Chapter 151 The Gu Family is about to bleed
Shen Zhi and his workers were working in the fields, and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture followed behind to record the growth of the crops.
Suddenly, a shout came from a distance: "Xiao Zhi!"
Shen Zhi raised his head and saw Liu Zhuangtou walking towards him with a woman.
Everyone looked up at the two of them curiously, and suddenly there was a burst of exclamations.
"Oh, exactly the same!"
"So you and Yoshigo-kun are twins!"
"How strange!"
When Shen Zhi heard the voice, he turned to look at Shen Zhen and couldn't help showing surprise.
She hurriedly went up to him and asked, "Sister, why are you here? What happened?"
She knew in her heart that if it wasn't something extremely important, Shen Zhen would never come in such a hurry.
Shen Zhen said anxiously, "Something happened at the photo studio."
Seeing Shen Zhen so anxious, Shen Zhi knew that something big must have happened, so he asked the others to continue working, and he and Shen Zhen walked aside.
Shen Zhen lowered her voice and recounted what happened in the photo studio that morning.
Shen Zhi's face changed drastically when he heard this. In broad daylight, he was so arrogant that he beat people and smashed the store for no reason.
Shen Zhi said hello to everyone and left in a hurry.
Ke Meng in the crowd frowned. It turned out that the person that day was her. No wonder...
Shen Zhi hurried to the photo studio, which was still in a mess. Manager Shi had deliberately ordered it not to be cleaned up, and he had already sent someone to report to the police.
Zhan Yurong had been sent back to the dormitory. Doctor Zhao had already given her medicine and bandaged her. She had fallen asleep. Some other employees also had minor injuries, which had also been treated.
Not long after, the police came over. They were already very familiar with Shen Zhi. They came to investigate the scene and asked the store clerk about the situation. There were also many eyewitnesses in the surrounding shops, and they visited them one by one and indeed got some clues.
Shen Zhi took two yamen runners to estimate the value of the items lost in the smashing and destroying. Shen Zhi quoted the price, and the runner recorded it. The runner's eyebrows jumped. My goodness, a set of pearwood round tables actually cost fifty taels of silver. A set of glass cups cost one hundred taels of silver. This thing is indeed expensive, but who would put glass cups in the hall for customers to drink water. A set of crystal photo frames cost one hundred and fifty taels of silver. Judging from the situation, there must be six or seven sets of them smashed. There are also three hundred taels of crystal ornaments on the Duobao Pavilion, and at least three pieces were damaged. After all the calculations, it is almost three thousand five hundred taels. Shen Zhi also mentioned that there are also medical expenses for injured employees, loss of work wages and losses due to the closure of the photo studio. All the above added up to five thousand taels of silver, not a penny less. The runner smacked his lips. The Gu family must be bleeding a lot.
Shen Zhi found Qingfeng and asked her to find out the situation of the mother and daughter. Qingfeng was very efficient and came back in less than half an hour. The lady was just a concubine of Minister Gu, named Xie Jiang. Her daughter Gu Qinglian was fifteen years old, two months older than the fourth Miss Gu Qinghe. Because she was born to a concubine who could not be seen in public, she had no ranking in the Gu family.
This time, Xie Jiang and her daughter settled not in the home of Old Master Gu, who had settled Gu Qinghe last time, but in the home of another branch of the family, Master Gu San. Master Gu San ran a gambling house and had some prestige here.
Here, the official also came to the door of Master Gu San. Master Gu San happened to be at home. Hearing the butler's report, Master Gu frowned. It was always bad news for the official to come to the door. However, he still asked the butler to bring the official in. The business world is unpredictable. Don't offend anyone if you can, and make friends with the white and black worlds if you can.
The official came in and greeted Mr. Gu San, then began to reminisce about what happened in the photo studio that morning. He described the scene and the fight between the two sides in detail, and finally attached a list of compensation.
Master Gu San took the compensation slip, quickly glanced at the numbers on it, and couldn't help laughing. He secretly sighed in his heart: Yixiang Jun is really extraordinary!
He raised his head, smiled and said to the officer, "If that's the case, then of course the money should be paid. But it won't be me. I believe Yixiangjun would be more happy to see the culprit pay it personally. Please tell Yixiangjun that I will make sure the culprit pays her every penny."
After hearing this, the official nodded with satisfaction and said that he would definitely convey Mr. Gu San's intention. Then, they left the Gu family.
Mr. Gu San stood at the door, looking at the officer's back as he left, thinking secretly in his heart: This Yixiangjun is quite interesting, I wonder what kind of person she is?
When Shen Zhi learned the news, he quickly replaced all the lost items, as if the smashing and looting had never happened.
Master Gu thought for a moment and asked the housekeeper to invite his wife, Wang, to come over. Minister Gu's mistress was staying at the Gu Mansion, and Master Gu was not convenient to deal with female relatives, so he could only ask his wife to handle it.
Soon Wang came over and asked, "Third Master, what's the matter?"
Mr. Gu San has always respected his wife. Not only is she gentle and considerate, but her strategy is also as good as men's.
"There is indeed something that requires Madam's help." Mr. Gu San told Mrs. Wang about the trouble caused by Xie Jiang and her daughter in the photo studio. He pointed out that this photo studio was the property of Yixiang Jun, who was personally appointed by the emperor, and expressed the hope that Mrs. Wang would come forward to resolve the matter.
When Wang heard this, a shrewd look flashed in her eyes, "I understand, Third Master, don't worry, leave this matter to me."
The next day, Wang went to the Lotus Garden where Xie Jiang was staying temporarily. Xie Jiang had heard from her servants that the officials had come to her house, and she was worried all night. She thought Wang was coming to call for punishment, but she didn't expect Wang to chat with her in a gentle voice.
"Sister Xie, you and I are both women, and I know it's not easy for you to take care of Qinglian alone. But it was indeed you who were wrong in the first place, and it is reasonable for them to ask for compensation now. Besides, let's not judge by appearances, but by appearances. That photo studio was opened by Yixiangjun, who was personally appointed by the emperor some time ago. I heard that the emperor thinks highly of her."
Xie Jiang was shocked when she heard this and immediately became flustered. She had begged Minister Gu for a lot before he agreed to let her go home to worship her ancestors. Minister Gu was usually very careful about his reputation and kept a low profile. If he knew that she had abused his power and affected his career, he would definitely not forgive her. As his bedmate, she knew him too well. On the surface, he looked righteous, but in fact he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Xie Jiang's panicked expression did not escape Wang's eyes.
Xie Jiang whispered, "I know I did something wrong, but my monthly allowance is only ten taels, so how can I afford five thousand taels of compensation?"
Wang smiled and consoled her, "Of course I know. How about this, if you trust me, I can give you some advice."
Xie Jiang felt like he had grabbed a life-saving straw at this moment, and quickly responded, "I believe it, I believe it, please teach me, sister."
Wang leaned close to Xie Jiang's ear and whispered a few words. After listening to Xie Jiang, the sadness on his face gradually disappeared.