Chapter 143 Dealing with Her (Second Update)
After receiving the admission notice, Lord Gu immediately had Huang Zhong deliver it to Gu Jiao.
He had already decided that on the girl's first day of school, he would take his wife to the girls' school and give her a huge surprise!
Now that his wife has witnessed firsthand the efforts he has made for their daughter, she should surely believe in his deep love for her!
Of course, he had considered that the girl might not appreciate it, and being as clever as he was, he had already come up with a plan!
"Miss, the Marquis said that as long as you agree to go to the girls' school, he will give you five hundred taels of silver." In the clinic, Huang Zhong truthfully relayed the words of the Marquis.
Gu Jiao was working when she heard this and put down the medicinal herbs in her hand: "Are you sure?"
Huang Zhong said, "I'm sure! I've brought all the silver notes!"
Gu Jiao said, "Pay in one hand, accept the invitation in the other."
Huang Zhong: Why does this sound a bit off?
Huang Zhong said earnestly, "Miss, you must swear an oath."
Gu Jiao fiddled with her fingers: "Okay, I swear, I promise to go to the girls' school."
Huang Zhong nodded in satisfaction and gave the invitation and silver notes to Gu Jiao.
Unbeknownst to Huang Zhong, no sooner had he left than Gu Jiao posted a notice on the door of the clinic: "Admission notices for sale, 100 taels each!"
The second landlord opened his mouth in astonishment: "This... you're selling it too?"
The meaning is that someone had already sent an admission notice before Huang Zhong arrived.
This person was none other than Prince An, who had met Gu Jiao twice in the county town.
Prince An obtained the admission notice from Consort Zhuang; he didn't even give it to Zhuang Mengdie, and had it delivered directly to Gu Jiao.
Without saying a word, Gu Jiao posted the ad and started selling.
And it's already been sold!
Gu Jiao said nonchalantly, "Yes, sell it. Why wouldn't we sell it?"
"Then what was the conversation between the two of you just now?" The second boss knew very well that Gu Jiao would not go to the girls' school.
Gu Jiao grunted and said, "He asked me to agree, and I already agreed. Is there a problem?"
The second boss was so shocked his jaw dropped.
So the key point is the "agree" part? Isn't it that they'll go to the girls' school later?
This...works?!
The second master knew something about the father and daughter's affair, and now he truly sympathized with Lord Gu. He thought, "You've been tricked by your daughter so many times, why don't you ever learn your lesson?"
The person who came to buy the second post soon appeared, and it turned out to be an acquaintance, an unexpected one at that.
Do you really have the admission notice for the girls' school next door?
A richly dressed young lady walked in with her head held high.
Xiao Liuzi felt he couldn't handle this person, so he quickly called over the second boss.
The second employer had never seen her before. Seeing that her clothes and appearance did not resemble those of an ordinary noblewoman, he dared not neglect her and politely cupped his hands, saying, "We have some here. Do you want to buy them, young lady?"
The girl asked arrogantly, "How do I know if your admission notice is genuine?"
The second boss laughed and said, "Miss, you look like someone of high status. Our clinic is so big here, we can't just run away. If it's fake, just send someone to smash up my clinic!"
The girl looked up at the brand-new plaque above her head and realized that what the other person said made sense.
Their family is incredibly powerful. If they dare to cheat her, she'll smash up the shop and throw everyone in jail!
The girl took out a hundred taels of silver.
Just as the second landlord was about to take it, Xiao Liuzi hurriedly walked over and whispered something in the second landlord's ear.
The second landlord's brow twitched, and his hand, which was collecting the banknotes, paused.
"What's wrong?" the girl asked.
The second landlord chuckled and said, "The entrance fee... two hundred taels."
"Didn't it say one hundred taels?"
“That…that was the previous price.”
"You're trying to raise prices on the spot?"
"Hey, are you going to buy it or not? If not, I'll buy it!"
Another person came up behind the girl to buy a calligraphy practice book.
This isn't a shill for the clinic; they genuinely want to buy it.
The girl glared at her fiercely: "Who said I'm not buying it? How much is it?"
The second boss chuckled and held up two fingers. The girl gasped and was about to say that they would double their pay when she saw the second boss spread out his remaining fingers as well.
"Five hundred taels." The second landlord almost cried.
Miss Gu, why did you betray me like this?
Aren't you afraid that this rich young lady might smash up our clinic in a fit of anger?
The girl was indeed enraged: "Believe it or not, I'll smash up your shop!"
"If you can't afford it, then move aside! I'll buy it!" said the arrogant woman behind her.
Five hundred taels of silver could buy an admission ticket to a girls' school, allowing them to gather with all the talented women in the capital. Although it was painful, it was practically the only way out for those who couldn't even pass the exam!
"Who says I can't afford it?" The girl gritted her teeth, took out four more silver notes from her purse, and bought the admission notice that Gu Jiao didn't want for the sky-high price of five hundred taels.
The second landlord looked at the five hundred taels of silver notes that had suddenly appeared in his hand and felt a sense of unreality.
He took the silver notes to the consultation room behind the medicine cabinet and asked Gu Jiao, "Who is that girl? Do you know her?"
Gu Jiao said casually, "I know her, she's Miss Zhuang, Zhuang Mengdie."
The second landlord gasped, "Which bookmaker? Could it be the Empress Dowager Zhuang's bookmaker?"
Gu Jiao thought about it seriously: "Hmm, I guess so."
"What do you mean 'seems like'?" The second landlord's legs went weak.
My dear aunt, do you know who you've screwed over? She's the Grand Tutor's granddaughter and the Empress Dowager's niece! With a flick of her finger, she could crush our clinic to dust!
We not only refused to hand over the post, but we also ripped them off by demanding 500 taels of silver—
The second landlord pinched his philtrum again and collapsed spectacularly...
The news of the admission notices being sold quickly reached the girls' school. Mainly, Zhuang Mengdie, that simpleton, told everyone she met that she also had an admission notice. Although she didn't say that she bought it, given her reputation for being uneducated, everyone could guess that something was fishy.
It was quite a coincidence that the Crown Princess was traveling incognito today, and when she passed by the girls' school on her way back, she heard the commotion here. She sent a female official to investigate.
The female official returned to the carriage and reported: "Your Highness, there are openly buying and selling admission notices for girls' schools outside!"
"Is that so?"
Although the girls' school was not founded by the Crown Princess, she was indeed in charge of many things. For example, she personally designed the school's admission notice and had it made by the Shanggong Bureau.
She knew exactly how many she had sent out.
It's fairly certain who they'll be given to, except for the Crown Prince who uses them to curry favor.
"How many did you sell?" she asked.
The official said, "Two! They were sold by that clinic! I don't know where they got the posters from, they just sold them like that!"
The Crown Princess frowned slightly: "Who bought them all?"
The female official replied, "I didn't see the first buyer with my own eyes, but from the waiters' description, she seemed to be the fifth young lady of the Du family. I saw the second buyer; she was Miss Zhuang Mengdie."
Zhuang Mengdie was a notorious good-for-nothing in the capital.
The Zhuang family is a scholarly family, so it's truly rare to find such an incompetent person among them.
Her older sister, Zhuang Yuexi, is a true woman of talent.
However, when the Crown Princess gave Zhuang Yuexi an admission notice, some people speculated that Zhuang Yuexi would give the notice to her younger sister and take the exam herself.
It seems Zhuang Yuexi did not do that.
The palace maid suddenly said, "That's strange, Your Highness. Didn't Consort Zhuang ask you for an admission notice? Wasn't it for Zhuang Mengdie?"
The Crown Princess shook her head slightly: "I don't know."
The palace maid sighed, "And that Miss Du, I'm afraid she's going to anger the Third Prince's wife again this time."
The Third Prince's wife's surname is Du, and Miss Du the Fifth is her own younger sister. The Third Prince is from the First Prince's lineage and is at odds with the Crown Prince. The Third Prince's wife and the Crown Prince's wife have always had some rivalry.
In fact, the Third Prince's wife was also a talented woman in the capital. Her musical skills were unparalleled in the capital. However, she was no match for the Crown Princess.
It is said that when the Crown Princess was young, she went on a mission to the Liang Kingdom and saw the real Fuxi Qin. This alone is enough to make the Third Prince's wife jealous for a long time.
She is the younger sister of the Third Prince's wife and a die-hard fan of the Crown Princess.
Everyone inside knew that the girls' school was His Majesty's idea, but it was presented to the outside world in the name of the Crown Princess. Naturally, the Third Prince's wife would not allow her younger sister to promote the Crown Princess.
There was absolutely no way Du Xiaoyun would go to take the exam, and the invitation couldn't possibly be delivered to her.
Du Xiaoyun was extremely worried, so when she saw Gu Jiao selling admission notices, she bought them without hesitation!
The female official asked, "Should we... retrieve the admission notice?" This was only because the girls' school had just been established and everything was not yet standardized. Otherwise, if it were the Imperial Academy, who would dare to sell admission notices? That would be punishable by beatings and a lifetime ban from taking the imperial examinations!
The Crown Princess sighed softly, "Never mind, let them sell if they want. Girls' schools are for women who truly want to learn."
Zhuang Mengdie was fine, but the female official felt sorry for Miss Du: "She's going to get beaten up again."
That's right. When the Third Prince's wife learned that her younger sister had actually bought an admission ticket to the girls' school, she was so angry that she went berserk on the spot. Disregarding her status as a prince's wife, she rushed back to her parents' home that very night and gave Du Xiaoyun a severe beating!
(End of this chapter)
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