Chapter 196 Tongjia Clan, the Sucker

Yonghe Palace, East Annex Hall.

Lady Qi returned to her bedchamber in a daze.

The composure she had maintained in Kunning Palace had long since crumbled.

She seemed to have all her strength drained away, and slumped down on the embroidered stool in front of the dressing table.

A pale face, etched with despair, was reflected in the mirror.

Twenty-three thousand seven hundred and fifty taels!

This astronomical sum of money made her feel like her internal organs were convulsing.

How should she bring it up with Ama?

Her maternal family, Qijia, sounds like a prominent Manchu family, but that was merely the glory of her ancestors.

Father now only holds a sinecure in the capital, with a meager salary. Although the family looks respectable, they are actually living paycheck to paycheck.

In the capital city, a place teeming with powerful and wealthy people, their family was nothing special.

A thousand taels of silver was an astronomical sum for the family, requiring a long period of frugal living to scrape together; more than twenty thousand taels…

This is practically forcing the whole family to die!

If this devastating news were to reach their home, what would their father and mother do?

Enraged? Disappointed?

They would probably sever ties with this unfilial daughter immediately to avoid dragging the whole family down with her, right?

"Your Majesty... what's wrong? Her Majesty the Empress... she didn't pursue... that matter, did she?"

Seeing her master's ashen face, Yunxiu felt uneasy and asked cautiously.

She was referring to the failed attempt to murder Uya.

Qi Jia waved her hand weakly, her voice hoarse and choked with sobs.

"It wasn't about Lady Wuya... it was Her Majesty the Empress who ordered me to compensate for the damaged display cabinet and porcelain ornaments at cost..."

Upon hearing this, Yunxiu breathed a slight sigh of relief and patted her chest.

"Master, so that's what it is. It's alright, we'll just have to accept the loss. All those items, in total, were probably only worth around a thousand taels of silver at their original price. We can cut back on our allowances and ask the household for some more, and we should be able to..."

"Not a thousand taels!"

Qi Jiashi abruptly interrupted her, and tears finally streamed down her face.

"Her Majesty the Empress demands that I pay 23,750 taels of silver!"

How much...?

Yunxiu gasped, thinking she had misheard.

"Master, how much did you say? More than twenty thousand taels?"

Her voice changed from surprise.

"This...this is simply..."

She didn't dare to say aloud that the Empress was openly robbing her.

"I know, I know this is an outrageous demand..."

Qi Jia lay on the dressing table, her shoulders trembling violently.

"But that's the Empress! Her word is law. If she demands compensation, how dare I refuse? How dare I accuse her of extortion?"

She raised her tearful eyes, tightly gripped Yunxiu's hand, almost digging it into Yunxiu's flesh.

"Yunxiu, what should I do? If Father finds out, he'll probably tie me up and drown me in the pond right away. Where will my family... where will they get so much money? This is forcing me to die!"

Seeing her master in such despair, Yunxiu panicked and quickly tried to comfort her.

"Master, you mustn't do anything foolish. Money is just an external thing. We'll think of a way slowly; we'll eventually raise it..."

"Take your time to think?"

Qi Jia smiled bitterly, a smile that was even more unsightly than a cry.

"Her Majesty the Empress has only given us three days! After three days, the Imperial Guards will come and confiscate our property to settle our debts! How can we afford to think things through?"

The more she thought about it, the more desperate she became, and her eyes gradually became empty.

"I can't tell my family... I can't implicate them... They say that death absolves all debts, so if I die, surely the Empress won't bother my family anymore..."

"Master! Don't talk nonsense!"

Seeing that she was contemplating suicide, Yunxiu was terrified and shook her arm violently.

"Don't worry, don't rush to make a decision. We still have three days, we're sure we can think of a solution!"

Qi Jia shook her head in despair.

"What other way is there? Besides having Father borrow and raise the money, what other way is there to pay this debt? Do you think a sucker will fall from the sky and help me pay off this debt?"

"What a sucker..."

Yunxiu murmured the word over and over again. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as if she had grasped a lifeline, and she said urgently.

"Master! You're right, there's a sucker out there who can help you pay off this debt!"

Qi Jia suddenly looked up, her eyes brimming with tears and a hint of disbelief and hope.

"who?"

"Princess Tongjia!"

Yunxiu lowered her voice, but her tone was unusually certain.

Qi Jia was taken aback at first, then her eyes flashed with an astonishing light.

"Yes! Yes! Lady Tongjia! How come I didn't think of her!"

She was like a dying person grasping at the last piece of driftwood, so excited that she was incoherent.

"I was ordered by her to attack Wuya, which is why I damaged those items. Now that things have come to this, I don't care if I offend her anymore. She should pay for this debt. If she doesn't, I will take this to the Emperor. I will not get away with this, and she will not get away with it either!"

Yunxiu nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“What the master says is true. Why should we risk our lives for her, spending money and effort, and taking enormous risks, while she sits back and reaps the benefits without paying a single price? There’s no such logic in the world! She should pay for this money!”

Qi Jia seemed to have been revitalized; she suddenly stood up and wiped away the tears on her face.

His eyes became resolute and ruthless.

“Yunxiu, you’re right! The sooner the better. Let’s go to Chengqian Palace to find Princess Tongjia now. Her Tongjia family is very wealthy. This little bit of money is a disaster for me, but for her, it’s just a matter of a word!”

She straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and hair, trying to appear calmer.

"Let's go! We're heading to Chengqian Palace right now!"

————————

West Annex Hall.

The food boxes for dinner had already been removed, and only a few candles were lit in the hall, casting a dim, yellowish light.

She sat on the couch by the window, holding a book in her hand, casually flipping through it.

The palace door opened softly, and the eunuch Xiao Guzi bowed and entered.

He lowered his voice to reply.

"Your Majesty, Consort Qi Jia and Yun Xiu left in a hurry without even having dinner."

Uya put down her book, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

At this hour, Qi Jia was not in her palace frantically trying to raise the huge debt of more than 20,000 taels of silver.

Why are you rushing out the door?

Do you know which direction she went?

"Uya asked."

Xiao Gu shook his head.

Uya frowned and pondered for a moment before giving the order.

"Little Gu, go and see which palace she went to."

Xiao Guzi respectfully withdrew from the west side hall.

After watching Xiao Guzi leave, Wuya muttered to herself.

"Zhu Xi, if she doesn't try to raise money right now, who else can she turn to?"

Zhu Xi, who was standing to the side, had already been thinking quickly. Upon hearing this, she stepped forward, her voice clear and calm.

"My lord, have you forgotten? Your past service at Chengqian Palace..."

Before she could finish speaking, Uya understood and suddenly slapped her forehead.

"It was my momentary folly, Lady Tongjia of Chengqian Palace!"

Her eyes cleared instantly, revealing a hint of understanding.

"That's right, so she had already gotten close to the Tongjia clan all along. It seems that the Tongjia clan might have played a part in her trying to kill me last time!"

Zhu Xi nodded gently.

“What you think, mistress, coincides with what I think. Instead of raising money, Consort Qi Jia is rushing out. After thinking it over, I think the only way for her is to go to Chengqian Palace and find Princess Tong Jia.”

After all, Lady Qi had no other strong allies in the palace.

The only person she would turn to for help in such a predicament was the illustrious Princess Tongjia.

Uya slowly sat up straight, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"It seems that's the case. She was desperate and went to her master for help..."

She could almost picture how Qi Jia would act in front of Tong Jia, pleading desperately.

Or... a cornered dog might do something desperate?

"Zhu Xi, do you think the Tongjia clan will help her?"

Uya seemed to be asking Zhu Xi, or perhaps asking herself.

Zhu Xi pondered for a moment, then cautiously replied.

“This servant dares not make a rash judgment. Princess Tongjia comes from a wealthy family, and although more than 20,000 taels of silver is not a small amount, it may not be something she cannot afford. However… whether she is willing to pay such a high price for a pawn that is incompetent and may even turn against her is unknown.”

Uya nodded, a calculating glint in her eyes.

"Let's see. Whether Tongjia helps or not, it probably won't be a good outcome for Qijia."

She gave a cold laugh.

“This sum of money is no small amount. If Tong Jia doesn’t want to pay, given Qi Jia’s current desperate stance, she might turn around and bite back. It’ll be a dog-eat-dog situation.”

She picked up the book again, her tone regaining its calm.

"Whether it is true or not, we'll know when Xiao Guzi comes back."