Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 230 - 66: Schemes Behind the Scenes

"Madam! Aren’t there many ways to deal with this? If they don’t go out, won’t the trouble just pass over them? We checked their family’s background, and they’re just a wealthy farming household! I heard that the Gu’s Soap is made by their family. If their soap ruins someone’s face, could their business still continue? Besides, isn’t Mrs. Lv counting on her son to be an official? If that kid can’t even pass the preliminary exams, how could he become an official?"

Mrs. Xi smiled and comforted Mrs. Yu. These methods were too simple, ones she was used to employing in the Yu Mansion.

"Do you have any good ideas, Mama? Quickly, let me hear it!" Mrs. Yu was impatiently shaking Mrs. Xi’s sleeve, she could hardly wait!

At this moment in the Gu Family, Gu Chengyu was also thinking about Mrs. Yu’s matters. After careful consideration, he realized the shops he bought were under a different household registration, something he managed to arrange through Mr. Wang, so others didn’t know he was the shop owner. The shop should be safe.

The remaining concerns were the family’s fertile fields, although not much land, they grew some medicinal herbs. To be cautious, he planned not to sell the herbs this year. Lastly, there was the family’s soap business; if Mrs. Yu wanted to target something, it would be either the soap business, his exams, or his family’s personal safety.

He felt it was necessary to discuss this with his mother and at least have them both take precautions.

By now, it was 5 PM, and having finished dinner, Gu Chengyu didn’t immediately return to his room. He sat on a bench, sipping tea from a bowl.

"Xiao Bao! You should rest early too!" Mr. Gu took a puff from his pipe, seeing that Gu Chengyu was still sitting on the bench, prompting him to rest. Having been out and about these past few days, he must be tired.

Gu Chengyu put down the tea bowl; Gu Wan had just returned to her room. This was a good time to ask questions. However, he wasn’t sure if he should ask. If Mr. Gu was unaware of the old matters involving Mrs. Lv, bringing them up might just create anxiety for Mr. Gu.

After some thought, Gu Chengyu stood up, intending to return to his room.

"Xiao Bao, do you have something to say?" There’s no one who knows a son better than his mother, and it was unusual for Gu Chengyu to linger so late without reason. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Gu Chengyu hesitated, uncertain if he should inquire or not.

"It’s nothing! I’ll head to my room first!" He decided to postpone the question until tomorrow.

"What’s there you can’t say to your mother?" Mr. Gu was puzzled; it was rare to see Xiao Bao this hesitant!

Gu Chengyu felt somewhat helpless; he couldn’t just say it was because Mr. Gu was present. How could he ask in front of Mr. Gu, "Mother! Do you remember Jiang Mingyuan from Prefecture years ago?"

In the end, he couldn’t resist. In truth, he was very curious. "Mother! The Prefect of the Prefecture?"

Mrs. Lv was sewing a pouch for Gu Chengyu to take to his exams in the Prefecture. "Oh!" Upon hearing these words, her mind wandered a bit.

"What happened? Didn’t I tell you not to sew at night? Look?" Mr. Gu, seeing the blood bead on Mrs. Lv’s finger, felt a pang of heartache.

"Oh? Mother, are you alright?" Gu Chengyu took two or three steps forward to take Mrs. Lv’s hand and examine it. He hadn’t realized that merely mentioning it would make his mother so agitated!

Seeing Gu Chengyu tear a piece of cloth from the sewing basket to bandage Mrs. Lv’s finger, Mr. Gu felt relieved. But then he remembered that Prefect Jiang, was he that man?

Mrs. Lv’s expression was a bit blank; she hadn’t expected to hear anything about him again after so many years.

"Xiao Bao! What did you say about Prefect Jiang?" Mr. Gu glanced at Mrs. Lv, feeling somewhat stifled.

"Oh? It’s nothing much, just that Prefect Jiang invited us to dinner; he was very kind and has a gentle and refined demeanor!"

As Gu Chengyu spoke, he watched Mr. Gu’s expression, which started tense and then turned unpleasant with his praises. Now Gu Chengyu was quite sure that Mr. Gu knew Prefect Jiang too, or at least had heard about him and maybe knew something about his mother’s past.

Gu Chengyu decided to stop beating around the bush, as the Prefect’s wife was not someone easy to deal with. He wasn’t worried for himself, but feared their scheming against his parents.

"Mother! I actually saw the Prefect’s wife this time!" Gu Chengyu kept a close eye on his mother’s face, noting subtle changes in her expression, though he couldn’t decipher the emotion, but he was sure it wasn’t hatred.

It was as if Mrs. Lv had just snapped out of her memories, "You want to know about the past, don’t you?"

Looking at Mrs. Lv, Gu Chengyu replied sternly, "Yes! I met the Prefect’s wife the other day, and she seemed to recognize me, displaying hostility. I fear she will be detrimental to our family, so we need to guard against her. However, I know very little about the past and don’t like being kept in the dark. I need to know the truth to develop a counter-strategy."

He didn’t mention that part of it was his curiosity.

"There’s actually nothing that can’t be said." Mrs. Lv believed her conscience was clear; it was better to clear the air after all these years.

Mr. Gu was also somewhat agitated; finally, he could know the story from the past. Though he had considered these things over the years, when he married her, she was indeed a maiden. Even if she wasn’t, he wouldn’t have minded, as marrying her was something he never even dreamed of achieving.

"Back then, I was sold by my parents and older siblings to traffickers, and eventually ended up in Fengding Prefecture..." Mrs. Lv’s gentle voice resonated in the room, as if she had reverted to the time when she was sold.

Gu Chengyu and Mr. Gu listened intently while Gu Chengyu summed up the story.

So, Mrs. Lv was sold to Fengding Prefecture. At that time, Jiang Mingyuan had just been promoted to Assistant Prefect of Fengding Prefecture.

The Jiang family had a prosperous business background. Jiang Mingyuan made a name for himself, becoming an Advanced Scholar and marrying the daughter of Yu Zheng, the Minister of Rites. When Mrs. Lv arrived at the Jiang Mansion, Jiang Mingyuan had just been promoted to Assistant Prefect, though he had been married to Mrs. Yu for six years.

Jiang Mingyuan’s mother was not fond of the incoming Mrs. Yu, as she often acted high and mighty, showing disdain for the Jiang family, which was once a merchant family. Moreover, Mrs. Yu had no children for years and was arrogant. Jiang’s mother obviously wasn’t fond of such a daughter-in-law.

After three years, Madam Jiang noticed that a rough maid named Lv in the courtyard was quite beautiful, so she kept her close as a second-class maid, naming her Mu Jin. She planned to arrange for Lv to become Jiang Mingyuan’s concubine when she came of age, and if she bore a child, she would be elevated to Concubine.

At fourteen, Mrs. Lv was naïve about these things and, having entered the Jiang Mansion, she was their servant, with no say over her fate. She could only passively comply.

But by the time she turned fifteen, Mrs. Yu opposed Jiang Mingyuan taking a concubine. Although Madam Jiang disliked this daughter-in-law, she could only tolerate her because of her powerful family background, and thus Mrs. Lv was put on hold. Perhaps Madam Jiang had hope, so she didn’t match Mrs. Lv to anyone else.