Chapter 69: I pleaded and begged all night.

The letter that Qu Ming sent before the Lunar New Year arrived here after the New Year.

In his letter, he mentioned that he had caught the murderer Zheng Er had hired to kill someone, and the letter arrived a few days later.

Qu Rong thought that a few days later would be two or three days later, but who knew that this night would be as late as the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Early in the morning, a errand boy suddenly knocked on the door, saying that the things Master Qu had sent to the mistress would arrive in the city that afternoon, and that the mistress should go and pick them up herself.

After receiving the message, Qu Rong instructed Teng Huang to give the other party a reward.

Upon learning that Qu Ming had brought the person over, the old lady was even more excited than Qu Rong. If it weren't for her frail health preventing her from traveling by carriage, she would have wanted to come and see for herself.

Since the old lady couldn't come, she sent her trusted confidante, Wu Mama, with Qu Rong out of the city, in case Qu Ming sent any letters or items that Qu Rong kept from her.

Wu's mother was very reluctant to leave the house with the mistress, and hesitated, "Let Chen's mother..."

The old lady said, "I still trust you more."

Mrs. Wu, "..."

What else is there to say? She'll just have to go.

The old lady had already said that, so if she kept making excuses, she would upset her. But her previous experience told Wu Mama that the mistress was really unkind; she was already so old, and the mistress just used her as bait as she pleased.

Seeing Wu's mother grumbling, the old lady spat at her, "Old hag, would I risk your life for you? You can just follow whichever carriage she rides in. Would she risk her life to harm you? Besides, it's just going out of the city to pick someone up, what danger could there be?"

Mother Wu thought to herself, "It's easy for you to say that when you're not in my shoes. She was the one who almost fell into the hands of bandits last time. She didn't want to experience that scene of knives right outside the carriage curtain again."

Mrs. Wu said, "For your sake, I'll go with her again!"

So, before leaving the house, Wu Mama quickly climbed onto the mistress's carriage, and no matter how the mistress looked at her, she refused to get off.

Three people were crammed into the carriage: the mistress, Wu Mama, and Li Yue'er.

Li Yue'er had planned to go to the academy today because it was her younger sister's birthday.

She couldn't spend the Lunar New Year with her mother and sister this year, but she thought it would be nice to spend the Lantern Festival with them on her sister's birthday.

Li Yue'er pleaded and begged all night before the mistress finally agreed to let her go back, saying she would personally take her there in the afternoon.

Who knew that her return home and the arrival of the man from the house would happen on the same day?

Li Yue'er was now hoping that the matter with the mistress would end soon, so that she could go home and stay a little longer while it was still early.

She had something on her mind, and even sitting in the carriage, she kept lifting the curtains and peering out.

The carriage stopped by the pavilion outside the city, and the mistress stood in front of the carriage with gamboge and cinnabar, waiting for someone.

It was cold outside, so Li Yue'er sat inside with Wu's mother.

She didn't go out because she was afraid of the cold. Wu Mama was just afraid that the mistress would abandon her outside the city as soon as she got off the carriage, so she stayed on the carriage.

Seeing Li Yue'er lift the curtain again, Wu Mama gave her a cold look and said with a forced smile, "Don't worry, Aunt Li, even if the mistress abandons me, she won't abandon you. Just sit there and relax."

Li Yue'er, "..."

Seeing that Li Yue'er ignored her, Wu Mama became even more angry and started to bully her, saying, "The old lady was just saying yesterday that since Aunt Li came back from the estate after the New Year, she hasn't come to Shouhe Hall to pay her respects and learn about housekeeping. Has she climbed up to someone else and thinks she's all grown up?"

She's still going on and on.

Li Yue'er lowered the curtain and said with a smile to Wu Mama, "Mama, you must be careful with your words when you're out and about. If you offend me for the sake of a moment's pleasure, I'll have no choice but to throw a tantrum and have the mistress leave you outside the city."

Mrs. Wu glared at her with narrowed eyes, "You little hussy—"

Li Yue'er lifted the carriage curtain in a coquettish and affected manner, calling out in a sweet, delicate voice, "Mistress~"

Qu Rong's right eyelid twitched, and she turned her head back to look at her.

Li Yue'er glanced at Wu Mama in the carriage out of the corner of her eye, and Wu Mama shut her mouth angrily and didn't look at her again.

Seeing that she had calmed down, Li Yue'er stopped acting like a bully and simply handed the hand warmer to her mistress through the carriage window.

Qu Rong asked Teng Huang to take it, then frowned and said, "It's cold outside, sit back down."

Li Yue'er smiled and lowered the curtains.

She took the medicine prescribed by Dr. Fu, and although she was still sensitive to cold, the pain was not as bad after her period started.

Perhaps her health has improved, or perhaps it's because she's been spending every day with the mistress, that caused her period to come a few days early this month, moving from the end of the month to the middle, two days later than the mistress's, and it started this morning.

Li Yue'er wanted to take advantage of her menstrual period, which prevented her from serving her mistress, and decided to stay at the academy tonight to sleep with her mother and sister.

She just hadn't figured out how to phrase it to the mistress yet.

Especially since Wu's mother came along today, it's questionable whether she can even return to the academy to celebrate her younger sister's birthday, let alone stay overnight.

For a moment, Li Yue'er's gaze toward Wu's mother became unfriendly.

Mrs. Wu, "..."

She didn't say anything more. What was Li Yue'er trying to do by putting on this act?

Just as the atmosphere inside the carriage was becoming increasingly eerie, the sound of a carriage wheel rolling closer could be heard from outside.

The person has arrived.

Li Yue'er quickly lifted the curtain to look outside. When Wu's mother lifted the curtain from the other side and found that she couldn't see anything, she cautiously moved closer and looked out through the corner of the curtain that Li Yue'er had lifted.

The driver was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a sturdy build, a square face, and eagle-like eyes. He put away his whip, jumped down from the carriage shaft, and stopped respectfully at a distance. He bowed to the mistress of the Qu family ahead, asking, "Is this Qu Rong, the mistress of the Qu family?"

Qu Rong nodded in greeting, "It's me."

The man took out the letter, held it with both hands, and handed it forward, saying, "My magistrate, Qu Ming, has sent you a gift, but you can only open it when you get to his house."

There are too many people and too much attention outside; it's not safe.

Dansha walked over, took the letter, and walked back.

Qu Rong glanced at it and saw that it was Qu Ming's handwriting. After verifying the other party's identity, she gestured for him to follow her, saying, "Follow my carriage."

Qu Rong returned to the carriage, while Teng Huang Dan Sha sat on the left and right shafts outside, and Lin Mu drove the carriage.

Her carriage led the way, followed by a middle-aged man driving his car. They passed through the city gate and headed straight for the Qu residence.

Ever since Qu Rong returned safely from the estate after the New Year, the Zheng family has been keeping a close eye on every move at the Qu residence. When they saw two carriages enter the house through the back gate, their spies immediately went to the Zheng family to deliver a message to Zheng Er.

Zheng Er was restless after the New Year because he had spent money to hire people to intercept and kill Qu Rong. Not only did he fail to kill them, but Qu Rong also set a trap and caught them all, sending them to the yamen.

If the yamen had sent someone to question him, Zheng Er wouldn't have been so flustered. But strangely, the magistrate only detained those people and didn't interrogate them.

Without interrogation, no one would implicate him.

But as long as those people are alive in prison, it's like a knife hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

He wanted to tell himself to stay calm and not make a move. It would be best to pretend that he knew nothing at this time. He just needed to wait patiently until the court sent someone to ask the merchants for money. He just needed to curry favor with the officials who came to handle the matter. What could a mere county magistrate do to him then?

But there was no word from the imperial court. The year was almost half over, and he hadn't received any imperial officials. Instead, Qu Rong received a carriage that had come from the south.

The curtains in the carriage were drawn tightly shut, so Zheng Er's men had no idea whether there were objects or living people inside.

Upon realizing that Qu Ming was in the south, Zheng Er panicked instantly.

He clasped his hands together, paced back and forth in the study, and finally clapped his hands to make a decision, "Send someone to deliver a message to Magistrate Sun, saying that the Qu family, together with the county magistrate, secretly colluded with the rebels, and the carriage that entered the city today is the evidence!"

He couldn't do anything with the county magistrate, so he could only go up to the prefectural governor to put pressure on the county magistrate.

Upon hearing this, the servant immediately set off, replying, "Yes."

Zheng Er added, "Keep an eye on what's happening at the Qu residence."

The Qu residence was quiet at this moment.

The carriage driven by the middle-aged man was parked in the backyard. At this moment, the curtains were tightly closed, and there was no sound inside.

Qu Rong and Li Yue'er stood to the side. Qu Rong spoke to the middle-aged man, mainly asking if the journey had been peaceful and smooth.

Mrs. Wu helped the old lady walk over.

Li Yue'er and her maids curtsied to the old lady.

The old woman's eyes were fixed on the carriage, then on Qu Rong, and finally she said to the middle-aged man, "Lift it up and take a look."

The old lady spoke, but the middle-aged man looked at Qu Rong for instructions.

Seeing Qu Rong nod, he grabbed the carriage curtain and yanked it open.

The sudden brightness of the light was too glaring for those who had been in darkness for a long time. Inside the carriage, two gaunt middle-aged men, their hands and feet bound and their mouths gagged, squinted and shed tears as they were suddenly exposed to the light, making a sound.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and the odor that had been concealed inside instantly escaped.

It was absolutely disgusting and repulsive.

Qu Rong's expression changed, and she frowned, but she didn't cover her mouth and nose with a handkerchief in front of others.

The old lady covered her nose with a handkerchief and took a closer look.

There must have been more than just these two people who killed her son and daughter-in-law, but now that they were in her hands, it was time to take revenge.

The old woman was filled with hatred, and said fiercely, "Cut them into a thousand pieces!"

Qu Rong raised her hand to stop the servants guarding the round gate who were about to step forward, signaling them to step back. "They're just doing their jobs for money. We need to keep them around to find out who the real culprit is."

The real culprit is Zheng Er!

Zheng Er deserves to die, and these two deserve to die too.

The old lady's chest heaved heavily, but she knew that Qu Rong was absolutely right. Only by keeping them alive could they capture Zheng Er and truly avenge her son and daughter-in-law!

She moved to the side, which was a tacit agreement that the people in the carriage should be left to Qu Rong's care.

Since the Qu residence cannot be used to interrogate prisoners, people naturally cannot remain there.

Qu Rong turned to the middle-aged man and said, "I will send them to the county magistrate for questioning. You should drive away from Chenhe County immediately."

The old lady's face immediately darkened. She felt that Qu Rong was incompetent and scolded her without thinking, "What nonsense are you talking about? People have come all this way and need to rest for a few days before they leave."

She also wanted to ask the man about her grandson, Qu Ming.

Qu Rong glanced at the old lady quietly, then turned slightly to face her directly.

Today, all the servants and maids in the courtyard are here. If the old lady behaves herself and doesn't say a word, she will naturally respect this grandmother.

But now she's the one in charge at home, and the old lady is always scolding her. Is she trying to put her down and humiliate her in front of others?

The middle-aged man looked at the old man and the young man, then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but I really have important matters to attend to at home, so I must set off before the city gates close today."

The old lady didn't know his identity, but he and the mistress did.

The current court in Chenhe County, Anping Prefecture, is still the Yang family's dynasty, but he is a soldier of the "new court" Jiang family. If he stays here and gets captured, it will not be good for either him or the Qu family.

The old lady was unaware of the situation and didn't understand, so the middle-aged man didn't explain much to her and just did what his mistress said.

Between the two, the middle-aged man clearly sided with the mistress.

This was tantamount to slapping the old lady in the face on the spot!

Seeing that the middle-aged man only listened to Qu Rong's orders, the old lady's face darkened again, and she looked at Qu Rong with a scrutinizing gaze. "Alright, then this old woman won't keep you any longer."

She felt that Qu Rong and Qu Ming must be hiding something from her, otherwise why would this middle-aged man not stay overnight to rest, but instead be in a hurry to leave?

In particular, from the moment the carriage curtain was lifted until they immediately left the city, the middle-aged man followed Qu Rong's words without question, which must mean that Qu Ming had privately instructed him on something.

The old lady naturally wouldn't blame her beloved grandson; it could only be Qu Rong's fault.

She stirred up trouble between the grandmother and grandson, causing Qu Ming to become estranged from her.

She couldn't understand Qu Ming's letters, and she couldn't command the people Qu Ming sent. If it weren't for Qu Rong standing in the middle, how could Qu Ming dare to disobey her like this?

However, she couldn't get a result from Qu Rong's question in a short time.

Following the mistress's instructions, Lin Mu and his men loaded the two witnesses onto a cart and deliberately paraded them through the streets to the county government office. He wouldn't hide anything if anyone inquired along the way, simply stating what the mistress had instructed him to say:

"The murderer who killed the late Master Qu and his wife has been caught."

When Lin Mu took the man to the county government office, the middle-aged man also drove out of the city.

Qu Rong originally intended for someone to escort him for a while, but he waved his hand and said, "I've been on the battlefield, what am I afraid of a few 'petty thieves'? If someone tries to kill me, we can just hand them over as evidence of hiring someone to kill me."

He kept long and short knives in his carriage, within easy reach, so he didn't need any escort. He only took some travel expenses from the Qu family to get back, and left without asking for anything else.

After the middle-aged man left, the old lady glanced at Qu Rong and called her over, "Come to Shouhe Hall, I have something to ask you."

Qu Rong happened to have something to tell her.

Li Yue'er subconsciously followed her mistress and took two steps forward.

Qu Rong stopped. "Don't just stand there like an idiot. While there's still time, have the kitchen prepare two hot dishes and some snacks. When we send them over later, you can take them with you."

It was almost dusk, and Li Yue'er thought she wouldn't be able to go home today!

Hearing his mistress say that, his eyes lit up instantly, "You're giving it to me?"

The mistress glanced at her, her tone matter-of-fact, "Of course."

Li Yue'er happily bit her lip, wanting to kiss her mistress's lips, but hesitant to express her affection in front of others, so she obediently curtsied and softly replied, "Okay."

She took the gamboge to the small kitchen to work, while Dansha stayed behind to accompany Qu Rong to Shouhe Hall.

In the main hall, the old lady sat in the main seat, her hands resting on her phoenix-head cane. She looked up and squinted at Qu Rong. "Mother Wu said that Qu Ming sent someone back with a letter?"

Qu Rong took the letter from Dan Sha, walked forward, and handed it to the old lady, saying, "It's right here, it hasn't been opened yet, please take a look."

That's more like it.

The old lady was thrilled, but she pretended to be calm as she handed her cane to Wu's mother and took the letter.

The handwriting on the envelope was indeed her grandson's.

The old lady turned to look at Qu Rong, about to speak to her, but saw Qu Rong slowly and deliberately sit down in another chair next to her.

There are two seats in the main seat facing the main entrance, with the one on the left being the more prestigious.

She sat on the left, while Qu Rong sat on the right today.

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Old lady: Are you trying to defy the heavens?

Mistress: I want to change the world.