TFWYH – Chapter 877 Only Cares About Money

Emperor: “A stroke? That’s never going to happen to me.

“I must stay strong!”

The Emperor immediately waved his hand and ordered the full confiscation and exile package to be delivered to the Gu family.

Everyone in the Gu family was included—servants, cats, dogs, not a single one would be spared.

As for the direct line of the family:

Gu Hengcang had bought and sold official positions and committed corruption and bribery on a scale that was absolutely appalling.

Gu Qitian had seized commoners’ farmland and property and had driven several people to their deaths.

Gu Chengwen had forcibly taken civilian women, and he too had quite a few lives on his hands.

The three generations of grandfather and grandson were all dealt with accordingly. Those who held official positions were stripped of them, while those who had earned scholarly honors had those honors revoked. All three were sentenced to execution by beheading at Wumen Gate as a public example.

As for the women of the Gu family and their servants, they were all exiled to the frontier.

When the Son of Heaven was enraged, corpses could litter the land for thousands of miles.

With the exception of Jiang Shi, who was already the Second Prince’s Consort, and Gu Xiyan, who had been spared because she was staying in Su Qing’s palace, everyone in the Gu family suffered the consequences.

Once the case became public, it caused a sensation throughout the capital.

On the day of the executions, many commoners came to watch.

A carriage had also arrived early and stopped at the very edge of the crowd.

A slender hand lifted the curtain of the carriage window, revealing Jiang Shi’s face.

At this moment, her face was filled with sorrow and reluctance, and crystalline tears glimmered in her eyes.

Seeing her like this, Huangfu Yi was helpless.

“Stop being so kind-hearted toward everyone. The Gu family were the ones who wronged you. They aren’t worth your tears.”

“I know.”

Jiang Shi wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye and sniffled.

“I just never imagined he had embezzled so much money. But with so much money, not a single bit of it ever came my way.”

Huangfu Yi, who had been about to continue comforting her: “…”

“You… what did you say?”

He wondered if he had heard her correctly.

Were those really words coming from timid and gentle Jiang Shi?

Jiang Shi didn’t think there was anything wrong with what she’d said. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.

“I’ve suffered for half my life. I had to raise three children all by myself. Back then, our family was so poor that we could barely afford food. One tael of silver was enough to cover our living expenses for an entire year.

“But what about him? More than four hundred million taels of silver, Your Highness! Four hundred million!

“That was an amount I wouldn’t even dare dream about. If he’d just let a tiny bit of it slip through his fingers, how could the three of us mother and children have lived such impoverished lives?”

Huangfu Yi: “…”

He was completely speechless.

Yet hearing Jiang Shi talk about all this, he also felt sorry for her.

After sighing, he held her hand and gently comforted her.

“It’s all in the past now. You are the Second Prince’s Consort, and your status is noble. I may not be able to make you rich enough to rival a kingdom, but I can certainly ensure that you never have to worry about food or clothing.

“Don’t dwell on the past anymore. It will only bring you unnecessary distress.”

“But… but I’m still upset. So much money… sob…”

Tang Wan had so few clothes and pieces of jewelry.

Ling Yue wasn’t married yet, and she still needed to prepare a betrothal gift for her.

And Ling Chen would need to marry a wife too.

The more Jiang Shi thought about all of this, the more her heart hurt.

Four hundred million taels of silver!

If only that money had gone to her!

Huangfu Yi was beyond speechless. For a long time, he didn’t know what to say.

Finally, he said helplessly,

“That money will ultimately go into the imperial treasury, and won’t the treasury eventually belong to Yu anyway? So stop crying.”

Jiang Shi nodded dejectedly and wiped away her tears. Still, she couldn’t resist adding,

“Then, Your Highness, please don’t spend all of it on Yu, okay? That child has suffered for more than a decade. I never want him to suffer again.”

Huangfu Yi: “…”

“So this was your real goal, wasn’t it?”

“Were you actually worried that I would squander all of Yu’s future treasury?”

“I never realized you were secretly such a natural-born schemer!”

As the young couple continued talking, noon arrived outside.

Gu Hengcang, Gu Qitian, and Gu Chengwen—the three generations of the Gu family—were dressed in prison garb and kneeling on the execution platform.

Gu Hengcang remained remarkably calm. His back was perfectly straight, and he looked completely composed.

It was almost as if he hadn’t come there to be beheaded, but to attend a court session.

In contrast, Gu Qitian and Gu Chengwen, the father-and-son pair, were covered in tears and mucus. They cried like beaten dogs, repeatedly shouting that they didn’t want to die.