Mr. Xie looked around.
Xie was obviously dissatisfied. "Second brother, don't you trust me? I've already told you that my yard is as solid as iron. No one dares to say a word."
Master Xie smiled and said, "For such a big matter, it's better to be cautious. Can you trust those maids and servants?"
Xie snorted and said nothing.
Second Master Xie gave an awkward smile, "Please forgive me, my dear sister. This is concerning His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so I have to be careful. My eldest brother instructed me to contact the General of the Western Expedition, Marquis of Lu, Pei Ren."
Upon hearing this, Xie's face changed drastically. "What a joke! How can a woman like me contact the Duke of Lu?"
If my husband knew about this, wouldn't my second brother know what the consequences would be? You and my eldest brother clearly want to harm me."
The Western Expedition Army was stationed just a hundred miles away, and Lu Hou Pei Ren lived in the military camp all year round.
However, there was also a general's mansion in Jinzhou, and Lu Hou Pei Ren would occasionally stay in the general's mansion for a few days to handle some official business.
Master Xie said hurriedly, "Sister, you have misunderstood. My elder brother and I would never harm you. Perhaps you don't know that the Marquis of Lu's family is in the military camp right now."
"How is that possible?" Xie didn't believe it.
Second Master Xie lowered his voice and said, “The palace intended to arrange a marriage for the Marquis of Lu’s daughter, but this Miss Pei suddenly became seriously ill and could not get married.
In fact, in order to avoid marriage, Miss Pei disguised herself as a man and quietly left the capital with the eldest son of the Pei family and came to the military camp. She has been living in the northwest for three or four months.
Xie was horrified. "How could my second brother know such a secret?"
"These are all what my eldest brother said. The prince has a spy in the Marquis of Lu's mansion, so he knows a little bit of the inside story."
Xie frowned, thinking that the prince not only had spies in Marquis Lu's mansion, but also had spies around Marquis Lu, so he knew everything so clearly.
Xie asked, "Why did the Crown Prince contact the Marquis of Lu?"
Second Master Xie whispered, "Since the passing of the Duke of Zhenguo, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has lost his support in the army.
In addition, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince values civil officials over military ones, and the military generals are secretly rebelling against him.
Now that the Queen is seriously ill, if anything happens, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be in danger.
Therefore, we must now gather a group of military supporters for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This will allow him to survive any crisis if there is any change in the capital."
The Duke of Zhenguo is the prince's uncle and the emperor's trusted military commander.
It was thanks to the strong advocacy of the Duke of Zhenguo that the legitimate prince Liu Xian was successfully enthroned as the crown prince.
In those years, no matter how big a mistake the prince made or how much he disliked the emperor, the Duke of Zhenguo always had a way to turn the tide and protect the prince.
However, since the death of the Duke of Zhenguo eight years ago, the prince's situation has become dire.
If the Queen also passed away, one can imagine how dangerous the Prince's situation would be.
There is no telling how many people in the capital are ready to kill the prince.
Xie's face turned pale. "The prince is going to rebel?"
"Hush! Sister, don't talk nonsense. The prince just needs a military force to help him deter the villains at a critical moment. He has no other intentions."
Mr. Xie was extremely nervous. After he finished speaking, he ran to the window to check and only breathed a sigh of relief after making sure that no one was eavesdropping.
Xie slumped in her chair. "Big brother wants me to win over Marquis Lu. Humph, you're really putting me in a difficult position. If I remember correctly, Marquis Lu has no relationship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Why would you want to win over Marquis Lu?"
Second Master Xie whispered, "The Marquis of Lu is the most utilitarian, unlike other generals who rebel against the Crown Prince. As long as there are enough benefits, he will definitely be moved."
Xie smiled coldly, "Did Big Brother say all this?"
Master Xie nodded and said, "Don't worry, sister. Big Brother won't make things difficult for you. It's better to say that we are becoming relatives with the Duke of Lu rather than trying to win him over."
Xie was puzzled.
Second Master Xie quickly said, "The Marquis of Lu's legitimate children are still unmarried.
While you are in the northwest, you can get close to the water and the moon first. My sister should first establish a relationship with the General's Mansion, and then find a way to arrange a marriage between the two families' children."
Mrs. Xie stared at Mr. Xie Er, "Is that all?"
Master Xie nodded, "That's all. As for the rest, I will take care of it myself, so I won't have to worry about it."
Xie snorted coldly, "Marrying into the Marquis of Lu's Mansion is easy to say."
Second Master Xie chuckled, "People always come up with ideas. Once the matter is settled, there's no need to worry about not becoming in-laws."
"Second brother, do you want to harm Yue'er? Yue'er is your niece." Xie was extremely dissatisfied.
Second Master Xie smiled and said, "My sister, you misunderstood. Besides Yue'er, there's also Gu Cheng. Letting Gu Cheng marry Miss Pei isn't really an injustice, is it?"
Xie frowned in thought.
Second Master Xie continued to persuade her, "Sister, this is a rare opportunity. Do you really want to give up? As long as you are determined, there will be people who will secretly help you and make your wish come true."
Xie looked at Second Master Xie with a half-smile, "Helping me secretly?"
Mr. Xie nodded repeatedly.
Xie snorted softly, "This is about Liu Lang's lifelong event, second brother, do you think I can make a decision so easily? Second brother, you should give me some time to think it over."
"Sister, take your time to think about it. I will stay at your house for now."
Xie said, "My husband has no contact with the Duke of Lu. It is not easy to establish a relationship with him and then let the children interact with each other."
Mr. Xie laughed. He could tell that his sister was moved.
The Duke of Lu helped the crown prince ascend the throne, so he was a meritorious official of the new dynasty.
It is definitely a good deal to marry the daughter of Marquis Lu.
Given my sister's calculating personality, she will definitely not sit back and let the opportunity slip away.
Second Master Xie offered Xie some advice, "I heard that the Prefect's Wife is a distant relative of the Marquis of Lu's Mansion. My sister is in good terms with the Prefect's Wife. You could try to establish a connection with the Marquis of Lu's Mansion through her connections."
Xie frowned slightly, "If I help my elder brother, what good will it do?"
"Gu Cheng married Miss Pei. It's such a great benefit. Isn't it enough for my sister?"
Mrs. Xie laughed sarcastically, "Of course it's not enough. As my children grow up, there are more and more places to spend money.
Just preparing the betrothal gift for Liu Lang would cost at least 20,000 to 30,000 taels. If my brothers don't help, I wouldn't dare marry the daughter of the Marquis of Lu."
Mr. Xie Er suddenly felt a toothache. He knew his sister was a shrewd and capable person, and it would be impossible to impress her without sufficient benefits.
"Twenty or thirty thousand taels, so much?"
Xie smiled, "Brother, don't tell me you can't even come up with 20,000 or 30,000 taels. Over the years, you've made a lot of fortunes with the support of the Eastern Palace."
Master Xie gritted his teeth and said, "Twenty thousand taels!"
Xie smiled faintly, picked up the teacup, and prepared to see the guest off.
Second Master Xie's expression was distorted. "Twenty-five thousand taels, no more. Add to that the five thousand taels I gave you before, and it will total thirty thousand taels, enough to prepare a betrothal gift for Gu Cheng."
Mrs. Xie put down the teacup and smiled, her smile as beautiful as a flower.
"Thank you for your generosity, second brother. When Liu Lang gets married, second brother must come to the wedding."
Mr. Xie looked unhappy. Twenty-five thousand taels, that would be like cutting off his flesh.
Xie continued, "Besides that, there's one more thing I need your help with."
"Sister, please speak."
Xie snorted, her eyes filled with resentment, "Even after Su's death, she still can't rest in peace. She left behind a pair of children who are like thorns in my side. Especially Gu Jiu."
Master Xie smiled and said, "She's just a little girl, just send her away. There's no need to be angry, sister."
Xie laughed, "Just as my second brother said, if I send her away sooner, I can live a peaceful life for a few days. However, it's not easy to find a family of equal status and satisfy my husband."
"What do you want to do, sister?"
Mrs. Xie pursed her lips and smiled, "I think Xie Xian is a good kid. Why not let Xie Xian marry Gu Jiu? It will be a good opportunity to strengthen the relationship. Given the Xie family's family background, I think my husband will not object. Is Second Brother willing?"
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