Chapter 787 - 789: Staying Out of It
Chapter 787: Chapter 789: Staying Out of It
Gu Yi had exactly this intention. He had been waiting here recently just to leak some information. "Sigh, speaking of this matter, my older cousin and his wife are the true victims.
"The embezzlement of the sea trade dividends by Marquis Bai wasn’t actually discovered by my cousin. He just found things a bit strange and sent a letter to Shangjing, complaining a bit to Marquis Zhou.
"Who would have thought that Marquis Zhou would treat it as a joke and mention it to the Holy Emperor? That’s how Marquis Bai got dragged into this."
Hou Cunjin’s heart trembled as he listened to these titles. These were the big shots at the very top of the hierarchy, figures he had never dared to even think about before. Yet here his son-in-law was, mentioning them so casually.
"Marquis Bai must have directed his anger at my cousin, which is why he sent his subordinates to cause trouble here.
"It’s just unexpected that the kid from the Wu family had such guts. Not only did he facilitate things for them, but he also helped cover their tracks.
"Rumor has it that the only reason they acted this way was because Wu Hao was plotting in the middle, and he was the one who helped find the manpower.
"Climbing the social ladder is human nature, but doing it so blindly and getting oneself dragged down in the process is truly pathetic."
The teacup in Hou Cunjin’s hand began to shake. Not wanting to lose face in front of his son-in-law, he hurriedly placed it on the table.
"That Wu Hao is quite bold, but I heard he didn’t even know their background..."
"That’s just a lie to fool you, father-in-law. They dared to make a move against my cousin—how could they do it without knowing who they were dealing with?" Gu Yi suddenly said with a serious expression. "Father-in-law, listen to me. You absolutely cannot get involved in this matter."
"But... that’s Marquis Bai of Shangjing! Is Mr. Gu really going to be fine after offending him?" This was his new backer; he didn’t want any mishaps to occur.
Gu Yi replied, "I suppose you haven’t heard the news from Shangjing. Old Marquis Bai has passed away, and the current Marquis Bai is observing the Ding You mourning period. Furthermore, the hereditary title ends with this Marquis Bai."
The amount of information in those words was massive. Hou Cunjin immediately understood his son-in-law’s implication. Weighing the situation in his mind, he figured that if the two sides clashed, Mr. Gu would likely have the upper hand.
How could a Marquis in the Ding You mourning period, who was also disliked by the Holy Emperor, compare to Gu Wenheng, who was currently basking in imperial favor?
Clearly, Wu Hao had hit a brick wall this time. It remained to be seen whether the other families would still step forward to protect him.
"Then I wonder how this kid Wu Hao will be dealt with? After all, he was dragged into this because of the conflict between Mr. Gu and Marquis Bai..."
Since he was here, he should at least put in a good word or two, so he would have an explanation for the other families.
"Father-in-law, I’m genuinely unclear about this matter. Why don’t you go back and wait for news? If there’s any movement, I’ll inform you then." Gu Yi had revealed what needed to be revealed; as for the rest, he kept his mouth shut.
Hou Cunjin considered today’s visit a great success and found his eldest son-in-law a bit more pleasing to the eye.
The father-in-law and son-in-law chatted about some trivial matters before heading to their courtyard.
Since they were visiting as guests today, a banquet had to be prepared.
Jin Qianqian did not come over to keep them company, but she had a feast delivered from Tianfu Restaurant.
Looking at the exquisite dishes and knowing that Mrs. Gu had specially arranged this to bolster her granddaughter’s standing, Old Mrs. Hou was even more satisfied.
"Mrs. Gu is kind, and you must reciprocate her goodwill. Don’t be lazy; help out around the manor wherever you can," Old Mrs. Hou urged earnestly, holding her granddaughter’s hand.
"Grandmother, cousin-in-law has many capable people by her side. Since marrying into the family, not only have I been of little help, but I’ve actually learned a lot from her.
"In less than a year, I’ve already added two small farming estates to my name."
After speaking, Hou Tian’er picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, carefully removed the bones, and placed it in her grandmother’s bowl. "Try the food from Tianfu Restaurant. If you like it, your granddaughter will order it for you more often in the future."
"There’s no need for a little girl like you to spend your money. If it suits my taste, I’ll have someone order it myself.
"And don’t just focus on serving us. You’ve been busy all day; you must be hungry too." Seeing her granddaughter about to serve food to Hou Cunjin next to them, she grabbed her hand and made her sit beside her.
Hou Cunjin said, "...We are all family. Sit down and let’s eat together!"
If he didn’t let her sit down to eat soon, his old mother’s glaring eyes would practically turn into sharp blades and stab seven or eight holes in him.
Hou Tian’er sat next to the old lady and picked out a few easily digestible dishes for her.
「Main Courtyard」
Gu Wenheng and Jin Qianqian were also discussing the Hou family.
"Master Hou came with an ulterior motive today. Will Gu Yi be alright handling him?" Jin Qianqian asked.
Gu Wenheng looked calm. "He has been following me for a long time. Besides, I gave him detailed instructions beforehand. He can handle a trivial matter like this.
"The bait has already been cast. Next, we just have to wait and see what they choose to do."
"What about Wu Hao? Will he be brought to Shangjing as well?" Jin Qianqian asked.
"No," Gu Wenheng replied immediately. "It doesn’t matter whether he goes or not. After all, those two have already confessed.
"I’ve already written a memorial to the throne and arranged for an escort to take it back to the capital.
"I understand the principle that ’the squeaky wheel gets the grease.’ Since the Emperor wants me to work for him, we have to lay these external troubles right on his desk.
"I also need to let others know that I, Gu Wenheng, am not someone who suffers in silence. Whoever tries to make things difficult for me, I won’t bother making things difficult for them in return—I’ll just report them straight to the top."
Jin Qianqian silently sympathized with Hua Shunming for a second before smiling. "That’s not a bad idea. It’s about time we gave a warning to those who are getting restless.
"However, this approach of yours might not make you very popular. Aren’t you afraid of being isolated by these people in the future?"
Gu Wenheng looked at Jin Qianqian with a wronged expression. "The man at the top wants me to be an Honest Minister. Shouldn’t I just go with the flow and cement this reputation?
"From now on, whenever people mention me, they’ll know I’m an Honest Minister. Even if a new round of political struggles begins later, this way we’ll be able to stay out of it."
Jin Qianqian said, "The Princes are still so young, yet a new struggle has already begun. Being an Emperor really is a high-risk job.
"Being an Honest Minister is quite good. At least our family won’t get dragged into things. However, you must also keep your subordinates in line so they won’t be used by people with ulterior motives."
"The people around me have all been carefully selected," Gu Wenheng said. "Right now, I’m actually more worried about our clan members.
"When Uncle Shulin came over this time, I had a long talk with him. I hope he will be more decisive than the Old Clan Leader and quickly establish control over the clan."
Jin Qianqian still had a very good impression of the Old Clan Leader. "He is getting on in years, so it’s about time for him to rest. Having too many things to worry about won’t do his health any good.
"Personally, I feel that the main people we need to guard against are the families of your older brothers. I’m afraid they won’t be able to resist temptation. If they make a mistake, it would bring us an enormous amount of trouble."
Previously, someone had targeted Gu Dashi. If their family hadn’t reacted quickly, they might have already gotten themselves into hot water.
However, no matter how much they guarded against it, with so many people in the family, it was impossible to prevent everything. The only way was to solve the problem at its root.