Gu Jiu was listening to Xiao Cui gossiping about the quarrel between Lord Gu and Mrs. Xie.
Qingzhu walked in and said, "Miss, the master wants you to go to the study in the outer courtyard."
"Master, did you tell me why you wanted to see me at this time?"
Qingzhu shook his head. "The servant who delivered the message didn't know either. He just told the young lady to hurry over. It seems the master has something important to tell him."
Gu Jiu said, "I understand. Tell the messenger that I'll be there soon."
Qingmei was worried, "The master just had a quarrel with the mistress and he wants to see the girl. Could something be wrong?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "No matter if there is something wrong or not, we have to go there."
She guessed in her heart that Lord Gu's meeting with her at this time was probably related to Xie.
After arriving at the door of the study in the outer courtyard, Gu Jiu entered the study after being informed.
"The daughter has met her father."
"Sit down."
Gu Jiu followed suit and sat down on the chair.
She looked at Master Gu calmly. Master Gu had calmed down. There was no trace of anger on his face, but his expression was too serious, as if something particularly serious had happened.
Master Gu coughed twice, cleared his throat, and said, "I heard from your aunt that you have learned the housekeeping and management very well."
"Aunt, you are too kind. I am just doing my best." Gu Jiu bowed slightly and said.
Lord Gu nodded secretly, "It's good that you understand how to do your best in everything."
After a pause, Master Gu took out a dowry list and said, "This is your dowry list. Take a look at it first. If you want to add anything, just let me know."
Gu Jiu was surprised. She didn't expect that Lord Gu would let her review his dowry list in advance.
Then, I felt happy again.
"Thank you, father."
Gu Jiu took the dowry list with both hands. From furniture to daily necessities, cloths and quilts, almost everything a person needs in life can be found on the dowry list.
At the bottom of the list, which is also what Gu Jiu is most concerned about, there are five thousand taels of silver hidden in the bottom of the box.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Five thousand taels of silver could do a lot of things.
In addition to the farms and shops that came as a dowry, Gu Jiu could already foresee herself living the life of a wealthy woman after marriage.
After reading it, Gu Jiu put the dowry list back on the table and said, "Father, you have worked so hard to arrange your daughter's marriage. Everything you need is complete. I can't think of anything else to add."
Master Gu nodded. "As parents, we are here to help our children live a good life. What are your thoughts on the dowry of maids and servants?"
Gu Jiu thought for a moment and said, "My daughter will draw up a list tomorrow and give it to father for review."
"That's fine. The people you marry into as a dowry will all be your trusted confidants in the future, so you need to agree to it. This will prevent discord between master and servant, and prevent others from taking advantage of the situation."
"Thank you for your concern, father."
"Um!"
Lord Gu seemed to find it difficult to talk about the next topic and never opened his mouth.
Seeing this, the butler Gu Quan knew what to do at this time. Of course, he should help his master share his worries.
"I wonder if the second young lady knows that the eldest young lady's wedding is scheduled for July. Time is running out, and the eldest young lady's dowry hasn't been prepared yet. The master is worried about this matter. The second young lady is a good housekeeper and a filial son. It's only right that she step forward to help the master share his worries at this time."
Gu Jiu looked at the housekeeper Gu Quan in surprise. Was she kidding me when she asked him to prepare Gu Zhen's dowry?
Lord Gu really has a brilliant idea. He came up with this idea while arguing with Mrs. Xie.
Gu Jiu said, "The elders are all here. There's no reason for me to prepare the dowry for my elder sister. If the news gets out, I'm afraid people will talk about it."
"No problem!"
Master Gu said simply, "We have to make decisions in an emergency. Madam is busy preparing the third girl's dowry, and Gu Quan is busy preparing your dowry. They are both too busy. Zhen's wedding is coming soon, and the dowry preparations haven't started yet. At this time, everything should take priority over the dowry. You don't need to pay attention to what outsiders say."
Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled. This time, Lord Gu and Mrs. Xie had a quarrel, and it seemed that the situation was three times more serious than the rumors.
Gu Jiu didn't know that Lord Gu had beaten Xie.
If she knew, she would sing a song "Liang Liang" for Xie.
Xie is asking for trouble.
Gu Jiu doesn't need to worry about it, she will destroy herself.
Lord Gu and Mrs. Xie had a quarrel, and Gu Zhen's dowry was just a fuse.
The fundamental reason is that both husband and wife have accumulated a lot of resentment and dissatisfaction towards each other.
Just based on what Xie Mao did, Lord Gu had already hated everyone in the Xie family, including Mrs. Xie.
The reason why he didn't turn against Xie at the beginning was that he didn't want to be laughed at and he also had to save face.
The second reason was to stabilize the backyard to prevent a fire in the backyard, and also to alienate the relationship between the Xie family and the Xie family.
Therefore, Lord Gu tolerated Xie at that time.
The couple got along as if nothing had happened.
It must be said that Lord Gu's patience paralyzed Xie for a time.
Now that the Empress has passed away due to illness and the Eastern Palace is on the decline, the Crown Prince may be deposed at any time.
As an official of the Eastern Palace, Xie Mao could be beheaded at any time.
The situation is very good for Lord Gu.
At this moment, why should Master Gu tolerate Xie any longer? Naturally, he would take the opportunity to teach Xie a lesson and vent the resentment that had accumulated for so long.
However, Xie believed that Lord Gu disliked her because she was old and ugly.
Of course, there are reasons for this.
However, the real reason why Lord Gu hated the Xie family was because of Xie Mao.
Age and fading beauty were merely the final straw that broke Lord Gu's sanity, while the dowry was the fuse that ignited his wrath.
Gu Jiu asked softly, "Father asked me to take care of my elder sister's dowry. Does Madam agree?"
Mr. Gu said with a stern face, "Don't bother with the Madam."
Gu Jiu lowered his head, understanding clearly. It seemed that Master Gu was deliberately trying to embarrass the Xie family.
I don’t know how serious the couple’s quarrel was.
Gu Jiu pondered for a moment, "Sharing my father's worries is a daughter's duty. I wonder how much dowry my father plans to prepare for my elder sister? And how much betrothal gifts will the Xu family prepare?"
Master Gu frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Prepare five for your elder sister..."
He was about to mention a five thousand taels dowry, but when the words were on his lips, Lord Gu suddenly changed his mind and said, "Prepare a dowry of eight thousand taels. I will give three thousand taels privately, plus the money from the public treasury, and the rest will be paid from the account. As for the Xu family's betrothal gift, no matter how much it is, it will all be used as a dowry for your eldest sister. It doesn't make sense for a family like ours to withhold a girl's betrothal gift for household expenses."
Gu Jiu agreed, "Excluding the betrothal gifts, eight thousand taels of silver should be enough for my elder sister's dowry. It's just that time is tight and there is no time to make new furniture. Father, I have an idea, but I don't know if I should tell you."
Master Gu nodded and said, "Go ahead."
Gu Jiu said, "The furniture in Big Sister's room is not outdated in style; it's all popular styles from recent years. Why not hire a few painters to repaint the furniture and bring it to the Xu family as a dowry? That way, we can leave Big Sister with a little extra money to keep."
I'm thinking of setting up a farm and a shop as well. At least that way, Big Sister will have some income every year, so she'll have more money to spend. As for other things, I'll also need to prepare some extra silk, satin, and cotton.
"If I calculate, I should be able to prepare a dowry of 60 units for my elder sister. I have a little idea, what do you think, father?"
Lord Gu nodded secretly, "You have thought it through very carefully. Go down first and draw up a dowry list based on 8,000 taels. If there are no problems, we will purchase it according to the list."
Gu Jiu agreed, "A daughter listens to her father."
After finishing the business, Gu Jiu prepared to leave.
At this time, the servant came in to report that the Sixth Young Master and his wife had arrived.
Gu Jiu was stunned. Xie Shi was so quick to show up right away. He even brought Gu Cheng with him as an assistant.
Gu Jiu secretly looked at Lord Gu, it seemed that there was another tough battle to fight.
Lord Gu frowned, "What are they doing here?"
The servant shook his head, "I don't know."
Master Gu frowned and snorted, "Let them in."
The servant hurried out as if he had been pardoned.
Gu Jiu took the opportunity to say goodbye.
However, Gu Jiu was still a step too slow. Before she walked out of the study, Xie and Gu Yan came in.
As soon as Xie entered the room, she glared at Gu Jiu. Her eyes were spitting fire, as if she wanted to eat someone.
Gu Jiu was not afraid of Xie, she looked at Gu Yan.
Gu Cheng's face looked unhappy, as if he was in a dilemma. He shook his head slightly at Gu Jiu and told him to leave quickly and not get involved in these disputes.
Gu Jiu nodded slightly and was about to leave.
"Stop!" Xie called out, stopping Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu turned around to look at Mrs. Xie, then looked at Lord Gu.
This is a contest between the two of them. She wants to see whether the west wind will prevail over the east wind, or the east wind will prevail over the west wind.
Master Gu said with a stern face, "Xiaojiu, you can leave now. Please hurry up and finish the things I have told you to do."
"A daughter listens to her father."
Gu Jiu ignored Xie and left the study room decisively.
Xie was so angry that her face turned pale and she was extremely resentful.
Gu Cheng coughed lightly, "Mother!"
It seemed like a reminder to Mrs. Xie not to make things difficult for Gu Jiu.
Xie snorted, and was also very dissatisfied with Gu Cheng. After all, was he her biological son? Why did he always speak on Gu Jiu's side?
"What are you doing here? You're dragging Liu Lang along with you. Do you think Liu Lang spends too much time studying?"
Lord Gu was extremely dissatisfied with Xie.
Gu Jiu left the study, and the sounds in the study gradually faded away.
Gu Jiu shook his head slightly. This family war would obviously end with Xie's failure and compromise.
However, will Xie compromise and accept his fate?
Based on Gu Jiu's understanding of the Xie family, it definitely won't happen.
The Xie family will lie dormant for a while, looking for opportunities and waiting for their chance to strike.
However, Lord Gu's understanding of Xie was still superficial.
He didn't know that when a woman goes crazy, her lethality can be extremely alarming.
Just wait and see. One day, Master Gu will fall into the hands of Mrs. Xie and suffer a great loss. Then he will know not to underestimate the women in the inner chamber, especially a crazy woman like Mrs. Xie.
It can be said that Xie and Xie Mao are indeed siblings, both of whom have crazy genes.
Gu Jiu walked in the garden and picked a flower.
Is she going to remind Lord Gu?
Even if she reminded him, would Lord Gu listen?
Lord Gu looked down on the Xie family from the bottom of his heart, so how could he possibly regard the Xie family as a threat?
Gu Jiu smiled softly. Lord Gu would one day pay the price for his contempt for women.
"Oh, this flower is so beautiful."
Gu Jiu sighed.
She should keep silent and not talk too much and annoy others.
There are some things that you won’t believe unless you experience them yourself.
She just stayed quiet like a chicken in the boudoir, watching the couple fight.
Gu Jiu turned around and said to Xiao Cui, "Go and invite the elder sister to Zhilan Courtyard. Tell her that this is about her dowry."
Xiao Cui bowed and agreed, then went to invite Gu Zhen.
Qingmei said, "If the news gets out that the young lady is arranging the dowry for the eldest daughter, I wonder how many people will be shocked. The master is completely disrespecting the mistress."
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "The master and the mistress have already torn their faces apart, how can we possibly give the mistress face? Let's go back to the room, the eldest sister should be here soon."
It’s hot in the garden, so it’s better to go back to Zhilan Courtyard to cool down because there is an ice basin.
The weather got hot early this year, so the government prepared ice basins early.
It would be even more perfect if you have a piece of iced watermelon.
But there was no watermelon.
Gu Jiu said, "My dowry includes two farms. Next year, I'll have watermelons planted on the farms. When the weather gets hot, we'll have iced watermelons to eat."
"The girl is really thinking ahead. She's even thought about next year."
Gu Jiu laughed, "Before, in the outer courtyard study, the master showed me my dowry list. There were quite a few good things. The dowry cost 40,000 taels of silver, so it was really generous. I'm afraid there were 140 dowries."
Qingmei said, "One hundred and forty sets, that's quite a lot. I heard that the third young lady had one hundred and twenty sets of dowry, but her dowry was half less than yours. It shows that each set of dowry is very light and is purely for appearances."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "This is a matter of marriage, so we have to save face. I wonder how much money the madam has prepared for the third sister."
If the dowry is too small, with the rate at which Gu Yue spends money, I'm afraid he will have to go back home to beg for money before next year.
At that time, Xie will give it, give it, or give it.
"Miss, the eldest lady is here, and Aunt Hu is here too."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows, "Please invite them in."
Gu Zhen's eyes were red and swollen, obviously she had been crying.
Aunt Hu also looked worried and nervous.
"Big sister, Aunt Hu, please take a seat. Qingmei, bring the tea."
Gu Zhen was very anxious. As soon as she sat down, she asked, "Second sister, you asked me to come over because it was about my dowry. Please tell me in detail."
Gu Jiu pursed her lips and said, "Don't be impatient, big sister. Drink some tea first and catch your breath. Then we can talk about business."
Gu Zhen was so anxious, but fortunately Aunt Hu held her back and shook her head slightly at her.
Gu Zhen calmed down, drank some tea, and her excitement finally subsided.
"Can you speak now, second sister?"
Gu Jiu pondered for a moment, "To be honest, I just came back from the study in the outer courtyard. My father asked me to prepare a dowry for my eldest sister."
"Ah?" This is Gu Zhen, with a look of surprise and joy on her face.
"What?" This was Aunt Hu, who looked incredulous.
Gu Jiu nodded solemnly, "You heard it right, my father asked me to prepare a dowry for you, big sister. The dowry is eight thousand taels of silver."
"Really?"
Gu Zhen's eyes lit up, she was so happy, "Second sister, you didn't lie to me?"
Gu Jiu smiled and shook his head, "How dare I lie to you about such a big thing."
"That's great." Gu Zhen cried with joy and was extremely excited.
Aunt Hu was worried. "Master bypassed Madam and directly asked the second young lady to buy a dowry for Zhen. This is a slap in the face of Madam."
Gu Zhen muttered, "Madam, you deserve it."
Aunt Hu glared at him, "Shut up. How dare you talk like that? Have you forgotten the rules?"
Gu Zhen felt guilty.
Aunt Hu then said to Gu Jiu, "Young lady, your words were careless and unintentional. Please pretend you didn't hear anything."
Aunt Hu was very worried that Gu Zhen's words would reach Xie's ears.
If Xie deliberately tried to make things difficult for Gu Zhen, it would make her very embarrassed and lose face in front of others.
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "Did Big Sister say anything just now? I didn't hear it."
Aunt Hu felt relieved, thinking that Gu Jiu was the best person. He was considerate in everything he said and did. No wonder the eldest wife, Zhang, the ladies of the neighboring marquisate, and the old lady all liked Gu Jiu.
Gu Zhen is far inferior to Gu Jiu in this aspect and still has a lot to learn.
Aunt Hu gave Gu Jiu a grateful smile.
Gu Jiu nodded slightly and said, "For this eight thousand taels of dowry, please listen to my arrangements first. If you have different ideas, we can slowly discuss and draw up a dowry list that everyone is satisfied with, how about that?"
Gu Zhen nodded repeatedly, "Second sister, tell me, how should we arrange these eight thousand taels?"
Qingmei prepared the four treasures of the study.
Gu Jiu picked up his pen and wrote down the dowry he had initially planned.
After finishing, she handed the list to Gu Zhen for review. "Big sister, please take a look. If there is anything inappropriate, please feel free to point it out."
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