Chapter 50 Chapter 50 "I want to be close to you for a while"...
Before Zhao Qingyi could even finish her cry, she fell into the man's arms.
If someone saw her like this, she would be humiliated. She looked around in panic, fearing that someone would see her.
"No one." Chu Yuanhe's voice was cheerful, but mixed with a hint of resentment, "I just wanted to be close to you for a while. Just now in the room, you didn't even pay attention to me..."
Zhao Qingyi pushed him away and said, "My grandma is sick, how can I have the heart to spend time with you..." Before she could finish her words, her body suddenly became lighter and he picked her up and pushed her against the wall.
Zhao Qingyi's breath was choked and her heart almost jumped out of her chest.
He is so brave!
"...Put me down now!" Her eyes turned red with anxiety and her voice was trembling.
Chu Yuanhe still bargained with her, "Then kiss me."
Zhao Qingyi was so frightened at the moment that tears were about to come out. She had no choice but to hold his shoulders and pecked him on the cheek quickly.
Chu Yuanhe was finally satisfied. He put her down steadily and smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes caused by the hug.
"What are you nervous about?"
His tone and movements were slow and measured, and he spoke soothingly, "It's broad daylight, what can I do to you..."
As for things that happen at night, they will naturally be left to night.
A deep voice entered Zhao Qingyi's ears, making her blush and her eyes turn red. "Then let go and stay away from me."
The voice was soft and unthreatening, far less powerful than the one in the room before.
Chu Yuanhe preferred her look like this. He looked at the blush on her cheeks, and the smile in his eyes could not be hidden. "You were shy when you kissed me just now, but now you've become fierce. It seems I have to press you against the wall..."
Zhao Qingyi was so angry at his words that turned black into white. How dare he say that she was fierce and make fun of her?
"Why aren't you leaving?" She was embarrassed and angry, and had already slapped him.
Chu Yuanhe grabbed her slender wrist with one hand, quickly clasped her neck with the other hand, and placed a kiss on her blushing cheek. This was considered a return of favor.
"you……"
Zhao Qingyi covered the place where she had been kissed and stared at him in shock, like a young wife being molested by a lecher. She stamped her feet in shame and anxiety, "What if someone sees...you call me..."
"Hush," Chu Yuanhe reminded in a low voice with a smile in his eyes, "someone is coming now."
As soon as she finished speaking, a young aunt in a blue satin lace vest happened to come over. It was Hua Jin, who had served Meng for many years.
"County Lady, Prince." Aunt Hua Jin greeted with a smile, "The eldest lady ordered this servant to come and see the Prince off."
Zhao Qingyi quickly restrained her expression, regaining her usual dignity, distanced herself from Chu Yuanhe, and said politely, "Go slowly, Prince."
Chu Yuanhe wanted to spend some time with Zhao Qingyi, but was interrupted by this uninvited guest. He felt unhappy, but since the person was sent by Zhao Qingyi's mother, he just acted calmly.
"Ahem, I have a few questions for the county lady. It's about Lord Zhao encountering bandits on the road. Could you please wait a moment?"
Zhao Qingyi glanced at him when she heard that, and she actually admired his pretentiousness.
"This..." Aunt Hua Jin hesitated after hearing his words, and finally said, "Okay."
Although it was against etiquette, her master had something to say and as a servant, she couldn't stop him, so she stepped back a few steps, but her eyes never left the two of them.
Now Chu Yuanhe had no choice but to behave himself. He first showed concern for the old lady's condition, and then asked about the bandits.
As far as he knew, all the bandits who robbed the road that day were dead. Some were beheaded by the prince consort and his entourage, while others committed suicide by biting poison after being captured by officers and soldiers. There were no survivors at all. However, Zhao Qingyi openly told everyone that she knew the whereabouts of a bandit.
I guess he wants to lure the snake out of its hole and make the person behind the scenes lose his composure.
Chu Yuanhe couldn't help but worry, and reminded them in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "If the other party is a patient person, I'm afraid he won't fall into the trap so easily."
Zhao Qingyi was just taking a gamble. She was basically certain that it was Concubine Fang who did it. As long as the other party was guilty, she would reveal her true colors. Then she would catch her in the act and could legitimately get rid of Concubine Fang, the thorn in her side.
Chu Yuanhe disagreed, "It's still too dangerous." What if the other party was desperate and chose to attack Zhao Qingyi directly to end it all?
"You're putting yourself in the spotlight by doing this. I'll leave two secret guards for you. They'll stay close to you so no one can see you."
"Thank you for your concern, Prince." Zhao Qingyi performed all the formalities and watched Chu Yuanhe return to the prince's mansion next door before looking away.
Aunt Hua Jin was curious about what they talked about, but seeing that although the two had a secret, their behavior was not inappropriate, she felt a little relieved and returned to Meng to report everything.
Meng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that she was just overthinking it.
That night, Zhao Qingyi was resting in her room when Tan Yue came in and reported, "County Lady, Concubine Fang couldn't contain herself anymore and sent one of her confidants to sneak out of the house."
Zhao Qingyi couldn't leave the house, so he asked a clever servant to go with him to check it out. He thought he could find out useful information just like he did with Luo Gui before, but he received bad news the next morning.
The servant wiped the cold sweat from his face and said with lingering fear, "The henchman sent by Concubine Fang had just left the gambling house when he was hit by a carriage that rushed out from the street corner. He vomited blood and died on the spot."
If the servant had not been clever and well hidden, the reckless carriage would have taken two lives.
Zhao Qingyi gave him a generous reward and asked him to withdraw.
Tan Yue's face was solemn. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. It seems that there is someone behind Aunt Fang."
Things became more and more confusing. Zhao Qingyi didn't want to alert the enemy again, so he could only keep an eye on the situation in Fangfeiyuan.
That night, Aunt Fang was restless and even more terrified when she learned that her confidant had been killed by a carriage.
Could it be that Zhao Qingyi did it to intimidate her and warn her?
The desire to bring down Zhao Qingyi became stronger and stronger, stronger than ever before. She could no longer passively take the beating. She had to do something to divert the other party's attention.
"Go to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion and deliver a letter. I want to see their young lady."
—
Since the household supplies were handed back to the Meng family, the Zhao family had peace for a few days. However, rumors outside the house that Zhao Qingyi was a disaster star became more and more intense. The story that the incense burner inexplicably exploded when Zhao Qingyi was burning incense at Xiangguo Temple was widely circulated.
When the Zhao and Meng families were preparing to intervene in the rumors, the news that the old lady was seriously ill and the witchcraft puppet were also released by someone with ulterior motives.
Some cynical scholars portrayed Zhao Qingyi as a monster who brought disaster to the country and the people, and even blamed her for the downfall of the Li family, believing that she had brought misfortune to her relatives.
There was also a half-baked charlatan who told Zhao Qingyi that she had a bad face and would bring bad luck to her husband's family first and then her parents' family, and he made a very convincing statement.
Under public opinion, there were even people who blamed her for the natural disaster, believing that it was because of her, a monster, that she interfered with the disaster relief work, causing the wrath of God to continue to punish her, resulting in continuous heavy snow in Zhejiang, Nanzhili and other places. If Zhao Qingyi had not interfered, perhaps the snow would have stopped long ago.
The Zhao family has a clear ban on servants discussing their masters' affairs, but the masters of the second house are still able to discuss their affairs themselves.
"Now the eldest sister-in-law is the housekeeper in public, but in reality, everyone knows that the county magistrate is in charge. Everyone says that she is a demon and a disaster, and has a bad fate. Even if she doesn't mean to harm anyone, what if..."
"What if her fate is too strong... Oh, how can we live in peace if we have to live under her control?"
Feng believed in these gods and ghosts without a doubt, so she quickly clasped her hands together and prayed to heaven and earth for peace.
No matter how much Zhao Wenyi tried to comfort him, it was of no use.
Everyone was just listening for fun, but Feng's actions made them even more panicked.
Feng still felt that was not enough, so she ran to the old lady's bedside to gossip, implying that she wanted to take back Zhao Qingyi's so-called power to assist Meng, the housekeeper, and it would be best if she moved somewhere else to avoid bad luck.
The old lady didn't believe it at all and even scolded Feng, "Do you have a brain? This is clearly targeting Qingyi, and you can't hear it?"
"Mother-in-law, it's better to believe it than not to believe it!"
Feng clutched her chest nervously. "Ever since Qingyi came back, my daughter-in-law has indeed felt chest tightness and shortness of breath. Could I have died inexplicably?"
"Pooh, pooh, pooh." The old lady couldn't bear to listen any longer. "If you don't know how to speak, then don't speak. Wen Yi, take your mother away quickly."
Why did she choose Feng as her daughter-in-law in the first place?
Feng Shi saw the disdain in the old lady's eyes and pouted, "Mother-in-law, I'm just too concerned. I really didn't mean to harm Qingyi..."
"I know you are just a little stupid, but you don't have any bad intentions." The old lady made the final decision. She really didn't mean to blame her, but she was dissatisfied with her behavior of believing everything she heard.
Feng: “…”
"In the final analysis, my mother-in-law is partial and looks down on us, the second branch."
Feng was always being called stupid, and she was unhappy. She complained in front of the old lady, "You always side with the eldest wife and Qingyi. What if Qingyi really does something bad? Are we going to sacrifice our lives for her?"
She just wanted Zhao Qingyi to leave the Zhao family. It wasn't against any heavenly rules. The old lady didn't agree to this small request and said she was biased?
The old lady felt there was no need to talk to her second daughter-in-law anymore.
Zhao Huaishu was both angry and amused. "Second sister-in-law, don't you understand? These rumors aren't just directed at Qingyi alone, but at the entire Zhao family. Guess what news your two brothers will bring back from court?"
Feng was at a loss.
Zhao Huaishu shook his head, "If you can't figure it out, go back and wait."
At the same time, all sorts of rumors reached Zhao Qingyi's ears, almost making her laugh out of anger.
Behind the rumors, everyone has their own purpose.
Those who said she was disturbing the family home did so in order to drive her out. This also showed that the direction of his investigation had been correct. The person behind the scenes was afraid that if she stayed in the Zhao family, she would discover more secrets and was anxious to force her to leave.
As for the claim that she was meddling in court affairs, it was naturally her father's political enemies. Thinking of her father, Zhao Qingyi's heart sank.
Things in the harem were easy to handle, but matters in the court were fraught with crisis. She was beyond her reach and didn't know how her father would respond.
—
As Zhao Qingyi expected, the morning court session that day was filled with blood and gore in the Golden Palace.
His Majesty had just issued an order appointing Zhao Huaiyi as Imperial Commissioner, ordering him to immediately take disaster relief supplies to Zhejiang to help the people rebuild their houses and build bridges and roads. Immediately afterwards, memorials from the Censorate began to fly in.
The Imperial Censor impeached Zhao Huaiyi for failing to raise his daughter properly and for allowing a divorced woman to return to her parents' home and abuse her power. "...If such behavior is not curbed and severely punished, married women in the future will rush to follow suit and return to their parents' homes to act tyrannically and wield power, which will surely cause unrest in everyone's homes."
There were also censors who petitioned His Majesty to strip Zhao Qingyi of her title of County Princess, saying, "This woman has lost her moral integrity and manners, and has taken advantage of her status to act arrogantly. She is truly unfit to be a role model for women!"
They used Zhao Qingyi as a raft to make Zhao Huaiyi give up. He could only keep one between his official career and his daughter. If he wanted his daughter, he would have to accept the impeachment of the censor and be confined to his home. Naturally, he would choose someone else to go to Zhejiang.
If Zhao Huaiyi insists on being the imperial envoy, then don't blame the civil officials for their spitting, they will demote his daughter again and again.
Zhao Huaiyi was a cabinet minister favored by His Majesty, and a colleague whom Prime Minister Zhang rarely recognized. Prime Minister Zhang immediately stood up and refuted the censors, "You keep criticizing the county princess, but this woman took in refugees and donated money to disaster relief during natural disasters. She also stood up and killed her own relatives when her husband's family abused their power and persecuted the people. In your eyes, such behavior is not worthy of being a role model for women."
"And those who are now criticizing the county lady, what have you done for the court and the people when disaster struck? You all hold high positions and receive generous salaries, yet you don't do a single thing. Your actions are far inferior to those of a woman in the harem, the county lady. How dare you speak so shamelessly here?"
Wang Cifu, who had always disagreed with Prime Minister Zhang on politics, sneered, "They are impeaching Lord Zhao for failing to educate his daughter properly and allowing a divorced woman to return home and cause trouble. Lord Zhang, please stick to the facts and stop talking about other things."
"It's you who are avoiding the topic!"
Prime Minister Zhang was a man of hot temper, giving the other party no face at all. "Your Majesty appointed Lord Zhao as the Imperial Commissioner to discuss rebuilding people's livelihoods. You don't discuss state affairs, but only criticize other people's affairs! You are just trying to stop Lord Zhao from going south. Forget it!"
In front of the emperor, he openly called everyone present a bunch of good-for-nothings, which made Wang Ci Fu and others so angry that they rushed to curse back at him.
There are also quite a few people who feel guilty. Their purpose is indeed to prevent Zhao Huaiyi from going to Zhejiang. There are too many things there that cannot be seen in the light. Moreover, His Majesty has always supported the new policy. Sending Zhao Huaiyi there is definitely not just as simple as disaster relief and helping the people. Maybe it is to be the first to implement the new policy in Zhejiang.
The new policy will expose the secrets of 70% of the officials in the court, and anyone would be anxious and angry.
The two sides started arguing in the Golden Palace. At the end of the argument, someone threw the tablet in his hand and hit the forehead of an imperial censor accurately.
The scene was quiet for a moment, and then it became even more chaotic. The thrown tablet became the fuse, and a group of respectable officials in front of the crowd began to curse each other without any scruples, and some even fought.
Behind the pearl curtain, the young emperor held his chin with his hand, looking calm and composed, without any sign of anger.
Eunuch Huang was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat. He reminded in a low voice, "Your Majesty, these officials are behaving improperly in front of the emperor..." He wanted to ask whether he should call the imperial guards to arrest these officials and give them a few beatings to serve as a warning to others.
The young emperor shook his head and looked at the civil and military officials in the hall with a sharp gaze, until a boot flew out and hit Wang Ci Fu in the face.
Wang Ci Fu covered his face and howled, falling backwards. His supporters rushed over to support him and barely broke up the "melee".
"Who? Who threw the shoe?!"
Wang Ci Fu grabbed the black official boots, wishing he could tear the culprit into pieces.
What a shame! What a shame!
Considering that he was a senior cabinet minister and an important official of two dynasties, when had he ever been humiliated like this?
The officials following Prime Minister Zhang looked at each other in bewilderment, and looked at each other's feet, wondering who this hero was. Then they turned around and wrote a letter of praise, determined to record this scene that would go down in history.
The young eunuch Fugui, who was standing on the other side of the emperor, stood on one leg with a gloomy face and seemed to be about to cry.
Your Majesty, why did you have to throw his shoes at anyone else's? Now you have directly offended the elder.
The young emperor adjusted his sitting posture, straightened his back, and cleared his throat. "Oh, Eunuch Fugui was careless. I hope Lord Wang will not be angry."
Wang Ci Fu immediately stopped arguing, knelt down and kowtowed to admit his mistake, almost biting his back teeth.
The other officials knelt down and admitted their mistakes. They were so excited that they forgot that they were in the Golden Palace. Eunuch Huang was really something. He didn't come out to stop it in time.
“…” The two eunuchs didn’t want to talk.
The young emperor pretended to be serious and said, "My dear ministers, you have behaved inappropriately in front of me. However, considering your loyalty, I will fine you three months' salary and let it go. However, I quite agree with what Lord Zhang said. What do you think?"
The emperor had made his position known, so what else could they say? The royalists bowed their heads silently, swallowing their discontent and responding.
"Right now, people's livelihood is the most important thing. I provide you with high positions and generous salaries so that you can share the worries of the court and contribute to the country, not to let you keep an eye on other people's affairs in the harem. If it happens again, I will consider whether to let the Princess of Chenhua take your place."
This remark implicitly implied that all officials were useless, and those who were shy had already blushed.
At this point, the decision to appoint Zhao Huaiyi as imperial envoy was a foregone conclusion.
After returning to the Zhao family, both families received the news. Feng realized belatedly that this was what the old lady meant by her warning.
Or maybe she didn't think enough. Now that the family has not been formally divided, the lips and teeth are in danger. Rumors are directed at Zhao Qingyi and the first wife, and their second wife cannot escape either.
Zhao Huaiyi rushed to visit his daughter as soon as possible, fearing that she would be affected by the rumors and become confused.
At this moment, Zhao Qingyi was in the old lady's courtyard. She had just helped the old lady to sleep. The father and daughter were sitting in the courtyard talking. After learning what happened in the court today, she told her father not to be embarrassed and to stick to the new policy at all times. As for her, she would move back to her own house soon.
Zhao Huaiyi's beard twitched. "No, you are your father's most precious daughter. The Zhao family is your home. You can live here if you want. Why leave because of those gossips?"
His daughter had just returned home, and he had not yet fulfilled his responsibilities as a father.
"Father, you're overthinking it." Zhao Qingyi soothed softly, "It's not because of any rumors that I want to move out of the Zhao family. It's because I'm almost done with what I wanted to do."
She returned to the Zhao family only to protect her relatives. Now she has taken back the power to manage the family finances for her mother. She has replaced the people serving in the main house and the old lady's courtyard to ensure that those who are close to her are her own people.
In fact, Zhao Qingyi hasn't finished what she wanted to do, but she has been exposed to the public. If the people in the dark take action next, they will definitely come after her. If she stays in the Zhao family for a long time, she will endanger her relatives.
But she wouldn't say these words to her father, to avoid worrying him. "Don't worry, father. I'm grown up now and won't let myself be wronged. As long as you, mother, grandmother, and brother are safe, I can live well wherever you are."
Zhao Huaiyi was moved to tears by her words. "Father knows you are sensible. In fact, Father wants to keep you, but he also has his own selfish reasons. I will be leaving for Zhejiang to take up my new post soon, and I don't know when I will be back. If you are not at home, I am afraid that no one will take care of your mother and brother."
Ever since Zhao Qingyi offered the disaster relief plan, Zhao Huaiyi no longer treated his daughter as an ordinary girl. Whenever he encountered problems, he would subconsciously choose to discuss them with his daughter.
Zhao Huaiyi frankly admitted that the main purpose of His Majesty appointing him as the imperial commissioner was to allow him to find out the inside story of the Zhejiang officialdom and to secretly implement new policies to test their feasibility.
After all, there were many opponents, and neither His Majesty nor Prime Minister Zhang felt at ease if they let others do it. He had no choice but to lead the way, stand at the front line, and do it himself.
If successful, the next step would be to implement it on a large scale throughout Daliang, and he would be even more busy by then.
Zhao Qingyi supports good things that benefit the country and the people. "Father, don't worry. As long as I'm in the capital, I will keep my family safe."
Zhao Huaiyi felt ashamed again and said that he would give Zhao Qingyi a few more shop deeds as compensation. He had no time to accompany his daughter, and the only thing he could give was money.
"Don't worry, these shops were all built by my father with his own salary. Your mother doesn't know about it." Zhao Huaiyi leaned forward and said mysteriously, "We make a lot of money every year."
This made Zhao Qingyi laugh, "So father has a private room."
The atmosphere suddenly became relaxed and lively. Seeing his daughter smile, Zhao Huaiyi felt much better.
He really had no choice. His wife, Mrs. Meng, was frail and sickly, and his son, Zhao Lanyan, was still young and immature, not stable enough to handle the heavy responsibility. When he was not at home, the family could only rely on his daughter.
Just like five years ago, when he traveled to the northwest to save His Majesty and his whereabouts were unknown, his daughter, who had not yet reached the age of marriage, traveled thousands of miles to find him.
It was because of the lack of his father's protection that his daughter was forced to grow up to be so sensible. In his heart, he still hoped that Zhao Qingyi would be as innocent and carefree as an ordinary girl. This was the expectation of every father.
On the other hand, Zhao Huaiyi sighed, "It would be great if you were a man."
Zhao Qingyi smiled but said nothing. His second uncle Zhao Huailiang came over and said he wanted to discuss political affairs with his father. He was nowhere to be found and turned out to be with the old lady.
Zhao Huaiyi quickly wiped away the tears from his eyes and said, "I came to see my mother and say a few words to Panpan."
"It's my duty." Zhao Huailiang also symbolically showed concern for Zhao Qingyi and asked her if she was troubled by the rumors.
"It's all right now." Zhao Huaiyi answered for his daughter, then motioned for him to go to a quiet place with him to talk in detail. "Mother is still ill, let's not disturb her. Let's go to my study."
The two elders left and Zhao Qingyi bowed to see them off. The moment they left the yard, she suddenly felt that the previous scene was familiar.
Zhao Manyi had been so elusive before, eavesdropping on her conversation with her trusted maid.
How long had Second Uncle been here? And how much had he heard?
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