Twenty-two terminals

  Gu Yun didn't come back again, the mansion had long been prepared for a welcoming banquet but it was delayed and couldn't be set up on time. The stage in the garden that had been built early also stood empty.

  Mrs. Gu stood in front of the window, her face looking rather unpleasant.

  She wasn't some inexperienced housewife who only stayed at home, she had a faint feeling that something was off.

  Last time it was because of an unexpected remark, a thief appeared in the house, and we had to stay in Tongzhou for several days. This time, however, Lu Hanxuan suddenly fell ill, where is it that simple?

  She recalled the letter from Hou Ye not long ago, saying that this time Lu Mo's trip to Beijing to report on his duties, wanting to get an official position in the capital was unlikely to succeed, and advised herself to let Gu Yun give up the idea, she suddenly became a little dazed.

  Old Duke Hou said in the letter that Lu Mo's political achievements over the past few years have indeed been good, but he is not on good terms with Liu Nei Jian of Nanfu Linchang. Because of the matter of Nanfu receiving the imperial carriage to repair the palace, they had a falling out, and what's worse, this Liu Nei Jian has now been promoted to Yu Ma Jian, which is one of the twelve monitors with real power, second only to Si Li Jian. After going to this place, his future prospects will be boundless, and this Liu Nei Jian will no longer be an ordinary eunuch.

  But the key is that this Liu Nei Jian was not a generous and uncalculating person. It was said that when he had not been transferred to Nan Fu, he was working in the Zhou Wang Fu, where there was another arrogant eunuch who looked down on Liu Nei Jian and framed him, causing Zhou Wang to expel him from the palace and transfer him far away to Nan Fu as a forest manager. This time, when Liu Nei Jian returned, the first thing he did was promote this former adversary of his, but less than four days later, that eunuch died on his way to the Imperial Stables.

  People who must avenge themselves for every slight are really worrying, Old Lady Gu sighed and her face became even more overcast.

  She worried for a moment, then couldn't help but scold Lu Mo again. Who else could he offend? Why did he have to offend the ruthless and venomous eunuch who had lost his lower body?

  Although the second and third masters' letters were to reassure her, she knew it wouldn't be that simple. The Imperial Stables had been using the excuse of the rebellion in the palace not being fully cleared up for several days now, setting up checkpoints every day within the city walls. Lu Mo must have also understood this point, which was why he dared not enter the capital for so long.

  The methods of the imperial horse supervisor are too numerous to punish people, can they be avoided for a while, and can they be avoided for a lifetime?

  Just as she was about to sigh, a soft footsteps sound came from the quiet room, and she didn't turn her head back, but said quietly: "How is it? Has Lord Hou come with news?"

  The person who came was her trusted confidant, Xu Mama. This time, the old lady had sent her to her natal home, the Huai'an Marquis's estate, to gather information from the Huai'an Marquis.

  She respectfully bowed her head and said in a soft voice: "As the Marquis says, this matter must be settled, but it's likely that we'll have to ask for the Grand Tutor's help."

  As Mr. Gu said in his letter, the students of Wang Taifu are all over the world, and because he was once a lecturer to the current emperor, he has a teacher-student relationship with the emperor and is valued by him. No one dares to offend him, so if he intervenes, this matter may be turned around.

  Old Mrs. Gu's face lengthened, and if it were usual for her to open this mouth with Wang Shi, that would be simply unthinkable. The prosperity of the Wang family is theirs, what does the Gu family have to do with it?

  But this time, the old lady was clear, and Wang's return to her mother's home was inevitable.

  The current Shengjing has already shown signs of unrest. The other day, King You secretly stored dragon robes and privately engraved imperial seals in the mansion, spreading the news and making the emperor extremely angry. In a fit of rage, he ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest King You and throw him into prison, also implicating many officials.

  If Liu Nei Jian were to use this as a pretext, he would shift the blame onto Lu Mo... Madam Gu's heart turned cold, and her voice took on a chilly tone: "The problem is that Wang Shi might not be willing to plead with the Grand Master on our behalf."

  It's not a big deal, after all. The Gu and Wang families are relatives by marriage, and there's no complicated situation involved. If it were an ordinary matter, perhaps the Duke of Wang would have agreed to it for the sake of the Wang family's reputation.

  But last year, Wang's eldest daughter-in-law came to the Hou Mansion as a guest and was going to pay her respects to Old Lady Gu when she was rejected by Old Lady Gu on the grounds of physical discomfort, leaving her standing awkwardly in the courtyard.

  Then, the Second Master Guo said he wanted to give a beautiful maid to the Wang family's master, Wang Tingran, and exchange her for one of his concubines. It is said that Master Wang almost turned against him on the spot, and from then on, he never set foot in the Hou Mansion again.

  It's not a big deal, but the beautiful maids of wealthy families are often sent out to welcome guests. Unfortunately, that day was Wang Shi's birthday, and at his wife's birthday banquet, he asked for a woman from his brother-in-law, which was already inappropriate. Moreover, when asked when Gu Er Lao Ye had seen this beautiful maid from the Wang family, Gu Er Lao Ye replied that it was when he accompanied Wang Shi back to her hometown and noticed her in the backyard, almost making the master of the Wang family furious.

  After these two things, although the Gu and Wang families are related by marriage, their relationship has always been lukewarm and never close. Now that something has happened, it's quite difficult for the Wang family to suddenly go to their in-laws' home to plead for mercy.

  Madam Xü was just about to speak when she heard a few crunching sounds coming from outside the window, like footsteps on packed snow. She opened the window and looked out, but saw no one, then turned back to discuss with Old Lady Gù.

  "What did you say?" Mrs. Fan didn't know what was bothering Old Lady Gu at this moment, she looked at Wu Jia who was kneeling with his head down and coldly said: "Did Ninth really say that?"

  "It's true." Wu's family was somewhat uneasy, but still honestly replied: "The Ninth Girl asked Xanadu and Biyu whether they would return to our Fourth Girl's Rufu Pavilion. She said that she didn't want these two maids anymore, saying that she couldn't bear them, and was yelling about wanting the Zhou family to exchange people for her."

  I've long seen that this girl is a bit strange! Are you unhappy with the way she's being ordered around? Is it because she's not being used to her heart's content? She stared blankly for a moment, then waved her hand to signal Wu's family to rise, and asked: "Is it just Shanhu and Bixi who were rushed, or is someone else also involved?"

  Wu's servant replied, "I heard from Qiu Mama and Zhou's family that anyone who can enter her room to serve must be replaced. Not only that, but even the old women who take care of the garden have to be replaced, and Ninth Miss herself has to personally select new people to use."

  With such a big movement, Fan Shi laughed and said: "I'm afraid she's been ill this time, this girl is clever and knows how to read people?"

  She paused for a moment, then turned to the Wu family and said: "Since she wants to change, let her change. It's not our business anyway. I remember you mentioned last time that your niece is coming in to work?"

  The Wu family's face lit up with a smile, the wrinkles on his face like flowers, and he nodded hastily: "Isn't it? It's just right!"

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  Hello everyone,