As soon as these words were spoken, Xia Tong immediately covered her forehead in dismay and stopped talking. Now that the plot had become so twisted, she'd better be honest.
Gu Qin casually put down the book in his hand, glanced outside indifferently, and said in a low voice, "Do you still want me to make way for him?"
Xia Tong: “…”
The boss is the boss, you can’t afford to offend him.
"I'll leave right away." Xifeng outside didn't dare to delay any longer.
The street was wide, just enough to accommodate two carriages. Even as the black wooden carriage moved forward, the sandalwood carriage on the opposite side slightly shifted aside. The vendors around were still shouting loudly. There were many dignitaries in the capital, so naturally no one noticed this scene.
As the two carriages passed each other, the attendant on the sandalwood carriage couldn't help showing a trace of dissatisfaction on his face. He turned his head and said to the people inside: "This regent is really too much. I think he married the fourth Miss Xia just to go against you."
The man inside was holding a scroll of bamboo slips and reading it lightly. Hearing this, his eyes moved slightly, "Why?"
"You don't know, I learned that the Regent has not stayed in Fourth Miss Xia's room in the past few days, not even on the wedding night. He doesn't really want to marry you, he just wants to go against you." The person outside lowered his voice through the car curtain.
After he finished speaking, the expression of the person inside did not change. He continued to read the bamboo slips calmly, but he was not as focused as before.
——
At the same time, Xia Tong also happened to arrive at Xiahou Mansion. In fact, she was very scared. Not because she was afraid of anything else, but because she was afraid that the villain would lose his temper. After all, this man was always moody, and who knew what he was thinking.
But as soon as she got off the carriage, she saw a large group of people waiting in front of the mansion gate. In addition to the old lady, her uncles and aunts were all there. She didn't know how long they had been waiting. She saw that her second aunt's hairpin was a little crooked.
"I greet the Regent and respectfully welcome His Majesty."
Everyone knelt down and saluted. A cool breeze blew past, bringing an inexplicable chill. Xia Tong stood aside without saying a word. As the man in the carriage got out, she felt the temperature all over her body drop a lot.
The people in front of the palace gate were even more nervous. Even though they were all officials in the court, they had never been in such close contact with the Regent. They had only seen that those who offended the prince did not have a good end.
Gu Qin walked straight ahead of the crowd in front of the mansion gate and said in a low voice, "No need to be polite."
After saying that, Xia Tong quickly asked Qing'er to take the things she brought in first, then immediately went over to help her mother up, sweetly put her arm around her, and whispered a few words in her ear.
"Be serious." Liu patted her arm with a look of reproach on her face.
Only when Xia Zhian followed in front did the others dare to take a breath and follow, though they truly had no confidence at all.
The servants serving in the main hall were all terrified. Even the maid who served tea had sweat on her forehead. As the man sat at the top, others did not dare to sit down and stood there with their heads lowered, respectfully.
As if he was used to this atmosphere, the man took a sip of tea and suddenly opened his thin lips, "Longjing before the rain, it's astringent."
The indifferent tone frightened everyone in the hall and made them kneel down again. Xia Zhian quickly apologized, "I am sorry for the poor hospitality, Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Xia Min, Xia Lin and others were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweats, fearing that they would anger the regent and thus implicate the entire Xiahou Mansion.
Gu Qin glanced at me and just twitched his eyebrows. "Everyone has different preferences. Next time, let someone send some of the tea that I grow myself for Lord Xia to taste."
After he finished speaking, everyone gasped again. Xia Min and others were even more delighted. They heard that even the emperor had never tasted the Regent's Tianshan Snow Branch, and it seemed that he was very satisfied with his niece. If so, his promotion in the future would be a piece of cake.
"Everyone, please sit down. I am just a guest." Gu Qin glanced at the people with different expressions.
Just like the solemn atmosphere here, Xia Tong's situation was not much better. As soon as she went to pay a visit to the old lady, she was subjected to a series of questioning from her aunts.
"You are the only one in the palace now. Has Prince Quan handed over the stewardship to you?" Zhang asked with a sip of tea.
There were many women from the clan sitting in the house. Most of them knew that she was going to return home today and came to watch the fun.
Xia Tong was sitting on the couch opposite the old lady. Hearing this, she just lowered her head, smiled shyly, and nodded slightly.
Seeing this, everyone was shocked and started asking questions.
"The prince actually gave all this to you. Are you trying to fool us? Everyone knows that the prince didn't stay in your room these days. If you can't save face, you don't have to lie to us like this." Wang had a hint of sarcasm on her face, thinking that she was just talking nonsense.
The old lady narrowed her eyes and said nothing. Liu looked anxious, while Xia Tong glanced at Wang slowly, her face full of confusion. "Tong'er doesn't understand why auntie would ask this. Tong'er had her period these days, so the prince didn't stay overnight. Let's talk about the housekeeper. If auntie is willing to listen, I can tell you all the expenses of the palace in recent days."
After she finished speaking, the others looked at each other and whispered a few words. They felt that there was no need for her to lie. Such things could be found out by asking around. Besides, the fact that the prince was willing to accompany her back home today showed that he cared about the fourth girl.
"I just said it casually. You don't have to argue so much. It's you who said it anyway." Wang smiled coldly and stopped arguing with her.
"Ahem!" The old lady suddenly coughed and looked at Wang with an unhappy face, "You are really losing your sense of propriety now. You are actually arguing with a young man. Why don't you go and see if the snacks in the kitchen are ready?"
After saying this, even though she was unwilling, Wang glared at Xia Tong coldly, then left without saying a word.
Xia Tong pursed her lips slightly and stopped talking. Anyway, it was all done for her to see. Wang was just a target in the old lady's hand. She just wanted to use her mouth to question her about her situation. So, the old lady is still the most experienced. She was allowed to say all the good things, while others were allowed to be the bad guys.
"You don't have to care about what your aunt says. She has always been outspoken. But since the prince trusts you so much, it is your blessing. You must act cautiously and don't let anyone catch you." The old lady looked at her earnestly.
Xia Tong nodded gently, "My granddaughter will remember my grandmother's teachings."
At this point, the old lady nodded in satisfaction and glanced at Aunt Liu behind her. The latter immediately said to the other clan wives in the room, "This fourth young lady is shy and may not be able to hold back her private conversations in front of so many people."
They were all smart people and would certainly not get in the way of the old lady. They immediately joked with Xia Tong with a smile and left.
At this time, the old lady took Xia Tong's hand with a kind face and said in a serious voice, "Your father uncovered a case of collusion between officials and businessmen to enclose land some time ago. The Ministry of Personnel is reviewing your father's promotion these days. If nothing unexpected happens, the emperor will approve it. However, there is no guarantee that something will happen. He is your father. If you have time, you should also say good things to the prince. Your father is already this old and was not in the capital before. He missed this promotion. I don't know if there will be another one."
At this time, Xia Tong knew that her father was going to be promoted to the Secretariat, a position of first-rank official with real power. It was no wonder that the old lady was so anxious, but she could hardly protect herself, so she was afraid that she could not afford to persuade the old lady.
"My granddaughter is more anxious than my grandmother, but the prince always makes his own decisions. I can only make a few suggestions at the side. As for whether it will succeed, it is still unknown." She said with a worried look on her face.
Liu on the side tried to comfort her, "This is your father's business, you don't have to worry."
Hearing this, Xia Tong nodded slightly, but he was her father after all, so she had to say a few words.
Instead, the old lady glared at Liu with dissatisfaction. She had never seen a woman who didn't care about her husband. She was such a waste!
"That's right. Your two uncles will soon take their promotion examinations. And your cousin, I heard that the chief examiner of the imperial examination this year is the prince. You must take good care of your cousin."
The old lady was still muttering there in annoyance. Although Xia Tong was speechless in her heart, she looked obedient and sensible on the surface.
When I came out of the old lady's room, I felt the air was much fresher and my ears were very quiet.
After leaving the yard, he held her hand and looked around, then suddenly leaned over and said seriously, "It's clear that your period hasn't happened in the past few days, don't lie to me."
Seeing her mother's worried look, Xia Tong just took her arm and rubbed her twice like a spoiled child, "Don't worry, my daughter is doing well. Now the keys to the palace's storehouse are in my hands. I didn't lie to you."
A cool breeze blew by, and Liu looked at her helplessly. Although she was still a little worried, when she saw the red mark on her forehead, she couldn't help but raise her hand and touch it.
"Hiss..." Xia Tong quickly stepped back, covering her forehead and pouting in grievance, "The carriage shook a little earlier, and I hit my head. Can you see if it's disfigured?"
Seeing her clinging and trying to be nice, Liu just smiled and tapped her forehead, then asked someone to go to the kitchen to get a hot egg.
When they arrived at the main hall, Xia Tong didn't know what the people inside were talking about. As soon as she reached the door, she heard the words "Nanzhou Commercial Tax".
"Your Highness, according to the Ministry of Personnel, the number of people engaged in business in recent years has decreased significantly compared to previous years. Only Nanzhou remains the same as before. Lord Liu has said before that business taxes in various places should be specified according to the situation. For example, in the case of Nanzhou, the business tax should be doubled, while other regions can reduce it as appropriate. What do you think?"
Xia Tong glanced at her uncle Xia Lin who was speaking, then walked over obediently and stood behind Gu Qin. She actually just wanted to talk to her father about dividing the family property.
Seeing her coming back, the man's eyes unconsciously fell on her forehead. A small red mark was slightly abrupt on her smooth white forehead. Thinking of the bump on her head before, this woman was really delicate.
"I don't agree. If we increase the commercial taxes in Nanzhou further, won't the number of people doing business in Nanzhou decrease day by day? In the long run, this is not a good strategy." Xia Zhian frowned and refuted his eldest brother's opinion without hesitation.
After saying this, Xia Lin and the others all looked at this brother with strange expressions. Is he stupid? The Nanzhou prefect is a distant relative of their Xia family. Do you know how much profit they can make from this?
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became strange. Xia Tong was listening there with only a vague understanding, but she also knew what her uncles were planning. This was how capitalists made money.
"come over."
Xia Tong was stunned. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw the big man looking at her. She could only quietly move a few steps forward. Who knew that the next moment a big hand would suddenly press on her wound, causing all her nerves to tremble with pain.
"Xifeng, take the princess down to apply the medicine." Gu Qin let go of her hand and glanced at the people who were looking at each other in bewilderment. His eyebrows moved slightly, "This matter has always been decided by the Grand Tutor's Mansion. Why didn't you ask the Grand Tutor for his opinion?"
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