"If you want to persuade someone, there are only three ways: appeal to their emotions, convince them with reason, and lure them with benefits."
Empress Pei was stunned.
Gu Jiu looked at the other party and continued in a low voice: "As long as enough benefits are promised, His Majesty will happily agree to a mere marriage."
Empress Pei licked her lips subconsciously. "Your Majesty has a big appetite. How much benefit can you promise? You are really generous for your brother's marriage."
Gu Jiu chuckled, "My daughter-in-law only has this one brother. It's rare that he asks for something, so I will naturally satisfy him. And Pei Man is very good. I hope Pei Man can be my sister-in-law."
Gu Jiu naturally wouldn't reveal a single word about the deeper reasons.
The Duke of Lu is investing in her, and she is also investing in the Duke of Lu.
The Duke of Lu wanted to make friends with her, and she readily agreed. She didn't mind and showed goodwill to the Duke of Lu.
To deal with Emperor Wende was her greatest sincerity to the Duke of Lu and also a demonstration of her influence.
This tells the Duke of Lu that it was a good decision to make friends with her and that both sides can cooperate more in the future.
Empress Pei frowned, "Then what benefits do you intend to offer in exchange for His Majesty's consent?"
Gu Jiu smiled mysteriously, "Please allow me to keep this a secret for a while, Mother."
Queen Pei snorted, naturally unhappy.
"Have you discussed this matter with Liu Zhao?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I met His Highness yesterday, and he fully supported my decision."
Empress Pei thought for a moment and said, "When you speak to His Majesty, speak up for Liu Zhao. Ask His Majesty to release him as soon as possible. He's the eldest prince, and he's been imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple for over six months, causing panic within and outside the court. If this continues, who knows how much chaos will ensue."
"My daughter-in-law will try her best, but she may not succeed."
"Whether you succeed or not, you have to do it. He is your husband, and since you are capable, you should help him."
"Don't worry, mother. I will help him."
As a husband and wife, they share the same fate, so she would naturally help Liu Zhao.
She also hoped that Liu Zhao would rush to the front and defend her from the arrows and spears coming from all directions.
After bidding farewell to Empress Pei, Gu Jiu did not delay and went directly to Xingqing Palace to meet Emperor Wende.
…
Inside Xingqing Palace, Chang En reported in a low voice that Madam Zhao wanted to see him.
Emperor Wende put down his pen and smiled, "She didn't delay at all. She came straight here from Weiyang Palace?"
Chang En nodded, "Exactly. Your Majesty, do you want to see her?"
"See her! Of course I must. It's rare for me to see her on ordinary days, but today she took the initiative to ask for an audience, so how could I not see her? Let her come in."
"Announce the madam's audience."
Gu Jiu followed the eunuch into Xingqing Palace and came to Zhengyang Hall to meet Emperor Wende.
"The daughter-in-law pays her respects to the emperor!" Gu Jiu bowed deeply and respectfully.
Emperor Wende felt much better when he saw Gu Jiu being so respectful.
"No need to be polite, please take a seat!"
"Thank you, Father!"
Gu Jiu sat down carefully, with a humble look on her face, like a bullied young wife.
Emperor Wende snorted coldly.
Keep pretending!
You are so shameless to let your young wife bully you!
There has never been a young wife in this world who suffers as much as Gu Jiu.
However, looking at Gu Jiu's respectful appearance, Emperor Wende had to admit that he was in a good mood.
It's so rare!
"How come you have time to come and pay your respects to me today?"
Emperor Wende's casual question was a trap.
Gu Jiu bowed slightly, "My daughter-in-law came here today to apologize."
Emperor Wende raised an eyebrow, "What crime have you committed?"
Gu Jiu said seriously, "I heard that the cement road from Beijing to Hedong has been under construction. I have a ready-made road construction team, but I didn't offer it up right away. I am guilty!"
After saying this, she lowered her head and made a gesture of apology.
Emperor Wende was so angry that he laughed, but after laughing, he became furious again, "That's it? Nothing else?"
fool!
This is a lie!
You're just fooling around, wishful thinking!
Emperor Wende made up his mind to give Gu Jiu a good beating today.
Gu Jiu: "..." Your Majesty, even an emperor has to have some dignity! The ladder has been handed over, why don't you just come down the ladder? Do you really have to discuss the matter of your brother-in-law, Marquis Lu?
That’s so dangerous!
The Marquis of Lu is a ticking time bomb. No one wants to discuss him in private, let alone in the palace.
This is fatal!
Gu Jiuzhaba's eyes were wide, and he looked innocent. "Could it be that the property under my daughter-in-law's name didn't pay the tax on time?"
snort!
Emperor Wende had a stern face.
Pack!
Keep pretending!
See how long you can pretend.
"The road construction team under the Ministry of Works is no less skilled than your own. Keep your road construction team for yourself."
Emperor Wende acted as if he looked down on you and directly rejected Gu Jiu's apology.
Gu Jiu: "..."
Isn't this forcing her?
Why!
It’s so tiring to negotiate with a shameless emperor!
She simply threw the can down and said, "Or the emperor will convict me. No matter what the crime is, I will admit it."
"Ridiculous! Do you think I am a tyrant?" Emperor Wende shouted harshly.
Gu Jiu's mouth twitched. The emperor still had some dignity! He also knew that arbitrary convictions were against the rules.
It’s just that I don’t want the place!
Gu Jiu simply said, "My daughter-in-law's brother wants to marry the daughter of the Marquis of Lu. I failed to report this to His Majesty immediately. I am guilty."
Emperor Wende sneered and finally got to the point.
He said that Gu Jiu was not a superhuman, so he couldn't handle it. Sooner or later, he would have to give in.
"The Marquis of Lu actually took a fancy to your brother. Is it because your brother is young and promising, or because the Gu family has a prominent family background, or is it because you, as his sister, are too capable?" Emperor Wende asked jokingly.
Gu Jiu replied as a matter of course: "Of course it's because my brother is young and promising."
Emperor Wende's mouth twitched, unable to bear to look.
How dare you say that!
Gu Ting is almost thirty years old, but he still dares to claim to be a young and promising person.
Forget it, I won’t attack Gu Jiu.
Emperor Wende coughed lightly. "I know the Duke of Lu better than you do. He's a man who won't do anything unless it's for the best. Do you really think that marrying our precious daughter to your brother is because he's young and promising?"
Gu Jiu played dumb, "My daughter-in-law doesn't understand what Your Majesty means."
Emperor Wende smiled faintly, "Everyone tells me that the Marquis of Lu agreed to this marriage because of you. Do you agree with that?"
Of course Gu Jiu would not agree with this statement.
What you think in your heart is one thing, what you say with your mouth is another.
She said with a look of respect and confusion, "To be honest, Your Majesty, I have never met the Marquis of Lu. Some people even say that the Marquis of Lu betrothed his daughter to my brother because of me. I don't understand where this comes from."
Emperor Wende was furious.
Playing dumb again!
I really want to throw Gu Jiu into the Zongzheng Temple to keep him company with that bastard Liu Zhao. The couple should reflect on their mistakes together.
Emperor Wende took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said, "I believe that the Marquis of Lu betrothed his daughter to Gu Ting because of you. What do you have to say?"
Since Gu Jiu likes to play dumb, Emperor Wende will just come clean and not bother to listen to her nonsense.
Gu Jiu looked innocent, what could she say?
"A daughter-in-law cannot influence the decision of the Duke of Lu."
Emperor Wende laughed instantly, "Then have you ever thought about what you would do if I objected to this marriage?"
Gu Jiu blinked.
Although she could not influence the decision of Marquis Lu, she could influence the decision of Emperor Wende!
She gritted her teeth, her expression aggrieved and painful, and said, "I heard that the construction of the cement road from the capital to Hedong has not been smooth. The last few hundred miles of mountain road are progressing very slowly. I am willing to bear all the expenses and food for the last few hundred miles of mountain road to relieve your majesty's worries."
Emperor Wende was surprised and astonished.
He never expected that Gu Jiu actually planned to build roads for the court.
His original intention was to plant a stake in Xinmin County and share its profits.
However, Gu Jiu's proposal gave Emperor Wende a new idea.
It’s not bad that Gu Jiu is willing to bear the cost of road construction and food supplies!
Xinmin County can remain unchanged for the time being.
It was just surprising that Gu Jiu didn't even complain about being poor this time, but was actually so generous. Abnormal, really abnormal.
On weekdays, whenever money is mentioned, Gu Jiu doesn't care whether others believe him or not, and he just starts crying poor. It's really infuriating that he can cry poor even more than the emperor himself.
Today we are not poor, but we are generous in donating money and food.
Emperor Wende laughed.
"Oh! You're actually willing to cover the entire cost of the last few hundred miles of cement road?"
"Exactly."
“He’s quite rich!”
Emperor Wende acted like he was really unhappy. He said, "You have money, I don't, I'm just unhappy." His tone was also sour.
Gu Jiu said aggrievedly, "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, I really have no money. In order to support the road construction expenses, I plan to borrow money from the Ministry of Finance."
puff!
Emperor Wende was furious.
Asking the Shaofu for a loan, after all, is still using his money to build the road.
This is too much!
Gu Jiu quickly added, "My daughter-in-law will pay the full interest and taxes."
Emperor Wende's anger finally subsided a little.
He snorted, "If you don't have money, go to the Shaofu to borrow money. What do you think of the Shaofu?"
Gu Jiu blinked. Of course, he thought of it as a money bag. What else could it be?
"I just don't believe that after all these years of business, you don't have any money on hand."
Gu Jiu was so aggrieved that she was about to cry, "My daughter-in-law is really broke. All the money she earned was invested in Xinmin County, and all the expenses of the family still need to be covered by my daughter-in-law. Your Highness can't help at all, but the expenses are not reduced at all."
snort!
A prince, with that little salary, can't even support himself. As the prince's father, shouldn't the emperor feel ashamed?
Can't the emperor be more generous?
cannot!
Emperor Wende's attitude was very firm.
My son, why should you be able to enjoy a good life by relying on the merits of your ancestors? It’s not a good thing.
Emperor Wende stared at Gu Jiu suspiciously, saying that he had no money, which must be fake, absolutely fake.
He asked, "How much money do you plan to borrow from the Minister of the Treasury?"
Gu Jiu counted on his fingers and estimated, then said cautiously, "One million taels, is that enough?"
Emperor Wende was furious and really treated the Shaofu Bank as his own purse.
"How will you repay the loan?"
"My daughter-in-law will find a way. She still owns a few shops, so there should be some surplus by the end of the year. If things really don't work out next year, I'll borrow some money from someone and make sure to repay the loan from the Shaofu Bank on time."
Emperor Wende chuckled, "Your plan is quite beautiful."
Gu Jiu smiled sheepishly, "In order to relieve your majesty's worries, your daughter-in-law will do her best and try every possible way to build a cement road from the capital to Hedong as soon as possible."
Emperor Wende smiled and said, "You are thoughtful."
Gu Jiu lowered his head, lowered his eyebrows and said submissively: "To share His Majesty's worries, I must devote my whole heart and soul."
The words sounded very nice, but Emperor Wende didn't believe a word of it.
That's a deal.
"For your sake, I have no objection to the marriage between the Lu Marquisate and the Gu family."
Gu Jiu's face was filled with joy. "Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is so generous!"
The corners of Emperor Wende's mouth twitched. He strongly suspected that Gu Jiu was sarcastically saying that he was magnanimous.
He said casually: "You are willing to do it for your brother."
Gu Jiu said emotionally: "My daughter-in-law lost her mother when she was young and grew up with her brother. What she hopes most is to see her brother get married and have children."
Emperor Wende frowned slightly. Does Gu Jiu care so much about her brother?
What is Gu Jiu's intention in showing his weakness to others?
Emperor Wende tried to guess Gu Jiu's intentions and said, "You really care about your brother."
"A daughter-in-law is a nostalgic person."
Emperor Wende suddenly laughed.
Because he had seen through Gu Jiu's intention.
Gu Jiu took the initiative to reveal his weaknesses simply to reassure Emperor Wende.
Look, my biggest weakness is right there. Your Majesty, you can stretch out your fingers and pinch my vital point at any time. The implication is that she has absolutely no ill intentions.
No matter what Marquis Lu's plan is, the Gu family, and she, Gu Jiu, are all the emperor's subjects, first-class citizens, and will never follow Marquis Lu in doing anything reckless.
This is the greatest sincerity that Gu Jiu gives to Emperor Wende.
Emperor Wende smiled and nodded, "I have received your sincerity. Please leave."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
Finally finished my Spring Festival vacation. Back home, back to work, coding!
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