Hushing His Wife
Chen Xun shook his head. Before anyone else could speak, he went on, "As for the Yellow River floods, in a nutshell, they're a matter of money. But the treasury is empty. Unless the Gu family pays to repair the Yellow River, Minister Jiang will never get ahead."
Yang Wenchang nodded too, looking troubled. "That's exactly it. The country is short on money everywhere right now, and even if the Gu family pays, there's no guarantee the money will go toward the Yellow River. Besides, if you're willing to pay, why not marry the Princess? You'd gain a title for nothing."
Only after they had finished speaking did Wang Yue smile and say, "The Gu family has already rejected the Princess, which means you've offended the Emperor. The Yellow River floods are getting worse, and there's no way you'll support Minister Jiang's efforts to repair the river. Your family is on the brink of ruin, and you're still drinking in a brothel. I don't know if you're truly unafraid of death or just too stupid to realize the danger."
Gu Jiusi hadn't cared before. No one had ever said these things to him, but after hearing Wang Yue, he couldn't help taking them seriously.
He thought it over. Since Wang Yue had brought it up, perhaps he had a solution. Gu Jiusi asked uncertainly, "Oh? In your view, Brother Wang, what should my family do?"
Wang Yue smiled, his manner indifferent. "If it were me, I'd publicly support Minister Jiang's proposal to repair the Yellow River, even if it meant staking my entire fortune."
Gu Jiusi was unhappy with that answer. "Easy for you to say. The whole country can't even fix the Yellow River. Even if I poured all the Gu family's wealth into it, there's