"The Princess has ordered that the Madam must not leave the East Courtyard until she has finished copying the household rules."
The old woman stopped Gu Jiu and spoke in a serious tone.
Qingmei took out a thick stack of manuscript paper and threw it in the mother-in-law's face, "Look carefully, this is the family rules a hundred times, why don't you take it and report it to the queen?"
The old woman was stunned. "It's only been a few days, a hundred times, how can you finish copying it so quickly? Qingmei, don't try to fool me."
"Point a little. Is this the hundredth time? If it's one less time, I'll swallow all these manuscripts."
Qingmei put her hands on her hips and was extremely aggressive, almost spitting in the old woman's face.
Gu Jiu ordered, "Bai Zhong, take these manuscripts to Chunhe Hall and hand them in. Tell the princess for me that your daughter-in-law dares not neglect them in the slightest. Read them a hundred times, without missing a single word."
Bai Zhong bowed and accepted the order. Holding the manuscript paper, he laughed strangely at the woman who was blocking his way: "Why are you still blocking the road? As a servant, how can you not have any sense at all?"
After saying that, he pulled the old woman over. He bowed and said to Gu Jiu, "Madam, please come in!"
Gu Jiu nodded with satisfaction. Bai Zhong was very smart.
After she walked away, she could still hear the old woman muttering and complaining to Bai Zhong.
Bai Zhongze forcibly pulled the old woman and walked in another direction.
Walk through the courtyard and arrive at the Tourmaline Pavilion.
As expected, he was stopped by the guards.
Gu Jiu said, "This lady wishes to see the prince. Please inform him."
Song Zheng stepped forward, handed over a few purses, and said a lot of nice things.
The guard at the gate relaxed and said, "Everyone wait, I will go and report to the prince."
Qingmei was a little worried and asked quietly, "Will the prince agree to see the lady?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "He can."
Not long after, the guard came out and said, "Madam, please come in. The prince is in the side hall."
"Thank you!"
Gu Jiu brought Wang Yi, Qingmei, Deng Cunli, and Nanny Fang into the Bixi Pavilion.
The Bixi Pavilion is very large, with three courtyards.
Yards within yards.
The eunuch led them to the side hall.
Judging from the noise, Prince Ning was listening to a little tune.
Gu Jiu laughed, "Everyone outside is going crazy, but the prince is in a good mood."
Chang En, the eunuch who came out of the side hall, raised his eyebrows when he heard this, "Your Highness, please ask the Madam to come in."
Gu Jiu looked at Chang En and nodded slightly, "Eunuch Chang, doesn't the prince want to resolve the matter outside?"
Chang En laughed and said, "It's just a small matter, why should Your Majesty bother with it?"
"Switching some silver is a small matter, right?" Gu Jiu looked at Chang En with a half-smile.
Chang En remained calm and said, "If the prince says it's a small matter, then it's a small matter."
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "I understand. Thank you, Eunuch Chang, for telling me the truth."
Chang En made way for the door and invited Gu Jiu in.
Gu Jiu took a step and walked into the side hall.
The actor who sang the little song was a young man with delicate features, about twenty years old.
His eyebrows and eyes are like silk, and every bit of it is lingering.
She glanced at Gu Jiu from the corner of her eyes, and her voice was full of charm.
What a nice guy with a pretty girl.
Gu Jiu stood in the middle of the side hall and raised his voice, "The daughter-in-law greets the king, may the king be well."
Her voice drowned out the actor's little tune, and the actor's tone became disordered and he could not keep up with the rhythm.
Prince Ning waved his hand.
The actors and musicians hurried out as if they had been pardoned.
When the actor passed by Gu Jiu, he kept his head down, but his eyes were always fixed on Gu Jiu's hands.
What a beautiful pair of hands, I really want to touch them.
The musician knew the actor's temper, so he glared at him and told him to get away from him.
The actor snorted, being extremely arrogant.
After the irrelevant people left, Prince Ning asked, "Dalang's wife, weren't you copying the family rules? Why are you here in Bixi Pavilion?"
Gu Jiu bowed slightly and said, "Reporting to my father, I have copied the family rules. I came here because I have a question that has been weighing on my mind and I can't help but express it."
Prince Ning nodded and said, "Tell me, what are your questions?"
Gu Jiu raised his head and faced Prince Ning. "I want to ask you, father. Is Liu Zhao your biological son?"
Prince Ning narrowed his eyes, his dignity evident even without anger. "How dare you! Do you even know what you're saying?"
"I know what I'm talking about. Please tell me clearly whether Liu Zhao is your biological son or not."
Gu Jiu was stubborn and looked very stubborn.
Prince Ning gripped the armrest of his chair and smiled coldly. In his eyes, Gu Jiu looked exactly like Liu Zhao. They were indeed husband and wife.
"Liu Zhao is of course my biological son. Are you satisfied?"
Gu Jiu's face remained expressionless as he continued to question, "Since Liu Zhao is your biological son, why did you want to kill him? Is you so eager for Liu Zhao to die?"
"Dalang's wife, I advise you to be more careful with your words. This is the prince's residence, not the Gu residence. You are speaking without thinking in front of me. Do you know what the consequences will be?"
Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled, "Before coming, my daughter-in-law had already made all the preparations. Liu Zhao is nominally the eldest son of the palace, but he is not responsible for any good things and all the bad things are blamed on him.
And you, my prince, never considered Liu Zhao's safety. If Liu Zhao died, how could my daughter-in-law have a good ending? Anyway, no one would have a good ending, so what is there to be afraid of my daughter-in-law? "
Prince Ning's face was serious. "After talking for so long, you just want to accuse me of not showing enough favor to Liu Zhao, right?
But don't forget, Liu Zhao, as the eldest son of the royal family, enjoys the honor of being an eldest son, and naturally he must bear the corresponding responsibilities. There is no such thing as simply wanting status and position without assuming the responsibilities that should be assumed.
Let alone the prince, even if it’s me, if the court needs me, if His Majesty needs me, I will not frown even once, even if it means going through fire and water.”
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Your Highness is right, your daughter-in-law absolutely believes that these words are from your heart.
It's just that His Majesty ordered the Ministry of Revenue to be cleared of its arrears, and Your Highness, being loyal and devoted, should have shared His Majesty's burden. Why did he choose to switch the silver?
Are you really not afraid of His Majesty's accountability, or of His Majesty's anger being directed at Liu Zhao? Your Highness's constant claims of going through fire and water are just empty words."
Prince Ning laughed heartily. "As expected, you came here for Lord Gu. You are truly a filial daughter. Gu Jiu, don't forget that you are now the eldest daughter-in-law of the prince's mansion. You should first clarify your position."
"My daughter-in-law is indeed here for Master Gu, and also for the young master. Your Highness is not worried about the young master being imprisoned?"
Prince Ning looked at Gu Jiu with a half-smile, "I really didn't realize that you have such deep feelings for Zhao'er. Or are you just using Zhao'er's identity to gain benefits for yourself?"
Gu Jiu said calmly, "The benefits I seek will also benefit you. I once heard that the prince has always been happy to see the fights between the princes. Your daughter-in-law follows your father's teachings and wants to fight with everyone. Isn't your father happy?"
"I am not unhappy. But you are so audacious to dare challenge me. If you know what's good for you, retreat immediately. For Zhao'er's sake, I will not argue with you this time."
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "After all this talk, the prince has been avoiding talking about the silver swap. Before coming here, I thought it had nothing to do with the prince, and maybe it was done by someone else. But now I can be sure that the silver swap must have been ordered by the prince himself, and the people below were just following orders.
The prince is using Southwest silver to replace the official silver. He shouldn't be going for the nine thousand taels alone."
Prince Ning sneered, "Don't meddle in matters you shouldn't know, or I won't mind ordering punishment."
Gu Jiu nodded, "My daughter-in-law understands. Come, take away all the ornaments in this side hall. This one, this one, that one..."
She pointed at the ornaments on the museum shelves one by one and stopped buying when she had collected 10,000 taels.
Nanny Fang and Deng Cunli looked at each other in bewilderment. What was going on? They were talking, so why were they moving?
Qingmei and Wang Yi had no concerns at all. They moved whatever Gu Jiu pointed at. They were not afraid because this was Bixi Pavilion, the territory of Prince Ning.
Chang En angrily scolded: "How dare you! Who gave you the courage to move the prince's things?"
Gu Jiu smiled, "Of course it was the prince who gave me the courage. Follow my instructions and move away."
Chang En was surprised and confused, and looked at King Ning.
Prince Ning had a lazy expression on his face as he lay on the couch, looking like a boneless person.
He just said, "These are just inanimate objects. Move them all out. I was thinking of changing the furnishings in this room anyway."
This style of painting is wrong.
Isn't it tense?
Isn’t he a prince?
Why didn't King Ning react at all when Gu Jiu wanted to move things?
No one could understand it, the development of the matter was too strange.
Deng Cunli did not hesitate, stepped forward, and picked up a small bronze lion and a porcelain vase.
In his opinion, these are all good things.
A porcelain vase could be worth at least a few hundred taels, while a small bronze lion could be worth several thousand taels.
Nanny Fang also picked up a jade carving, which was worth quite a bit of money.
There were four servants, each holding a variety of items in his hands.
Gu Jiu asked, "Have you got everything?"
Wang Yi chuckled and said, "I picked them all up."
Look at how excited she is. If she were asked to search a house, she would definitely run faster than anyone else.
"Now that we have everything, let's go."
Gu Jiu faced King Ning, bowed, and prepared to leave.
Prince Ning had a look of disgust on his face. "Hurry up and leave, hurry up and leave. I'm afraid of you. Don't come to Bixi Pavilion unless necessary. You are not welcome here."
Gu Jiu said expressionlessly, "I, your daughter-in-law, will follow your father's instructions and will never bother him unless necessary."
She left the Bixi Pavilion with her servants and various ornaments.
When the servants saw this scene, they all opened their mouths wide in disbelief.
The eldest lady plundered the prince's Bixi Pavilion!
This news spread as fast as the wind.
When Gu Jiu walked out of the gate of Bixi Pavilion, Song Zheng came to meet him.
He saw what Qingmei and the others were holding, and was a little stunned. "Madam, what are these?"
Gu Jiu turned around and said to Deng Cunli, "Give these items to Lord Gu. They're worth about 10,000 taels. Tell him to take these items back to the Ministry of Revenue and report them. Don't come to the palace anymore."
The palace is in deep trouble. If Lord Gu continues to come without any regard for the consequences, he will probably get stuck in the quagmire and won't be able to get out.
Deng Cunli vaguely touched the edge of the truth of the incident.
He bowed and accepted the order. "I will hand over all the items to Master Gu right away. If Master Gu asks, how should I answer?"
Gu Jiu thought for a moment and said, "Just tell him that if he doesn't want to die, then don't get involved."
Lord Gu values his life the most. After hearing her warning, he will definitely calm down quickly and leave with the yamen runners.
Deng Cunli took the order and left.
Song Zheng followed with his men and took over all the items from Qingmei and the others.
"Ma'am, here we go."
"Be careful not to break anything."
Gu Jiu gave some instructions, then said to Qingmei and the others, "Let's go to Chunhe Hall. The Queen will send someone to call me over for questioning soon."
…
The side hall of Bixi Pavilion.
The eunuch Chang En replaced a cup of ginseng tea for Prince Ning.
He asked cautiously, "Why did the prince agree to let the eldest lady move all the ornaments in the side hall?"
Prince Ning laughed heartily. "I am a man of great conscience. I cannot let Lord Gu bear the loss of nine thousand taels for me in vain. The eldest son's wife has moved the ornaments away, which can be regarded as putting an end to this matter for me."
Chang En's brows twitched. "Since the prince was willing to let the eldest lady move those ornaments to settle the account for Master Gu, he shouldn't have ordered the servants to switch the money in the first place."
Prince Ning shook his head. "You don't understand. My eldest daughter-in-law is incredibly clever. I don't know what's wrong with her. She seems to have guessed my plan without me saying a word. Well, it's not good for a woman to be too clever. I don't know if it would be a blessing or a curse for Zhao'er to marry her."
Chang En then realized that Prince Ning had another ulterior motive behind having the silver swapped.
I just don't know who Prince Ning is targeting with this move?
…
Outside the palace gate, the two gangs that were fighting fiercely suddenly stopped.
Lord Gu stared at the various ornaments in the box, and a thousand horses were galloping through his mind.
These ornaments look really familiar.
They were clearly the ones that King Ning had ordered people to pack in boxes and asked him if he wanted to take them away.
He remembered it very clearly, especially the little bronze lion, which was rare.
So, King Ning planned it from the beginning?
However, he did not see through Prince Ning's evil scheme and was fooled by Prince Ning again and again.
This is really too much.
Deng Cunli noticed that Lord Gu looked amiss, so he leaned closer and said, "These are the things Madam Zhao ordered us to bring to Lord Gu. They are worth about 10,000 taels. Bringing these back to the Ministry of Revenue will be enough to settle the accounts and save your reputation."
Lord Gu was extremely angry, "Does this official still have any dignity left?"
"If Lord Gu hadn't made it public, who would have known that these items were sent by Madam Zhao? They would have simply assumed that the prince, feeling guilty, had someone fill the shortfall of nine thousand taels."
Lord Gu's expression softened slightly.
Deng Cunli continued, "Madam Zhao also told me to tell you, sir, that she wants you not to come to the palace again."
Lord Gu was dissatisfied, "What does this mean? Is she looking down on me? A son should not look down on his mother's ugliness. Does she understand?"
Deng Cunli whispered, "Master Gu has misunderstood. Madam Zhao is worried about your safety. The situation at the palace is too complicated. I'm afraid it will affect you, and even your life. Please remember not to come to the palace until this matter is resolved."
Lord Gu's expression changed and he asked, "Is it really that serious?"
Deng Cunli said with certainty, "It will be even more serious than you imagine. Remember Prince Consort Chen? That was a lesson for us."
Prince Consort Chen hadn't been dead for long; he was beheaded and thrown into the streets just last month. The horrific scene was unimaginable.
Lord Gu shuddered, his face turned pale with fear.
"I will return to the Ministry of Revenue to report immediately. Tell Madam Zhao to take care of herself. Everything is fine at home, and she doesn't need to worry. She doesn't need to go home unless it's a festival."
Lord Gu is afraid that Gu Jiu will implicate the Gu family.
Deng Cunli understood and said, "I will definitely tell my wife what you said, sir."
"Let's go!"
Lord Gu waved his hand, and the yamen runners carried the box and left arrogantly.
At this time, Gu Jiu had already arrived at Chunhe Hall.
"Sister-in-law, you are so bold that you dare to plunder the prince's Bixi Pavilion."
Xiao Qin'er had a look of gloating on her face.
Gu Jiu chuckled softly, "Fourth brother's wife is well-informed. Why didn't you get the news in time when the Jinwu Guards came?"
Xiao Qin'er was choked and defended herself, "Let's put it one way and the other. Sister-in-law, please don't confuse the two things."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I also ask my fourth sister-in-law not to meddle in other people's business, so as not to appear disgusting."
"you……"
"Are you here yet? Come in if you are."
Princess Pei knew that Xiao Qin'er was arguing with Gu Jiu.
Seeing that Xiao Qin'er seemed no match for her, she spoke up in time to rescue Xiao Qin'er.
Gu Jiu walked into the hall and bowed, "The daughter-in-law pays her respects to the mother."
Pei sneered, "This princess can't rest in peace. The daughter-in-law has already ridden over the heads of her parents-in-law. Are you going to lock this princess in the woodshed and starve her to death someday?"
Gu Jiu pretended to be frightened, "Why do you say that, mother?"
Pei asked sternly, "You even dared to move the ornaments from the Bixi Pavilion. Is there anything else you wouldn't dare to do?"
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