The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Gu Huaizhou had mentioned the matter of buying an official position to Song Wenjun before. He wanted his brother-in-law, Song Jinshu, to help him, but Song Wenjun refused.

This time he was smarter and didn't mention Song Jinshu, only saying that Song Wenjun should find a solution.

Song Wenjun pretended to think for a while, then nodded: "What my husband said makes sense. Let me think about it."

"Madam, I knew you would support me." Seeing that she had relented, Gu Huaizhou was overjoyed.

However, before his smile could fully open, Song Wenjun poured cold water on him: "But buying an official position is probably not an option. Next year is the last year of the three-year assessment. Husband, think about it. Everyone is trying to climb the ranks. Moreover, I've heard rumors that the Emperor deeply abhors the buying and selling of official positions and has already sent inspectors to investigate secretly. If we try to buy an official position at this critical juncture, the risk is too great."

Gu Huaizhou felt a chill run through his body: "I'm in the court, how come I haven't heard a word about this?"

He, an official, hadn't heard a word of it, while Song Wenjun, a woman confined to her home, was far more well-informed than him.

“It’s not surprising that your husband doesn’t know. You’re a military officer, not holding a position in the court. I have a sister whose husband holds a position in the court, so I told her this in secret,” Song Wenjun said.

Gu Huaizhou was still somewhat skeptical, so Song Wenjun said again, "If my husband doesn't believe me, he can wait a few days. Maybe there will be some news in the next few days."

In his previous life, Gu Huaizhou bought his official position with money provided by Song Wenjun, so it was his turn to suffer misfortune.

Before the silver could be sent out, the visiting card was delivered, and the imperial officials caught them red-handed.

Gu Huaizhou was imprisoned, and Song Wenjun, as his wife, was also arrested and interrogated.

In order to get the two people out of the water, Song Jinshu ran around and spent most of his family fortune before finally managing to get them out.

In the end, although Gu Huaizhou was not held accountable, his future prospects were also stagnant.

After being released from prison, Gu Huaizhou's first thought was not whether Song Wenjun had been frightened, but rather how she had handled things poorly and ruined his life.

How could Song Wenjun possibly help such a heartless wretch?

She did want to send Gu Huaizhou to jail, but if he went in, she would go in with him.

Even if she wasn't involved, she can't escape responsibility.

She and Gu Huaizhou are now in the same boat; she can't bring herself to kill him even if she wants to.

Gu Huaizhou hung his head, his face looking very unpleasant.

He only drank a bowl of porridge, but left without saying a word.

He believed that Song Wenjun was deceiving him and did not genuinely want to help him.

Song Wenjun was too lazy to pay him any attention. It's hard to persuade a damned devil with kind words. This time, no matter how eloquently he spoke, he wouldn't be able to get her to part with a single penny.

As Gu Huaizhou came out of Qiufeng Courtyard, she saw Jiang Miaoyin looking at her with a mournful expression not far away.

But he only glanced at her briefly before leaving.

He's been so busy with his promotion these days that he has no time to think about seeing her.

Jiang Miaoyin's eyes reddened, and she couldn't help but shed tears.

Since Gu Huaizhou ignored her, she didn't want to make a fool of herself, so she turned around and went back to Yunlan Courtyard.

This was just a minor incident, and the people in the manor didn't pay much attention to it.

But one person noticed something was amiss.

Xue Qingwan has been keeping a low profile in the mansion these days.

She hasn't shown her face since her business deal with Gu Huaizhou failed.

She thought she could enjoy wealth and luxury in the Marquis's mansion, but she never expected that she would eat only porridge and vegetables every day, which made her face turn pale.

However, she was not the mistress of the mansion, nor did she receive a monthly allowance.

The silver she brought from Xuzhou was quickly spent.

I don't even have the money to buy a winter coat.

Xue Qingwan's aloofness was quickly worn down by the pressures of reality.

But Gu Huaizhou is a tough nut to crack, very difficult to deal with.

Beauty held little effect on him.

To win Gu Huaizhou's heart, you need to know what he wants.

Xue Qingwan sat in the pavilion drinking tea, but her eyes were fixed on the servant boy walking towards her not far away. He was Gu Huaizhou's personal attendant, named Laifu.

She gave Baoqing a wink, and Baoqing understood, walking towards Laifu.

Baoqing deliberately bumped into Laifu, and fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

Laifu quickly reached out to help her up: "Miss Baoqing, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I think I twisted my ankle, Brother Laifu, can you help me?" Baoqing reached out her hand to Laifu, her small hands were fair and tender, and felt incredibly soft to the touch.

Lai Fu swallowed hard, his mind wandering, and helped Bao Qing to her feet.

I don’t know if she twisted too hard, but Baoqing lost her balance and fell on Laifu again.

His face immediately turned bright red.

"Brother Laifu, you are such a kind person."

Lai Fu gave a simple, honest smile: "I, I..."

Baoqing seized the opportunity to say, "Brother Laifu, I also want to be transferred to serve in the Marquis's courtyard, so I can see you every day."

“Miss Baoqing, don’t tease me.” Laifu chuckled. “The Marquis’s courtyard is not short of maids, and besides, the Marquis doesn’t need any. The Marquis only has our Madam in his heart.”

"I was just saying it offhand, Brother Laifu, you actually believed me. How could a lowly maid like me be worthy of serving the Marquis?"

“Miss Baoqing, please don’t say that. You’re a good person too.”

Bao Qing smiled inwardly and said, "Our Marquis is really busy. We never see him again. I heard he sometimes doesn't come back until midnight. He must be working very hard."

“Who says otherwise?” Lai Fu sighed. “Especially these days, the Marquis has been entertaining guests every day, getting drunk. Everyone sees the splendor of the Marquis’s mansion, but who knows the hardships behind it all?”

After saying this, Lai Fu realized he had spoken out of turn, so he quickly stopped talking and made an excuse to leave.

Baoqing returned to Xue Qingwan's side and repeated Laifu's words to her without missing a single one.

“He hosts banquets every day.” Xue Qingwan pondered these words carefully. She knew that Gu Huaizhou never did anything pointless.

In officialdom, being adept at navigating social circles is nothing more than a means to win people's hearts and consolidate one's position.

But she still needs to find out the specifics.

Xue Qingwan thought for a moment, and decided that if she wanted to know what Gu Huaizhou wanted, she would just have to go and listen.

She took Baoqing out the door and headed straight for Wangjiang Tower.

That's a place frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles; Gu Huaizhou must be there.

Upon arriving at Wangjiang Tower, Xue Qingwan gave the waiter one tael of silver and indeed found out that Gu Huaizhou was drinking in a private room.

She asked for the private room next to Gu Huaizhou's, and then led Bao Jing inside.

The two private rooms are separated by only one wall. Although you can't hear anything inside the rooms, the balconies of the two private rooms are connected.

Xue Qingwan stood on the balcony and, sure enough, heard the voices coming from next door: "We do all the hard and tiring work, but our monthly pay hasn't increased. There's no such thing as a fair wage."

"Who says otherwise? Everyone with connections got promoted, sigh..."

"I'm just hoping for a big case to happen, then we'll have our chance, hahaha..."

Gu Huaizhou didn't speak, but Xue Qingwan already knew what he wanted.

Just as she guessed, he wanted a promotion.