Chapter 95

Gu Qiancheng really couldn't understand what the Lady of the Gu family had eaten to grow up; how could she think that a broken lock could stop her?

This was simply a joke...

"Break down the door!" If she didn't want to cause trouble, she would have smashed the door directly.

"Yes." The people Qin Jiyi sent were very efficient, dismantling the door in a few swift moves, then taking out a fist-sized night pearl to light the room.

The room instantly brightened, and most importantly, it was safe, as there was no risk of accidentally knocking over an oil lamp and burning the precious calligraphy and paintings inside.

True tycoons don't need to explain!

Gu Qiancheng gave Qin Jiyi a thumbs up for his dominance!

Even his subordinates used a night pearl for lighting, which made her, who could only use an oil lamp, feel quite inadequate.

"Move them." Gu Qiancheng pointed to the twenty-odd large boxes stacked in the corner, signaling the group of black-clothed men to start.

These black-clothed men were not only skilled but also very strong. Each carried a box without making a sound, and Gu Qiancheng didn't have to worry about them disturbing the Gu family's people.

Of course, if it weren't for the old master's secret help, their trip wouldn't have been so smooth.

Gu Qiancheng lived in a remote area, and usually, when Qin Jiyi came to visit, the servants of the Gu family might not notice. But moving things around would be a big commotion, and how could the servants of the Gu family not notice?

Fortunately, the old master had thought deeply and made arrangements in advance, allowing Gu Qiancheng to smoothly take out the valuable items...

Qin Jiyi sent a total of thirty people, and three of them were left empty-handed to help Gu Qiancheng spread out the items and create the illusion that the dowry was still there, filling the space.

Finally, Gu Qiancheng reminded them to put the door back...

From the doorway, it didn't look like anything was missing, but the most valuable and easily sold items were all gone...

Gu Qiancheng was very satisfied. She was looking forward to the Lady of the Gu family's reaction when she opened the door and found that all the good things were gone.

With this matter settled, Gu Qiancheng could finally sleep soundly.

She had been worried every night, fearing that the Lady of the Gu family would come to smash the door in the middle of the night and take the things away...

If the items entered the Gu family's treasury, she wouldn't be able to touch them anymore. She still had to live in the Gu family and couldn't afford to have a falling out and smash the Gu family's treasury.

Gu Qiancheng's actions were very subtle, but no matter how subtle, they couldn't escape everyone's notice, especially the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) spread throughout the capital. Gu Qiancheng couldn't hide from them, but...

Whenever there was news about Gu Qiancheng, the Jinyiwei never spoke, especially when it involved Qin Jiyi. They wouldn't say a word. If the Emperor found out, there were plenty of reasons to explain.

The Jinyiwei monitored the officials, and they never paid much attention to the women in the backyards.

There were thousands of noblewomen in the capital, and the Jinyiwei weren't idle enough to watch a girl all day...

In addition to the Jinyiwei, another group was watching Gu Qiancheng. This group was the people Qin Jiyi had dealt with in the martial world. When they saw Gu Qiancheng's dowry being carried to the Qin王府 (Qin Wang Fu, Qin Prince's Palace), they immediately reported the news to Jing Yan.

"Gu Qiancheng? Is she interested in the Qin Prince?" Jing Yan supported his head with his right hand and held a book in his left, but his mind was not on the book...

After the dowry was delivered to the Qin Prince's Palace, Qin Jiyi had his people inventory and appraise it. When he heard the price reported by his subordinates, he was quite surprised. Was Gu Qiancheng's dowry really that valuable? She had only asked for 800,000 taels, wasn't that a loss?

The list Gu Qiancheng gave him included five boxes of calligraphy and paintings, ten boxes of gold, several jewels, and several jade ornaments. Now, it seemed that the "several" was quite significant. Qin Jiyi became interested and came to inspect it personally...

When he saw the boxes of antiques, calligraphy, and even lost masterpieces, Qin Jiyi finally understood why the Gu family would ignore their reputation and forcibly take Gu Qiancheng's dowry.

When Gu Qiancheng said on the wedding day that she only wanted 800,000 taels for these items, it was a significant loss. These things were not just valuable; they were priceless, and money couldn't buy them.

"These things can be sold so easily, Gu Qiancheng, you are truly wasting treasures." Although Qin Jiyi wasn't a collector of antiques and calligraphy, he couldn't bear to sell these items.

"Prince Zhao must not have seen the actual dowry, otherwise... he wouldn't have returned the items." These things could be used to show respect to the Emperor or to win over ministers, which would be very beneficial.

The value of rare masterpieces was immeasurable. To those who loved them, they were priceless treasures. It was truly a waste for Gu Qiancheng to sell them, but...

Qin Jiyi understood that Gu Qiancheng had no choice. As a weak woman, without her parents' love, even if she were very capable, she couldn't protect these items.

"Check how much silver we have in the accounts." Qin Jiyi didn't want to sell the calligraphy and paintings and planned to keep them, but he would still pay the silver.

As for the other items?

There was no need to sell the gold, and the jade could be placed in the shop, with prices that wouldn't be low. After all, the jade in these boxes was of the highest quality, and it was not easy to find such good items outside.

"Your Highness, you have 200,000 taels in your account, and the available amount is no more than 100,000 taels." The accountant answered nervously...

These 200,000 taels included Qin Jiyi's secret income, which showed that Gu Qiancheng's claim that Qin Jiyi was poor was not a lie.

"So little?" 100,000 taels weren't even enough to buy the gold in those boxes, let alone the other items.

"Your Highness, since you established your palace, apart from the silver left by the late Crown Prince and Crown Princess, you have only received the Emperor's rewards. There are no other sources of income, but the monthly expenses are considerable." The accountant felt very wronged.

It wasn't that he didn't want to prepare silver for the Prince, but the Qin Prince's Palace really didn't have any silver to spare.

The Qin Prince had a few profitable shops, but he had to support a group of people, which was a significant monthly expense.

Additionally, the Crown Prince died suddenly, and few of his close confidants remained. The silver left by the Crown Prince was all public, and no one knew if he had any private silver.

As for the Crown Princess's dowry?

It wasn't worth mentioning.

The Crown Princess's dowry, combined, wasn't even as valuable as one box of gold here. The Qin Prince having silver was a joke.

Qin Jiyi naturally understood these matters. His palace could barely maintain a balance between income and expenses, and he couldn't come up with more silver. However, he really couldn't bear to sell these items.

He would have to think of another way!

Qin Jiyi had his people put the items away and then ignored them...