Chapter 12 - The abacus is really loud*

* The plan is elaborate

(I) just resolved an issue with two witnesses, how did another two run out of nowhere?

Minister Gu only felt his *heart distracted, thoughts in turmoil, just before he wanted to command to put those two people to be beaten with the stick, however, Concubine Pei stood up and spoke.

* distraught with anxiety

“Master, don’t be impatient, these two people are Young Miss’s personal maids, they definitely won’t frame Young Miss, let’s listen to them speak.” Concubine Pei said.

Minister Gu very fiercely glared towards Concubine Pei, “Does it matter who pushed Prince Li into the water, is it that important?”

Minister Gu suddenly very much agreed with what Gu Qianxue said before.

Concubine Pei respectfully bowed her lower body, then restrained her smile, “Of course it is important, how could this matter be muddled past in such ways? Now Prince Li, His Highness’s attitude was indeterminate, if we, our own people are all unclear, how do we counter his moves? Regardless of whether it was Young Miss who injured Prince Li, Master is obviously innocent, don’t tell me Master is just hoping to be involved helplessly just like this?”

Concubine Pei, Pei Yu Rui is Pei Chengxiang’s daughter, the queen’s sister’s daughter, her mother’s position in the family is not smaller than Zhao Shi’s, therefore, Minister Gu still has to greatly respect their opinions.

At last, Minister Gu resisted with great difficulty while facing towards the two prominent maids and said, “Whatever you have to say, you two just say it.”

Gu Qianxue smiled greatly, her pair of eyes flashed a bright light — Pei Shi’s abacus hits with a loud sound!*

*abacus= plans/ Pei Shi’s plan is elaborate! (It seems like Gu Qianxue is having fun bc it’s elaborate)

If she really sat down to the crime of harming Prince Li, Zhao Shi will definitely turn to Marshal Zhao to beg for rescue, and Zhenyuan’s Marshal also will definitely return to the capital, ultimately it will become Prince Li and Marshal Zhao’s struggle, it does not matter which side will be victorious, the beneficiary will be Pei Shi.

If Prince Li is victorious, there will be no Zhenyuan’s Marshal as a mountain of support, it will be fast for her to push Zhao Shi away so she can become the real Madam of the Minister, soon after, Concubine Pei will join the palace to request her Empress sister to come, “take charge of the justice,” to depose the first Eldest Young Miss and expressively reprimand her.

If Prince Li is defeated, then she ends up helping the Crown Prince eliminate and to be a mortal malady*, the Empress naturally will be very pleased, Concubine Pei’s mother-daughter will also set a great merit with the Empress, and to also force Minister Gu to stand for the Crown Prince’s procession.

*a walking disease/helping him eradicate his enemy

Minister Gu takes orders adhering to the middle in the political line, he always has been neutral, refusing to stand on either side of the line of the Princes.

“Qianxue, you should explain a bit.” Minister Gu only felt powerless.

Gu Qianxue lowered her eyes to look at these two people. “Truly to feed the unacquainted thankless wretch, you two are not my own personal maids, it is the second little sister who sent them to my side, I know you two blame second little sister, I even know that you two don’t want to serve me, therefore I only then treated you two especially well, there are good food that I leave behind allotted for you two, when there are fun things, I also all thought about you two, how one’s thinking changes, you two to go as far to cause me trouble in this way, and in this way to harm the Gu Residence!”

Gu Qianxue again reminded everyone, these two maids were not her maids, they were Gu Qianrou’s, whatever happens, to trace ben*, to chase after the origin* is also a justification.

*herself

*t/n: basically she is saying it’s justified to chase the origin of the problem which is Gu Qian Rou.

The people who were sitting, most of them all had well-acquired knowledge, do these two people have any relations to advantages, is it or is it not a set up to frame, even if one cannot pass judgment on a person’s life until the lid is on the coffin*, however it is able to arouse one to ponder.

*idiom as stated; no one truly know the truth; leaving it to the heavens to judge

Gu Qianrou did not think Gu Qianxue, that idiot today is now smart, not only cleared herself from responsibility, but to also put her own body on fire*, she hurriedly stood out.

*figuratively speaking; referring to how the spotlight/ the fire/ the responsibility is placed on Qianrou

She faced Old Madam and Minister Gu hurriedly bowed as courtesy, “Grandmother, Father please understand, these two prominent maids indeed is Qianrou who sent to older sister, it was during the time when older sister’s two maids were beaten up thirty times with the sticks then later became the servants who tend the fire, soon after then Qianrou here, complained that they have no one to serve, Qianrou dearly love older sister, it is only then I sent as a gift, from outside the house they were well-trained, and was prepared to transfer the maids into the inner house of elder sister.

Gu Qianxue cannot resist from sighing with sorrow, she is worthy to be called an elaborate and refined compound of connecting courtyards*, if one said Gu Qianxue has some scheme, it is pardonable due to misunderstandings, afterall in the modern world, she is a twenty year old-plus person. However Gu Qianrou is only thirteen years old, in that case the words she says are in a way very meticulous and careful, it really makes one surprised.

*two consecutive idiom: to fight and scheme against each other in a huge palace with many connecting courtyards, buildings and spaces; basically they’re going against each other

First off, Gu Qianrou only said Gu Qianxue’s former personal maids were hit thirty times with the stick, but did not say the reason why they were beaten, this imperceptibly gave the crowd to believe benzun is an unreasonable and moreover use ruthless methods to others.

Secondly, a phrase ‘from outside the house, they were taught and ready to transfer into the inner house,’ then cleared her relations from herself with the two maids.

However, there is a phrase that is said well, *trying to hide it makes it more conspicuous, this probably generally covers Gu Qianrou precisely.

*idiom: yù gài mí zhāng 欲盖弥彰; a cover up only makes it worse