Emperor Wende was not affected by the second prince's words.
Instead, he was very curious about what kind of gossip Concubine Shen had made up to make Gu Ji so angry that he was willing to break up with her and directly cut off the income source of the Shen family and the Second Prince.
He asked Eunuch Qin, "Do you know what the second brother said?"
Eunuch Qin bowed slightly and said, "I only know the basics, not the details."
"Then talk to me. What gossip did the virtuous concubine fabricate about the eldest brother's wife that made her so angry?"
Eunuch Qin said cautiously, "It wasn't really gossip. Concubine Xian simply said that Madam Zhao was incredibly skilled. For so many years, the Crown Prince hadn't had a single woman by his side. Even the maids who served him were expelled from the palace. Somehow, word got around in the palace, and the concubines secretly envied her."
Emperor Wende sneered when he heard this.
"That's ridiculous!"
I don't know whether he was saying that Concubine Xian was ridiculous, or that the concubines who envied Gu Jiu were ridiculous.
Emperor Wende asked again, "Did the eldest son's wife get so angry over such a small matter that she even resorted to using the whole world to suppress other people's businesses?"
Eunuch Qin whispered, "Perhaps Madam Zhao is a little too angry."
"He does have a bad temper." There was a hint of dissatisfaction in Emperor Wende's tone.
Emperor Wende then glared at the Second Prince, "Look at you! You're a prince, a grown man, yet you start crying over the slightest problem. How will you shoulder heavy responsibilities in the future?"
Upon hearing this, the Second Prince immediately stopped crying. "I'm just angry that my eldest sister-in-law is using her wealth to wantonly trample on the fruits of others' hard work. She's so unscrupulous because she relies on her wealth."
Emperor Wende asked, "What do you want?"
The Second Prince lowered his head and said, "It's up to the Emperor, Father, to decide."
"You have to ask me to solve such trivial matters for you. What use are you?"
Emperor Wende first scolded the second prince, let out a sigh of relief, and then ordered someone to invite Gu Jiu into the palace.
He also reminded the eunuch, "Remember to ask Madam Zhao to bring the twins into the palace. I haven't seen them for a long time, and I miss them very much."
Since the emperor had invited him, Gu Jiu naturally didn't dare to delay.
She brought Niuniu and Ge'er with her into the palace.
On the way, Xu Yousi used both soft and hard tactics, and bribed people with a large sum of money, and finally got some information out of the eunuch who delivered the message.
Then he hurriedly told Gu Jiu.
After listening to Xu Yousi's retelling, Gu Jiu sneered, "The Second Prince is truly shameless. He's grown up, yet he still acts like a little girl in front of His Majesty, crying and whimpering, all the while threatening to hang himself. And His Majesty doesn't even mind."
Both father and son have strong tastes.
Gu Jiu felt very disgusted with the second prince.
Just as Emperor Wende said, it's just a trivial matter, why do you still go and complain?
It's just a little financial loss, is it that serious?
She didn't want to kill them all, she just wanted to teach Concubine Shen a lesson.
Once they have been taught a sufficient lesson, they will naturally stop.
As a result, this was just the beginning. The Shen family and the second prince could not bear it anymore and ran to the palace crying and complaining.
Gu Jiu asked Xu Yousi, "Am I too soft-hearted? I should have killed the Second Prince of the Shen family from the beginning and not even given them a chance to turn things around."
Xu Yousi said, "Even if Madam wants to change her mind now and beat them to death, it's too late. We have alarmed His Majesty, so we must stop no matter what."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "If we can't kill them with one blow, then we can use a blunt knife to cut the flesh and kill them slowly. The Shen family and the second prince only have such a small amount of property. I don't believe that a blunt knife can't cut it all."
Xu Yousi began to worry, "Madam, please stay calm when you go to the palace to see the emperor."
Gu Jiu laughed and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely be able to hold on."
She would not be so impulsive as to beat the second prince to death in front of Emperor Wende.
Get off the carriage and enter the palace.
Gu Jiu held one of them in each hand and headed towards Xingqing Palace.
She whispered to the two children, "You'll be meeting Grandfather soon. Are you nervous?"
Niuniu shook her head. "My daughter isn't nervous. Is my brother nervous?"
Brother Xun said crisply, "Sis, I'm not nervous either."
Gu Jiu smiled like a flower.
I just regretted that I didn’t have enough strength. The two children were heavy and I couldn’t lift them both at the same time.
She also warned the two children, "When you see the Emperor, remember to follow the rules. Don't cry or fight."
Brother Xun raised his head and looked at Gu Jiu, "Be a good boy, son, and don't fight."
Gu Jiu pinched the child's little hand and said, "Brother Xun is really great."
Niuniu followed up with another comment: "My daughter is also obedient and doesn't fight."
"They are all good kids."
The two little brats made faces at each other when Gu Jiu wasn't paying attention.
It does seem possible that there won't be a 'fight'.
After arriving at Xingqing Palace, Gu Jiu and the child were invited into Zhengyang Hall after being informed.
The second prince was still there, his eyes red, as if he had been crying.
Gu Jiu pouted, looking very disgusted.
It's too much for a grown man to cry and snatch a woman's script!
How hard does a woman have to cry to cry more loudly than a crying man?
It seems that no matter how hard a man cries, he can't be crushed by crying.
When Gu Jiu thought of this, he became more depressed.
She led her two children and bowed.
The two little brats followed Gu Jiu and saluted.
"Grandson (granddaughter) pays tribute to the Royal Grandfather, wishing him a long and healthy life."
Perhaps it was because Brother Hen’s sense of balance was not very good. When he bent down, his body fell forward and rolled on the ground like a ball.
Emperor Wende laughed heartily, very pleased.
The palace maids also laughed secretly.
Brother Xun was so sad and felt like crying because he was laughed at.
Gu Jiu quickly helped Brother Yan up, and heard his daughter mutter under her breath, "Stupid brother!"
Gu Jiu was speechless.
She patted Brother's body and asked with concern: "Does it hurt?"
Hen'er opened his innocent eyes wide and said in a baby voice, "It doesn't hurt, son."
Emperor Wende also asked, "Should we ask the imperial physician to take a look?"
Gu Jiu shook his head repeatedly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. The child just fell, it's nothing serious. There's no need to call a doctor."
Emperor Wende walked down the steps, came in front of the two children, and bowed slightly.
"You are a boy, why are you rolling on the ground?"
After saying this, Emperor Wende couldn't help laughing. That scene just now was really too cute.
He opened his eyes wide, looked at Emperor Wende curiously, and said in a low voice, "I don't know why I rolled to the ground."
Emperor Wende could no longer hold back and burst into laughter again.
He reached out and touched Brother He's head.
The child's innocent look is very adorable.
Niu Niu has a strong desire to perform.
But she remembered her mother's teachings and did not dare to speak casually.
Emperor Wende noticed Niuniu, "Are you Niuniu?"
Niuniu nodded repeatedly, "Granddaughter greets Grandfather."
The little girl has a clear voice, a pair of bright eyes and is very confident, not at all stage-frightened.
Niu Niu and Ge'er are completely two different types of children, but both are equally likable.
Emperor Wende smiled and asked her, "Have you studied?"
Niuniu nodded vigorously, "My granddaughter has learned the Thousand Character Classic."
"Not bad, not bad. Can you write?"
Niuniu nodded again, "I can write a few words, but I'm not good at it. It's not as beautiful as my brothers'."
Emperor Wende laughed heartily. "You're still young and can't even hold the pen steadily. It's not your fault if your handwriting isn't good. Practice more, and in a few years you'll be able to write well."
"My granddaughter will listen to my grandfather and work hard to learn calligraphy." Niu Niu's ability to express herself in language is obviously better than that of Ge'er.
Brother Xun looked at Niu Niu with special admiration.
Niu Niu secretly made a face at him.
Brother He grinned.
This scene did not escape the eyes of Emperor Wende.
He found the two children really interesting and had already thought of keeping them in the palace for a while.
Then he thought of Gu Jiu's bad temper and Emperor Wende held back from saying anything.
He returned to his seat and ordered the palace servants to take the two children away first.
Niu Niu and Ge'er were a little nervous.
Gu Jiu comforted them, "Let Aqing take you to play, okay?"
Only then did the two children agree to leave.
As soon as the child left, the atmosphere in Zhengyang Hall became more serious.
Emperor Wende asked directly, "My eldest daughter-in-law, do you know why I asked you to come into the palace?"
"Your Majesty, I didn't know at first. But after seeing His Royal Highness the Second Prince, I almost understood."
"So you did instruct Sihai Trading Company to suppress and squeeze out the second brother and the Shen family's businesses?" Emperor Wende asked calmly.
Gu Jiu did not deny it, "My daughter-in-law did instruct the people below to attack the Second Prince and the Shen family's business."
Emperor Wende raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect Gu Jiu to admit it so straightforwardly without wasting any of his words.
Emperor Wende pointed at the Second Prince, "The Second Prince said he suffered heavy losses and that you were bullying others by relying on your wealth and power. What do you say?"
Gu Jiu glanced at the Second Prince with disdain in his eyes, "My daughter-in-law thought that complaining was something only children would do, but she didn't expect that an adult in his forties would also behave like a child."
This is a humiliation and a mockery.
The Second Prince felt wronged and angry, "Father!"
The word "Father" is full of twists and turns, rich and complex emotions.
Gu Jiu shivered and got goosebumps.
She was really curious about where the second prince learned his singing and songwriting skills.
When I lived in the palace, I didn't realize that he had a talent for acting.
Emperor Wende waved his hand, signaling the Second Prince to stop talking nonsense.
Then he added, "I've already understood the whole story. I have to say, eldest brother's wife, you really know how to make a mountain out of a molehill."
Gu Jiu's face was serious. "Your Majesty, it's not that my daughter-in-law is making a fuss. These rumors are clearly intentional, not just casual gossip. Their purpose is to ruin my daughter-in-law's reputation, and then ruin Liu Zhao's reputation."
These rumors, which spread throughout the harem and even reached the imperial court, were simply intended to mislead people into thinking Liu Zhao was soft-hearted and irresponsible. This was a great humiliation to Liu Zhao, and the intention was truly sinister.
"Is it as serious as you say?" Emperor Wende smiled, obviously not taking Gu Jiu's words to heart.
Gu Jiu said with certainty: "It will only be more serious than what my daughter-in-law said."
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