A few more days passed.
Ruan Jiu calculated that it was time for her to return to Qinzhou.
Xie Jingchu sent a letter every now and then. If she didn't go back soon, he would probably come directly to the capital to look for her.
Just as Ruan Jiu was about to ask Chuntao to pack her luggage, Shen Yu rushed in.
Seeing Shen Yu's solemn expression, Ruan Jiu put away the smile on her face.
"What's going on?"
"Shen Ruoxi wasn't executed!"
Ruan Jiu was surprised. Frowning, she asked, "She deceived the emperor right in front of him. How could she escape death?"
Shen Yu nodded. "Not only that, but Gu Kexing secretly took her back to the Prime Minister's Mansion from the prison."
"Is Gu Kexing crazy!" Ruan Jiu exclaimed.
He wasn't a hot - blooded young man. How could he be so infatuated with love that he would keep a person guilty of deceiving the emperor in his mansion?
"It's not that he's crazy. Shen Ruoxi is pregnant!" Shen Yu explained.
Pregnant?
Ruan Jiu narrowed her eyes.
Even if she was pregnant, Gu Kexing didn't need to take such a big risk.
Shen Yu continued, "Gu Kexing had someone else take Shen Ruoxi's place for the beheading, and he gave Shen Ruoxi a new identity and raised her in the mansion.
Now Shen Ruoxi has become Wen Xi, the illegitimate daughter of the Minister of the Right who was raised in the western suburbs since childhood."
Ruan Jiu sneered. "She's really lucky."
To be pregnant at this time.
"Shall we inform the emperor about Gu Kexing?" Shen Yu suggested.
After much thought, Ruan Jiu shook her head. "Since Gu Kexing could do this, it means he's fully prepared. The Shen family has just recovered. It's not the right time to provoke Gu Kexing."
"Then shall we just let Shen Ruoxi go?" Shen Yu was a bit indignant.
Just thinking about how Shen Ruoxi almost ruined the Shen family made Shen Yu furious.
Ruan Jiu raised her eyebrows. "Of course not. I'm a petty person. If someone harms me a little, I'll repay them ten - fold."
If that's the case.
Then Shen Ruoxi, no, Wen Xi.
I'll stay and play with you.
"Brother, do you know much about the Prime Minister's Mansion?" Ruan Jiu asked.
Hearing this, Shen Yu stroked his chin.
Then he told Ruan Jiu about the situation in the Prime Minister's Mansion one by one.
"Gu Kexing has a wife and six concubines in his mansion.
Back then, Gu Kexing relied on the support of his wife's family to gradually reach the position of prime minister.
Even his younger sister became the queen.
Originally, the couple got along well, but as Gu Kexing's official position got higher and higher, he kept taking concubines into the mansion. Coupled with the unexpected death of the only legitimate son of the prime minister's wife, the couple had a rift.
After that, the prime minister's wife focused on self - cultivation and didn't care much about the affairs in the mansion. I heard that she went to the Wanfo Temple to pray a few days ago and probably won't be back until the Chinese New Year."
Ruan Jiu frowned.
This prime minister's wife seemed a bit strange.
With the current situation of the Prime Minister's Mansion, she still had the mood to go pray.
"The second concubine in the Prime Minister's Mansion is the younger sister of Zhou Chang, the Censor - in - Chief. Back then, in order to curry favor with Gu Kexing, Zhou Chang specially sent his younger sister to Gu Kexing.
Although this second concubine is ordinary in appearance, she's very smart and is highly regarded by Gu Kexing.
She originally had a son, but after the prime minister's wife lost her beloved son, in order to comfort the prime minister's wife, she voluntarily gave her son to the prime minister's wife as her own."
A faint smile appeared on Ruan Jiu's lips.
The second concubine didn't do it to comfort the prime minister's wife.
She probably wanted her son to become a legitimate son of the Prime Minister's Mansion from an illegitimate one.
"As for the third, fourth, and fifth concubines in the Prime Minister's Mansion, their families are all part of the prime minister's faction. In the early years, these concubines used to fight for favor, making the Prime Minister's Mansion a complete mess.
However, they've been much more well - behaved in recent years."
It seemed that Gu Kexing relied on marrying into the families of court officials to tie them to himself.
Thinking of this, Ruan Jiu couldn't help but want to laugh.
Since ancient times, only princesses were sent for diplomatic marriages. Who would have thought that a prime minister would use himself for a marriage alliance to consolidate his power.
With so many concubines, I wonder if he can handle it.
"Strangely enough, although Gu Kexing has many concubines in his mansion, he has very few children.
Apart from the adopted illegitimate son, he only has three illegitimate daughters."
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu suddenly understood.
No wonder Gu Kexing took the risk to secretly take Wen Xi back to the mansion. It turned out that he was hoping that Wen Xi would give birth to a son for him.
"What about the sixth concubine?" Ruan Jiu asked.
"Although the sixth concubine in the Prime Minister's Mansion used to be a famous courtesan in the capital, she was from a brothel. Before Wen Xi entered the Prime Minister's Mansion, she was the most favored in the mansion.
But I heard that Gu Kexing hasn't been to her room for a long time. She's so angry that she's on the verge of making a big scene in the mansion."
A flash of light appeared in Ruan Jiu's eyes.
An idea immediately came to her mind.
So, Ruan Jiu immediately said, "Brother, can you find a way to let me meet the sixth concubine tomorrow?"
Shen Yu was a bit puzzled. "What do you want to meet her for?"
Ruan Jiu smiled. "Naturally, to make things difficult for Wen Xi."
Since they couldn't deal with Wen Xi directly, they could use someone else's hand.
As soon as he heard that they could cause trouble for Wen Xi, Shen Yu immediately replied.
"Okay, I'll go and arrange it right away."
-
In the Ningxiang Pavilion.
A veiled and graceful woman carefully pushed open the door of the private room.
This woman was none other than Liu Ruyan, the sixth concubine of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
When Liu Ruyan saw a young woman sitting in the room, she was so surprised that her eyes widened.
This young woman was extremely beautiful, but judging from her temperament, she didn't seem to be a woman from the brothel.
But which decent girl would arrange to meet someone in a brothel!
Seeing Liu Ruyan standing still, Ruan Jiu smiled faintly. "Sit down."
Hearing this, Liu Ruyan sat down suspiciously.
"Who are you?"
"Perhaps Aunt Liu should take off your veil first."
Liu Ruyan knew that the other person already knew her identity.
So she simply took off the veil.
Then she asked directly, "May I ask why you've invited me here today?"
Ruan Jiu smiled. "Wasn't it clear enough in my letter?"
Liu Ruyan frowned tightly.
Early this morning, she received a letter.
The letter said that as long as she came to the Ningxiang Pavilion for the appointment, she could regain the prime minister's favor.
She originally thought that the person who invited her to the Ningxiang Pavilion might be a court official who wanted to curry favor with the prime minister.
Since she had a humble background, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make friends with a court official to help herself.
She never expected that the person waiting for her would be a young woman.
"But I should at least know who you are first." Liu Ruyan's eyes were wary.
Ruan Jiu calmly picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Then she said, "Ruan Jiu, the legitimate daughter of the Shen family."
Ruan Jiu didn't hide her identity.
Hearing this, Liu Ruyan was stunned again.
Although she had been living in the mansion for a long time, the recent conflict between the prime minister and the Shen family had been widely spread.
The prime minister had even been angered by the emperor because of this and had lost his temper in the mansion.
Even though she wanted to regain the prime minister's favor, she knew that she mustn't have anything to do with the Shen family.
So, without saying a word, she immediately stood up and walked out.
Seeing this, Ruan Jiu wasn't in a hurry.
She put down the teacup and slowly said,
"Aunt Liu, don't you want to hear how I can help you regain the prime minister's favor?"