"How long has your aunt been entertaining young men from wealthy families who come to Beijing? How much money has she made?"
Gu Jiu was very calm.
On the other hand, Gu Yan was so angry that he almost exploded.
At this point, the maid Grape said everything she knew and did not dare to hide anything.
There was no point in hiding it. She had said everything she should and shouldn't have said, and Gu Yue naturally wouldn't tolerate her.
Grape hoped that Gu Jiu would spare her life because of her honest confession.
"I've been doing this for nearly a year, and I've received over a dozen young men from wealthy families who came to Beijing from other provinces. I don't know exactly how much money I've made, but I estimate it's around 10,000 or 20,000 taels."
Gu Jiu asked again: "Did your aunt say anything in private? For example, what are your plans for the future?"
Grape shook her head and said cautiously, "She did mention it once or twice, but never in a serious way. She often said that instead of getting married, it would be better to just live like this. When the young master grows up, he will naturally take care of her in her old age."
The young master that Grape mentioned was the child that Gu Yue left in Prince Chu's Mansion.
Gu Jiu sneered, "She's dreaming. Has she ever considered that if the truth comes out one day, will her son still recognize her as his mother?"
The maid Grape shuddered. "I guess she hasn't thought about it. My aunt never entertains local young men from the capital."
Gu Jiu laughed sarcastically, "Haven't you heard the saying, 'There's no such thing as a wall that's impenetrable?' Even a maid like you doesn't understand, so how could she not understand?"
As more and more men come into contact with her, her affairs will sooner or later be spread.
By then, not only would she be embarrassed, but the entire Gu family would also be ashamed because of her. Fortunately, it was discovered early and no major disaster occurred.
Gu Cheng said angrily, "I'm going to kill her right now. Bitch, disgraceful thing, she's still counting on her son to support her in her old age, she's dreaming."
"Sixth brother, calm down. There's no need to dirty your hands for Gu Yue."
Gu Jiu stopped the excited Gu Cheng and continued, "The matter concerning Gu Yue must be kept secret. If Sixth Brother is not convenient to come forward, let me take care of the servants on the farm.
Those servants at the farm who were bribed should keep their mouths shut, and those who should be dismissed should be dismissed. In short, everything should be done invisibly, so that no one outside can detect any abnormality.
Gu Cheng took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Thank you, second sister. I'm sorry to bother you again."
"Sixth brother, you're too polite. I'm also a daughter of the Gu family. How can I stand by and watch Gu Yue ruin the Gu family's reputation?"
After a pause, Gu Jiu continued to ask Grape, "Is there anything else you haven't explained? I'll give you a chance to explain everything clearly."
Grape looked at Gu Jiu eagerly, "Will Madam spare my life?"
Gu Jiu looked at her with a half-smile, "You are not qualified to negotiate terms. Either explain everything clearly, or I will personally send you to the imperial prison with gifts."
Grape shuddered and felt very scared.
She hesitated, "There is one more thing I want to report to Madam."
Gu Jiu nodded, "You say."
"The death of the son-in-law of the Haixi Marquis's Mansion was not an accident, but man-made."
"What did you say?" Gu Yan was shocked.
Gu Jiu stopped Gu Cheng and said, "Sixth brother, don't be impatient. Listen to her."
Grape risked her life. "At that time, my great-aunt was being bullied in the Haixi Marquis's Mansion. Zhao Erlang was a homosexual and didn't like women at all. The elders in the Haixi Marquis's Mansion forced him to have an heir, and he was full of resentment, so he took it out on my great-aunt. My great-aunt really couldn't stand it anymore, so, so..."
Gu Jiu stared at her. "Just what? If you want to kill Zhao Erlang, your aunt can't do it alone. Zhao Erlang was injured in the mountains outside the village. Who did it? Who helped your aunt?"
Grape's face turned pale, and she trembled as she spoke, "Yes, it was Master Xie who helped my aunt. Zhao Erlang was injured and needed to have his medicine changed every day. My aunt tampered with the medicine, and Zhao Erlang died. The reason she had to observe a year of mourning for Zhao Erlang was to show others, to clear her of suspicion."
Gu Cheng looked horrified. "It's truly appalling. She actually committed the heinous crime of murdering her husband at that very moment."
Gu Yan's face turned pale, obviously he was quite shocked.
Any one of these things, taken alone and applied to a certain person, is enough to be horrifying.
However, for Gu Yue, it is just the difference between one and countless pieces.
As the saying goes, if there is one, there will be two.
If she could even murder her own husband, what Gu Yue did afterwards was nothing.
Gu Jiu had long known that Gu Yue had tampered with Zhao Erlang's medicine, but she had never known that the person helping her behind the scenes was Xie Shi.
"It seems that from the beginning to the end, your great aunt has always been close to Xie Shi. Your great aunt and he are good friends, so why didn't he marry your great aunt?"
Grape quickly said, "After my aunt returned from the Haixi Marquis's Mansion, Young Master Xie wanted to marry her and had mentioned several times that he would come to the mansion to propose marriage. It was my aunt who stopped him and refused to marry him."
Gu Jiu couldn't help but laugh when he heard that.
She knew Gu Yue very well, "Your aunt is very proud and wants to climb up the social ladder, so naturally she looks down on Xie Shi.
She used Xie Shi to marry into the palace, which was her wish. Who would have thought that in the end, she was driven out of the palace because of Xie Shi.
If Xie Shi had not gotten married, she might have really accepted her fate and married Xie Shi after being driven out of the palace.
But Xie Shi already had a wife, and she didn't want to marry a widower and become his stepmother. She also wanted to live a luxurious life, so she secretly started a prostitution business. Am I right?
The maid Grape kowtowed and said, "I have confessed everything, not a single word is false."
Gu Jiu laughed sarcastically, "You two, master and servant, are truly impressive. You and Xie Shi have been together for a long time, right?"
Grape buried her head in the ground and kept saying, "Please spare my life, Madam. Please spare my life, Madam."
Gu Jiu coughed lightly and clapped his hands.
Soon, Xu Yousi came in with his men, blocked Grape's mouth, and dragged him out.
Gu Yan was anxious and angry, like an ant on a hot pan.
"Second sister, what should we do about Gu Yue? Should we tell father about this?"
Gu Jiu shook his head, "Keep hiding it from my father. As for Gu Yue, I'll take care of her. But I have to meet her first."
Gu Cheng said, "She's been going crazy. She's been making a fuss since she came back from the farm yesterday. I simply ordered someone to give her some medicine and told her to lie down."
"Sixth Brother handled it very well. I still have time, so I'll go see her."
"I'm worried that she will offend my second sister." Gu Yan was a little worried.
"We're family, so there's no need to offend her. Don't worry, Sixth Brother. I just want to see her and tell her something. After that, we'll deal with her as we must. We must not let her continue to tarnish the reputation of the Gu family."
Gu Yue was imprisoned in a small courtyard in the northwest corner.
This place is remote, and now that the weather is cold, few people come here.
Gu Yan locked her up here to prevent her from making trouble and alarming other people in the mansion.
Crunch!
The door panel is old and creaks when you push it lightly.
There was a brazier burning in the room, but it still didn't get warm.
The servants quickly added two more braziers before inviting Gu Jiu in.
Gu Jiu walked onto the floor and into the bedroom.
Gu Yue lay on the bed, feeling limp and weak all over.
"Help her up."
Gu Jiu sat down on the chair, the servant brought two pillows and placed them on the head of the bed, then helped Gu Yue sit up.
Then, the servant gave Gu Yue some medicine.
“Cough cough cough…”
Gu Yue coughed violently. After coughing, she was finally able to make a sound, but her voice was hoarse and sounded harsh.
She looked angrily, "Why is it you?"
Gu Jiu sneered, "If it wasn't me, who else could it be? If it was my father, do you think you would still be lying in bed and baring your teeth at people?"
"Shut up, it's none of your business whatsoever."
Gu Jiu said, "Do you think I want to get involved in your disgusting affairs? You've fallen into depravity and ruined the Gu family's reputation, and you're quite proud of it?"
Gu Yue smiled coldly, "I'm a widow. The Gu family can't control which man I want to be with. Let me go quickly."
Gu Jiu sneered, "I thought you were just crazy and bold, but I didn't expect you to be so foolish. The Gu family really can't control which man you are with. But the premise is that you are with the man, not engaged in the flesh trade. You really have no shame in calling the flesh trade a widow's search for a woman's spring."
"Shut up, shut up. Don't slander me. You want to laugh at me, ridicule me? Don't even think about it. Get out of here. It's none of your business to interfere in my affairs."
Gu Yue was so frantic, her eyes were bloodshot. She was filled with hatred, anger, excitement, and roaring.
It doesn’t matter if anyone appears here, except Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu stared at her, and only laughed after Gu Yue's frenzy had subsided. "Do you feel ashamed and embarrassed to see me here? Are you unwilling to accept that you've fought for so many years, but still lost in the end?"
"Who do you think you are? I won't accept this." Gu Yue scolded angrily.
Gu Jiu sneered, "When we lived under the same roof, you always dominated me, so arrogant. Now, I haven't even made a move, but you've already degraded yourself into a secret whore, while I'm the high and mighty prince's wife. Can you accept this? When you see me, I'm afraid your heart is bleeding."
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