Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Pig Killing, Luo fainted
Li Che was disabled, but fortunately he had two sons before, so the Li family was not extinct. However, for a family like theirs, the more offspring the better.
If the wives and concubines in the harem could still get pregnant, it would be a great joyous event, but unfortunately, the one who is pregnant now is Zhao Manyi who made a mistake.
Calculating the time, she had been driven to the nunnery for more than a month. Before that, she had made love with Li Che almost every night, so it was not surprising that she was found to be pregnant now.
Luo originally wanted to wait until the storm died down before killing Zhao Manyi, but now Zhao Manyi is pregnant, so it is not easy to do it. Even if she wants to do it, she has to wait until the baby is born.
Yes, Luo still wants this child.
After all, it is unknown whether Li Che's life force can be restored. She is of course inclined to keep Zhao Manyi's child, regardless of gender, because it is at least the blood of the Li family.
But it depends on Li Che's intention.
Luo was worried. She carefully looked at her son's face and realized that Li Che was injured. "Oh, what happened? Why is he injured and bleeding for no reason..."
Li Che, however, avoided her concern, covered his bleeding arm and said coldly, "Mother, do you want the child in that bitch's belly?"
He could not hide the disgust in his tone, and he still refused to accept the fact that he was useless.
Mrs. Luo didn't want to offend anyone and smiled awkwardly, "Che'er, I just feel that no matter how wrong Zhao Manyi is, the child in her belly is innocent..."
Since sending Zhao Manyi away, Junger has become noticeably colder towards her as his grandmother, while Li Jiao is close to Zhao Qingyi and not close to her as her grandmother. As for the fetus in Yuxiu's belly, she has privately asked the doctor, and he is most likely a daughter.
In this case, Luo could only pin her hopes on the child in Zhao Manyi's belly and raise it by her side as soon as it was born.
Li Che had a sinister look on his face and did not respond to Luo immediately. Qingshi brought a doctor in to bandage his wound.
Mrs. Luo was feeling embarrassed when she saw a long bloody scar on her son's arm. She immediately scolded him, "How did you get this wound?"
Qingshi did not dare to hide anything and told the truth.
Hearing it was Zhao Qingyi again, Mrs. Luo was furious. "These Zhao sisters were born to bring bad luck to our Li family!"
Li Che was annoyed and said, "Okay, don't worry about what happens in my room, mother."
Luo was feeling rather embarrassed and had no choice but to tell him to take good care of his injuries. She returned to her own courtyard in a depressed mood, but she still couldn't let go of her offspring, so she asked Luo's mother to take a trusted doctor to the nunnery in person.
"Go check the month to see if it matches the time you had sex with Che'er. If it does... bring her over first." Luo gave the order while suppressing her disgust.
The next day, everyone in the mansion knew that Zhao Manyi was pregnant and would soon return. However, Luo Shi, who was so stingy, spent money to expand a courtyard called Jing'an Courtyard to allow Zhao Manyi to take care of her pregnancy. It was located on the west side of Qionghua Hall.
The courtyard is not big, not even as big as the Liulizhai where Yuxiu lives, but it is quiet and adjacent to Qionghua Hall. Luo also specially changed the position of the courtyard gate and built Jing'an Courtyard into her own side courtyard. People who live there must pass through Qionghua Hall if they want to go out.
In this way, every move of the people inside was under Luo's eyes.
Zhao Manyi didn't care about it. On the carriage back home, she held her flat belly and sneered.
She was indeed not destined to die, and she really had to thank her belly for being strong enough to give her a chance to turn things around.
The news reached Lanyue Pavilion on the eve of New Year's Eve. Zhao Manyi returned home quietly that day. In order to take good care of the fetus in her womb, Luo specially bought two maids to serve her.
Yuxiu couldn't sit still anymore, and went to find Zhao Qingyi with her big belly, "Grandma, I'm afraid this Aunt Zhao is here with bad intentions."
She had been staying in the hospital to take care of her pregnancy for some time and rarely went out. This time she even forgot to wear a veil, and many snowflakes fell from her hair on her shoulders, which showed that she was in a hurry.
Zhao Qingyi glanced at her and told Tan Yue to give her a hot water bottle.
After expressing her gratitude, Yuxiu became worried. "You know my old master's current situation. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to have children in the future. It's all my fault that I didn't do well this time. I was pregnant with a daughter..."
Some time ago, Judge Liao came to her house and took her pulse. He said that she was most likely pregnant with a girl. Otherwise, how could Zhao Manyi have such a glorious time?
"No rush, it's just a child." Zhao Manyi poured a cup of calming tea and handed it over. "After all, he's a bastard born to a lowly concubine. How can he compare to a proud child?"
She knew what Yuxiu was worried about. She was simply afraid that Zhao Manyi would once again use her son's status to gain power, and stay in the Li family to cause trouble for them, thus affecting Li Jiao's status.
But what Zhao Qingyi was suspicious about was the child's origin.
At the beginning, Li Che frequently wanted to consummate his marriage with her. Thanks to Chu Yuanhe's enlightenment, she came up with the idea of eliminating the trouble forever, so when she plotted against Zhao Manyi and Li Che, she did not hold back.
The deer blood wine that Li Che drank every day was mixed with good things. Long before Liao Yuanpan diagnosed him with impotence, Li Che had already lost the ability to have children.
The child in Zhao Manyi's belly...
Thinking of this, Zhao Qingyi suddenly chuckled.
Things are getting more and more interesting.
Yuxiu was extremely anxious. Seeing that she could still smile, she couldn't help but wonder, "Grandma, aren't you worried that Aunt Zhao will come back and cause trouble?"
If she dares to stir up trouble, she will be courting death.
Zhao Qingyi comforted Yuxiu and told her to relax. Then he asked the maid to bring the account books from the mansion and began to explain some household matters.
She had no choice but to hand it over. Zhao Qingyi would divorce sooner or later, but she had already recognized Jiao'er as her child. She couldn't just abandon him after the divorce. She had to prepare a way out for the child. Besides, all her attention was on the shop outside, and she really couldn't take care of it. So she simply handed over part of the household management to Yuxiu, asking her to help and ease her worries.
This saves her from having nothing to do every day and thinking about all sorts of things.
Yuxiu was flattered. "Grandma, the power of household necessities has always been in the hands of the mistress. How dare I, a concubine, overstep my bounds?"
"I'm busy making money and don't have the energy to take care of the harem. You're Jiao'er's biological mother. When Jiao'er grows up and sets up his own household, you'll have to take care of the harem for him. It's not a bad idea to learn now. Just share the burden with me."
Zhao Qingyi even thought of an excuse for her, so Yuxiu couldn't refuse and started to study seriously. She had been following the mistress for more than half a year and observed a lot, so learning was not difficult for her.
Zhao Qingyi simply gave her the task of preparing the New Year's Eve family dinner, and it turned out that Yuxiu got the hang of it quickly.
On the day of the family dinner, Zhao Qingyi looked at the dishes on the table and praised Yuxiu a few words.
Even someone as mean as Mrs. Luo rarely showed joy on her face. Of course, it was mainly because Li Jiao was back.
"Jiao'er, you've worked hard in your studies. You look thinner. Come on, eat more." In order to get closer to Li Jiao, Luo deliberately arranged Li Jiao to be by her side.
After the New Year, Li Jiao was eight years old, old enough to be a governor. Although he disliked Luo, he still forced a smile and said, "Thank you, Grandma."
Luo was so happy that she wanted to make things fair. She also picked up some food for Jun who was sitting on the right. "Jun, eat more and grow taller quickly."
Jun Ge'er was young after all, not as calm and thoughtful as Li Jiao, and he was also petty and vindictive. When he saw that the dish picked up by Luo was about to fall into the bowl, he simply moved it away and let the dish picked up by Luo fall on the table.
Luo's face froze, and Li Jiao took the opportunity to show his kindness to her, "Grandma, don't be angry. My brother is still young and doesn't understand."
Only then did Mrs. Luo come down the stairs, and she secretly gave Li Jiao a look of relief through her jade sleeves.
Zhao Manyi arrived late at this time, and Mrs. Luo's face became even uglier. "The whole family is waiting for you. You're relying on the fact that you're pregnant, and you're still taking advantage of Qiao."
Obviously, she blamed Jun'er's indifference on Zhao Manyi's poor parenting skills, and she became even more determined to take the baby away and raise it herself as soon as the baby in Zhao Manyi's belly was born.
Zhao Manyi wore a rouge-red embroidered short jacket today, and deliberately adorned her hair with pearls and jade, and walked slowly.
"Mom!" Jun Ge'er no longer avoided her when he saw her. He ran over and hugged her legs. "Mom, you are finally here."
Zhao Manyi was arranged to sit in the corner. After all, she was a criminal, but Junger wanted to stay with her, which made Luo Shi very angry.
Zhao Manyi became more and more rampant after returning to the Li family.
During the dinner, Zhao Manyi also mentioned to Luo's Li Che about Jun Ge'er's education. The most important reason why she returned to the Li family was for Jun Ge'er.
She was really afraid that Jun'er would be bullied and humiliated by Zhao Qingyi, so this time when she came back, she must make proper arrangements for Jun'er's studies.
Li Che was not interested in anything now, and immediately put the blame on Zhao Qingyi, the mistress of the house.
The smile on Zhao Manyi's lips faded. She cursed Li Che inwardly for being useless, then looked at Luo and even Li Susu.
As a result, the two of them ignored the looks she gave them. Luo was mainly angry, but Li Susu was still planning her upcoming marriage. After today it would be the first month of the lunar year, and she would soon marry the cripple from the Earl of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion. No one knew how her dowry was prepared.
Needless to say, Zhao Qingyi was only focused on eating the whole time, occasionally chatting with Yuxiu Li Jiao, and ignored Zhao Manyi.
A New Year's Eve family dinner ended in a bad mood as everyone had their own thoughts.
Zhao Manyi was unwilling to give up, and when the banquet was over, she complained of a stomachache in front of Mrs. Luo and Li Che. Mrs. Luo was concerned about her unborn grandson, so she asked Li Che to come over and keep her company.
That night, Li Che had no choice but to stay in Jing'an Courtyard.
As soon as she entered the house, Zhao Manyi knelt down to admit her mistake and cried sadly. She said that she was instigated by Xing's mother to do the wrong thing, and vowed to never leave Li Che in the future.
Little did she know that the Li Che in front of her was no longer the person she was familiar with.
Ever since Dean Liao judged that he could no longer be humane, he went completely crazy. Looking at the women in the back house, he felt that they would betray him.
Especially Zhao Manyi, who is so addicted to love and pleasure. Now that she is useless, can she really suppress her loneliness and not betray herself?
Li Che stared at Zhao Manyi's belly, his mind full of only one thought.
Is this child really his?
Zhao Manyi was still kneeling on the ground sobbing softly, her beautiful eyes filled with tears, but no man came to show her sympathy. She raised her eyes quietly and found that Li Che's eyes were terrible and creepy.
Zhao Manyi suffered a cardiac arrest. Wouldn't he be suspicious of himself?
"Husband..."
"Go to sleep." Li Che retracted his gaze, raised his head and fell into the bed.
“…”
Zhao Manyi stopped crying and gritted her teeth in hatred.
Zhao Qingyi!
Sooner or later, she will get back every bit of humiliation she has suffered. When she gives birth to the child in her belly, there will be no place for Zhao Qingyi in this family anymore!
Just as he was thinking viciously, his internal organs suddenly began to ache. It was the effect of the medicine he had been given earlier.
Just as Zhao Qingyi said, the pain only came from time to time and would not kill her in a short period of time, but the process was extremely torturous.
Zhao Manyi quickly got up from the ground, suppressed the pain and returned to the couch. Her hatred for Zhao Qingyi increased a little bit.
—
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the capital was still desolate and cold, with all that was seen was the vast emptiness of white.
Zhao Qingyi led everyone in the mansion to burn incense in the ancestral hall early in the morning and prepared to send New Year gifts to various mansions. Most of these were to maintain her own network of contacts. Luo Shi had no interest in getting involved. After a few polite greetings, she couldn't wait to return to her room.
The day is coming soon, and she needs to take stock of the situation.
Looking at her hurried back, Zhao Qingyi smiled silently and went back to his room to take out the abacus and account book.
The 20,000 taels of silver notes that she had obtained from Mrs. Luo last time were used in all the major shops of the Meng family. Now they have become store profits and are deposited into her account. Zhao Qingyi wrote down the account that she had not filled in before the New Year, and her heart was finally at ease.
New year, new atmosphere. This year is destined to be extraordinary.
Zhao Qingyi said something auspicious in his heart, and asked someone to count the New Year gifts to be sent to various mansions. Among them were gifts for the Zhao and Meng families, as well as gifts for Zhang Wanyan and the eldest princess. Of course, there was also one gift to be sent to the Prince of Pingxi's Mansion.
Thinking of Chu Yuanhe, Zhao Qingyi felt more helpless. The last time she had dinner at Qingyun Teahouse, her original intention was to entertain and thank the other party, but she ended up getting herself drunk and letting the other party clean up and take care of the subsequent mess for her.
Why do I feel like I owe more and more?
Zhao Qingyi couldn't figure out what the problem was.
She was going back to her parents' home today. When she arrived at the door, Li Che, Zhao Manyi, and Jun Ge'er had already prepared a carriage waiting for her.
Zhao Qingyi glanced at Zhao Manyi and found that her face looked not very good. Even though she was covered with thick rouge and powder, she still couldn't hide the haggardness in her eyes.
Zhao Manyi had no words to complain about. She had thought that she could win back the game by relying on her pregnancy, but last night she was stared at by Li Che and felt very uncomfortable. In addition, she felt guilty, so she lay beside Li Che all night in fear.
Zhao Qingyi smiled and asked, "Third sister, didn't you sleep well last night?"
Her words immediately caught Li Che's attention. Li Che glanced at Zhao Manyi, his eyes full of gloom.
"It's inevitable that this child is noisy." Zhao Manyi protected her lower abdomen with an embarrassed look on her face.
"Really?" Zhao Qingyi was always bringing up the topic. "I have to say, your child came at the perfect time. It's a blessing for you and your husband as well."
She almost laughed out loud while speaking, and with just one sentence, she made both people opposite her unhappy. One was uneasy, and the other was suspicious.
On the way back to Zhao's house, Zhao Qingyi and Li Jiao rode in the same carriage. The carriage was still full of New Year gifts and there was no room for a third person. Li Che had to stay in the carriage behind with Zhao Manyi.
When they arrived at the Zhao family, the two carriages separated. Zhao Qingyi stopped at the main gate and got off first. Zhao Manyi was about to get off at the back, but was stopped by the housekeeper, who led her to the back door.
Mrs. Meng, who was standing at the door to greet her daughter, snorted coldly and explained to Zhao Qingyi, "Your grandmother is back. This is what your grandmother wanted."
Zhao Manyi seduced her brother-in-law and became his concubine, and then caused a dirty incident of drugging him to win his favor. She has been expelled from the Zhao family and is not eligible to return to her parents' home to visit her relatives. However, for the sake of the second wife's face, Mrs. Zhao relented and only allowed Zhao Manyi to enter the house from the back door in a low-key manner and not to show her face in front of others.
Zhao Lanyan spat lightly, "She deserves it."
Zhao Qingyi thought, this is just the beginning, there are still more explosive things to be revealed.
But what matters most right now is family. "Why do I only see my mother and brother? Where's my father?"
"The snowstorm before the New Year caused disasters in various parts of Shandong and Zhejiang. Your father was summoned to the palace early in the morning and is discussing disaster relief in the cabinet. He probably won't be back until noon." Speaking of natural disasters, Meng sighed.
As they were talking, Zhao Lanyan took Li Jiao out to play, and Meng took Zhao Qingyi to see Old Madam Zhao first. The last time she came back, Old Madam Zhao had gone out to worship Buddha. This was the first time the two met after their rebirth.
When she saw her eldest granddaughter coming, Mrs. Zhao's eyes welled up with tears, "Grandma is not here, and you have suffered a lot."
Zhao Qingyi knew that she was talking about Li Che taking a concubine, so she held Madam Zhao's hand and comforted her gently. Until noon, when Zhao Huaiyi came back from the palace, four generations of grandparents and grandchildren crowded into the old lady's courtyard and had lunch in a lively atmosphere.
After serving Old Madam Zhao a nap, Zhao Huaiyi waved to Zhao Qingyi, and the father and daughter went to the outer room to talk alone.
"I've read the letter you asked Tan Yue to send me last time. It's indeed an excellent disaster relief plan. But I just can't figure out how you knew about this in advance."
These questions had been lingering in his mind for many days, and until now, he finally had the opportunity to ask them.
Zhao Qingyi then made up a half-truthful excuse, "...I noticed something was wrong with my mother-in-law's accounts, so I sent people to Tongxiang. They discovered that Tongxiang was suffering from a snowstorm, and the situation was even more severe than in the capital. However, the local authorities were not paying attention. Wanting to prevent a disaster before it happened, I passed on the disaster relief plan I came up with to my father so that he could prepare early."
Zhao Huaiyi stroked his long beard and nodded after a long moment. "It's hard for you, a woman in a secluded house, to worry about the affairs of the court. Those local officials are far inferior to you. I will report this matter to His Majesty in detail. As for this disaster relief plan, if it is useful, I will also commend you for your contribution."
"No need." Zhao Qingyi refused. She told her father that she didn't want to give Li Che an advantage, nor did she want to delay the people. Besides, it would be far more useful if the credit fell on her father than on her.
"Since Father has decided to work with Lord Zhang to push for the new policy, we must fight for the Emperor's favor. The more favor you can gain, the better it will be for the implementation of the new policy. Otherwise, if the Emperor's heart wavers, you and Lord Zhang will become the target of public criticism, and everyone will push down on you."
Zhao Huaiyi no longer refused and became more and more satisfied with his daughter.
Zhao Qingyi also reminded his father that he could take advantage of this natural disaster to survey the land and thoroughly investigate the land annexation.
Zhao Huaiyi was startled for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Your idea is the same as His Majesty's. His Majesty has decided to send a trusted aide to the disaster area, but the choice of such a person has not yet been decided and needs further discussion."
This was beyond Zhao Qingyi's expectations. Had such a thing ever happened in his previous life?
Forget it. Perhaps it is a new life, and my father is still alive, which has led to changes in the court situation. It is normal for Your Majesty to change his decision.
Meanwhile, Luo anxiously waited for news at home.
The 20,000 taels borrowed last time were about to expire. Mrs. Luo estimated that the merchants would not come back, so she asked Luo Gui to find a buyer so that the silk and jewelry stored in the old house could be exchanged for real gold and silver. Half a day had passed now.
On the table were an abacus, a stack of private accounts, and a wooden box for money. Luo stroked the box back and forth, praying in his heart that everything would go well.
Finally, when she was about to give up, Luo Gui came back.
But there was no joy on his face. Instead, he was in a panic. He stumbled to Luo Shi and knelt down crying, "Sister, we were cheated!"
It was as if a thunderbolt exploded in Luo's mind, and his triangular eyes suddenly widened.
Luo Gui said with a sad face, "I checked with the government, and the identities of those seafaring merchants are all fake. They've already run away with the money!"
Luo stood up and asked, "What about the silk? What about the jewelry?"
"Silk... silk and jewelry were also swapped and turned into a pile of weeds, stones and rotten cloth strips!" Luo Gui beat his chest and stamped his feet, feeling heartbroken.
He checked the goods carefully that day and found that each box contained genuine silk and jewelry, without any adulteration. Who would have thought that the items were stored in his own old house and were replaced without anyone noticing in just one month.
Luo Gui immediately suspected that the Li family's old house was vacant and there were no one guarding it. The doors and windows were closed and locked tightly. In addition, everyone in the neighborhood knew that the Li family's old house was vacant and there were no valuables inside. Even if there were thieves, they would not target the old house.
This was also the reason why the Luo siblings had stored their things in the old house with confidence, betting that something would go wrong, but they didn't expect that something would go wrong in their own home.
This was a complete disaster. She lost all her money and collateral. She was cheated out of all her assets. She didn't know the other party's background, and it involved usury, so she couldn't report it to the police.
Countless thoughts raced through her mind. Luo's chest heaved violently, her vision went dark, and she fell backwards.
The Li family was in chaos. The housekeeper was peeping outside and heard ghosts screaming in the Qionghua Hall. She hurriedly asked the servant to go to the Zhao family to report.
When Zhao Qingyi got the news, only Tan Yue and Qiao Yue were by his side. The three of them, master and servant, could no longer bear it and leaned against the wall laughing until they choked.
Qiao Yue felt very happy. "That old hag embezzled so much of our grandmother's money, and now she's being forced to cough it up. She deserves it! She'd better die of anger!"
Tan Yue also laughed, "The land deed is in our grandmother's hands. She thought the old house was safe..." At this point, she paused, "Oh, after she recovers, she won't doubt grandma, right?"
Zhao Qingyi spread his hands and shrugged, "Does she have any evidence?"
Without evidence, there's nothing we can do to her.
Zhao Qingyi finally experienced the joy of being a villain. "I have to thank my cousin for lending me the manpower. Everyone can act well."
If she had to talk about suspicion, Luo was most likely suspicious of the fake merchants. After all, apart from Luo's own people, the only ones who knew that silk and jewelry were stored in the old house were these fake merchants. But now they have all run away. If Luo wants to track them down, she has to report to the police. Once she reports to the police, she will no longer be able to hide the fact that she has been lending money at high interest rates.
In the end, Luo had no choice but to swallow her anger. Who told her to be greedy and impatient?
After Zhao Qingyi finished laughing, she told her parents about Luo's fainting, and then returned to Li's house with Li Che.
Li Che was extremely anxious and went straight to Qionghua Hall as soon as he returned, while Zhao Qingyi looked at the housekeeper.
"Don't worry, Madam. Luo Guiqi has made the old lady faint. I dare not let him go. Now he is locked up in the woodshed." The housekeeper smiled particularly attentively.
"Well done." Zhao Qingyi gave the reward money and went to the woodshed with two maids to interrogate Luo Gui in person.
Luo Gui was stubborn at first, saying that Luo's fainting had nothing to do with him, but after being whipped a few times by Zhao Qingyi, he was in so much pain that he confessed everything, including the matter of lending money at high interest.
He was not stupid and had expected that the truth would be revealed one day, so he had done everything in the name of Luo over the years and all loan notes were signed with Luo's seal. In order to survive, Luo Gui took the initiative to reveal where the notes were kept.
At this point, Luo Gui became a witness and the physical evidence was complete.
Zhao Qingyi took Luo Gui away directly and imprisoned him in Lanyue Pavilion, with his own people watching him to prevent Luo from waking up and killing him to silence him.
Qiao Yue pondered and said, "Now that we have all the evidence, we can go to the government and sue Luo. Wouldn't it be a sure win?"
"We're still missing that couple. Once everyone is here, we can avenge this blood debt together."
Zhao Qingyi stood in the corridor, looking at the heavy snow flying all over the sky.
The last straw that broke the camel's back has arrived.
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