It’s not difficult to find out who the casino’s backers are.
It’s just that this backer is a bit powerful.
Princess Chaoyang, sister of the late emperor and aunt of Emperor Wende.
This princess had the same father as the late emperor, but this was not the most important thing. The most important thing was that this princess had saved the late emperor's life and had pleaded for him.
And she is very tactful.
After the late emperor ascended the throne, she no longer asked about court affairs.
Emperor Wende also respected his aunt very much.
With such a huge Buddha statue, it’s no wonder that even the Shaofu’s household steward has a headache.
Qian Fu secretly advised Gu Jiu, "Madam, in my opinion, let's just forget about this matter. One hundred and twenty thousand taels is indeed a lot. The Shaofu family official can still scrape together the money."
"Money is a small matter. I cannot tolerate anyone plotting against me behind my back." Gu Jiu was very domineering.
The Shaofu Household Director is a court official, but he is also Gu Jiu's ally.
Cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents. We can't just let this go.
Gu Jiu asked Qian Fu, "His Highness asked you to persuade me?"
Qian Fu shook his head repeatedly, "His Highness said that this matter is entirely up to Madam to handle, and he will not interfere."
Gu Jiu secretly rolled his eyes, "He really won't interfere?"
Gu Jiu didn't believe that Liu Zhao would watch the Shaofu Household Manager being removed from his position.
But sometimes, there are things that can be done but cannot be said.
Qian Fu naturally spoke as Liu Zhao instructed, "His Highness said that he would never interfere."
If you believe what men say, even a sow can climb a tree.
Gu Jiu said, "I'll just assume he really won't interfere."
Liu Zhao likes to be mysterious, and Gu Jiu is too lazy to ask.
…
The Lord of Huyang County was in high spirits when he saw the happy event.
My daughter's marriage has been arranged, and the wedding date is set for August, the cool and refreshing autumn season.
Now she is busy preparing dowry for Chen Min.
When Gu Jiu met her, he casually mentioned, "Such a good thing, we have to celebrate!"
Upon hearing this, Princess Huyang slapped her thigh and said, "My nephew's wife is right. This event should be celebrated. It's a rare occasion for me to encounter such a happy event."
So, Princess Huyang sent out invitations to many friends and relatives to have a banquet at her mansion.
She also wrote in the invitation, "In all these years, this palace has rarely had a happy event, and everyone must come. If you don't come, you are not giving me face."
Only Huyang could do such a weird thing.
Of those who accepted the invitation, eight and a half out of ten were unwilling to attend the banquet. But after seeing this sentence in the invitation, they could only hold their noses and bear it.
Go, go!
Just think of it as spending a day to buy peace.
Princess Chaoyang naturally received the invitation.
She threw the invitation aside. "That bitch Hu Yang is so shameless that she actually dared to threaten me in the invitation. Her daughter hasn't even gotten married yet, and she's already so cocky. Isn't she afraid that something unexpected will happen one day and the wedding will be called off?"
The maid smiled and said, "Miss Chen is going to marry Madam Zhao's cousin. Judging from the relationship between Princess Huyang and Madam Zhao, Miss Chen will definitely be able to marry Magistrate Gu smoothly."
Princess Chaoyang sneered, "She's got it easy. Gu Yu isn't well-known, but he has a good cousin and a good position. Once he marries Huyang's daughter, with Huyang's ability to make trouble, no one will be able to snatch the position of Xinmin County Magistrate from Gu Yu. What a good plan."
The maid said, "Your Highness is openly scolding Princess Huyang, but in reality he is scolding Madam Zhao."
Princess Chaoyang chuckled, "Gu Jiu has taken all the benefits, she's so proud of herself. As the wife of a prince, she has so many benefits, isn't she afraid that she will be in trouble one day?"
The maid smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't be angry. Take care of yourself. From what I can see, Madam Zhao's complacency won't last long."
Princess Chaoyang laughed when she heard this, "It's time to replace people in certain positions."
She glanced at Huyang's invitation again and asked, "Do you think Madam Zhao will go?"
The maid nodded and said, "Madam Zhao has made peace with Princess Huyang, and she will definitely go."
"If I remember correctly, the woman surnamed Gu is pregnant."
The maid smiled and said, "The date on the invitation is ten days from now. By then, Madam Zhao's pregnancy should be stable."
Princess Chaoyang thought for a moment and said, "Tell the Princess's Mansion that I will attend the appointment on time."
"As you command."
…
On the day when the Princess' Mansion was hosting a banquet, there was a huge traffic jam in front of Princess Huyang's Mansion, which even blocked the street.
Gu Jiu was familiar with Princess Huyang, so he rushed over early in the morning.
She wanted to help greet the guests, but was stopped by Hu Yang.
"You're pregnant, so don't overwork yourself. To entertain the guests, there are the second, third, and fourth daughters-in-law. The three of them plus Minmin are enough."
As the nephew's wives, Ouyang Fu, Cui Shi, and Xiao Qin'er were naturally drafted by Princess Huyang to help entertain the guests.
As for Gu Jiu, he just had to sit comfortably in the flower hall and chat with others.
She asked Xiao Cui to keep an eye on the movements outside.
If Princess Chaoyang comes, remember to notify her.
This time when Gu Jiu went out, he brought Xiao Cui, Qing Zhu, Wang Yi, the newly promoted maid Xiao Yu, and several eunuchs headed by Xu Yousi.
Qingmei went home to prepare for her marriage.
Xiao Qin'er took the time to sit down and rest her feet.
"Sister-in-law is still comfortable, so enviable."
Gu Jiu pointed to her belly and said, "It's time for the baby to come."
Xiao Qin'er was very depressed.
Second Madam Ouyang Fu urged Xiao Qin'er, "Fourth sister-in-law, don't be lazy. There are many guests coming today. Come with me to welcome them."
Xiao Qin'er secretly complained, "Did the princess invite everyone she knows?"
Huyang County hosted a banquet, and since there was no male host in the family, all the female relatives were invited.
Three women make a drama, and with so many ladies, young girls and wives gathered together, there is too much drama.
Princess Huyang knew the rules after all, so she drove all her lovers out and sent them to stay in a separate courtyard for two days, so as not to disturb the guests and cause gossip.
But even so, there are still people gossiping.
Gu Jiu heard with his own ears that several wives of the royal family gathered together and happily discussed Princess Huyang.
"It's really rare that she even has a sense of shame and knows how to place her lover in another courtyard."
"She wants face."
"She doesn't care about face at all. She can hide the things she did from others, but can she hide them from you? Remember, she slept with that man from the Hu family last year..."
The women first whispered to each other, and then burst into laughter.
Gu Jiu picked up the teacup and slammed it on the table.
The women stopped talking and looked at Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu sneered, "Drinking tea from the Princess's mansion while scolding the Princess for being shameless, do you have any shame? You're making up stories about Her Highness right in front of me. Do you really think I'm dead and won't turn hostile?"
"We were talking about the princess, not you, Madam."
"Shut up! Where are you from? Tell me your name."
Naturally, no one came forward to sign up.
Gu Jiu snorted, "I don't care what you think in your hearts. Since you are here as a guest, you must act like a guest.
You say the princess is shameless, but look at yourselves, do you think you are well-behaved? You dare to make up stories about the host when you are a guest, okay? Whose rules are taught like this? If you think the wine and food at the princess's mansion are not tasty, don't come! "
The woman muttered, "If the princess hadn't written that on the invitation, do you think we would have come?"
Oh!
Gu Jiu sneered, "You're a coward. You're so brave, what are you afraid of? Don't come! Now that you're here, just shut up and learn to be a pleasant guest."
He complained while eating, what a big face.
Could it be that Princess Huyang held a knife to their necks and forced them to come?
If Gu Jiu were to treat a guest to a meal and encountered a guest who wanted to eat but still complained about it, he would just give him a slap in the face.
If you dislike it, don’t come!
When you come, don't show disdain in front of the host.
If you have anything to say, just say it when you get home, no one will interfere.
I don’t believe these women don’t understand such simple rules and principles.
The women were naturally unhappy after being scolded by Gu Jiu.
However, he lacked the confidence to challenge Gu Jiu openly, so he had to leave in disgrace.
Gu Jiu continued to drink his boiled water.
Xiao Cui came in from outside, "Madam, Princess Chaoyang has arrived."
“Oh! Where are the people?”
"I went to the front hall. Many people were there, waiting to pay their respects to Princess Chaoyang."
Of all the guests arriving at the Princess's Mansion today, Princess Chaoyang is presumably the most distinguished, and her generational status is high enough. It's only natural for everyone to pay their respects.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Let's sit for a while and wait for everyone over there to leave before going over to pay their respects."
Xiao Cui volunteered, "I'll go to the front hall and keep an eye on it. When there are fewer people, I'll come back to report to the Madam."
"Go!"
Xiao Cui ran out like a gust of wind.
Qingzhu shook his head and smiled, "Xiao Cui is not young anymore, but she still can't change her impulsive personality."
Gu Jiu jokingly asked, "Does Qingzhu want to marry Xiaocui off?"
Qingzhu's cheeks flushed. "How can I be betrothed to her? I haven't even solved my own major problems."
"If you have your eye on someone, tell me and I'll make the decision for you."
Gu Jiu was very generous to the people around him and would generally meet any reasonable request.
Qingzhu's cheeks flushed red. "How could this servant be so fond of someone? Madam, please don't joke with me."
Knowing that Qingzhu was thin-skinned and couldn't take jokes, Gu Jiu stopped.
She then asked Wang Yi, "Have you ever thought about what kind of person you would marry?"
Wang Yi shook her head, "I have never thought about getting married."
"Then think about it now."
Wang Yi really thought hard, and after a while, she seemed to understand. She said, "The man who marries me must first defeat me. Otherwise, I will not marry him."
puff!
Gu Jiu laughed, "Your requirements are quite high, most men can't satisfy you."
"Without such a man, I will not marry and will always serve you, my lady."
"Don't tell me you won't marry me. I'll find one for you."
The master and servant chatted for a while, and after a cup of tea, Xiao Cui came back and said that there were fewer people in the hall. It was a good time to go there.
Gu Jiu stood up and said, "Follow me to pay my respects to the princess."
Princess Chaoyang has a long face and is well maintained. Even though she is in her sixties, she doesn't have many wrinkles on her face.
Perhaps because his expression has been too serious for a long time, his eyes seem a little mean and his nasolabial folds are very deep.
When she saw Gu Jiu, her eyes narrowed slightly. "So you are Liu Zhao's wife. I heard that you are pregnant and it is not suitable for you to go out. Why are you here today? It must be that Huyang is so prestigious that they can invite you here."
Princess Chaoyang will never forget the first time she invited Gu Jiu, but he rejected her without even a decent excuse.
She looked at Gu Jiu with displeasure.
Gu Jiu was not surprised that Princess Chaoyang disliked her. She was sarcastic whenever they met and spoke to her.
Similarly, she also disliked Princess Chaoyang.
This person, relying on her status as the eldest princess, has done many things like bullying the young and using her power to oppress others.
So she was not willing to attend the banquet at Princess Chaoyang's residence because she knew what the other party would say when they met.
Since you're going to be rejected anyway, you might as well just decline politely.
Obviously, her polite refusal was not appreciated at all. He just thought she was arrogant and rude.
Hey!
After hearing this, Gu Jiu really had to put on a bad face.
It can be said that Gu Jiu and Princess Chaoyang have never had any serious contact, but the two of them have long disliked each other and have a grudge against each other.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I can give face to others, but I cannot give face to Princess Huyang. Not to mention being pregnant, even if knives rained from the sky, I would still come to support my aunt."
Princess Huyang was deeply moved, "My nephew's wife really cares about me."
Princess Chaoyang: "..." Haha! It turns out that her face is not as big as that bitch Huyang's.
She teased, "You two have a good relationship. Not like aunt and niece, but more like sisters."
Hu Yang was about to agree but was interrupted by Gu Jiu.
"I disagree with what the princess said. The princess is your majesty's biological sister, and I am your majesty's daughter-in-law. I hope the princess can understand the relationship between the princess and me. This will avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and disputes."
Hu Yang felt that this made sense, and he agreed repeatedly: "My nephew's wife is right. Aunt Chaoyang, you must not make such jokes again, it will cause misunderstandings."
Princess Chaoyang: "..." Does this bitch Huyang have any opinion of her own?
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