The Second Prince finally had a concubine's eldest son.
The atmosphere in the yard over there was like heaven and hell.
Some are happy, some are angry.
The arrival of this illegitimate eldest son was destined not to be blessed by everyone.
As for the Second Prince himself, he was happy but also a little regretful.
I don’t know what he was thinking. Before his concubine gave birth, he was very nervous.
After the child was born, he looked indifferent, glanced at the child, gave a few instructions, and then said nothing more.
His actions made the concubine feel very anxious and worried.
Rewards came from the palace.
Concubine Shen was quite open-minded and didn't care whether the child was born out of wedlock or legitimate. She was happy as long as it was a boy.
The rewards flowed into the concubine's room like water, making the concubine secretly relieved.
Gu Jiu ate a big melon.
She didn't attend the third day of her baby's birth, but asked Qingmei to send a gift as a token of her appreciation.
The concubine's family, on the other hand, was extremely excited. The whole family, young and old, came to the palace to visit, filling up the courtyard of the second house.
I don’t know how Ouyang Fu felt when she saw this scene.
Xiao Qin'er wanted to ridicule Ouyang Fu, but was stopped by Liu Yi.
"What you think in your heart is one thing, but you have to maintain it on the surface. You should learn from your eldest sister-in-law. Why do you have to go to the second room? Just let the servants go for you."
Xiao Qin'er curled her lips, "I just can't stand my second sister-in-law's hypocritical appearance. Now that she has a illegitimate son, I want to see how she can still be hypocritical."
Liu Yi frowned. "Why do you care whether she's being hypocritical or not? If being hypocritical can earn you a good reputation, you might as well be hypocritical for once."
Xiao Qin'er was very upset. "You always stop me, not allowing me to do this or that. Am I that bad?"
Liu Yi frowned and said seriously, "You are not bad, you are willful. You don't care about my situation at all. Have you ignored what the emperor said?"
This palace can be in chaos, but we can't start it, do you understand? Whoever starts it will be in trouble.
If you go to see your second sister-in-law making fun of herself at this time, what if she gets upset and something happens to the baby in her belly? Have you thought about the consequences?
By then, Concubine Shen will tear you apart. Even I, Your Highness, will suffer the consequences. Don't think that Concubine Shen is unfavored and has no say in front of the emperor.
But don't forget, she gave birth to my second brother after all, so my father will definitely give her the respect she deserves. If she decides to cause trouble for you, even the Queen Mother may not be able to protect you."
Xiao Qin'er shuddered, then said unconvincedly, "Even if my mother can't protect me, the Empress Dowager will definitely be able to protect me."
Liu Yi sneered, "See if the Queen Mother will protect you in front of the heir. If you don't believe in evil, you can go and give it a try."
He is very tired.
Xiao Qin'er was sometimes shrewd, but sometimes too willful. He had to spend twice as much effort to remind her.
At this time, Liu Yi was particularly envious of Liu Zhao.
He envied Liu Zhao for being able to marry a woman as capable and clear-headed as Gu Jiu. Even if he couldn't take a concubine, he would accept it.
Gu Jiu alone is worth countless in-laws.
Sometimes Liu Yi would have this thought in his mind: How great it would have been if he had married Gu Jiu.
Apart from the fact that Gu Jiu's family background was not as good as Xiao Qin'er's, he was far better than Xiao Qin'er in terms of appearance, demeanor, and personal abilities.
"Cousin, why are you staring at me? I already promised you that I wouldn't make fun of my second sister-in-law. What else do you want?"
Liu Yi shook his head and looked away. "Nothing. You have to remember that today is different from the past. You must think twice before doing anything and be sure not to give others a handle."
"I know. You remind me every day, and my mother reminded me the last time she came back. I'm almost getting calluses on my ears."
Seeing that Xiao Qin'er was a little impatient, Liu Zhao was too lazy to continue.
He hummed, "I'm going to the study to read for a while."
He left the upper room and sat alone in the study, lost in thought.
After leaving Xiao Qin'er, I felt peace in my heart.
He called the eunuch Wang Shun and asked, "How far has the Nanchengmenwai project under the Madam's name progressed? Is the house finished?"
Wang Shun bowed and said, "Your Highness, as far as I know, outside the South City Gate, Phases 2 and 3 are both under construction. Phase 2 covers a vast area, and it is said that it will not be completed until next year. However, they are being built in sections.
The second, third, and fourth batches of homes in Phase 2 will definitely be available for sale before the Mid-Autumn Festival. As for Phase 3, I'm afraid we won't be able to start selling them until after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Nowadays, people in the capital have learned a lot of new terms.
The most skilled one is the opening one.
All the real estate developers in Beijing, big and small, followed the example of Sihai Commercial Bank and chose auspicious days to start selling houses.
However, so far, no real estate developer has been able to catch up with Sihai Trading Company.
The scale of the area outside the South City Gate alone is not something that an ordinary real estate company can take over.
The Zhu family was interested in real estate development, but they didn't do anything because they were afraid of offending Gu Jiu.
Now that they had established a partnership with Gu Jiu, the family focused on the cement road. The house renovations continued to be postponed.
Wang Shun was a little confused and asked, "Your Highness, why are you suddenly asking about the South City Gate Project?"
Liu Yi played with the ring on his thumb and said, "Your Highness wants to set up some business outside the South City Gate. What do you think?"
Wang Shun was stunned for a moment. "If Your Highness insists on buying property outside the city, why not wait until Phase 3 opens? Phase 3 has good houses and a good location, and it's quite far from Phases 1 and 2. Buying one as a separate residence would be a good idea."
Liu Yi shook his head, "Your Highness, I heard that the houses in the second phase only cost two or three hundred taels each."
"Exactly."
“Can there be a purchase limit?”
"That's not mentioned. However, the houses in Phase II are all sold to ordinary people. It would be inappropriate for Your Highness to purchase property there."
Liu Yi shook his head. "That's fine. Buy a few and rent them out. Your Highness has heard that many scholars from other places who come to Beijing now prefer to rent houses outside the South City Gate. The rent is cheap and the place is spacious."
After the sale opens, you will buy me several more houses in good locations in the second phase, decorate them nicely, and rent them all out to candidates coming to Beijing for the imperial examinations. For each house, hire two maids to cook and wash for the candidates. You decide how to do it.
Wang Shun was stunned for a moment, "Only renting it to candidates?"
Liu Yi said, "It doesn't have to be a juren, any scholar can be accepted. Those jinshi from other places who hold vacancies also need to rent a house. Once the house is rented out, you can visit often and get to know those scholars.
If you're afraid of being discovered, ask the gentlemen to come forward. Scholars can always talk to each other."
Wang Shun understood the reason why Liu Yi did this and immediately attached the highest importance to this matter.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will definitely take care of this matter."
"Yeah! Remember to buy a more spacious house."
"I understand."
Liu Yi waved his hand and Wang Shun bowed and retreated.
…
There were several consecutive autumn rains.
Every autumn rain brings a chill.
The capital city finally bid farewell to the scorching summer and welcomed the cool autumn.
Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the second, third and fourth batches of housing units in the second phase of the Nanchengmenwai project were officially launched for sale.
The scene was very lively.
I heard that the sales office was packed with people.
I heard that on the opening day, Sihai Trading Company set up 60 reception desks, which was totally insufficient.
In the end, we simply set up the reception desk outdoors to disperse the flow of people.
The lively scene attracted many passers-by who were not buying houses but just watching the fun.
These days, it's rare to have something lively to watch.
It's a rare occasion, so of course we have to join in the fun and cheer for Sihai Trading Company.
Fearing accidents, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were on high alert outside the South City Gate early in the morning.
Gu Yu, leading the newly established Xinmin County leadership team, was also on site to help maintain order.
Damn, can you please not push too much?
The previous openings were not this popular, so why are there so many people this time?
"If I hadn't known that many people were just there to watch the fun, I would have thought that every commoner in the capital could afford to buy a house."
Gu Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Fortunately, I'm not wearing my official uniform today. Otherwise, I'd be squeezed like a pickle.
The leadership team of Xinmin County, except for the county lieutenant who was appointed by the Ministry of Personnel, from the county magistrate to the yamen runners, were all candidates recommended by Gu Jiu.
The county magistrate himself was a juren (a successful candidate) from the northwest. It was unknown where Gu Jiu had pulled this person out from, but he was quite capable.
It is obvious that he has been trained at the grassroots level, and that experience has lasted for quite a while.
From the county magistrate down, from clerks to yamen runners, all were literate.
Almost all of these people had attended the training courses organized by Erzhuang. Some of them had even been managers of trading companies.
Because of Gu Jiu, these people were transformed into minor officials. Although their status was low, at least they had status.
The county magistrate comes and goes, but the clerks remain forever.
Gu Jiu’s real purpose was to control the Xinmin County Government through these clerks and yamen runners.
Gu Yu had no objection.
He himself was also branded as Gu Jiu, and it would be impossible for him to clear the connection in his lifetime.
Now people outside say that he is Madam Zhao's lackey.
Gu Yu grinned, very satisfied with this title.
"Eunuch Deng, you haven't done enough preparation!"
Gu Yu found Deng Cunli and teased him.
Deng Cunli looked at the sea of heads. This scene was really beyond his expectations.
"The capital has been quiet lately, and the common people have too much free time, so they all came out to watch the fun. I'm just selling a house, but I don't know what's so interesting about it."
"They're all curious. Word has spread all over the capital that the houses here are so good and so affordable. Even though many people still can't afford them, it doesn't stop them from wanting to take a look."
Deng Cunli nodded.
Gu Yu smiled and said, "Eunuch Deng, please leave me two houses in good locations. I also want to buy property."
Deng Cunli was surprised. "The houses in Phase 2 are still too cramped. If Lord Gu wants to buy property, why not wait until Phase 3 opens?"
Gu Yu shook his head. "I can't afford the houses in Phase 3. The houses in Phase 2 are quite good. I won't live in them, but my relatives can."
Gu Yu's family has many people.
I have four or five brothers, and a group of nephews and nieces.
Seeing that the house is no longer large enough to accommodate people, it is time for some people to move out of the old house.
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