Chapter 435 Setting off back to Dayan
"If we had trusted the old lady a little more, perhaps Ajiu wouldn't have died." Weijia closed her eyes.
In fact, these women subconsciously felt that the old lady was an elderly woman who needed their protection.
Therefore, she, Zhen Huan, and A Jiu were all actively seeking death to avoid putting the old lady in a difficult position.
But in the end, they brought trouble upon themselves and lost Ah Jiu's life for nothing!
Silence fell again.
To break the deathly, heavy, and sorrowful atmosphere, Madam Min Qiao changed the subject, saying, "I have good news for you. Crown Prince Da'e has agreed to spare Jingyuan's life."
"I believe he will be able to come back and reunite with us soon."
Upon hearing this, the carriage suddenly stopped.
The old woodcutter driving the carriage turned around, lifted the curtain, and looked in. His eyes were filled with tears as he looked at Madam Min Qiao. "Aunt, is what you're saying true?"
Wei Jia also waited expectantly for Min Qiao's answer.
“Of course it’s true,” Madam Min Qiao replied with a smile. “Once Jingyuan returns, we should set off back to Dayan.”
"That's wonderful! That's wonderful! Thank you so much, Aunt! Thank you so much, Aunt!"
Old Qiao was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He even pulled his legs up and knelt down on the carriage shaft, kowtowing to Min Qiao Shi.
Out of control, the horse pulling the carriage stumbled a couple of steps, causing the carriage to sway.
Min Qiao's body swayed slightly, but Wei Jia and Huan Zhen helped her up.
She warned the old woodcutter impatiently, "You'd better be careful. We're on a carriage now. It's one thing if you fall, but if you hurt this old man, what will you do then!"
The old woodcutter quickly got up and sat back down, grabbing the reins again. He nodded repeatedly, laughing and crying, saying, "Yes, yes! We can't let Auntie fall! We'll talk about it when we get back! We'll talk about it when we get back!"
The group quickly returned to the Qiao residence.
Originally, everyone's mood had improved because of Qiao Jingyuan's matter.
But when it came time to get off the bus and the people below came to help carry Ah Jiu's body, everyone's good mood instantly plummeted.
"Has the coffin I ordered to be bought before I left been purchased?"
The doorman quickly replied, "It's been bought. It's a top-quality cypress coffin. This is the best coffin we could get in a short time."
Madam Min nodded and said nothing more.
Ajiu was carried back to her original room. Weijia and Zhenhuan personally changed her clothes and carefully dressed her before placing her in a coffin for burial.
"Madam, what should we do with A-Jiu's body?" Wei Jia asked, her eyes red. "Should we bury it outside the city, or bring it back to Dayan?"
Madam Min sighed, "In this weather, the body probably can't be left out for long."
She left Beijing for Huizhou in early February. At the end of May, she set off from Huizhou to Daxi. The journey took almost a month, and she spent over a month in Xi'an. Now it's August, the hottest time of year.
He even suggested, "Why don't we burn A-Jiu's body and take her ashes back for burial? That way, we can consider it bringing her home."
Wei Jia covered her mouth, forcing herself not to cry.
Madam Min Qiao couldn't help but tear up. After a long while, she said softly, "Then let's burn it."
With the decision made, Wei Jia suppressed her grief the next day and led people to drag A Jiu's body outside the city.
Min Qiaoshi, Zhen Huan, and Lao Qiao also went along.
The group watched as A-Jiu's body was burned to ashes.
When the group returned from outside the city with Ajiu's ashes, Qiao Jingyuan, now disguised, also quietly returned.
So, the group packed up and left Xijing early the next morning with minimal travel.
Before leaving, Wei Jia returned the indentures of all the servants in the mansion and Wangyue Tower to them, and also gave them some silver.
As for the deeds to the house and the Moon Gazing Tower, Madam Min Qiao had them handed over to the Crown Prince.
***
On the other side, when the crown prince received the item, he scoffed disdainfully, "Do you think I would even care about something like this?"
Just then, a guard whispered a reminder: "The person who delivered the items said that Lady Qinghe also wrote a letter to His Highness, which was also placed in the wooden box."
Xia Linyuan flipped through the documents and, sure enough, found the letter beneath several property deeds.
When Xia Linyuan saw the contents of the letter, he almost laughed out of anger.
Min Qiao's letter served two purposes: first, to bid farewell, and second, to instruct her on the disposal of a residence and three shops in Xijing City. The most valuable of these was naturally the Wangyue Tower.
On the surface, Madam Min Qiao said she would give him all these properties, but in reality, she was implying that she hoped he could help her sell them for a good price. Then, she would find a way to have a merchant traveling between the two countries bring the money back to Dayan to repay her.
Haha, this old lady really dares to boss people around!
However, these are all minor matters.
His most pressing matter right now is to capture the spies who have infiltrated the Dayan Empire. He needs to figure out what to do with the Marquis of Pingyan's residence next. Then, he needs to discuss with the Dayan Emperor how to handle the situation.
Regarding the spy operation, he obtained the list of those known to Qiao Jingyuan from Qiao Jingyuan. He has already sent men to arrest these people. Now he is just waiting to extract the names of the others through interrogation.
As for the Pingyan Marquis's residence, he originally planned to confiscate it directly. However, after talking with Madam Min Qiao, he decided to temporarily leave the Pingyan Marquis's residence alone and instead send people to closely monitor it.
Finally, and most importantly, was the handling of the aftermath of the marriage alliance.
From the very beginning, whether it was Da Yan who planned to scheme against Da Xi, or Da Xi who planned to use a scheme against Da Yan, a third party had to take the blame.
As for who this third party was, the best candidate was originally the double agent, Marquis Pingyan.
However, with the death of Marquis Pingyan, this third party had to be replaced.
***
The Marquis of Pingyan's residence.
After the sudden death of Marquis Pingyan, the dozens of people that Lady Wang sent to the Qiao residence were sent back by the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince even openly instructed someone to tell her that she was not allowed to harm anyone from the Qiao family.
Lady Wang was furious, but dared not defy the Crown Prince, so she could only send people to secretly keep an eye on the Qiao residence.
That day, the person responsible for secretly keeping an eye on Qiao returned and reported: "Madam, the Qiao family has already left the city."
Madam Wang clenched the handkerchief in her hand, summoned the steward, and coldly ordered, "Send out all the people in the manor. I want that bitch Qiao Qinghe dead!"
The steward hesitated and said, "Madam, didn't His Highness the Crown Prince order that no one from the Qiao family be harmed?"
Wang snorted coldly, "We'll make our move after we leave Xijing territory. We'll be quick then, so as not to leave any evidence."
The steward tried to persuade her again, but was met with a fierce glare from Madam Wang, who shouted, "Why aren't you going? The Marquis is dead, but my son is still alive! Are you trying to rebel?"
"This old servant wouldn't dare!" The steward quickly bowed and replied, "This old servant will go and make the arrangements immediately!"
With that, he quickly retreated.
Wang walked to Min Ji's coffin and said with a sorrowful expression, "My lord, do you see? You've only just died, and the servants are already disobeying you!"
"However, my lord, rest assured, I will definitely kill that bitch Qiao Qinghe to avenge you!"
"Will you still be thinking about her until you die? Don't worry, I'll send her down to join you soon!"
As she spoke, Wang's expression suddenly changed. She glared angrily and mockingly at Min Ji in the coffin and said resentfully, "Hahaha, Min Ji, even in your dying moments you're still thinking about that bitch Qiao Qinghe."
"But that bitch left Xijing without ever thinking of coming to see you one last time!"
"In this world, the only person who truly cares about you is me, Wang Yun! And only me, Wang Yun!..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com