Lu Zhu’s face was blank: “Who? Who wants to see you, Miss?”
Gu Qianying handed the letter in her hand to Lu Zhu.
After Lu Zhu finished reading, she was greatly shocked: “Yijun Tang Tang Ling.”
Yijun Tang was a merchant association specially established by the Gu family’s ancestors.
Although a large portion of the Gu family members followed in their fathers’ footsteps and joined the army as generals, a small portion of them, unwilling to join the military, engaged in the business of trade and became merchants.
In the generation of the Gu family’s ancestors, in order to ensure that these merchants among the Gu family members did not forget their original intentions and did not engage in dishonest practices in their trade, but adhered to the Gu family’s business principle of integrity, they specifically categorized these merchants as members of Yijun Tang.
They even formulated many business regulations, which were also called the Yijun Tang regulations.
The position of the head of Yijun Tang was passed down from generation to generation within the Gu family. Among them, whoever could lead the Gu family members to prosperity and ensure the perpetual prosperity of the Gu family’s businesses in the capital would be the head of Yijun Tang and would possess the Yijun Tang Tang Ling.
Originally, this Tang Ling was managed by Gu Kun’s younger brother, Second Master Gu, hence Second Master Gu was the head of Yijun Tang.
However, fate is unpredictable. Years ago, Second Master Gu fell gravely ill and could not be cured. Before his death, he specifically wrote the Yijun Tang Tang Ling and the position of the head of Yijun Tang in his will.
This will mysteriously disappeared after a fire. Some said that Second Master Gu’s will was burned to ashes by the fire, while others said that Second Master Gu’s will was stolen by those with malicious intentions.
There were all sorts of rumors about Second Master Gu’s will, who inherited the position of the head of Yijun Tang, and the mysterious disappearance of the Tang Ling.
To this day, no one has found the Yijun Tang Tang Ling.
And those Gu family merchants were like scattered sand, each doing their own thing, each conducting their own business.
Now, Gu Qianying never expected that the Yijun Tang Tang Ling, which had been missing for many years, was actually in the hands of the second concubine, Madam Han.
“Lu Zhu, go to the kitchen and get some pastries. This young lady is going to visit Second Concubine Meng.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Lu Zhu went down to prepare.
A moment later.
Gu Qianying, dressed in a simple plain white cotton padded jacket, went out with Lu Zhu in a carriage.
Hu Biao followed behind, primarily to protect Gu Qianying’s safety.
Yamen Prison.
Lu Zhu slipped some silver ingots to the two jailers guarding the prison, and only then did the two jailers agree to let Gu Qianying and Lu Zhu in to visit Second Concubine Meng.
Hu Biao was stopped outside the prison gate.
Inside the prison, the air seemed to be filled with moisture, and the dark void exuded a smell of decay and corpse.
At this moment, in a relatively clean cell, a pregnant woman was half-lying on a hard bed made of straw and planks.
She was eating the sweet pastries her daughter had brought her the day before.
The pastries had been left for two days and were a bit hard, but the taste was still the same.
As she ate, she recalled the days when she was taken into the Gu mansion by Gu Kun.
All the memories flashed through her mind one by one.
Tears slid down her cheeks, dripped onto the pastries, and mixed with the crumbs, falling into her mouth.
When the cell door opened.
Gu Qianying entered with Lu Zhu.
Lu Zhu carried the food box in her hand.
The woman did not turn around.
Lu Zhu placed the food box on the worn wooden table and then stood to the side.
Gu Qianying looked at the woman lying on the hard bed, with her back to her.
“Second Concubine, I’ve come to see you.”
Gu Qianying’s voice was faint.
Madam Meng slowly turned around.
After not seeing her for many days, Madam Meng’s belly was so big, it looked like twins.
She was wearing a white patched prisoner’s uniform, her hair was messy, and she was disheveled all over.
At this moment, she was completely unrecognizable from her radiant appearance in the Gu mansion before.
“You’ve finally come.”
Madam Meng’s lips were dry, and her voice was a little hoarse.
She looked at Gu Qianying.
Looking at Gu Qianying’s attire and appearance today, she smiled: “You’re so alike, truly alike. As expected of mother and daughter, you look exactly like your mother when she was young. It’s a pity that time spares no one, and both your mother and I have grown old. Your mother no longer acts with the decisiveness and resolution she once had. She’s always so indecisive. I suppose it’s because she has more to worry about and care about, which is why she’s like this.”
Gu Qianying remained silent, only watching her faintly.
She got off the bed barefoot and came to sit at the wooden table: “Eldest Miss, you are the legitimate daughter of the Gu family. You have always had the best daily necessities since you were young. How could you know how much we who cannot use the best envy your status?
I always remember that when I entered the mansion, I could only use the side door, and I often had to pay respects to your mother. My daughter was destined to be inferior to you from birth. No matter how favored she was by your father, she was always a concubine’s daughter. She was unwilling, and I was even more unwilling…”
“So for your unwillingness, you and your mother have endlessly harmed my mother and me. But what was the result? My mother and I are still fine, but you have ended up like this. As things stand, I can only say that heaven has eyes, and evil is rewarded with evil.”
“Hahaha.”
Madam Meng’s laughter grew louder: “Yes, evil is rewarded with evil, evil is rewarded with evil…”
“Madam Meng, I didn’t come today to reminisce. I’m asking you, did you steal my second uncle’s Tang Ling? Or did my father steal it and hand it over to you? If there is a Tang Ling, there must be a will. So, Second Uncle Gu’s will is also with you?”
Madam Meng did not speak, then she opened the food box brought by Lu Zhu and took out the pastries from the food box.
She took a bite of the pastry and then said, “Eldest Miss, such a top-secret matter, are you sure you want outsiders to hear it?”
Gu Qianying glanced at Lu Zhu and then said, “Lu Zhu is not an outsider. Just tell me.”
“But to me, your maid is an outsider. With an outsider present, I am unwilling to reveal the truth.”
Gu Qianying looked at Lu Zhu: “Go out and wait. I’ll call you if there’s anything.”
Lu Zhu bowed and saluted: “Yes, Miss.”
After Lu Zhu left.
Gu Qianying looked at Madam Meng, who was sitting at the wooden table and had almost finished a plate of pastries. She went straight to the point: “Madam Meng, you are due to give birth in a little over a month. If you hand over my second uncle’s will and the Yijun Tang Tang Ling to me, and tell me how you obtained them.
I can plead with your grandfather on your behalf, allowing you to return to the mansion early, and have my mother provide you with the best in terms of expenses in the future. How about it?”
When she was young, Second Uncle Gu treated her very well. If she could find Second Uncle Gu’s will and the Yijun Tang Tang Ling, it would be a tribute to Second Uncle Gu’s spirit.
Furthermore, it would also clarify who Second Uncle Gu had passed on the position of the head of Yijun Tang to.
“Hahaha!”
Madam Meng laughed heartily. She suddenly clenched the pastry in her hand and crushed it.
With a wave of her hand, the crumbs flowed down between her five fingers.
Madam Meng suddenly stood up and walked up to Gu Qianying: “Gu Qianying, do you know whose child I am carrying?”
Gu Qianying was slightly startled, then quickly reacted: “You are so shameless!”
“Hahahaha”
“Shameless? Does Eldest Miss know that it is not that I want to be this way, but your father, he is incompetent, he is incompetent!”
Madam Meng’s body tensed up as if she remembered something, and she glared fiercely at Gu Qianying: “No, it is you. The reason I have become like this today is because you and your mother forced me, forced me!
Therefore, today, I will definitely drag you down to hell with me!”