Chapter 17 Chapter 17 "Your Majesty, that person seems to be Zhao Da...
"Jade sleeves!"
Several people shouted out at the same time. Yu Xiu was almost suffocated by Zhao Manyi's pinch. Fortunately, Qiao Yue stepped forward and forcefully separated the two. Zhao Manyi, a delicate and weak lady, was directly pushed to the ground by Qiao Yue.
Under the moonlight, the face covered with rashes looked distorted and terrifying. Luo and Li Susu exclaimed in unison.
This face is really scary.
When Li Jiao saw his own mother being strangled by someone, he was so anxious that tears were about to come out. He wanted to go over, but Yu Xiu stopped him.
"Don't come over here! I told you, Miss Third's rash is contagious. It looks...it looks like smallpox!"
As soon as the word "smallpox" came out, another thunder roared. No one dared to move forward and hid far away. Luo was even more terrified. She covered her mouth and nose and urged, "Then, then why don't you send him away quickly!"
Li Susu also urged, "Hurry up and kick that woman out! If she stays any longer, our whole family will be harmed by her!"
She was afraid of bad luck, so she hurriedly pulled Li Jiao over and said, "Please don't let Jiao'er get involved. Jiao'er is the eldest son of our Li family!"
"That's right, that's right. Don't infect my precious grandson." Mrs. Luo scolded Zhao Qingyi, "Ms. Zhao, why are you still standing there? Send your sister out right away!"
In a flash, Zhao Qingyi realized that the so-called smallpox was probably fake, and that Yuxiu had fought back.
She looked at Yuxiu with a meaningful look in her eyes. Yuxiu just nodded at her secretly. At the moment, only Zhao Qingyi could make the decision.
"Third sister, don't get excited. I'll have someone send you to the clinic right away." Zhao Qingyi winked at the maid. Qiao Yue was brave enough to guess that it was not real smallpox, so she pretended to cover her mouth and nose and went over to support Zhao Manyi.
Zhao Manyi had cried and gone crazy, and now she had no strength left, so she was quickly taken out of the house by Qiao Yue.
"Everyone, leave. Seal off Liulizhai. No one is allowed to enter or leave." Otherwise, if someone becomes suspicious and comes in to investigate, Yuxiu's tricks will not be concealed.
Yuxiu was grateful and relieved. Luo and the others didn't dare to stay and preferred to believe it. They all stayed away. Even Li Jiao was taken back to Qionghua Hall by Luo, for fear that Li Jiao would be implicated by Zhao Manyi and get into trouble.
Li Che was so busy with Yu Xiu that he had no time to confess the identity of his other child to Luo. So far, Luo only loved Li Jiao as her grandson.
As for Li Che, he was very afraid of death, so he returned to his yard and started bathing and scrubbing non-stop. The room was fumigated with mugwort and the air was filled with smoke.
Liulizhai was empty in an instant. Yuxiu stood in the courtyard and explained to Zhao Qingyi outside, "Don't worry, Madam. It's not smallpox. It's just that the Third Miss drugged my clothes and tried to disfigure me. I just gave her a taste of her own medicine by having my maid tamper with her food."
In order to drive Zhao Manyi away, she pretended to get a few red rashes on her face, claiming that this thing might be contagious. No matter what the result was found out from Zhao Manyi, she had sent the person away. Given how much the Luo family feared death, they would not let Zhao Manyi come back easily.
Tan Yue was speechless. "Aunt Yuxiu, aren't you afraid of getting yourself into trouble? What if the master gets scared of you and never comes to your room again..."
"Isn't there still Grandmother? Grandmother, just invite a doctor over and say it's not smallpox, but just something you ate wrong. That will put an end to the panic in the mansion. I'll clean up the mess later and never give anyone a chance to accuse you."
Zhao Qingyi also thought of this and said helplessly, "Since you have nothing to do, go back and rest. I will ask the doctor to come over."
Yuxiu bowed, "Sorry to bother grandma."
On the way back to Lanyue Pavilion, Tan Yue was still terrified. "Grandma, can we really trust Aunt Yuxiu when she acts like this?"
She didn't know that Zhao Manyi and Li Che were secretly having an affair, so of course she couldn't hate Zhao Manyi. From her perspective, she only felt that Yuxiu's actions were too cruel.
Zhao Qingyi smiled faintly, "She can't harm us."
In her previous life, Zhao Manyi rescued Yuxiu from the farm. Yuxiu volunteered to be a slave and secretly gave Zhao Manyi a lot of advice. Otherwise, with Zhao Manyi's impetuous personality, it would have been difficult for her to hold on until the moment when she, the eldest grandmother of the Li family, fell ill.
But things are different now. Yuxiu is hers, and those schemes are no longer used against her. This is enough. As for how Yuxiu and Zhao Manyi compete with each other, she is happy to see it happen.
When Qiao Yue returned from the clinic, it was already three o'clock in the morning. She went inside and reported, "Grandma, the third young lady has gone back to the Zhao family."
Tan Yue sighed, "I'm afraid that Concubine Fang won't let it go once she finds out."
Zhao Manyi is the concubine's daughter of the second wife, and the second wife is not favored. Instead, Zhao Manyi's biological mother, Concubine Fang, is more favored. What if Concubine Fang knows that her daughter has been plotted against and comes to her grandmother to ask for an explanation?
Qiao Yue curled her lips and said, "She's just a concubine. Even if she has some tricks up her sleeve, she can't even reach into our grandmother's backyard."
Zhao Qingyi had already gone to bed and was listening to the maid's reply through the green gauze tent when his eyelids suddenly twitched.
At the same time, Aunt Fang's Fangfeiyuan was in chaos.
Aunt Fang held her crying daughter in her arms, and said angrily, "Who made you so anxious? Now, you've been tricked by a concubine."
Zhao Manyi didn't know that Yuxiu could be so cruel. In her opinion, she was the only one who hated Yuxiu, and there was no reason for Yuxiu to harm her. Apart from the fact that she smeared the powder on the new dress, she had never offended her again.
"I heard that she was brought back from the farm by that damned Zhao Qingyi. She must have been in cahoots with Zhao Qingyi."
Zhao Manyi was puzzled. "But, Zhao Qingyi has always been nice to me. Why would she want to harm me?"
"You're stupid." Aunt Fang poked her forehead with her index finger. "If she knew about what happened between you and Li Che, do you think she wouldn't be wary of you? I've taught you before. Don't act rashly or alert the enemy before you're completely sure."
Zhao Manyi had no idea when she was exposed. After thinking about it, she felt that it was impossible, unless Zhao Qingyi had eight hundred eyes staring at her, or had the ability to predict the future.
Aunt Fang sighed. She had fought in the harem her entire life, and her only mistake was not teaching her daughter the ropes. But looking at her daughter's face covered in rashes, she couldn't bear to scold her. "Forget it, forget it. Just take good care of yourself these days. The doctor said this rash isn't smallpox, and it will heal if you take care of it. It won't disfigure you."
At this point, Zhao Manyi touched her face and choked up, "But, my brother-in-law has seen me like this. If he dislikes me..."
She didn't dare to think about it anymore. In front of her was Zhao Qingyi, who was as beautiful as a fairy, and behind her was Yuxiu, who was Li Che's childhood sweetheart and was good at seducing people. Now that she had lost her face, how could she win Li Che's heart?
After thinking about it, it was still because of Zhao Qingyi.
"Now Zhao Qingyi is the only one who has the final say in the Li family. Jun'er is still in the Li family, and I don't know if the servants are taking good care of him. If it weren't for Zhao Qingyi, my brother-in-law would definitely let me continue living in the Li family!"
The more Zhao Manyi thought about it, the sadder she became. She knew that her status could not compare with Zhao Qingyi's. She was born out of wedlock, and her biological father was only a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Department. She could not compare with her uncle who held a high position and had a high salary. She also did not have a grandfather as wealthy as the Meng family. Li Che had been hiding her because she was not as outstanding as Zhao Qingyi.
It was Zhao Qingyi who had persuaded the cabinet to transfer Li Che back to the capital. She had simply gotten the news from her aunt first and told Li Che, taking the credit for herself, which earned her a liking from Li Che.
But this is not a long-term solution after all.
"Mom, I overheard her at her door. My uncle and his family are coming back. If they come back, Zhao Qingyi will be even more proud. My brother-in-law will be even more dependent on her. Then when will I be able to become the eldest grandmother of the Li family?"
Aunt Fang stroked her daughter's hair, her eyes cold as frost, a hint of murderous intent quietly growing in her heart, "Don't worry, mother will find a way to deal with her. Tell me in detail, what did you hear at her door last time?"
Zhao Manyi looked at Aunt Fang blankly, and subconsciously said, "I seem to have heard her say that my uncle and his family had to take a detour back to Beijing via Shunde Prefecture..."
—
Zhao Qingyi tossed and turned all night, her eyelids twitching constantly. When she woke up the next day, the two maids who were dressing her were frightened by the two dark spots under her eyes.
Tan Yue hurriedly took out the boiled eggs and rolled them back and forth in front of Zhao Qingyi's eyes.
Zhao Qingyi herself couldn't explain why she was so uneasy. She looked absent-minded during the meal and only raised her head when Mother Luo came in to deliver a message.
After being punished last time, Mother Luo was much more obedient. She said with an apologetic smile, "Grandma, the doctor came to see Concubine Yuxiu and said that her face was not from smallpox. The old lady is relieved. However, she still thinks it is unlucky and wants you to accompany her to Xiangguo Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings."
Tan Yue saw that Zhao Qingyi was not in high spirits and was about to refuse, but Zhao Qingyi had already agreed, "I know, I'll go over later."
It was not a good thing to be so uneasy all the time, so she simply went to the temple to pray to the Buddha, asking him to bless her parents and brother to return to Beijing safely.
Xiangguo Temple is the most popular temple near Shangjing, with a constant stream of pilgrims coming and going. Zhao Qingyi changed into a low-key plain long gown and went out with Luo and others. Li Jiao and Jun Ge'er also went with them.
Last night, after Luo took Li Jiao to her courtyard, she wanted to send Jun away. Li Che stopped her in time and told Luo the truth, which scared Luo again. However, she was still happy to have a grandson. Of course, she had to hide this from Zhao Qingyi.
In order to avoid trouble, she and Li Susu have not taken the initiative to provoke Zhao Qingyi recently, and the group arrived at Xiangguo Temple peacefully.
The Li family was a small family in Beijing, and Zhao Qingyi wore a veiled hat to keep a low profile. There were no young monks coming out to meet them at Xiangguo Temple, so they could only follow the direction of the pilgrims and walk towards the main hall.
The sandalwood incense in the main hall turned into mist, and the flickering flames of the eternal lamps in front of the Buddha made the golden body of Tathagata appear bright and dim.
Zhao Qingyi took off his veil, held the incense stick in his hand, made a wish, and bowed three times. He then personally inserted the incense into the gilded tripod. At the signal of the little monk, he put on his veil again and walked towards the Zen room where pilgrims could rest.
After crossing the threshold, she turned into a narrow corridor. Zhao Qingyi had just taken a few steps when two figures appeared from the opposite side. She could vaguely see the figures of men through the veil. When they were about to approach, she subconsciously dodged to the side.
However, the road was too narrow to accommodate several people walking side by side. When the person passed by, the corner of his black brocade robe was lifted up, and the wide sleeves inevitably collided with Zhao Qingyi's hanging gauze curtain, bringing with them a burst of bitter pine scent.
"Miss, be careful."
A low voice sounded above his head. Because Zhao Qingyi was wearing a veil, the other party could not tell her identity. He just turned around and gave her a light support. However, at the moment when the veil was lifted up and fell down, the man seemed to catch a glimpse of her face and was stunned for a moment.
Zhao Qingyi didn't dare to look up. The maid came up and helped her adjust her veil, and then they went their separate ways.
After taking only a few steps, Zhao Qingyi slowly stopped. She didn't look up just now, but she could hear the man's voice. It seemed familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
On the other side, Chu Yuanhe and Fugui, who were in disguise, also stopped after stepping over the threshold.
Fugui whispered, "Your Majesty, that person just now seemed to be Grandma Zhao."
Chu Yuanhe's throat rolled slightly, "I know."
He took a quick glance and saw the face under the veil, which was very familiar to him.
After not seeing each other for many years, Zhao Qingyi's facial features had grown and matured, different from the youthful and immature appearance before she came of age. Logically, it would be difficult for him to recognize her at first glance, but he had seen the 36-year-old Zhao Qingyi in his dream.
In the dream, she was lying in a coffin, her face gentle and peaceful, just like how she would look when she grew up. The temperament between her eyebrows and eyes was exactly the same as she is now at the age of eighteen.
His dream was not wrong.
Chu Yuanhe's chest suddenly surged with turbulent waves. If everything in the dream was real...
He didn't dare think about it anymore.
Fugui didn't notice his expression. He was still watching Zhao Qingyi's back as she left. Seeing Luo's mother and daughter following behind, he said, "It should be the women of the Li family who came out to burn incense together. Seeing that Grandma Zhao looks worried, is she praying for Master Zhao?"
Yes, in the dream, this year, Zhao Qingyi’s parents and younger brother were killed by robbers on the road.
He should do something.
Chu Yuanhe suddenly raised his eyes and said, "Go back and tell the Imperial Guard, Captain Yang, to find out Zhao Huaiyi's route back to the capital, and pass the news to the Princess and her husband who are about to return to the capital."
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