A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Everything was as expected. Gu Xixi lowered her eyes slightly, but smiled without saying a word.

He Jinglan said dismissively, "How many mouths are there in the capital? Can the Fan family silence them all?"

"It's funny, really. Right now, there are plenty of ordinary people sitting together discussing the case. Everyone thinks they can uncover the truth on their own, which leads to all sorts of different interpretations."

"Anyway, there's nothing good to say about the Fan family."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "This is nothing. What they are experiencing now is not even one ten-thousandth of what those victims have gone through."

He Jinglan agreed wholeheartedly and sighed with emotion, saying, "Fortunately, those upright officials have stepped forward one after another, so no matter how arrogant the Fan family is, they dare not arbitrarily arrest and convict a few commoners."

"Now, not only are the Fan family furious, but the Jingzhao Prefecture is also having a major headache."

"On one side is the public opinion of the people, and on the other side is Grand Secretary Fan, who has deep roots in the court."

She laughed again, "My brother even praised Miss Lü, saying she did a great job. If things continue like this, it will eventually reach the ears of that person in the palace, and then the Regent will have a legitimate reason to investigate the Fan family openly."

Gu Xixi looked at He Jinglan, her smile enigmatic, "Whether it's sooner or later, isn't it all under the control of Lord He and the Regent?"

When Gu Xixi left the inn that day, she asked An Qinghe to spend some money to hire some beggars, sedan chair carriers, storytellers, and so on.

They were all from the lowest rungs of society in the capital, but when it came to spreading rumors, no other class could do it faster.

However, its subsequent growth and expansion exceeded Gu Xixi's expectations.

The fact that those literati and intellectuals were able to stand up so quickly is probably not as simple as just listening to rumors circulating in the streets.

Instead, they were instructed by the people they trusted most.

Prince Regent Mu Nanzhao was a sharp blade used to eliminate old abuses and was highly respected among literati.

Who else could it be but him?

He Jinglan also looked at Gu Xixi meaningfully, "Miss Lü's tearful speech probably won't have such a big effect in such a short time. My brother only praised Miss Lü, I don't know if he's pretending to be confused, or if he really doesn't know that there are two other capable people helping her."

At this moment, both of them understood perfectly well what was going on; they simply looked at each other and smiled, without needing to say anything explicitly.

The Regent's Study.

He Jinghui paced slowly with his hands behind his back. "The palace should already know by now."

"But the Emperor's mind is unpredictable. If he wants to keep the Fan family around to check and balance you, and refuses to let you thoroughly investigate Grand Secretary Fan, then we'll just ignore this case?"

Mu Nanzhao sat behind his desk, looking calm. "No rush, let's wait a little longer."

"His Majesty deeply resents the late Empress Dowager's faction and has long regarded the Fan family and other former officials as thorns in his side."

“Compared to Grand Secretary Fan, I was only loyal to the late emperor and never formed factions. It all depends on whether Your Majesty trusts me more.”

He Jinghui sighed with worry, "When I went home for lunch, Jinglan asked me about it."

“I can’t very well tell her that you and I are partly responsible for the fact that this case has become such a big topic of discussion.”

"All I could do was praise Miss Lü a few times in front of her."

Mu Nanzhao glanced at He Jinghui and gave a cryptic sneer, "Don't forget who was the first to fan the flames after the victim."

He Jinghui frowned. "You mean Boss Gu?"

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Boss Gu and my sister are both incredibly cunning, and when they're together..."

"Could it be that... they already know we've gotten involved too?"

Mu Nanzhao said, "No need for doubt, be more confident."

"Not only were you and I discovered to have interfered in this matter, but Gu Xixi should also know what I want to do."

He Jinghui suddenly ran to the desk, braced his hands on the surface, and stared at Mu Nanzhao as if he had seen a ghost.

"why are you laughing?"

"In similar situations in the past, didn't your first concern be whether the secret would be exposed, and how to cover it up or simply silence the person?"

"Why do you seem so happy right now?"

Mu Nanzhao's smile vanished, and he couldn't help but swear, "I'll kill your head!"

He Jinghui raised his hand and tapped his head lightly. "Right, right, how could I forget? This is Boss Gu, not someone else."

"Not only is Your Highness not worried, but you are also proud. As expected of the woman I love, she is so intelligent that she can think of what I am thinking. I can't help but smile..."

It may seem like talking to oneself, but it's actually being said to someone else.

While indulging in his verbal sparring, He Jinghui didn't forget to protect himself, making a hasty escape while still muttering to himself.

The imperial examinations have ended.

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan finally finalized all the details of the flower viewing banquet.

Set a date and write all the invitations.

The data on the taste test experience of the dessert shops has also been collected.

With the help of the He family's cooks and maids, Gu Xixi didn't have to put in much effort to make the sweet soup.

Even the distribution, collection, and data organization of the tasting questionnaires are handled by others.

Gu Xixi looked at Ziyan, Lüla, Lianxing, and Guangzhu, her four personal maids.

My admiration for He Jinglan has grown even more: her ability to recognize and utilize talent.

I originally thought that the role of maids in wealthy families was nothing more than taking care of their masters' daily lives, dressing them, and accompanying them when they went out.

At most, they could do needlework, burn incense, and brew tea.

Little did anyone know that the four people beside He Jinglan were quite different.

Ziyan is gentle and beautiful, very meticulous, literate, and can do basic arithmetic. Summarizing tasting data is a piece of cake for her.

Green Wax is eloquent and sociable; she was the one who went to the Regent's Palace to collect questionnaires this time.

Lianxing is good at cooking and understands some basic health and pharmacology principles, so she played a part in adjusting the recipe for sweet soup.

Guangzhu is the youngest, and although she looks innocent and naive, she has some martial arts skills. In addition to protecting her young mistress, she also has a keen sense of taste and smell, and has offered many useful suggestions when it comes to drinking sweet soup.

Gu Xixi thanked the four head maids.

"Thank you for keeping you so busy these past few days."

The four of them laughed and said they dared not.

Guangzhu said crisply, "We should thank Miss Xixi. With you here, everyone has delicious food and drinks every day, and the freshest dishes are ones we can't find anywhere else."

Green Wax added, "Miss Xixi probably doesn't know, but everyone in our household is vying to work for you. Sometimes there are so many people who aren't on duty that we have to draw lots to decide who gets to come."

He Jinglan laughed and said, "Just for good food and drinks? Look at how pathetic you are!"

Ziyan said softly, "Miss Xixi is one of us. What does it matter if we maids lose face in front of her?"

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan both laughed at what he said.

After the maids left the outer room.

Gu Xixi said, "Your four treasures each have their own strengths, which I really envy."

The names of these four head maids each correspond to a type of gemstone.

Purple smoke, also known as amethyst.

Green wax, also known as emerald.

Lotus Star, also known as sapphire.

Luminous pearl, also known as ruby.

These names were all chosen by He Jinglan when she was young, inspired by reading geography records and adapted from alternative names and allusions.

He Jinglan said, "I've wanted to tell you this for a long time. When I'm not around, you should also cultivate someone who is both useful and agreeable."

"Moreover, you are buying more and more land, and in the future you will also be involved in tea gardens and official tea business with the imperial court. No matter how good Anqing is, he has his own business to run and cannot always help you."