Gu Shiliu replied carefully, "He did say it, but I don't know if it's true or not. He's a man who can endure, and he's held on for so many days before. There's no reason why he couldn't hold on for the last time. He was going to die anyway, so it's not impossible for him to talk nonsense before he dies. However, what he said matches what Brother Cheng and the others did. Perhaps someone in the main house really was in contact with him in secret."
The room was dark and shadowy, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
“Very well,” Gu Jinghui said after a long pause, “Do you think they know?”
Here they were referring to the twins born to Zhao, a boy and a girl. Gu Shiliu hesitated and dared not answer.
Gu Jinghui didn't press him any further, changed the subject, and coldly asked, "How's the arrangement with that guy surnamed Liu going?"
Gu Shiliu said, "By now, they've probably all turned to ashes."
Gu Jinghui then asked, "Did the servant find out the details?"
"I found out that he only helped put the things out that one time and did nothing else. This time, the man surnamed Liu asked him to send out the letter after he opened his own residence, saying that his family would give him ten taels of gold. It just so happened that Brother Qi's mother overheard it."
"Hmm, whose child is he?"
"He is a nephew of Steward Zhang's family. His father went to the battlefield and came back with a limp. He was recuperating on the estate, and Steward Zhang promoted him to serve in the manor. I never expected him to do such a thing."
Gu Shiba stuffed the item back in and had people watch around to see who would come to retrieve it.
Gu Shiba was really bored outside the mansion, his mind was on Shuhai Pavilion, and he always wanted to show us something bad.
Gu Shiba memorized the old woman's appearance, then quietly slipped away and waited by the wall.
"How did they investigate the Xu family's affairs so quickly?"
The man hunched over and groped around at the base of the wall for a while before stopping. He then rummaged around a few times, kicked the wall hard, and quietly slipped away along the base of the wall.
That would be better if we waited for the lady to come up with the accounts before we could take action.
The old woman guarding the gate said, "It's alright, he'll stand guard for you for a while. Go get some water and bring a lantern."
If the Prince of Jin wants to cause trouble for the Marquis's family, he only needs to start with the Xu family; he can always manage to break them up.
Gu Shisi responded sullenly, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Eighteenth Brother, the price of pepper inside changes every day. It hasn't fallen to seventy-seven taels of silver per catty yet. Shen Changle said that's still enough. We need to spread the word that the Xu family seems to have followed the Eighth Madam into the pepper business. They're cursing and jumping up and down outside their house."
That would be quite tricky.
“Brother Eighteen is brilliant. Just follow him. If Xu Zhen blames you, he'll be the one to help you out.”
Gu Jinghui thought for a moment and said, "After punishing him, send him to the manor. Don't transfer his family members to the military camp or the manor anymore."
Gu Shisi nodded admiringly.
"Where is this Marquis?"
Gu Shiba immediately stopped moving and held his breath to see what the figure was going to do.
The guard I summoned had already taken out the item; it was a large roll wrapped in oiled paper. When opened, it contained a slip of paper full of coded messages. I wondered what it meant.
"It really took a lot of effort to get it," Gu Shiba sighed inwardly.
Before the man even reached the light and shadow, he smiled and said to the old woman guarding the gate, "I had diarrhea earlier, so I squatted for a bit too long."
Gu Jinghui frowned slightly, and after a long pause, he said, "You know, after you finish investigating that matter, you should tell Lao Ba so that I can focus on writing poetry and painting."
I was halfway through urinating when I saw a furtive figure creeping towards the base of the wall.
Gu Shisi explained that the Xu family's disturbance was for the Marquis's sake; if they could find the Marquis, then the disturbance would be the only solution.
After chatting for a while, the two parted ways in a hurry.
Gu Shiba comforted him, "There is a way. Who told him to keep the mansion closed? But it's tiring for him. If Xu Zhen scolds him, he has no reason to complain. He just needs to find a way to investigate the Xu family's affairs slowly. After all, as soon as the mansion is opened, we will come to make trouble. There is a way to avoid it. Xu Zhen has no headaches. What has Eighth Master done to get involved?"
Gu Shiba thought for a moment and then said, "Regarding the matter of buying pepper in Xujiatun, he can't go and question people separately. Next time our Xu family comes, you'll see that the Xu family is united."
When Gu Shiba saw that I had something to say, he went inside to find Gu Shisi.
Gu Shiliu agreed, then asked, "What about Steward Zhang?"
Gu Shisi complained, "How can you blame yourself? You were given so few people outside the manor. One minute you're investigating idlers with legitimate backgrounds inside the manor, the next you're investigating the Xu family. You still have to find the Marquis and Madam Zhao. You know how to explain things to Xu Zhen."
Outside in the white night, two young men were talking through a newly opened window at the side gate, hunched over, not yet having a proper conversation.
Gu Shiba was whistling loudly as he walked back quickly when he suddenly felt a sudden urge to urinate. Seeing someone on the roof, he squeezed under the flower stand to relieve himself.
Gu Jinghui said, "Have someone keep a close eye on things. Is it an unintentional mistake that led to this, or something else? After all, I'm an old man from outside the manor. Generations of my family have served Old He Yun. If I'm not being transferred, I need to do it legitimately. There's no reason for it."
"The further we go on the Marquis's matter, the more promising it becomes. The capital is so small, how difficult is it to hide someone? If he was really abducted, he must be in the capital. So let's ask him to investigate, and he'll come over whenever he's busy. Let's do something that can be effective first."
Gu Jinghui said, "He also said that the discipline is strict, and the punishment is just a monthly allowance plus a reprimand. Any less and no one will want to report it as fair. They are all people who were promoted by the older generation. Outside of the old lady, their face is never less than yours. The madam is reviewing the account books. If there is nothing, bring them over for us to see."
Gu Shiba laughed again through the large window and said, "It's slow. Madam still has orders to buy. Eleven, he will send a message to you, saying that the price of pepper outside the capital is slowly falling. He asked me to keep an eye on the price changes in the province. If there's nothing, send a message back. You should also go and report to Madam, so that she knows you've made a contribution and is also worried about it."
Gu Shisi also knew about that matter, and immediately said, "If you're worried, let's go to the Book Sea Pavilion together and let us open our little dog eyes and take a naughty look."
Gu Shiba, disregarding the fact that half of his pants were wet, loudly imitated the chirping of insects to spread the news, while he quietly followed the man all the way to the distance of the lower house.
It's said to be a question, but in reality it's not about urging, or even hinting at something else.
“Of course,” Gu Shiba said. “Let him go ahead and do his work. It’s quite tiring for the two of us to talk through the big window. When he sees Shen Changle, he’ll urge me to print this collection of poems as soon as possible. Before he establishes his own residence, the Eighth Prince will have to go out less. There aren’t many festivals yet, and without the collection of poems, it will be difficult to distribute it in seven places and spread his fame.”
Gu Shiba moved his feet slightly and said, "Fourteen is still investigating. The gambling den where the Xu family's sons are staying is the private property of Prince Jin. They probably all know about the usury."
"The big problem is just resentment. If I were strict in disciplining him, that wouldn't have happened."
Gu Jinghui hummed in agreement, then asked, "About the Xu family..."
Gu Shiba understood immediately and said, "I'll go and ask Hongye."
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