"Liu Zhao has a bad temper, and everyone knows it. If he knew about this, I'm afraid he would make a big fuss."
When talking about making a big fuss, Gu Jiu looked specifically at the second prince.
The second prince looked innocent.
What are you looking at him for?
He is innocent, okay?
He didn't say anything bad about Liu Zhao, nor did he spread rumors.
Gu Jiu smiled, as the saying goes, a son pays his mother's debt. The Second Prince could only blame his bad luck.
The second prince feels wronged!
It would be fine if we just suppressed his industry and caused him to suffer heavy losses.
Liu Zhao still wants to cause trouble for him?
I dare to ask: Where is your conscience?
Liu Zhao and Gu Jiu, please don’t go too far!
There must be a bottom line in life.
How can you play mixed doubles tricks?
Emperor Wende's face darkened, and he asked Gu Jiu sternly, "It's just a small matter, and you two are still going to stop. You asked Sihai to suppress the second brother and the Shen family's assets. What? Isn't it enough to vent your anger? Liu Zhao wants to cause trouble again?"
Gu Jiu said weakly: "I dare not!"
Emperor Wende snorted coldly, "Why are you so afraid? I don't think the rumors are wrong. For so many years, Liu Zhao has been alone with you. Not to mention his concubines, even the maids have been expelled from the palace. Sometimes I wonder why Liu Zhao, with his stubborn temper, would listen to you. I'm afraid this is the main reason for all the gossip."
Gu Jiu muttered, "Gossiping about others all day is no different from a gossipy woman."
"What did you say?" Emperor Wende didn't hear clearly.
Gu Jiu raised his voice and said, "My daughter-in-law is saying that Your Majesty is right. The discussions outside are indeed correct. It is normal for people to be curious about how my daughter-in-law and His Majesty get along.
The only thing wrong is that you shouldn't deliberately bring up topics and talk about other people's family affairs. It seems that the ladies in the palace have nothing to do and spend all day staring at how other couples live.
Emperor Wende said with a stern face, "You have quite a temper. Even I can't stop you."
"I dare not. I've been worried about the progress of several cement roads recently, and I'm really a little irritated. I hope your Majesty will forgive me if my words are inappropriate."
“What’s wrong with the cement road?”
Gu Jiu sighed, "Opening the mountain and building the bridge has really delayed the construction period. There have been frequent accidents recently, and some people have been injured. My daughter-in-law is very worried about the progress of the project."
Emperor Wende suddenly became worried. "Can the cement roads from the capital to the northwest and from the capital to Hexi be built on time?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "Because of the complicated road conditions and frequent accidents, the construction period has been delayed again and again. I'm afraid my daughter-in-law can't guarantee that the two cement roads can be completed on time."
Emperor Wende frowned. "If you need any help, please let me know. From the imperial court to the local authorities, we will fully cooperate. If any local officials are causing trouble, please report it to me and I will handle it personally."
"Thank you, Your Majesty! My daughter-in-law truly needs the support of Your Majesty and the court."
As he spoke, Gu Jiu took out a summary table of problems encountered during the cement road paving process and had Eunuch Qin pass it to Emperor Wende.
The second prince widened his eyes, it turned out that Gu Jiu was well prepared.
Suddenly, he suffered 10,000 points of damage.
He even planned to have a good argument with Gu Jiu, accusing him of relying on his wealth and power to wantonly bully the prince. He hadn't even become the Crown Princess yet, and yet he didn't take his brothers seriously.
If she really became the Crown Princess or the Queen, that would be unbelievable.
Are my brothers and sisters-in-law still alive?
He had even prepared a script in his mind, even down to what expression he should make and how he should fight back when Gu Jiu refuted him.
As a result, Gu Jiu did not accept the challenge at all, but instead started to argue with His Majesty.
Good job!
The second prince was laughing the whole time.
Gu Jiu has such a bad temper that he even dares to confront the emperor. He really doesn't know how to write the word death.
Everyone thought that Gu Jiu was going to be in trouble, and the Second Prince had already made preparations, but Gu Jiu successfully changed the subject in just a few words.
And successfully calmed His Majesty's anger and turned his attention to the progress of the cement road.
The second prince blinked. How did Gu Jiu do it?
Gu Jiu secretly glanced at the second prince and smiled contemptuously.
The second prince was stimulated and became furious.
He knew that Gu Jiu did it on purpose.
Everything, even the topic, was planned by her early in the morning.
The second prince was very upset.
Father, stop looking at the summary. Didn't you see that Gu Jiu did it on purpose?
She deliberately diverted everyone's attention.
Oh, oh, oh!
So insidious.
…
Emperor Wende was very worried.
Why are there so many problems with building a road?
Residents of villages and towns along the way frequently obstruct the construction of cement roads.
The local government did nothing and instead asked the engineering team to pay money to eliminate the disaster.
Damn, this is clearly extortion.
It is true that poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people.
Building roads benefits everyone along the route.
As a result, people in some remote areas did not appreciate it at all. Instead, they treated the road construction team as a target for blackmail and caused damage every day.
Don’t give money?
In the middle of the night, they took shovels and spades and worked all night to destroy the cement road that the construction team had worked so hard to pave.
Rebuild it?
Local farmers continued to cause damage.
Destruction is always easier than construction.
It takes ten years to build a city.
But it only takes three days to destroy a city.
In order to solve the problem, the engineering team came up with many ideas.
For example, recruiting local people to work and providing them with generous treatment.
As a result, people just ignore you.
The higher the salary, the more the other party believed that the construction team was rich. They started to extort money without mercy, and the price kept rising.
It's really fucked up.
This kind of thing must be resolved by local officials and powerful people.
However, the local government refused to cooperate, leaving the engineering team helpless. They could only report the situation to the capital, asking them to find a solution.
Gu Jiu had long wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Emperor Wende and ask whether the government officials below should be punished!
Unexpectedly, the second prince took the initiative to create opportunities for her.
Good person!
The second prince was very upset.
He doesn't want to be a good guy.
No good person has a good ending.
Being blackmailed is just one of the many problems the engineering team faces.
There are many other issues, all of which are listed in the summary table. Let Emperor Wende worry about them.
Emperor Wende was overwhelmed.
He immediately ordered the leaders of the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of the Imperial Household, and Council of State Affairs to hold a small court meeting at Xingqing Palace.
As for the second prince.
It’s just a small matter, just find a way to solve it yourself.
As an emperor, he was busy with all kinds of affairs and had no time to deal with such trivial matters.
As expected, the second prince was driven out of Zhengyang Palace.
Gu Jiu continued to stay in Zhengyang Palace and participate in the small court meeting.
The second prince's eyes turned red with jealousy.
He is a prince and has been trained in the court, but he is not qualified to participate in the small court meeting.
If that were all, that would be fine.
What made him angry was that Gu Jiu, a woman, was more qualified than him to stay in Zhengyang Palace and participate in the small court meeting.
This is a slap in the face!
Especially since he was the one who filed the complaint first, and the person he filed the complaint against was Gu Jiu.
At this time, there is nothing more humiliating than being kicked out of Zhengyang Palace.
His face was almost swollen.
What’s even more outrageous is that Gu Jiu actually chased after him.
Before the court officials arrived, Gu Jiu called the second prince.
"Don't worry. After listening to His Majesty's instructions, I will instruct my subordinates to stop suppressing and squeezing out your assets when I return. I can only apologize for the previous losses. However, with Your Highness's financial resources, you shouldn't need to worry about that small loss."
The second prince had a stern face.
If Emperor Wende had not been watching the conversation between the two through the palace gate, he would have really wanted to slap Gu Jiu in the face.
He said expressionlessly, "You're too polite, sister-in-law. It was all a misunderstanding before, just talk it out."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Thank you, Second Prince, for letting bygones be bygones."
The second prince pulled the corners of his mouth and smiled very reluctantly.
"Sister-in-law, if you have nothing else to do, I'll take my leave first."
"Second Prince, take care."
Gu Jiu watched him go.
The second prince tensed all his muscles, resisted the urge to turn around and curse, and walked out of Xingqing Palace.
He did not rush to leave the palace, but went to see Concubine Shen.
In front of Concubine Shen, he could finally scold Gu Jiu as he pleased.
His eyes were red and he looked like a madman.
"Is the emperor father getting senile? He actually allowed a mere woman like Gu Jiu to stay in Zhengyang Palace to discuss important matters with the court officials. And I, a dignified prince, am not even qualified to stay."
"Gu Jiu is truly despicable. Knowing I was in such an awkward situation, she still chased me out, deliberately trying to make me laugh. How despicable."
"Women are the most vicious. Gu Jiu is the most vicious woman in the world. Liu Zhao will die at her hands sooner or later."
…
The constant verbal abuse did not make the Second Prince feel better, but made him even more irritable.
Like a trapped beast, he paced back and forth in the bedroom.
"In the eyes of my father, am I not even as good as a woman? Mother, tell me, am I really that bad?"
"Of course not! This is all your father's fault. You are very outstanding. The civil and military ministers in the court all say that among all the princes, you have the best style to be a king. It is your father who is blind and cannot see your strengths. He was actually fooled by Gu Jiu's words and lost his way."
"All the court officials can see the good qualities of my son, so why can't the emperor see it? Is it because my son's performance is not good enough, or is it because the emperor is dissatisfied with his son?"
"Don't let your imagination run wild." Concubine Shen comforted the Second Prince, "That's just his prejudice."
The second prince shook his head repeatedly.
Concubine Shen's words did not comfort him.
He seemed to be trapped in a vortex of self-denial and unable to extricate himself, looking painful and crazy.
Concubine Shen was very worried and heartbroken.
She said angrily, "None of this is your fault. It's all your father's prejudice. Your father is very particular about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. Just because you were born out of wedlock, he ignored you. This is too much. In the past, when we were in the palace, I tolerated it. Now that I am the virtuous concubine and you are the second prince, your father still treats you this way. It is really wrong.
But you must be patient. You cannot anger your father, the emperor, or even show the slightest dissatisfaction. What I have said today is over. When you return to the palace, don't let anything slip. Be careful of ears. Who knows if those women in your backyard are spies planted by the palace.
"Just because I'm a bastard's son, no matter how well I perform, my father can't see it?" The second prince's face was distorted.
Concubine Shen sighed, "Your father is always very picky about all his illegitimate children. Please be patient for now."
How to endure?
What to do when you can’t stand it anymore?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
