"Dead?"
Gu Jiu was obviously stunned for a moment.
Deng Cunli bowed and said, "He's definitely dead. On the first day of his imprisonment, the former Minister of the Imperial Household, Wen Guangren, attempted suicide by taking poison. He was discovered and rescued in time. Unexpectedly, he still died in the end."
Gu Jiu frowned, "How did he die?"
"It is said that he died from his injuries."
Gu Jiu laughed sarcastically.
"Who would believe that he died from his injuries?"
Deng Cunli said, "The prince doesn't believe Wen Guangren died from his injuries, and he's furious. Several people who were laid off were disturbing the prince by making noise, and he ordered them to be beaten with sticks."
Gu Jiu said softly, "The prince has a really bad temper. Why did he take it out on others? Did Wen Guangren say anything before he died?"
Deng Cunli shook his head. "He didn't explain anything. He just kept saying he was wronged."
Gu Jiu frowned, "Could it be that King Zhao was behind this?"
Deng Cunli had no connections in the imperial prison and could not find out the specific situation.
He said, "Your Highness's plan has been in vain. Prince Zhao has only lost Wen Guangren, but from now on he will always be wary of Your Highness."
Gu Jiu suddenly asked, "Your Highness, you have worked so hard to plan and take advantage of the Ministry of Revenue's clearing of arrears to overthrow Wen Guangren. Is this really to target Prince Zhao?"
Obviously, the most important thing now is to bring down the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.
At this time, Prince Ning needed to cooperate sincerely with Prince Zhao to bring down the crown prince. After that, the two brothers would fight to determine the winner.
Why was Prince Ning so eager to break off relations with Prince Zhao when the Crown Prince was still sitting firmly in his position?
unreasonable!
With King Ning's wisdom, he would not do such a thing that would end up losing more than gaining.
Unless there is someone else behind Wen Guangren besides Prince Zhao, such as the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.
Thinking of this, Gu Jiu took a breath.
Could it be that Prince Ning’s target is really the Eastern Palace?
Unfortunately, Wen Guangren died.
No wonder Prince Ning got so angry and took the man down to vent his anger.
Who would be willing to accept the fact that you finally caught a big fish and it ended up being killed by someone?
Gu Jiu said, "Give orders, don't go out for no reason these days. If you run into the prince, even gods can't save you."
"I obey your command."
After a pause, he asked, "When does Madam plan to start tidying up the kitchen?"
Gu Jiu looked at Deng Cunli, "What's wrong? Could it be that someone came to you to plead for mercy?"
Deng Cunli laughed, "Not only this old slave, but also Nanny Fang, Qingmei, and the others have people looking for them. They all used their connections to intercede for us."
Gu Jiu laughed and said, "Register all the people who asked me to intercede for them. I can use them."
"yes!"
Afterwards, Gu Jiu called Nanny Fang, Xiao Cui, and Qing Zhu over.
"Next, I'm going to start reorganizing the kitchen and laying off the kitchen staff. From today on, you will all go to the kitchen every day to keep an eye on it. No matter how big or small the matter is, record it all and I will review it one by one. If you encounter something you don't understand, please go to Qian Fu."
"As you command."
"Do we need to go shopping for the kitchen as well?" asked Nanny Fang.
Gu Jiu nodded, "Everything needs to be done. Since the princess has entrusted me with the responsibility of the kitchen, I will naturally do my best."
Nanny Fang hesitated for a moment. "Your Highness, the person in charge of the kitchen's purchases was appointed by the Princess. If we really start the purchase, the Princess will probably not agree."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I know about this. You don't have to worry about the princess. Just follow my instructions first."
She wanted to take this opportunity to test Princess Pei's bottom line.
Nanny Fang and the others took the order and left.
Gu Jiu was thinking about the Shangsi Festival which would come in a few days.
The palace must be frugal this year and set an example for the palace. They can't hold grand palace outings like in previous years.
However, Gu Jiu wanted to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather and go out for a walk.
She called Qingmei over and said, "Go back to the Gu Mansion for me and ask Fourth Brother Gu Yu to find a way to get me an invitation. During the Shangsi Festival, we'll go out for a spring outing and watch young unmarried men and women bathing in the spring."
Qingmei became excited when she heard it.
The Shangsi Festival in the capital is rumored to be extremely lively.
It's a pity that I missed the Shangsi Festival last year. I thought I would miss it this year too, but I didn't expect my wife to have already made plans.
She said with a smile: "I will go back to the Gu Mansion right away."
…
The East Palace is a humble room.
Crown Princess Sun sat in front of Fang Shaojian.
Her expression was extremely cold. "Wen Guangren is dead."
Fang Shaojian's expression was calm. "Your Majesty, don't you want him to die?"
Crown Princess Sun snorted coldly, "He died too late. You said that she would die on the day of the imperial imprisonment. But it dragged on for so many days. Maybe someone has already traced her to the Eastern Palace."
Fang Shaojian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are worrying too much. Wen Guangren has been unconscious these days. What can he confess?"
"Then why did Your Majesty suddenly cancel the Shangsi Festival Spring Outing?"
Fang Shaojian smiled and said, "Of course it's because I have no money."
Crown Princess Sun stared at Fang Shaojian with a sinister look, "Don't forget your plan. His Majesty has canceled the Shangsi Festival Spring Outing, so how can we wait until then? Time is running out for the Eastern Palace."
Fang Shaojian said calmly, "Your Majesty, please be patient. Your Majesty has canceled the Shangsi Festival Spring Outing. I suspect that when the weather warms up in May, Your Majesty will definitely go to the temporary palace to escape the heat. Your Majesty and His Highness will be by your side by then, and we'll have the opportunity to take action."
Crown Princess Sun chuckled, "I hope you'll keep your word and not let me down. If not, I'll certainly not have a good ending, but before I die, I'll definitely tear you into pieces."
Fang Shaojian nodded slightly, "I have received the threat from the Empress. Even if it's not for the Empress, for His Highness, I will risk my life. I will never give His Majesty the opportunity to depose His Highness."
"You'd better keep your word."
Crown Princess Sun stood up and left with a flick of her sleeves.
Only Fang Shaojian was left in the shabby room.
He laughed louder and louder, and more and more crazy.
…
The Gu family sent an invitation to Gu Jiu, inviting him to go out for a spring outing on the Shangsi Festival.
While paying respects, Gu Jiu told Princess Pei that she was going out on Shangsi Festival.
Pei frowned, "The mansion is so busy, you still want to go out?"
Gu Jiu said, "I was supposed to go back to my parents' home on the second day of the first lunar month, but I couldn't because of an accident. This Shangsi Festival, my parents' home sent me an invitation, and all the sisters will go out for a day of fun.
The daughter-in-law wanted to join in the fun and get closer to her family.
As for the kitchen, rest assured, mother. My daughter-in-law has already made some plans. After the Shangsi Festival, I will submit the rectification plan for your review."
Pei asked, "According to what you said, the girls from the Marquis' Mansion will also go out?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "Exactly."
Pei said, "Since you are going back, when you meet the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion, please give my regards to her on behalf of the princess."
Gu Jiu readily agreed, "My daughter-in-law obeys your command."
It’s still the old lady’s face that works.
Xiao Qin'er was jealous and wanted to leave the house too.
Why didn't she think of asking her parents to post a notice in advance?
In the past two months, one thing after another has made her very depressed. The spring is so beautiful, if she doesn't go out, she will miss out on such a beautiful spring.
She tried to ask, "Mother, my daughter-in-law also wants to go out and play on the Shangsi Festival."
Pei gave her a look and said, "Don't just play around all day. Have you finished your work? On the Shangsi Festival, unmarried men and women go out for a spring bath. What does it have to do with you?"
Xiao Qin'er was angry and felt depressed and uncomfortable.
When she returned to her room, she complained to Liu Yi.
"On the Shangsi Festival, my sister-in-law was able to go out and play, so why can't I? Speaking of being unmarried, is my sister-in-law also unmarried? Mother is too partial."
Liu Yi laughed heartily. "The word 'partiality' is more appropriate for the elder sister-in-law to say. You say it's inappropriate. Think about it yourself. Has your mother always taken good care of you since you came into the family?"
Xiao Qin'er frowned and asked angrily, "Since you take care of me, why don't you let me go out during the Shangsi Festival? Why don't you go and tell Mother that we can go to the Wei River together to play in the water on the Shangsi Festival?"
When Liu Yi heard this, he was quite interested.
The wine flowing along the winding stream, and the unmarried young men and women getting along with each other, how beautiful it is.
He said, "I'll try to talk to my mother and ask her to let us go out and play together on the Shangsi Festival."
Xiao Qin'er suddenly became happy.
"Then go quickly. The Shangsi Festival is in two days, so settle this matter as soon as possible."
Liu Yi was urged to go out and came to Chunhe Hall to ask Pei for instructions.
Pei stared at Liu Yi with disappointment.
"You're being bewitched by Xiao Qin'er all day long, so don't you have any ideas of your own?"
Liu Yi laughed, "To be honest, mother, I also want to go out and play."
"No money!" Pei rejected Liu Yi decisively.
Liu Yi hurriedly said, "We will pay for it ourselves, without asking the government for money."
Pei looked at him with a half-smile, "You can't call yourself poor now."
Liu Yi smiled awkwardly.
Pei said, "Since you are paying for it yourself, then go ahead."
Liu Yi left with satisfaction.
Pei thought for a moment and called the maid, Lizhi, and said, "Give orders: Anyone who wants to go out during the Shangsi Festival must pay for it themselves. The government will not be responsible for a single penny."
Lizhi asked, "Do I have to pay for food, carriages, and other expenses all by myself?"
Pei nodded, "Exactly!"
Lizhi took the order and passed the message to each courtyard.
When Ouyang Fu heard this, she knew she could leave the house as long as she paid for it herself, so she naturally agreed.
She had a dowry and saved a lot of money after marrying into the palace.
She can still afford the expense of going out for a trip.
Xiao Qin'er was not happy.
She complained to Liu Yi, "How much does it cost to go out? My mother is unwilling to pay such a small amount. I don't believe that the palace is really that poor."
Liu Yi said impatiently, "Speak less."
Xiao Qin'er came close to him and leaned against him. "I'm just thinking about our little family. Now that you have a job, you have to have extra expenses every month. I hope this won't be cut from you too?"
Liu Yi shook his head, "Don't worry. The expenses of the mission will be fully paid by the government."
Xiao Qin'er pursed her lips and smiled, "That's more than enough. It's reduced our yard's expenses by 30% at once. If you still want to eat chicken tongues in the future, you can't do that."
Liu Yi likes to eat chicken, but he only eats chicken tongue.
Every time we eat a serving of steamed chicken tongue, we have to kill hundreds of chickens.
In the past, the palace had an open supply of chickens, as there were enough chickens raised on the farm.
Now that the expenses have been cut, if Liu Yi still wants to eat delicious chicken tongue, he can only pay for it himself and make a reservation in advance from the kitchen.
In Xiao Qiner's opinion, what's so delicious about chicken tongue?
It's labor-intensive and costly, and the taste is just so-so.
After eating it once, she no longer liked it.
Liu Yi, however, never got tired of eating it.
Liu Yi hugged Xiao Qin'er and said, "Next time I want to eat, I'll pay for it myself."
"How much money do you have? Have you saved some private money without telling me?" Xiao Qin'er pinched Liu Yi's arm.
The spring clothes were thin, and Liu Yi frowned when he pinched her. "You always like to pinch people. You need to change this habit."
Xiao Qin'er smiled sweetly, "Did it hurt you?"
"nonsense!"
"Let me rub it for you."
Xiao Qin'er is indeed gentle and considerate.
Liu Yi hugged her and pressed her down.
…
Shangsi Festival.
On the banks of the Wei River.
On this day, unmarried men and women come to the river to play in the water and bathe together.
Of course, it’s not what you imagine, men and women bathing together.
A young unmarried man took off his shirt and washed with his bare chest, revealing his muscular body.
The older girls were not far away, washing their faces and stepping into the water. The braver ones would just let their hair down and wash it in the water.
The older girls gathered together, pointing at the shirtless young man not far away, laughing and commenting on him.
The young men also secretly looked at the girls not far away, and it was clear at a glance who was beautiful and who was ugly.
If someone makes eye contact with each other, they will go to a small wood not far away and find a quiet place to communicate privately.
On this day, such behavior is supported and no one will stop it.
The Shangsi Festival is the only day in the year when men and women do not have to strictly observe separation.
Young men and women, release your youthful enthusiasm to the fullest.
If they are attracted to each other, they will inform both parents and the man will choose an auspicious day to propose marriage.
Of course, the prerequisite is that the two families are well matched.
When Gu Jiu arrived at the Wei River and saw the enthusiastic men and women, he sighed, "This is clearly an ancient version of a large-scale open-air blind date."
In ancient times, men and women also worried about getting married.
There are many unmarried men and women, but not every one of them is suitable for you.
They need to be well-matched, have affection for each other, and be both talented and beautiful. How can we be sure without an in-person blind date?
Gu Jiu sighed again, "The atmosphere in the capital is actually more open than in the northwest."
When celebrating the Shangsi Festival in the northwest, there is nothing like this.
Only after arriving in the capital did Gu Jiu hear people talking about the Shangsi Festival.
Originally, Gu Jiu had already planned to go out and see the world during last year's Shangsi Festival.
As a result, she was betrothed to Liu Zhao, and since they were not unmarried, she was not allowed to go out for fear of accidents.
At least this year, she took the excuse of going out for a spring outing and finally witnessed the ancient carnival day for single men and women.
The royal family, dignitaries and nobles occupied the best sections of the river upstream.
People of other identities could only play in the river dozens of miles away.
In this way, people with mismatched family backgrounds are effectively isolated from appearing in the same section of the river.
"Second sister, we are here."
Gu Shan waved to Gu Jiu excitedly.
Gu Jiu laughed. It had been a long time since he saw everyone so happy.
She lifted her skirt and ran over without caring about etiquette.
Not far away, Xiao Qin'er saw this scene and was very contemptuous. "She talks about rules every day, but she is the one who breaks the rules the most."
Ouyang Fu smiled secretly, "My family is here. Fourth sister-in-law, you can have fun by yourself. I'll take my leave first."
Xiao Qin'er looked everywhere for the Xiao family, and she didn't smile until she saw her mother's family.
Gu Shan, Gu Lin, and Gu Jun played in the water with the sisters from the Marquis' Mansion.
Everyone laughed and pointed at the shirtless young men in the distance, "Those men's skin is even whiter than women's. Are they still men?"
"Those are just scholars, weak and powerless, only able to do the slang."
"My brothers are still better looking."
All the men from the Gu Mansion and the Hou Mansion went out to find their soulmates during the Shangsi Festival.
Gu Jiu found Gu Ting among the group of men.
Gu Ting has been training in the military camp for more than a year and is now a completely different person.
The tendons all over his body are very eye-catching.
Even Gu Yan, a scholar, has muscles.
She also saw her cousin Su Zhengsu.
Cousin Su didn't go into the water, he just stood on the shore.
He seemed to sense Gu Jiu's gaze, turned around, and their eyes met.
Su Zheng hesitated for a moment and walked over.
"Here they come, here they come, someone is coming."
The older girl was incredibly excited.
"Don't talk nonsense, that's the young master of the Su family." Qingmei hurriedly introduced.
As soon as they heard it was the young master of the Su family, everyone lost interest.
Gu Jiu laughed heartily, and when Su Zheng approached, he teased, "Cousin Su, you should also go in the water and show off. That way, you can attract more attention."
Su Zheng was a little embarrassed. "I dare not talk about marriage until I get my degree. I didn't expect my cousin Xiaojiu to come too."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I just came out to join in the fun."
"The beautiful spring time should not be wasted."
After a pause, Su Zheng asked with concern, "Is Gongzi Zhao okay?"
"Cousin Lei Su is worried, but the young master is fine. The officials of the Zongzheng Temple dare not embarrass him."
"That's good. The Ministry of Revenue has been clearing out arrears lately, and the whole capital is in turmoil. Is your palace in a hurry?"
"I got through the first stage smoothly. But I just don't have the money to pay off the remaining debt."
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