The Test (Part 2)
Since Shen Changqing suspects her, he will definitely investigate her.
When Qiuju, who was waiting outside the courtyard, saw her young mistress come out, she hurriedly went to greet her, "Miss, why are you crying?"
Gu Yu wiped the tears from her cheeks with a handkerchief. "Qiuju, go and tell Madam Li that I'm not feeling well and would like to return to the manor first..."
"Also, take a detour and look around the front yard to see if there is a young and handsome gentleman, perhaps wearing light-colored clothes."
When Qiuju returned, she shook her head and said, "I went to the front hall but didn't see the young master that Miss mentioned."
The people Li Shiqin invited were either colleagues or close friends of similar age. Apart from Shen Changqing, they were all unshaven, middle-aged, and overweight; there were no young people among them.
Gu Yu frowned. Shen Changqing was testing her, and she had fallen right into his trap. Qiu Ju's actions were definitely being watched by someone with ulterior motives.
"Let's go back to the manor first. Have the gifts delivered to the Li residence today been accounted for? I didn't check the manor's accounts when I went to Chengtian Temple a few days ago. Since we're going back early today, let them prepare them. I need to check the accounts."
On the carriage back to the manor, Gu Yu once again instructed Qiu Ju, "Be careful these next few days. If any strangers come to the manor, tell me. Also, stop what those beggars are doing and let them stay at someone else's manor."
Although Qiuju didn't know what had happened, she still nodded in agreement.
"Stop at the alley ahead, I'll go buy something and come back later."
Upon arriving at Zhou Yiren's residence, Gu Yu quickly stopped the carriage.
She stepped into Zhou Yiren's courtyard. Since Zhou Yiren's recovery, all the servants and maids in the courtyard had been asked to leave, and she had to do everything herself, big or small.
Gu Yu would give her some money for household expenses, but Zhou Yiren was skilled in needlework and refused Gu Yu's kindness. Instead, she embroidered handkerchiefs and sold them herself.
Hearing someone enter the courtyard, Zhou Yiren quickly peeked out and saw Gu Yu. "Miss?"
“I’m afraid I won’t come here again, but there’s something you need to do for me. The land deed for this little courtyard is in your bedroom; you’ll be able to find it if you look for it.”
"What's up?"
"From now on, you are Xu Qiu's mistress. You are only using this identity, and you don't need to worry about anything else. If a Xu Qiu really comes one day, just ignore him."
Although Zhou Yiren still had doubts, she nodded in agreement, "Okay, I understand."
It was just an empty title; when she became a courtesan, she desperately wanted a handsome young man to take her as his mistress.
"Everything left in the room last time was burned."
"Okay." Not much was left behind, just ordinary paper and ink, but since Gu Yu said to burn it, then it had to be burned.
After saying that, Gu Yu left in a hurry.
Zhou Yiren wondered if this was the last time she would see her. She would never see the only person in Shengjing City who still recognized her and knew her identity again. From now on, she would just be Xu San Niang, living in seclusion.
She was given this small courtyard, and she could make a living by doing some needlework.
When Gu Yu returned to the carriage, she was carrying a bag of pastries. She handed the bag to Qiu Ju while pondering the account book.
Previously, in order to buy grain and paper, she pawned her jewelry and received 953 taels of silver. Adding this to the savings she had accumulated over the years, she had about 2,700 taels of silver.
Two thousand two hundred taels were used to buy one thousand bushels of grain, and more than five hundred taels were used to buy paper and ink. These five hundred taels of transactions could not be found in the accounts of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion unless one knew exactly what she had.
The paper and ink she bought from Dongfang Hongyao were never put into the treasury of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. Instead, Dongfang Hongyao hired someone to transport them to Zhou Yiren's courtyard.
Her personal money was never recorded in the household accounts. It consisted of scattered amounts of silver given to her by her grandmother, father, and brothers over the years, and no one knew the exact amount. The original owner of this body had never kept any accounts.
She had just settled back in her room when Qiuyue brought her the household's account books and the recent inflows and outflows of items from the treasury.
She never kept track of her personal money before, but she started keeping track from the day she bought the grain.
Gu Yu thought about her expenses for the day, and after making sure there were no discrepancies in the account book, she placed it on the embroidered table in her bedroom.
The next day, Gu Yu had just woken up when she heard Chun Yue outside the door muttering something about Young Master Shen arriving, and her scalp tingled.
Shen Changqing comes from a good family and is always pampered in the world of women. He has never had the chance to humble himself and coax a girl.
So, your purpose in coming here today isn't entirely pure, is it?
Gu Yu let Chunyue and Qiuju help her with her hair and makeup, but in her heart she was thinking about whether she should take this opportunity to ruin their relationship, since she had never intended to marry him in the first place.
She's been playing along with him for so long just so she can watch the Shen family fall from grace.
Now that he suspects her, it's best to have less contact with her, otherwise he might end up getting caught off guard and things could go wrong.
After thinking for a long time, I sighed and comforted myself, deciding to wait a little longer.
She played with the jade pendant in her hand. It would probably be in the next few days when Shi Zhixuan realized he had become a pawn and was about to unleash his power.
Gu Yu walked into the reception hall, neither looking at him nor calling out to him, but simply found a seat and sat down.
"Ayu." Shen Changqing called out to her helplessly and apologized, "I was too blunt and said the wrong thing that day, which hurt your feelings. It was my fault, I was wrong."
His apologetic expression didn't seem feigned. "This is jadeite jewelry from Treasure Pavilion, and also fragrant pigeon from Wan Zhen Ji. I remember you like this. And... this... this..."
When Gu Yu saw that Shen Changqing had offered more than a dozen apologies, her expression softened slightly. "Since Young Master Shen is so sincere, it would be petty of me to still be angry."
Shen Changqing, we've known each other for so long, and I just want to ask you a few questions...
Do you like me? Is it because you like me that you want to marry me? If my father and brothers died on the battlefield, would you still be willing to marry me?
Three questions in a row left Shen Changqing speechless, but he only hesitated for a second before saying, "I love you, A-Yu. No matter what happens, you are the one I want to marry."
Gu Yu stared intently at him, trying to see his true feelings. "Okay, I'll trust you this once."
Her tone softened considerably. "I've just acquired a white jade chessboard. Since you're here, why don't you play a game with me?"
Shen Changqing winked at Xiao An, "Of course."
As dusk fell, Shen Changqing left the Marquis of Wu'an's residence and boarded a carriage, while Xiao Anguo brought out the Marquis of Wu'an's account books.
Shen Changqing examined the main account book of the Marquis of Wu'an's residence and the small account book in Gu Yu's room, but found no problems.
Yesterday at the Li residence, Xiao An kept a close eye on the maidservant beside Gu Yu, whose behavior was indeed strange.
Shen Changqing's suspicions deepened.
It's understandable that the maid got lost because it was her first time there, but if that's not the case, it means that Gu Yu is indeed hiding something from him.
“At the beginning of January, she sold her jewelry and her own savings, totaling 2,200 taels, to buy grain.”
Shen Changqing closed his eyes, thinking about what had happened before. At that time, the price of rice in Shengjing City was about two taels. Gu Yu spent two taels and two qian to buy a thousand shi of grain.
Xiao An nodded and said, "Miss Gu must have been scammed. Why would she be willing to spend more money to buy grain?"
“No.” Shen Changqing shook his head and said, “She is very smart. Think about the rise and fall of rice prices in Shengjing back then.”
Shen Changqing suddenly realized that he seemed to know nothing about Gu Yu. He liked her gentleness and thoughtfulness, and he liked her sincerity and frankness, but now he found that all of this was a hypocritical facade.
"At the beginning of January, the price was two taels and one shi (a unit of dry measure), and then it increased by one qian (another unit of dry measure) every two days. The rice shops hoarded their stock and refused to sell. Every day when I returned home, I could hear my mother complaining about this. My ears were practically calloused from it."
Xiao An recalled the days when rice was extremely expensive in Shengjing, and sorted through his thoughts step by step.
"Around the sixteenth or seventeenth, merchants from other places suddenly flocked in, and the price of rice was two taels and two mace. As more and more grain was transported, the price dropped again and again, and it seemed to be even lower than before. My mother bought a lot of rice, and we still haven't finished it."
He slapped his forehead as if he had just realized something. "Young Master, you mean that Miss Gu brought those merchants from other places here to lower the price of rice in Shengjing? This...?"
Xiao An had always thought of Gu Yu as a gentle and quiet young lady, but his perception was overturned at this moment. "Young master, are you joking? And even if Miss Gu did do something wrong, she saved many people and refugees."
"There's nothing wrong with it."
However, Shen Changqing didn't tell Xiao An some things. If she was such a clever and shrewd person, how could she have been deceived by Su Bicheng? He thought of the question Gu Yu had asked him today.
The real her is someone who can see through the true nature of any man who approaches her at a glance, right?
If she knows everything, why pretend to know nothing and let him get closer?
"Xiao An, investigate the origins of those merchants." Shen Changqing rubbed his throbbing brows, relaxed, and leaned back on the cushion, suddenly feeling a bit tired.
Was it her? Why? He couldn't understand.
A small voice suddenly popped up in his mind, refuting him, saying it couldn't be Gu Yu, how could it be her? And how did she manage to do those things?
But he'll find out the truth as long as he continues his investigation.
"Return the ledgers as soon as possible, lest they be discovered."
Xiao An took the account book and got out of the carriage.
Shen Changqing returned to the mansion and locked himself in his study.
Once doubt arises, it tends to sink deeper and deeper.
The man sent to monitor Xu Qiu has returned.
"Young Master, we've found out. Xu Qiu's mistress lives in the third alley to the left of Xuanwu Gate, the second courtyard on the left. She rarely goes out, but Xu Qiu did visit her once these past few days."
"Oh, who is this person? Why are they so secretive?"
Shen Changqing didn't think Xu Qiu was a sincere person, so he naturally didn't believe that Xu Qiu would fall into the vortex of tenderness and beauty.
“I asked around among the locals, and they said that this person always wears a veil when she goes out, so no one recognizes her. But she usually goes out to buy things and also sells the handkerchiefs she embroiders. Judging from her accent, she is from the capital.”
"A person from the capital?" Shen Changqing raised an eyebrow. "But their identity is unknown. When did this person move into that courtyard?"
"Because this young lady had previously suffered serious injuries, some old women and maids were hired to take care of her, so the date was probably around the beginning of February."
"And she was injured?" Shen Changqing frowned. "She came from the imperial prison? Or was she from the Eastern Depot? A woman from Yunxian Pavilion?"
He was certain of the man's identity, guessing that Xu Qiu had some connection with him and had used his power to rescue the person he was raising outside.
Could this be the mistake Xu Qiu made?
In this way, it would seem as if Xu Qiu had nothing to do with this matter. In that case, it would be better to send someone to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence to keep an eye on things.
"Leave one of Xu Qiu's men to investigate how this woman got out of the Eastern Depot's prison. The rest should go to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence. It would be best if they could infiltrate and work there."
Shen Changqing stopped writing when he saw the person leave the study. The Xuan paper was filled with Gu Yu's name.
"Young Master, Master wants you to go to the study." The butler knocked respectfully on the door.
"knew."
He suppressed his agitation, crumpled the paper into a ball, and tossed it into a corner.
When Shen Changqing entered her father's study, she saw Shen Xiuwen with a big smile on his face.
He stroked his long beard and announced loudly, "Changqing, good news has come from the north! A great victory! A great victory!"
"Take some gifts and visit the Marquis of Wu'an's residence. Once General Gu returns to the capital, we'll finalize the marriage. The Fifth Prince will also be returning to the capital by then. I think the Emperor favors the Fifth Prince. Use the Gu family's connections to get to know him better."
"Hahaha......"
Shen Xiuwen stroked his beard and laughed heartily. The gloom of the past few days had finally dissipated. The Shen family had finally overcome their hardships and was about to reach even greater heights.
Shen Changqing did not show any joy, and hesitated slightly.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem between you and Miss Gu?"
Shen Changqing thought for a moment but still didn't voice his suspicions. After all, it seemed a bit too unfounded, and his father was thinking about the power of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, so naturally he wouldn't believe it unless he obtained evidence.
"No, everything is fine."
"Father, what are your plans after the imperial examination?"
Shen Xiuwen looked at him and said, “What should we do? There’s no need to do anything. This problem can only be Shi Zhixuan’s fault. But he put the test questions in the cracks of the wall bricks at the south gate. He’s the one who leaked the questions. I didn’t even see his face from beginning to end, and I didn’t leave any evidence. If he dares to implicate me, it’s a false accusation.”
Shen Changqing always felt a vague unease, but he could also see his father's caution and prudence.
"The mastermind behind the conspiracy between Shi Zhixuan and me to harm me has not yet been found, and my son always feels uneasy."
"I suspect that even Shi Zhixuan himself doesn't know who the mastermind is. He doesn't know who he's made a scapegoat for, and he doesn't even understand how he died. Since the mastermind has already made a move once, he will probably make another one. We haven't found any weaknesses in him yet, so we should conserve our strength and wait for the next opportunity."
"Besides, since he only dares to hide in the shadows, it shows he's a despicable person who can't stand the light of day. Once you have the support of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, do you think our Shen family will still be afraid of him?"
What exactly does the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion want to do? And what role does Gu Yu play in all of this?
Shen Changqing left Shen Xiuwen's study and returned to his own room.
"Young master, dinner is ready. Madam requests that you dine in the front hall."
"knew."
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