"Embezzlement of disaster relief grain from the Ministry of Revenue is a serious matter. As the Minister of Revenue, you have the responsibility to check various documents from time to time, and sometimes you even go to the granary to reconcile the accounts."
After Gu Yu finished speaking, he fell silent.
Gu Jiu understood, "You mean, my father was aware of the corruption among his subordinates, but for some reason he didn't investigate it thoroughly?"
Gu Yu said, "I don't know what the Master is thinking. Some people submit accounts that are obviously wrong. But the Master always lets them go."
Gu Jiu asked, "Does my father have a mistress outside?"
"I've never heard of anyone keeping a concubine."
"Does my father have any extra, huge expenses?"
"You'll have to ask Master Ma to find out."
"Can the people from the Dali Temple find out the problems you can see?"
"As long as the people from the Dali Temple conduct a thorough investigation, they will surely find clues."
It seems that the Dali Temple did not wrongly arrest Lord Gu.
But Lord Gu was acquitted.
He has nothing to do with the corruption case, he is innocent. At most, it is a crime of negligence.
Then he was transferred from the Ministry of Revenue to work in the Taichang Temple.
Why did the Dali Temple let Lord Gu go?
Naturally, it was because the emperor had spoken, and the Dali Temple had no choice but to obey his orders.
Why did the emperor stand up for Lord Gu and cover up the truth?
Because Mr. Gu made a deal with the emperor.
The price is Mr. Gu’s life.
Everything made sense.
Old Master Gu went to the palace, and then Lord Gu was released.
Just as Lord Gu was settled, Old Man Gu committed suicide before the New Year and arranged all the funeral arrangements.
Gu Jiu gritted his teeth.
Old Master Gu exchanged his life for Mr. Gu's future.
However, everyone was kept in the dark.
In the eyes of the world, Mr. Gu is still that ridiculous old man.
Gu Jiu felt sorry for Mr. Gu.
"Sister Xiaojiu, what's wrong with you?"
Gu Jiu's face was as pale as snow, and Gu Yu was very worried.
Gu Jiu shook his head. "I'm fine. Where is my father now?"
"I'll be entertaining guests in the study in the outer courtyard."
hehe!
"He's quite good at seizing opportunities. He's using the funeral as an opportunity to network. Could it be that he wants to be transferred out of the Taichang Temple?"
Gu Yu did not deny it, "Your Excellency naturally wants to be transferred out of the Taichang Temple."
"But he must not forget that the old man has passed away and he must observe mourning."
"Your Excellency is thinking about two years from now."
Gu Jiu suddenly wanted to curse "shameless", but he couldn't say it out loud.
Mr. Gu’s sacrifice was just her guess.
Everyone was kept in the dark.
She felt sorry for the old man.
It's really not worth it.
However, Mr. Gu's only wish was to ensure that Lord Gu would be safe and have a smooth life, so he willingly sacrificed himself.
If she went and exposed the truth, wouldn't that go against Mr. Gu's last wish?
Gu Jiu was very conflicted.
For a moment she didn't know how to make a decision.
It wasn't until Mrs. Xie brought Gu Shan to talk to her that she came to her senses.
"How is your wife these days?"
Gu Ji was very polite, and this was the only face left between her and Xie.
Mrs. Xie sighed first, "Troubles keep happening in the mansion, and I'm in no mood for peace. Fortunately, the old man is still thinking about Shan'er's marriage and has allowed her to marry in a warm and elegant manner, so she won't waste her youth."
Gu Shan felt a little uncomfortable.
A wedding held during the late Ming Dynasty must be a small one, not a grand one.
However, compared to observing mourning for a few years before getting married, Gu Shan would rather choose to get married during the warm mourning period.
Gu Jiu doesn't blame others.
Mr. Gu has a bad reputation, and to say that he is not well-behaved is an understatement.
No one is willing to know what kind of person Mr. Gu is.
No one was sad about his death, who can we blame?
No one can be blamed.
At this time, everyone was thinking about their own little calculations, and no one was truly sad for the old man. Gu Jiu could only sigh.
There was really very little she could do.
Looking at the old man's suicide note, he didn't feel sorry for his bad reputation and the bad reputation he left behind. Instead, he was quite proud of it.
Mr. Gu is just so weird.
He was very proud and cursed his children and grandchildren in his suicide note, calling them bastards, assholes, and idiots...
No wonder no one is sad.
People are always happy to hear nice words.
Gu Jiu lowered his head and laughed at himself.
Forget it, forget it, she just respects Mr. Gu’s choice.
At this moment, Gu Jiu suddenly figured it out and knew what choice to make.
Mrs. Xie kept nagging in her ear, "The old man left a suicide note, which is in the hands of the first wife. The old man said in the suicide note that after the mourning period is over, the first and second wives will separate.
We're not going to separate, we'll live in separate houses after the mourning period ends. I'm happy to separate, I've had enough of being bullied by the eldest wife all day.
The problem is, our second branch has no idea how much property our Gu Mansion actually has. When the family splits up, even if the first branch is ruthless and embezzles three or five shops, that would still be a huge sum of money. Who knows if your aunt has secretly used the public property as her dowry over the years?
Xie is a typical example of judging others by one's own standards.
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and said, "I trust the character of my aunt and uncle. Moreover, with the support of the Marquisate, I don't think the eldest wife will embezzle the public property. Also, the old man's will said that the family division will be held after the mourning period is over. The mourning period is still several months away, so why are you in such a hurry, madam? It's not too late to discuss this matter after the division."
"Why aren't you anxious? This concerns the interests of our second branch, but Second Aunt really doesn't care? Sanlang hasn't gotten married yet, and he still has to rely on the public property to buy betrothal gifts and hold wedding banquets. If the division of the family property is unfair, wouldn't it affect Sanlang's marriage? Will Second Aunt be willing to let Sanlang suffer?"
Xie was smart enough to use Gu Ting to speak out.
Gu Jiu may not care about the Gu family, but he cannot ignore Gu Ting's future.
However, Gu Jiu refused to speak up for Xie. "Madam, why are you saying all this nonsense? The men will take care of the division of the family. If you are really worried about the eldest wife's embezzlement, then go find the master and tell him all your passion and worries, and let him go and fight with your uncle."
When Xie heard this, she immediately became timid.
"Your father has been very busy these days, so he doesn't have time to take care of these things."
Xie was still feeling wronged.
Gu Jiu snorted, "Do I really have a lot of free time? Madam, don't forget, I'm a daughter-in-law who married out. I can be a witness and give suggestions on the division of the Gu family, but I can't directly interfere in the division. Or do you want me to interfere in the division?"
Xie looked conflicted.
She hoped that Gu Jiu would intervene in this matter, but she also didn't want Gu Jiu to intervene in this matter, and she felt very conflicted.
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "Since Madam has made up her mind, just go ahead and do it yourself. There's no need to drag me along. But we need to hurry up and arrange Fourth Sister's marriage."
Let's discuss with the Zhuguogong Mansion first to see what date the wedding will be. Once the date is set, let me know so I can help Fourth Sister with her dowry."
"Thank you, second sister." Gu Shan became happy again.
Xie said, "The master will send someone to take care of this matter."
Gu Jiu reminded: "Hurry up and take care of Fourth Sister's affairs. A hundred days of mourning will not wait for anyone."
Gu Shan suddenly became nervous.
Xie nodded repeatedly, she must be concerned about this matter.
"There is one more matter, and I need to go to my second aunt."
"What else?"
Mrs. Xie was somewhat bewildered. "Second Auntie, you must have heard about Yue'er being stabbed and injured by Xie Shi."
"Of course I heard about such a big thing. Third sister was lucky enough to be rescued."
Xie began to wipe away her tears. "Some time ago, I went to see her at the Prince of Chu's mansion. She looked so pitiful, living with her children and maids in such a small courtyard, not even half the size of her boudoir. It was difficult for her to even turn around. She was so badly injured, but the prince didn't even go to see her. What a cruel heart."
"Mother, please stop crying. If you have something to say, just say it. Don't waste my second sister's time." Gu Shan couldn't stand it any longer and reminded Xie to talk about serious matters.
Gu Shan was happy to see Gu Yue injured.
It's so gratifying that that vicious woman finally got what she deserved.
Mrs. Xie wiped her tears and said, "I don't dare to ask for too much. Could Second Aunt send someone from the palace to the Chu Palace to visit Yue'er and at least support her. Let everyone in the Chu Palace know that she has family. Those servants are used to flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak. If Second Aunt sends someone over, the servants will definitely not dare to treat her unfairly."
Gu Jiu felt complicated, "Madam is truly a loving mother to my third sister."
"I only have two daughters. If I don't love her, who else should I love?" Mrs. Xie said as a matter of course.
Gu Jiu reminded him, "There are many rumors circulating about Third Sister being stabbed by Guard Xie. I wonder if Madam has heard about it?"
"What rumors?"
Xie looked confused, obviously having no idea.
Come to think of it, there have been a lot of things going on in the Gu Mansion recently, so how could Xie have the time to pay attention to the outside world?
Gu Jiu said, "Guard Xie stabbed the third sister because they were cousins, and many unpleasant rumors were spread. They said the two were having an affair, and Guard Xie turned his love into hatred. They also said the third sister cheated on the King of Chu. Recently, the King of Chu has always had a gloomy face when he goes out."
"Ah?" Mrs. Xie was shocked at first, then burst into tears. "Which evil-minded person made up lies to slander Yue'er? They made things that didn't exist sound so real. Are they trying to force her to death? Xie Shi is such a scourge. Not only did he hurt Yue'er, he also affected her reputation. What can we do? The King of Chu must have refused to enter Yue'er's room because of this. Second Aunt, you have to help her!"
Gu Shan muttered quietly, "Maybe Third Sister and Cousin Xie really have an unclear relationship. In the past, they were..."
Bang!
Xie's slap hit Gu Shan hard on the face.
Gu Shan was stunned.
Xie pointed at her and angrily scolded, "Do you have a conscience? Do you have one at all? Yue'er is your biological sister. When something happened to her, you didn't defend her, but instead joined others in spreading rumors about her. Do you have a black heart? Her reputation is ruined, so how can you, as her sister, be blameless?"
Gu Shan cried out of grievance, "I just said a few words casually, and my mother shouted at me to be beaten and killed. In her eyes, my life is not worth even a finger of Gu Yue's."
"Of course you're no match for one of her fingers. You debt collector, I'm going to beat you to death today."
Gu Jiu quickly ordered people to pull Xie away and coax Gu Shan away.
Gu Jiu said to Mrs. Xie, "Madam, you are indeed partial. I dare not touch your precious Yue'er. Madam, please find a solution yourself."
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