"I won't make things difficult for you today."
Gu Jiu lowered his head.
You have made things so difficult for others, and you still say that you are not embarrassed. Do you have any shame?
"When Liu Zhao returns to the capital, I will deal with him. You are husband and wife, and your affairs are his affairs."
Gu Jiu shed tears of sympathy for Liu Zhao.
"Don't mention this to anyone else during today's conversation. If I find out anyone is discussing this, I won't let any of you off."
Gu Jiu, Shaofu's Household Manager, and Chen Dachang all bowed in agreement.
"Gu Jiu, reflect on this when you return. This time, your merits and demerits offset each other, so I will neither reward nor punish you. Next time you have an idea that benefits the economy and people's livelihood, have Liu Zhao submit a report to me."
Gu Jiu: Liu Zhao is not at home, she can’t find him even if she wants to.
The emperor seemed to know what she was thinking. "Don't worry, within six months, I will recruit Liu Zhao to serve in the court. Then you two will be able to see each other every day."
Another half year?
Can I still get pregnant this year? Or should I postpone it until next year?
However, if it is postponed to next year, I guess everyone from the palace to the prince's mansion, and from the prince's mansion to the Gu family will be anxious.
Why don’t you give birth? Why don’t you give birth?
She could imagine everyone's expression when they were inducing labor, all of them looked heartbroken and serious.
"Don't think half a year is too long. Liu Zhao has work to do."
The emperor must have a mind-reading radar, as he can accurately guess what she is thinking every time.
The emperor waved his hand and sent her away.
Gu Jiu bowed and took his leave, breathing a sigh of relief.
Finally walked out of Xingqing Palace alive, it was not easy!
She called out to the Shaofu family commander, "Grandfather, congratulations!"
The fact that the Shaofu Household Manager has taken over all the power is a great joy for the old man, so naturally he has to say congratulations.
The Shaofu household steward stroked his beard and laughed, and the two of them walked out of the palace together.
"Thanks to you, Xiaojiu, I have this opportunity. If you have any difficulties, just tell me, as long as I can do it."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "I really do have two things that I need your help with, but they are both easy."
"you say!"
"I'd like to buy the section of Yuhua Lane near the Inner City River. I hope you can be accommodating in this matter."
The Shaofu Household Manager looked at her intently, "Are you really going to renovate Yuhua Lane?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "The Li family is still in the dark about this matter. Please keep it a secret for me, ancestor."
The Junior Household Supervisor laughed. He too couldn't stand the Li family. This upstart, relying on Concubine Li De's favor, flaunted their power all day long, not even paying attention to him, the Junior Household Supervisor.
Concubine Li De's brother worked in the Ministry of Rites, and often had conflicts with the Ministry of Rites's steward on official business.
The Shaofu Household Supervisor was old and couldn't afford to make trouble, so he avoided the spotlight. If you ask him if he felt aggrieved, of course he did.
Gu Jiu plotted against the Li family, and the Shaofu Household Director was happy to see it succeed.
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
He asked, "Can Yuhuaxiang really make money?"
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "A day ago, could the old ancestor have thought that His Majesty would allow the Shaofu to lend money?"
"Haha... you're right. Okay, I'll help you with this. I'll get you the entire Inner City River from the city gate to Yuhua Lane. All you have to do is prepare the money."
Gu Jiu was pleasantly surprised. "Thank you, ancestor. This second small request is about the bank."
The Shaofu Housekeeper became serious, "You speak, and I am listening."
Gu Jiu lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty asked us to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys. As far as I know, the Li family also opened a money shop, with a monthly interest rate of 4%, and the interest is compounded. It has already ruined many families. Since we are going to kill a chicken, does our ancestor think that the Li family's chicken is enough?"
When Gu Jiu first tried to trick the Shaofu's steward, he hadn't thought of using the Shaofu to deal with the Li family.
But now that the opportunity has come, she naturally won't let it go.
Not only did she want the Li family to bleed, she also wanted them to cut off their flesh.
Dare to go against her, do you really think she is a soft persimmon to be squeezed? If you don't fight back fiercely, the Li family will intensify their bullying.
The Shaofu Household Manager pondered and seemed a little hesitant.
Gu Jiu asked, "Is the ancestor worried about Concubine Li De?"
"Exactly. Concubine Li De gave birth to the little prince and is currently in favor. It would be unwise to attack the Li family at this time!"
"What the old ancestor said is both right and wrong. The Li family is in a state of turmoil right now. It may seem unshakable, but in reality, it is vulnerable."
"How can you say that?"
Gu Jiu asked softly, "What is most important to your majesty? Naturally, it is the country and the people.
The Li family ran a moneylender, lending money at high interest rates, forcing ordinary people to lose their homes and even turn to banditry. Should such a moneylender be executed as a warning to others?
Among so many banks, which one can compare with the weight of Li’s bank?
It can be said that killing ten or even a hundred money houses is not as good as killing one Li family money house. This is the weight of the Li family money house, and this is the true killing of one to warn the hundred.
Also, the Li family is not the same as Concubine Li De. I dare say that if the ancestor touched the Li family bank, Concubine Li De would never dare to stand up unless she was stupid. "
"Why don't you dare to stand up?"
"Because she wants to accumulate merit for the little prince! If she dares to speak out, it would be tantamount to condoning the Li family father and son's crimes. Tell me, can Your Majesty allow the little prince to have such a grandfather? If the Li family dares to raise a hand, Your Majesty will dare to cut off the Li family's hand. This is for the country and for the good of the little prince."
The Shaofu Household Order seemed to be persuaded by Gu Jiu, but he still had not made the final decision.
Gu Jiu gritted his teeth and simply used his ultimate move, "Does the ancestor really think that the little prince can ascend to the throne?"
This topic was so bold that it scared the Shaofu's household officer.
Gu Jiu lowered his voice, "Old Ancestor, don't you want to leave your name in history? Don't you want to please the future emperor? Don't you want to serve as the Minister of the Imperial Household for ten or twenty years?"
The Shaofu's heartbeat quickened as he looked around. Seeing that no one was around, he felt relieved.
"You are so bold, actually saying such things in the palace. You don't even pay attention to the occasion."
Gu Jiu smiled faintly, "Most people in the palace actually have the same stance as you and me. There's no need to be too nervous, old ancestor."
"Even so, you shouldn't speak without considering the occasion."
Gu Jiu bowed and said, "My ancestors taught me that I will pay attention to the occasion when I speak in the future."
The Shaofu Household Officer was silent for a moment before he said, "Let me think about this. You just said that the Li family forced me to become a bandit because my family was broken up. Is this true?"
"Of course it's true. I have witnesses and evidence. If the ancestor needs it, I can provide it at any time."
Both the witnesses and the evidence were collected by people arranged by Liu Zhao.
Gu Jiu picked up a ready-made opportunity and made use of it first.
The Shaofu Housekeeper nodded and said, "Very well then. Prepare the witnesses and evidence, and send them to me immediately when I need them."
"Junior understands."
Gu Jiu left the palace contentedly. This time he felt he had won a complete victory, provided he ignored the emperor's interrogation and his remarks about dealing with Liu Zhao.
She boarded the carriage and prepared to return to the palace.
A man suddenly rushed in front of the carriage, scaring Ma Xiaoliu and the coachman.
"Madam Zhao, we meet again."
Zhou Miao looked at Gu Jiu with a smile.
Gu Jiu has a headache.
Without being asked, Zhou Miao took the initiative to get on the carriage and sat opposite Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu coughed lightly, and the coachman understood what he was doing and quickly waved the whip, and the carriage slowly left the palace gate.
She stared at Zhou Miao, her eyes searching. "Eunuch Zhou isn't on duty in the palace, so how come he has time to leave?"
Zhou Miao smiled and said, "I heard that Madam had entered the palace, so I have been waiting. I finally waited for the Shaofu Household Order to leave before I came over. Madam, don't worry, I was very careful and didn't let outsiders know about the relationship between you and me."
Gu Jiu looked at him with a half-smile, "The relationship between you and me, if we really want to calculate it, is just a business relationship."
Zhou Miao was stunned at first, then he suppressed a laugh.
"Madam, what you said is really wonderful. The word 'buy and sell' really describes the relationship between you and me since we met."
Gu Jiu smiled indifferently, "Eunuch Zhou is so idle, could it be that you have been paying attention to my movements?"
"Of course. Madam has already said that we are in a business relationship. You are my financial sponsor. How can I not care about your whereabouts?"
Zhou Miao looked at her with a smile.
Gu Jiu lifted the car window curtain and looked outside.
Ahead was the market, bustling and noisy, a good place for conversation.
She stopped beating around the bush and asked directly, "Why did Eunuch Zhou come to see me?"
Zhou Miao smiled and said, "Madam, do you think I'm going to ask you for money again?"
Gu Jiu didn't say anything, just looked at the other person with a smile.
Zhou Miao didn't keep the secret and continued, "Don't worry, Madam. I'm not here today to ask for money. I'm here to deliver a message to you."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows, waiting for Zhou Miao's next words.
Zhou Miao lowered his voice and said, "A few days ago, when Jiang Shuyi was sleeping with the emperor, he was briefly unconscious."
Gu Jiu put away his smile and looked serious, "Really?"
"The palace has banned the news of this incident, and I only heard about it from Jiang Shuyi. In that split second, the emperor fell to the ground, frightening Jiang Shuyi half to death. But the next moment, he stood up again, as if nothing had happened. But Jiang Shuyi is certain that he lost consciousness at that moment."
Gu Jiu's face was serious. Was the emperor suffering from high blood pressure? A stroke? Or some other symptom of illness?
In short, this sudden loss of consciousness and fall to the ground clearly sent a strong signal that there was something wrong with the emperor's health.
If you don't take a problem seriously, a small problem will become a big problem.
Gu Jiu asked, "Is the Emperor still taking the elixir?"
Zhou Miao laughed, "I don't know anything about this matter. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Madam."
Gu Jiu looked at him with a smile and took out a thousand taels of silver.
She is rich now, so she doesn't need the thousand taels.
She threw a thousand taels in front of Zhou Miao and asked again, "Is the emperor still taking the elixir?"
Zhou Miao smiled and said, "I took one pill last month."
"You mean you didn't take it this month?"
"As far as I know, he hasn't taken any elixirs this month. But he has summoned alchemists to discuss Taoism for three consecutive days."
Zhou Miao stretched out his hand and pinched a corner of the banknote, but Gu Jiu had not let go yet, so the banknote could not fall into his pocket.
Gu Jiu stared at him, "Did you lie to me?"
"Madam, you're such a jokester! We've been working together for so long, and I've never lied to you before."
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly and gently let go of his hand.
Zhou Miao quickly put the one thousand taels he had obtained into his arms, looking like a money-grubber.
Gu Jiu asked as if chatting about family matters: "How is Madam Shuyi these days?"
"Empress Shuyi has been suffering a lot lately."
Zhou Miao said with a slight exaggeration: "Your Majesty is caught between Concubine Li De and Concubine Xue. Her life is really miserable. Concubine Xue has never given her a good face. Concubine Li De thinks that Concubine Shuyi has stolen her favor, and she only treats Concubine Shuyi with face, not much."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "That may be enough to coax a three-year-old, but don't use it to coax me in front of me."
Zhou Miao laughed, "Actually, Madam Shuyi's life is pretty good, but she's just suffering."
Gu Jiu narrowed his eyes slightly. "She has the favor of His Majesty, Concubine Li De as her backer, her family is settled, and she has been granted an official position. What bitterness does she have in her heart? She should be smiling now."
If you can't laugh now, what will you do when you encounter really hard times in the future?
Zhou Miao said, "Not everyone can be as open-minded as Madam."
Gu Jiu looked at him with a half-smile, "Eunuch Zhou, if you don't want to tell me the truth, I won't force you. There's a restaurant up ahead, why don't we separate there? Eunuch Zhou, you can take the money and go have a good meal."
Zhou Miao smiled. "Madam, you thought I was lying to you, but you didn't know that everything I said was true. Madam, do you really think that Concubine Li De would treat Empress Shuyi as a confidant? Do you really think that Empress Shuyi is not suffering?"
Gu Jiu snorted softly, "Jiang Shuyi may be feeling really miserable, but the reasons for her misery are definitely not what you said. You and Jiang Shuyi should have an agreement. Besides me, Jiang Shuyi should have prepared other ways out. Right?"
Zhou Miao was distracted for a moment, thinking that Madam Zhao had such keen insight.
In the blink of an eye, he smiled nonchalantly again, "Jiang Shuyi and I do have an agreement. As for whether she has prepared any other escape routes, Madam, it would be best for you to ask Madam Shuyi yourself."
Gu Jiu understood and said with a smile, "No matter what, I want to thank you for delivering the message in person today. It's getting late, I should return to the palace, please do as you please, eunuch."
Zhou Miao looked outside the carriage and said, "I heard that Madam opened a medicine shop. Godfather has been unwell recently, and as his son, I want to honor him."
Gu Jiu was very straightforward. She knocked on the carriage wall and raised her voice to tell the driver, "Go to the pharmacy."
The carriage slowly turned a corner and headed towards the pharmacy.
When they arrived at the pharmacy, Gu Jiu asked Qingmei to tell Erzhuang that Zhou Miao could choose any medicinal herbs in the pharmacy.
"Thank you, ma'am. I'll be more than welcome."
"Just don't let the pharmacy go bankrupt."
"Don't worry, Madam. I am a very sensible person."
Zhou Miao jumped off the carriage and entered the pharmacy. Doctor Tian dropped what he was doing and greeted him personally.
Erzhuang came to the carriage and asked, "Madam, does this Eunuch Zhou need any special treatment?"
Gu Jiu said, "Don't be so polite. Treat him the same way you would treat other guests."
Zhou Miao is the best at taking advantage of others, so you must not be soft.
Before Zhou Miao finished picking the herbs, Gu Jiu took a carriage back to the palace.
She first went to Bixi Pavilion to report.
Prince Ning stared at her and said, "This trip has been delayed for quite a long time."
"Father is right. It has indeed wasted a lot of time." Gu Jiu bowed slightly.
Prince Ning hesitated for a moment, and seeing that Gu Jiu was not going to speak, he simply asked directly, "Why did the old man ask you to come into the palace?"
The emperor's threats were still fresh in his mind. Gu Jiu could not say anything about the affairs of the Shaofu, the lending, or the establishment of a crown prince.
She considered it for a moment and said, "Your Majesty asked my daughter-in-law about the young master."
"Liu Zhao?"
Prince Ning frowned, confused and surprised.
Gu Jiu spoke nonsense seriously, "It is indeed about the young master."
"What exactly did the old man ask?"
"I asked about his daily life and what he does for fun when he has nothing to do."
"Is that all?" King Ning stared at Gu Jiu suspiciously, feeling that she was not telling the truth.
Gu Jiu said sincerely, "That's all I asked. Apart from the young master's matter, I can't think of anything else Your Majesty needs my opinion on."
Prince Ning frowned. "What's the old man up to? Why is he suddenly asking about Liu Zhao?"
"I don't know the reason either. If you have nothing else to do, I would like to take my leave."
King Ning waved his hand with a distressed look on his face, and Gu Jiu took the opportunity to stand up and say goodbye.
"Do you think the eldest brother's wife is telling the truth?" King Ning asked the eunuch Chang En beside him.
Chang En bowed slightly and said, "I don't think the Madam is telling the truth."
Prince Ning laughed. "Of course she didn't tell the truth. But if the old man wasn't asking about Liu Zhao, why did he call the eldest daughter-in-law to the palace? The eldest daughter-in-law is just an inner court lady. What reason does the old man have to ask her to come to the palace?"
This is also the reason why King Ning was willing to let Gu Jiu go easily.
He realized that the emperor must have a very complicated reason for asking Gu Jiu to enter the palace, and the emperor must have issued a gag order.
Since he knew that he couldn't get the truth out of Gu Jiu, King Ning didn't bother to waste time.
Chang En made a bold guess, "Could it be related to the establishment of a crown prince?"
Prince Ning's heartbeat instantly accelerated. "Are you saying that the old man is examining the emperor's grandson? Observing the emperor's grandson and discussing the succession?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
