Ouyang Fu was blackmailed by the Xiao sisters and suffered heavy losses.
She was so angry that she lay in bed for two days before she reluctantly accepted the result.
She questioned Concubine Xiao.
"You took my money and promised me something, why are you going back on your word? Don't you hate Xiao Qin'er? Why are you teaming up with her to deal with me?"
"Isn't it enough to give you two farms and a set of top-notch jewelry?"
"If you are so dishonest, be careful of capsizing."
Concubine Xiao laughed and replied to Ouyang Fu.
"The conflict between me and Sister Qin'er is all old news. The world is different now. Sister Qin'er and I are of one mind, and we can overcome difficulties together. What's wrong with that? Besides, the second brother harmed Liu Yi, so shouldn't he compensate him?"
“Absurd!”
No matter how much they argued, things had come to this point, and Ouyang Fu could only grit her teeth and swallow the bitter fruit.
Even more unfortunate was that the palace issued an edict to strip Prince Kang of his title and demoted him to an idle member of the royal family.
This was the first person to be stripped of his title of king after Liu Zhao ascended the throne.
Ouyang Fu received the imperial edict and was in tears.
Since Liu Ping lost his title of king, it was natural that she was no longer the princess.
The only thing they were thankful for was that they had bought the mansion with their own money. The family could continue to live in the mansion, and the only thing that needed to be changed was the structure of the house, which could not violate the regulations.
People from the Ministry of Works were invited to start work, demolishing the main hall and renovating it.
Ouyang Fu stood in the yard with a blank expression.
The sadness, pain and anger are all over.
All she could do was remain calm and be thankful that she was not locked up.
Do you feel hatred in your heart?
Of course I hate it.
Do you feel resentful?
Of course I feel resentful.
So she ordered the housekeeper to reduce Liu Ping's expenses.
"Madam, the weather is getting colder. Cut back on your expenses. Just in case..."
Ouyang Fu's current identity is that of a wife of an idle royal family member.
Without the title of princess, she is not even qualified to be called Madam.
The servants could only call her Madam.
Call Liu Ping "Master".
This is the only decency.
Ouyang Fu's face was gloomy. "The mansion is in financial difficulty, and I have no choice but to cut Master's expenses. Furthermore, the Zongzheng Temple is damp and dark, so even the best items will break down in no time. From now on, Master's clothes and bedding will all be used. I've already instructed the maid to remove the quilt cover, clean it, and refurbish the cotton quilt. I'll send it to him in two days."
"This, this, this... the master is angry, what should I do?"
"Just tell him that he has lost his title, and the family has lost a large amount of royalties. It is really difficult to support himself with only his small property. Please ask him to understand."
The salary of a prince is very generous and can cover most of the daily expenses.
Without the title and salary, all expenses have to be paid for by oneself.
Ouyang Fu felt a pang of pain in her heart when she thought about the money in the accounting office being spent like water.
All this was caused by Liu Ping.
He still wants to continue living a luxurious life and dreaming.
She wanted him to learn a lesson, to know what was right and wrong, and she wanted him to start by cutting down on his expenses.
The housekeeper was in a dilemma and really didn't want to take on this job.
"Madam, please speak to the master in person about this matter. I am really incompetent."
Ouyang Fu raised an eyebrow. "I'll give the master a letter, and you can pass it on to him. If you're afraid of seeing him, just put the things down and leave. No one will blame you."
Having said that, the butler had no choice but to take the job.
He thought of another incident: "Recently, there have been people outside the door begging for mercy, hoping that Madam can help get them out of the Imperial Prison."
The Jinwu Guards arrested many people.
Liu Ping's attendants, eunuchs, advisors, counselors, and retainers...
The people around Concubine Shen were not spared either.
These people all have families and are very anxious.
They had nowhere else to turn to, so they could only turn to Ouyang Fu.
I hope Ouyang Fu can come forward and rescue a few people.
Or you can step forward and help them to establish connections and get through important channels.
Ouyang Fu refused all of them. "I can barely protect myself right now, how can I care about others? If I were to be imprisoned in Zongzheng Temple tomorrow, I don't know who would miss me."
The butler sighed and said, "I will reject them one by one."
"Go!"
Without the title of king, the palace can no longer order eunuchs and palace maids around.
For a moment, the huge mansion seemed empty, with many people missing.
Eunuchs, palace maids, singers, dancers, musicians, including officials and guards in the royal palace... were all dismissed.
In order to save money, Ouyang Fu ordered the closure of many small courtyards and allowed them to grow weeds.
Maintaining a house requires money and manpower.
Ouyang Fu had neither money nor people, so she had no choice but to close the uninhabited house.
The entire government is cutting spending.
Without the title of prince, he could no longer continue to live a luxurious life.
A member of the royal family who is idle should have the destitute appearance that a member of the royal family who is idle should have.
Even if Ouyang Fu had a lot of private money, she would not spend a penny to improve her life.
Things in the world are unpredictable, and we don’t know what will happen tomorrow.
She had to plan for her children, save for them, and carefully calculate every penny she spent.
The aristocratic circles in the capital are good at forgetting.
Soon everyone in the circle forgot about Ouyang Fu's family, and no one mentioned them again.
The friendship between the children was also ruthlessly severed.
This circle does not accept members of the royal family who have fallen on hard times.
Even mentioning the name feels unlucky.
…
In the cold winter, the entire northern land is frozen with ice and snow.
The Gu family welcomes a happy event.
The palace has issued an edict to confer a title!
Mr. Gu received the news early, dressed neatly and looked in high spirits.
The two brothers Gu Ting and Gu Hun returned to the Gu Mansion to receive the imperial edict together.
Mr. Gu is in a good mood and likes everyone.
Even Xie, who had not been seen for a long time, came out, dressed in formal attire, but she was skinny and her clothes looked empty.
Mr. Gu laughed heartily. After today, he would also be a nobleman.
"Here he comes, here he comes! The eunuch has arrived at the gate.
"Hurry and welcome the angel."
The eunuchs who convey the imperial edict are usually called angels or envoys of the emperor.
The door was wide open, an incense table was set up, and people knelt on the ground to receive the imperial edict.
Pei Man recalled what her mother said to her before she left Beijing, and felt a little uneasy.
She pinched her thigh hard, hoping to stay calm.
The eunuch began to read the imperial edict, and only after he finished reading the format and content did the main course begin.
"...Gu Ting...Mr. Chengping..."
The whole audience was silent, unable to recover.
Only Pei Man widened his eyes: It’s come true!
As expected, the Empress Dowager bypassed her father-in-law, Mr. Gu, and directly conferred the title of Marquis of Chengping on Gu Ting.
It was obvious that the Queen Mother was full of dissatisfaction and resentment towards Mr. Gu, and she did not hesitate to change the ancestral system and confer titles on her brothers.
According to the rules, the queen's biological father should be conferred a title.
When it comes to the Empress, she must be under tremendous pressure to forcefully change the ancestral system.
There are so many unknown games, compromises, and exchanges of interests involved.
Considering how stubborn those old men in the Ministry of Rites were, the Empress must have done a lot of work in private to get this imperial edict issued today.
"What, what?" Master Gu's eyes were filled with fear. "What did you just say? Why didn't I hear my own name, but the name of this unfilial son?"
Lin Shuping smiled broadly, "Congratulations, old man! Congratulations, old man! The court has granted the title of Earl of Chengping to Gu Ting, the eldest son of the Gu family, in recognition of his contributions."
Master Gu collapsed to the ground, "Impossible! I am the Empress's father, and the title should belong to me. How could they bypass me and bestow it on that bastard Gu Ting?"
Lin Shuping's face darkened. "Is the old man dissatisfied with His Majesty and the court?"
Master Gu's face turned pale. "Why is this happening? How could this happen? I am the Empress's father. According to ancestral rules, the title should belong to me."
Lin Shuping chuckled twice, "Didn't you listen carefully to the imperial edict just now? The court has granted General Gu the title of Earl and the title of Chengping in recognition of his numerous military achievements."
"What about me? What about my title?"
"Hasn't our family heard that the Ministry of Rites is going to confer a title on the old man?"
"The Ministry of Rites is ridiculous!" Mr. Gu learned his lesson and did not dare to slander the emperor, so he had to catch the Ministry of Rites and scold them.
Lin Shuping was furious and waved his sleeves, "No one accepted the order? General Gu, what do you mean?"
Gu Ting stepped out from the crowd and said, "I accept your order!"
He knelt down to accept the imperial edict.
Lin Shuping's anger turned into joy, "Mr. Chengping must serve His Majesty and the court wholeheartedly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. I will serve you with all my heart and soul until my death!"
“Very good!”
Gu Ting stood up with the imperial edict and invited Lin Shuping to the flower hall for tea.
Lin Shuping waved his hand, "I have to return to the palace to report. I'll come back another day to drink tea with you, Master. Goodbye!"
"I'll see Eunuch Lin out."
Gu Ting personally escorted Lin Shuping out the door.
Back in the hall, everyone in the room had different expressions.
Only Pei Man looked calm, with no sign of anger subsiding.
Because Gu Ting was conferred the title of Earl, Mr. Gu's seniority naturally rose.
Now you can no longer call him Master, you have to call him Grandpa.
This is also the reason why Lin Shuping called Mr. Gu "Grandpa" before.
Old Master Gu Zhili jumped up, snatched the imperial edict from Gu Ting's hand, and read it word by word.
"Really! It's actually true. I have nothing to do with the title? How is this possible? I'm the Queen's biological father! Does the Ministry of Rites have a grudge against me? Or is there someone in the palace deliberately working against me?"
Old Master Gu stared at Gu Ting intently and asked sternly, "What did you two talk about in private? Did you say bad things about me in front of His Majesty?"
Gu Hun scoffed, his head bowed. He didn't need someone to deliberately speak ill of him. Everyone in the capital knew that Old Master Gu was always fighting for the title. Perhaps the palace hated him and deliberately granted Gu Ting the title over him.
Gu Ting's face was calm, "Father is confused!"
"I am not confused! You brothers and sisters teamed up to bully me. You are unfilial."
Pei Man wanted to defend Gu Ting, but she opened her mouth and swallowed her words.
Xie suddenly spoke up, "So, it's none of my business. Since I can't be the Countess, I'll go back to my room and rest."
Xie quickly accepted the result.
She also advised Mr. Gu, "There's no need to argue when the body is already buried in the ground. The title will be Gu Ting's sooner or later, so it doesn't matter if you give it to him now."
Old Master Gu cursed, "You know shit! You're just a womanizer, a jinx. These past few years, everything has gone wrong for me, all because of you. Because you displeased the Empress, I'm also disliked by her."
Hearing this, Xie laughed, "Yes, I have offended the Empress, and I have also implicated you. So what are you going to do? Are you planning to kill my wife, like Su did back then?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Mr. Gu panicked.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
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