Gu Jiu spent 100,000 taels of silver in one go.
It feels so good to spend money.
No wonder everyone loves to shop.
Lord Gu is still shocked that I didn’t even know that my daughter is a big boss. This is really exciting.
He, he needs quiet.
"Father, are you okay?"
Lord Gu is in a very bad state.
Will he be okay?
How could he be okay!
He's very busy, okay?
He asked again, "Did you really initiate the South City Gate project?"
Gu Jiu nodded.
"You bought so much food, are you feeding the refugees?"
Gu Jiu nodded affirmatively again.
"Is there any money to be made? One hundred thousand taels of silver, all eaten up."
"If you pay for the wool from the sheep, you will earn it back naturally."
Is her market just a decoration?
Or do you think her house is just a decoration?
The houses sold to the refugees were indeed very cheap, so cheap that there was little profit. The profits were all eaten up by infrastructure construction.
The second, third and fourth phases of the project are the real money-making projects.
The price of the smallest house in the second phase of the project could not be less than one hundred taels. If it was less than one hundred taels, her name, Gu Jiu, would be written backwards.
Of course, whatever the price, there must be matching accessories of the same level.
The second phase is definitely more upscale and classy than the first phase.
If you are willing to spend money, it also comes with a small garden, dear!
Lord Gu's face was full of confusion, as if he was wondering, "Whose daughter is this? How come I don't know her? Could it be that she was switched?"
He really needs some quiet time.
"You, when you are free, come back to your mother's house. Let's have a nice drink together, father and daughter."
Lord Gu needs time to digest it before having a deeper talk with Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu blinked, "Maybe we have to wait three or four months, the baby is about to be born."
Master Gu looked at Gu Jiu's bulging belly and said, "Since you are about to give birth, don't run around outside all day. Be careful of accidents."
Gu Jiu nodded, "Thank you for your concern, father. How about I take you out?"
Lord Gu acquiesced.
It wasn't until he returned to his office that he came to his senses.
This is the Ministry of Revenue, his territory, so how did it become Gu Jiu sending him?
Hey, Gu Ji is really good at taking the initiative.
She did not forget to grumble to the Minister of Revenue, "My father has been a little upset. I am sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Excellency."
The Minister of Revenue laughed heartily. "That's all right. Lord Gu is very down-to-earth in his work."
Gu Jiu pondered over these words and guessed that the only advantage Lord Gu had left was that he was a down-to-earth person.
Lord Gu lacked a shrewd mind, a keen political sense, or exceptional tactics, and he didn't even have any powerful in-laws. To have gotten to where he was today was truly sheer luck.
It is very likely that Lord Gu's official career will end at the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "It's tiring for you, sir."
The Minister of Revenue stroked his beard and laughed.
Master Gu can be a real stickler sometimes. His daughter is incredibly kind, and his sons seem pretty good too.
Although Lady Gu may not be very good at other things, she is good at giving birth to children.
After finishing his work, Gu Jiu said goodbye and left.
When she walked out of the Ministry of Revenue, Gu Yu's fourth brother ran out and called her.
"Sister Xiaojiu, are all the problems solved?"
Gu Yu was appointed an eighth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue to help Lord Gu relieve his worries.
Gu Jiu laughed, "Don't worry, Fourth Brother Gu, I can come to the Ministry of Revenue to buy grain, so the problem has naturally been solved."
"That's good, that's good. I was ashamed that I couldn't help with the Zhu family's affairs some time ago."
"Don't say that, Fourth Brother Gu. The Zhu family's affairs are too special and sensitive. I didn't even let Gongzi Zhao come forward. Fortunately, everything was resolved smoothly."
Gu Yu laughed and said, "When you have time, come back to the mansion and take a look."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Okay! I'll go back and take a look when I'm free."
After hesitating for a moment, she asked again: "Has Fourth Brother Gu ever considered his future?"
Gu Yu didn't understand why Gu Jiu asked this question.
"Does Fourth Brother Gu intend to spend his entire life running errands for my father?"
Gu Yu gave a bitter smile. He also wanted to be on his own. "Sister Xiaojiu, I'm just a scholar."
Moreover, his title of Juren was mixed with some water.
It's not that he hadn't thought about relying on the Gu family's connections to be sent to a local official and take charge of things on his own.
Relying on the relationship with the Marquis' Mansion, even if the upper and middle-class counties fail, the lower-class counties can still be operated.
The reason why he was still doing odd jobs in the Ministry of Revenue was that Lord Gu was used to him and was unwilling to let him go.
Second, he has no money.
Even if he has the support of the Marquis' Mansion, it still costs money to help him get an official position.
It's not like the Ministry of Personnel will just do it as soon as the Marquis's Mansion asks for it. The Ministry of Personnel is not run by the Marquis's Mansion.
The Marquis's Mansion could lend him money, but he was unwilling to do so.
He is not very good at studying and is not a talented athlete.
He excels at getting things done.
He thought about it carefully and felt that with his abilities, he was still not qualified enough to be a local official.
So he wanted to gain some more experience, save some money, and look for an opportunity.
After hearing his thoughts, Gu Jiu couldn't help but frown.
"Brother Gu, you should become an official as early as possible."
Others your age have already started to build their reputations, but you're still working as a waiter in the Ministry of Revenue, miles ahead of them. How can you catch up?
Gu Yu is not young anymore, he is in his thirties. If he had married earlier, he would have been a grandfather soon.
Gu Yu laughed, "Thirty is a young Jinshi, fifty is an old Mingjing. My age is just right."
Gu Jiu shook his head repeatedly, "Fourth Brother Gu, your starting point is different from others. Others become Jinshi at the age of thirty and start in the Hanlin Academy. After three years, they are either sent to the countryside or trained in the Ministry. There are ready-made strategies for gaining merit. If you have a good family background and backers, you can be promoted at lightning speed.
Just like my father, with the support of the Marquisate, he managed to get to the position of Minister of Revenue in ten years less than others. Although it is very likely that he will remain in the position of Minister of Revenue for the rest of his life.
You are a Juren, you cannot follow the path of a Jinshi. If you don't seize the time to catch up now, if you waste a few more years, you will never catch up in this lifetime.
Gu Yu laughed at himself, "Juren can never catch up with Jinshi. If my last name wasn't Gu, I wouldn't even be qualified to step into the Ministry of Revenue."
"That's true, but there are always exceptions. I just want to ask you a question: if you had the chance, would Fourth Brother Gu be willing to break away from my father and make his own way out there?"
Gu Jiu's expression was very serious, and it was obvious that he was not asking casually.
Gu Yu also put away his nonchalant attitude and frowned in deep thought.
"Sister Xiaojiu, can I ask what kind of opportunity it is?"
"No! You just need to tell me whether you are willing to break away from my father and no longer be ordered around by him."
"Of course I am willing!" He dreamed of being independent and serving as an official.
However, due to his lack of qualifications and his status as a juren, he was naturally inferior to others.
Even with the support of the Marquis' Mansion, it was extremely difficult for him, a juren, to get a good opportunity.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jiu smiled sincerely, his eyes curved. "Fourth Brother Gu, you must remember what I said today. When the opportunity comes, I hope you can seize it tightly without the slightest hesitation or delay."
Gu Yu always felt that what Gu Jiu said had a deeper meaning, but he couldn't figure it out.
Gu Jiu was unwilling to reveal more inside information to him and only asked him to stick to his original intention.
"Brother Gu, do your job well and gain experience. I'm going back first."
"I'll take you out."
"No, my carriage is just outside the door."
Gu Yu watched Gu Jiu get on the carriage with a stunned look on his face.
Will he really encounter a great opportunity one day?
If it is true, he will definitely seize the opportunity.
After getting on the carriage, Qingmei asked curiously, "Madam, are you going to give Young Master Gu Yu a chance?"
Gu Jiu nodded. "He's very down-to-earth and capable." His education level is a bit low, but he's also quite diplomatic in his dealings with others. Even if he can't become a high-ranking official in a ministry, he can still be a county magistrate."
For example, the tens of thousands of refugees outside the city could no longer be managed by Gu Jiu's people after they settled in the capital. The imperial court would not allow it.
The people of the court should naturally be governed by the court.
It is very likely that the emperor will set up a county outside the south gate.
The foundation of Gu Jiulian County Government Office has been reserved.
Once a county is established outside the South City Gate, she will find a way to arrange for Gu Yu to be the county magistrate.
Her second phase of the project has just begun, and in the next few years, the commercial focus will be outside the South City Gate.
She would never allow anyone who did not get along with her, disliked her, or had unstable minds to sit in the county government office.
If a county is not established, then it's fine. But if one is established, the county government, from top to bottom, must be under her control. She won't allow anyone to trip her up.
The reason why he didn't tell Gu Yu was because he was afraid that the news would leak out and be intercepted by someone.
The Ministry of Personnel is the head of the Six Ministries.
But Gu Jiu couldn't find where to start.
Because whether it was the Gu family, the royal palace, Liu Zhao, or other relatives, they had little dealings with the Ministry of Personnel.
However, in order to appoint Gu Yu as the county magistrate, the Ministry of Personnel had to be consulted.
When appointing civil servants, even the emperor had to ask the Ministry of Personnel for their opinions.
Gu Yu suffered from a low level of education, being only a Juren, without a Jinshi diploma.
If she didn't intervene, Gu Yu would definitely not be able to compete with those who had a Jinshi diploma.
In fact, before this, Gu Jiu had also considered Su Zheng.
However, Su Zheng was good at studying but had never done any practical work, so he had no way of taking care of the tens of thousands of refugees outside the city.
If Su Zheng is the county magistrate and Gu Yu assists him, will it work?
Gu Jiu shook his head, it still didn’t work.
Same problem, Su Zheng is not qualified. He has a degree but no experience, so he can't do it.
"What are you worried about, Madam?" Qingmei asked in a low voice.
Gu Jiu smiled bitterly, "If cousin Su had passed the imperial examination three years earlier, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
So Gu Yu is the most suitable one.
It is not easy to help Gu Yu get promoted.
After running to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, Gu Jiu felt tired.
She leaned against the car wall and closed her eyes.
The carriage swayed as it passed through the market town.
"Hey, that's Xie Shi." Qingmei exclaimed.
Gu Jiu opened his eyes and looked outside through the car window.
It was indeed Xie Shi.
Xie Shi accompanied a woman into the cloth shop.
The woman dressed like a woman and you could tell she was very young just by looking at her figure.
She was a little curious, "Is Xie Shi married?"
Qingmei nodded, "They got married in the first half of the year, and that one is Xie Shi's wife. They seem to be a good match."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and asked, "Xie Shi is getting married. Did you invite your wife?"
The wife that Gu Jiu mentioned was Mrs. Xie.
This year she was pregnant and busy with the project outside the South City Gate, so she had no time to pay attention to other trivial matters.
Moreover, she hasn't returned to the Gu Mansion since the Chinese New Year.
Qingmei was clear about the situation at the Gu Mansion.
Qingmei said, "The madam has been invited, and she is bringing the fourth daughter to the banquet."
"Gu Yue didn't go, right?"
"When Xie Shi got married, Third Aunt was in confinement after giving birth."
As soon as Gu Yue was mentioned about her confinement, Gu Jiu remembered it.
This happened in the first half of the year. I heard Qingmei mention it a few times.
She was too busy to pay attention and forgot about it in a blink of an eye.
Xie Shi felt someone was looking at him. He turned around suddenly and recognized Gu Jiu in the carriage at a glance.
He hesitated for a moment, said something to his wife, then walked out of the cloth shop and went straight to the carriage.
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows.
Xie Shi's behavior was unexpected.
She thought Xie Shi would pretend not to see her.
Xie Shi came to the front of the carriage and greeted her first, "It's my second cousin, the carriage looks familiar."
Gu Jiu chuckled softly, "Why isn't Guard Xie on duty at the palace today?"
"It's my turn to rest today."
oh!
Gu Jiu looked at the young woman standing at the door of the cloth shop, "Is that your wife? Why don't you introduce her to me?"
Xie Shi didn't look back. "Today is an informal occasion. I'll introduce him to my cousin next time I have the chance."
"Don't call me cousin, we are really not familiar with each other." Gu Jiu looked at him with a smile.
Xie Shi didn't care, but changed his words immediately, "After my third cousin gave birth, Madam hasn't visited her yet, has she?"
The third cousin is Gu Yue.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I'm busy and haven't had time. But Guard Xie seems to care about my third sister very much."
"We are both in the palace, and we are relatives, so naturally I have to be concerned about her situation."
"oh!"
Gu Jiu stared at him meaningfully and suddenly asked, "How is Gu Yue?"
"Not very good!" Xie Shi was very honest.
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows, "Didn't she give birth to a son? How could it be bad?"
"The King of Chu has no shortage of sons. This year alone, the palace has had three little princes. Furthermore, the princess already has two legitimate sons, and a while ago, she was diagnosed with pregnancy."
Xie Shi is very serious.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "You seem to care about Gu Yue a lot. You are indeed cousins."
She bit the word "kiss", which sounded ordinary, but if you think about it carefully, you will feel that there is something else behind her words.
Xie Shi's heart skipped a beat, his expression still stiff, "In terms of relationship, my wife and I are also cousins."
Gu Jiu looked at the other person. "Guard Xie deliberately approached me to talk. Could it be that he wanted me to visit Gu Yue?"
"I'm just delivering the message. My third cousin really wants to see you."
"Then tell her I'm busy."
"Madam can also send her an invitation, and she can go to Prince Ning's mansion."
Gu Jiu shook his head. "I'm busy. Guard Xie has fulfilled his responsibility to deliver the message. You can leave and go back to be with your wife. If you continue to speak up for Gu Yue, I really have to think about how close you and Gu Yue are as cousins."
Xie Shi frowned, "Madam, please don't make random guesses."
"If you don't do anything unnecessary, I won't make any random assumptions. Your wife seems impatient."
Xie Shi finally turned around and glanced at his wife.
Gu Jiu took the opportunity to close the car window and knock on the car wall.
The driver waved his whip, urged the horses forward, and walked slowly forward.
Xie Shi frowned and watched the carriage leave.
His wife came up to him and said, "My dear, who is in the carriage..."
"Madam Zhao!"
"Ah!" His wife was shocked and covered her mouth in disbelief. "She is Madam Zhao, she is so famous. Why didn't Madam Zhao attend the banquet at the Gu Mansion?"
So much so that she still doesn't recognize the other person.
Xie Shimu's face was wooden. "Since my status is different, I naturally won't attend ordinary banquets."
His wife looked so sorry. I really want to get to know Madam Zhao.
Xie Shi accompanied his wife to buy cloth and jewelry, and returned to Xie's house with a lot of gains.
After the first and second branches of the Xie family separated, the Xie residence was divided into two parts, separated by a courtyard wall.
When the young couple returned home, Mrs. Xie, Ma, was cursing the second wife next door.
Mrs. Xie is also a powerful person.
The two sisters-in-law followed a courtyard wall that was as high as a person, cursing each other back and forth, enjoying themselves.
When Xie Shi saw this, he couldn't help but frown and became very annoyed.
His wife, Miao, was only a young wife who had been married for a few months and had not yet mastered the skill of swearing. Watching this scene, she felt so ashamed and nervous and scared at the same time.
It's so tiring to have such a mother-in-law.
While her mother-in-law wasn't noticing her, she hurried back to her bedroom, using the excuse of being tired.
Xie Shi was also very tired. He said goodbye to the housekeeper and set off to return to the palace to work.
After returning to the palace, he learned that Gu Yue was in the garden, so he went to the garden.
"Cousin!" Gu Yue looked surprised.
"Call Guard Xie." Xie Shi looked very serious with a stern face.
Gu Yue looked hurt and sad, "Guard Xie, is there anything wrong?"
"Today on the street, I met Madam Zhao and told her about your situation."
"What did she say?" Gu Yue was holding a handkerchief in her hand, very nervous, with a tense little face.
Xie Shi shook his head, "She's not free."
"ah?"
Gu Yue subconsciously took two steps back and almost fell.
Xie Shi sighed to himself, "You and her are in deep conflict, she's not willing to help you."
Gu Yue bit her lip, heartbroken. "After all, we are sisters. Doesn't she really care about sisterly love?"
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