"The problem certainly isn't with this bowl of Tremella soup."
Gu Jiu said in a resounding voice.
Huh?
Princess Huyang was surprised.
She looked at Pei, who had no expression on her face.
She asked Gu Jiu, "If it's not the Tremella Soup, then what's the reason? Dalang's wife, don't keep me in suspense and explain the matter clearly."
Gu Jiu looked at Princess Huyang with a half-smile, "Of course the problem lies with the people. Princess, isn't that clear?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Dalang's wife, I think you are trying to shirk your responsibility. You are a bit desperate."
Gu Jiu sneered.
She checked the kitchen and compared the food, just to delay time.
What she really wanted to investigate were the people around Chen Min and the people around Princess Huyang.
Hard work pays off, and Deng Cunli finally found it.
As soon as Bai Zhong came in and reported quietly, she knew that the show was over.
She looked at Princess Huyang, "Princess, do you really want me to tell you the truth?"
Princess Huyang sneered, "What truth can you tell?"
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "I know that two years ago someone presented the princess with a very rare flower, called the Ice Flower.
As the name suggests, this flower only blooms in late winter and early spring and is extremely beautiful.
Despite its beauty, the rhizomes, leaves, and pollen of the ice flower are all poisonous. Ingesting even a small amount can cause diarrhea and vomiting, symptoms similar to those of an upset stomach.
The imperial physician, who had never seen Binglinghua before, couldn't tell if it was poisoning and simply assumed it was a genuine stomach upset.
"You are talking nonsense." Princess Huyang shouted angrily.
Gu Jiu bowed slightly to Pei, "Mother, I wonder if this speculation of yours will satisfy you?"
Pei frowned, "Wife of Dalang, are you wrongly accusing the princess of poisoning Minmin? This is ridiculous. Minmin is the princess's own daughter, don't talk nonsense. Why don't you apologize to the princess quickly?"
"As you command, daughter-in-law. Ah, I wonder what your mother's plans are for my kitchen duties?"
Pei snorted coldly, "Let's talk about it after Qin'er arrives."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, then apologized to Princess Huyang, "Princess, I spoke without thinking and said nonsense. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me."
Princess Huyang was furious. "Sister-in-law, please control your daughter-in-law. It's ridiculous that she dared to slander me."
Pei coughed lightly and said, "It's good to talk things out. Huyang, don't get too excited."
"How can I not be excited? My Minmin is still lying in bed and needs to take medicine for several days. If there is a..."
“Ahem…”
Pei coughed loudly, interrupting Princess Huyang's words forcefully.
Princess Huyang was stunned for a moment, "Sister-in-law, is your throat uncomfortable?"
Pei felt upset. Huyang was more of a hindrance than a help. He even dared to ask her if her throat was comfortable. It really made her angry.
She really shouldn't have had such high hopes for Hu Yang. Leaving things to Hu Yang was simply the stupidest decision.
The servant reported that the fourth lady had arrived.
"Send her in."
Xiao Qin'er entered the hall, first glanced at Gu Jiu, and then bowed.
"Mother asked my daughter-in-law to come over, but does she have any instructions?"
"Do you want to tidy up the kitchen?"
Xiao Qin'er almost nodded. She wanted to, of course she wanted to, even in her dreams.
There is so much oil and water in the kitchen, how could she refuse?
But she could only refuse.
She smiled awkwardly, "Mother, isn't the kitchen managed by my sister-in-law? Why let my daughter-in-law take care of it? This is inappropriate."
"Don't worry about whether it's appropriate or not. Just tell this princess if you can manage the kitchen."
Xiao Qin'er lowered her head, feeling heartbroken.
Such a good opportunity was right in front of her, but she had no choice but to give it up.
"Reporting to my mother, I'm afraid my daughter-in-law's abilities are limited and she's not up to the task."
Pei was surprised.
Princess Huyang was even more surprised. She pointed at Xiao Qin'er and said, "Wife Silang, are you crazy? You actually pushed this opportunity away?"
Xiao Qin'er forced a smile, but her smile was uglier than crying.
She didn't want to do that either, but Gu Jiu had the leverage over her.
Gu Jiu had been preparing for this day and had made preparations early on.
What a cunning cunning guy.
Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled, then asked, "Mother, since Fourth Sister-in-law is not competent, let's hand over the kitchen chores to my daughter-in-law."
She did not mention the fact that Chen Min had a stomachache, but every movement, look, and tone of her voice reminded Pei that if you want to seize my power, I will expose your past.
At worst, I can sue the prince and see who is shameless.
Pei had angina pectoris, and she covered her chest with her hands, looking painful.
She waved her hand, "Everyone, step back. You all should do your own duties. This princess doesn't want anything bad to happen again."
"As ordered by my daughter-in-law."
Gu Jiu and Xiao Qin'er left Chunhe Hall together.
"Sister-in-law, I have rejected mother as you requested. From now on, we owe each other nothing." Xiao Qin'er was very unhappy. She was tricked by Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Why are you being so reserved, Fourth Sister-in-law? We are sisters-in-law, so it's natural for us to visit each other often."
Xiao Qin'er said sternly, "No thanks! I'm afraid my sister-in-law will sell me out."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Okay, I won't force you. From now on, we won't interfere with each other. If you don't cause me any trouble, I won't expose your past. But I have to advise you that lending money at high interest rates is not a long-term solution. You should take care of yourself."
Xiao Qin'er snorted coldly, "Don't worry about my affairs, sister-in-law. Goodbye."
She returned to her room angrily and cried to Liu Yi.
"My sister-in-law is being too much of a bully. She's threatening me with the money I'm lending, forbidding me from working in the kitchen. I've lost all my money in the kitchen. From now on, I won't lend money so freely. This matter can't end like this. Find a way for me to teach her a lesson, no matter what."
Liu Yi was a little annoyed. "Then don't lend money at usury in the future. My father has given me a new task. If I do it well, I won't have to worry about having no money to spend."
Xiao Qin'er stopped crying immediately, "What errand?"
Liu Yi was delighted. "My father asked me to go south to collect money. Don't you think it's a good job? You know, in the past, it was my eldest brother who managed the money and grain for my father. Now that he is imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple, I have the opportunity to get involved in this job."
Xiao Qin'er didn't seem happy, but rather stunned. "You mean, you're going to Jiangnan? How long will you be gone?"
"At least half a year, and I'll definitely be back before the New Year at the latest."
Xiao Qin'er suddenly burst into tears. "You went to Jiangnan to enjoy yourself, leaving me alone in the mansion. What should I do? I don't want to go."
Liu Yi frowned, "Don't mess around. Didn't you just listen to me? This is the job I snatched from my eldest brother. If my eldest brother hadn't been in the Zongzheng Temple, it wouldn't have been my turn.
When I return from Jiangnan, we won't have to worry about money. Stop the usury now, or your sister-in-law won't threaten you with it again."
Xiao Qin'er wiped her tears and said, "As a member of the royal family, you are not allowed to leave the capital without an imperial decree. Why would my father send you to Jiangnan? Don't lie to me."
Liu Yi snorted, "Who said that I left the capital without permission? I am here on a mission.
As you know, the Ministry of Revenue is short of money and has to ask the Ministry of Finance for money every year. However, the Ministry of Finance's income has been decreasing in recent years.
I heard that someone secretly complained that someone in Jiangnan had intercepted the tax silver from the Maritime Customs. My grandfather sent people to investigate the matter thoroughly.
As for me, I'm an imperial envoy, traveling to broaden my horizons. My main purpose is to bring back some money for my father. Otherwise, the palace would be hard-pressed to make ends meet."
Xiao Qin'er bit her lip. "You've been away for a year. What should I do? I don't want you to come back with a concubine on your left and a beauty on your right."
"Look at you, you're jealous again. You're such a jealous bastard. You're the only one in my eyes and heart, and I promise I won't mess around with anyone else. Any beauty can't compare to you, I won't even look at her."
Xiao Qin'er was delighted, but pretended to be arrogant. "Hmph, you only know how to coax me with words. Anyway, you can go to Jiangnan, but you are not allowed to bring women back. If you bring women back, I will not let you go."
Liu Yi pinched Xiao Qin'er's cheek and said, "My dear cousin, my dear wife, you can rest assured. With you, no other woman can catch my eye."
He took the opportunity to suppress her, and the couple quarreled at the head of the bed but made up at the foot of the bed, and in a blink of an eye, they were in love again.
…
In Chunhe Hall, Pei was complaining that Princess Huyang was incompetent.
"You can't even handle a small matter, and you still want me to help you, haha..."
A cold laugh was like a basin of cold water poured on Princess Huyang's head, chilling her to the bone.
She said to Mrs. Pei, "I've already finished the job, even sacrificing my daughter Minmin. As for the fact that it didn't work out, it's not my fault. It's obviously because your daughter-in-law is too smart and didn't fall for it. Sister-in-law is really something. She should act like a mother-in-law and put a hard pressure on Gu Jiu. I don't believe she can still turn the tables."
Pei rubbed her brows. "Pressure, pressure, pressure, you only know how to pressure. Who have you pressured over the years? Princess Fuya, Princess Fuming, Princess Yangshi, which one was suppressed by you?"
Princess Huyang was very embarrassed when her past was exposed.
"Sister-in-law, don't yell at me. I think you can't control Gu Jiu anymore. Just wait and see. One day, she will definitely seize power and ask you to step aside."
“She dares!”
Pei's face darkened.
Princess Huyang laughed. "She has Liu Zhao as her backer, so why wouldn't she dare? Liu Zhao is the eldest son, and the eldest son carries a lot of weight."
"Even if he is the eldest son, he is still my son and has to listen to me."
"That's not necessarily true. I don't think Liu Zhao will listen to you."
Pei was hit in the sore spot and was extremely unhappy. "Alright, leave immediately. You really pissed me off."
Princess Huyang is not someone who can be easily dealt with.
"Sister-in-law, you haven't fulfilled what you promised me."
Pei snorted coldly, "Tomorrow I will go to the palace to see Mother and ask her to issue an order to move you to a Princess's Mansion. I hope you will be satisfied now."
Princess Huyang was very satisfied. "I knew my sister-in-law treated me the best. I have to sell my Princess Mansion quickly. It weighs on my hands, and my heart feels heavy. It's not a good feeling."
Pei sneered, "You are afraid that Prince Consort Chen's ghost will come looking for you."
Princess Huyang's expression changed slightly, she looked fierce but weak, "I'm afraid of a dead ghost like him, what a joke. Sister-in-law, don't talk nonsense."
Pei's face was filled with sarcasm. "If you weren't afraid of Prince Consort Chen's ghost coming after you, why didn't you return to the Princess's Mansion once after the incident? I heard that you passed by the Princess's Mansion several times, but never went in to take a look."
Princess Huyang argued, "I was busy."
hehe!
busy?
Busy keeping a gigolo.
…
Gu Jiu brought medicinal herbs and visited Chen Min for the second time.
Chen Min's face was pale, without a trace of blood on it.
She didn't dare to face Gu Jiu's gaze and became silent.
"Is Sister Min feeling unwell?"
Gu Jiu took her hand and took her pulse.
Chen Min shook her head, "Cousin, I'm sorry."
"I don't blame you. You don't have to say sorry to me."
Chen Min still couldn't let it go. "I never thought my abdominal pain was caused by accidentally drinking the tea my mother gave me. I almost implicated my cousin's wife."
"Don't think too much, Sister Min. It's all in the past. Take good care of yourself and get better soon."
Chen Min nodded and looked at Gu Jiu. "Cousin, is my mother really going to marry the young master of Daihou Mansion who is more than ten years younger than her?"
Gu Jiu frowned, "Who told you this?"
Chen Min said with a gloomy expression, "It's spread all over the mansion, it's hard not to know. My brother had a big fight with mother because of this matter, and he moved back to the Chen Mansion early this morning."
The Chen family was confiscated and beheaded, leaving only the two siblings Chen Lu and Chen Min.
Afterwards, Prince Ning stepped in and took back the Chen family's house for Chen Lu and his sister, as well as two farms and two shops.
But the confiscated properties will never be recovered.
Chen Lu had a big quarrel with Princess Huyang, and instead of returning to the Princess's Mansion, he returned to the Chen family residence.
Gu Jiu asked, "Did your brother bring anyone with him when he returned to the Chen Mansion?"
Chen Min nodded, "I brought four servants, four old servants, and four maids."
Gu Jiu asked again: "When your brother returns to the Chen Mansion, does he have money to eat?"
Now all that remains of the Chen Mansion is a bare house, without even any furniture.
Chen Lu ran back. Where would he sleep at night? Not only did he have to find a bed, he also had to find a way to find bedding and quilts.
Chen Min bit her lip, nodded first, then shook her head.
"When my father was still alive, he always gave my brother and me a lot of pocket money. My brother and I saved some. This time when my brother came back, I gave him all the pocket money."
"Excuse me, how much pocket money do you two siblings have? If it's inconvenient, just pretend I didn't ask."
"It's okay to tell my cousin's wife. My brother and I have two thousand taels of pocket money combined."
Gu Jiu breathed a sigh of relief. "Two thousand taels is enough to cover a year's expenses if we're frugal. By the end of the year, the farm and shop will start to make a profit, and things will be back to normal next year."
"My brother said the same thing. He said that if Mother remarried, he would separate from her. From now on, he would support the Chen family alone. Your Majesty has not restricted my brother's path to success. He can study and take the imperial examinations, or he can learn martial arts and join the army. It's always a path."
Gu Jiu sighed: "Your brother is ambitious, it's amazing."
Chen Lu was still a teenager, perhaps fourteen or thirteen, but at this young age, he already knew how to support his family independently. As long as he persevered, in ten or twenty years, he would surely achieve something.
She asked Chen Lu, "What about you? What do you think?"
Chen Min looked gloomy. "My brother said he couldn't afford my dowry and told me to stay with mother. Besides, if I stay with mother, I can marry more respectably."
Gu Jiu said: "What your brother said makes sense. He really cares about you."
Chen Min seemed about to cry, "Cousin, am I a coward? If mother wants to remarry, as a member of the Chen family, I should go back to the Chen family with my brother."
Gu Jiu took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from Chen Min's cheeks. "You should think about it from another perspective. If you go back with your brother, how heavy will the burden on your brother be? In order to buy a dowry for you, he has to calculate the money even though he is so young. You can't bear it, right?"
Chen Min wept silently, nodding her head repeatedly. "I didn't dare speak up because I was afraid of burdening my brother. But if Mother really does marry Han Wulang, how will I cope? I heard that Han Wulang is a playboy, only three or four years older than my brother. Do I really have to call him father?"
When talking about sad things, Chen Min cried even harder.
Gu Jiu changed a handkerchief and wiped Chen Min's tears.
"Didn't the princess say anything when your brother moved back to the Chen Mansion?"
Chen Min shook her head. "Mother didn't say anything, nor did she send anyone to give my brother money. I think she was hoping that he would run into obstacles everywhere, realize how hard life was, and come back to her in disgrace to apologize. But I know my brother's temper. Even if he hit a wall, he wouldn't turn back. I'm also worried that Mother would send someone to do something bad and deliberately create difficulties for him."
Gu Jiu comforted him, "Don't worry too much. When the prince knows that your brother has moved back to the Chen Mansion, he will definitely send someone to take care of him."
"I'm just worried that my mother will use this to manipulate my brother."
"If the prince gives the order, even the princess will have no choice but to accept the fact that your brother has moved back to the Chen family."
"Really?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "The prince appreciates people with ambition."
This one sentence gave Chen Min hope.
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