Investing money is just one of Xiao Qiner's purposes in looking for Gu Jiu.
What she really wanted to talk about was Ouyang Fu's gossip.
"I don't know what Second Sister-in-law was thinking. She actually agreed to let Second Young Master take a concubine. Before the child was even born, she couldn't wait to arrange for a woman to serve Second Young Master. She is the most virtuous among the sisters-in-law."
Gu Jiu said softly, "Second sister-in-law must have her reasons for doing this. We don't need to speculate."
Xiao Qin'er smiled contemptuously, "What reason could there be? It's nothing more than trying to gain a reputation as a virtuous woman. The reputation sounds good, but I just want to ask her if she's feeling miserable.
Normally, she was a very opinionated person. Even after not getting pregnant and having children for many years, she was able to control the Second Young Master from taking concubines. For so many years, the Second Young Master had only two or three maids serving him.
Now, she's pregnant, arranging a concubine for the Second Young Master. She's virtuous, but it makes us two jealous and intolerant. What do you think she's up to? Is she deliberately trying to embarrass us?"
Gu Jiu pushed the teacup towards Xiao Qin'er. "Second sister-in-law wouldn't swallow her anger just to highlight our jealousy. She's not stupid enough to hurt others and not benefit herself. She probably has some reasons for agreeing to the second young master taking a concubine."
Gu Jiu was not in a position to tell Xiao Qin'er about the Ouyang family's affairs. She was worried that Xiao Qin'er would not be careful and make the news known to the world.
"What kind of hardship could there be?"
Xiao Qin'er smiled contemptuously, "I think she just wants to be a virtuous person."
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "Even if you want to be a virtuous person, you won't do it at this time."
"Who knows what she's thinking? I just don't like her. She's so full of evil, yet she tries to act dignified and generous. It always makes me look unreasonable, while she's so generous and reasonable. My second sister-in-law is the most hypocritical person I've ever met."
Gu Ji rolled his eyes. Why was he so outspoken and said everything?
Xiao Qin'er was happy to speak, but she was not happy to listen.
Who likes to listen to people complaining and spreading negative emotions?
She asked, "Is there anything else, Fourth Sister-in-law? If not, I'll have to get busy. The maids in the kitchen need to get their cards, so we can't delay their work. Otherwise, there will be no lunch."
Xiao Qin'er hadn't said she was satisfied yet and was unwilling to leave.
"Sister-in-law, you go about your business. I'll sit here and not delay your work."
Gu Jiu's mouth twitched. Could you please be more considerate?
Does she have to order them to leave?
Gu Jiu rubbed his brows and said, "My fourth sister-in-law is here, it will affect me. Why don't we talk about it another day?"
"No need to postpone it. The Second Young Master is taking a concubine today, so we should go and take a look."
Gu Jiu laughed sarcastically, "I really don't know where those two concubines got the nerve to ask us to go there in person. But if Fourth Sister-in-law wants to join in the fun, I won't stop you. Go ahead."
"It would be boring for me to go alone, so my sister-in-law should go with me."
Gu Jiu shook his head. "I'm busy, so I won't go. Why don't you call your third sister-in-law? If she's free, you can ask her to come with you."
Xiao Qin'er said with disgust, "She's a sickly person, I won't call her, be careful not to infect me with her illness.
Sister-in-law, you may not know that before the Third Young Master got married, he was in very good health and was even serving in the Beijing Army. But a year after his marriage, his health failed.
I suspected that the Third Young Master's poor health must have been contracted from his Third Sister-in-law. Unfortunately, the Imperial Physician couldn't find the cause; they were truly a bunch of quacks.
"Look, that sickly Third Sister-in-law harmed the Third Young Master so badly, yet she wasn't divorced. The palace still has to spend a lot of money to support her. I wonder what good fortune she had in her past life to be able to marry into the palace. If it were any other family, they would have kicked her out long ago and left her to fend for herself."
Gu Jiu asked, "Was the Third Young Master really in good health before he got married?"
In the past, Gu Jiu was curious about what illness the Third Young Master and his wife had. He had originally planned to check them out, but later he got busy and forgot about it.
Now that Xiao Qin'er mentioned it, Gu Jiu became interested again.
Making money is her ambition, but she cannot give up her medical skills.
It's a rare opportunity to encounter a case, so naturally I have to ask more questions.
Xiao Qin'er smiled and said, "I've been coming to the palace since I was a child. How could I not know whether the Third Young Master is in good health? I told my Third Sister-in-law that there was something wrong with her, but Mother didn't take it seriously."
The third son was born out of wedlock, and the third wife, Cai, was not a troublemaker, so Pei naturally did not take him seriously.
The third young master's mother passed away, and if Mrs. Pei did not ask about it, there would be no one else in the mansion who would care about his health.
As for Prince Ning, no one reminded him, and he might have even forgotten that he had a son named Liu Yan.
"Have you told the Fourth Young Master about this?" Gu Jiu asked.
Xiao Qin'er nodded, "Of course he did. He told me not to meddle in other people's business."
oh!
Gu Jiu had never heard Liu Zhao mention the third young master.
Everyone is quite indifferent to the third young master.
Almost no one cared about his illness.
The third young master and his wife seemed like invisible people in the palace.
However, the palace never lacked funds for the two of them, and every month's medical expenses were fully allocated to them. If they needed any medicinal materials, they would go out to buy them if they didn't have them in the warehouse.
From this perspective, Pei Shi treated the Third Young Master and his wife well. After all, she wasn't harsh on them, just unenthusiastic and uninquisitive.
Gu Jiu asked, "Do you know what disease Third Brother's wife has?"
Xiao Qin'er shook her head. "Before the wedding, I saw her a few times. She was just a little weak and weak, and she would recover after some rest. She had no other problems. But after the wedding, her health deteriorated, and the Third Young Master's health also deteriorated. Sister-in-law, do you think there's something wrong with the courtyard they live in?"
"As far as I know, the maids and servants are all normal, and no one is feeling unwell."
"Yes, that's the problem. Only the couple's condition is getting worse. The imperial physician only says they are weak, but he can't explain why. The maids and servants who serve them are all normal, nothing wrong at all. It's really strange."
Gu Jiu said, "Fourth sister-in-law, why don't you think about it? What are the things that they can touch but the maids and servants can't? After the two got married, they both became seriously ill. There must be a reason. Maybe, as you said, the reason lies in that courtyard."
After being reminded, Xiao Qin'er started to think, "Could it be that there is something wrong with the bed they sleep on?"
"We'll have to check it out thoroughly to find out."
Xiao Qin'er said, "Why don't we go find Mother and ask her to order a thorough investigation of their courtyard."
Gu Jiu shook his head, "No! Those who know you will think you are kind-hearted, while those who don't will think you are deliberately embarrassing others. Even if you want to thoroughly investigate the courtyard, you should seek the consent of my third brother's wife and his wife."
Xiao Qin'er immediately lost interest. "Forget it. They don't even care about their own health, so why should I bother?"
"Let's go visit my third brother's wife some other day." Gu Jiu said casually.
The maids and servants around him were fine, only the Third Master and his wife were weak. Based on this, it was probably not an infectious disease, at least not one that was spread through the air.
As long as it is not transmitted through the air, the harm is greatly reduced.
Most likely, the third lady's illness is not infectious.
The doctors at the Imperial Hospital were quite skilled. If it was an infectious disease, there was no reason they couldn't find it.
Xiao Qin'er shook her head. "I won't go. It's too creepy."
Gu Jiu laughed, "Does the fourth sister-in-law just want to see the second sister-in-law make a fool of herself?"
"I'm not laughing at her, I'm just concerned about her. I'm afraid she'll get stuck in a rut."
Come on!
No one would believe this.
Gu Jiu smiled softly and did not expose Xiao Qin'er's shortcomings.
As the saying goes, don't hit someone in the face, and don't expose someone's weaknesses when scolding them. Always leave a way out so that you can meet again in the future.
She still gave Xiao Qin'er face.
We are sisters-in-law and should live together for a long time. There is no need to make the relationship so awkward.
"Fourth sister-in-law cares so much about second sister-in-law, you have to let her know. You go quickly, I won't go."
"Sister-in-law really doesn't want to join in the fun?"
Gu Jiu shook his head.
Are you kidding? Ouyang Fu must be so sad right now. She ran to see a pregnant woman and made a fool of herself. How could she have the nerve to do that?
She still has a bottom line, okay?
Xiao Qin'er was in a difficult situation. If Gu Ji wasn't going, how could she go alone?
"Fourth brother's wife, hurry up and go over there. If you're late, they won't welcome you."
Xiao Qin'er bit her lip and said, "Okay, I'll go over and take a look. If there's anything going on, I'll send someone to tell my sister-in-law."
Finally, Xiao Qin'er was sent away.
Gu Jiu breathed a sigh of relief.
…
Xiletang, a world of ice and fire.
On one side there is joy, on the other side there is bitter wind and rain.
Taking a concubine, what a good thing.
And he took two concubines at a time.
The second young master Liu Ping was surrounded by beauties and looked very happy.
On the other side, Ouyang Fu had not left her room since morning.
The servant reported that the fourth lady came to visit her.
Ouyang Fu sneered, "Tell her I'm not feeling well and won't be seeing her. I'll apologize to her another day."
"Is everything alright, ma'am?"
Ouyang Fu shook her head, "I can't die!"
The words "I won't die" scared the maid half to death.
"Madam, you must take care of yourself. You are pregnant, so for the sake of the child, you have to be more open-minded."
Ouyang Fu held the armrests of the chair with both hands, revealing that she was not at peace in her heart.
She said, "Don't worry, I'm very open-minded."
If she was upset, she would have had a fit last night.
"Go and send the fourth lady away quickly. I don't need her to visit me."
Ouyang Fu knew Xiao Qin'er's purpose very well.
She doesn't want to see anyone now, even if it means falling out.
The maid didn't dare to say anything more and quickly went to send Xiao Qin'er away.
Xiao Qin'er was naturally dissatisfied after being turned away.
However, Xiletang was Ouyang Fu's territory after all, and Xiao Qin'er had neither reason nor confidence to force her way in.
In the end, I could only leave angrily.
She was embarrassed to see Gu Jiu for fear of embarrassment.
I could only return to the West Courtyard feeling extremely depressed.
…
The second young master taking a concubine was like a small stone thrown into the lake, without even a ripple.
After a few days, no one talked about it anymore.
That is to say, people would only comment on them when they saw the two concubines going out.
Ouyang Fu was depressed for three days and then cheered up again.
Just like normal, eating and drinking as usual, chatting and laughing with everyone.
At this moment, there was no trace of dissatisfaction, anger, or sadness on her face.
She is still herself, Ouyang Fu in everyone's eyes.
As for the wound in her heart, no one saw it, and no one seemed to care.
Gu Jiu wanted to ask, but was afraid of uncovering the scars that had been healed with great difficulty.
After a few times, Gu Jiu also ignored this matter and never mentioned the word "taking a concubine" in front of Ouyang Fu.
As for Xiao Qin'er, she at least had some sense of propriety. She didn't ask directly, but asked a few questions indirectly.
Ouyang Fu ignored her, and she stopped thinking about it and just talked about it a few times behind her back.
After Liu Zhao finished his work, he was finally able to return to the palace to rest.
Gu Jiu fed him an orange slice and asked, "Is it sweet?"
Liu Zhao nodded, "Sweet!"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "This is a new variety grown on my dowry farm. I managed to save two baskets. I ate one basket and there's still one left. This thing doesn't store well, so you need to eat more, otherwise it will go bad."
Liu Zhao bit her finger and said, "Don't worry, I promise to complete the task."
Gu Jiu snorted and laughed, "Let go."
Liu Zhao loosened his teeth obediently.
She asked him, "Are all the errands finished?"
"We've already dealt with the aftermath. Now it all depends on Grandfather Huang's attitude as to whether he wants to pursue the matter further."
Gu Jiu asked curiously, "Did Doctor Ouyang make up for all the losses?"
Liu Zhao nodded, "He was the first one to make up for the shortfall. This time, if nothing unexpected happens, he will be able to keep his official position."
"My second brother's wife agreed to the second young master taking a concubine, probably because she used her private money to support Doctor Ouyang."
"No wonder Doctor Ouyang was so able to come up with such a large sum of cash."
"I didn't expect the Second Young Master would take this opportunity to blackmail my Second Brother's wife and force her to agree to him taking a concubine."
Liu Zhao sneered, "This is not surprising at all. Second brother is very good at seizing opportunities."
"Do you have a prejudice against him?"
Liu Zhao stared at Gu Jiu with deep eyes. "I have prejudices against everyone. I'm just so petty. Are you disappointed?"
Gu Jiu pinched his cheek and said, "I am more stingy than you. I remember everything you did to bully me."
Liu Zhao suddenly laughed and felt a little relieved.
Just now, for a moment, he was really afraid that an expression of disgust would appear on Gu Jiu's face.
Gu Jiu can dislike him, but she cannot hate him.
At this moment, he felt relieved and his heartbeat returned to normal.
He hugged her tightly, "We are a perfect match."
"You shameless bastard." Gu Jiu pushed him lightly, but failed to push him away.
Liu Zhao smiled complacently, "Of course, there's no need to be shameless."
Farfetched arguments and heresy.
Gu Jiu snorted, "You brothers all have bad habits."
Liu Zhao chuckled, "What's wrong with me?"
Gu Jiu pointed his finger at his heart and listed them one by one, "Arrogant, selfish, arrogant, overbearing, and unreasonable. And there's another shortcoming, you're too strong physically."
puff!
Liu Zhao suppressed his laughter and asked seriously, "I don't understand, how can good physical strength be considered a disadvantage?"
"Of course it's a shortcoming, at least it's a shortcoming for me."
Liu Zhao couldn't help but finally laughed, "Don't you always say it's not enough? Why are you complaining about my good physical strength? It's not good to say one thing and mean another."
Ahhhh!
Dirty, dirty, dirty...
Gu Jiu turned his head away and refused to discuss the issue with him.
Liu Zhao hugged her and said, "You're shy again."
"Shut up and don't say anything."
"I don't say it, I do it."
"Watch out, kid."
Liu Zhao forced himself to hold it back.
ah!
Being a man is both painful and joyful.
He bit her earlobe and asked, "Are you sure? You must be pregnant."
"Wait a little longer."
"She's definitely pregnant. In a few months, I'll be a father."
"Do you prefer boys or girls?"
"Boy!" Liu Zhao answered without thinking.
Gu Jiu glared at him.
Liu Zhao explained, "Girls have a very hard life, especially after they get married. We can't take care of them. I can't bear to see my child being wronged in her husband's family, but not daring to come home to complain. I can't bear to see my child being wronged and then trying to whitewash it."
Gu Jiu hummed.
She doesn't care about gender, but she still hopes to have a boy.
The reason is the same as Liu Zhao's.
In this era, people are always too harsh, too mean, and too cruel to girls.
Gu Jiu felt distressed when he thought about the girl he had raised with great effort, who would one day get married and go to her husband's house to serve her parents-in-law and take care of her husband and children.
If it were in modern society, the worst that could happen is not getting married, or buying a house and a car and raising a child by yourself.
As long as you are financially independent, you can choose the life you want.
But that doesn't work here.
If a girl doesn't get married when she reaches a certain age, she will be stabbed in the back and killed.
Even if you cannot give birth to a son after marriage, you will be despised from head to toe.
No matter how capable you are, no matter how much you contribute to the family, as long as you don’t have a son, it is a sin and all your achievements will be wiped out.
It’s so frustrating!
Gu Jiu grabbed Liu Zhao's hand. She was lucky that she met the tolerant Liu Zhao.
With his support, she can do what she wants without fear of rumors.
Ouyang Fu was not as lucky as her. In the end, she could only feel miserable and had to work hard to raise children.
She felt sorry for Ouyang Fu.
She stared at Liu Zhao fiercely, "No matter whether it's a boy or a girl, you must love our child. If it's a girl, you must love her doubly."
"I love all the children you give birth to. It would be best if we could give our daughter three older brothers. Then when we are old, she will still have brothers to support her."
"What about you?"
"I'm backing you up! If that brat dares to piss you off, I'll beat him up."
"If you dare to hit my son, I will hit you."
"You are biased."
"I'm partial."
"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say."
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