Chapter 168 Grandmother supports Luo'er, encouraging her to do anything boldly!

In the main house, Li Chaojing heard from a servant that Li Qingluo had gone to the prison of the Jinling government office.

"The girl stayed inside for a long time."

Li Chaojing then guessed who she was going to see.

"How's that old man?"

The servant said, "I heard he's not going to make it."

Li Chaojing sighed, "She must have suffered a lot in the Liu family all these years. She probably wants to go in to see how that old vile woman is tormented... But for a young woman like her to act like this is really inappropriate!"

But Li Chaojing was helpless.

His biological daughter was very bold in her actions and never cared about the General's Mansion or him.

Moreover, she can do whatever she wants, and even if she makes a mess, the old lady will bail her out.

This made it impossible for him, as her biological father, to discipline her.

"Master, there are...it seems there are other people helping the young lady. When she returned, a young man on horseback escorted her all the way back."

Li Chaojing's eyes widened.

"Who is it? Did you see clearly?"

The servant shook his head: "I can't see clearly. But they seem to come from an extraordinary background. The horse they ride and the clothes they wear are not ordinary either."

Li Chaojing slammed his hand on the table in anger.

"Who exactly is she associating with?! Our General's Mansion cannot afford another scandal!"

"Is she determined to completely destroy this family?!"

"I was wondering how a woman could be so capable, scheming here and running around there. It turns out she's also colluded with outsiders."

"Go investigate! Investigate thoroughly! Find out who she's been having private dealings with, and then bring the evidence to me!"

"This time, I must take precautions to prevent a repeat of the General's Mansion's mistakes. I must nip it in the bud before she does anything like what Zhu'er did. If she causes the destruction of her family and clan, I will personally strangle her first!"

Hasn't Mother always spoiled that girl?

Now she's been spoiled rotten, so much so that she has no respect for her elders, herself and her mother. If that's the case, he'll take the evidence and show it to his mother to show her the good deeds Li Qingluo has done!

Then, I'll give that girl a good beating and make her completely submit to her father!

The snow was falling softly.

Li Qingluo took a hot bath, sat by the window, looked out at the snow, and waited until midnight.

The sparrow had been lying down and sleeping for a while.

He rubbed his eyes as he got up and came over to drape another coat over Li Qingluo.

"Young lady, be careful not to catch a cold. But is this snow really that beautiful? You seem to want to look at it forever."

Sparrow yawned, feeling sleepy and listless.

Li Qingluo: "This day is finally over."

Sparrow: "Yes, miss, it's past midnight. Aren't you going to rest?"

Li Qinglu smiled and said, "You can't bear to sleep, can you?"

Sparrow: "Reluctant to part with it? Miss seems quite happy, has something good happened?"

Que'er was unaware that Zhao Shi was already dead.

But that wasn't what Li Qingluo wanted.

She gazed at the falling snowflakes, her eyes shining brightly like stars.

"I will definitely live to be a hundred years old."

Sparrow: "Then this servant will accompany you until you live to be a hundred years old!"

Li Qingluo turned to look at her and laughed heartily: "Okay."

The next day, early in the morning, the news of Zhao's death spread throughout the entire city of Jinling.

Many people who were following this matter breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing this, the noble families all gave their servants a good scolding.

"This is the consequence of daring to try to pass off inferior goods as superior ones and commit such evil deeds!"

Madam Pei asked Li Qingluo to go to Jingci Hall to eat mushroom and chicken soup hot pot.

Li Qingluo's mouth watered at the mention of it, so she grabbed an umbrella, put on a cloak, and rushed to Jingci Hall.

"Grandma, I could smell the fragrance even before I arrived."

Madam Pei laughed and said, "You have such a keen sense of smell! Come here, let your grandmother feel if your hands are cold."

Li Qing sat down next to Madam Pei. After exchanging pleasantries, Madam Pei brought up the Zhao family.

"You went to see her yesterday?"

Li Qingluo didn't hide anything: "Yes. My granddaughter asked about some other things she wanted to know. Does Grandmother know all of that?"

Madam Pei: "I don't know! I didn't ask Granny Deng. I won't interfere in your affairs anymore."

Li Qingluo: "Grandma?"

Madam Pei smiled: "It's not that I don't care about you, it's that I believe in you. Do what you want to do. Go for it, be bold and do it!"

"That Zhao family member deserved to die!"

Li Qinglu felt a lump in her throat, but she nestled against Old Madam Pei's lap and acted coquettishly.

"I want Grandmother to know that you care about Luo'er, otherwise Luo'er feels empty inside and always feels like there's no one behind her. Besides, if you don't care about Luo'er, aren't you bored all day?"

Madam Pei burst into laughter at her words.

"Hahaha...you. Alright, alright, from now on, Grandma will listen to whatever you want to say. So tell me, what's going on with that Zhao woman?"

Li Qingluo recounted everything that happened last night.

Including the section about Prince Su.

"It seems like he goes to prison to see some people."

Madam Pei: "Qingyangzi."

Li Qingluo asked in surprise, "Is it that Taoist priest from Qingsong Temple? How did he get locked up?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Pei sighed: "Someone has accused him of bullying men and women, and of embezzlement and obscenity."

Li Qingluo stared in astonishment, her mouth agape.

I had met Qingyangzi at Qingsong Temple before, and he didn't seem to be a person of such character.

Could it be that I haven't truly understood it?

Madam Pei continued, “I have been at Qingsong Temple for thirty years. When I first went to Qingsong Temple, Qingyangzi had not yet been born. It was after I had been there for more than ten years that this boy returned to Qingsong Temple for the first time. His grandmother took him to visit me. At that time, he was just a young pilgrim.”

So, Qingyangzi recognized his grandmother so early on!

Moreover, if Qingyangzi's grandmother and his own grandmother were old acquaintances, then Qingyangzi's background must have been extraordinary.

Li Qingluo: "And then?"

“He was originally the son of a high-ranking official, but his family committed a crime and the whole family was exiled. However, he happened to go to Qingsong Temple to become a Taoist priest a few months earlier than the deadline, so he escaped the disaster.”

The court's punishments do not extend to those outside the secular world.

Therefore, Qingyangzi was not implicated by his family and exiled.

But is it really a coincidence?

"Now that I think about it, he's only twenty-one or twenty-two years old, right? Although he's still young, I trust his character. He might be a little greedy for money, but he never takes ill-gotten gains."

"I no longer believe in the rest, such as bullying men and women, or obscene crimes."

Li Qingluo: "So it's a false accusation? But who would want to frame him like this? And the government believes it?"

Madam Pei: "I sent Zhang Mama to inquire, and she said... cough, it was Pei family's twelfth daughter who reported it."

Li Qingluo could no longer sit still.

"Nan Jia? Grandmother, are you sure you haven't misheard?"

Nan Jia falsely accused Qingyangzi of bullying men and women, and of embezzlement and obscenity.

Is Nan Jia deliberately setting a trap for someone with such a serious charge, or is there some misunderstanding?

Madam Pei pulled Li Qingluo to sit down.

“Granny Zhang inquired about it herself, how could she be wrong? Your relationship with that Twelfth Sister is quite good now. Go and find out what really happened.”

"I've been neighbors with Qingyangzi for many years. Whenever he has something good, he never hesitates to bring it to my grandmother. Food, household items, toys, and rare things. Sometimes he even comes to play chess with me. Because of him, I have a lot more fun."

“Grandmother, although she gave him a lot of money every year, he lived a very comfortable life, so she really regarded him as one of her own close relatives.”

“I feel a little guilty that he was imprisoned because of the Pei family. So I’ve made some connections to make things easier for him in there.”

“Because he wasn’t implicated in his family’s previous affairs, he was able to escape unscathed.”

"But if he is convicted of a crime he committed this time, even if he is a recluse, he will not be able to get away with it! Getting a few scrapes on his skin would be considered a relief."

"But if it's not true, wouldn't Twelfth Sister also be guilty of false accusation?"

The crime of false accusation is more serious than the crime itself!

Li Qingluo's expression then turned serious.

"Grandmother, I know about this. I will ask Nan Jia what the truth is."

Madam Pei: "If Prince Su also wants to get involved in this matter... I'm afraid the Pei family won't be able to protect Twelfth Sister."

"Anyway, go and remind Twelfth Sister as well. She's just a young girl; I wonder what grudge she has against Qingyangzi."

It's not unreasonable for Madam Pei to be so worried about this matter from both sides.

As Madam Pei knew, Qingyangzi and Prince Su were already old acquaintances before Qingyangzi became a monk, so if Prince Su intervened, Qingyangzi's innocence would definitely be investigated.

Therefore, she was more worried about Pei Shierniang at this moment.

Madam Pei did not consider that Prince Su might have made that special trip because of her beloved granddaughter.

After speaking of Prince Su, Madam Pei then scolded Lady Zhao a few times.

"That wicked woman! To die like this is too good for her!"

Li Qingluo didn't mention the hardships she suffered as a child, so after scolding her a few times, Madam Pei turned to Aunt Deng.

“I know she’s been resentful all these years, so she’s even extended her claws into your father’s inner quarters.”

"Luo'er, do you know why her whole family was driven out of the General's Mansion back then?"