Chapter 783 - 785: It’s Time to Get Moving
Chapter 783: Chapter 785: It’s Time to Get Moving
"What more do you want?" Liang Shi scolded. "You’re stupid enough to not even manage your own subordinates. If you had kept them in line, would others have schemed against you?"
He had originally planned to let the matter slide, but seeing Mrs. Liang He approach him again reminded him of the recent investigation’s results, making him grit his teeth in frustration.
"If you hadn’t been targeting Mrs. Gu both openly and in secret, they wouldn’t have set their sights on you so quickly.
"Do you have any idea what a massive disaster you almost caused me this time?
"If those people had successfully driven a wedge between us and Gu Wenheng believed we were the ones scheming against him, the two sides would have fought. Do you think Yi Province would ever see a day of peace again?
"After so many years, I finally had some hope. Such a great situation was almost completely ruined!
"And now, you actually expect me to go to their door and demand justice for you? Why don’t you reflect on your own mistakes first?
"I entrusted the inner courtyard to you all these years out of trust, expecting you to handle everything well. I never expected this is how you would ’help’ me."
"I..." Mrs. Liang He stammered.
Liang Shi didn’t give her a chance to argue. "I’ve already written a letter back home. In a few days, our eldest daughter-in-law will come to assist you. If you still can’t manage things properly, then I’ll have no choice but to send you back to our hometown."
"You’re so cruel, My Lord..." Mrs. Liang He cried. "To think that after I spent all these years managing the inner courtyard for you, this is the repayment I get.
"Which family lets their daughter-in-law take charge while the legal main wife is still present? If word of this gets out, how am I supposed to socialize with the other wives in Yongchang County?
"Although I am your second wife, isn’t it entirely unfair for you to be so biased?"
"Here we go again. Every time, you use this exact excuse to shut me up," Liang Shi scoffed coldly. "Say whatever you want. My mind is already made up. You can choose to continue staying here, or I can have a carriage arranged to send you back."
Watching Liang Shi flick his sleeves and leave directly, Mrs. Liang He gritted her teeth and yelled furiously, "Mrs. Gu Jin, it’s because of you again..."
Jin Qianqian suddenly felt a chill on her arms and reached up to rub them. "How strange. I wonder who is scheming against me this time."
Gu Wenheng held her hand to check its temperature. "Did you not wear enough clothes today? Should I have someone bring a cloak over?"
Jin Qianqian shook her head. "There’s no need to go through the trouble. Look, I’m wearing even thicker layers than you are. Instead, let’s talk about how to deal with those two people."
"They are easy to deal with," Gu Wenheng replied. "When the time comes, I’ll directly have someone send them to Shangjing and hand them over to Bai Jinglie. Since he already sent people over to cause trouble, there’s no need for us to pretend we don’t know. We might as well tear away this facade."
Jin Qianqian also thought this was a great idea. "But we can’t just let this matter go. Don’t forget, your share of the glass workshop’s profits is still in his hands.
"Over the years, he has also used the excuse that the glass market is gradually saturating to send less and less silver over. Regarding this, I think we should send a few accountants over to audit the books."
"I won’t act alone on this," Gu Wenheng tapped the table. "My share isn’t the only one involved. The Holy Emperor holds the largest portion."
He thought, "If I make a big enough fuss, there’s no way the higher-ups won’t get suspicious."
The couple exchanged a smile, both feeling that this was an excellent plan.
"Right now, the most difficult problem for me is the Wu family." Gu Wenheng still hadn’t figured out how to deal with Wu Hao.
"The Wu family..." Jin Qianqian pursed her lips and said. "A few days ago, when I went to a banquet, their Second Madam was even planning to arrange a marriage between her maiden family’s niece and Le Ping. I never expected them to turn around and scheme against us like this."
"I originally thought Governor Liang would use this opportunity to make things difficult, but I didn’t expect him to take the easy way out and order his subordinates to send the eldest son of the Wu family over to me as well," Gu Wenheng said.
Governor Liang’s people were even afraid he would refuse, hurriedly running back to report after tossing the prisoners into his hands.
Gu Wenheng immediately understood Liang Shi’s intentions—he didn’t want to get involved in this matter in the slightest. They had already discussed it beforehand, yet Liang Shi suddenly changed his mind. Gu Wenheng couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. After being an official for so long, was self-preservation truly the number one priority?
"Since we’ve already caught them red-handed, we shouldn’t let it slide easily," Jin Qianqian said. "Over the past year, we’ve also seen how these aristocratic families handle things.
"Although it looks like they coexist peacefully with the government, in reality, due to their influence, there are many things the government can’t do to them.
"Even during several banquets, those family madams didn’t show much respect to the government officials. Sometimes, they even subtly act superior and look down on the official wives of lower ranks."
"That is exactly where they’re smart," Gu Wenheng said. "The major families advance and retreat together, effectively spreading a massive net.
"This time, the fact that Wu Hao dared to target us alongside Bai Jinglie’s subordinates also stems from the confidence they’ve accumulated over the years.
"It’s just a pity that he miscalculated this time. I don’t plan on letting them off easily. Even if Governor Liang backs down, I will use this opportunity to tell these major aristocratic families that as long as they are citizens of the Rong Dynasty, they must obey the law."
Since her husband wanted to do something big, Jin Qianqian naturally had to support him. "I originally wanted to slow down our pace, but it seems it’s time to get our shops across Yi Province moving as well."
"There’s no need to make a big fuss this time." Gu Wenheng pointed towards the sky. "We are already too conspicuous. Holding too much wealth in our hands is not a good thing."
Jin Qianqian smiled slyly at him. "Am I that unreliable? Just you wait and see. There will be news starting tomorrow."
Seeing her rarely so playful, Gu Wenheng reached out and tapped the tip of her nose. "Still keeping me in suspense at a time like this? Then I definitely need to look forward to it."
Jin Qianqian blinked at him. "Please look forward to it!"
The two exchanged a smile and then spoke about the few people imprisoned in the cell. Gu Wenheng wasn’t in a hurry to interrogate them, but he replaced all their guards with his own trusted subordinates. Now, not even a single mosquito could fly in.
Jin Qianqian pointed at him and said, "You’re much more cunning than I am. If they are locked up for a few more days, some people will probably be jumping in anxiety."
「Meanwhile.」
Let alone a few days—the moment the Wu family learned that Governor Liang had handed the prisoners over to Gu Wenheng, they immediately couldn’t sit still. They gathered the other major aristocratic families overnight, wanting to collectively discuss a good countermeasure.
"Master Meng, you are the leader of our families. Please quickly come up with an idea."
As the Family Head of the Wu family, Wu Nanping had no choice but to speak up first. After all, it was a branch member of the Wu family who had caused trouble this time.
Meng Haotian glanced around at the people present. At this moment, no one spoke; they were just quietly waiting for him. Although he was satisfied in his heart that the various families treated him as the leader, it didn’t mean he liked cleaning up their messes.
"This matter is really quite tricky," Meng Haotian said. "A long time ago, our ancestors had already agreed that before our families produced any notable figures, we must not make enemies out of the government.
"These past years, our families have also done very well by not actively provoking them.
"But your Wu family is quite bold this time. Who doesn’t know that the hardest person to provoke in all of Yi Province is this Mr. Gu?
"It seems not long ago, a youngster from your family provoked Mrs. Gu. Fortunately, it didn’t result in a huge conflict, and the matter was left unsettled.
"How long has it been since then? To continue causing trouble again is truly unacceptable."