Gu Yu whispered: "A few days ago, General Dou, who was guarding Xiaguan pass in the north, died in battle, and the news spread to the capital, which caused an uproar among the honorable generals.
There is a drought in the north this year, and I heard that cattle and horses in Beirong were seriously injured. They couldn't make it through, so they wanted to enter the customs and plunder.
General Dou was stationed at Xiaguan for three full months. General Dou's death in battle was not a crime of war. It was because of the untimely supply of food and grass.
The documents for distributing food and grass have been pressed in the political affairs hall. Several adults in the Zhengshitang deliberately delayed the supply of Xiaguang's food and grass, causing General Dou to die in battle.
This incident was revealed, and the honorable military general and the civil servant quarreled directly in the court hall in front of His Majesty, and then they even started fighting.
Li Shizhong, who was under the door, was murdered and broke the bridge of his nose. Second sister, does anyone know who this Li Shizhong belongs to? "
Gu Jiu frowned, his heart skipped a beat, "Could it be the prince's man?"
"No. Strictly speaking, Li Shizhong belongs to the empress. Recently, the master heard a news that the master was promoted to the governor of the capital, and it was this Li Shizhong who followed up with His Majesty's words, which led to this matter. This Li Shizhong, usually Work in the political hall."
Gu Jiu suddenly realized.
"The honorable military generals all hate His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Exactly. As far as I know, General Dou was single-handedly promoted by Lu Hou, and his accumulated military achievements rose to the second-rank military general. Unexpectedly, he died at the hands of his own people in the end. Rumor has it that Lu Hou lost his temper in the barracks and threatened Let the people in the Zhengshitang wait and see."
Gu Jiu said: "The first to bear the brunt is Li Shizhong?"
Gu Yu nodded, "Almost. The water here is too deep, not only the prince's faction is acting, but other people are also fishing in troubled waters.
We, the Gu family, started our careers by relying on military merits. Although the master became a civil servant, he is fundamentally different from those civil servants who rely on imperial examinations to get ahead.
The root of the master is still on the side of the honorable general. "
Gu Jiu understood, "Thank you Fourth Brother Gu for telling me this."
Gu Yu smiled, "It's fine for the second sister to know it in her heart, and don't tell it. The marriage of the younger sisters is likely to marry into a noble family in the future. The second sister must perform well tomorrow and strive for a good future."
"Thank you, Brother Gu, for your suggestion."
Gu Jiu returned to Zhilan Courtyard with a heavy heart.
Qingmei asked in a low voice: "Is the girl worried about the master?"
Gu Jiu shook her head slightly.
She was worried that those people would continue to live and die.
The empress was still lying down, so she jumped out impatiently. Is this trying to be cannon fodder or cannon fodder
Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled.
Once the empress died, the prince was in danger.
The prince will either overthrow all the honorable generals, and no one will fight in the future, but he will be able to ascend the throne smoothly.
Or he will be overthrown by the anti-prince faction, die and disappear, and all ashes will return to ashes, and dust will return to dust. There are only a few passages left in the history books about his life.
Regarding the Gu family's position, Gu Jiu shook his head.
She can't influence Mrs. Gu at all now, let alone the next door Houfu.
If Gu Jiu had to say, the Hou Mansion's position in the past was very good. Whoever is the emperor supports whom.
If the emperor is still in the position, then obey the emperor's order and act as the emperor's loyal minister.
What kind of battle to seize the heirloom will most likely end badly. Even if they win, referring to history, few people end well in the end.
After all, kind monarchs are rare animals.
Most of the monarchs either defend, kill, or imprison heroes. One and two are the lives of cannon fodder.
Gu Jiu rubbed his eyebrows.
Forget it, now she can't influence Master Gu and the decision of the Hou Mansion, she can only follow the general trend one step at a time.
The danger is not imminent, so don't scare yourself.
Moreover, the danger does not necessarily come.
Gu Jiu said to Qing Mei: "Don't worry about me. Remember to wake me up early tomorrow morning."
"The servant obeys."
On the second day, early in the morning, Gu Jiu woke up from his sleep.
Shaking his head, he remembered the banquet in Fuchu today. It was also the first time their family treated guests after they returned to the capital.
I hurriedly washed, changed clothes, ate something to fill my stomach, and rushed to the flower hall.
The eldest wives, Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Xie, are busy with their mothers-in-law and maidservants.
Twenty tables are invited for this banquet.
There are about twelve tables for male guests and eight tables for female guests.
Inside and outside, from the menu, to the dishes, to the tea, to the seating arrangement, to greeting the guests, everything has to be checked one by one, for fear of making a little mistake and being gossiped.
The eldest wife Zhang frowned while holding the list.
"Siblings, your natal family can't sit at the same table with the wives of Xungui's family. You should know the reason."
Xie was stunned for a moment, "My mother's family should sit at the same table with me. But I have to greet guests, so it's not easy to arrange this seat."
The eldest wife Zhang was very straightforward, "Anyway, your natal family can't sit at the same table with Mrs. Xungui. Why don't you let your natal family sit with the girls."
Xie frowned. It was too contemptuous for her natal family to sit with the girls.
"Several children also have to greet the guests. They have to accompany the girls in other houses. It is not appropriate for my family to sit at the same table with the girls."
Mrs. Zhang stared at Mrs. Xie, "Then what do you say? You can't offend all these noble wives, right?"
Mrs. Xie frowned, "Let my natal family sit at the same table with the sisters-in-law of the Hou Mansion."
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, snorted coldly, "Sister and sister, what are you thinking? The sisters-in-law in the Hou's mansion all help greet the guests, how can they just accompany your mother's family."
Mrs. Xie was dissatisfied, "According to my sister-in-law's wishes, my natal family must sit at the same table with the girls?"
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, said expressionlessly: "Sister and sister, you must not have forgotten what the purpose of this banquet is. It is for your master's official career, and to help your master open up contacts in the capital.
Your elder brother is an official of the East Palace, so naturally he doesn't deal with the nobles.
You have offended people by arranging your natal family members and honorable wives at the same table. I would like to know how you can manage contacts for your master.
Pillow wind is no joke. Originally, because of your natal family's position, it was not easy for your master to be an official.
Now, you don't share his worries, but add to the chaos instead. I want to ask my younger siblings, are you facing your mother's family or your husband's family? "
Xie's face immediately collapsed, "Sister-in-law, don't be so aggressive."
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, snorted coldly, "This time, it's your second room's treat, not our first room's treat. Originally, I could be a shopkeeper and don't care about anything.
But my younger siblings really worry about me doing things. According to your arrangement, people must be offended.
At that time, the relationship between people will not be managed, but it will attract the hatred of others.
If it's just your second wife who is unlucky, I don't care. But our two families have not yet separated, as the saying goes, if one prospers, one loses.
If your second wife offends others, our first wife will also suffer bad luck. How can I just sit idly by
Brother and sister, I advise you to focus on the overall situation. Don't ruin a good situation for the sake of saving face. "
Gritting her teeth, Xie was furious, "Then let my natal family sit at the same table with my sister-in-law's natal family, that's all right."
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, shook her head, "Sister and sister, your arrangement is really a bad idea. Did you forget that my natal family is also a general
My natal sister-in-law and second sister-in-law have a very good relationship with the female family members of the Daihou Mansion. Also, my elder brother and second elder brother were both promoted by Duke Zhu.
Today's banquet, my natal sister-in-law and second sister-in-law will definitely walk with these two female relatives, and I don't have time to greet your natal family. "
Xie was depressed and wanted to refute, but couldn't find a reason to refute.
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, spoke harshly, but what she said was indeed the truth.
Only in this way, Xie Shi would be too embarrassed.
Gu Jiu saw that the two wives had been arguing for a long time, but they still hadn't reached a conclusion.
So he reminded, "Then open a table for Xie's family members, no one will be offended."
The two wives were stunned, and they all looked at Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu said with a smile: "The Xie family is a civil servant, and it's true that they don't get along with the noble wives. It's awkward for everyone to sit together. It's better to have a separate table, so that no one has any objections."
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, laughed loudly, "The second girl is still clever, why didn't I think of it. Brother and sister, what do you think?"
Xie squinted her eyes and looked at Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu was generous and let Xie scrutinize her.
Xie said with a straight face: "Then let's open a table alone."
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, nodded repeatedly, "Nine tables are going to be prepared for the female guests, Shaoyao, please go ahead and ask the kitchen to prepare two more tables for banquets."
Mrs. Xie looked back at Mrs. Mrs. Zhang, "Why do you need to prepare two extra tables of banquets?"
You don't need money to prepare a banquet
With Mrs. Zhang's stingy temper, it would cost at least one or twenty taels of silver to prepare two extra tables of banquets.
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, said: "There is also a table for the male guests. In addition to your natal brothers, there are also officials from the Governor's Mansion."
"You let my eldest brother sit at the same table with the officials of the Fu Yin's house?"
"Otherwise?" Eldest Wife Zhang asked back, "Do you want to arrange for your elder brother and Duke Zhu to sit at the same table for them
Brother and sister, although your eldest brother is an official of the East Palace, he is only a fourth-rank upper-ranker after all.
Zhu Guogong, Daihou and the others are super quality. Even Haisib is also a first-class product.
Know who is qualified to sit by their side? Only the old Hou Ye from the Hou Mansion next door, and the Grand Master of the Hou Mansion.
My master and your master can only stand aside. Only relying on the recommendation of the old Hou Ye is he eligible to drink two glasses of wine with them.
Brother and sister, I have said so much, do you understand? Let me remind you again, this is the capital city, not the northwest. Don't compare the capital with the rules of the Northwest.
Especially for a banquet like this, the arrangement of seats must not be wrong. Otherwise, it is not friendship, but enmity.
In addition, Mrs. Lu Hou and Mrs. Zhu Guogong have conflicts in private, so it is best not to arrange for these two to sit at the same table. "
Xie's chest was rising and falling rapidly, obviously very angry. Unable to refute.
Everything she was proud of in the past has become vulnerable and even superfluous under the stern words of the eldest wife Zhang.
Back in the capital, it was the first time he was hosting a banquet, so many mistakes were made, and it was still in front of all the women in charge, Xie couldn't hold back his face.
Today, I am ashamed and lost at home.
Gu Yue, Gu Shan and the others also felt so ashamed.
I used to think that my mother is very capable, especially this kind of welcoming and sending is what my mother is best at.
But he didn't expect that when he returned to the capital, for the first banquet, he would be beaten back to his original form.
Both Gu Yue and Gu Shan lowered their heads, and even Gu Zhen and Gu Lin felt embarrassed and cramped. Mrs. Xie lost face, and so did they.
The headed wife made mistakes in basic human relationships. As children, they were naturally more unbearable than the headed wife. Ever since, the four of them felt ashamed.
The words that the eldest wife Zhang said were like slaps on their faces one by one, and they felt so painful.
At this moment, in the eyes of the women in charge, Mrs. Xie is just an ignorant and self-righteous country woman.
I only saw the wealth and splendor of the capital, but I couldn't see how deep the water in the capital was.
Do you really think that the capital city is the same as the Northwest, so you can deal with it casually
How naive.
Among all the people in the second room, only Gu Jiu didn't feel embarrassed at all.
Gu Jiu stood aside, looked at the eldest wife, Zhang Shi, and firmly remembered all the words that Zhang Shi said.
These are all knowledge! And it's knowledge that can't be bought.
Gu Jiu benefited a lot from what the eldest wife Zhang said.
In her previous life, Gu Jiu had no chance to organize the banquet herself. The family cared about her and refused to let her be tired.
For all the banquets, she only needs to dress up and attend on time.
I don't know anything about the preparations behind the banquet.
In this life, Gu Jiu has not had the opportunity to learn how to be a housekeeper, let alone organize a banquet for hundreds of people.
You can only seize the opportunity to learn a little, a little.
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, looked at Mrs. Xie and snorted coldly. She really couldn't expect too much from Mrs. Xie.
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, was very straightforward. She took a pen and wrote a new list of seats, and handed it to the woman in charge, "Arrange banquets according to this list. Prepare enough drinks, ask the storeroom to prepare a few more, and don't be stingy with money."
The steward's wife takes orders.
If there is one, there are two.
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, continued to write and revise Mr. Xie's various preparations.
Xie's anger was bitter, but he was powerless to stop it.
She couldn't bear the risk of the banquet failing, so she had to sit aside and watch the eldest wife Zhang busy.
Gu Jiu thought for a while, and stepped forward, "Auntie, I write very quickly and neatly. I wonder if I can help my aunt share some of the burden."
Huh
The eldest wife Zhang looked at Gu Jiu.
Then Mrs. Zhang laughed, and she was a sober girl, much better than the other girls.
The eldest wife Zhang handed over the brush to Gu Jiu, "You write."
Gu Jiu took the brush with a smile, no need to sit upright, just stood up and wrote with the brush.
Mrs. Zhang sat down and said, while Gu Jiu wrote while standing up with a pen.
Mrs. Zhang took a look at the handwriting, and sure enough, it was written quickly and well, just as Gu Jiu said.
Mrs. Zhang laughed, "The second girl's handwriting is really good."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Auntie Miao Zan, my handwriting is not good enough, but neatness is better."
"It's already very good. You are a girl, you don't need to take exams, and you don't need to write so well."
Gu Jiu smiled, but remained silent.
Mrs. Zhang continued to mutter, and Gu Jiu continued to record.
This scene surprised Gu Yue and the others.
Why is Gu Jiu so courageous? How did you think of helping to record it
Also, when will Gu Jiu be able to write in the air? Why don't they know.
Gu Yue stretched her neck and leaned over to look.
When she thought about it, Gu Jiu was hanging in the air to write, and his writing was definitely not very good.
As a result, she saw a beautiful lower script with hairpin flowers.
Gu Shan also saw it, and said with emotion in a low voice, "I didn't expect that the second sister's handwriting improved so much in just half a year."
Gu Shan remembered that Gu Jiu's handwriting was not as good as it is now.
Gu Zhen also saw it, and nodded secretly, the writing is really good.
Gu Lin thought of her vow of hard work again, and felt ashamed when she thought of fishing for three days and drying the net for two days. Once again, I cheered myself up, I have to work hard, I must work hard.
Mrs. Xie stared at Gu Jiu, this damn girl really knows how to behave.
This scene actually gave Gu Jiu an opportunity to express himself.
Mrs. Zhang not only modified the seats, but also the menu, even the dishes.
Xie originally prepared a set of white porcelain.
Mrs. Zhang said, "White porcelain is not good. It is better to use that set of porcelain that is surplus every year. It looks festive and can win a lot of money."
Xie opened his mouth, but did not refute.
Seeing that Mrs. Xie did not object, Gu Jiu took a pen to record it.
Mrs. Zhang picks on Xie's arrangements everywhere.
She even rejected the chair cushion.
"The cushions arranged by my brother and sister are too old and look stale. I'll use the new set of cushions that I bought in the warehouse this summer. The color is fashionable and the color is good. Brother and sister, don't you have any objections?"
Xie breathed out her nostrils, "What can I say? All the ideas are taken by my sister-in-law, and I will learn from them."
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang raised her eyebrows and smiled, her eyebrows and eyes were upturned, and she looked shrewd and sharp.
She said to Mrs. Xie: "Siblings, don't be unconvinced. This place in the capital, a rare place in the world, is full of people who push the high and trample the low.
As for us, as hosts, we don't want the guests to be satisfied, but we only want to do things with a clear conscience, arrange everything properly, and do our best.
My younger siblings learn more from me, and you will understand in the future that the banquet in the capital is something learned.
If you meet those people who are unlucky, even a dish placed randomly can be a reason for the other party to criticize, thinking that they are mocking her, and thus bear a grudge against the host. "
Mrs. Xie smiled, "Today, I have to thank my sister-in-law for worrying so much for me."
The eldest wife Zhang said with a smile: "We are a family, and this is what I should do."
Gritting her teeth, Mrs. Xie scolded Mrs. Zhang over and over again in her heart.