The entire Daihou family gathered together for a family meeting.
Han Wulang knelt in the middle of the hall with a blank expression.
Dai Hou had passed the most angry stage, but his face was still ashen.
He said, “Once this matter is settled, Goro will go to the barracks to serve as a soldier.”
The old lady moved her lips, rarely refutating.
Han Wulang didn't respond.
Lady Dai Hou rubbed her eyebrows, feeling worried and depressed.
"My Lord, please give me some advice on how to resolve the issue with the surname Qu."
Dai Hou sternly questioned Han Wulang, "Mr. Qu said you raped her. Is this true?"
Han Wulang finally responded. He shook his head and said, "My son never rapes anyone. It's always consensual."
"You're still showing off. I think you deserve a beating."
As he said this, Dai Hou swung his whip and lashed at Han Wulang.
The old lady exclaimed, "No!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the whip fell heavily on Han Wulang's body.
Han Wulang groaned, his body shook, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat.
The old lady was heartbroken. "Why hit me if you can just talk it out? Wulang, are you okay?"
"At this point, mother, do you still want to protect this rebellious son?" Dai Hou questioned, obviously dissatisfied with the old lady's blind doting on Han Wulang.
If it weren't for the old lady's favor, Han Wulang would never dare to do such stupid things again and again.
The old lady was furious and scolded Dai Hou, "You bastard! Do you want to hit me too? It was clearly Qu who seduced Wu Lang and blackmailed him with extortion. How can you blame Wu Lang for everything?"
Dai Hou was furious and anxious. "Didn't mother hear what Wu Lang said? It's not the responsibility of Qu alone for something that we both agreed to. If Wu Lang didn't have that intention, how could the two of them get together?"
"Women have many tricks, and it's possible that Wulang was deceived accidentally." The old lady was still defending Han Wulang.
"Enough!" Dai Hou's wife could no longer hold back. "I know better than anyone what kind of character my son is. Old Madam, please stop defending Wu Lang and think about how to resolve this matter."
The old lady couldn't believe it. Her daughter-in-law actually dared to yell at her. Was this outrageous?
She pointed at Mrs. Dai Hou and said, "You, you..."
"Come here, send the old lady back to her room to rest." Dai Hou made a quick decision.
The old lady was so angry that she couldn't speak.
Dai Hou was firm in his attitude, and the servants dared not disobey and helped the old lady back to her room.
The old lady seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, her eyes filled with sadness and grief.
Since the old lady was not around, no one spoke well of Han Wulang.
Han Wulang finally felt scared and looked terrified.
Dai Hou asked, "Do you promise that you didn't rape Qu?"
Han Wulang nodded heavily, "Son, I promise. This kind of thing is consensual. If she doesn't want to, I won't get close to her."
How dare you talk nonsense.
Dai Hou twitched his fingers, "How dare she blackmail you for fifty thousand taels? Could it be that she has some leverage over you?"
Han Wulang frowned and thought deeply, but couldn't remember anything. He shook his head and said, "No way! What kind of leverage could she have on my son?"
"You stupid bastard." Dai Hou couldn't bear it any longer and kicked his prodigal son to the ground.
Han Wulang fell to the ground, crying out in pain.
After calling out a few times and getting no response, he remembered that the old lady had been sent back to her room and no one was there to stand up for him.
Only then did he stop shouting and stand up and kneel down again.
The Marquis's wife came forward and asked, "Did you make any promises to her?"
Han Wulang thought for a moment and said, "My son promised her that he would give her a set of emerald head jewelry, but he hasn't done it yet."
Prodigal son!
Dai Hou wanted to take action again.
Han Wulang's wife was sitting at the very edge, and when she heard this, she couldn't help feeling sad.
She had been married to Han Wulang for two years and had never received a gift from him.
Cousin Qu is secretly in contact with Han Wulang, and I don't know how many gifts she has received from him.
Mrs. Dai Hou continued to ask: "What did you give her before?"
Han Wulang hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously, "My son gave her a few jade pieces from his study, two folding fans, and a famous painting from the palace of the previous dynasty."
The Daihou wife rubbed her brows. "This is the handle. Whether it's jade, a folding fan, or a famous painting, it all represents Wulang's identity. If you say there's no relationship between the two, who would believe it once the things are taken out? No wonder he dared to ask for fifty thousand taels. Lord Marquis, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
Dai Hou said with a stern face, "Come with me tomorrow and talk to Mr. Qu in person."
The Daihou Lady quickly said, "The Marquis has come to our house in person. How can someone like Qu, with all his dignity, handle this?"
Dai Hou was very straightforward. "The Qu family is already determined to fight to the death. What's the point of caring about status at this time? It's settled. You and I will come to discuss it together tomorrow, and bring Wu Lang with us."
This, this, this...
Dai Hou turned away and left, but he did not forget to order his personal soldiers to take Han Wulang away and keep a close eye on him.
…
While resting at night, Gu Mei chatted with her husband Han Shibang.
"Is it appropriate for the Marquis to come with his mother-in-law to negotiate with Cousin Qu?"
Han Shibang couldn't sleep. "It's not suitable, but there's nothing I can do. My father went to negotiate with cousin Qu in person. Unless she really wants to risk her life, cousin Qu will eventually compromise."
Gu Mei asked curiously, "How much money do you think it would cost to shut up Qu?"
Han Shibang shook his head. "I don't know. Anyway, I definitely can't give her 50,000 taels."
Fifty thousand taels to shut a woman's mouth, could it be that Qu's mouth is inlaid with gold?
Gu Mei teased, "When cousin Qu moved into the mansion, did you ever imagine this day would come? I still remember that she would always come to you whenever she had something to do, and you would speak up for her."
Han Shibang was dissatisfied. "You're still digging up something from many years ago. Is that interesting?"
Gu Mei snorted, "You men, you're not as accurate as women in judging people. Especially when it comes to women, a woman can see through another woman's true colors at a glance, but you men just don't believe it."
Han Shibang said, "So I listened to you and kept my distance from Cousin Qu. Don't eat the old vinegar."
Gu Mei was dissatisfied and pinched Han Shibang.
Han Shibang turned over and pressed her down, and Gu Mei giggled.
…
Marquis Dai and his wife, along with Han Wulang, went to negotiate with Cousin Qu in person.
Things can't remain deadlocked, there must be a solution.
Gu Mei didn't know how the discussion went in detail.
The results are pretty good.
In exchange for a hush money of 12,000 taels, Cousin Qu promised to keep her mouth shut and not report to the Dali Temple.
As for whether there are other conditions, no one knows.
The Dai Hou couple kept their mouths shut and didn't utter a single word.
After Han Wulang returned from his cousin Qu's place, he was immediately sent to the military camp and was not allowed to return home for half a year.
…
The matter was finally resolved, and the health of Dai Hou's wife also improved.
When Gu Mei had some free time, she went to Prince Qin's mansion to chat with Gu Jiu about gossip.
Hearing that Cousin Qu had asked for fifty thousand taels, Gu Jiudu said, "I admire her courage. She really dared to ask."
"Who said it wasn't? My mother-in-law and the old lady were so angry that they almost died. If the Marquis hadn't intervened, the situation would still be at a stalemate."
"The Dai Hou is decisive and selfless. How could he have raised a son like Han Wulang?"
"The old lady dotes on Wu Lang, and the Marquis is too busy with military affairs to discipline him."
Gu Jiu understood.
As the two chatted, the topic turned to Yu Ge'er.
"Your brother Yu is a perfect son-in-law for every family. Has any matchmaker come to propose marriage?"
Gu Jiu shook his head and smiled, "The threshold is almost broken by the matchmaker."
Gu Mei laughed, "I knew it would be like this. Is there any girl that catches your eye?"
Gu Jiu said implicitly: "There is no rush for my brother Yu'er's marriage. I plan to wait until he turns twenty before discussing marriage."
Gu Mei was surprised, "Does it have to be that late?"
Gu Jiu said, "A man should not marry at 30, and a woman should not marry at 20. It's not too late for Yu Ge'er to wait until he's 20 to get married. In fact, it's a bit early."
Still early?
Gu Mei sighed, "I was wondering if we sisters would have a chance to become in-laws, but now it seems there is no chance."
Gu Jiu laughed, "Sister Mei really thinks long-term."
"Your daughter is still young, so you don't have to worry about her. My eldest daughter is already old enough to get married, and I'm so worried about her marriage."
"Is there no suitable one?"
"I've seen a few, but I haven't decided yet. I plan to see a few more, and I must find her a husband within this year."
"Sister Mei, don't be too anxious."
"There's no need to be impatient. A girl's age doesn't allow for delays."
That's true.
…
With the introduction of Sihai Trading Company, the Ministry of Revenue purchased a large amount of grain from Jiangnan at a fair price.
The grain has been loaded onto the ship and is on its way to the capital.
The news was delivered to the Ministry of Revenue in advance, and the Minister of Revenue breathed a sigh of relief.
"This Pacific Grain Store has a strange name. I remember that when His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin went south to buy grain for disaster relief, he also bought grain from this store."
"Your Excellency is right. Back then, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin was able to establish a strong presence in Jiangnan thanks to the help of this Pacific Grain Store."
"What's the background of this grain store named Pacific?"
“I haven’t found it yet.”
So mysterious.
The Minister of Revenue instructed his subordinates to continue to monitor the grain store called Pacific. He would always feel uneasy if he did not find out the details of the grain store.
The Ministry of Revenue purchased grain at a fair price, solving a major problem for the imperial court.
Emperor Wende was delighted and readily approved Liu Yu's travels with the teachers and students of Shanhe Academy. Also on the list were Heng Ge'er and Liu Zheng.
The other princes and grandchildren were envious and also wanted to go out and study.
Everyone showed their magical powers and came to Emperor Wende for help.
Emperor Wende shouted angrily, "Ridiculous! Instead of studying hard, you spend all day thinking about traveling and sightseeing. How disgraceful!"
eccentric!
Very biased!
The princes and grandchildren were very aggrieved.
The concubines in the harem and the princes' palaces all secretly complained.
"In the eyes of His Majesty, our son is probably not even as good as Liu Yu."
"Stop talking."
"I'm telling the truth, am I wrong?"
"Be careful if this gets to the emperor's ears. Even a single word of slandering the emperor could result in your death."
"I know, I know. I won't say anything. Will the emperor really make the King of Qin the crown prince? Given your majesty's love for Liu Yu, will you make Liu Yu the crown prince?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Father will never appoint a crown prince."
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