Chapter 78 Inexplicable and Unfathomable

Yao Qingling stood with her hands behind her back, a slight smile playing on her lips.

She said, "My feud with Zhou Zhining is just a personal one. Her family did not cause my family to be destroyed."

I just wanted to disgust her.

He added, "But the Zhou family has caused countless innocent people to lose their homes and become homeless. What Zhou Zhining should really be afraid of are those people."

"However, she never showed any fear of the people; nor did she ever reflect on the mistakes of her family."

The powerful and wealthy commit evil deeds, incurring the wrath of both heaven and man. Yet, they are not afraid of the people's anger, but rather of the pressure exerted by the powerful and wealthy, fearing that they will never be able to return to that circle. How ridiculous!

"...Mao'er Lane was burned down, and houses were damaged. Although there was no actual evidence to prove that she was involved...of course, she would not admit it. But she took out money to help people repair their houses, using the reason that she was atoning for the sins committed by the Zhou family."

"But not a single resident in Mao'er Lane is connected to the case of the Yellow River breaching its banks. The small business owners aren't short of money to repair their houses; they're not desperate. So why did she say that?"

Lin Shiyuan shook his head; he didn't know much about the people and affairs in the capital.

Yao Qingling said, "If you receive a favor from someone, would you thank them and speak well of them?"

Lin Shiyuan: "..."

It's a small favor, and everyone in the whole alley actually benefits from it. You say there's no need to offend a bunch of people... Besides, why not take it if it's free?

But to expect him to say nice things just for this small benefit would be to underestimate him.

However, for small businesses, the amount of money spent on repairing their houses is not small. Since someone is paying for it, why not do it?

They make their living by talking, so what's wrong with saying a few nice words to the Zhou family?

Lin Shiyuan was beginning to understand what Yao Qingling meant.

Yao Qingling said, "Zhou Zhining also has a house in Mao'er Lane. She paid for the renovations, mainly her own, and also repaired others' houses as a side project. People can even speak well of her... More importantly, those small businesses include cosmetic shops, rice shops, wine shops, and cloth shops..."

"Their customers are ordinary people, a large number of them. One person tells ten, ten tell a hundred, a hundred tell a thousand... Gradually, all the people will know that Zhou is doing good deeds to atone for her sins, and people's hatred for her will not be so great."

"With such a small cost, you can achieve such a huge shift in public opinion. How worthwhile!"

If this small amount of silver were used to bribe officials, firstly, given the current climate of public concern, no official would be willing to accept it; secondly, this small amount of silver wouldn't even be enough to satisfy the basic needs of some high-ranking officials.

In the past, Yao Qingling felt that Zhou Zhining's reputation as a "talented woman" was too superficial, relying on playing the victim to fool men; those noble ladies also said that her reputation as a talented woman was built up by the Zhou family with money.

When Yao Qingling organized the Buddhist ceremonies at Yongning Temple, she gained fame and prestige; when Zhou Zhining said she wanted to repair Mao'er Lane, Qingling felt that she was imitating her.

Afterwards, Qingling gradually realized the depth of Zhou Zhining's thoughts.

No wonder she is the daughter raised by Grand Tutor Zhou.

Yao Qingling naturally couldn't let her succeed, so she set a trap for her, turning the tables on her and causing her already tarnished reputation to plummet even further.

She also wanted to make Zhou Zhining truly fear the common people, to let her know what it felt like to be hit by stones and rotten eggs; to hear firsthand the curses of others.

Lin Shiyuan glanced at her, a faint smile appearing on his expressionless face.

He said, "With this move, you can clear yourself of all charges, avoid offending the powerful figures who are hiding her, and force Zhou out. You can just watch the show from the sidelines."

Yao Qingling raised an eyebrow and said casually that she wasn't that eager for revenge.

Her thoughts stirred slightly. After walking for a while, she asked softly, "General Lin... how did you know I went out?"

She hadn't left the house for several days, while Lin Shiyuan was waiting for her at the intersection.

So, did he know that she had met...?

Although they reached a consensus tonight, her deal with Ruan Da Hu Zi was extremely confidential and dangerous.

Lin Shiyuan gave her a deep look, but said, "Madam Yao is intelligent and should have known long ago that Lin Qiao and I are siblings."

Yao Qingling pursed her lips, her heart finally at peace.

However, it's good to be straightforward like this.

“Hmm.” Qingling nodded. “When I first saw Lin Qiao performing with a gun in the market, I felt that she was having a hard time at such a young age.”

She spoke frankly, "Later, when I was at the Duke's mansion, I happened to hear the Duke mention 'General Lin,' and after observing Lin Qiao's speech, I made some guesses."

"However, I didn't mean to use Lin Qiao to do someone a favor. I just felt that we both came from military families and shouldn't have fallen to this state."

The two stood face to face, their eyes locked, displaying the openness of chivalrous men, nothing more.

Lin Shiyuan gazed at the plain face before her; her eyes were clear, reflecting the moonlight and starlight.

He smiled gently: "Thank you for taking care of Lin Qiao, Madam Yao. However, I am now just a commoner and cannot take care of her. I would appreciate it if you could continue to look after her."

In other words, he will not reveal the secret of Que'er Mountain to outsiders.

Qingling understood, smiled faintly, and nodded her thanks to him.

Lin Shiyuan escorted Yao Qingling back to the Marquis's residence.

I watched her walk step by step to the door.

A vague, indescribable emotion welled up inside him. He opened his lips as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.

Yao Qingling knocked gently on the door.

Taoye had been waiting at the side gate. Upon hearing the knock, she immediately opened the door and said, "Miss, you're finally back."

Yao Qingling grunted in response and glanced back as she entered, only to find the streets and alleys behind her deserted.

She was slightly lost in thought.

"Miss, what are you looking at?" Taoye looked outside.

Qingling shook her head: "It's nothing."

She went inside.

Taoye gave the gatekeeper a wink, and the gatekeeper deftly bolted the door without uttering a word.

Yao Qingling insisted on Mulan Courtyard because it had a side gate.

When she moved into the Magnolia Courtyard, she replaced all the people from the original Marquis's residence with people she brought back from the new residence.

These people weren't so loyal when they were in the new residence; one could say they served two masters wholeheartedly. But ever since they were forced to kneel by Zhan Xingzhuo, they witnessed Yao Qingling's methods and realized that following Zhan Xingzhuo, that lust-obsessed and foolish master, meant that there was no future for them except listening to free music.

After that, they turned to the mistress; when the mistress left, they became her people completely.

Tao Ye lowered her voice and spoke quickly: "After we went out, Dan Gui Courtyard sent Granny Sun over to ask all sorts of questions and tried to force her way in. Lou Yue and Xia Chan brought people to stop them from entering and turned them away. They said that Miss was in a bad mood and was throwing things inside, and that no one should disturb her; whoever came in, don't blame Miss for smashing things."

"These two girls are quite assertive; they actually managed to intimidate Granny Sun... But Miss, the Dan Gui Courtyard is keeping an eye on us, so we'll have to be more careful in the future."

Dan Gui Courtyard was the courtyard where Ma Shi lived.

Qingling seemed to be deep in thought.

Although Zhou Zhining was unpleasant and the Duke's mansion was difficult to manage when she was in the new residence, the fewer people there meant less chaos. With fewer people at her disposal, Zhan Xingzhuo and the Grand Princess felt she was easy to control.

But things were different once I returned to the Marquis's residence.

The people here don't have high status, but they all consider themselves her elders and try to suppress her in every way; her cousins ​​are not to be trifled with either, and they all want to climb over her, plus there's a cousin who wants to take advantage of her.

With so many people, so many eyes, and so many ambitions, it's really a headache.

Back in her bedroom, Qingling lay down, exhausted.

She lay diagonally on the small kang bed by the window: "Taoye, can you massage my waist and legs? They hurt a bit."

Taoye warmed her hands and pressed them against Qingling's waist, and Qingling felt the soreness and swelling subside a little.

She traveled by carriage and walked such a long distance; it's truly remarkable that she's managed to persevere until now.

Gently stroking her belly, she thought to herself, "This child is so well-behaved and sensible."

In the future, he will surely become a brave and resolute marquis.

Seeing that her eyelids were closed and she seemed to be falling asleep, Tao Ye asked softly, "Hot water is always kept in the washroom. Would you like to wash up first, Miss? Would you like something to eat?"

Yao Qingling got up and took a bath.

She had little appetite, but Taoye was worried that she would go hungry, so she coaxed and tricked her into eating half a bowl of white fungus porridge before she calmed down.

Qingling suddenly looked quietly at Taoye, who looked down at herself and asked, "Why are you looking at me, Miss?"

"I was thinking, you didn't even ask me what I did afterward."

Given Taoye's timid and cautious nature, she would definitely ask all sorts of questions.

Taoye said, "With General Lin protecting me, what do I have to worry about?"

Qingling: "..."

Taoye added, "When you came back, Miss, you looked very tired, but I know you were in a good mood."