“…”
Facing Concubine Ge's questioning, Gu Shichong paused and said, "There are many women who are attracted to me. Moreover, Xue Zhiyi and I were once engaged. It is normal for her to have such feelings. Mother, don't worry too much."
For example, Ge Yuanhui and Fu Rongxin were both obsessed with him, and even became tired of each other with Xue Zhiyi, to the point of fighting each other to the death. Doesn't this prove something?
“…” Concubine Ge had a headache.
Gu Shichong said firmly, "Don't worry, mother. I will test her a little. If she is willing to serve me, we will have another person by the side of the Empress Dowager. If she is really unruly, then it will be fine for father to give her to me. When she is in our hands, it will be much easier to deal with her quietly. What do you think, mother?"
Concubine Ge hesitated to speak: "Chong'er, don't be confused. Gu Shimin is watching you covetously, and now you have lost the Ministry of Revenue. You can't make any more mistakes."
Speaking of this, Gu Shichong said: "I have already got the leverage over Gu Shichong. With just one blow, I can destroy the public support he has accumulated over the years."
Hearing this, Concubine Ge no longer cared about Xue Zhiyi and hurriedly asked, "What evidence do you have? Is it reliable?"
"He's reliable. Tu Yuxian wouldn't dare disobey me, otherwise, the consequences would be something he couldn't afford. That's why I trust him. Of course, I'll use both kindness and force. If this succeeds, I also plan to select someone from the younger generation of the Tu family to serve in the Ministry of Revenue."
But Concubine Ge was worried: "Even though Tu Yuxian has been loyal for many years, sometimes we still have to be cautious."
Especially when she thought of Tu Lanying's suspicious behavior a few days ago, she felt that Tu Yuxian was also somewhat disturbingly suspicious.
Not only that, the Ministry of Revenue had a vacancy, and she actually intended to put someone from the Ge family in there, naturally not wanting the Tu family to be happy.
Gu Shichong also knew what Concubine Ge was thinking. He just smiled without any emotion and said, "Don't worry, mother. I can handle this matter myself."
He didn't know what was going on, but he felt that his mother was becoming more and more inclined towards the Ge family. She was belittling Xue Zhiyi in order to make way for Ge Yuanhui, and she suspected Tu Yuxian in order to make room for the Ge family.
Before Concubine Ge could speak again, he stood up and bowed: "My son has not yet paid his respects to his father, so he cannot stay here for long. I hope that my mother will forgive me."
After saying this, he said goodbye and left.
Looking at Gu Shichong's back, Concubine Ge felt annoyed.
"Yunshuang, Chong'er has grown up and has become more and more independent."
Yun Shuang carefully observed Concubine Ge's expression and said, "But Your Highness is still filial to the Empress in his heart."
Concubine Ge shook her head. "He's wary of me, and a distance has gradually grown between us. He's completely different from before."
At this moment, a childish voice came from far away: "Mother! Mother!"
Gu Shiying ran into the hall from outside with a smile: "Mother, is my brother here to see me?"
Upon seeing Gu Shiying's little face, Concubine Ge couldn't help but smile. She reached out to catch the person running towards her and asked him softly, "Where have you been playing, Ying'er? Your brother just left, and you just came back now."
Hugging Gu Shiying, Concubine Ge felt a little better: at least her youngest son was still very cute.
"Ying'er is playing Chui Wan!" He held his chin high and said proudly, "They are not as good as me!"
Concubine Ge gently scratched the tip of his nose and said, "When you've had enough fun, pack up and go study."
Upon hearing this, Gu Shiying's face frowned: "But mother promised Ying'er that she would allow her to rest for a day."
Concubine Ge sighed thoughtfully, "Be good, study hard. If your brother is unreliable someday, you will be the only one left for me."
Upon hearing this, Gu Shiying was taken away by the palace maid with his head hung low.
…
This side, the Imperial Garden.
Zhao Lian was feeling depressed. She stayed beside Ge Yuanhui and wandered aimlessly in the imperial garden.
"That Xue Zhiyi, how could she be so lucky? In my opinion, she should die and be buried with my dark cloud!"
She hated Xue Zhiyi so much when she lost her beloved dog that day.
Ge Yuanhui's slender fingers fiddled with the flower buds carelessly. Her eyes were cold, but her voice was as gentle as ever: "This is the imperial palace. Don't say these things in the palace."
But Zhao Lian kept nagging, "Life in the palace may not be easy. I don't believe someone as arrogant as her can have good luck forever! Who knows, maybe one day she'll break a taboo and be expelled?"
Ge Yuanhui just sighed calmly.
She is the noble and generous Ge Yuanhui, and some unpleasant words will never come out of her mouth. At times like this, she needs a mad dog-like fool like Zhao Lian to serve her. Zhao Lian is indeed a qualified dog, and she will bite anyone without hesitation.
It's just that this kind of person who doesn't control his mouth is too noisy. When she thought that Xue Zhiyi was actually fine, she felt she couldn't swallow this anger. But Zhao Lian still didn't shut up, which made people feel annoyed.
Just as she was feeling upset, she saw a woman dressed as a palace maid coming towards them. She stopped in front of them and bowed, "Greetings, Miss Ge and Miss Zhao."
Zhao Lian took a closer look and said, "You are...Tu Lanying?"
Tu Lanying has been in the palace for several years. Although Zhao Lian knows her, she looks a little unfamiliar.
"Lan Ying saw from afar that they were my two sisters, and thinking that our parents and brothers were all familiar with each other, she wanted to come and meet them."
Ge Yuanhui smiled after realizing it, "So you're the sister of the Tu family. Now you're in the palace, and you're appreciated by the Empress Dowager. This is truly a blessing that others can't even envy."
But Tu Lanying snorted lightly: "Sister, you're joking. What kind of blessing is this? I should have been promoted to the position of Master Attendant this year, but a scheming person suddenly interfered with me. It's really unlucky."
"Master Attendant?" Zhao Lian frowned. "Are you talking about Xue Zhiyi?"
"That's right," she said angrily. "If it weren't for her, I would have been a court lady long ago. Why would I have to be a palace maid? She has no qualifications and no family background. She must have used some shameful means."
Zhao Lian sneered, "People like this are the most despicable. Their family is already in such a mess, yet they're still restless. Who are you, and who is she? How dare she snatch you away? I wonder how she'll climb up the ladder in the future!"
At this point, Tu Lanying's voice also became softer: "So I want to ask the two sisters to help me, otherwise Xue Zhiyi is too rampant. If she continues like this, I'm afraid there will be no place for me to stay."
Ge Yuanhui looked surprised: "How can we help you?"
"You can do it." Tu Lanying said quickly, "I know Xue Zhiyi is such a treacherous villain. He has always been against us sisters. Now that we join forces, we will definitely be able to eliminate this disaster."
Zhao Lian had long wanted to deal with Xue Zhiyi, but she was frustrated by her own inability. Now that Tu Lanying was encouraging her, she naturally jumped in with the idea: "Tell me, how can we join forces?"
Ge Yuanhui held her back and said, "Zhao Lian, don't be confused."
After that, she sternly addressed Tu Lanying, "Sister Tu, perhaps Xue Zhiyi has done something to embarrass you, but you could have asked the Queen Mother for justice instead of taking revenge on your own. Such behavior is truly inappropriate."
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