Xie looked at the eldest wife, Zhang, with a half-smile, "Sister-in-law is a good person."
"It's rare that my sister-in-law also cares about Xiaojiu's condition." The eldest wife, Zhang, said sarcastically.
Mrs. Xie's face turned ugly, "Sister-in-law, please be careful with your words."
The eldest wife, Zhang, laughed heartily and said, "It was just a joke, sister-in-law, don't mind it."
Mrs. Xie smiled contemptuously, "In half a month, Dalang will be getting married. Congratulations, sister-in-law, you've finally become a mother-in-law. You'll be able to hold your first grandson in your arms next year."
The eldest son Gu Ban’s wedding date was set for half a month later, only three days later than Gu Mei’s wedding date.
Gu Ban married Zhang's cousin, a girl with a very cheerful personality.
The eldest wife, Zhang, smiled softly, "Sister-in-law, remember to attend the wedding. By the way, in just over a month, it will be Miss Zhen's wedding, and soon after that, it will be Yue'er's wedding. Xiaojiu is in charge of Miss Zhen's dowry, and I heard it's almost ready. Has Sister-in-law prepared Yue'er's dowry?"
Xie said expressionlessly, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I've already prepared Yue'er's dowry."
Madam Zhang smiled and said, "That puts my mind at ease. By the way, Yue'er has been much quieter recently, which is good too. A girl should be quiet and gentle."
Mrs. Xie laughed. Gu Yue had indeed made a lot of progress during this period of time.
She said, how could her daughter be worse than Gu Jiu? She was just confused in the past, but now that she has come to her senses, Gu Yue will get better and better.
Gu Jiu was in a daze and didn't know what day it was.
In the dream, it was as if my soul left my body and traveled through time and space, and the quaint buildings turned into skyscrapers.
She floated all the way back to her familiar home.
Her room is still preserved at home, and her mother is wiping her photo, in which she smiles so brightly.
Time passed quickly, and my brothers all got married and had children.
The parents are surrounded by their children and grandchildren, and they are smiling happily at their children's knees.
Every Qingming Festival, they would get together and visit her at the cemetery.
Gu Jiu floated down from the sky and stared at her own portrait. Her brothers knew her preferences and chose her favorite photo as her portrait.
The brothers and parents grew old, and the third generation of the Gu family grew up. The Gu Group grew bigger and bigger.
My parents retired early and traveled all over the country.
The brothers are also busy with their careers and training heirs.
No matter how busy we are or how far away we are, we will take time to return home on the Qingming Festival, visit her at the cemetery and talk to her.
Seeing her parents healthy and her brothers and their families happy, she felt a little sad but also very satisfied.
She smiled, and her smile was as bright as in the photo.
In the eyes of her family, she will always remain in the best twenties of her life.
A gust of wind blew, and she gradually drifted away, farther and farther away from her family.
She felt no regrets, everything was perfect and she was content.
Gu Jiu opened his eyes and it was daybreak.
Did she sleep all night?
His whole body was soft and wet, as if he had just been fished out of the water.
How much sweat did she produce to get so wet?
Qingmei brought some hot water and prepared to wipe Gu Jiu's body.
She walked into the bedroom, squeezed the towel clean, and turned around to see Gu Jiu open his eyes.
Qingmei cried out excitedly, "Miss, you are finally awake. Thank God, you are finally awake. I was almost scared to death."
Gu Jiu sat up from the bed.
Qingmei quickly stepped forward to support her, "Be careful, girl."
Gu Jiu felt as if he had lost two pounds, feeling light and weak, but he was surprisingly in good spirits.
She asked, "How long did I sleep?"
"Don't you remember? The night before last, after taking a bath, she lay in bed and never woke up. She also had a high fever. Later, I asked a doctor to take her pulse and prescribe medicine. The doctor said that she was stimulated and that's why she became like this."
Gu Jiu remembered that she had felt uncomfortable all over when she was bathing. She had never expected to have a fever.
"So I slept for two days and two nights?"
Qingmei nodded repeatedly, "This servant is almost dying of anxiety. If the young lady doesn't wake up, this servant wants to ask the master to invite a Taoist nun to the mansion to perform a ritual for the young lady."
Gu Jiu laughed, "I'm all sticky, let me wash up first."
"I will obey you, young lady."
With Qingmei's help, Gu Jiu finished washing up and changed into a dry cotton inner garment.
I drank two more glasses of water and ate two snacks, and finally I had the strength to do it again.
He called the four maids over and stared at their left hands.
When Qingmei was serving her before, she noticed that Qingmei's left hand was swollen.
Apparently something happened while she was asleep.
"Tell me, what happened to your hands?"
The three maids subconsciously hid their left hands. Wang Yi didn't need to do anything with her hands.
Gu Jiu said, "Don't hide, I saw everything. But did you get beaten?"
Qingzhu said, "It was our servants who failed to take good care of the girl. We deserved to be spanked with the ruler."
Gu Jiu frowned and asked, "Did the Madam order you to be beaten?"
The four maids remained silent.
Gu Jiu's face darkened.
Wang Yi was honest, nodded, and said, "It was Madam who ordered the beating."
Gu Jiu narrowed his eyes slightly. Xie really was not willing to miss any opportunity.
Then she said, "I'm sorry for putting you in such a difficult position."
Qingmei and the others shook their heads repeatedly, "We are not wronged. It is indeed our fault that we did not take good care of the girl."
Gu Jiu raised his hand to stop Qingmei from continuing.
"You were all terrified by what happened at Jumeizhai that day, right?"
Aside from Wang Yi, the other three maids were all pale. The scene of Jumeizhai, where blood flowed like a river and corpses were scattered all over the ground, was deeply etched in their minds. They couldn't forget it even if they wanted to.
For the past two days, they were busy taking care of Gu Jiu during the day and had nightmares all night long. Everyone had dark circles under their eyes.
Gu Jiu sighed softly and said, "It's me who has implicated you."
"Don't say that, girl. No one expected what happened that day. It was all an accident."
Gu Jiu said to the four maids, "It was indeed an accident, so don't think too much about it. If you can't sleep well at night, I will prescribe a prescription for you to help you sleep."
Qingmei smiled and said, "The girl's awakening is better than any medicine."
Gu Jiu said, "Sleep is a very important matter and should not be neglected. I will also give you a medicine to reduce swelling and dissolve blood stasis. Rub it on your hands and it will be very effective."
"The young lady has just woken up, so you should continue to lie down and rest. The servants can still hold on."
"If you can hold on, I can hold on too. I've slept for two days and two nights, so I don't need to lie down and rest now. I should get up and move around and stretch my muscles. Don't worry about me, I'm recovered. I just haven't eaten for two days and I'm a little weak."
Gu Jiu got up, went to the study, picked up a pen and wrote down two prescriptions, and asked Xiao Cui to go to the warehouse to get the medicine.
She called Qingmei over and asked, "Is everything alright in the mansion these past two days?"
Qingmei said, "When the neighboring Marquis' Mansion learned that the young lady was ill, the old lady and the three ladies sent people to visit her and brought her many medicinal herbs. Miss Mei even came in person, and at that time the young lady was still in a coma."
Gu Jiu said, "Sister Mei is getting married soon, and she came to visit me at this time. I have to accept her kindness. As for the old lady and my three aunts, I will go to the Marquis' Mansion to pay my respects to them another day. Is there anything else?"
Qingmei shook her head. "Nothing else. Ah, the Third Miss hasn't gone out these days. She hasn't gone to the meeting hall to learn housekeeping, nor has she gone to the Marquis's primary school to study."
Gu Jiu asked curiously, "Do you know the reason?"
"I heard that the third young lady is not feeling well due to the harsh summer weather and doesn't like to go out."
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow. How come he had never heard of Gu Yue suffering from summer pain when he was in the northwest? But now that he was in the capital, he began to suffer from summer pain.
She asked again, "What's going on outside? Did Erzhuang send in any news?"
Qingmei lowered her voice and said, "My dear lady, the master hasn't been home for two days. He lives and eats at the government office and is very busy.
I heard that the master was called to the palace and was scolded by His Majesty.
Besides, Erzhuang has already been released from the government office, but Jumeizhai has not yet opened, so we have to wait a while before it can open."
Gu Jiu asked, "Did Fourth Brother Gu Yu send any news?"
Qingmei shook her head, "Master Gu Si didn't send anyone to deliver the message."
Gu Jiu lowered his voice and asked, "Where is Xie Mao?"
Qingmei and the others didn't see Gu Jiu kill Xie Mao, but they saw the killer dressed as a porter carrying Xie Mao's body out of the room.
I will never forget that scene in my life.
As for who killed Xie Mao, Qingmei and the others didn't dare to investigate further.
Qingmei whispered, "No news yet."
Gu Jiu was surprised. Two days had passed, and the Jinwu Guards had come forward in person, but they still hadn't found Xie Mao's body?
Xie Mao didn’t go home, won’t the Xie family look for him?
Didn’t the Eastern Palace react at all?
Gu Jiu felt something was strange.
The Jinwu Guards' ability to handle cases shouldn't be that bad, right? Could it be that someone has tampered with the case, slowing down the Jinwu Guards' handling of the case?
Thinking of this, Fang Shaojian popped up in Gu Jiu's mind.
Gu Jiu looked out the window. Was Fang Shaojian dead or alive? Could he handle the aftermath properly?
…
In the Eastern Palace, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has lost some weight in just a few days.
He was discussing important matters with his subordinates.
The guards of the Eastern Palace were killed in a cloth shop in the south of the city. The owner and the shop assistants were also killed.
It can be said that there is no evidence to prove the truth.
Everyone said that thieves had broken into the capital.
Of course, no one from the court to the royal family believed this statement.
What the hell are these thieves? Where did these thieves come from in the capital? It’s obvious that someone is desperate and has done something desperate.
The so-called thieves are just trying to deceive the people and confuse them.
The Crown Prince's Secretary, Lord Xu, looked at His Royal Highness and said, "Your Highness, make a decision. The Eastern Palace guards died in the cloth shop south of the city. Someone must be plotting to assassinate Your Highness. We must seize this opportunity to suppress our enemy."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's face turned pale. "Thank you, my Lord, there's still no news. Why don't you wait a little longer?"
The Crown Prince's Secretary, Lord Xu, shook his head. "We can't wait any longer. Lord Xie hasn't shown up yet, so he's definitely in danger. There's a rumor that an unidentified body was found in the cloth shop, so it's probably Lord Xie."
His Royal Highness's lips trembled twice. "Could it be that Lord Xie really met with an accident? Wouldn't I have harmed Lord Xie?"
"Thank you for your loyalty to His Highness. I can finally rest in peace."
Lord Xu showed no emotion, and his tone seemed cold and indifferent.
His Royal Highness was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm worried that making a fuss about the murder of the Eastern Palace guards will only backfire. My father has been extremely irritable lately. He might suspect that I dared to cause trouble during my mourning period and, in a rage, depose me."
"Your Highness, be careful with your words."
Lord Xu frowned slightly. "Your Highness has done nothing wrong. Why does Your Majesty want to depose the Crown Prince? Your Highness, please don't scare yourself. Also, I think some of the people around Your Highness should be cleansed."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's expression changed slightly.
Lord Xu's attitude was unusually firm, "If Your Highness cannot make a decision in time, then I will dare to make the decision on Your Highness' behalf.
While the murder of the East Palace guard remains unsolved and other princes and other nobles are suspected, we are stirring up trouble. If this is handled well, His Highness will definitely benefit from it."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked, "Can you really drag others into this mess?"
"Your Highness, rest assured. I will do my best to see this through."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Xu."
"It is my duty to share your Highness's worries."
Lord Xu left Bowang Garden and met Crown Princess Sun on the garden path.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
"No need to be polite! Is the matter settled?"
Xu Aiqing nodded, "Your Highness has agreed to let me handle this matter. Also, the identity of that unidentified corpse is about to be revealed."
Crown Princess Sun smiled and said, "No need to keep hiding it, just make it public."
"This is like adding a drop of water to a frying pan; it will explode." Lord Xu reminded the other party in a low voice.
Crown Princess Sun smiled and said, "This is exactly what I want. Even if I have to die, I'll take a few people with me. We can't have the East Palace suffer in vain while other palaces prosper. Your Highness can tolerate this, but I can't."
Master Xu, the Crown Prince's Secretary, stroked his beard and nodded secretly, "Your Majesty, please advise His Highness more often when you have time. It has come to this point, and we cannot continue to hesitate."
Crown Princess Sun gave a bitter laugh. "Don't you know, Lord Xu, that His Highness is just like that? He's always indecisive. When the Queen Mother was around, he had her to rely on. Now that she's gone, His Highness has no backbone, and his indecisiveness has only gotten worse."
Upon hearing this, Lord Xu sighed secretly, "Your Majesty, you have worked hard."
"This palace and you, Lord Xu, are all concerned about His Highness's future and the lives of everyone in the Eastern Palace."
"Yes, we are all for His Highness's future."
Lord Xu said goodbye and left.
Princess Sun hesitated for a moment and simply went to Bowang Garden to visit His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked worried, as recent events had been happening one after another.
First, Fang Shaojian was wanted by the whole city, and then Xie Mao led people to capture Fang Shaojian.
Fang Shaojian was not found, but Xie Mao died.
Does all this mean that his reign as crown prince has come to an end?
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was worried, his brows furrowed.
When he saw Crown Princess Sun approaching, he asked, "Why are you here?"
"I was worried, so I came to visit Your Highness. Has Your Highness been drinking again?"
The Crown Prince gave a bitter laugh, "The only way to relieve my worries is to drink Du Kang. Now all I can rely on is the wine in my glass."
Crown Princess Sun frowned, very dissatisfied, "Your Highness, why are you giving up on yourself?"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince smiled and said, "Time is running out. I've toiled for most of my life, endured decades of suffering, and now I just want to indulge myself. Is that wrong?"
Crown Princess Sun asked, "Your Highness, why do you think your time is running out? Is someone gossiping about you?"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince waved his hand, "Don't be suspicious, no one is gossiping in my ears. I have a feeling that I may not survive three years."
"nonsense!"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was stunned, unable to believe that the Crown Princess dared to scold him.
Crown Princess Sun angrily said, "Your Highness is in a difficult situation, and everyone knows it. At this time, Your Highness must not give up on yourself. Instead, you should cheer up, work hard, and plan for the future."
"Worrying so much about planning for the future? Haha, is it any use?"
"If you don't try, how do you know it won't work?"
The Crown Prince shook his head. "It's useless. Father hates me and will destroy me sooner or later."
"That's not necessarily true." Crown Princess Sun said in a firm voice.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked at the Crown Princess in confusion.
Crown Princess Sun opened her mouth and wanted to say that Fang Shaojian was not dead yet and was hiding in the imperial city.
But when the words came to her lips, she swallowed them back.
She suddenly realized that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was no longer trustworthy.
He was so negative, always thinking about being deposed. How would he react if he knew that Fang Shaojian was not dead and had killed Xie Mao?
Will he look at her with disgust?
Will they call her a vicious woman and accuse her of interfering in politics?
Everything is uncertain.
So Princess Sun backed off and decided to continue keeping it secret.
If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to be decadent, let him continue to be decadent.
The Eastern Palace not only houses His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but also the Emperor's eldest grandson.
As long as it is handled properly, the emperor's eldest grandson may have a chance to ascend the throne.
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