Then where should he get the 300,000 taels of silver that he "lent" to Li Er? ! Gu Ming's eyebrows wrinkled deeply, and the original ecstasy of the separation disappeared in an instant.

He has been working in the Ministry of Clan Affairs in recent years. A few months ago, the emperor ordered the Ministry of Works to renovate the Taimiao, intending to complete the renovation before New Year's Eve.

The money for repairing the Taimiao was taken from the emperor's inner treasury, and the emperor was not confident in handing over the entire matter to the Ministry of Works, so Gu Ming, as a member of the Ministry of Clan Affairs, assisted the Ministry of Works.

Last month, he received 300,000 taels of silver from the Neichengyun Warehouse, which was used to pay for stones, wood, and craftsmen's wages. However, there was no rush to pay the money. It was a common practice to delay the payment of materials and wages. As long as the money was paid in full by the end of the year, Gu Ming temporarily used the money to lend at interest.

This money was given to Li Er.

Li Er was in urgent need of silver for turnover, and said that he had two ships that would return from the sea at the end of last month, and could immediately repay the 300,000 taels of silver then. He also promised him an interest of 50,000 taels of silver.

Laba Festival is almost here. Recently, Gu Ming has asked his attendant to go to Li Er to collect the debt every day. Li Er only said that the boat has arrived at the shore and he will pay back the money in the next two days.

Unexpectedly, he ran away today!

That means the three hundred thousand taels of silver are all wasted!

Once the emperor knew about this, he would be furious and would probably abolish the title of prince that was within his grasp.

The more Gu Ming thought about it, the more anxious he became, and a cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.

He quickly analyzed the current situation in his mind: he now needed a large sum of money to fill the hole in order to get through this.

He gritted his teeth and secretly thanked his luck that the palace had been divided up now, and Gu Jin had been separated out. Most of the remaining property belonged to him. It was not impossible for him to take out 300,000 taels of silver from it to fill this hole first.

Oops!

Gu Ming's expression changed several times in the blink of an eye, his heart rose and fell violently several times, and then he was stunned.

His face turned slightly blue and pale, even the back of his shirt was wet, and he regretted it so much that his intestines turned green.

The Prince's Mansion has been divided.

All the cash in the public treasury had just been distributed to Gu Jin. The cash, gold and jade had already been taken away, but the box of banknotes was still in the hands of Gu Jin's servant.

It was just one step away. If he got the news earlier, the cash in Gu Jin's hand would belong to the public.

Gu Ming's expression was a little dazed, his head was buzzing and in chaos.

Just at this moment, Gu Jin stood up, and his body happened to hit the chair behind him, making a "click" sound.

"Second brother!" Gu Ming suddenly woke up as if from a dream, stood up quickly, took two steps forward to stop Gu Jin.

Gu Ming forced out a smile that was uglier than crying. His feet felt a little weak. He advised in a gentle voice, "I've thought about it carefully again. I think it's not good for you to just take the money. Since you have been separated from the family, you still have a long life ahead of you. A family still needs some property to rely on."

"Second brother, I think you should change your business."

Gu Ming advised earnestly, implying that he was doing this for Gu Jin's own good, just like a good brother who cared about his brother, which attracted the attention of others around him.

Concubine Yang raised her eyebrows in confusion. After hearing what her son said, she always felt that something was wrong with him.

Gu Ming was still speaking quickly: "The palace has dozens of acres of fertile land in the western suburbs of the capital, and there are three shops and a house in the south of the city..."

These he mentioned were the best shops and houses in the palace in the capital.

However, Gu Jin refused without a second thought, and said with a cold and distant smile: "No need. Thank you for your kindness, Third Brother. The family has been divided, and this has been signed. Several uncles are here to witness it."

While speaking, he glanced at Prince Li, Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen.

Gu Ming subconsciously followed Gu Jin's gaze and looked towards Gu Jue and Prince Li.

Gu Jue was talking to Chu Qianchen with his head tilted to the side, with a faint smile, not even looking at anyone else.

Prince Li's eyes were deep, and he looked Gu Ming up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

The brothers Gu Jin and Gu Ming grew up in the capital. Prince Li knew them a little bit. Gu Jin was frivolous and reckless, but he was kind at heart. As for Gu Ming...

In the past, Prince Li only thought that Gu Ming was mediocre, unlike Gu Jin who caused trouble everywhere when he was young. But today, he realized how greedy this mediocre Gu Ming was.

He could see that Gu Ming must have heard some bad news from the attendant who whispered to him just now, which caused him to change his mind so abruptly.

Everyone knows that the party that gets the property gets the biggest advantage when the family assets are divided. Just when he signed the contract, Gu Ming still had the self-satisfied look of a beneficiary, but now he has completely changed his face.

Concubine Yang looked at Gu Ming carefully from the side. Her graceful face became even more gloomy. The more she listened to her son's words, the more she felt something was wrong. She shouted, "A Ming!"

Gu Ming had a terrible headache, with his temple throbbing non-stop, as if the entire piece of dough was about to bounce up with it.

He stared at Gu Jin out of the corner of his eye, went over and whispered a few words to Concubine Yang in her ear, briefly describing how he had lent money at high interest.

Concubine Yang's face changed instantly, her eyes widened, and her chest felt as if it had been run over by a carriage, the pain was unbearable.

At this moment, she really wanted to raise her hand and slap this bastard son, but she couldn't bear to do it. She clenched a handkerchief in her right hand, tightly.

He is so brave!

This is the emperor's money. How dare he use the emperor's money to lend money? If rumors reach the emperor's ears, what will the emperor think? !

Concubine Yang was shocked and angry at first, then fear and worry surged up like a tide, almost swallowing her up.

She felt as if all the bones in her body were pulled out, her whole body was weak, and her face turned pale. She knew clearly that if the hole of three hundred thousand taels could not be filled in time, her son would be in big trouble.

In just a moment, she calmed down and thought about the pros and cons.

Then, Concubine Yang also laughed.

She ate more salt than Gu Ming ate rice, and her smile was obviously more natural than Gu Ming's. She smiled lovingly and said, "Ajin, your third brother is also doing this for you and Awan's good. I remember that these industries have good annual returns."

Concubine Yang felt as if her heart was being cut by an invisible knife.

These industries are some of the most profitable in the capital. If it were normal times, she would never be willing to give them up, but now...

Gu Jin smiled, and his handsome face curved into a brisk arc.

Concubine Yang felt a little relieved, and even the hand that was holding the handkerchief loosened a little, thinking that Gu Jin would give in.

Even a fool knows how profitable these industries of the Prince's Mansion are. As long as they have these industries, why worry about not having money in the future? ! The result -

"No need." Gu Jin refused again without hesitation.

He smiled and bowed to Concubine Yang, and then said, "Mother, Awan and I still have to pack our things. Time is tight, so we won't bother you any more."

As he spoke, Gu Jin also helped Shen Wan up from the chair. He was very considerate and Shen Wan smiled happily.

Gu Jin's unyielding attitude annoyed Concubine Yang, and her expression changed again.

For ordinary people, 300,000 taels of silver was a huge sum of money that they could not earn in several lifetimes, but for the Prince's Mansion, it was not too much. As long as the mother and son scraped together the money and found someone else to help with the shortfall, they would be able to get the money together.

Gu Jin is so ungrateful that he refuses to accept the toast and instead drinks the forfeit wine. He deserves to live off his savings and will squander all the money he has on hand sooner or later!

They will regret it later!!

Concubine Yang sneered in her heart, and her attitude suddenly turned cold. She said two words with a fake smile: "I'm tired, so I won't see you off."

Concubine Yang was not in a hurry, but her beloved son Gu Ming felt that the situation was extremely urgent. He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He was sweating all over and his mouth was trembling.

He knew clearly the seriousness of the matter and knew that it could neither be delayed nor made public.

He had originally estimated that the project of repairing the Taimiao would not be completed until around the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, but he did not expect the project to go surprisingly smoothly, and the Taimiao would be repaired ahead of schedule in a few days. By then, the cost of materials and the wages of the craftsmen must be paid, otherwise, the other party would go to the Ministry of Works to ask for money, and then the matter would inevitably become a big deal.

Gu Ming hardly dared to think any further. His temples on both sides were throbbing with pain, and even his heart was twitching, as if it was about to explode.

Now almost all the cash in the mansion has been divided up by Gu Jin. Although the properties of the Prince's Mansion are valuable, it is not easy to cash them out. It is impossible to sell properties worth three hundred thousand taels without making any noise in just one or two days.

Borrowing money is even worse.

If he went around the capital looking for people to borrow money, it would only cause more trouble.

With so many eyes in the capital, whether it is selling off the Prince's Mansion's assets or borrowing money, it is bound to attract a lot of unnecessary speculation.

There is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. It will soon be discovered why he is short of money. After all, repairing the Imperial Ancestral Temple is a big deal, and so many eyes in the royal family and clan are watching the progress! If this matter is reported to the emperor, not only will he lose his title, he may also be convicted and exiled to a barbarian land like Chu Lingxiao.

Thinking of the miserable looks of those prisoners in shackles, Gu Ming felt terrified and uneasy, and couldn't help but gasp.

He was like a bug stuck in a spider web, unable to break free, and the giant spider behind him was getting closer and closer to him...

Suddenly, a fierce cold wind blew in from outside, causing some dead branches near the window to hit the window frame in a disorderly manner, making crackling sounds, like a group of demons dancing wildly.

Gu Ming suddenly woke up, and seeing that Gu Jin and Shen Wan were about to leave, he quickly called Gu Jin again: "Second brother, stay!"

He knew that the best person who could come up with a large sum of cash in a short period of time without alerting outsiders was Gu Jin.

There was a violent surge of emotion in Gu Ming's eyes, filled with fear, despair, unwillingness, regret, and the determination to cut off one's own arm.

He gritted his teeth secretly, as if he had made a decision, and said with some powerlessness and embarrassment: "Second brother, how about this? Let's divide the family property again. I will give you an extra 10% of my share, and you give me the silver."

Making this decision was extremely difficult for Gu Ming.

The share of the property that Gu Jingang got was only 12% of the palace's property. Now Gu Ming was willing to give him an extra 10%, which was equivalent to giving him another 400,000 taels of silver.

What?! Concubine Yang couldn't even touch her ears, she was also very distressed.

However, no one knows a son better than his mother. Seeing Gu Ming's almost servile attitude, Concubine Yang vaguely guessed that the matter her son was facing was not trivial. If he could not handle it, the consequences might be more serious than she thought.

On the other hand, what could make his son willingly give 400,000 taels of silver to Gu Jin? !

Concubine Yang immediately thought of the title, and her lips turned even whiter.

Mrs. Gu's face also changed, and her lips moved slightly. She wanted to speak, but her mother-in-law was still there, so she could only shut her mouth unwillingly.

Both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law were unwilling to accept the result. They felt as if their hearts were being stabbed repeatedly by a knife. They secretly cursed Gu Jin for being so greedy.

She could think and curse, but at this moment, Concubine Yang could only suppress her resentment and echo Gu Ming, saying very nicely: "A Ming, you care about your second brother so much, and your father will be relieved if he sees this."

No matter how pretentious Concubine Yang and Gu Ming were, in the eyes of Prince Li, they were all extremely hypocritical.

He is a smart man. Having lived to this age, he has seen a lot of dirty things within the royal family. Naturally, he can see that there is something fishy going on.

In all likelihood, Gu Ming was in urgent need of money for some reason, and it was so urgent that he was willing to make such a big concession to Gu Jin.

Gu Jin still smiled and once again flatly refused: "No."

Gu Jin stroked his sleeves casually, and said nonchalantly, "Thank you, mother and third brother, for your kindness."

"But I think silver is good. I have to take care of those businesses. Anyway, there are only three of us in my family. I also have to accompany Awan and Qiniang. How can I have time?"

As he finished speaking, Gu Jin turned around and smiled at Shen Wan again, his teeth showing so much that his eyes were invisible, looking like a dandy who loved beauty more than the throne.

Gu Ming: “…”

Concubine Yang: “…”

Madam Gu San: “…”

Even a fool could tell that Gu Jin's words were just a hypocritical excuse.

Even if the family was divided, Gu Jin was still a descendant of the royal family, not an ordinary citizen. Even if he didn't want the servants of the Prince's Mansion, it didn't mean he was alone. The indentures of the servants of the second house were in his hands. In addition, the couple also had Shen Wan's companion room to use.

The properties allocated to Gu Jin will be managed by the managers below them, so there is no need for Gu Jin to take care of them personally.

Even though Gu Jin is not good at housekeeping, there is still Shen Wan, the Princess Consort who has been in charge of the Prince's Mansion for many years. As far as Concubine Yang knows, Shen Wan's dowry is very generous and well managed.

Concubine Yang couldn't help but glance towards Shen Wan.

Shen Wan smiled and responded to Gu Jin: "Ah Jin, it's almost noon. We have to move out today, so let's go pack up."

Having said that, the couple was about to leave the main hall hand in hand.

The sweat on Gu Ming's forehead had already soaked his temples, as if Gu Jin and his wife had pushed him one step closer to the edge of the cliff. In front of him was a dark, bottomless valley.

"Second brother, I... I urgently need some money." Gu Ming called Gu Jin for the third time, blocking Gu Jin and Shen Wan, preventing them from leaving.

He was like a desperate trapped beast, with nothing else to do. He looked at Gu Jin pleadingly, hesitating in his words, and glanced at Prince Li and Gu Jue with wandering eyes. After all, he had some concerns in his heart, so he spoke vaguely.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Yang's heart sank again, and she almost wanted to scold her son again.

Her son was really spoiled by her. How could he reveal his true colors at this time? Wasn't he just showing his true colors to Gu Jin for no reason?! At this moment, a low chuckle suddenly sounded, which seemed a little abrupt in the hall at this moment.

Chu Qianchen interrupted casually and said, "The family has been divided now. Third Uncle and Prince Jing's Mansion are two families. If they divide the family again, wouldn't it be a joke?!"

Chu Qianchen had been in the Prince's Mansion for an hour. She had basically been in a daze and eating when they separated. For her, the good show had only begun when Gu Ming's attendant appeared.

This scene is really fun to watch! She thought happily in her heart. If she wasn’t in someone else’s house, her hand would have pinched Gu Jue’s sleeve again.

Prince Li nodded slightly and replied, "The deeds have already been signed and sealed, so it's final. It's impossible to divide the family again."

Prince Li was telling the truth and was not biased towards Gu Jin.

Even among the common people, when dividing up the family property, the clan leader, clan elders, village chiefs, uncles and aunts would be invited to be witnesses. Their words would be final and there would be absolutely no reason to divide the property again right after it was divided, let alone for members of the royal family.

"..." Gu Ming panicked, his mind becoming more and more confused. He felt as if gusts of evil wind were blowing from the bottomless valley, which could blow him down at any time and leave him dead.

Chu Qianchen sipped the hot tea elegantly, then put down the teacup, curved his eyebrows, and said in a calm voice: "How about this, Master Gu has property, and my third uncle has money, one can sell, and the other can buy."

"Divisions are divisions, sales are sales, and one thing is one thing."

Chu Qianchen's last words were spoken lightly yet meaningfully.

It was indeed what Chu Qianchen said, but... Prince Li's eyes moved slightly, and he seemed to stroke his beard thoughtfully, and remained silent at the right time.

Concubine Yang's eyelids twitched. Chu Qianchen's words gave her a bad feeling.

She couldn't help but think of the day when Chu Qianchen spoke to her in Duke Mu's Mansion, arrogant, cold and rude.

This Chu Qianchen was definitely not as harmless as she saw it now. Concubine Yang did not think that Chu Qianchen would be kind enough to give advice to her son.

Gu Ming had no idea what his mother was thinking. He thought Chu Qianchen’s suggestion was brilliant.

His eyes lit up, and sparks of hope ignited in his dim eyes.

That’s right, redividing the family property is neither in line with family rules nor the law, so it is definitely not possible.

However, he and his second brother can still do "business" directly. In this way, there is no need to amend the deed of division of the family, nor to call back the Second Prince and Prince Shun.

Gu Ming was like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood, and said quickly: "Yes, yes, second brother, I can sell the property to you."

"This..." Gu Jin frowned and did not agree immediately. He looked reluctant and hesitant, which made Concubine Yang feel resentful and grit her teeth secretly.

Chu Qianchen smiled slightly and continued like a peacemaker: "Third Uncle, you are brothers. If your brother is really in urgent need of money, Third Uncle might as well help him for your father's sake."

Gu Jue sat beside her without saying a word, looking at her with a smile, his right index finger tapping on his knee from time to time, in tune with the rhythm of Chu Qianchen's speech. It was a rhythm and pleasure that only he knew.

Gu Ming focused his attention on Chu Qianchen's words. He felt that what she said made sense and nodded frequently.

Gu Ming bowed deeply to Gu Jin and said, "Second brother, I really need cash urgently. Please help me this time."

He had great difficulty saying the last half of the sentence. He had been under the protection of Concubine Yang all his life and had never been so humble to anyone.

But Gu Jin seemed to be still a little hesitant. He looked at Shen Wan for a while, then at Prince Li, his eyes wandering left and right.

"Then... Gu Ming, I will help you this time for my father's sake." He sighed helplessly, and finally agreed reluctantly and unwillingly.

Gu Ming felt relieved after hearing this.

Prince Li: “???”

Prince Li's eyes twitched, and he felt that something was wrong. He turned his gaze to Gu Jue who was beside Chu Qianchen.

After a long silence, Gu Jue spoke for the second time: "Uncle, please stay for a while and help be a witness."

Of course, he was speaking to Prince Li, whose eyes and eyebrows twitched.

Prince Li didn't say anything, so Gu Jue took it as his consent. Jing Feng was not shy either, and ordered the maid from the Prince's Mansion to serve tea to Gu Jue, Chu Qianchen and Prince Li again.

Gu Jue just said this and took out a purse from his sleeve and handed it to Chu Qianchen.

Chu Qianchen took out a paper bag of throat lozenges from her purse, took one for herself, and fed one to Gu Jue as well.

This throat lozenge was made by her herself, so it is sweet but not greasy, fragrant but not strong, with a little bit of medicinal taste and a light fragrance, and has the effect of promoting salivation and quenching thirst.

The two of them ate candy while watching the show.

The atmosphere between the couple is warm, while the two brothers have their own thoughts.

Gu Jin did not sit back, but remained standing, and asked Gu Ming with a smile, "Third brother, what do you want to sell?" He looked as if he wanted to negotiate something.

Gu Ming gritted his teeth again and took out three property deeds: "These are the property deeds of the three shops in the south of the city..."

Concubine Yang and Madam Gu San felt even more heartbroken.

These three shops are located in the best location in the south of the city. They rented out the shops, and business in the three shops is very good. Even if the Prince's Mansion took over and did some business, it would be a sure profit.

Gu Jin glanced at the deeds of the shops and wrote casually, "One shop costs one thousand taels, three shops costs three thousand taels."

What?! Gu Ming was so angry at Gu Jin that he almost laughed.

How dare Gu Jin say that? He is so cruel!

"This price is not acceptable!" Gu Ming's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "This shop clearly calculated it based on 3,600 taels just now."

Before the family split up, Gu Ming had a general understanding of the family's assets and was well aware of the market value of these shops.

The market price of this shop in the south of the city is three thousand taels. When Prince Li and Prince Shun calculated their property just now, they calculated it based on three thousand six hundred taels. But now, only half an hour later, Gu Jin actually lowered the price to three-tenths, from three thousand six hundred taels to one thousand taels.

Gu Jin was deliberately taking advantage of his lack of money to rob him! At this moment, Gu Ming's eyes were bloodshot and red, red and ferocious. He really wanted to order Gu Jin and his wife to be driven away, but he couldn't, because he was in a hurry to raise money.

Under his pressing gaze, Gu Jin remained calm and smiled leisurely, as if he could remain calm even if a mountain collapsed in front of him.

(End of this chapter)