Chapter 278 The Daughter of the Sinful Minister 26
"No, don't bring it in!" The housekeeper and servants stopped him at the door.
The ice shop owner and his waiters kept pushing into the house, and the ten oxcarts outside were covered with big ice cubes. Sure enough, I bought all the ice in one store!
The old lady and the eldest lady walked out,
The owner of the ice shop immediately shouted: "Old lady, do you want it or not? Mr. Xu has paid for it. Even if it is shipped back now, the ice will have melted."
Anyway, this gift had to be accepted, so the eldest lady could only say: "Open the ice cellar and put it in."
After Gu Tingrui finished his work and returned home, he suddenly felt a slight chill. While unfastening the pipe cap, he walked towards the ice basin: "Why hasn't the ice melted yet today?"
When I got home every day, the ice had turned into water and it was extremely hot.
The eldest lady took the hat and put it on the hat rack. Then he went to help take off his official uniform: "It was sent by Xu Mian."
"What?" Gu Tingrui was stunned for a moment, and then said angrily: "Just accept it like this?"
The eldest lady replied: "I have to take it away and it will melt if I send it back."
Gu Tingrui thought for a while: "Then give him the money."
The eldest lady smiled bitterly: "I can't give it. They brought all the ice from a store. It is said that it cost three hundred taels of silver. If you dare to give it, just go ahead and give it."
If it were before, three hundred taels would not matter. And now the Gu family is crying about poverty. Not to mention three hundred taels of silver, they have to pretend that they can't come up with thirty taels.
The eldest lady also sighed: "The ice that was delivered is now in the ice cellar, which is enough for a whole summer."
Gu Tingrui had already finished wiping his face and was sitting drinking tea in a light gebu tunic. The maid next to her was shaking her fan, and the ice cubes in the ice basin were gradually melting, bringing a slight chill.
At this time, I felt very good, comfortable and cool. I would feel like this every day in the days to come. Gu Tingrui couldn't help but say: "It seems that he is attracted to Xin'er..."
As soon as he saw Mrs. Hu's face, his expression immediately straightened: "It won't work even if I'm interested in you."
"That's right, in the past, the Jin Yiwei dragged the bachelor of the cabinet's chief assistant to the snow and froze to death." The eldest lady thought of the power of the Jin Yiwei, and she refused: "You are comfortable now, be careful not to be unhappy in the future. Winter I’ll also drag you into the snow to keep you cool!”
"I know, you and your mother make the decision anyway!" Gu Tingrui picked up the tea and took another sip: "This tea is really not that good. If you can buy a better one, just say it is for entertaining distinguished guests at home."
"Are there any other distinguished guests at home?" The eldest lady waved her fan and sneered: "You have been in the Ministry of Etiquette for almost twenty years, and you have not made many friends. Because of Prince An's matter, although you have been cleared of suspicion, the news has not passed yet, let alone No one is coming. Just drink now. The caravan from Yangzhou will bring something in a few days. I have asked them to get some good tea by then."
Speaking of which, it can also be said that it was given by the old lady from her hometown in Yangzhou, and that is all it has now. Gu Tingrui took another sip. What the heck, it was bitter but had no sweet aftertaste. Compared with before, it was like heaven and earth. So he put the tea aside and stopped moving.
On the afternoon of the second day, Gu Tingrui came back. The ice basin was still there, and there was a hint of coolness in the room.
He put on his casual clothes, picked up the tea, frowned and took a sip, his eyebrows suddenly relaxed. He took two sips in succession and asked for more water after finishing 30% of it. Then he asked the eldest lady: "Has the Yangzhou caravan arrived?"
"No!" The eldest lady looked around and saw that the maid went out to collect water with a tea cup, so she whispered with a bit of fear: "Master Xu sent it."
"What?" Gu Tingrui was so scared that he almost fell off his chair.
Xining heard about it and Gu Tingrui returned home and felt that the tea was not good. The next day, Xu Mian sent someone to deliver the best tea, which was the new tea that the emperor had given him this year.
Xu Mian knew that even a casual complaint at home would not scare Gu Tingrui. At about this time, I was lucky that I didn't say anything bad about Xu Mian or the court, otherwise I would have been impeached.
Xu Mian was favored by the emperor, and whenever there was a reward, he would send it to the Gu Mansion. Sometimes if the family sees something pleasing to their eyes, they will send it to the Gu family. Either for the old lady or for Gu Tingrui. These are all gifts from the emperor. Who dares not to want them!
I sent them five times in a month. When I was injured, the emperor sent me ginseng and bird's nest; I also sent the inkstone and lake pen that I had given before; and I also sent the agate fruit bowl that I had just received in the summer. The agate fruit bowl was given to Miss Gu, saying it was for Miss Gu to eat ice bowl or iced cheese. Looking at the translucent white agate fruit bowl, the intricately carved red grapes are so lifelike that even Gu Fu, who usually sees a lot of good things, found them rare.
The people in the Gu family were frightened by the gift, but they didn't dare not accept it. I have to admit that Xu Mian is really attracted to Miss Gu.
In the palace, Xu Mian was walking. No matter how poisonous the sun was, it seemed to be turned cold by his sinister bird of prey. Along the way, he repeatedly thought about what he had just said when he met the emperor.
"Are you truly loyal to me?" The emperor's voice came slowly.
Xu Mian knelt in the Wuying Hall and lowered his head slightly: "I obey your Majesty."
Compared with those words such as shattering one's body to pieces, destroying one's liver and brain, and not giving up even if one were to die, Xu Mian's words were very simple, but they deeply conveyed the holy meaning.
The emperor said with a bit of ridicule: "I heard that you have a crush on Gu Wanxin, the eldest daughter of Gu Tingrui, the minister of etiquette?"
Xu Mian answered honestly: "Yes!"
"This is rare..."
It is indeed rare that Xu Mian, apart from handling cases vigorously and resolutely, has never been involved in adultery.
Moreover, everyone in the capital now knows that the commander of Beizhen Fusi has fallen in love with Miss Gu, and now no one dares to propose marriage. Think about it, as long as Xu Mian persists like this for a year and a half and sends a matchmaker, the Gu family will have no reason to refuse.
He could have been tougher, but under high pressure, the Gu family would have forced him to agree. There was only one reason for doing this. Xu Mian showed sincerity, softened the Gu family, and truly turned the marriage into a happy event.
Even though there was an ice basin in the main hall, the room still made people anxious. The emperor, who was sitting on a chair with a memorial in front of him, suddenly asked: "What if I order you to kill Gu Yuanxin?"
Xu Mian was still kneeling, without moving at all. He was so calm that he could not make any waves: "I obey your Majesty."
The emperor's voice was still gloomy: "Gu Wanxin has not made any mistakes, so why don't you ask why you want to kill her?"
Xu Mian replied: "Your Majesty has your own reasons for doing this. The emperor said he would not stay, and I will not stay no matter how reluctant I am. I all obey your Majesty's orders."
The emperor's fingers lightly clasped the table, again and again, and after a long time: "Capture her first."
Xu Mian lowered his head and asked: "May I ask whether your Majesty will arrest you openly or secretly?"
The emperor seemed to be smiling, and the power of God made people tremble: "Catch him however you like, I want you to arrest him and lock him up."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xu Mian bowed and accepted the order.
The emperor said with some satisfaction: "Go down."
When he arrived outside the palace, Zhang Zhong greeted him: "My lord!"
Xu Mian let out a long breath and got on the horse: "Go back to Beizhen Fusi."
(End of chapter)