Chapter 687 Bringing Up Old Debts
The next day, Wenxi returned to the Yongchang Marquis's residence in a great hurry.
Li Sanqi also arrived at the Qiao residence with a pile of gifts for Li Yiqian.
"The princess hasn't visited the Qiao residence for some time."
Qiao Qinghe, along with Wei Jia and Li Yiqian, personally went to the door to greet them.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Qiao Qinghe, Li Sanqi smiled, bent down, and picked up Li Yiqian, who was staggering and about to bow to her, even pretending to lift him up.
"Oh dear, how come our Qian-ge'er has gained so much weight? Auntie can hardly carry him anymore."
The little guy laughed heartily in Li Sanqi's arms, "Not heavy! Grandpa said I'm not heavy!"
The evidence is that every time they ate, his great-grandmother would tell him to eat more.
"Does our Qian-ge'er miss his aunt?"
"think!"
"How about Qian-ge goes back to stay with his aunt for a few days?"
"No! Auntie, stay and live with me and Grandpa."
The little guy hugged Li Sanqi's neck, being very affectionate with him.
Ever since the baby's first birthday celebration, Li Sanqi has been sending people to deliver things to the little guy from time to time. Although he hasn't seen her many times, the impression of his aunt is deeply etched in the little guy's mind.
Moreover, since the first birthday celebration, the little guy has become increasingly intelligent and speaks more fluently, no less so than two- or three-year-old children.
The aunt and niece kissed for a long time before Li Sanqi handed the child over to the wet nurse to be carried away.
Well, mainly because she really couldn't carry him anymore.
Don't be fooled by the fact that this little baby is not even two years old; he is really heavy to hold.
After the child was taken away, Li Sanqi finally had the mind to talk to Qiao Qinghe.
When the group arrived at the main courtyard, they saw that the courtyard was filled with boxes of items, all of which were tied with bright red ribbons.
Li Sanqi couldn't help but ask, "Is there some good news in your household? Is Miss Qiao Ning getting married?"
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "That's not right, shouldn't Miss Qiao Ning's mourning period still be ongoing?"
Qiao Qinghe didn't hide anything and explained with a smile, "It's not Qiao Ning. It's my two head maids."
“They were both getting on in years, and just then a suitable family came to propose marriage, so I took it upon myself to betroth them to someone.”
"This matter should have been done before the new year, but it happened to coincide with the Empress Dowager's funeral, so it was delayed until now."
Li Sanqi looked at the wooden chests tied with red silk all over the courtyard and sighed with a smile, "The dowry for the old lady's maid is probably comparable to that of many wealthy families when they marry off their daughters."
Qiao Qinghe smiled and said, "Your Highness is too kind. After all, she is my head maid who has served me for many years and is marrying an official. If her dowry is not generous, it would be embarrassing."
"An official position?" Li Sanqi became interested.
Then, Qiao Qinghe told him about the situation of Zhou Bing and Xiong Peng.
I heard that Zhou and Xiong are both Qiao Jingyao's brothers, and they even escorted her to Daxi for a political marriage. I immediately told Wenxiu to write it down so that I could add to A'san and A'si's dowry later.
With Li Sanqi's addition of a dowry, the two of them had an extra layer of protection.
Qiao Qinghe happily agreed.
Once inside, after dismissing the servants, Li Sanqi revealed the true purpose of his trip.
"Madam, the King of Qi is no longer a threat. Next, it's the King of Chu's turn."
Qiao Qinghe frowned. "The King of Chu shouldn't need the princess to do anything, right?"
"Given his reputation and past actions, His Majesty should not make him the Crown Prince unless he has lost his mind."
Li Sanqi smiled and shook his head, "Has the old lady ever considered what would happen if it were the inevitable trend of the times and the popular will?"
"Now that the King of Qi has lost power, among the adult princes, only the King of Chu remains as an option."
"Moreover, the King of Chu has the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion behind him, an Empress, and even the title of legitimate son."
"If something happens to Father Emperor, the Prince of Chu will become the one everyone hopes for!"
"Therefore, the King of Chu poses a greater threat than the King of Qi!"
Qiao Qinghe sighed, "Then what does the princess plan to do?"
"You came to see me because you need something from the Qiao family?"
Li Sanqi nodded, "I want evidence that the deposed crown prince poisoned the former crown princess back then."
Qiao Qinghe was taken aback. "The princess is planning to use the deposed crown prince to deal with the Prince of Chu?"
“Yes.” Li Sanqi said frankly, “Recently, Father has mentioned the deposed crown prince more than once.”
"Just in case, it's a good opportunity to have the King of Chu and the Marquis of Yongchang's mansion step in and deal with the deposed crown prince."
While we're at it, we can also deal with the King of Chu—killing two birds with one stone.
Qiao Qinghe asked in astonishment, "His Majesty still hasn't let go of the deposed crown prince?"
Li Sanqi smiled wryly, "After all, he is the eldest son raised by Father Emperor himself, so it's understandable that he can't let go."
However, precisely because of this, the deposed crown prince absolutely could not continue to live.
"What does the princess plan to do?" Qiao Qinghe asked with a hint of worry.
Li Sanqi comforted her, "Don't worry, Madam, I won't put myself in danger."
"I am only responsible for gathering all the evidence; the rest will be handled by the King of Chu and the Marquis of Yongchang."
After all, she held no official position and had no time to appear in public.
She also had to deal with the mess made by the prince consort's family, so she didn't have time to attend to anything else.
Qiao Qinghe nodded and asked A Shuang to find the evidence that had been preserved from back then and hand it over to Li Sanqi.
Among the evidence left behind from that year, besides the poison and antidote taken by the late Crown Princess Wu, there were also descriptions of the poison's properties, detailed explanations of the symptoms of poisoning, and detailed descriptions of the antidote's effects.
There is also an autopsy report on the Crown Princess, as well as statements from her family members speculating about her death.
Upon seeing these items, Li Sanqi frowned slightly. "These items are probably insufficient to substantiate the charge of the deposed crown prince murdering his wife."
Qiao Qinghe nodded: "That's true. But whether or not the charge of deposing the crown prince can be substantiated is actually not important, is it?"
Li Sanqi smiled and said, "What the old lady said is true. What I wanted was not to confirm the crime of deposing the crown prince."
"In that case, thank you very much, Madam."
Li Sanqi thanked her and did not linger, returning to the princess's residence with his belongings.
"The princess is back?"
Upon seeing Li Sanqi return to the manor, Fu Wenqing immediately came to greet him, "Did things go smoothly?"
Li Sanqi smiled and nodded, "Next, we need the prince consort and his family to cause some trouble, the bigger the better."
"Princess, rest assured, I know what to do." Fu Wenqing nodded solemnly, then looked at Li Sanqi with eyes full of heartache, "Princess, you've worked hard."
Li Sanqi smiled at him, "As long as I can achieve my goal, I don't feel bitter at all."
Fu Wenqing reached out and pulled Li Sanqi into his arms, saying sincerely, "The princess will get what she wants."
"I'd do anything for the princess!"
"Even if it means ruining my image, my reputation, and my future, I am willing to do it."
"Your Highness!" Li Sanqi hugged Fu Wenqing tightly, his voice filled with emotion, and his cry of "Your Highness" echoed with deep emotion.
"I will always remember the kindness you have shown me, my lord! When I achieve my goal, I will certainly not let you down!"
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