Chapter 154 Leaving the Capital (38) The "Gift" Blue Sparrow...

Just as Shen Quan and his wife left the Marquis of Yan'an's residence, Zou Chang received the news at home. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly took off his official robes and black gauze hat and handed them to his wife, then put on a cloak and went to the couch with the steward who had given the report. "Did you really see Shen Quan and the Lü family delivering the annual allowance?"

The steward nodded with great certainty, "I recognize the Marquis of Yan'an's residence, and I also recognize Eunuch Shen. I can't be mistaken. By the way, there is also a beautiful young lady with Eunuch Shen, and she is holding a sprig of red plum blossom in her arms."

"Is that girl seventeen or eighteen years old, with a beauty that is rare even in heaven and unparalleled on earth?"

"Exactly!"

It must be Jiu Li without a doubt. Sending red plum blossoms as New Year's gifts to important officials in the court is a long-standing tradition in the palace. The food and drinks are secondary; the important thing is this red plum blossom, a privilege reserved only for ministers whom the Emperor particularly values ​​or intends to be close to. Marquis Lu Hechun of Yan'an had never received one before. Two years ago, he was impeached for illegally seizing land in the countryside while repairing the Chen family ancestral hall. Soon after, the Emperor, citing a leg injury, summoned him back to the capital from his post in Sichuan to recuperate.

At the time, the Imperial Household Department was building a summer resort for the Emperor in Longqing Prefecture, so this impeachment, ostensibly against the Emperor's brother-in-law, was actually a veiled criticism of the Emperor's extravagance and waste of resources. As a result, Lü Hechun's position as the General Commander of Sichuan became a mere formality, and his authority was temporarily handed over to the Deputy General Commander of Sichuan. After that, the Emperor never mentioned ordering him to return to Sichuan.

At this moment, the Emperor suddenly ordered Shen Quan to deliver New Year's gifts, and also ordered Jiu Li to personally carry the red plum blossoms. It seems he intends to reinstate Lü Hechun.

Zou Chang was pondering to himself when suddenly a servant came to report that Master Qi was requesting an audience. He hurriedly said, "Quickly invite Master Qi to the study."

He then went to the study, where Xu Bai was having tea. Seeing him enter, Xu Bai quickly put down his teacup and rose to greet him. Before he finished, Zou Chang waved his hand, saying, "There's no need for such formalities between us. Did you come today because there's been any progress in the case?"

Xu Bai hurriedly recounted the questions he had asked Shunzi that morning, and then handed him the two silver notes. "I have already verified these two silver notes at Fu Da Money House. They were indeed deposited into the money house by the wife of a steward from the Chen family, which is enough to prove that Chen Jia was indeed ordered by the Imperial Concubine to bribe Shunzi to give false testimony. Right now, the only thing left is the handkerchief found in the Camellia Garden. As long as we can prove that it was a forgery or something that was picked up, we can clear the Prince's name!"

“As long as we can prove that Shunzi is lying, the matter of the handkerchief will be easy to resolve. It’s too risky to have someone in the palace make a replica of this handkerchief. It must have been made by someone in the Chen family and secretly passed on to the palace. Before our search, the Consort specifically had someone throw it into the Camellia Garden.”

"Sir, could you please find the person who made this handkerchief, or the person who threw it into the camellia garden?"

Zou Chang pondered for a moment, then said, "Leave this matter to me. I have other things to discuss with you right now."

"What is it, sir? Please tell me."

"His Majesty seems to intend to reinstate Lü Hechun as the General of Sichuan. Sichuan is close to Guizhou, and I suspect that His Majesty may have noticed something. Since Lü Hechun was transferred back to the capital two years ago, he has been neglected by His Majesty. However, this afternoon, His Majesty suddenly ordered Shen Quan and Miss Jiu Li to go to Lü's residence to deliver the annual allowance. This shows that His Majesty values ​​Lü Hechun."

Xu Bai frowned slightly. "I heard that Lü Hechun served as the general in Sichuan for seven years, suppressing nearly ten rebellions by local chieftains. He was skilled at using surprise attacks to defeat the enemy with fewer troops. In his early twenties, he followed General Quan to defeat the Oirat Mongols in Xuanfu. At that time, he was commended and recommended by General Quan."

“It’s him.” Zou Chang nodded, stood up and paced in front of the chair. “Two years ago, when he was in Sichuan, he saw that local officials were embezzling and defrauding the people by using the timber needed for the construction of the Summer Palace. So he wrote a memorial, ostensibly criticizing the Grand Prince’s brother-in-law for encroaching on the people’s land to build his own ancestral hall in the countryside. In reality, he was advising the emperor. The emperor was furious and transferred him back to the capital to recuperate and put him on hold.”

Xu Bai pondered for a moment, then stood up and looked at him from behind. "Does Your Excellency suspect that the Emperor already knows about the situation in Guizhou and wants to order Lü Hechun to return to Sichuan to quell the rebellion?"

Zou Chang nodded slowly and turned around. "At this moment, I even suspect that the Emperor is keeping the Prince under house arrest in the Prince's residence, ostensibly for the case, but actually to prevent the Prince from leaving the capital. So I will find the evidence of that handkerchief as soon as possible to test the Emperor's will. If the Emperor still refuses to lift the Prince's confinement, then the Emperor must already know about what happened in Guizhou. The Shuqiang case is just an excuse."

Xu Bai's expression turned serious. "Then what should I do?"

"Write a letter to Guizhou, informing General Zhao to be extra careful. Before the Prince arrives, do not act rashly. Also, you must find a way out so that you can escort the Prince out of the capital safely."

Xu Bai nodded in agreement, took his leave, and walked out, deep in thought. If the Emperor was on guard, even if the Prince's confinement was lifted, he would probably strengthen the defenses at every checkpoint leading out of the city. At that time, if they couldn't find out, fine, but if they did, every road would probably be a road to certain death.

He wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid that the prince would fail in his mission. So the more he thought about it, the slower his steps became. He ended up not reaching the Qi residence for half a day.

Meanwhile, Jiu Li's sedan chair returned to the Qi family. She was rewarded with a few taels of silver and the eunuchs who had escorted her back were dismissed. She then entered the mansion with her cloak and happened to meet Yang Qingnian in the corridor. She asked him if Yu Qixu and Bai had returned to the mansion.

Yang Qingnian said with a smile, "Second Master went to see Lord Zou. Mr. Yu just came back, but when he heard that the young lady had gone to the palace, he went out again."

"Where did they go again?"

"Mr. Yu didn't say."

Jiuli nodded and walked ahead on her own. When she turned her head and saw Yang Qingnian still following beside her with a smile, she said, "Steward Yang, you don't need to see me off. I know the way."

"Young lady, your status is extraordinary. It is an honor for us to have you staying in our residence. Shouldn't we take good care of you? Young lady, have you eaten since you came from the palace?"

She patted her belly and smiled, "I have eaten, but I was eating with the Emperor in the Imperial Concubine's palace, so I was a bit reserved and didn't get enough to eat."

"Shall I ask the kitchen to make something for the young lady?"

As Yang Qingnian spoke, he went to the kitchen. Jiuli returned to her room, changed her clothes, and went to the main room. She asked Li Mama, who served in the courtyard, if Yu Qi had left any message. Li Mama said that she hadn't left any message. She hadn't said anything, nor did she say anything about whether she had anything else to ask about today besides Shunzi. As she pondered this, she sat down on the couch to drink tea.

After drinking half a cup of tea, Yang Qingnian brought over a food box. "This time it's not too early or too late. I was afraid that if you ate too much for dinner, you wouldn't be able to eat anymore, so I just asked someone to cook a bowl of shrimp noodles. Please make do with this. We'll have a better meal tonight."

Jiuli smiled and thanked him, taking a couple of bites when a servant came running in to tell Yang Qingnian that Second Master Chen from the Chen family, the Imperial Uncle's family, had come to deliver New Year's gifts. The Qi and Chen families had never been on good terms, and since the Qi family lived in Nanjing, they never bothered with formalities. At this time, they were even more at odds. Why would Chen Jia personally come to deliver gifts?

She put down her bowl. "Manager Yang, why did Chen Jia suddenly send a gift?"

Although Yang Qingnian was secretly in contact with Chen Jia, he did not know the reason. However, since Chen Jia had come in person, he could not refuse him. He could only smile and say, "I don't know either. Why don't we let him in and see what he has to say?"

"Do as you please. Your second master is not here, so you, the steward, are in charge. Go and entertain him."

Before anyone could come in, the servant announced, "Master Chen says he's here to deliver gifts to the young lady and Mr. Yu."

"Giving us gifts?" Jiu Li sneered. "I think he's like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken; he's up to no good. I don't want his things. You should ask him to go back."

Just as the servant was about to leave, Yang Qingnian called him back. Yang Qingnian pondered for a moment, then turned to Jiuli and bowed, "I think it would be better for you to invite him in, Miss. He is the Imperial Concubine's nephew. You were invited to the palace by the Imperial Concubine this morning. I'm afraid the Imperial Concubine saw that you and the gentleman are guests and lack some things, so she specially sent him here."

Although Yu Qi speculated that the Emperor intended to remove the mother to protect the Fourth Prince, and that Consort Chen's arrogance wouldn't last long, it was still unreasonable for her to turn her back on someone after eating breakfast that morning, especially since she hadn't lost power yet.

After thinking it over, Jiuli could only purse her lips and say, "Then let him in. I'd like to hear what he has to say."

Yang Qingnian was too busy to go out, and Jiuli didn't get up to greet him either. She just sat on the couch without moving, glancing at Chen Jia as he called two servants to carry in a trunk. When they opened it, it contained nothing special—just some clothes and fabrics. What was strange, however, was that behind Chen Jia, a woman was swaying along—it was Qingque!

The bluebird was wearing a crooked, purple-brown outer cloak over a dark blue dress, which was still loosely covering her, revealing a long, slender, white leg as she walked. Jiuli recalled the figure she had seen near the mansion and secretly compared the two in her mind, but felt that they were not quite the same.

Seeing Jiuli sitting in the warm pavilion, Chen Jia came over and bowed, "Is Mr. Yu not home?"

Jiuli remained seated, not even looking at him, simply sipping her tea. "What business is it of yours whether my uncle is home or not? What, are you trying to bully me while he's not here? Don't forget the lesson you learned." As she spoke, she glanced down at his crotch.

Chen Jia's face turned cold, making his lips appear even redder. He laughed and said, "Miss Jiuli, you're joking. Even if I had nine lives, I wouldn't dare to bully you. I imagine you and Mr. Yu are spending the New Year in the capital, so I specially brought you New Year's gifts today. There are chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, and sheep, all of which have been sent straight to the kitchen."

Jiuli didn't offer him a seat, but simply said, "Now that the goods have been delivered, please return."

Chen Jia smiled and said, "I don't resent the way you treated me. It's all my own fault. I'll leave right away."

After speaking, Chen Jia bowed and left. When Jiu Li looked up, Chen Jia was gone, but Qing Que was still standing in the outer room. Jiu Li frowned and looked her over. "Why aren't you leaving?"

Unexpectedly, Qingque crossed her arms and slowly swayed her hips as she walked into the screen, smiling charmingly, "I am a gift from Master Chen to Mr. Yu, why are you leaving?"

Jiuli jumped up abruptly, "You! You—my uncle doesn't fall for that honey trap!"

Qingque walked over and sat down on the couch, glancing at her sideways. "What honey trap? You're overthinking it. I heard that Mr. Yu is thirty years old and still unmarried. It's rare for him to come all the way to the capital. Second Master just wants to show some hospitality."

Jiuli's eyes widened in shock. "He gave you away, and you're still defending him?!"

Qingque smiled indifferently again, "Miss, you're mistaken. I'm not one of Master Chen's men. I'm just a tutor he invited to his home. As long as he's willing to pay, I don't care who he asks me to accompany. Besides, Mr. Yu is handsome and extraordinary. Even if he doesn't pay, I'm willing."

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Author's note: Thank you for reading.