Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Slapped Chu Yuanhe
The Li family has completely changed.
Zhao Qingyi sat alone in the room for a long time, holding the imperial edict in his hand, but still could not figure out the deep meaning behind the edict.
Tan Yue came in to report on Mrs. Luo's condition. "The doctor has examined her. The old lady has suffered a stroke. She can no longer care for herself and is likely to become paralyzed."
She went to Qionghua Hall and saw the scene in great chaos. Mrs. Luo was lying on the bed, covered in filth. She was probably beyond saving. Several of her children were guarding her bedside, taking turns to take care of her. Zhao Manyi and Yuxiu were both there.
Normally, Zhao Qingyi should go as well, but she is now the Princess of Chenhua County appointed by His Majesty himself, and no one dares to ask her to do that dirty work.
Zhao Qingyi nodded and didn't say anything else.
Luo's fate was her own fault. It was retribution and there was no need to sympathize with her.
"County Lady, you've been reading this imperial edict for quite some time. Is there anything wrong with it?"
"No." Zhao Qingyi shook his head. He couldn't figure it out anyway, so he simply put the imperial edict away. As for what would happen next, he could only take it one step at a time.
Tan Yue then asked if they wanted to hold a celebration banquet. According to the style of officials, when encountering such a happy event, they would usually hold banquets for several days to announce it to the world.
Zhao Qingyi still shook her head, "Whether the position of county lady is a blessing or a curse is still unknown, so it is better to keep a low profile." In her heart, she still felt that she was not worthy of the position.
She even suspected that His Majesty wanted to praise the Zhao family to death, just waiting for her and her father to be complacent, and then someone would find fault with them and drag them off the altar, causing them to be doomed.
Tan Yue noticed that she was unhappy and asked, "Then... about going to the palace to express gratitude?"
"Of course I have to go, otherwise it would be disrespectful to His Majesty." No matter how skeptical Zhao Qingyi was, he had to observe the formalities on the surface.
Tan Yue said "Oh" and went downstairs to iron the court dress she would wear to the palace tomorrow.
After taking a careful bath, Zhao Qingyi was not in the mood to check the accounts and went to bed early.
Before daybreak the next day, she washed and dressed herself with the help of her maidservants. She was dressed particularly formally today, with a dignified Di bun and a set of red gold and emerald feather head ornaments inserted in her hair. She wore a dark blue gown with a pattern of 翟 (Zhai) birds, and a floor-length brocade skirt of the same color. A cloud-colored shawl embroidered with phoenixes, peonies, and clouds passed over her shoulders from behind and hung in front of her.
Apart from her wedding, Zhao Qingyi had only worn such solemn attire once in her previous life, when she was 36 years old and was granted the imperial decree.
Although he was still honored in this life, his state of mind was completely different.
Zhao Qingyi looked at herself in the floor-standing bronze mirror, her dignified and bright appearance, and was sure that this was not a dream.
In this life, she earned this respectability on her own rather than supporting her husband.
Qiao Yue couldn't help but sigh, "It must be that the county lady is so beautiful that she can suppress such a solemn color."
After packing up, Zhao Qingyi left the house slowly.
During this period, refugees continued to enter the capital, and the Liu couple's whereabouts were still unknown, so someone needed to keep an eye on them. Zhao Qingyi left the clever and lively Qiao Yue behind and only took Tan Yue with him.
After watching her own county mistress leave, Qiao Yue took a few servants to the Li family's old house. The old house housed many refugees and needed manpower to look after them every day. Of course, this was just an excuse for them to go out. The most important thing was to find the couple for the county mistress.
Shortly after they left the house, Zhao Manyi hid at the corner gate of Qionghua Hall, also waiting for an opportunity to leave the house.
Zhao Qingyi has been canonized as the Princess of Chenhua County. If she doesn't take action, she and Jun'er will have to live under the yoke of others for the rest of their lives.
Now that Mrs. Luo has suffered a stroke and is paralyzed, everyone's attention is focused on her. This is the best time for her to leave the house.
Little did she know that her sneaky behavior was all seen by Li Che. Just as she stepped out of the corner door, a cold male voice suddenly rang out.
"Where are you going?"
Zhao Manyi was startled. Meeting Li Che's sinister, interrogating gaze, she explained in a trembling voice, "I, I just want to go to the old house to see... to see if I can help..."
As the Li family encountered misfortunes one after another, Li Che's temperament became more and more strange, gloomy, and even extreme. Zhao Manyi sensed his suspicion and secretly swallowed her saliva.
"It was usually my elder sister who took care of the refugees. Today she is going to the palace, and I am afraid she can't take care of it." With an excuse, Zhao Manyi spoke in a much calmer voice, but still cautiously.
Li Che was indeed suspicious. He now felt that everyone he saw would betray him. He looked Zhao Manyi up and down for a long time before letting her go. "Then go ahead and come back soon."
Zhao Manyi felt relieved, forced a smile, said thank you and hurried away.
Li Che kept looking at her back, his fists hidden under his wide sleeves clenching tighter and tighter.
Zhao Manyi was completely unaware of this. She just wanted to quickly get rid of the trouble with Zhao Qingyi.
After arriving at the Li family's old house, she looked around in the crowd and finally saw a lone man in a hidden corner. The man was holding a bowl of white porridge in his hand.
He was a tall and burly guy, but his appearance was ordinary. He was inconspicuous in the crowd.
Zhao Manyi just glanced at him, and the other party caught her gaze, and a wolf-like light flashed in his eyes.
Seeing Zhao Manyi leave, the man drank the porridge in big gulps, then threw the bowl away, wiped his mouth, and followed her out.
The entrance to the old house was crowded with refugees. Qiao Yue stood on the steps with her hands on her hips, directing everyone to get their porridge in an orderly manner. At a glance, she caught a glimpse of a figure that looked like Zhao Manyi's back.
Not only that, there was a man looking around behind Zhao Manyi, who also walked hurriedly and quickly entered the alley, which immediately aroused Qiao Yue's vigilance.
Qiao Yue gave a few instructions to the servant who was distributing porridge, and followed quietly. She saw with her own eyes that the two of them turned into a dilapidated house one after the other.
Qiao Yue had a feeling something was wrong, so she tiptoed over and peeked inside through the crack in the broken door. One glance scared her so much that she covered her mouth and almost screamed.
The man inside actually... actually hugged Zhao Manyi!
The man had obviously not seen anyone for a long time, and he was eager to see Zhao Manyi. Zhao Manyi pushed him away in disgust, "I came to see you for something serious."
The other party smiled nonchalantly, "I came here because I have something important to do."
Zhao Manyi knew what he was thinking and patiently negotiated the terms, "Help me get rid of one person first."
"I've already lent you my seed, and you still want to negotiate terms with me?" The man was a scoundrel who started to make moves while talking.
Zhao Manyi was frightened by his words "borrowing sperm" and hurriedly pushed him, "Don't mention this matter again! If you dare to tell anyone, not only will you lose the money, but you will also lose your life!"
The man then stopped and said, "Okay, okay, tell me, who do you want to deal with?"
"County Lady Chenhua, do you dare to move?" Zhao Manyi raised her eyebrows and said provocatively.
The man was still hesitant at first, but when he saw her expression, he sneered, "Why not? Isn't that your eldest sister?"
Ever since he met Zhao Manyi in the nunnery, he took the initiative to inquire about everything about Zhao Manyi. He learned that she had a legitimate cousin, Zhao Qingyi, who had just been canonized as a county princess by His Majesty.
"Last time I was locked up in the woodshed, I deliberately told Li Susu about Zhao Qingyi's handle. But Li Susu is such an idiot that she messed up such a simple thing."
Otherwise, how could she have fallen to this point and be controlled by such a vulgar man?
"Li Che is in bad shape now. He keeps looking at me suspiciously all day long. If he can take advantage of the opportunity to plot against Zhao Qingyi, given Li Che's current temper, he will definitely not let her go. This way, I will be safe too."
This move can not only divert the trouble away and make Li Che pay less attention to him, but also destroy Zhao Qingyi, killing two birds with one stone.
Zhao Manyi gave the man a meaningful look. "She comes to the old house almost every day. Wait until I lead her to the room. You must seize the opportunity."
The last time she failed was only because she was not there. This time she will do it herself and will definitely make sure Zhao Qingyi has no chance of returning.
Qiao Yue covered her mouth, afraid that she would not be able to hold back and make a noise.
It turns out that the last trouble that Li Heng had suffered was instigated by Zhao Manyi behind the scenes. Now that she failed to hit him once, she wants to use the same trick again!
She wants to tell the county lady all the news!
After hearing some strange noises from inside, Qiao Yue bowed and left quickly.
At the same time, the carriage slowly approached the palace gate. When they arrived at the palace, Tan Yue could no longer accompany her master in and could only wait outside.
Led by the palace servants, Zhao Qingyi took many twists and turns and finally arrived at Fengyi Palace.
She was a woman, and as the saying goes, there is a difference between inside and outside, so she usually would not meet the emperor directly. This time she entered the palace to express her gratitude, mainly to the Empress Dowager, the only person in the harem.
Fengyi Palace is the Queen's palace, but His Majesty has not yet appointed a queen, and the throne is vacant. When Zhao Qingyi arrived here, she was a little confused. Shouldn't she be taken to Shoukang Palace where the Empress Dowager was?
The palace servant who led the way just smiled and asked her to wait in the hall.
Zhao Qingyi had no choice but to wait inside. The palace maid was worried that she would be cold, so she thoughtfully gave her a hand warmer. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait too long before a eunuch called out, "The Empress Dowager has arrived—"
Zhao Qingyi immediately knelt down and saluted.
The Grand Empress Dowager was old but still walked steadily. After letting her stand up, she looked her up and down.
That's right, it was the feeling of being scrutinized that made Zhao Qingyi vaguely uncomfortable. Fortunately, the other party didn't make things difficult for her. "Alright, I just came here to see what the person who was canonized as the Princess of Chenhua County looked like."
Sensing the strange atmosphere in the hall, Zhao Qingyi's heart was in suspense, and he lowered his eyes and remained silent.
"She has a decent appearance, and her manners... are just okay." The Empress Dowager was an extremely picky person who attached great importance to rules, but after meeting Zhao Qingyi in person, she really could not find any fault with her.
If I have to be picky...
Well, the figure is not slim enough.
Zhao Qingyi was pampered to the utmost, with abundant energy and a plump figure. As she was not young anymore, her figure had already grown up, with curves in all the right places and graceful features. With her skin as white as snow, she really looked like someone who could bring disaster to the country and the people.
Although Zhao Qingyi is very dignified and polite at the moment, who knows what she is doing in private?
The Empress Dowager couldn't help but think of her disappointing son, the long-lost Emperor. She had chosen a second-married girl instead of countless noble ladies, and that second-married girl also had a good appearance.
She was really afraid that her grandson would follow in his father's footsteps, and Chu Yuanhe's behavior was relatively worse.
His father married a second-married girl of unclear character, but he went to mess with a married woman who had not yet divorced!
If the emperor took his minister's wife and the news got out, the emperor's reputation would be ruined!
Thinking of this, the little bit of good impression she had for Zhao Qingyi disappeared, and the Empress Dowager decided to give her a good beating while the Emperor was away.
Before she could even open her mouth, a eunuch came in and said, "Grand Empress Dowager, your medicinal meal is ready."
What medicinal food?
The Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment, and when she saw that the eunuch who came in looked familiar, and seemed to be the apprentice of the eunuch Huang from the Imperial Household Department, she realized that the other party was reminding her that it was time to return to her own palace.
Is she staring at me without slacking off for a moment, afraid that she will hurt Zhao Qingyi?
The Empress Dowager felt a tightness in her chest, and the eunuch urged her again, "The Empress Dowager should have taken the medicinal food earlier to avoid worrying His Majesty."
At this point, the Empress Dowager didn't want to embarrass the Emperor, so she swallowed back all the words she wanted to say and stood up and left as the eunuch reminded her.
As soon as the Empress Dowager left, the invisible sense of oppression suddenly dissipated, and Zhao Qingyi's heart was slightly relieved. However, since the only person in the harem was gone, there was no need for her to stay.
As Zhao Qingyi was about to leave, the eunuch who had delivered the message said with a smile, "The county lady can stroll around the palace. It won't be too late to leave after lunch."
Zhao Qingyi then realized that the eunuch in front of her was the eunuch who had originally gone to the Li family to summon Li Che. This was the second time they had met, so he was not completely unfamiliar with her.
Zhao Qingyi then boldly asked, "Which nobleman wants to invite me to dine in the palace?"
"Of course it is..." The eunuch almost blurted out, but when he met Zhao Qingyi's inquiring gaze, he changed the subject, "Of course it is Her Royal Highness the Princess."
This is even more strange. If the princess wanted to keep her, she should have called her to the princess's residence. What was she doing in this empty Fengyi Palace?
The young eunuch was afraid that if he stayed any longer he might let something slip, so he quickly found an excuse to leave. Thus, only Zhao Qingyi and a few palace maids were left in Fengyi Palace.
Zhao Qingyi was really bored, so she started walking around Fengyi Palace. She followed the rules and didn't dare to be presumptuous, so she just walked back and forth outside the main hall to kill time.
Fortunately, this kind of boredom did not last too long. A familiar low laugh reached her ears. She turned around and saw the person who came in was wearing a dark suit, with black hair tied in a crown and a beautiful face.
"Prince?"
Zhao Qingyi was briefly surprised, only to realize that the nearby palace servants had quietly left without her knowing when. Her heart tightened, "This is the harem, how can the prince come and go freely?"
Chu Yuanhe paused, secretly admiring Zhao Qingyi's sharpness, and said without revealing any flaws, "I came to the palace to visit the Grand Empress Dowager. I just heard that the Grand Empress Dowager had come to Fengyi Palace, so I came to see her."
"That's really unfortunate. The Empress Dowager has already returned." The other party's explanation was quite reasonable. Zhao Qingyi did not doubt it. She bowed and said, "It's getting late. I should go back."
When passing by Chu Yuanhe, the other party was quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbing her white wrist.
As she lowered her head, a cool breeze brushed against the tips of her hair. "Zhao Qingyi, why are you hiding?"
Chu Yuanhe didn't like her status after getting married, so most of the time, he always called her Miss Zhao in a joking manner, and rarely called her by her full name.
The wrist he held was burning hot, and Zhao Qingyi panicked for the first time, "Prince, this is in the palace..."
No matter what she does in private, she still has to be tactful in the palace. If outsiders see it, she can't wash herself clean even if she jumps into the Yellow River.
No... What was she worried about? She and he were innocent.
Zhao Qingyi tried to break free, but her strength was like a kitten scratching someone. Chu Yuanhe ignored her completely. "What's going on in the palace? There's no one around. Why are you hiding?"
Yes, what am I hiding from?
Zhao Qingyi herself didn't understand, but just thinking about it made her cheeks burn.
"I called you by your maiden name, and you feel guilty?"
"I didn't." Zhao Qingyi tried to act nonchalant. "What's there to feel guilty about? It's just a name."
Chu Yuanhe stared at her with an inquiring look again, and his affectionate peach blossom eyes could not hide the loss.
Zhao Qingyi actually saw a hint of... hurt on his face?
Her heart tightened, and her drooping eyelashes couldn't help but tremble slightly.
She was ashamed inside, ashamed of what she had done.
Knowing the other person's feelings, she still accepted a lot of help from him. Now, not only can she not repay the favor, but she also acted recklessly after drinking, and now she has caused him sadness...
"If I have offended the prince in the past, I hope the prince will bear with me and not take it to heart..." These are all drunken nonsense and should not be taken seriously.
Chu Yuanhe's tone rose a little, revealing joy, "You really remember!"
“…” It’s over, time to settle the score.
Zhao Qingyi wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into. From the moment Chu Yuanhe called her by her full name, some memories that she had deliberately forgotten gradually became clear, and the stupid things she did while drunk that night were still vivid in her mind.
Chu Yuanhe was a frivolous person. Before she responded to his feelings, he had joked with her several times. If Chu Yuanhe took the incident of that night to heart, it would be difficult for her to get away.
"Prince, if there is anything, we can talk about it later..."
Zhao Qingyi was really scared. First, there were many spies in the palace, and second, she still didn't know who had kept her in Fengyi Palace. What if that person suddenly showed up...
Before Zhao Qingyi could think any more, a tall and straight body suddenly embraced her. Without any warning, she threw herself into his thick chest and was swept back step by step until her back was against a thick-trunk sycamore tree.
Zhao Qingyi's mind completely froze. Such a close distance was beyond her acceptable and safe limit, making her heart beat wildly.
"You..." She was a little embarrassed.
"Someone is coming." Chu Yuanhe's expression was very serious, and his chest was almost pressing against hers.
One side was as solid as a wall of iron and steel, while the other side was incredibly soft. When the two collided, Zhao Qingyi turned her head away in embarrassment, and saw several palace maids passing by where she had stood before, without looking sideways, but without glancing at them.
Just when he was about to scold Chu Yuanhe, he swallowed the words back.
She misunderstood.
She thought Chu Yuanhe was taking advantage of her.
Both of them held their breath until the palace maids were completely gone. Zhao Qingyi didn't dare to look down, so she could only keep her head up and glance at the wrist that was pressed above her head by him.
"You can let me go now." The soft voice had a barely perceptible tremor.
After the other party loosened the shackles, Zhao Qingyi found that his legs were a little weak, probably because he was frightened. He had to hold on to the tree trunk behind him to steady himself and quickly straighten the wrinkles on his clothes.
"Zhao... No, I should call you County Princess now." Chu Yuanhe said as if nothing had happened. "County Princess, we haven't seen each other for so long. How come we've become so distant?"
"No." They were not familiar with each other, so Zhao Qingyi walked around him.
Chu Yuanhe smiled and followed him in three or two steps, "I haven't finished what I want to say yet..."
Zhao Qingyi's ears were buzzing, and she couldn't help but spit at him, "Get away from me, or someone will see us again."
"No one will come." She walked so fast that Chu Yuanhe could only hold her back again. "You haven't even had a good look at this palace yet, how can you just leave like that?"
Chu Yuanhe looked helpless. "I'm going to be honest with you. His Majesty asked me to take you around Fengyi Palace and show you how well it's built. Is there anything that doesn't suit your taste?"
Ever since his father and mother left the palace, the Queen's bedroom has been vacant. Now that he has succeeded to the throne, he has renovated it in a way that Zhao Qingyi might like.
Zhao Qingyi was unaware of this. She lowered her head and said, "How can a mere woman from outside the royal family criticize the Queen's bedroom?"
Chu Yuanhe must be making fun of him again. "If the prince keeps making trouble, I'll call for help."
"Go ahead and shout," Chu Yuanhe said righteously, teasing Zhao Qingyi. "Shout until your throat is hoarse. I must complete the task assigned by His Majesty today."
Zhao Qingyi stopped and the doubts that had been lingering in her mind all night seemed to be connected at this moment, giving her a sudden foreboding premonition.
She had only donated 30,000 taels of silver, and in return had received the status of a county lady, and even been given an extremely presumptuous title. Now, His Majesty had her brought to the Empress's chambers...
Could it be what she thought? This is too absurd.
Not to mention that she was already married, even if the emperor really coveted her, it was impossible for her to be given the position of queen right away.
...Chu Yuanhe was indeed making fun of her again!
"I almost believed your lies." Zhao Qingyi slapped his hand away and turned away without hesitation.
Just as she was about to step out of the gate of Fengyi Palace, Chu Yuanhe stepped aside to block her way, and said with a playful smile, "This is the order of His Majesty, do you dare to disobey?"
"Don't talk nonsense." Zhao Qingyi scolded in a low voice and looked around subconsciously.
She had only done such acts of contempt for the emperor when she was young and ignorant. Even if she had some ideas in her mind now, she couldn't speak out loudly in front of others. Isn't that courting death?
Chu Yuanhe noticed her little movements, and his smile became brighter, making her peach blossom eyes look even more charming.
He lowered his voice and said in a negotiating tone, "If you really don't want to obey His Majesty, then... obey me."
Afraid that Zhao Qingyi couldn't remember, he leaned over to her ear and made a mysterious promise, "Don't worry, I will never mention the fact that you said you would support me after the divorce to anyone else, including Your Majesty."
Zhao Qingyi's pupils trembled violently. She...she actually said such nonsense?!
"Impossible, I didn't say that. Stop slandering me." Zhao Qingyi was obviously anxious, and his speech speed was a few points faster than usual.
This time her palm directly hit Chu Yuanhe's handsome face.
She really couldn't stand the other party's close contact again and again. It made her feel inexplicably oppressed and she didn't dare to look him in the eye.
She also felt guilty because she knew Chu Yuanhe was not talking nonsense, and most of those nonsense were probably said by her after drinking.
She admitted that Chu Yuanhe's appearance was quite attractive, but she swore that she was simply appreciating his beauty and had no other intentions.
"Don't tell such jokes again, Prince!"
Zhao Qingyi was so upset that she almost ran away.
Apart from being beaten by his father when he was young, this was the first time in Chu Yuanhe's life that someone had the audacity to slap him in the face.
He touched his face, his expression dazed: "..."
It didn't hurt. With the little strength Zhao Qingyi used, she just pushed him on the face. What was more touching than the pain was that there was still a trace of her fragrance on his cheek.
Chu Yuanhe touched his face, slowly turned around, looked at the figure walking faster and faster, and instantly understood the sour jokes in the storybook.
When someone slaps you, the fragrance arrives before the slap even lands.
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