Chapter 41 041 Can his wallet handle it?

Out of the corner of her eye, Qingli saw Granny Huaying cleverly leading the maidservants away from under the curtain. Thanks to the curtain having been partially lifted, she took a small step forward, revealing half of her profile.

Her breathing became increasingly erratic, and her hands clenched into fists, though her face remained composed.

At the back door, Yu Jue curled her lips, displeased with the old Taoist nun's tactless remarks. The Empress had already escorted her to the door, yet she insisted on clamoring to come through the back door to see the herbs. Now that they had arrived at the back door, she complained that she had wasted too much time and bowed to leave.

"Your Majesty, it's windy outside. Let me help you inside."

As soon as Yu Jue finished speaking, a gust of wind rose, causing the straw mat to flutter, but it did not attract Consort Mu's attention.

Qingli noticed this and knew something was wrong. She opened her mouth to call out, but hesitated for a moment. She didn't know what her aunt wanted to do in the palace, or whether her grandfather's grudge was related to what happened back then. If she spoke up, would she expose her whereabouts and cause trouble, or would she find her relatives? Or would it be better if she did it unintentionally?

Thinking of the people who had been chasing him, and the unusual events of the past few days, he was currently pretending not to know anything and acting under the guise of being the second princess's playmate. His mind was in turmoil, and he was unable to make a decision.

Qingli's heart tightened instantly, and she even stopped breathing.

My feet seemed to be rooted to the inside of the pavilion, yet they moved forward uncontrollably.

Amidst the shattering, Consort Mu had already turned to the side.

“Mu…”

A clear voice called out from around the corner, "Qingli, you're here!"

Ling Shuyao quickly stepped forward and said, "I was thinking of looking for you, but you weren't in the Jing Si Hall. I searched all the way here, but I didn't expect you to be in the Ying Cui Palace. I had a hard time finding you."

Ling Shuyao's crisp voice was like the pleasant sound of water hitting rocks in the mountains. It was like heavenly music to her, opening up her stiff body. Qing Li's back relaxed, and she instantly regained her senses, nimbly stepping out from under the warm pavilion.

She tilted her head to the side, naturally allowing people in the distance to clearly see her features. "I was just bored, so I wandered around following the path the princess led me on last time. I stopped here to rest. If I had known the second princess was looking for me, I would have been waiting for her."

When the second princess heard that it was along the path she had followed, she raised her chin slightly and said, "Then I'll send Pearl to tell you in advance next time."

"good."

"Have you done anything wrong these days?"

Qingli didn't know why the Second Princess said that, but in the Jingsi Palace, although it was like the Cold Palace where no one paid attention to her, she never lacked any necessities and was never mistreated, so she shook her head left and right.

Ling Shuyao breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good then."

"Does the princess have something to ask me?"

"The wintersweet in the back garden is in bloom; it's a rare sight in the palace. Let's go take a look."

Qingli naturally agreed and followed Ling Shuyao for about a hundred meters before she gradually relaxed. She sorted out her thoughts, wondering what Mu Fei's reaction would be, and whether it was what she expected.

She felt a pang of sadness.

Even after the figure disappeared from sight, Consort Mu continued to gaze at her from the doorway. Her eyes, stinging with tears, finally blinked and asked, "Which family's young lady is she?"

The second princess spoke clearly, and Yu Jue heard her clearly. He replied carefully, "She is probably Commander Meng's cousin."

"Qingli?"

"yes."

"The one Yao'er wants to stay?"

"Yes, the princess once said that."

However, the princess later fell ill, and the empress lost interest, so the matter was dropped.

Do you know anything about her background?

"This servant will send someone to inquire immediately."

Consort Mu slowly withdrew her gaze, a dark cloud forming before her eyes. Her hands trembled slightly beneath her cloak. It was so similar, so incredibly similar. For the first time in many years, it felt like meeting an old friend. She urged Yu Jue, "Personally send someone to their ancestral home to inquire. Keep it a secret."

Yu Jue carefully recalled the young lady's appearance, and a sudden shock appeared in his heart. Upon hearing the Empress's instructions, he knew that this matter could not be delayed, so he immediately went to make arrangements.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Consort Mu glanced deeply in the direction where Yu Jue had left, pulling herself out of her chaotic thoughts. The bright yellow sedan chair had already arrived before her, and she bowed and greeted him.

Emperor Mingkang sat in his sedan chair, casually pointing, but unexpectedly arrived at Yingcui Palace. He looked down at Consort Mu, who stood out among the colorful concubines in her light-colored dress. Even her temperament was the same. Consort Mu had a beautiful face, fair and flawless, without any makeup, and looked like she was in her early twenties.

Emperor Mingkang looked past Consort Mu toward Yingcui Palace, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Dexi noticed, but dared not speak. Consort Mu was aloof and solemn, disliked unruly servants, and was listless in winter, rarely going out. Dexi dared not provoke her, so she kept her head down, her chin almost touching her chest.

Emperor Mingkang was furious at Dexi's pathetic appearance. If the timing weren't so bad, he would have liked to throw what he was holding at Dexi's head. He could only say, "I was just passing by and came to see you."

Consort Mu seemed oblivious to the implied tension before her. She stepped forward to the palanquin, and the eunuchs and guards quickly stepped aside. Although there was no warm smile, her gentle smile was refreshing. "If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, may you come and sit in Yingcui Palace?"

Emperor Mingkang was overjoyed. He took the hand that Consort Mu offered and got out of the sedan chair. He walked up to Dexi and scolded, "Useless thing!"

Dexi lowered his lips, stood under the eaves outside with a sullen face, listening to the lively conversation inside. He looked up at the sky, but Yingcui Palace was square and bare, with thick trees and tall bamboos, and in this dry and withered winter, there was really nothing to see.

Having handled the matter properly, Yu Jue gave the Empress a meaningful look while serving tea, then carefully left the room and approached De Xi. "Eunuch, what are you looking at?"

"The sun must have risen in the west."

The sun was hanging in the east, and Yu Jue didn't care what he said. She bent down and went to wait to the side.

De Xi sighed, "Even the maids in Yingcui Palace are boring. They can't even laugh at such a good joke. Strange things have been happening one after another this year. Even Consort Mu has changed her personality."

A young eunuch entered and quickly walked up to Dexi, whispering in his ear, "Godfather, Commander An's sister is still waiting."

Dexi smirked, grabbed the little eunuch by the ear and lifted him up, scolding him, "Little Anzi, your godfather has something to teach you, listen carefully."

Xiao Anzi didn't dare to struggle. He covered his ears with his hands and listened carefully while standing on tiptoe.

"Commander An? What Commander An? There's only Commander Meng now! He's a criminal. Don't even mention just waiting here; we wouldn't complain even if we kicked him out."

After saying that, Dexi let go of her hand.

Xiao Anzi took a step back, rubbing his ears incessantly, his eyes darting around, wondering where things had gone wrong. Last night he had readily agreed with a smile, saying he would find him a good place in the future, how did he end up as a sinner now!

Dexi glanced at it and cursed, "You idiot, don't you know where you are? Get out of here!"

Xiao Anzi looked around, then suddenly realized what was happening, and bowed repeatedly as he left.

Qingli accompanied Ling Shuyao to dinner at Yaohua Palace. The meal included plum blossom soup dumplings, candied plum blossoms, and plum porridge. On the table were celadon vases filled with plum blossoms picked during the day, and the bronze incense burner was filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms. She laughed as she watched, and finally, she ate the plum blossom pastries before stopping.

With pearls as a gift, they returned to the Jingsi Hall without incident.

Granny Hua Ying respectfully invited her in, but Pearl declined, saying that the princess was waiting.

Granny Hua Ying then lit a lamp to illuminate the snow-covered road leading to the Jing Si Palace.

As I passed by the east wing, I heard a series of rapid coughs that lasted for a long time, and the last cough was clearly different in tone.

Jiang Yue returned early. The charcoal fire in the brazier in the corner was burning brightly, making the room warm and cozy. Occasionally, there were soft crackling sounds, and the flames flickered, with red, white and ash colors intertwined, exuding a faint fragrance of pear blossoms.

Pearwood charcoal costs a hundred taels a piece. She was a little worried that Meng Qingshan was spending so much money; could his purse handle it?

"I brought back some plum blossom pastries for you, go and try them."

Jiang Yue smiled broadly and ran to Granny Hua Ying, cleverly taking the things from her hands.

She watched as Granny Hua Ying stepped forward and said, "Granny, I want to make a tassel for a sword. Can you teach me how to make it?"

"Alright, I'll go find some tomorrow. Needles and thread are easy to find, but the gold and jade embellishments are hard to come by. They usually also need to be engraved with auspicious and peaceful patterns."

Unexpectedly, it was so troublesome. After a moment's thought, Qingli said, "Prepare the others first. I'll find the gold and jade."

Granny Hua Ying smiled, her cheeks slightly flushed from the heat.

Jiang Yue, with pastry still on her lips, asked, "Granny, what are you laughing at?"

Granny Hua Ying laughed out loud, but said, "How can you be as reckless as Jiang Zhao?"

Jiang Yue wiped her face shyly. "This servant misses Jiang Zhao. When can we go back to the manor?"

Qingli thought it should be quick. Whether they were friend or foe, she would know after a test. Now that she had handed over the hilt of the knife, she would see how they would respond.

Inside the east wing, An Shulan listened to the intermittent laughter, her hands clenched tightly into fists under the covers. Her eyes were red from the fever, but her face was even whiter than the snow outside.

Xuezhi placed the hot water bottle under the young lady's feet, but unexpectedly the young lady kicked at her, causing Xuezhi to fall backward to the ground. She then heard the sound of sobbing coming from the bed.

Xuezhi got up on her own. As a maid, she wholeheartedly hoped that her mistress would be reasonable. However, when the An family was powerful, the young lady was arrogant, which was due to the dignity of the powerful. But if she continued to act like this when the family was down on its luck, it would be considered arrogant.

An Shulan had no way out. A few days ago, she took silver to bribe the eunuchs and finally managed to get today's opportunity by relying on An Pingtai's old relationship in the palace.

An Shulan took out a brand-new purple-gold brocade peach blossom dress. After wearing it for so long, her waist was already very slender without needing to be pinched. She was thin and frail, and her small face was pale, showing a pitiful appearance of a sickly beauty.

Today, to show utmost respect, I waited in the cold wind for three hours, until my whole body was frozen stiff. If it weren't for An Shulan fainting from a fever and asking a eunuch to take her back to Jingsi Palace and slip her a gold hairpin, I would have known that His Majesty had already retired to Yingcui Palace.

All the previous efforts were in vain, how could An Shulan not be furious?

Hearing laughter outside only intensified the pain in her heart. Her voice, hoarse as if pierced by the cold wind, rang out, "How can we let everything fall apart at the last moment? No, I can't give up, Xuezhi... Xuezhi..."

Hearing the shout, Xuezhi moved to the bedside. An Shulan felt cold and covered herself with all the quilts in the room, unwilling to put her hands outside. She just tilted her head and ordered, "Go...go and send some more silver over. We must not let our previous efforts stop."

"Miss, we have no money left."

"Then hurry up and send a message to your uncle, asking him to send some silver to the palace."

Xuezhi spoke with difficulty, “Before entering the palace, you declared that the eldest and second branches of the An family would sever all ties and never see each other again.”

An Shulan thought of how her uncle's family had taken advantage of her misfortune and said through gritted teeth, "They may disregard family ties, but they still have some sense of propriety and shame. The eldest son's family should also have a share in the division of the family property."

"When the young master went to prison, the entire mansion was seized. The second master bribed a lot of money to pay it in. That day, the second madam asked you to sign a document to take the eldest son's share as payment, and you signed it."

An Shulan's last glimmer of hope was also taken away. Her parents died early, and she and her brother were raised by their uncle. Their lives only improved after her brother joined the Imperial Guard, but now everything was gone.

Her vision was a little blurry. She struggled to lift her head, craning her neck, and said with difficulty, "Come forward."

Having said that, he was completely exhausted and muttered, "Let's just say that, they will deliver it."

An Shulan felt a tickle in her throat, which she suppressed. She had done many things on that person's orders, but everything seemed to be in vain. That person abandoned her because he saw that she was useless. She was attacked from both sides, while Qing Li was doing better and better. She did not believe that good and evil would be rewarded in the end. She only hated that her methods were not as clever as Qing Li's.

How could she not be jealous and resentful after being mocked like that!