When something happened to Lord Gu, Gu Jiu had to go back to the Gu Mansion no matter what.
Pei was still secretly complaining, why did it happen at this time when it shouldn't have happened earlier or later?
Gu Jiu really wanted to tell Pei that Lord Gu might have been implicated by Prince Ning's Mansion and became cannon fodder.
If there is no evidence, there is no point in saying it. It will also cause unnecessary disputes.
Pei just complained a few words, so let her be.
Early in the morning, Gu Jiu prepared to set off back to Gu Mansion.
Yu Ge'er, who had just finished his meal and was about to fall asleep, suddenly woke up and started crying loudly. No matter who held him, it was useless.
Gu Jiu's heart almost broke when he heard the child crying.
As a last resort, I had to go back to the room and pick up the child.
The nurse said, "Brother Yu is very smart. He knows that Madam is going out, and he is reluctant to let her go."
Gu Jiu kissed the child's cheek and said, "Little rascal, you only know how to cry. Something happened to your grandpa, and your mother has to go back. She will be back in the afternoon. Just listen to your nanny and wet nurse at home, and we won't cry, okay?"
Yu Ge'er, the little rascal, had tears in his eyes as he looked at Gu Jiu eagerly.
Seeing this, Gu Jiu was reluctant to leave the house.
"Mother has to go out of the house for a while and will be back soon. Be good."
Gu Jiu tried to hand the child to Nanny Fang, but the child started crying and reaching out for her as soon as he left her arms.
Nanny Fang held the boy in her arms and said, "Brother Yu is not usually so familiar with people. I don't know what happened today. Madam, please go back quickly. I will take care of the boy and everything will be fine in a while."
"Thank you for your care today, Madam."
Gu Jiu hardened his heart, turned around and went out. He got on a carriage at the second gate and left the palace.
I could still hear Yu Ge'er crying in my ears.
Why.
After a woman becomes a mother, she cannot bear to hear the crying of a child; her heart is broken.
When I walk outside and see children, I can’t help but think of my own children.
The carriage moved forward all the way to Gu's mansion.
Gu Jiu changed his mind midway and said, "Let's go to the Marquis' Mansion first."
The carriage changed route and went to the Marquis' Mansion.
Gu Jiu first went to pay his respects to the old lady Wei.
Old Madam Wei was not surprised to see Gu Jiu. "I was just nagging you, thinking you would come back in the next couple of days."
"It's tiring for the old lady to worry."
"It's an extraordinary time, and your father has to encounter such an incident. I don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse." Old Madam Wei looked worried.
Gu Jiu said, "My father's situation is strange. I wonder what the Marquis would say."
Old Madam Wei waved at her.
Gu Jiu walked up to the old lady.
The old lady held her hand and said, "The Marquis was saying last night that there were some signs of your father's condition. But because it's an extraordinary period, nothing should have happened this year. But your father had to suffer an accident at this time, and the Marquis was also very surprised."
Gu Jiu's heart skipped a beat. "Has my father's embezzlement become known to everyone?"
Madam Wei hesitated for a moment before speaking, "The Marquis anticipated your return and asked me to tell you that your father works at the Ministry of Revenue. Corruption is a minor offense. The most serious offense is replacing the grain intended for disaster relief. This is a grave crime."
Gu Jiu was surprised and astonished, "How dare my father be so bold as to touch the disaster relief grain?"
In recent years, natural disasters have occurred in many places throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be tens of thousands of refugees lingering outside the capital.
Every time a natural disaster occurred, the Ministry of Revenue would raise food for disaster relief.
As Lord Gu was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and had many years of experience in local affairs, the task of disaster relief fell on him.
Gu Jiu believed that Lord Gu was corrupt, but he did not dare to believe that Lord Gu had the courage to touch the relief grain.
Old Madam Wei said, "This is the current situation. Don't worry too much. Whether there is any truth behind this matter or whether your father has been wronged, we will have to wait until the Dali Temple investigates thoroughly to find out."
Gu Jiu asked, "Did someone report my father's embezzlement, or did the Ministry of Revenue investigate and find him?"
Madam Wei whispered, "I heard from the Marquis that someone reported it, and the evidence is all in the government hall. After reviewing it, the elders had no choice but to order your father's dismissal and investigation."
Gu Jiu frowned, "I wonder who reported my father?"
"It is said that it was reported anonymously."
This is the same information that Qian Fu had heard.
They said it was an anonymous report, but it turned out to be accurate, and it even reached several senior officials. This is incredible.
Gu Jiu would never believe that there was nothing behind this matter.
Gu Jiu asked again: "Did the Marquis say anything else?"
Madam Wei warned, "The Marquis has told me to be patient. Do not use your connections in the palace without authorization, and do not interfere rashly with the Dali Temple's investigation. These are extraordinary times, and caution is key. Your father is actually safer being held in the Dali Temple."
Gu Jiu nodded repeatedly, "I understand. It's my granddaughter's fault for letting the old lady and the marquis worry about this. I thank you on behalf of my father."
"We're all family, no need to be so polite. I'm sure you haven't had an easy time in the palace these days. Everyone in the capital is watching you."
Gu Jiu said, "I'm fine. They're mainly targeting the young masters in the mansion."
"Oh! I wonder when this mess will end."
…
Gu Jiu bid farewell to the old lady Wei, then left the Marquis' Mansion through the main gate and entered the Gu Mansion through the main gate.
The entire Gu residence was filled with gloom and sorrow.
The master returned home from the military camp yesterday. He went out early this morning to make connections and has not returned yet.
The brothers were all busy, trying their best to find solutions.
Upon learning that Gu Jiu had returned, Xie ran out, dragging her sick body, "Second Aunt, you have to save your father!"
"Don't cry yet, ma'am. I came back to help."
"Then you should think of a way to rescue your father. He is now imprisoned in the Dali Temple. In such cold weather, is the Dali Temple prison a place for people to stay? Wuwu..."
Xie said while crying.
She had fainted since yesterday when she learned that Lord Gu was imprisoned. After waking up, she was also at a loss, not knowing what to do.
If the master had not received the news and returned home overnight to help make a decision, she would have cried all day and all night and cried her eyes blind.
Gu Shan also looked at Gu Jiu eagerly, "Second sister, father has been arrested, is there any way to rescue him?"
Gu Jiu didn't say anything extra, "Fourth sister, take the wife back to her room first."
"I won't go back to my room. What am I going to do if I can't wait for the master to come back?"
Gu Jiu frowned, dissatisfied. "Madam, what else can you do here besides causing trouble? Even if you want to save someone, you can't do it with just a few words."
Xie stared at her fiercely, "You are the imperial concubine, the wife of the emperor's grandson. You are very respectable in front of His Majesty. As long as you are willing to save people, it is not a matter of a word."
Gu Jiu's face darkened. "That's ridiculous. Speaking of respectability, doesn't the old marquis next door have respectability in front of His Majesty? Can the old marquis save my father with just one word? My father's case this time is about embezzlement, and it involves other things. It's not a trivial matter. It can't be saved by just one or two words."
Gu Shan also knew the seriousness of the matter and advised Xie, "Mother, let's go back to our room first. Don't cause trouble for my second sister and the others."
Xie pushed Gu Shan away and stared at Gu Jiu blankly, "You can definitely rescue the master, right? You promised me that you would rescue the master. If anything happens to the master, I will not live either."
After saying this, Xie burst into tears and couldn't stop crying.
Gu Jiu took a deep breath and said, "I will do my best."
He waved his hand and asked the maid to take Xie away and not cause trouble here.
Gu Shan hesitated for a moment, "Second sister, you must rescue father, please."
She bowed deeply, then turned and caught up with Xie.
Gu Jiu came to Lord Gu's study with a stern face.
The study had been searched by officials from the Dali Temple and was in a mess, with no time to restore it to its original state.
Butler Gu Quan bowed and stood aside.
Gu Jiu asked him, "Where is Master Ma?"
If we were to ask who knows Mr. Gu’s affairs best, it would be Master Ma.
Gu Quan's expression was solemn. "Ten days ago, Master Ma caught a cold and asked for leave to rest. He has been missing since then."
"Missing?"
Gu Quan nodded. "We've searched everywhere but haven't found Master Ma. His family is nowhere to be found either. We suspect Master Ma must have been bribed and betrayed you, my Lord."
Gu Jiu frowned.
The advisor to Lord Gu is missing, this is a big deal.
Since Master Ma is missing, let’s start from other aspects.
"I remember that the property under my father's name has always been managed by you, the housekeeper. Take out all the account books, I want to check them."
Since Lord Gu is corrupt, then we should check his accounts. We can always find clues from them.
Butler Gu Quan was stunned. "Is Second Aunt doubting the Master? Does Second Aunt also think the Master embezzled the relief grain?"
Gu Jiu said seriously, "I don't know if the master has embezzled money. Precisely because I don't know, I must check the accounts.
If there's no corruption, there's a way to rescue him. If there's corruption, there's another way. Don't let it end up like this, where we all claim the master didn't embezzle, only to be slapped in the face by someone else producing physical evidence. What do you think we'll do? By then, we'll have blocked even our chances of a comeback. How willing would you be to accept that?
Gu Quan hesitated for a while and decided to listen to Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu was right. Regardless of whether Lord Gu was corrupt or not, his family must first know the situation so that they can respond correctly.
Gu Quan took out all the account books from recent years and placed them on the desk.
"Master, it's true that we've had some extra income in the past few years. But there's no way he would embezzle the disaster relief grain. No matter how greedy he is, he knows what's important."
Gu Jiu hummed a sound before continuing, "I believe the master can distinguish between the important and the unimportant. I'm just worried that the people below will deceive their superiors and enrich themselves. If that happens, the master will not be able to escape the blame for negligence."
After a pause, she asked again, "Where is Fourth Brother Gu Yu? He should also know about the Master's affairs."
"Master Gu Yu has been summoned to the Dali Temple to cooperate with the investigation. I wonder if he can escape successfully."
Gu Jiu frowned.
Seeing that a county was about to be established outside the South City Gate, the emperor agreed to let her appoint Gu Yu as the first county magistrate.
It just so happened that at this time, Gu Yu was implicated in the case of corruption by Lord Gu.
How could it be such a coincidence?
Gu Jiu couldn't help but wonder, was Lord Gu's corruption case targeting Prince Ning's Mansion or the project outside the South City Gate?
Or is it a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy?
However, no more than three people knew that she intended to arrange Gu Yu to be the magistrate of the newly established county outside the South City Gate.
The emperor, Liu Zhao, and Qingmei.
It is impossible for these three people to leak the news.
Since the news will not leak out, outsiders will not be able to know her arrangements for Gu Yu.
How can we start talking about Gu Yu?
Could it be that Gu Yu really encountered an unexpected disaster this time and was simply implicated?
Is there really such a coincidence in the world?
No!
Gu Jiu did not hesitate to speculate on people's hearts with the greatest malice.
She never believed in coincidences.
One time it could be said to be a coincidence.
It's definitely not a coincidence if it happens one after another.
hehe!
The person who planned this case must have been keeping an eye on Mr. Gu for a long time.
Lord Gu is also stupid and has no vigilance at all.
In the study, the sound of abacus clacking could be heard one after another.
Gu Jiu called Gu Quan over and asked, "Before the accident, did the master have any unusual symptoms? Or did he say anything strange?"
Gu Quan frowned in thought and slowly shook his head, "Probably not. Recently, there has been a lot of clamor in the court to appoint a crown prince, and the master occasionally complains."
Gu Jiu asked again: "Think about it carefully again, and don't miss any small details."
Gu Quan thought about it again and again, and still shook his head, "In recent times, the master has been no different from other times except that he is a little irritable."
"Has anything unusual happened in the mansion?"
"Master Ma is missing, so let's just forget about it."
"Of course."
"Apart from Master Ma's disappearance, there are no other unusual circumstances. Everything has been normal in the mansion during this period. Even the concubines in the backyard are very well behaved."
After listening to this, Gu Jiu had only one feeling: "Born in hardship and die in comfort", this statement is really true.
Lord Gu's life was too comfortable. He was stabbed in the back without even noticing it.
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