Everything starts from Menghualu

Chapter 375 Gu Family’s Countermeasures

In the study of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince was waiting for someone. Time passed slowly and this person finally arrived.

"Your Highness, I am Jiang He. I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Jiang He bowed as soon as he came in.
"Mr. Jiang, please stand up. Someone, bring a chair for you," said the prince.
"My dear, you also know about the war on the front line. Now the enemy and us are in a stalemate, and at this time, food and supplies have become a problem. My dear, how can you teach me?" The prince said
When Jiang He heard this, he immediately realized that the prince was targeting the Gu family again, but he knew there was nothing he could do and he couldn't change anything.

"Your Highness, the source of this money is nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. There is no way to save money at the moment, and only increasing revenue can solve the problem of food and grass." Jiang He said directly
"Oh? Open source, then where should we start?" the prince asked
"Your Highness, I think we can temporarily stop the money allocated for river management so that we can have enough money to fight this war." Jiang Hedao
"My dear minister, the money for river management has already been spent. Even if we stop now, we won't be able to get much money back, so this plan won't work." The prince said directly.
"Well, Your Highness, the only way is to cut down on unnecessary expenses. This way, you can save some money. Although it's not enough, it's better than nothing." Jiang He said
"Okay, my dear Jiang, I will consider what you said. You can leave first." The prince said directly
After hearing this, Jiang He naturally stood up and left in a hurry. After he left, the prince's face became gloomy and he stared at the direction where Jiang He left.

At this moment, Jiang He looked calm on the surface, but he was very anxious in his heart. The moment he got into his own carriage, his expression became serious.

He did not return to his own home, but went directly to Gu's house. The carriage drove all the way and soon arrived.

"Uncle, how did you find time to come here today? Come in quickly." Gu Langhua said

"Langhua, where is my sister? Isn't she at home?" Jiang He asked anxiously.

"Uncle, my wife went to the store to check it out. She should be back soon. What's wrong? Did something happen?" Gu Langhua asked

"Well, then I'll tell you first. Don't forget to tell my sister when the time comes. I just came out of the East Palace. The prince is probably going to take action against you." Jiang He said
"Huh? Uncle, what did you say? The prince wants to attack us? We have already donated all our property, and now we only have two shops left?" Gu Langhua said

"Of course I know that I donated all of it, but other people don't think so. They only think about where the remaining half went."

"The prince wants to dig out your significant other now, so you must be careful and don't be careless. The situation is still okay now, so he won't go too far."

"But if there is any change on the front line, the prince will show no mercy. Since the prince asked me to come over today, it proves that His Majesty must have agreed."

"So once that time comes, you will have to do it. And not only you, but also me and even King Liang will be held accountable." Jiang He said in a deep voice.
"Uncle, that money is not in Yangzhou now, and it has even been spent. How can we get it back?" Gu Langhua said

"For now, this money can only be in Yangzhou, and can only be in Wang Shanquan's hands. Remember, no matter who asks, you have to say this. Oh, and remember to tell Rou'er." Jiang He said
After saying this, Jiang He stood up and was about to leave, and at this moment, Jiang Rou came back.

"Brother, what's the urgent matter? Why are you leaving before I come back?" Jiang Rou said
"Since you are back, let's talk about it. Let's go to the study." Jiang He said
After hearing this, Jiang Rou knew that something must have happened, so she followed her second brother into the study. Jiang He repeated what he had just said to Gu Langhua.

"Sister, you should know what the situation is now. Let me ask you, is it true that the money cannot be recovered? Is it really in the hands of that family?" Jiang He asked seriously.
"That's right, second brother. The silver was taken away by Liu Changfeng at the beginning. Now it is estimated that it has been spent. So we really can't take out the silver."

"Under the circumstances at the time, the money could only be given to Liu Changfeng, or left to Wang Shanquan. Compared to Wang Shanquan, Liu Changfeng was still a good person."

"We had no choice but to do that at the beginning. At least we have a way out." Jiang Roudao
"I just told my brother-in-law to tell him to keep saying that the silver was hidden in Yangzhou. Whether we can find it or not, we will have something to say."

"But if this is the case, I'm probably going to be reprimanded, or even... Never mind. At this point, I can only take it one step at a time." Jiang He sighed.
"Brother, it's okay. You don't have to worry about me. In fact, we thought about this day as early as the moment Jiusi came to Beijing."

"Fortunately, Jiusi is now the prince consort, no matter what happens in the end, but he should be fine, so it's a blessing in disguise."

"We are already this old. If something really happens, you must not interfere, lest you get implicated." Jiang Rou said directly.
"What nonsense are you talking about? You are my sister, how can I not care? Besides, do you think you will be alright if you take all the responsibility?"

"Don't think too highly of yourself. That's simply impossible. If the Crown Prince touches you and your wife, the next ones to suffer will be me and Prince Liang."

"This cannot be avoided, so remember, don't do anything stupid, don't make unnecessary sacrifices. I'm going to discuss countermeasures with King Liang now."

"Just wait patiently. If the prince summons you, you must insist that the money is in Yangzhou. As for whether it is in Wang Shanquan's hands, I don't know."

"Okay, that's all for now. Simulation and Langhua need to discuss this and make sure nothing goes wrong. Okay, I'm going to see King Liang now. I'm leaving first." Jiang He said and left.
The couple escorted the person out of the house and then returned to their room.

"Madam, this day has finally come. I feel so useless. At a time like this, I can't help at all. I can only wait like this." Gu Langhua said

"What are you talking about, husband? How can you be useless? Don't forget that I carefully selected you back then. If you say this now, aren't you saying that I have poor taste?"

"Let me tell you, the thing I can boast about the most in my life is my vision, so you are not allowed to say such things anymore, do you hear me?" Jiang Rou said
"Madam, you really don't know what to say to me. Okay, I won't say it anymore. I promise, I won't say it again in the future." Gu Langhua said

After hearing this, Jiang Rou leaned directly on her husband's shoulder. What happened next was natural and logical. At the same time, Jiang He had arrived at the Prince of Liang's house and had entered the study.

"What did you say? The money was given to the Liu family? How could they do this? This is not true, this is not true? Oh, I really don't know what to say." Liang Wang said
"Your Highness, my sister and the others had no other choice under the circumstances. Giving it to the Liu family is better than giving it to Wang Shanquan. After all, Wang Shanquan is not a good person." Jiang He said
"Okay, okay, it's no use talking about this now. The prince wants money, but we can't give it to him. We will definitely get into trouble when the time comes. Let's think about how to deal with it." Liang Wang said
"Your Highness, I actually think this is a good opportunity for us. You know about the war in Yangzhou. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that we can't win without silver."

"We are just stalling for time now, but sooner or later, we will be unable to delay any longer. By that time, the weakness of the imperial court will be known to the world."

"So, Your Highness, we should go back and prepare earlier. Otherwise, we will be slow at every step, and it will definitely happen in the future?" Jiang He said
"Well, you have a point, but how are we going to get back? If we bring it up, His Majesty will be suspicious, and that will cause trouble." Liang Wang said
"Your Highness, that's why I said this is our chance. As long as we plead for my sister's family, it will definitely anger His Majesty, and he will take advantage of the opportunity, and we can just get away."

"Once that time comes, Your Highness will be like a dragon entering the sea." Jiang Hedao
Hehe, Jianghe, ah Jianghe, how many years have I known you? I know your personality, and you have put a lot of effort into your sister.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. This matter has been settled. After all, we are a family. So let's not talk about it anymore. Let's talk about something else."

"What do you think of the current situation in the world? If we really want to start a war, who will be our opponent?" King Liang said
"Your Highness, the only people in the world who are qualified to compete with you are Fan Xuan from Youzhou, Wang Shanquan from Yangzhou, and Liu Xingzhi from Sichuan Province."

"Among them, Wang Shanquan is no longer a concern. He has already been the forerunner of the rebellion and has completely lost his chance. So even if he wins the court, he will have no chance."

"As for the remaining Fan Xuan and Liu Xingzhi, Youzhou is naturally lacking in resources. Although the soldiers are brave and good at fighting, they are still a little poor, so they are not too difficult to deal with."

"But Liu Xingzhi from Chuanzhou is different. Although he was poor before, his strength will surely increase greatly after he gets half of my sister's fortune."

"So I think he will be your biggest opponent in the future. We have to be careful." Jiang Hedao
"Haha, I really didn't expect you, Jiang He, to say that. I thought you would bring up Fan Xuan. I didn't expect you to tell the truth." King Liang said
"Your Highness, you are joking. Just like you said, we are a family. How could I do such a thing as betraying my family?"

"But I suggest that we don't deal with Liu Xingzhi first. We can even continue with my sister's matter and form an alliance with them directly to get Fan Xuan out first!" Jiang He said
"You have a point. The oriole can do this, but the mantis cannot. Okay, let's do this for now. We'll talk about everything after we leave Beijing." Jiang Hedao
Time passed quickly and the next day came. Gu Langhua and his wife were summoned to the palace. Jiang Rou naturally went to see her son, while Gu Langhua entered the East Palace.

"My dear, we are all meeting each other, don't be so formal, please sit down, sit down quickly." said the prince
After hearing this, Gu Langhua naturally hurried to express his gratitude and then slowly sat down.

"My dear, we are a family. I will speak directly to you. I hope you don't mind. I'm sure you know about the war in Yangzhou, right?"

"The current situation is not favorable to us. The traitor Wang Shanquan is very difficult to deal with. The situation is at a stalemate, but this is not a long-term solution."

"After all, the treasury doesn't have that much money to support such a delay, so my dear, what do you think we should do in this situation?" the prince asked

"To reply Your Highness, I have donated almost all of my property. Now I only have two shops left. I am afraid I will not be able to donate all of them?" Gu Langhua said

"My dear ministers, I know the contributions your Gu family has made to the court, and my father knows it too. Originally, I shouldn't bother you anymore."

"But you know the current situation, and I have no other choice. So, my dear, you only brought half of your property with you. Where is the other half now?" the prince said.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, we did hide the other half of our family property. We took advantage of the opportunity when Liu Changfeng of the Liu family left Yangzhou."

"We hid the things in a secret place. At that time, all eyes were on Liu Changfeng. No one paid attention to us, so things went smoothly." Gu Langhua said

"Hmm? My dear, then tell me, where did you hide the silver?" the prince said
"Your Highness. Time was tight at the time, so in order not to attract attention, we could only hide in the city, in the secret cellar that our Gu family had prepared before."

"Only my wife and I know that place. We have dealt with all the people who were responsible for moving the silver, so the hiding place should be very secretive."

"Your Highness, we were worried at the beginning. We were worried that we would have no one to rely on in the future. That's why we acted so recklessly. I hope Your Highness will forgive us. Please forgive us."

"I am willing to tell you where I am hiding. I will tell you right now." Gu Langhua knelt down and said

"Come here, come here, take Gu Langhua to jail!" the prince shouted angrily

Gu Langhua, who was being escorted out, was still begging for mercy loudly, "Your Highness, Your Highness, I know I was wrong. Chen Zhen is willing to say it, Your Highness, please spare my life, Your Highness."

At this time, the prince was so angry that his face turned blue. There was nothing he could do. The battle he had carefully planned to establish his authority was ruined by the Gu family. How could he not be angry?
(End of this chapter)