, wiped his face, and then said as calmly as possible: "I said that the second girl came to pay her respects to you a few days ago. What did she say?"
Old Master Gu smashed his wine glass. "It's such a trivial matter, and you come to ask me? What are you doing with nothing to do? How would I know what she said? A little girl, she started crying after being frightened. Humph, don't let me see your children again. They are all debt collectors, none of them know how to deal with things."
Master Gu frowned, "The second girl came to pay her respects to you, which is at least a filial act. Can't the old man say a few nice words?"
"Why, are you dissatisfied? This is my home. I can do whatever I want and scold whoever I want. I can scold you, but I can't scold your daughter? Are you stupid? I don't know what sins I did in my past life to give birth to such a stupid person like you. Get out of here, get out of here right now. I get mad when I see you."
Lord Gu was so angry that his heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys were all aching. It was such a misfortune in life to have such a father.
"You still don't leave? I'll beat you to death."
Old Master Gu picked up the teapot and smashed it on Lord Gu's head.
Of course, Lord Gu would not just stand there and get hit. He jumped away and avoided the teapot.
Immediately afterwards, Mr. Gu picked up the wine glass and threw it at Lord Gu.
Lord Gu was so angry that he was kicked out of the room.
Lord Gu clenched and unclenched his fists, unclenched and clenched them again.
Listening to Mr. Gu's scolding, Mr. Gu's face was gloomy, "Father, there is no need to scold. Your son will leave now."
Lord Gu was furious and left with a wave of his sleeves.
Bang!
Mr. Gu closed the door directly and cursed loudly, "Idiot, idiot! The whole family is idiots."
Lord Gu gritted his teeth and restrained himself.
Sometimes he really wanted to be an unfilial son.
Then it wouldn't be so painful.
After cursing enough, Mr. Gu slumped in his chair.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and felt exhausted.
The housekeeper pushed the door open and came in, "Master, I am here to clean the house."
Old Master Gu kicked over the stool beside him and said, "Clean up and bring me two bottles of wine. Also, tell the kitchen to make two side dishes. I want to get drunk today."
Mrs. Fang was very straightforward. She stretched out her hand, and her meaning was self-evident.
If you want to drink and eat snacks, bring money.
These are additional expenses and the public school does not bear this part of the expenses.
Old Master Gu blew his beard and glared, "Bitch, you are all blinded by money."
Mrs. Fang was not afraid of Mr. Gu. She held her head high and said, "This is the rule of the mansion. Old man, you'd better pay me."
snort!
Mr. Gu took out a tael of silver and threw it to Mrs. Fang, "Go quickly. If I'm hungry, I'll beat you to death."
Mrs. Fang picked up the silver, curled her lips, twisted her waist and went out.
…
There are no secrets in the Gu family.
Soon everyone knew that Lord Gu went to pay his respects to Old Master Gu, but was beaten out by Old Master Gu.
The servants discussed it secretly and laughed at Master Gu.
When the eldest wife, Zhang, heard about this, she frowned and said, "Second Master knows that Old Master is acting ridiculously, yet he still tries to cause trouble."
The maid Shaoyao said, "The Second Master has finally been released from prison, so he should pay his respects to the old man."
"The old man is disrespectful to his elders, who is he repaying? He has harmed the whole family. Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this."
When Mrs. Xie learned that Mr. Gu was kicked out by Old Man Gu, she frowned.
She was extremely angry and had accumulated a lot of dissatisfaction with Mr. Gu.
She complained, "Master, what a jerk! He's such a jerk! Why bother going to pay his respects to me?" But the result was that he kicked her out, making her a laughing stock.
I really don't know what the old man is thinking. As an official, he kicked me out. If this gets out, I will lose face.
The old man wanted to make the whole family miserable and miserable, and only then would he be happy."
After saying that, Xie gritted her teeth, wishing she could have a fight with Mr. Gu in person.
However, Mr. Gu would definitely not give Xie any face. He might even scold Xie severely and make her lose face.
After all, when Lord Gu wanted to make Xie his legal wife, Old Master Gu was firmly against it.
From the beginning to the end, Mr. Gu looked down on his daughter-in-law Xie.
She was born in a poor family, has not read many books, and is petty-minded. How can she be qualified to be the daughter-in-law of the Gu family?
But he couldn't persuade Lord Gu, and besides, he was just making Xie his legal wife, not his original wife. In desperation, he finally made Xie his legal wife.
Xie knew that she had no dignity in front of Mr. Gu. Therefore, she never approached him and only dared to complain in private.
Like the first wife Zhang, who got angry and directly confronted Mr. Gu, and even ordered someone to kick Mr. Gu out of the house, Mrs. Xie didn't dare to do that.
Xie doesn't have that confidence.
Zhang was different. She was the eldest daughter-in-law and the original wife who was married through a formal matchmaker. Her family was powerful, she was capable herself, and she had three sons by her side.
Even if Mr. Gu angered her, she would still punish him without mercy.
Chun He comforted Mrs. Xie, "Don't be angry, Madam. The old man's absurd behavior has not happened overnight. After what happened today, the master will learn his lesson and stay away from him in the future."
Xie nodded repeatedly, "We should keep our distance from the old man."
Gu Yue and Gu Shan came to visit Xie together.
"Mom, are you feeling better?"
Mrs. Xie laughed, "Much better. Shan'er, come and sit next to me."
Gu Shan hesitated for a moment, glanced at Gu Yue secretly, then walked forward and sat down next to Xie.
Gu Yue stood there, somewhat dazed.
He seemed unable to believe this scene.
That position had always been hers.
Only she was qualified to sit next to her mother, and Gu Shan could only sit on the side and envy her.
It's only been a few days, why has everything changed?
This change caught Gu Yue off guard and she didn't know how to react.
Chun He reminded Gu Yue, "Third Miss, don't stand. Sit down quickly."
Gu Yue came back to her senses, her eyes suddenly reddened, and she looked at Xie eagerly, "Mother, daughter, daughter..."
Xie said indifferently, "Sit down and talk, don't just stand there."
Gu Yue's heart ached, and tears suddenly fell. She wiped her tears and sat down below Xie.
Gu Shan asked softly, "Mother, I'm going to the palace on the first day of the new year. What preparations should I make?"
Mrs. Xie laughed and said, "Well, the maid from the Marquis' Mansion will be here soon. If you have any questions, just ask her."
In fact, Xie was not quite sure either.
This was also her first time to enter the palace to pay her respects, so she had to rely on Zhang for personal instructions on what to do.
Gu Shan nodded, "A daughter listens to her mother."
Gu Yue wiped away her tears, feeling very unwilling.
She wanted to attract Xie's attention, so she said, "Mother, Haixi Bofu will also enter the palace that day."
Xie said "hmm".
"Then in the palace, can we..."
"No." Before Gu Yue could finish, Xie interrupted her decisively.
She had no intention of listening to Gu Yue's thoughts. No matter what they were, they were all absurd.
Xie's face was stern, and she warned Gu Yue seriously, "Yu'er, the palace is different from other places. Once you enter the palace, your every word and action represents the Gu family.
If you make a mistake, your whole family will be implicated and even your father's career will be affected.
So after you enter the palace, you must stay by my side and not go anywhere. In short, you must not wander around the palace.
If you offend a noble, I will pretend you are not my daughter."
Gu Yue was speechless, tears fell again, and she looked extremely pitiful.
Xie emphasized again, "I'm not kidding you this time. If you dare to mess around in the palace, even if your father beats you to death, I won't stop you. You'll have to take care of yourself."
Gu Yue lowered her head and said pitifully, "My daughter listens to her mother and doesn't dare to do anything reckless."
"I hope you'll keep your promise."
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