The Shaofu Jialing accepted the invitation, but he changed the meeting time. Schedule the meeting in five days.
Qian Fu had no choice but to return to the palace to return to his orders.
Gu Jiu gritted his teeth, "Five days is five days."
Just five days, she can handle it.
She also knew why the Shaofu Jialing postponed the meeting until five days later. She just wanted to see how many cards she had and whether she could withstand the Zhu family's first attack.
For such a big event, everyone is not doing charity. Everyone wants to get a share of it and make more benefits. This is human nature.
Gu Jiu smiled, "They want to see Madam Ben's hole cards, Madam Ben will naturally make them do what they want."
Well, she has plenty of cards.
The biggest hole in her hand is the tens of thousands of refugees outside the South City Gate.
This hole card should be reserved for critical moments.
Gu Jiu promised Qian Fu that he would be rewarded afterwards, so he naturally kept his word.
She wrapped a big red envelope for Qian Fu, "Here, it's your hard work. I'm not your son. I'm stingy and penniless. You follow me to do things, and I'll guarantee you a good life."
Qian Fu silently accepted the big red envelope.
As for Gu Jiu's words to tempt him to quit, they all went in one ear and out the other.
Just don't jump ship.
He is a loyal lackey under the name of Young Master Chao, and he has followed Young Master Zhao for the rest of his life.
What is Qian Shao afraid of!
What he wants is a sense of accomplishment.
Even if he wins a mere commercial struggle, he will not feel the slightest sense of accomplishment.
"Madam's kindness, this old servant appreciates it. If Madam wants to persuade the Shaofu family order to pay, it is best to be generous."
Gu Jiu raised her eyebrows, "Why did you say that?"
Qian Fu said expressionlessly: "The young grandson of the Shaofu Jialing was lured into gambling, and owed a gambling debt of 100,000 taels to the casino. The Shaofu Jialing probably doesn't know about it yet.
The old slave suspected that the person who lured the Shaofu family to make the grandson gamble was arranged by the Zhu family. The Zhu family should have been scheming against his wife and the family order of the Shaofu from a long time ago.
They knew that the wife had a good relationship with the Shaofu family order, so they would definitely try to destroy it. The young grandson of Shaofu Jialing is a good breakthrough. "
Gu Jiu frowned, "How do you know about this?"
Qian Fu was calm for a year, "A few days ago, when I was helping my wife investigate the Zhu family, I also investigated the relatives and friends of the Zhu family, as well as the family order of the Shaofu who was at odds with the Zhu family."
The corners of Gu Jiu's mouth twitched, "I sincerely invite you to get rid of my son and follow me to do things. I guarantee that your annual income will not be less than five thousand taels, how about it?"
Qian Fu was unmoved, "After a while, the old slave will order someone to send the investigation report, maybe it can help Madam. In fact, Madam can also use her own way to punish herself. There are many loopholes in the Zhu family's relatives and friends. If you look for it, it will be a breakthrough.”
Gu Jiu was very disappointed, knowing that she couldn't persuade Qian Fu to quit, she simply seized the time to squeeze it out, "Just tell me, who is the biggest breakthrough?"
Qian Fu hesitated for a moment, "On the surface, he is the second master of the Zhu family. The second master of the Zhu family is rough in his work and has a violent temper, so he is easy to be caught. But the old slave believes that the biggest breakthrough is the housekeeper Zhu, not the Master Zhu Er."
"The housekeeper Zhu who serves by Cheng Enbo's side?"
"Exactly!"
"What's his handle?"
"His children are the biggest handle."
Gu Jiu laughed, "Don't bother me with one thing, you can do it for me."
Qian Fu suddenly felt like shooting himself in the foot with a rock.
It's heartbreaking!
"The old servant is busy with errands and cannot help Madam."
"I will discuss with the young master and distribute some of your errands to others. You should hurry up and find something for me."
Qian Fu wanted to say no.
As a result, he was sold by Liu Zhao.
"Listen to Madam and find out what's wrong with Butler Zhu." Liu Zhao came back from the outside and ordered directly.
Qian Fu opened his mouth and accepted his fate!
"The old slave complies."
Gu Jiu did not forget to say: "Don't worry, I will thank you very much afterwards."
Qian Fu staggered and almost tripped over the threshold.
"You and Cheng Enbo fell out?" Liu Zhao asked.
Gu Jiu nodded without hiding anything, "Aunt Huyang pointed at his nose and cursed at him, he was so angry that he couldn't speak. He must hate me to death, and the next step is to retaliate."
Liu Zhao frowned, "Don't be afraid of him, I will support you."
Gu Jiu laughed, "Which eye of yours sees me and is afraid of him?"
"I worry about you."
"There's nothing to worry about. If I can't overcome this hurdle, then I'm not qualified to hang out on the ground in the capital. Get out of here as soon as possible."
"Don't say that. You are the eldest daughter-in-law of the palace, and your home is here. Whoever dares to touch you, I will kill him."
Gu Jiu laughed loudly, "You said that, I really mean it."
"Once a man says a word, it's hard to follow."
Gu Jiu kissed him on the face, it felt so good to have someone backing him up.
Xiao Cui ran in, her head was wet, and she had just washed her face.
She said: "Ma'am, it's not good! The concubine sent someone to beat the Cai family out and punish the third lady."
"Oh!" Gu Jiu was not surprised.
Liu Zhao looked at Gu Jiu, "What's going on?"
Gu Jiu said casually: "The Cai family came to beat the autumn wind, but the gatekeeper refused to let them in, so the third younger brother and sister let the Cai family in personally. Mother and concubine knew about this, so how can they not be angry. The father and the king have ordered a long time ago not to let them in." Let Cai's family come to your door."
Liu Zhao frowned, "The Cai family is really greedy, and the third sibling is also a person who can't figure it out. What's the benefit of her emptying the things in her house to her natal brothers?"
"I don't know what the benefits are." Gu Jiu said casually.
Then, she told Xiao Cui, "Keep watching, and report in time if there is any movement."
"The servant obeys."
Xiao Cui ran out excitedly.
Pei Shi sent the nanny around her to come forward and chase them away in person.
The Cai family yelled loudly, saying that the palace looked down on their in-laws and hated the poor and loved the rich.
The third lady also cried.
The third son never showed up.
With the backing of Mrs. Pei, Mammy is not afraid at all. Directly ordered to drag the Cai family out.
The boys stepped forward to drag people, crying and making noise for a while, and the whole courtyard jumped like dogs and dogs.
There was so much commotion that all the maids and servants working elsewhere came to watch the jokes, pointing fingers, and talking about it.
The nanny was furious, pointed at the third lady, and said mercilessly: "The Cai family comes to beat the autumn wind twice in three days, you still have the face to cry.
The palace is supporting you, and every month you have to pay thousands of taels for medical expenses alone. The concubine has never been harsh, I just ask you to keep yourself safe and do your duty.
As a result, you have repeatedly disobeyed the orders of the prince and princess, and even dared to secretly give money to the Cai family. Is it true that the palace is your private property? "
The third lady clutched her chest, "Are you going to kill me? Come on, kill me, anyway, I'm a burden to live. Come and kill me!"
The third wife, Mrs. Cai, suddenly erupted, startling everyone.
Mammy was annoyed, "Don't worry, no one will dare to kill you. But I beg you to keep yourself safe and don't make any fools all day long."
The third wife, Mrs. Cai, sobbed and cried, "I use my dowry to subsidize my mother's family, what do you care?"
"I have to tell the difference. The year before last, how many ornaments and precious utensils were missing in this courtyard? You were secretly given to your natal family by the third lady. You used the property of the palace to supplement your natal family. How dare you say that Is it all your dowry?"
The third lady's face was pale, her chest tight and short of breath, and she was speechless.
"You, you lowly maidservant."
Mammy was so angry that she secretly cursed shamelessly. Then he took people away.
A farce seems to be over.
Unexpectedly, at night, it was suddenly reported that the third lady had hanged herself. Fortunately, the maid found out early and rescued her.
"Hanging himself?"
Gu Jiu was going to sleep, but was shocked by this news.
Xu Yousi bowed and said, "I took a look, and there are people coming and going in and out of the courtyard. Obviously it's not fake."
Gu Jiu thought about it, and said to Liu Zhao, "I'll go over and have a look."
Liu Zhao stopped her from going, "Don't go. Be careful when you get sick."
His gaze moved down naturally, and landed on Gu Jiu's protruding abdomen.
Gu Jiu said, "The third sibling is not an infectious disease, I can assure you."
Liu Zhao raised his eyebrows, full of doubts.
Gu Jiu thought for a while, leaned into his ear, and whispered, "I just want to take this opportunity to see what kind of disease the third sibling is suffering from."
"Too risky." Liu Zhao was still worried.
"I will be careful. If there is real danger, I will get out in time."
Liu Zhao frowned, "Since we're going, I'll accompany you. I'll go and see my third brother. I haven't seen him for a long time. Ask him about his situation."
Gu Jiu smiled openly, "Let's go together."
The husband and wife cleaned up and came to the courtyard where the third lady lived.
Princess Pei, Ouyang Fu, and Xiao Qin'er are all there.
Seeing Gu Jiu, Pei frowned, displeased, "Why are you here? You are twins, get out of here quickly."
Gu Jiu said: "Don't worry about the third sibling, come and have a look. Mother and concubine don't worry, I will take care of myself. How is the third sibling now?"
Pei snorted, "Young people don't know the seriousness at all."
Ouyang Fu whispered to Gu Jiu, "The third sibling hasn't woken up yet."
"Is the doctor please?"
"Please, the imperial doctor hasn't arrived yet."
The third wife, Mrs. Cai, was lying on the bed, thin and weak, with no flesh on her body. His hair was thin and yellow, and his face was also yellow.
Gu Jiu got closer and saw Cai's exposed fingernails.
Nails are darker in color.
Gu Jiu frowned slightly.
She began to look at the bedroom.
She even went over to the bed and surreptitiously inspected the bed frame.
While Mrs. Pei and the others turned their backs and didn't notice, she quickly pricked Mrs. Cai's fingertips and took some blood from her fingertips.
She covered her hands with her sleeves and took the pulse carefully.
The pulse is very strange.
When the imperial physician arrived, Gu Jiu voluntarily withdrew.
The handkerchief was stained with blood from Cai's fingertips, she secretly sniffed it, not sure.
The imperial doctor diagnosed and treated Cai, and a few needles were pricked, and Cai woke up leisurely.
Waking up and crying.
Mrs. Pei had to say a few words to comfort her.
Now that it was all right, everyone filed away.
After returning to the East Courtyard, Liu Zhao asked her, "How is it? Did you see any problems?"
Gu Jiu held the medical book in his hand, "There is a problem, but I don't know the reason. I'll look through the book first."
Liu Zhao took the book in her hand, "It's late at night, go to bed quickly. What you need to do now is to recharge your batteries and deal with the Zhu family."
"You're right. The matter of the third sibling can be put aside for now."
…
The Zhu family's offensive was fierce and swift.
In just a few days, the people below began to panic.
The jewelry store was cut off from the supply of goods, and only Haitong Firm under Zhou Jin's name remained fearless and continued to supply goods.
Jewelry shops have limited inventory, and Haitong Trading Company alone cannot meet all the needs of jewelry shops.
Once the supply of goods is cut off, it won't last long, and jewelry shops will have to hand over the market to others.
Who makes the choice too small.
When shopping, I like to compare and compare, and I like to choose slowly when there are a lot of goods in front of me.
If the fun of selection is gone, it is still possible to lose not only all the customers, but also a few percent of them.
The pharmacy was also out of stock.
It's not that the Su family was bought by the Zhu family, but that the Su family couldn't get the supply either.
All source suppliers were warned not to supply to the Su family and not to supply to Xinglintang.
If they want to do business in this three-acre land in the capital, the Zhu family has to give them face.
After the Zhu family spoke, all the suppliers began to boycott the property under Gu Jiu's name.
The most serious thing is the project outside the South City Gate.
The required building materials are huge.
Suppliers collectively raised prices in response, and the cost of raw materials more than doubled at once.
And even if you take the money to buy materials, those suppliers will claim that they are out of stock.
One or two, they simply didn't pay attention to the Four Seas Trading Company.
What a deception!
…
Su Zheng deliberately went to the palace to ask Gu Jiu to see him.
At the beginning of this year, Su Zheng passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. Currently working as a scholar in the Hanlin Academy.
Gu Jiu asked someone to invite Su Zheng to the study.
She looked at Su Zheng, dressed very formally.
So he asked, "Did Cousin Su come directly from the Yamen?"
Su Zheng smiled and nodded, "Exactly!"
After a pause, he said again, "The gentlemen of the Imperial Academy are more conservative."
"So Cousin Su also has to dress up like a little old man?" Gu Jiu pursed her lips and smiled.
Su Zheng smiled wryly, "I can't help it. People can't help themselves in their official career. After three years, the evaluation will have to rely on the old gentlemen of the Imperial Academy."
"Cousin Su doesn't need to explain, I understand everything."
"I'm very sorry that I couldn't help Cousin Xiaojiu this time. My second uncle and I were very worried, so we came here to see if there is anything we need to do?"
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "Cousin Su and Second Uncle are interested, I can still handle it here for the time being."
Su Zheng frowned slightly, "The store has been out of stock. If the supply of goods cannot be resolved as soon as possible, the store will have to close down. This is equivalent to severely injuring Cousin Xiaojiu, and all the hard work of the past few years will be gone. Is there any way to make peace with the Zhu family? ? To do business, you still need to make money with harmony.”
Gu Jiu laughed, "Second Uncle asked you to say this. You go back and tell Second Uncle that everything is temporary. The Zhu family will resolve it soon."
"really?"
Gu Jiu smiled and asked back, "Cousin Su doesn't trust me?"
"Of course not. I'm just worried."
"Cousin Su, don't worry, I'm fine. Don't worry about the Zhu family either. Let them play around for a few days, and then I'll have plenty of ways to deal with them."
From tone of voice to eyes to every expression, Gu Jiu exudes strong confidence.
Su Zheng was infected by Gu Jiu's self-confidence. When I came here, I was still worried, but the heart that I was carrying finally fell to the ground, and the whole person seemed a little more relaxed.
"If you need me to do something, cousin Xiaojiu just ask."
Gu Jiu pursed her lips and smiled, "When I need your help, I will definitely not be polite to you."
Liu Zhao came in from the outside and frowned slightly when he saw Su Zheng.
Obviously, he didn't like Su Zheng.
To be precise, he disliked all the men who haunted Gu Jiu.
"How did you come?"
Liu Zhao asked Su Zheng bluntly, examining him with his eyes.
"The lower officials have met the young master." Su Zheng was neither humble nor overbearing, and he also disliked Liu Zhao.
If it weren't for the emperor's whim to choose a wife for the emperor's grandson, Liu Zhao might not be able to marry Xiaojiu's cousin.
Liu Zhao hummed, "Is the matter over? It's getting late, if you have nothing else to do, you should go back early. Otherwise, it will be reported that you are making friends with the prince and grandson in private, which will be detrimental to your official career."
Su Zheng's heart was full of old blood.
Young Master Zhao is really too shameless.
Gu Jiu really couldn't stand it, "Qing Mei, order the kitchen to prepare dinner. Cousin Su, you can stay in the palace for dinner before leaving."
Liu Zhao changed his face faster than flipping through a book, "My lady is right, the visitor is a visitor. Cousin Su comes here very rarely, and leaves after dinner. Qingmei, ask the kitchen to make more appetizers."
Qingmei: "..." Can we pretend that she doesn't exist
"No! I still have something to do at home, so I'll take my leave first. Cousin Xiaojiu, come have tea at home when you have time."
Gu Jiu secretly glared at Liu Zhao, stood up to persuade him to stay, "Cousin Su, let's go after dinner, the kitchen will be ready soon."
"No need. A few people came from my hometown, and I have to rush back to say hello."
Su Zheng insisted on leaving.
"In that case, then I won't force Cousin Su to stay."
Gu Jiu personally sent Su Zheng out.