Ouyang Fu and the second young master packed their bags and went to live in a villa outside the city.
Her errand will be temporarily taken care of by Gu Jiu.
Concubine Shen was quite worried and ran to Gu Jiu to nag him.
"The Second Madam will only be away for about a month. During this month, it will be the First Madam's turn to look after her. Whatever the old rules were, the First Madam can just follow them. There's no need to change them."
Gu Jiu smiled and asked, "Are you worried that I'll change the rules of my second brother's wife?"
"Oh, Madam, you misunderstood. That's not what I meant. I was just worried that you'd be tired. Just keep an eye on the accounts, and the housekeeper will take care of everything else."
Gu Jiu looked at her with a half-smile, "Don't worry, Concubine, I'm only taking over for a month. I'm not so idle as to meddle in other people's affairs."
Concubine Shen smiled, "Madam is really good at joking."
Gu Jiu is really busy.
In the northwest, last year's account books were finally handed in.
The horse farm is responsible for its own profits and losses, and does not need Gu Jiu to continue to put money in, but there is no extra money to be handed over.
When Gu Jiu first opened the horse farm, she had prepared for five years. She planned to use five years to build it up. This year was the fourth year, so it was only two and a half years, so she wasn't in a rush.
Wool weaving was profitable. However, due to military orders, all the profits from wool weaving had to be invested in expanding the business, and there was no money available to send to Gu Jiu for the time being.
Only for the sales of ready-made clothes, he barely took out 12,000 taels of silver and handed it to Gu Jiu along with the account book.
Qingmei, Qingzhu and other maids have been using abacus to count accounts every day these days.
Military supply orders may seem highly profitable, but the human costs are equally high. After deducting various costs, the net profit is only about 20%.
The profit from the military supply order of 200,000 sets is only about 30,000 to 40,000 taels, and it still needs to be invested in production.
A portion of this net profit is allocated to employees as year-end bonuses. The rest is invested in production, leaving only a small amount of profit to be distributed as dividends.
Gu Jiu looked at the account book. The clothing business can only make money by selling in large quantities. It is unrealistic to expect to get rich quickly from this business.
To be honest, the profit from the garment business is not even a fraction of that from Zhenbaozhai.
Zhenbaozhai sells a set of head jewelry, but the profit is not double, so I don’t even bother to pay attention to it.
Therefore, Gu Jiu must seize the time to open up the trade lines in Jiangnan.
Once the business in Jiangnan picks up, the Northwest Trade Line can continue to invest money and expand its scale.
The profit margin of wool garments is not high, but Gu Jiu does not intend to give up.
Food, clothing, housing and transportation are the four necessities of life.
Clothing even comes before food, which shows that keeping warm is the first need and having enough to eat is the second need.
People can endure hunger for a long time, but they cannot endure cold for a long time because they will all freeze to death.
After the accounts are sorted out, the next step is to distribute dividends.
Pei Yun held 40% of the shares and received a dividend of 4,000 taels out of the 12,000 taels.
Gu Jiu gave a letter to Nanny Fang, who then took the letter, the account book, and the money to Pei Yun.
As a partner, the accounts must be clear, and there must be documentation of where every penny was spent. There must be no ambiguity.
Only in this way can the business continue for a long time.
She also planned to continue the wool business with Pei Yun for a long time, so naturally she had to be honest.
Pei Yun received the silver, which was a pleasant surprise.
She never thought that the money she invested at the beginning would generate dividends of several thousand taels in just over two years.
When the account book was opened, the profit was very encouraging. However, due to the need to invest in expanding the business, most of the profit could not be distributed as dividends.
She read the letter Gu Jiu wrote to her again, which detailed his business ideas and various thoughts.
Pei Yun smiled and said to Nanny Fang, "Sister Xiaojiu is really too reserved. When I invested the money, I said that I would not participate in the management. All business matters are decided by Sister Xiaojiu. I trust her."
Nanny Fang said, "My wife said that since the Crown Prince's wife thinks highly of us, she's willing to do business with us. Of course, the accounts must be clear and transparent, and there must be no fraud. We must also promptly inform the Crown Prince's wife of our business plans. We can't let her invest money without knowing everything. If we want to do business for the long term, we must establish rules from the beginning. As the saying goes, without rules, there is no order."
Pei Yun smiled and said, "Sister Xiaojiu thinks more long-term than I do. Tell her for me that I have no objection to the business operations. If you follow her ideas, I will definitely support you. I have received the account book, there is no problem. She has worked hard this year and will continue to work hard in the future. If there is anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask me."
Nanny Fang brought Pei Yun's words to Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu was thankful, "I made the right choice to cooperate with Sister Pei."
It was also thanks to Pei Yun that we were able to receive the military supply order.
Nanny Fang said, "From what I've seen the Crown Prince's wife eat and drink, it seems she's pregnant. However, she's still a little pregnant and hasn't announced anything yet."
"Really? If Sister Pei is really pregnant, then I have to congratulate her. But she hasn't announced it yet, so I guess it's not even three months yet. You can prepare the gifts now and send them to her when she's three months pregnant."
Qingmei smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam. I will keep this in mind."
…
After the Shangsi Festival, Gu Yue's mourning period for Zhao Erlang was completed for a year.
Xie arranged the staff early, and on the day, she personally led people to Haixibo's mansion.
Lady Haixi did not stop her. "This is a written agreement. Take the dowry away. From now on, our two families will go their separate ways. We will have nothing to do with each other."
Mrs. Xie accepted the letter of affidavit and said, "Madam is so straightforward. Yue'er, why don't you hurry up and thank Madam? Madam didn't make things difficult for you, you should be grateful, understand?"
Gu Yue bowed and thanked him, saying emotionally, "From now on, I will not be able to show my filial piety to my mother-in-law. I hope you will forgive me."
Lady Haixibo waved her hand and said, "Don't call me mother-in-law. From now on, you are free to marry and have nothing to do with our Haixibo Mansion. I also don't want to hear you present yourself as Haixibo's daughter-in-law. I will be very unhappy."
Gu Yue looked embarrassed and looked miserable and helpless.
Xie coughed lightly, "Madam, you are right. From now on, my Yue'er will have nothing to do with the Haixi Marquis's Mansion. Madam, please take out my Yue'er's dowry list for comparison to make sure we don't take too much or miss anything."
Lady Haixi snorted twice, "Mrs. Gu, what do you think of our Earl's Mansion? Do you think we would embezzle your daughter's dowry?"
Mrs. Xie burst into laughter. "Madam, you've misunderstood. The Earl's Mansion is so wealthy, they certainly wouldn't embezzle our Yue'er's dowry. But we can't guarantee that there are servants who are dishonest, right?"
Madam Haixi sneered and ordered the maid beside her, "Go, find out the Second Young Madam's dowry list and compare it item by item. If there is anything missing or extra, we must investigate thoroughly."
"As you command."
After getting the dowry list, Xie led people to move the dowry.
Gu Yue followed beside her, his face pale and his expression uneasy.
Mrs. Xie encouraged her, "What are you afraid of? I'm here to find you a happy marriage. I'll also give you a little dowry and let you marry off in style."
"Thank you, mother. I was worried about causing trouble for you."
Xie said nonchalantly, "Haven't you caused me enough trouble over the years? This one isn't bad at all.
In half a month, your sixth brother will be getting married. Your father has sent out invitations widely, and there will surely be many young men from aristocratic families coming to visit the house.
I'll look carefully for you. Your sixth brother's classmates are also very good. If they pass the imperial examination, they will have a promising future."
Gu Yue forced a smile. At the moment, she didn't want to get married. At least, she didn't want to get married until she found the right person.
And Xie Mao is also a problem.
Grape came in from outside and quietly approached Gu Yue while everyone was busy.
"Your Highness, Madam, Master Xie Mao has sent word that everything is ready. He has asked Madam to proceed according to the original plan."
Gu Yue nodded, waved her hand, and asked Grape to leave.
Grape was uneasy, but didn't dare to say a word.
Gu Yue’s threat is still fresh in my mind.
Gu Yue’s dowry was not large, but it lacked many ornaments.
Xie was about to make a scene, but Gu Yue stopped her, "I forgot to tell mother that when my husband was still alive, he broke a lot of porcelain vases and ornaments, and they weren't recorded in the account books."
"This is simply ridiculous. With so many items lost, the Haixi Marquis's Mansion should be asked to compensate."
"Mom, it's better to have less trouble than more. Forget it."
"You are too weak, that's why you are bullied by everyone in Haixibo's mansion."
If Gu Shan heard this, she would definitely disagree.
If a woman as vicious and cruel as Gu Yue is called weak, then what is a truly weak woman called? Like her, she was almost burned to death by Gu Yue. What does that mean? Did she deserve it?
Fortunately, Gu Shan didn’t come with me today, otherwise I would have been so angry that I would have died.
People who are partial to one thing or another seem to be unable to change their partiality.
This point is vividly reflected in Xie.
The Xie family can never treat a bowl of water fairly.
She would either favor Gu Yue or Gu Shan when she was dissatisfied with her. When Gu Yue admitted her mistakes and behaved like a good boy, she would start favoring Gu Yue again.
This happened over and over again, and as a result, Gu Yue and Gu Shan both felt resentful.
It is human nature to hate anyone who competes with you, even if that person is your own sister.
Gu Yue resented Gu Shan for stealing her love and resented Xie for cruelly abandoning her.
Gu Shan also resented Gu Yue for being married but having to return to her parents' home to snatch her favor just because her husband died.
Both sisters felt resentment, but Xie believed that she had done her best and fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother.
Xie didn't know that it was because of her so-called fulfillment of responsibilities that the two sisters became enemies and regarded each other as enemies.
Xie was furious and ordered the servants to clear the dowry and take it away. She refused to leave even a scrap of cloth to the Haixi Marquis's mansion.
After a busy whole day, they finally returned to the Gu Mansion with their dowry.
When Lord Gu saw Gu Yue, his expression was indifferent. "Now that you are back, you must abide by the rules of the mansion. After going through so much, it's time for you to grow up. Don't let your father down again."
"A daughter remembers her father's teachings."
Lord Gu waved his hand, signaling Gu Yue to leave.
Gu Yan's attitude towards her was quite enthusiastic.
"Third sister, if you have any troubles, tell me and I will help you."
"Thank you, Sixth Brother. Will this not interfere with your studies?"
"If I'm not at home, you can ask my eighth brother for help."
Gu Yue said in embarrassment: "I'm afraid that my eighth brother will hate me."
"There is no grudge between siblings."
"I understand. Thank you, Sixth Brother."
Two years later, Gu Yue returned to the Gu Mansion and lived in the familiar courtyard.
Even the furnishings in the house are exactly the same as before she got married.
The house is still the same house, but the person is not the same person.
Back then, she was arrogant and regarded Zhao Erlang as her lifelong support.
Now, her heart is as cold as iron, she sees through everything and only lives for herself.
The night was long, and the sun never rose. Gu Yue tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
When the sun rose in the morning, she fell into a deep sleep.
Early in the morning, she went to Furongyuan to pay her respects to Mrs. Xie.
She and Gu Shan met at the gate of the courtyard.
Gu Shan looked at her and bowed, "Did Third Sister sleep well last night?"
"Very good, thank you for your concern, Fourth Sister."
"Third sister, you're welcome."
The two sisters have different auras, but they try to pretend to be harmonious and walk into Furong Courtyard together.
Mrs. Xie rubbed her brows. "I just got a piece of news. There was a fire at Xibo Mansion in Shanghai last night. I heard the accounting office was burned down and someone died."
Gu Yue's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm.
Gu Shan immediately looked towards Gu Yue, "As soon as Third Sister left, the Haixi Marquis's Mansion caught fire. What a coincidence."
Gu Yue ignored Gu Shan. She asked worriedly, "Is the situation serious? How many people died? Who died?"
Mrs. Xie shook her head. "I just got the news too. It seems the accountant has died. We won't know the details until your father returns tonight."
Gu Yue breathed a sigh of relief.
It’s great that the accountant is dead.
Xie Mao did not lie to him.
Gu Yue suppressed the joy in her heart and chatted about family matters as usual.
However, the maid Grape had cold sweats on her palms, all because of fear.
The news of the flood in Haixibo's mansion spread throughout the capital.
As soon as Gu Jiu heard about Haixibo Mansion, he became interested.
She sent someone out to find out the news.
There was a sudden fire in Haixibo's mansion in the middle of the night last night, which was very strange.
What's even more bizarre is that the fire broke out in the accounting office, which had the strictest fire protection, and an accountant died there.
"Everyone in the capital is talking about it. The fire in the Haixi Marquis's Mansion is probably not a simple one." Bai Zhong said with a bow.
Gu Jiu asked, "How much did the Haixi Marquis' Mansion lose?"
"I haven't heard the exact amount, but I heard they burned many account books and tens of thousands of taels of silver. The Haixi Marquis's Mansion suffered heavy losses this time."
"Are you sure it's tens of thousands of taels?"
Bai Zhong nodded. "I asked someone working at the Haixi Marquis's mansion through my connections, and they confirmed that tens of thousands of taels of silver were burned. The account books for the second half of last year, as well as this year's, were all burned. The deceased accountant is a strong suspect. Some say he embezzled the money, learned of his crimes, and committed suicide out of fear of punishment, burning the account books along with them."
Gu Jiu laughed after hearing this.
She waved her hand and told Bai Zhong to keep an eye on the Haixi Marquis's Mansion.
After the others left, Gu Jiu laughed sarcastically, "My third sister is so resourceful, I have to admire her."
Qingmei was surprised. "Madam, are you saying that the fire was started by Third Aunt?"
Gu Jiu sneered, "Of course, Gu Yue didn't start the fire. She had already returned to the Gu Mansion yesterday. But the fire in Haixibo Mansion is definitely related to Gu Yue."
Gu Jiu had no evidence to prove her inference, but she knew that this matter was related to Gu Yue.
When she heard that the Haixi Marquis's Mansion was on fire, the first person she thought of was Gu Yue.
Gu Yue was seeking revenge and also trying to gain benefits.
As for the deceased accountant, he was either killed to silence him or he was a scapegoat.
In short, the accounting office must be unclean and must be related to Gu Yue.
For the past year, Gu Yue has been a widow in Haixibo Mansion. No one would pay special attention to a widow, and people would subconsciously ignore her.
With Gu Yue's means, it should not be difficult to bribe an accountant within a year.
Gu Jiu sighed in admiration. Gu Yue was truly capable of doing things. Furthermore, Gu Yue had learned to be patient, and her lethality was more than ten times greater than before.
"According to Madam's speculation, Third Auntie should have accomplices."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Of course she has accomplices."
But Gu Jiu couldn’t guess who Gu Yue’s accomplice was.
From the death of Zhao Erlang to the fire in the account office of Haixibo Mansion last night, this series of events was obviously carefully planned.
With meticulous planning and strong execution, he was able to escape unscathed and, incidentally, cleared Gu Yue of suspicion. Such a person is no ordinary person.
Gu Jiu was too curious about who was behind Gu Yue.
She wants to find this person.
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