Chapter 588 Zhuxi's Choice
The next day, Qiao Qinghe personally summoned Mu Jin.
"Madam, you wanted to see me?" Mu Jin greeted him respectfully.
"Sit down and talk," Qiao Qinghe said, pointing to the chair next to her.
Mu Jin sat down with a smile.
Qiao Qinghe then said, "You've worked so hard these past few days, taking care of your still-unwell health and looking after Zhen'er. They are all so fortunate to be where they are today because of you! I will remember your contributions and I will certainly not treat you unfairly."
Mu Jin hurriedly replied with trepidation, "Madam, you flatter me. This is all within my duty."
Qiao Qinghe scolded, "What do you mean by 'duty'? You are Jingyao's wife, my nephew's wife, and half a mistress of the Qiao family. I feel guilty for ordering you around like this."
"So, I've thought it all out. After I pass away, whatever the children of the Qiao family and Qian-ge have, Fangfeng will also have a share."
Mu Jin quickly thanked her, "Thank you so much, Madam!"
After thinking for a moment, Mu Jin added, "Madam, I have no other skills but my medical expertise. I will use my medical skills to help you live to a ripe old age, and also to ensure the good health of all the ladies, young ladies, and young masters of the Qiao family."
"Good, good, good." Qiao Qinghe smiled and waved for people to sit down before continuing, "Now that Jingyao has gone to the battlefield with the Earl of Enping, if he can achieve something and be granted an official position, your family can also change its status."
"May Fangfeng find a good marriage in the future."
"Don't worry, I'll pay for Fangfeng's betrothal gifts in the future. No matter how good a girl is, I'll find her for him."
Mu Jin stood up, curtsied again to Qiao Qinghe, and thanked her respectfully, "Thank you, Madam."
"Actually, I am already very satisfied with the life that my child and I can live now."
"Moreover, now that Old Woodcutter can come back openly and live with us, I have no other desires in this life."
"All of this is thanks to the old lady."
"So, if there's anything you can do for me, please just let me know."
"I will absolutely not refuse."
Qiao Qinghe nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, I happen to have something I need your help with."
Mu Jin solemnly replied, "I will obey your orders, Madam."
Qiao Qinghe opened her eyes, as if she had suddenly thought of something, and winked at A Shuang.
Ah Shuang quickly waved and led the others out. Before leaving, Ah Shuang called out into the shadows, "Zhu Xi, come out with me too. I have something to tell you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Xi appeared in the room.
She obediently followed Ah Shuang out, but when she reached the door, she stopped, turned around, and quickly walked to Qiao Qinghe, bowing and saying, "Madam, I have something to report to you privately."
Qiao Qinghe frowned slightly as she looked at the struggle in Zhu Xi's eyes. After a moment of stunned silence, she nodded.
Mu Jin obediently stood up and said, "I'll go out first. I'll come back in later."
Qiao Qinghe smiled at her: "Alright. Please wait outside for a bit."
"Yes." Mu Jin smiled and withdrew.
After Mu Jin left, A Shuang took a deep look at Zhu Xi before closing the door, shooing everyone at the door to a distance of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and then quietly guarding the area to prevent anyone from approaching.
After everyone had left, Zhu Xi twitched her ears to make sure everyone outside had left before speaking, "Madam, my ears are very sharp."
Qiao Qinghe didn't understand why she suddenly brought this up, but she still nodded and said, "I know."
Back then, Ajiu, Huanzhen, and Wenxiu were all the same; their hearing was more sensitive than the average person's. It seemed they had undergone special training.
"So, what are you trying to say by telling me this?"
Zhu Xi clenched her fist, looking hesitant. After a moment, as if she had made up her mind, she gritted her teeth and said, "I heard what Princess Huaiyang said to you when she visited yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qinghe was startled and looked at Zhu Xi in disbelief. "You, didn't I send you away yesterday?"
Zhu Xi nodded. "I did leave. But I came back soon after. I hid on the roof. It's just that A Shuang didn't notice me."
Qiao Qinghe's hands were already clenched into fists under her sleeves.
She tried to remain calm and asked in a composed tone, "So, you're telling me that you've already reported my conspiracy with Princess Huaiyang to the Emperor?"
"Or are you trying to use this to threaten me and Princess Huaiyang?"
She paused, "His Majesty has not yet made any response, which suggests that you have not yet reported the news."
"Tell me, what do you want in exchange for this?"
Zhu Xi's expression darkened, and she lowered her head, saying dejectedly, "I never intended to threaten the old lady or the seventh princess. I don't want anything."
"I just... want to stay by the old lady's side, like Ajiu, Wenxiu, and Huanzhen before, and become a loyal and trustworthy bodyguard that the old lady can rely on."
Qiao Qinghe stared at Zhu Xi in astonishment, wondering if she had misheard.
Just then, Zhu Xi raised her head, looked intently at Qiao Qinghe, and said firmly, "Madam, I want to be a member of the Qiao family! Not a spy sent by the Emperor!"
"I want you, Ah Shuang, and everyone else in the manor to accept me!"
"I have a name now, I am called Zhuxi. I don't know when it started, but I no longer want to be the same Yisan I used to be."
"So, if the old lady and the seventh princess's plan succeeds in the future, will the old lady be willing to let me stay?"
Looking at Zhu Xi's expectant gaze, Qiao Qinghe suddenly thought of the look she saw when A Jiu begged her to take in Huan Zhen and his group of children.
After a long silence, Qiao Qinghe finally nodded. "Okay. I promise you."
Zhu Xi breathed a sigh of relief, and a rare smile appeared on her face.
Qiao Qinghe gave her a kind smile. After a moment, she asked softly, "You suddenly told me all this, is there something you wanted to say?"
Zhu Xi nodded. "Madam, you cannot allow Doctor Mu to enter the palace to treat His Majesty, and you certainly cannot allow Doctor Mu to poison His Majesty."
Qiao Qinghe narrowed her eyes slightly, "Why is that? Since you didn't report my and the Seventh Princess's plan to the Emperor..."
Qiao Qinghe paused, then confirmed with Zhu Xi, "You didn't report this to the Emperor, did you?"
Zhu Xi nodded: "No."
"The day the news of His Majesty's illness spread, the palace issued a secret order in my name to keep an eye on everyone's actions, especially those of the princes and princesses. Especially the princes."
“Let’s see who they associate with and what they do after they learn that the Emperor is ill.”
Qiao Qinghe was taken aback, then exclaimed in surprise, "So, the news of His Majesty's serious illness was just a pretext? His Majesty wants to use his illness to make a fuss?"
Zhu Xi nodded again, "That should be true. Although I didn't see His Majesty in person, I could still get a sense of it from the attitude of the superiors I contacted."
Qiao Qinghe broke out in a cold sweat. If Emperor Xiaozhao's illness was a lie, then Mu Jin was brazenly doing something to him...
wrong!
With Mu Jin's medical skills, she could tell whether Emperor Xiaozhao was truly ill or faking it simply by taking his pulse.
If Mu Jin is alert enough, she might be able to take the opportunity to do something.
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