"Miss, someone has arrived from the palace, saying they are here to announce the Empress's decree. The First and Second Madams are waiting in the front hall, so please hurry over."
Xiao Cui came in hurriedly from outside, sweating profusely.
Gu Jiu put down the book in his hand and asked, "Are the master and uncle not at home?"
"Both masters are out visiting guests. Miss, have you forgotten that the Chen family has a banquet tonight and has invited the master and the eldest master?"
The Chen family is Mr. Gu’s maternal grandfather’s family, and also the maiden family of Gu Jiu’s grandmother.
By Gu Jiu's generation, the two families had little contact. Gu Jiu didn't even recognize all of Chen's cousins.
However, Lord Gu's generation has a good relationship with the cousins of the Chen family and they often visit each other.
If either family has a banquet, they will send an invitation to the other party.
Today's Chen family banquet coincides with the banquet held at the Marquis' Mansion.
Lord Gu and the eldest master Gu Zhiming finished their lunch at the Marquis' Mansion and then rushed over in a carriage.
Neither Mrs. Xie nor Mrs. Zhang, the first wife, went.
The girls and boys didn't go either.
Anyway, now only Lord Gu and his brother are still thinking about their relatives from the Chen family, and they are the ones who usually attend banquets.
Other people in the Gu family would choose not to go if they can avoid it.
Lord Gu and the eldest master didn't force it, and the Chen family had no objections either.
Even Mr. Gu hadn't visited his brother-in-law's house for more than ten years. Although both families lived in the capital, they were not far away.
The Chen family never said a word of gossip.
I guess the Chen family is hoping that Mr. Gu won't come to their house, so that he won't get drunk and act crazy in front of the guests.
Since both masters were not at home, when someone came to the palace, only the two ladies had to come out to greet them.
Gu Jiu changed his clothes and rushed to the front hall with his maid.
She thought that only the two wives were there to greet the people from the palace, but she didn't expect that her eldest brother Gu Ban, second brother Gu Jue, and her younger brother Gu Ting and sixth brother Gu Cheng from the first house had all come to the front hall, and they all greeted the eunuchs from the palace together.
Gu Jiu took a deep breath, walked into the front hall, and greeted the eunuch first.
The eunuch was a stranger to me. It was the first time I met him. He had a fair complexion and no beard. He looked to be about forty years old. His surname was Xia and people called him Eunuch Xia.
"Meet Eunuch Xia."
Eunuch Xia looked Gu Jiu up and down with his eyes, just like selecting goods.
"This is Miss Gu Er, she's so pretty."
"Your Excellency is so kind."
Gu Jiu said calmly.
Eunuch Xia said, "We are under the order of the Empress Dowager to summon Miss Gu Jiu from the General's Mansion to the palace at 3:30 am tomorrow."
"Your servant obeys your order." Gu Jiu bowed and accepted the order.
Eunuch Xia smiled and said, "Miss Gu, remember to bring a few more sets of clothes. The Queen might let you stay in the palace for a few days."
Gu Jiu was surprised, his heart was pounding, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.
She looked at Eunuch Xia and asked, "Does Her Majesty really want to let me and the others stay in the palace?"
Eunuch Xia was like a smiling Buddha, smiling before he spoke. "Miss Gu, you're right to prepare. We still have to go to the next house to convey the imperial edict, so I'll take my leave first."
"Take care, father-in-law."
Gu Ban stood up, personally escorted Eunuch Xia out of the Gu Mansion, and presented him with a generous reward.
A moment later, Gu Ban returned to the front hall.
Everyone is still here, no one has left.
The eldest wife, Zhang, frowned and looked at Gu Jiu worriedly, "What is the Queen's intention in summoning Xiao Jiu and the others to the palace?"
Xie smiled, "Who knows? Second girl, go down and get ready. Tomorrow morning, I'll have someone escort you to the palace gate. For the next few days, you'll be staying in the palace. Be careful about everything, talk less and watch more, and don't cause trouble for your family."
Gu Jiu ignored Xie.
Gu Ting yelled, "Sister, if you don't want to go, just pretend to be sick."
Gu Jiu shook his head, "It's too late! Eunuch Xia saw me and knew I was fine. If I claim to be sick now, the palace will definitely be unhappy."
"Sanlang, please don't give me such stupid ideas. Do you want to harm the whole family?"
Xie was extremely dissatisfied and scolded Gu Ting harshly.
Gu Ting snorted twice, "I'm worried about my second sister."
Mrs. Xie was furious. "Is the life of the second girl more important, or the lives of the whole family?"
Gu Ting was speechless.
Gu Jiu frowned. Did Xie eat some explosives today?
The eldest wife, Zhang, said, "Sister-in-law, please be careful when you speak in front of the younger generation. Xiaojiu has already said that Sanlang's method is not working, and she must go to the palace on time tomorrow. You keep comparing Xiaojiu's life with the lives of the whole family. Isn't this hurtful?"
Xie snorted coldly, "I'm disciplining our second wife's child, it's not your turn to criticize me, sister-in-law."
Zhang rolled her eyes.
Gu Jiu said, "Madam, don't worry about it. Third brother was just talking. There's no need for you to get so angry. After the first month of the lunar year, Third brother will follow your uncle to the military camp for training. Then you can be out of sight and out of mind, and Madam will have some peace and quiet."
Gu Ting then said, "When I go to the military camp, I won't come back unless there's something wrong. Don't call me back if there's something wrong. Unless my sister sends someone to call me."
Gu Jiu held his forehead and said, "Brother, you are adding fuel to the fire! Didn't you see that Xie's face turned green?"
"Have all of you rebelled?"
Mrs. Xie was very irritable.
Gu Jiu secretly kicked Gu Ting and asked him to go first.
Gu Ting glared at him. How could he be so disloyal as to leave his sister here and go away first?
Gu Jiu looked up at the sky speechlessly, "Brother, don't you know that you are holding us back?"
Forget it, forget it, let her go with her brother.
Gu Jiu said, "If Madam has nothing else to say, my brother and I will take our leave."
Xie stared at Gu Jiu intently, "Second girl, do you think that just because you were betrothed to the prince, you can ignore me? I tell you, no matter who you marry, I am your mother in name only."
Gu Jiu looked at Xie with a half-smile, "Madam, you are right. In name only, we are mother and daughter. So please show your generosity as a legitimate mother and don't argue with me. I need to hurry back to prepare for entering the palace tomorrow. Or do you have a way to make the Empress change her mind and spare me from entering the palace?"
Xie was so stunned that she was speechless.
Zhang winked at Gu Jiu, telling him to leave the place immediately.
Gu Jiu smiled slightly, feeling particularly grateful to Zhang. She and Gu Ting left the front hall first.
Zhang then said to her two sons, "You can all go down as well. I'll send someone to the Chen family to tell your father."
"My son knows."
The two brothers Gu Ban and Gu Jue left the front hall together.
Gu Cheng was still sitting on the chair, frowning.
He didn't avoid Zhang and said directly, "Mother, my second sister has been betrothed to Master Zhao. Please at least give her some respect."
"I give her respect, but who gives me respect?" Xie was very angry.
Her own son, however, sided with Gu Jiu. This was really hurting her heart.
Gu Cheng said, "Second sister is also a member of the Gu family. Even if she marries Gongzi Zhao, she will still be a Gu family aunt and my sister. From now on, we will visit each other during festivals. Mother has offended everyone. If Second sister harbors resentment, it will not be good."
"I'm not afraid of her. I just don't believe she has the guts to lay hands on me. Unless she wants to be branded as unfilial and despised by the whole world."
Xie relied on his status as an elder and felt quite fearless.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yan frowned tightly.
He looked at Mrs. Xie and said, "Second sister really doesn't dare to touch mother, but if she is determined to deal with me, she will have no scruples. If mother is not afraid of delaying her son's future, then you can continue to act willfully and offend Second sister to the lowest point, so that she will hate you for the rest of her life."
Xie was furious and pointed at Gu Cheng with a shocked expression. "You actually threatened your mother for the second girl? How could I have given birth to such an unfilial son like you? You're so ungrateful. Do you still have a conscience?"
Gu Cheng's face turned pale and he looked very embarrassed.
The eldest wife, Zhang, was very dissatisfied and scolded her harshly, "Sister-in-law, have you had enough of this? Are you deliberately trying to push all the children away one by one and alienate them from you?"
Xie was stunned.
Zhang snorted coldly, "Look at you, how do you act like an elder? I think what Gu Cheng said makes a lot of sense."
After all, Gu Jiu is also a girl from the second house. If she becomes respectable, it means that your second house becomes respectable.
What good will it do you to keep finding fault, other than making yourself feel upset?
You've offended everyone, and your children all stay away from you. Is this the result you wanted?"
Xie's face turned pale and she clenched her teeth.
Chun He saw that the situation was not good, and hurriedly brought tea, "Madam, calm down, drink a sip of tea first to cool down your anger."
Xie picked up the teacup, and unexpectedly, she smashed it directly to the ground.
The tea splashed everywhere, splashing all over Chunhe.
Xie's eyes swept over Zhang and Gu Yan, she snorted coldly, stood up and left.
Gu Cheng frowned and called out, "Mother?"
Xie didn't even turn her head and pretended not to hear.
Gu Cheng watched Xie leave and could only sigh helplessly.
Zhang advised, "Liu Lang, don't be too disappointed. A lot has happened today, and your mother is still angry. When she calms down, find another opportunity to talk to her. I believe she will still be able to listen to you."
"Thank you very much, Auntie. We have caused you a lot of trouble these days, but you have not taken it to heart. We are all very grateful."
"We're all family, no need to be so polite."
…
Gu Jiu gave Gu Ting some instructions, asking him not to provoke the Xie family.
Gu Ting was not good at speaking, so he was no match for Xie. After just a few words, Xie would have taken control of him.
Gu Ting chuckled, "It's not because my sister is here that I stand out. If my sister wasn't around, I would avoid her."
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes at him and said, "Don't worry about these things in the inner house from now on. You are a man, and men have ambitions. Leave the matters of the inner house to me. I can't go out anyway, so arguing with my wife is just the right way to kill time."
Gu Ting laughed, "I'll listen to my sister."
The brother and sister parted at the second gate, and Gu Jiu returned to Zhilan Courtyard.
Qingmei and her maids were extremely anxious.
"Miss, you have to go to the palace early tomorrow morning. What should you do?"
Gu Jiu looked calm and pointed at the maids, "I'm not panicking, why are you panicking? It's just entering the palace, not going through fire and water."
"The palace is more terrifying than walking on a mountain of swords and diving into a sea of fire." Qingmei said.
Gu Jiu smiled and pinched Qingmei's cheek, "Alright, even if the sky falls, there are still tall people to hold it up. Even if the Queen has any plans, she will not directly take action against us girls who have been betrothed to the prince, do you understand?
Our marriage was arranged by His Majesty, and we represent His Majesty's reputation. The Empress is such a shrewd person, she wouldn't directly hit His Majesty in the face."
If we have to fight, we will do it secretly, never openly.
The Queen Mother is going to make a final attempt before her death to plan the future trends for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for the next year, or even the next five years.
Five years later, the Empress was powerless and could only do her best and leave the rest to fate.
If the crown prince can survive the emperor, then the crown prince will naturally succeed to the throne.
If the prince couldn't survive the emperor in the end, it could only be said that it was his fate.
Gu Jiu thought that if the Queen wanted to plan the future for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, she must make arrangements in three aspects: the court, the military camp, and the royal family.
Gu Jiu didn't know the inside story of how the plan was arranged, and he didn't even know the names of the officials, so naturally he had no idea.
However, she still saw the basic trend clearly.
The Queen Mother asked them to enter the palace at this time, perhaps using them as bargaining chips?
Or maybe, the Queen wanted to select a few of them to be used as thorns in the various royal palaces?
Maybe there are other intentions, which Gu Jiu couldn't figure out for a moment.
Qingmei packed a big bag, which contained Gu Jiu's toiletries, spare clothes, and various emergency items.
Immediately afterwards, the eldest wife Zhang sent her maid Shaoyao over.
"Sister Shaoyao, please take a seat."
Gu Jiu smiled and asked Shaoyao to sit down and have some tea.
Shaoyao smiled and said, "I won't sit down anymore. I have to hurry back to report. I came here on my wife's orders to give the second young lady some money. Tomorrow the second young lady will enter the palace, and everything will require money. The first wife withdrew a thousand taels from the accounting office, and I brought it all here."
As she spoke, Shaoyao took out a wooden box containing a thousand taels of loose silver notes, the smallest denomination being one tael and the largest being one hundred taels.
Gu Jiu said gratefully, "My aunt loves me the most. Please ask Sister Shaoyao to thank my aunt for me. The last time I went to the palace to see the emperor, it was thanks to the silver that my aunt prepared for me that played a big role. I have always been grateful in my heart."
Shaoyao smiled and said, "Second Miss, you are so polite. The medicinal recipe you sent me last time is very effective. After my wife used it, her period pains are gone every month, and her complexion is much better. Even I and the others have benefited from it. Using that recipe is really nourishing."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "Aunt trusted me and was willing to use the recipe I gave her. I should thank you. If Sister Shaoyao has any difficulties in the future and I can help, please feel free to come to me."
"To hear Second Miss's words is better than anything else. I will take my leave now."
"Qingmei, please send Sister Shaoyao off for me."
Qingmei obeyed the order and sent Shaoyao out.
Shaoyao wanted to make friends with Zhilanyuan, so she was polite to everyone in the academy.
Thinking about the second young lady marrying into the royal palace in the future, it would be a very respectable thing. It would never hurt to make more friends.
Gu Jiu took the 1,000 taels of silver note and expressed his sincere gratitude to his aunt Zhang.
Mrs. Xie acts like an elder all day long, but she has never fulfilled her responsibilities as an elder.
She was going to enter the palace tomorrow, and she only had a few dozen taels of silver. How could it be enough for her to live there?
Last time, this time, Xie never sent anyone to deliver silver.
On the contrary, it was her aunt from the next room who was always thinking about her, fearing that she would feel inconvenienced in the palace, and she prepared silver for her early in the morning.
Of course, Gu Jiu never expected Xie to send someone to give her money.
She simply despised Xie's behavior. Not to mention comparing her with others, even compared with her aunt Zhang, Zhang was far superior to Xie.
The Marquis' Mansion also sent people over to care for Gu Jiu.
Old Madam Wei was very worried. It was obvious that she was deeply wary of the Empress.
Gu Jiu wondered if the old lady had suffered at the hands of the Queen.
"Thank you for your concern, Madam. I'm fine. I've made all the necessary preparations for entering the palace tomorrow. Please, Madam, thank you for my kindness. I'll pay my respects to you tomorrow."
Nanny Yu smiled and said, "Miss Xiaojiu is very filial. Also, this is a little gift from the old lady. She was worried that you were worried about your hands, so she specially asked this maid to bring it to you."
Nanny Yu took out two jade beads. They were very small, but very delicate and made of high-quality jade.
These two small pieces of jade are worth at least a few hundred taels.
Gu Jiu waved his hands quickly, "My aunt has already taken out a thousand taels for me from the account office. I can't take any more of the old lady's things. Please ask Madam to take them back."
"That won't do. The old lady never takes back what she has given away. Besides, I dare not refuse the gift from the elder, so Miss Jiu should accept it quickly. As long as you don't let the old lady down."
"How can this be so embarrassing."
Gu Jiu accepted the two jade beads and kept this token of appreciation in his heart, thinking that if he had the chance in the future, he would definitely return the favor.
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