Yesterday, when the Yu Residence opened its main doors, piles and piles of New Year's gifts were continuously moved in. Zhou Hu, who was in charge of the front yard, received so many gifts that his hands were tired. In the evening, he closed the door and refused to see any guests. When he went to the accountant's office to count, there were more than two hundred bolts of various colors of cloth, spices and medicinal herbs were all weighed by weight, countless porcelain and jade wares, antique calligraphy and paintings, and many other strange and interesting things. It was as if they were afraid that they wouldn't be able to enter Yu Shu's eyes.
After receiving the filial piety from others, Yu Shu was not careless in her work. The second day of the sacrificial kitchen was a dust-sweeping day. The Celestial Commissioner went up and down to rest, but she didn't slack off. Early in the morning, she went to the official's office and took Wen Shao 'an to count all the marriage contracts that had piled up before the New Year. She worked overtime to record them and try to send them out before the New Year.
Wen Shao 'an didn't have the slightest bit of dissatisfaction when he was pulled over on a day that was supposed to be a day of rest. Instead, he was full of energy. With Yu Shu's tacit approval, he received a lot of red packets in the past few days. If this continued, he wouldn't need to rent a house to live in anymore. Next year, he would be able to buy a smaller courtyard.
From morning to night, Yu Shu packed her things and left when the sky turned dark. On the way, she sent Wen Shao 'an to the vicinity of the Human Training Hall. Then, she took the spies that were secretly following her around Qianyuan Street and found the most expensive restaurant. She ordered a table of food and wine, and then sent an imperial bodyguard to invite Pei Jing.
The Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce wasn't far from here. As soon as the dishes were served, Pei Jing arrived. They sat in a private room on the upper floor. After closing the door, Lu Hong and Xu Qing stood guard outside.
Yu Shu got up and waited for Pei Jing to sit down. She first picked up a cup of wine and offered it to him. "Ever since we came to the capital, our family has been under the care of jiujiu. Xiaoxiu and I don't have many relatives in this world. Other than godfather and godmother, we only recognize you as jiujiu."
These words came from the bottom of her heart. Pei Jing had once lent her a helping hand when she was insignificant. When she had offended the Ji family in Yiyang City, she had no choice but to leave her hometown and go to the capital. It was also Pei Jing who had arranged a path for her, allowing her and Little Xiu to follow the caravan to the capital. Although there had been an accident on the way, she still remembered this favor in her heart.
Later, when she turned her life around, Pei Jing did not deliberately take advantage of her. Instead, he helped her a lot and always treated her and her brother as his juniors. Whether it was hypocritical or sincere, Yu Shu could see it clearly. That was why she was willing to give him half of the profits of the crystal business. It was not only to repay him, but also because she trusted him.
"We are family, there is no need to say such things." Pei Jing smiled as he took the wine cup and drained it in one gulp. He beckoned her to sit down. He did not move his chopsticks but asked leisurely, "You have set up a banquet to invite me so formally. You must have something important to discuss with me. I won't guess what it is, just say it."
It was said that ginger was spicier with age. Yu Shu didn't know how to start. His question gave her a way out. She took the chance to speak of the idea of temporarily stopping the crystal business.
"Right now, Ning Wang is in power and the limelight is too tight. I have offended Ning Wang Ye before, and not long ago, I had a feud with the Yin Family. I am afraid that someone will secretly play tricks and ruin our business. Why don't we stop for a while and observe the situation. "
Pei Jing's response was unexpected. He did not hesitate or doubt, and simply nodded his head in agreement.
"This business really does attract jealousy. The treasure house has been visited by thieves more than once. Because the losses weren't large, I didn't mention it to you. As for Master Xu, someone found him and was willing to pay a high price to buy the raw materials from him. They had him inquire about the source of the materials from me. Luckily, Master Xu is an honest person and told me everything. "
The Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce was not an iron board. Two days ago, at the tea party of the Dong Family, there were several stewards who had come together to accuse him of currying favor and breaking the rules of the trade. They insisted that he stop selling, or else they would take out the process of growing crystal. They were willing to pay money to buy it. He didn't even blush when he said this. Pei Jing would rather not do this business than let them take advantage of him.
"I thought that we have made a lot of money, and now it's time to stop. Since you have this intention, then I will stop the business of Jubaozhai tomorrow. When Master Xu has finished the batch of materials on hand and sold the goods with the deposit, we will no longer flow out. I will calculate the profits later and give them to you together with all of them."
Pei Jing was able to take and let go so easily. What else could Yu Shu say? She toasted him again.
Pei Jing picked up the chopsticks and said to her, "You don't know that there are people who specially line up in our treasure house to get the crystals and sell them at a high price. When we run out of stock, those who have the crystals in their hands can wait for a period of time before selling them. The price can be multiplied several times."
Yu Shu didn't think it was a pestle. "The crystals we sell will slowly lose their effectiveness after three months. If they don't send them to me for maintenance, they won't be able to keep them for more than a few days. They are really greedy and will lose money."
Pei Jing nodded and said, "This has been explained on the day of the business. If someone is not careful, they can't blame us."
.....
After talking about business in the restaurant, after a meal, Yu Shu and Pei Jing separated and went straight to Old Man Xu's workshop. She took away the polished two hundred crystal strips and paid him an ingot of gold.
She wore thick clothes in the winter. She wrapped the box of more than ten kilograms in her cloak. It was dark outside, so it was impossible to see what she was holding in her arms from a distance. As soon as she went out, she got into the carriage, covered the curtain, and then turned on the light to check.
Old Man Xu's craftsmanship was top-notch. The two hundred crystal strips were polished neatly and of uniform length. The unnourished red crystals looked gray and somewhat similar to agate stones, but they were very different from the finished products sold by the Treasure House. No one could tell that they were the same thing. The white crystal was to deceive people. According to the arrangement of the Book of Xuan Nyu, 81 red crystals were enough, and the extra was to prevent mistakes in carving.
When she returned to the mansion, she moved the 100 red crystals into a sandalwood box without anyone else's help and locked it. Early the next morning, she called Zhou Hu.
"Send the New Year's gifts to Prime Minister Xue's residence personally. Take my invitation and say good things to everyone you meet. I will reward you when you come back."
Zhou Hu was promoted to the chief steward of the Yu's residence, so he didn't care about giving gifts to others. However, it was different for Yu Shu. Sending gifts to the Prime Minister's residence was giving him face.
"Don't worry, Miss."
Zhou Hu followed Xin 'er and brought two servants to carry the New Year's gifts to the carriage. On the same day, they were sent to the Xue's residence. No one knew that there were deadly things hidden in the gifts.
***
When Xue Lingnan saw the list of gifts that the Yu Residence had sent over, he sent someone to find Xue Rui. He threw the list of gifts at his feet and said, "Last time, you promised her well, but in the end, you dragged it out for a few days. You didn't intend to let her testify against Prince Ning at all, right?"
Xue Rui bent down to pick it up and glanced at it. Seeing that there were ordinary things on it, he immediately understood. Facing the old man's accusation, he bowed his head and admitted his mistake,
"For such a big matter, grandson thought it was too risky. Framing the royal family is a serious crime. If the matter failed, she would have to pay with her life. Grandfather, please let her go and find another way."
Hearing him change his words, Xue Lingnan laughed angrily, "Good, you've grown up. You even dare to disobey this old man's words. A woman outside, compared to the entire Xue family, can't you tell which is more important? "
Xue Rui bowed his head and didn't say anything.
Xue Lingnan saw that he couldn't persuade him, so he didn't waste any more effort. He waved his hand and said, "Leave. You don't need to concern yourself with this matter anymore. You just need to remember who raised you all these years, who provided you with wealth and glory. Don't become an ingrate in the end and waste my son's life for you. Humph!"
Xue Rui was a person who could endure and give in. These years, he was ordered to come and go by Xue Lingnan. Despite the resentment in his heart, except for that one time three years ago, he never talked back to the old man.
Today, he suffered the same kind of humiliation and respectfully took his leave. Three years ago, he ran away from home in search of his birth. Now that he knew who his birth parents were, he returned to the Xue family in order to repay the kindness of raising him. All he wanted was to have a clear conscience.
Xue Rui thought about the gift list he saw earlier. When he returned to the courtyard, he called Hōtoku over and quietly reminded him. After dinner, a locked mahogany box was quietly placed on his desk.
***
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve. This year's banquet had been canceled but Ning Wang Fu had set up another banquet and sent out invitations. Yu Shu had been invited and had to go even if she didn't want to. It was a good thing it was a lunch banquet and wouldn't affect the family's reunion dinner.
Speaking of Ning Wang, Yu Shu couldn't help but admire him. Ever since the Great Advisor had announced the imperial edict, Ning Wang had one foot in the Eastern Palace but he hadn't done anything out of line. Faced with some opposition in court, he had tolerated it and didn't eliminate dissidents just because he had power. He was very patient.
Take today's banquet for example. He didn't take the chance to hold it in the palace, but retreated to Ning Wang Fu. This move of retreating to advance had calmed a lot of trouble. Didn't you see that even the Major Advisor had come personally to support him?
The banquet was uneventful. On the surface, everyone seemed to be happy, and everything was tranquil. Yu Shu sat in a corner and tried to reduce her presence. She had divined the night before and knew that something would happen today. She had come to watch the show.
Within expectations and beyond expectations. Just as everyone was eating and drinking to their heart's content, Ning Wang was proud of his success and was raising his cup to thank the guests, a wine cup was suddenly thrown from the banquet and smashed in front of Ning Wang's table. The shards flew and everyone was shocked. In the dark, a few death warriors quickly moved in front of Ning Wang to protect him. At the same time, a figure strode out from the crowd of guests.
When Yu Shu saw who this person was, she paused. She hadn't thought that it would be him. She saw this person, dressed in a green robe and a jade belt, had a scholarly air. His steps were swaying and he looked drunk. He pointed at Ning Wang and scolded,
"You heartless person, cruel and unscrupulous thing, killing your brothers and sisters, forming a clique for personal gain, and you have the face to dream of the throne!"
Liu Hao's expression changed dramatically. He slammed his hand on the table and said angrily, "Kong Qi, how dare you! Come, take him down and shut his mouth! "
But his hands and feet were not as fast as his mouth. Kong Qi did not dodge. Without waiting for people to come close, he scolded loudly again, "Back then, you schemed to kill the Tenth Princess. If he becomes the Emperor, will he kill all your brothers and sisters, you bastard —"
Before he could finish, he was pressed to the ground and his mouth was covered. Kong Qi struggled with all his might and made whimpering sounds, looking as though he wanted to fight to the death with Ning Wang.
Liu Hao wanted to have someone kill him on the spot, but he could not do so under the watchful eyes of the crowd. He could only say with a cold expression, "Such a spoilsport on such a good day. Kong Qi, no matter who ordered you to slander me, you have committed the crime of disrespect. Guards, take him away first and try him again later. "
He avoided the important and focused on the trivial, trying to cover up this incident. But the person behind the scenes would not let him do as he wished.
"Wait." The Judicial Office Official Guo Huaian stood out and said with a solemn expression, "If I didn't hear wrong, did he just mention the death of the Tenth Princess? This is a matter of life and death. Wang Ye, please hand this person over to the Judicial Office. "
Facing this person who had come out of nowhere, Liu Hao's face was ashen. He said, "No, this person slandered ben wang first. It is clear that someone is behind this. This concerns ben wang's innocence. ben wang must interrogate him personally."
Seeing this, everyone became suspicious. How could the death of the Tenth Princess be related to Ning Wang? Wasn't it rumored that it was a young miss of the Xue family who caused it? What was going on with Guo Huaian? Wasn't the Judicial Office always in the middle? Why did he suddenly stand against Ning Wang?
"Huang Xiong's words are reasonable. But if this person stays in your fu, if he is killed, it will be blamed on you. At that time, even if you jump into the Yellow River, you won't be able to clear your name." This time, it was Liu Tan who spoke. On the surface, he was thinking for Ning Wang, but anyone with ears could hear the meaning behind his words.
At this point, Prime Minister Yin, who had been pretending to be deaf and mute, finally spoke: "The wang fu is heavily guarded, how can it not be guarded against a single person? Your Highness Jing Wang is exaggerating."
Seeing that the two sides were in a deadlock and no one was willing to give in, Grand Tidian, who was sitting on the VIP seat, suddenly stood up and walked to Kong Qi. He lowered his head and glanced at him, then turned back to Liu Hao and Guo Huaian.
"Why don't you hand the person over to me, the Celestial Commissioner. After tonight, tomorrow's trial, Ning Wang and Guo Daren can rest assured."
What else could Liu Hao say? He couldn't keep the person. If he didn't hand him over to the Celestial Commissioner, he could only hand him over to the Judicial Office. So he agreed.
Guo Huaian also nodded and sat back down.
Zhu Muzhao waved his hand and people followed the guards of the wang fu to take Kong Qi away. He then bid farewell. With this, no one was in the mood to stay. Ning Wang forced a smile as he sent off the officials and didn't return to the banquet.
Yu Shu saw that the excitement had died down and secretly exchanged glances with Xue Rui. They left Ning Wang fu one after the other and met up outside the door.
The two of them sat in a carriage and let the driver slowly drive back. With this kind of mess, if they talked about it, the spies in the dark would treat it as normal.
"Today's events were all arranged by Prime Minister Xue?" Yu Shu sighed in admiration, "I didn't think that your grandfather didn't come today but ordered Guo Daren around. I think that other than him, no one else would dare to oppose Ning Wang."
In terms of rank, the Official of the Judicial Office, Guo Huaian, was not as high as the elders of the court, but in terms of reputation and power, he didn't lose to a first-rank official. Before today, Yu Shu and the others had assumed that Guo Huaian was a neutral party. Who would have known that he would stand on the side of the Xue family?
Xue Rui sighed.
Yu Shu looked strangely at him: "Why aren't you happy? Ning Wang is going to be unlucky this time. I think that he won't be able to hold the position of regent for long." As she spoke, she suddenly realized: "You aren't worried that Kong Qi will expose the affair between him and Tenth Princess and ruin Tenth Princess' reputation?"
She glared at him and said icily: "You really are infatuated. If Tenth Princess knew in the underworld, she would be so moved she would die again."
It wasn't that she wanted to argue with a dead person, but the things that Tenth Princess had done when she was alive disgusted her. And this woman was Xue Rui's first love. She couldn't tolerate it.
Xue Rui heard that her words were becoming more and more ridiculous and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head and said: "Don't speak nonsense, I wasn't thinking of such things."
"Then why are you sighing?"
"I'm sighing that grandfather is forcing Ning Wang like this. Even if the matter succeeds, the result may not be good."
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