It was just as Gu Jiu expected.
Lord Gu tried his best to smooth things over the death of his twelfth brother.
Gu Jiu jokingly said, "After returning to the capital, the master's ability to smooth things over has become stronger and stronger."
Qingmei said, "I think maybe the master has no other choice."
Gu Jiu blew on the scalding tea and said, "It's not that I have no other choice, but I just don't want to waste time on this kind of thing.
The master and his wife had a falling out in private, and only after Xie Mao's death did the master give his wife some respect, and their relationship had eased a little. But deep down, the master still hated his wife.
As for Concubine Bai, her beauty has faded due to childbirth. The master is a senior face control, and without a beautiful face, Concubine Bai is just a concubine in name only.
Of course, the master wouldn't bother to waste time and energy on these two people. Besides, the master doesn't have any feelings for the twelfth brother, so there's no need to make a big fuss about it."
Qingmei's face turned pale. "Coming out of your mouth, it seems like the master is so heartless. He's so cruel to both the mistress and Aunt Bai."
Gu Jiu pinched Qingmei's cheek and said, "This is a common problem among men. So don't have too high expectations of men. Lower your expectations a little, and you won't be so disappointed and sad."
Qingmei looked at Gu Jiu and asked, "Miss, do you have any request for Master Zhao?"
Gu Jiu chuckled softly, "Of course I have requirements. But it doesn't matter if he can't meet my requirements. Anyway, I didn't have high hopes in the beginning."
"I hope that the young lady and Master Zhao can live in harmony and love."
Gu Jiu slowly shook his head, "Difficult!"
Xiao Cui came in from outside, "Miss, Aunt Bai is here, she's at the gate."
Qingmei was confused and bewildered. "Mrs. Bai just lost her son, and now she comes looking for you, what does she mean? I'll go and send Mrs. Bai away."
"No, please ask her to come in."
Gu Jiu stopped Qingmei and said, "Aunt Bai is coming here at this time. If I don't see her, she won't let it go. Let her in and listen to what she has to say."
Qingmei muttered, "Aunt Bai is unlucky."
Even if it's unlucky, you have to see it.
Aunt Bai was invited into the study.
Gu Jiu sat still and said in a cold tone, "Please sit down, Aunt Bai. Bring me some tea."
The tea was brought, but Aunt Bai didn't move.
She sat on half of the chair and looked at Gu Jiu, "Second Miss is the smartest one. She must have guessed my intention."
Gu Jiu shook his head. "I don't know why you're here, Auntie. You might as well speak to me directly."
Aunt Bai was overcome with grief when she thought of her twelfth brother's death.
She gnashed her teeth and said, "It was Madam who killed my brother, but Master refused to investigate. I feel very bitter. I hate Madam. This matter will not end like this."
Gu Jiu looked at Aunt Bai with a half-smile, "Aunt, you love your son dearly, I understand. But was it really Madam who caused Twelve Brother's death?"
"It couldn't have been her. She'd been plotting against me since I was pregnant. If I hadn't been careful enough, the baby would have been gone long ago."
When I gave birth, my wife came to the delivery room in person to scare me, which resulted in a difficult birth and the baby was weak and sickly since birth.
Ultimately, my brother's death from illness was all due to my wife."
When Aunt Bai finished speaking, her face was full of gnashing teeth and a ferocious expression.
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow. "I heard that my brother died because his allergies aggravated his condition. Doesn't Auntie want to say something about this?"
Aunt Bai began to cry, "It's my fault for not taking good care of my brother. It's all my fault. If God wants to punish me, he should punish me. Why punish my brother?"
Gu Jiu secretly rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, alright. Is it interesting for Auntie to say this in front of me?"
Aunt Bai wiped away her tears and said timidly, "Excuse me, Second Miss."
Gu Jiu bent his fingers and tapped lightly on the table.
One after another, like a heavy hammer, it hit Aunt Bai's heart.
Aunt Bai's heart was beating wildly, making her feel very confused and guilty.
Finally, it was Gu Jiu who broke the silence. "Auntie, you put on makeup early this morning, right? I remember your favorite rouge is the one with the scent of roses."
Aunt Bai's face turned pale.
Gu Jiu ignored her reaction and continued, "Yesterday, the master went to Acacia Courtyard, but he left after sitting there for less than a cup of tea.
The aunt was sharp-minded and had obviously realized what the problem was. She was anxious to regain her former beauty, so she decided to put on some makeup carefully, using your favorite rose-scented rouge.
It just so happened that my brother's condition worsened at this time, and you were worried about him, so you held him up and comforted him yourself. Who would have thought that the rouge on your face..."
"No, that's not it."
Aunt Bai interrupted Gu Jiu harshly, muttering, "That's not the case. I'm not wearing any makeup. All of this is just your guess, Second Miss. It doesn't count."
Gu Jiu laughed sarcastically, "What is the truth? I think Auntie knows it better than anyone else. But Auntie is also very capable, I admire her very much.
As soon as my brother passed away, you thought of taking advantage of the situation and using the fact that my wife went to Xiangsiyuan to visit my brother yesterday to write a beautiful article.
You have calculated everything, but you have ignored the master's current attitude towards you.
If you still have a good appearance, you are very likely to succeed today. Your wife will most likely be sent to the family temple to reflect.
Unfortunately, despite all the calculations, you overlooked yourself. You also overestimated the master's integrity."
Aunt Bai's face was pale and her whole body was shaking like a sieve.
thump!
She suddenly knelt down to Gu Jiu.
"Please spare my life, Miss. Please spare my life, Miss."
Gu Jiu frowned, "Get up. Twelve Brother is your biological child, and you don't care about him. Even after he died, you are willing to use him. What can I, an outsider, say?
Strictly speaking, his death was just an accident, and you obviously didn't expect that putting on makeup would cost the child's life.
As for the fight between you and your wife, that is a matter between the two of you, and I will not interfere."
"No, that's not it."
Aunt Bai said hurriedly, "The second young lady will be getting married at the end of the year. I think the second young lady must be worried about the third young master.
The wife has always been harboring evil intentions and wants to interfere in the third young master's marriage and ruin him.
The second young lady is in the palace, and there are many things going on there, so she certainly can't keep an eye on the situation in the palace at all times.
But I can. I will always keep an eye on the Madam. As soon as I get any news, I will find a way to report it to the Second Young Lady and never let the Madam have the chance to harm the Third Young Master.
Gu Jiu's eyebrows moved, staring at Aunt Bai, "Aunt, what you mean is that you want to cooperate with me?"
Aunt Bai nodded repeatedly, "Please give me a chance, Second Miss. Even if you are unwilling to give me a chance, please give Lin'er a chance.
Lin'er is still young and won't be able to get married for a few years. This time I have completely offended my wife, and it will be impossible for me to have children in the future.
When Lin'er proposed marriage, I couldn't imagine how my wife would treat her.
"Second Miss, please have mercy on me. You will be the emperor's grandson's wife in the future. If you say something, even the master has to listen to you. Please give Lin'er a chance. I kowtow to you."
After saying this, Aunt Bai really knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
Gu Jiu frowned, displeased.
Qingmei and Qingzhu, together, pulled Aunt Bai up.
"Auntie, could you please stop the kowtow trick? Look how scared you are of my daughter. Just speak properly."
Two maids forcibly pulled Aunt Bai up, pressed her down on a chair, and prevented her from moving.
Aunt Bai looked at Gu Jiu with a timid look, waiting for his answer.
Gu Jiu picked up the tea bowl lid and gently stirred the surface of the tea.
Tea leaves floated up in curls and then slowly sank.
Gu Jiu said, "If I can help with Fifth Sister's marriage in the future, I will do my best. We are sisters after all, and I don't want to see her put her trust in the wrong person. As for you, Auntie, you better behave yourself. You'd better not have any ideas about my brother. If you dare to lay a hand on my brother, I will chop off your hand. You know I have the ability to do this, and I promise to do what I say."
Aunt Bai shuddered all over, "Don't worry, Second Miss, I will never lay a hand on the Third Young Master, and I will also be on guard against the Madam laying a hand on the Third Young Master.
The Second Miss probably doesn't know this yet, but Madam secretly asked Gao Sanfu to look for a fresh-looking maid outside, to be her dowry maid."
When Qingmei heard this, she became angry. "Aunt Bai, stop talking nonsense. Do you think sowing discord will help?"
Aunt Bai defended herself, "I'm definitely not trying to sow discord, and I'm certainly not talking nonsense. If you don't believe me, send someone to keep an eye on Gao Sanfu and see what he's been busy with recently. You'll know if I'm talking nonsense or not."
Xie was really capable of preparing a maid as a dowry.
She said to Aunt Bai, "Thank you for your reminder. I will keep an eye on this matter. If you have nothing else to do, please go back."
Aunt Bai was reluctant to leave. In fact, she still wanted to get Gu Jiu's promise to stand by her side and help her deal with Xie.
But it was obvious that Gu Jiu could not make such a promise to her. All this was just her wishful thinking.
Aunt Bai was unwilling to leave like this. She opened her mouth and said, "Second Miss, I'm afraid there are some strange things about your mother's death."
Gu Jiu's eyes suddenly became cold, and his gaze was like a knife, cutting into Aunt Bai's face and body.
With a cold face, she said, "Auntie, be careful with your words. When my mother passed away, you hadn't even entered the mansion yet. How did my mother die? Do you know as much as Aunt Gui? Aunt Bai, you'd better stop and don't force me to take action against you."
Aunt Bai said hurriedly, "I have lost my mind and am talking nonsense. Please, Second Young Lady, be magnanimous and don't hold it against me."
Gu Jiu sneered, "You are indeed insane, and very ill. In order to get me to help you deal with your wife, you dare to make a fuss about my mother's death. Are you looking for death?"
"I dare not, absolutely not."
Gu Jiu's face was indifferent as he served tea to the guests and said, "Qingmei, send Aunt Bai out."
"Aunt Bai, please."
Aunt Bai had no choice but to be asked to leave Zhilan Courtyard.
Qingmei said angrily, "Mrs. Bai is going too far. Miss, do you want to tell the master and mistress the truth about my brother's death?"
Gu Jiu shook his head slightly, "It's not time yet. The master is very angry. If he knew the truth, he might kill Aunt Bai in a rage.
If Aunt Bai died, who would fight with the Madam? Aunt Hu and Aunt Wei both kept a low profile and didn't cause any trouble, but Aunt Bai was the only one who was full of fighting spirit and wanted to compete with the Madam.
Keeping Aunt Bai will benefit us. Of course, when necessary, we must teach Aunt Bai a lesson. Otherwise, she will still think that she can do whatever she wants with me."
Qingzhu was very interested. "Miss, how do you want to teach Aunt Bai a lesson?"
Gu Jiu thought for a moment and said, "It's not appropriate for us to intervene in this matter. Someone from Furong Courtyard has to step in. It would be best if Chunhe could do it. Chunhe has Madam's orders and can torment Aunt Bai as much as he can to teach her a lesson."
Qingmei said hurriedly: "If you want Chunhe to put all her efforts into targeting Aunt Bai, I have a way."
Gu Jiu became interested. "Tell me quickly, what's the solution?"
Qingmei whispered, "I heard that when Aunt Bai was favored, she often spoke ill of Chunhe and the others in front of the master.
At that time, Aunt Bai was worried that the lady would make Chunhe and the others concubines, so whenever she had the chance, she would always say something bad about Chunhe and the others.
A few years ago in the northwest, Chunhe had the opportunity to become a concubine, but it was ruined by Concubine Bai.
I'm afraid Chunhe doesn't know about this. I also heard a married sister whisper a few words about it.
Gu Jiu nodded secretly, "Find a way to tell Chun He about this and let her give Aunt Bai a good beating."
"I understand. Tomorrow I will go to the Marquis' Mansion for a banquet and find a chance to talk to Chun He."
The matter is settled.
Aunt Bai regretted leaving Zhilan Courtyard.
She shouldn't have mentioned the late Madam Su, as it obviously touched Gu Jiu's sore spot.
How to remedy this situation? Aunt Bai thought of Gu Lin.
After returning to Xiangsiyuan, she asked someone to call Gu Lin over.
Gu Lin's eyes were red and swollen. "Auntie, are you okay?"
Aunt Bai said with a heavy heart, "I'm fine, don't be too sad. Tomorrow you'll go to the Marquis' Mansion for a banquet, so remember to be cheerful. You can't look sad on such a happy occasion. Get closer to the Second Young Lady when you have the chance. The Second Young Lady is marrying the Emperor's grandson, so I'm afraid your future marriage will depend on the Second Young Lady."
Gu Lin bit her lip, her expression sad. "It would be so great if my brother wasn't dead."
These words were like a knife stabbing Aunt Bai's heart.
Aunt Bai turned her head away and said, "Don't mention your brother anymore. Just let him leave in peace."
"Aunt, don't be sad. I won't mention my brother anymore. Aunt, you should also be more open-minded. Even if you lose your brother, you still have me."
Aunt Bai nodded heavily and smoothed Gu Lin's hair. "So you must strive to be better and spend more time with your second sister. As long as she is willing to help you, you won't have to worry about your marriage."
"Does Second Sister really have such ability?"
Aunt Bai nodded. "She's more capable than you think. You have to remember that by the end of the year, she'll be the Emperor's grandson's wife. Her words will carry more weight than anything the Madam says."
"My daughter understands. She and my second sister already have a good relationship, and I think my second sister will definitely not reject my closeness."
Aunt Bai breathed a sigh of relief. Although her daughter was sometimes a little stupid, fortunately she had good vision and knew how to get closer to Gu Jiu.
After Lord Gu dealt with the internal affairs, he was full of anger.
With nowhere to go and not wanting to go back to the yamen, he simply asked some colleagues to go out for a drink.
When Mrs. Xie heard that Lord Gu was drinking wine again, she was so angry that her liver ached.
Chun He advised: "Madam, calm down. The master is only here temporarily, and he will definitely not go away in a few days."
Xie's face was gloomy. "I'm not worried about the master drinking wine, I'm worried that the master's heart has been taken away by a vixen."
Chunhe was speechless and didn't know what to say.
Xie looked at Chunhe and thought, "You have been with me for ten years."
Chun He said, "I have been serving in the upper chamber since I was eight years old. Later, thanks to Madam's appreciation, I was promoted to a first-class maid, serving Madam personally."
"Thank you for your hard work over the years."
"It's not hard for me. I am so happy to be able to serve you, Madam."
Mrs. Xie nodded. "For my sake, you've wasted your youth. You maids are not young anymore, so I think it's time to make some plans for you."
Chunhe's heart tightened and he felt a little confused.
She said cautiously, "I am willing to serve Madam for the rest of my life."
Xie smiled and said, "Your beautiful face cannot be wasted by me. Don't worry, I will find a good marriage for you."
"Thank you, ma'am. It's all up to you, ma'am."
Although Chunhe said this, he was a little absent-minded in his heart and almost made a mistake because of distraction.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and corrected the mistake before Xie found out.
She was in a mess and didn't know what to do.
When I returned to my room to rest at night, I tossed and turned and couldn't sleep.
Does the madam really want to send her away?
Marry a servant? Marry a steward? Marry a businessman?
No matter who she marries, she will never be able to enjoy the wealth and splendor of the Gu family.
She grew up in a wealthy family. Although she was a maid, she was more respectable than many legitimate daughters of wealthy families.
Let her marry a servant? A steward? A businessman? She would never be happy with the daily toil and hardship.
Madam, have you really never thought about making her a concubine?
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