The building is deserted.
The bustling place has become deserted, but people have not yet calmed down from their excitement.
Everyone is talking about today's bidding meeting.
Shocking!
Eye-opening!
excited!
I wanted to get drunk. Otherwise, I couldn't vent my excitement.
Gu Jiu sent the Shaofu's housekeeper away and prepared to hold a meeting with his employees.
If you want to drink, you have to wait until the meeting starts.
Bai Zhong appeared with Chen Dachang.
Bai Zhong looked nervous, guilty, and uneasy. He didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.
When she saw Bai Zhong and Chen Dachang appear together, Gu Jiu immediately realized that something must have happened that she didn't know about.
Bai Zhong opened his mouth slightly, but without making any sound, he mouthed the word "Your Majesty".
Gu Jiu frowned. The emperor was here in person, so why did he tell her only now?
MMP, is the emperor conducting a surprise inspection?
Come if you want, you are a guest.
He came here secretly and didn't allow Bai Zhong to report it. What's going on?
She hates people who come uninvited and act mysterious the most.
Even if the other person is the emperor, she will still hate him.
Chen Dachang said with a smile, "Congratulations, Madam Zhao."
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "I'm happy, I'm happy. I don't know where His Majesty is right now. Please lead the way, Eunuch Chen. I'll go and pay my respects to His Majesty."
Chen Dachang smiled and said, "No need. His Majesty has already left for the palace. His Majesty watched today's bidding meeting and was very satisfied.
Before leaving, His Majesty instructed that Madam had worked hard for a long time and she didn't need to worry about what happened next.
Madam, please deliver the money as soon as possible so that we can return to the palace and report back sooner. The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of the Interior will coordinate with the merchants to repair the three main halls.”
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "The silver has not been deposited yet, and the account books have not been completed. If the silver is delivered at this time, if the account books do not match the actual situation, who will bear the responsibility?
If Eunuch Chen is willing to say a word, all the consequences will be borne by you. This lady will hand over the silver now and will not waste your time."
Chen Dachang kept smiling. "According to Madam's wishes, how many days will it take to deliver the silver?"
Gu Jiu said: "It will take at least three days."
"Isn't three days a bit too long?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "Three days is the shortest time. Does the father-in-law think that once the money is collected, the matter is over? Collecting the money is just the beginning."
Next, all the merchants who won the bid must be called together for a meeting. My people will arrange for the Ministry of Works to connect with the merchants to avoid unnecessary trouble.
This is also done to save Eunuch Chen trouble. Eunuch Chen also doesn't want any accidents to happen during the renovation of the three main halls."
Chen Dachang laughed heartily, "So, our family should thank Madam?"
Gu Jiu looked at him with a half-smile, "This lady has solved the money problem for His Majesty, don't you deserve a thank you?"
Chen Dachang said, "Then we would like to thank you, Madam. In three days, we will personally bring people to collect the money. Please hurry up and finish what needs to be done."
"Thank you, Eunuch Chen, for your understanding."
Chen Dachang smiled at Gu Jiu, his smile was full of deep meaning, making people feel uncomfortable and giving them goose bumps.
"Madam is busy, so we'll take our leave now."
"Take care, Eunuch Chen."
Gu Jiu sent Chen Dachang away, but he was cursing in his heart.
The silver hasn't even warmed up yet, but the palace is already impatiently sending people to collect it. Can they be a little more reserved?
Where is face?
Don’t you want it anymore?
What about the court etiquette?
Don’t you want any more?
The emperor is blinded by money, so I won’t say more.
It makes me angry just talking about it.
The key lies in Chen Dachang’s smile when he left. What does it mean?
She looked at Deng Cunli and asked, "Have you worked with Chen Dachang?"
Deng Cunli did not hide it. "In my first year in the palace, I lived in the same room with him and had some contact with him. Later, he was promoted repeatedly, and we stopped interacting."
Gu Jiu asked, "What exactly does Chen Dachang mean? Can you guess?"
Deng Cunli pondered for a moment and said uncertainly, "He might be evaluating Madam."
"Assess this lady?"
Gu Jiu was surprised and couldn't guess what Chen Dachang was thinking.
Deng Cunli added, "Chen Dachang is a man whose good and evil are hard to discern. He often acts solely on his mood. You shouldn't be a close friend."
Gu Jiu nodded, "I am very afraid of death, so I naturally dare not make close friends with him."
Chen Dachang is the most useful person around the emperor. If you have a close relationship with him, aren't you afraid that the emperor will kill him if he finds out?
Making friends with people close to the emperor inevitably led to suspicions of trying to figure out the emperor's intentions or plotting something bad. The result was usually a bad death.
Gu Jiu wanted to die of old age, not suffer a miserable death.
Not to mention that she wouldn't make friends with him, even if Chen Dachang took the initiative to make friends with her, she would choose to get as far away from him as possible and resolutely draw a clear line.
She was not tired of living yet and resolutely refused to seek death.
Chen Dachang's thoughts are hard to guess, and Gu Jiu is too lazy to waste time thinking about it.
She had a lot of things to do and had no time to waste on Chen Dachang.
She asked Bai Zhong, "Why didn't you report the emperor's arrival in person?"
Bai Zhong bowed and said, "I deserve to die. Your Majesty forbade me to tell Madam, but there was nothing I could do."
"What did the emperor say? Don't hide anything. I want to know everything."
"As you command."
Bai Zhong told Gu Jiu the truth about how he welcomed the emperor and how he saw him off, as well as everything that happened in between.
When Gu Jiu learned that the emperor had heard what he had said in a casual chat with the Shaofu Household Officer about war being fought for money, he suddenly felt like dying.
Will these words bring her new troubles?
Gu Jiu was very depressed.
If Bai Zhong had found a way to reveal the news of the emperor's personal visit to her, she would have decided not to say those shocking words.
Bai Zhong added, "Your Majesty will be very satisfied with today's bidding."
Gu Jiu looked like he had lost all hope in life. He waved his hand and said, "Let's settle the accounts."
She needed some time to calm down.
After everyone calmed down, we held a staff meeting.
Special praise to Erzhuang.
After several years of experience, Erzhuang has become more and more capable and is able to stand on his own.
Over the years, Erzhuang has also recruited a lot of talents.
This bidding conference was a test for the newcomers, and the results were pretty good, with everyone performing remarkably well.
Lan Xiang was among them.
In the end, Gu Jiu left Lan Xiang behind and handed him over to Er Zhuang for training.
Lan Xiang can write and calculate, has a quick mind and learns things quickly.
After the assessment, he has become a qualified fellow.
Once the work here is done, Er Zhuang will arrange Lan Xiang to work at the dock.
Gu Jiu encouraged everyone.
After finishing the bidding conference, I can take a break this year.
Construction on the new project will not begin until next year.
After the staff meeting, Gu Jiu got on the carriage and set off back to the palace.
On the way, we almost had a car accident.
A carriage blocked the road.
Ma Xiaoliu sat in the front of the car and said nervously, "Madam, yes, it's Young Master Fang."
Gu Jiu opened the car door and looked around, and it was indeed Fang Shaojian.
Fang Shaojian sat upright in the carriage, smiling and nodding at Gu Jiu, full of kindness.
"Young Supervisor Fang, a rare guest!" Gu Jiu shouted loudly, as a greeting.
Fang Shaojian said with a smile, "It's been a long time since we last met! It's still early, so I'd like to invite you, Madam, to have a cup of tea. Would you be so kind as to do me the honor?"
Gu Jiu smiled, "You and I have different positions, so there seems to be no need to sit down and drink tea."
Fang Shaojian smiled and said, "Just think of it as old friends reminiscing about the past. Thinking back to the days when I fought alongside my wife, I feel a lot of emotion."
Gu Jiu frowned slightly. What? Was he threatening her with Xie Mao's death?
She smiled, made a decision instantly, and simply agreed, "Okay! Please let Junior Supervisor Fang lead the way."
Fang Shaojian nodded slightly, knocked on the carriage wall, and the carriage started.
Gu Jiu's carriage turned around and followed behind, heading towards the teahouse.
The backyard of the teahouse, with rockery and flowing water, is a quiet place suitable for conversation.
Gu Jiu and Shao Jian Fang sat opposite each other.
Fang Shaojian poured the tea himself and placed the cup in front of Gu Jiu, "Madam, have some tea."
"Young Supervisor Fang is so polite!"
Gu Jiu was being polite but he didn't drink the tea.
Fang Shaojian laughed, "Madam, are you suspecting that our family poisoned the tea?"
"You wouldn't do anything to give others a handle, so the tea must be poisonous."
"Since it's not poisonous, why don't you drink it, Madam?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Because I'm not thirsty."
Upon hearing this, Fang Shaojian smiled indifferently, "Madam's defensiveness is extraordinary."
"In front of you, Young Master Fang, I have to be on high alert. Otherwise, I won't know how I died."
Fang Shaojian laughed. "It's obvious that Madam has many misunderstandings about our family. But we won't explain. There's no point in explaining what happened in the past."
"Very good! This lady is not interested in hearing your explanation."
Fang Shaojian asked casually, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. What do you think of this, Madam?"
Gu Jiu narrowed his eyes, "Are you threatening this lady?"
Fang Shaojian slowly shook his head, "I'm reminding you, be careful!"
Gu Jiu frowned.
"Aren't you the person I should be most careful of?"
Fang Shaojian laughed heartily. "Madam, you are wrong. I have no ill will towards you and have never intended to hurt you."
"But you are full of malice towards Prince Ning and Liu Zhao."
"They are them, and you are you. You are different from them."
"This lady and Liu Zhao are one. If he gets into trouble, this lady will not have a good ending."
Fang Shaojian laughed and said, "How could we not know that Madam is such a stubborn person? If something really happens to Liu Zhao one day, with Madam's insight and temper, the worst that can happen is that she will give up her position as Madam Zhao and start over."
Gu Jiu sneered, "You're really going back to the old ways, even resorting to tactics like sowing discord."
Fang Shaojian laughed. "Thank you, Madam, for your high regard for me. Ever since Liu Zhao returned from Beirong, your Ning Palace has been in the spotlight, hasn't it? The Ma Zheng case, the kidnapping case, and today we took in another three million taels. The capital has been focused on the Ning Palace for several consecutive times. With Madam's knowledge, do you really think this is a good thing?"
Gu Jiu was silent, trying to guess what Shaojian Fang was up to.
Fang Shaojian smiled knowingly, "Madam, there's no need to doubt my intentions. I'm speaking to you with good intentions."
Gu Jiu sneered, "I believe you have good intentions towards me right now, but the purpose behind this kindness is hard to predict."
Fang Shaojian smiled slightly, "Madam, our interests are aligned. At least for now."
Gu Ji suddenly came to his senses and finally understood the purpose of Fang Shaojian talking so much nonsense and taking such a long detour.
His purpose was to bring all the princes and royal family back to the capital as soon as possible.
Why?
Because the princes left the capital, the emperor's grandsons came out from behind the scenes and suddenly had nowhere to hide, which was not conducive to taking advantage of the situation.
With many princes standing in front to resist the emperor's firepower, the King of Chu, as the emperor's grandson, had the opportunity to hide behind and use various tricks.
Gu Jiu didn't bother beating around the bush and asked directly, "What happened to the King of Chu?"
Fang Shaojian was shocked. What a sharp insight.
It's amazing that a young woman can have such strong insight.
On the surface, he remained calm, without even a flicker of his brows.
He said calmly, "The King of Chu is fine! Thank you, Madam, for your concern."
Gu Jiu sneered, his eyes disdainful, "If the King of Chu is fine, why would you show up and talk so much nonsense to me?"
Fang Shaojian picked up the teacup, took a sip, and took the opportunity to think of a countermeasure.
Gu Jiu laughed, "This lady has always adhered to the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences. If there is an opportunity for cooperation, we will try our best to cooperate. As for whether we will become enemies in the future, that is a matter of the future and will not affect our current cooperation.
"But you, Young Master Fang, seem to lack a bit of sincerity. You want to cooperate with me, but you're unwilling to be honest with me. Based on your attitude, I have decided to refuse cooperation."
Fang Shaojian put down his teacup. "Alright, it's just my own petty thoughts. Yes, I want to cooperate with Madam. I believe that everyone in Prince Ning's mansion is also looking forward to Prince Ning's early return to the capital. The princes are not in the capital, and if something unexpected happens, the situation will be chaotic."
Gu Jiu scoffed. "Even if the princes were in the capital, if something unexpected happened, the situation would probably be even more chaotic. But this is exactly what your Chu Palace wants. Young Supervisor Fang is eager for the princes to return to the capital. Could it be that he wants to provoke a fight between them and take advantage of the situation?"
"I don't deny that I wanted to take advantage of the situation. However, this matter is also beneficial to your Ning Wang Mansion. My family doesn't believe that the Ning Wang will be away for a long time, so your Ning Wang Mansion is not in a hurry."
Gu Jiu raised her eyebrows and smiled, "This lady is not in a hurry."
Fang Shaojian frowned and gritted his teeth. Gu Jiu was stubborn and unyielding, making him a real challenge to deal with.
He simply asked, "What does Madam want?"
Gu Jiu smiled slightly, "Tell me first, what happened to the King of Chu?"
"fine!"
Gu Jiu rolled her eyes at him and said, "In that case, there is nothing to discuss. This lady will take her leave."
After saying that, she stood up and left.
Fang Shaojian gritted his teeth and watched Gu Jiu leave.
Gu Jiu walked out of the teahouse and got into the carriage before he cursed, "Old fox!"
Fang Shaojian had successfully aroused her curiosity.
And what Fang Shaojian said was right. We should find a way to bring Prince Ning back as soon as possible.
Fang Shaojian must have been convinced that he was going to fall into a trap, so he refused to reveal anything about the King of Chu even at his death.
An old fox, he has been plotting against her from the very beginning.
She told the driver, "Go back to the palace."
Fang Shaojian stood on the second floor and watched Gu Jiu leave.
He waited until the carriage that Gu Jiu was riding in turned a corner and was completely out of sight before he walked out of the teahouse and got on the carriage back to Prince Chu's Mansion.
Concubine Sun has been waiting for Fang Shaojian to come back.
As soon as I saw him, I asked, "How are things going?"
Fang Shaojian bowed slightly and said, "I estimate there's a 60% chance that Prince Ning's Mansion will contact the other palaces and find a way to bring the princes back to the capital."
Concubine Sun frowned, "How can you only be 60% sure? Didn't you talk to her?"
"Yes! She put forward conditions, and I didn't agree. But I think she must be tempted. She and Liu Zhao will definitely find a way to bring Prince Ning back to the capital."
Concubine Sun's brows were filled with worry. She asked, "What conditions did she put forward?"
Fang Shaojian said calmly, "She wants to know what happened to the prince and why the old servant asked her to cooperate."
Concubine Sun gritted her teeth and said, "In this case, I really can't agree to her conditions. I'm very worried now. What if Prince Ning's Mansion doesn't move?"
"Prince Ning's Mansion will definitely take action. They can't afford the loss of Prince Ning being away for a long time." Fang Shaojian said firmly.
Concubine Sun was frowning, and Fang Shaojian's words did not reassure her.
She received news from the palace that someone was spreading rumors about Crown Prince Renxuan.
Rumors directly pointed out that the assassination and the death of Prince Renxuan in place of the emperor were all carefully planned conspiracies.
After all, the people behind the rumors were directly targeting the Sun King of Chu and his mother.
This rumor came out of nowhere, without any warning.
Concubine Sun was terrified. What would happen if the emperor knew about this rumor?
Fang Shaojian gave her an idea, to fish in troubled waters.
There is no need to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Just drag everyone into this rumor and the Sun family can get away with it safely.
If you try to distinguish the true from the false, you will fall into the trap of your opponent.
Only by muddying the waters, for example by implicating all the princes and nobles, can the truth be difficult to distinguish from the false.
At this time, when everything you say seems like a rumor and also seems like the truth, the crisis will be resolved without a fight.
From now on, Sun and the King of Chu were like wearing an invulnerable armor.
No one should ever use the death of Crown Prince Renxuan to attack them, mother and son.
The breakthrough of this matter lies in Gu Jiu.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
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Concubine Gu, the most dazzling Princess Kangning in the Huaxia Dynasty, the apple of the eye of Princess Changping and the mighty general, was extremely intelligent since childhood, and was both civil and military. However, she died of an old illness accidentally triggered at the age of fourteen, which is a pity.
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