Aunt Hu came closer to Gu Zhen.
"Two thousand taels of silver for a safe deposit, isn't that a bit too much?"
Aunt Hu raised an objection.
Gu Jiu explained, "I thought that if Big Sister had more money, she would be more confident. When Big Sister's husband goes to the north to take over, Big Sister can eat or drink whatever she wants. At most, she can spend some money and ask the kitchen to make it for her. Besides, if Big Sister is more generous in the Xu family, she will be able to familiarize herself with the environment faster and gain a firm foothold."
Gu Zhen nodded secretly, thinking that her second sister was very thoughtful.
Aunt Hu said, "If I leave two thousand taels of silver as a dowry, I will only have six thousand taels of silver to buy my dowry. When I get married and display my dowry, won't it look too shabby and make the Xu family laugh at me?"
Gu Jiu said, "Don't worry, Aunt Hu. Master said that all the betrothal gifts from the Xu family will be used to supplement the dowry for my eldest sister. I estimate that the Xu family will give at least two thousand taels of betrothal gifts. With these betrothal gifts, it will not be a problem to buy a dowry of sixty sets."
Aunt Hu still had doubts.
Gu Zhen said straightforwardly, "Second sister, your idea is very good. Let's do it this way. But we can use less silk and more cotton."
"Why is that?" asked Aunt Hu.
Gu Zhen lowered her head, her ears turning red.
Only after Aunt Hu asked her repeatedly did she make a sound, so soft as the buzz of a mosquito.
"Prepare some extra cotton cloth so that you can make clothes for your child when you have one."
Aunt Hu was very surprised. She didn't expect that the child who had never grown up in her mind could think even further ahead than her.
Gu Zhen's face flushed red, she was so embarrassed and annoyed that she couldn't even lift her head.
Gu Jiu laughed, "Big sister is indeed very thoughtful. It's me who didn't think it through."
After saying that, Gu Jiu picked up the pen to modify the list.
Then, Gu Jiu continued, "Regarding the furniture making, I have to inconvenience you, elder sister. We are pressed for time and don't have time to make new furniture. I have discussed with my father that the furniture in your room is of a style that has been popular in recent years. Why not invite a painter to come and repaint it as a dowry? What do you think, elder sister?"
Aunt Hu was the first to frown.
Gu Zhen nodded decisively. "It's not easy to buy sixty sets of dowry in two months. As for the furniture, my second sister's idea is very good. Besides, I like the furniture in my room very much. I'm used to it. I can use it easily after marrying into the Xu family."
"I'm sorry to have wronged you." Aunt Hu said.
Gu Zhen laughed. "I'm not feeling wronged. Before, I was worried that no one would buy me a dowry, but now that my second sister is helping me with the furniture, I'm very happy. I trust my second sister. She'll do whatever she wants with whatever money she has. It's much better than being with my wife."
The eight thousand taels of dowry silver fell into Xie's hands, and I wonder if there will be six thousand taels left.
If she leaves it to Gu Jiu to purchase, at least every penny will be used to buy her dowry, and there is no need to worry about it being embezzled.
Gu Jiu said solemnly: "Thank you for your trust in me, big sister. I will not let you down."
"I should thank you, Second Sister. Without you, my dowry would definitely be nowhere to be found."
"Don't say that, big sister. I'll copy the list and we'll go through it and see if there's anything that needs to be revised."
Gu Jiu was busy preparing Gu Zhen's dowry. In the study in the outer courtyard, the air seemed to be frozen.
When Xie learned that Lord Gu had asked Gu Jiu to take charge of Gu Zhen's dowry, she was so angry that she wanted to pick up a knife and chop Lord Gu to death.
This is a slap in the face!
In front of everyone, he was slapped in the face.
Xie's face flushed red and she stared at Lord Gu angrily.
Lord Gu said expressionlessly, "I have already made the decision on this matter, and it cannot be changed. Just focus on preparing the dowry for the third girl, and you don't need to worry about Zhen's dowry."
Xie sneered repeatedly, what a cruel man.
Once a man turns against you, he can be so heartless and disloyal.
Gu Yan was caught in the middle and was in a difficult situation.
He thought about it, then stood up and said, "Father, please give Mother some respect."
Lord Gu was very dissatisfied. "You don't need to worry about the affairs of the inner chamber. Go back to your room and study."
Gu Cheng sighed inwardly, thought of a solution, and said, "Why not ask Mother to claim illness? That way, Second Sister will have a reason to prepare the dowry for First Sister. Mother won't be embarrassed."
"Why?" Xie was very dissatisfied.
Gu Cheng said very honestly, "This is also for my mother's sake."
Xie snorted coldly, "As long as your father changes his mind, I can save my reputation. As the mistress of the second house, I can't arrange a dowry for a concubine's daughter. If this gets out, how can I have any authority among the servants?"
Lord Gu said indifferently: "You asked for this."
Mrs. Xie grabbed the teacup and was about to throw it at Mr. Gu.
Gu Yan was quick to act and quickly stopped him.
Lord Gu was furious. "Get out! I don't want to see you right now."
Xie was so angry that she was shaking all over and wanted to rush up and scratch Lord Gu's cheek.
Gu Cheng hurriedly grabbed Xie and forcefully pulled her away from the study.
Xie struggled desperately, cursing, "Unfilial son, let me go. You bastard, whose side are you on? Do you still recognize me as your mother?"
Gu Cheng turned a deaf ear to Xie's scolding and used all his strength to pull Xie away.
Seeing this, the maids and servants didn't dare to step forward. It was simply because Gu Cheng's face was so ugly, like a sign of a coming storm.
Gu Cheng dragged Xie all the way back to Furong Courtyard before letting go.
As soon as Xie was free, she jumped up and hit Gu Cheng in the face.
Bang!
"You bastard, do you still have me as your mother in your eyes?"
Gu Yan stood there without moving, taking Xie's slap head-on.
Then he asked coldly, "Has mother calmed down?"
"Unfilial son, get out!" Xie cursed angrily.
Gu Cheng took a deep breath and said calmly, "Mother blames me for taking you away, but if I had the chance to do it again, I would do the same thing again."
Xie picked up the teacup and smashed it on Gu Cheng's head.
This time, Gu Yan did not stand still. He turned his head and avoided the teacup.
Then he said to his servants, "Please take away the teapots, teacups, and all the fragile items."
Xie's face twisted, "How dare you!"
Gu Cheng's face was stern, and he said to the servant coldly, "Are you still not moving?"
The servants all shuddered and, regardless of Mrs. Xie's objection, hurriedly took away all the fragile items in the house.
Xie was furious. "You are a rebel! You are a rebel! You are meddling in my affairs! Do you have any conscience at all? I am your biological mother, and you treat me like this, you unfilial son."
Gu Cheng said coldly, "I understand that my mother blames me. However, if I had to do it again, I would still pull my mother away.
Because... it was obvious that my father was furious and had already developed a dislike for my mother. At this point, whatever my mother said was wrong.
The most important thing for Mom to do right now is to stay calm and avoid meeting Dad for the time being. I'll also try to persuade Dad."
Xie sneered, "I am old and ugly, so your father naturally hates me."
"Mother, you're putting father down too much. I believe the root of everything lies with the Xie family."
Xie was shocked and a little surprised.
"Your father kept saying that he didn't blame me. And I've already cut off all ties with the Xie family. What else is he going to do? Does he want me to die?"
Gu Yan pursed his lips, his expression serious.
"Does mother really think that father has forgotten everything that my uncle did to him? Does mother really think that father has no grudges against him?"
Xie's face was pale.
Gu Cheng continued to provoke Mrs. Xie, "After all, the root of all this lies with Mother. Father is not a generous man."
He is not a magnanimous man, and one sentence says it all.
Mrs. Xie laughed, a smile that was bitter. "You're right, your father is indeed not a generous man. I was naive, actually thinking that the storm would finally end. Haha..."
A chuckle revealed Xie's inner sadness and misery.
She tilted her head back, trying not to let the tears fall. "Your father didn't lock me up in the small Buddhist temple because of you and your brother. He couldn't bear to let you bear a dishonorable reputation. I should be content."
Gu Cheng opened his mouth, wanting to comfort Mrs. Xie, but he didn't know where to start.
Finally, he said, "Mother, please try to be more open-minded. As for the Xie family, since we have already severed ties, then we should sever them completely. When your son has made a name for himself in the future, he will honor you."
Xie laughed at himself.
Just because Gu Cheng had just pulled her back forcefully, Xie Shi didn't expect him to be filial.
She waved her hand and said, "I'm tired, please leave."
Gu Cheng hesitated for a moment, then asked, "There's a banquet at the palace the day after tomorrow. Will mother go?"
"If you let me go, I will go."
Gu Cheng looked helpless, "Goodbye, son."
He walked out of Furong Courtyard and looked at the sky. The sun was setting and the day was about to end.
He felt a little melancholy, a little helpless, and a little confused.
When his eighth brother Gu Gong came up to him and accused him of being disloyal, Gu Cheng was furious and slapped Gu Gong hard.
Gu Gong was stunned.
Gu Cheng lectured him, "You don't even know the time and place when you're throwing a tantrum. Can you just say whatever you want when your parents have a disagreement? Go back and read more books and grow your brain."
Gu Gong was so angry that he didn't even enter Furong Courtyard and ran away with a furious look on his face.
Gu Yan sighed, and as he walked, he unexpectedly arrived at Zhilan Courtyard.
He hesitated for a moment and knocked on the door of Zhilanyuan.
When Xiao Cui saw Gu Yan, she acted as if she saw a ghost. She turned around and ran away without saying a word.
"Miss, Miss, something terrible has happened. The Sixth Young Master has come to visit."
Gu Jiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "What's the big deal? Don't talk nonsense. Qingmei, go and invite the Sixth Young Master in."
Qingmei smiled and went out to invite Gu Cheng.
Xiao Cui felt so embarrassed and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
Gu Cheng was invited into the study, "Excuse me for disturbing my second sister's rest."
"Sixth brother, please sit down. I'm free. Would you like some tea or iced sour plum soup?"
Gu Cheng said, "Let's have sour plum soup."
What he needs now is a cup of refreshing sour plum soup to clear his head.
After drinking a cup of sour plum soup, Gu Yan's complexion finally returned to normal.
He put down the cup and sighed, "I'm sorry to embarrass my second sister."
"Sixth brother, there's no need to do this."
Gu Jiu was very polite.
She was a little confused and didn't understand why Gu Yan came to see her.
Could it be that the relationship between the brother and sister is close enough that they can have intimate conversations with each other?
Probably not yet.
Gu Cheng was silent for a long time before he said, "Madam has been in a bad mood recently. Please bear with me, second sister."
Gu Jiu understood, "I'm preparing the dowry for my elder sister, my wife must be very angry."
Gu Cheng nodded, not denying it. "She was indeed very angry. I tried to persuade her to claim she was sick, which would make everyone look better, but she refused."
Gu Jiu said casually: "Madam has a strong personality. She will naturally be unwilling to claim illness at this time."
Gu Cheng said, "I have tried my best."
Gu Jiu played with the teacup and said carefully, "It's hard to change a person's nature. For those with strong personalities, we can't change them just by trying our best. Sixth brother, instead of trying to change your wife's mind, why not think of other ways?"
Gu Cheng frowned, "What method?"
Gu Jiu said softly, "Remove the firewood from under the cauldron."
Gu Yan frowned, and after a moment's thought, he understood what Gu Jiu meant.
The so-called "removing the firewood from under the cauldron" means that Gu Cheng or Gu Ting should quickly get married. After the young mistress comes into the family, he can make some arrangements and take over the management of the household affairs from Xie Shi.
Since Xie doesn't take care of the family, naturally there won't be any trouble.
Moreover, if he married a strong young lady, as long as Gu Yan stood firm, maybe the young lady could even cure Xie's bad habit of being too self-righteous.
Gu Yan couldn't help but think about this matter.
Gu Jiu lowered her head and smiled, boasting about how she was truly a filial daughter. In order to prevent Master Gu from falling into Xie's trap, she had been encouraging Gu Cheng to cut off the source of the trouble.
It was worth it for Lord Gu to prepare a dowry of 40,000 taels for her.
Gu Cheng seemed to have figured it out and thanked her solemnly, "I have benefited a lot from your conversation with Second Sister. Thank you very much, Second Sister."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Sixth brother, please don't blame me."
"How could that be! I know you really care about me."
Gu Cheng is very sincere.
Gu Jiu also gave him a sincere smile in return.
Gu Yan said goodbye and left, and Gu Jiu personally saw him off to the door.
After seeing Gu Yan off, Gu Jiu returned to his room to rest.
Qingmei helped Gu Jiu wash up and said, "Sixth Young Master must have suffered a lot from the Madam."
Gu Jiu said: "He is Madam's biological son, he deserves to suffer a little."
Qingmei grumbled, "Master and Madam are quarreling so fiercely, I don't know how it will end."
Gu Jiu laughed sarcastically, "How else can this end? After a few days, when everyone stops talking about it, it will be over. Do you think the wife will give in to the master, or the master will give in to the wife?"
Qingmei said, "Of course the master will never give in to the mistress, but as for the mistress, maybe it's possible."
Gu Jiu changed into cotton underwear and lay comfortably on the bed.
"In the past, when they were in love, the wife might have been submissive and submissive. But now, the two have directly torn their relationship apart, and the wife has a son to support her, so she thinks she has every confidence. I bet she won't give in."
Qingmei asked, "Are we going to remain in a stalemate forever?"
Gu Jiu took a sip of boiled water and said, "Of course it won't remain deadlocked forever. Let's wait and see, maybe things will change soon."
Old Mr. Gu, who had not appeared for a long time, found Lord Gu late at night with a wine jug.
He pointed at Mr. Gu's nose and cursed, "Idiot, after all these years you finally did something right."
Lord Gu's face was extremely grim. He was an old man, and he was the prefect of the capital, but he was pointed at and called a fool. It was a complete loss of face.
"It's getting dark, please go back, father."
Old Master Gu sneered, "I won't leave."
Lord Gu frowned, "What exactly does father want to do?"
Old Master Gu said angrily, "Can't you see what I want to do? This is a rare opportunity, why not take it and divorce Mrs. Xie and marry someone else? I will personally select a lady from a prominent family for you and marry her into the family."
Lord Gu's face turned pale. "Ridiculous! Father, please don't mention the idea of divorcing me again."
Old Master Gu glared at him, "You idiot! You're still thinking about Xie. That woman is a troublemaker. Can't you see that? Are you blind?"
Lord Gu was furious. "No matter how bad Mrs. Xie is, she is still the mother of four children. Divorcing her is easy. But if you divorce Mrs. Xie, how will Gu Cheng and Gu Gong gain a foothold in the officialdom in the future? How will Gu Yue and Gu Shan survive in their husband's families? Father, please don't interfere in my affairs. I have my own ideas."
Old Master Gu pointed at Master Gu's nose and cursed, "Idiot, idiot, your whole family is idiots. Can't you find a way to kill Mrs. Xie suddenly? Why do you have to keep her around to make trouble?"
Lord Gu's face darkened. "What kind of person does a father think his son is? Do you think your son is a murderer? This is ridiculous. You want to alienate the father-son relationship between me and my two children? I tell you, it's impossible."
Master Gu was so angry that he smashed the wine pot, "Fool, a summer insect can't talk about ice, you will regret it one day."
Old Master Gu left in a rage. He was so angry that he gave birth to such a stupid son.
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