Chapter 740 Mutual Exploitation
Princess Qi was stunned: "The one who died was actually Princess Huaiyang's savior?"
Qiao Qinghe nodded: "That's right. That girl is the princess's savior, and I have also benefited a lot from her."
"If it weren't for her protecting the princess and ensuring her safe return to Dayan, I wouldn't have been able to escape this calamity after returning because of my merit in escorting the princess to Daxi."
"It wouldn't be wrong to say that girl saved my life!"
Princess Qi nodded in agreement: "She's a loyal and courageous girl!"
Qiao Qinghe's expression suddenly turned stern, and her tone became firm and resolute, "Therefore, I am determined to make the prince consort pay the price!"
Princess Qi's lips twitched, and she still asked anxiously, "Then, how does the old lady want me to help you?"
Qiao Qinghe looked at Princess Qi with eager eyes, "I wonder if Princess Qi could ask the Liu family to unite with the forces that support Prince Qi and submit a memorial to impeach the Prince Consort?"
"That year, the prince consort allowed his family to bully others and seize property by trickery. A little investigation would reveal a long list of crimes."
"If it weren't for Princess Huaiyang helping them clean up the mess, they would have been punished by law long ago!"
"Isn't Princess Huaiyang saying she wants to divorce her husband and sever ties with the Fu family?"
"Without Princess Huaiyang's protection, let's see who can save the prince consort's family!"
When Princess Qi saw that Qiao Qinghe was speaking seriously, she knew that she really didn't want Fu Wenqing to have an easy time, and that she had really developed a rift with Li Sanqi.
He was overjoyed and, after thinking about it, decided that he could agree to it.
However, she didn't rule out any possibility of a definitive answer, saying, "I need to go back and discuss this matter with the King of Qi and my grandfather before I can give the old lady a reply."
Qiao Qinghe nodded, "Of course."
"If Princess Huaiyang truly intends to sever ties with her husband today, then so be it."
"If it's feigned..."
"Impeaching the prince consort might anger Princess Huaiyang and, in turn, offend the King of Chu."
"If the Liu family and the Qi Prince's Mansion are unwilling to help, I can understand."
Princess Qi smiled and said, "Please rest assured, Madam. The King of Chu will soon be no threat."
Their men have already found the weakness of the maidservant beside the Princess of Chu, and they are not afraid that she will not know what's good for her.
Even if they couldn't bribe the maids around the Princess of Chu, they still had a backup plan in the Chu Prince's residence.
Of course, you can't say it outright; just hinting at it is enough.
A hint of surprise flashed in Qiao Qinghe's eyes.
She naturally understood what Princess Qi meant by those words.
It's nothing more than the matter of deposing the crown prince.
However, judging from the confident tone of Princess Qi…
Could it be that something related to the Prince Qi's residence is involved here?
Qiao Qinghe was suspicious, but she didn't hide it on her face. She looked at Princess Qi with surprise and asked, "Princess Qi is so sure. Could it be that the Qi Prince's Mansion has some kind of leverage over Prince Chu?"
Princess Qi smiled and replied perfunctorily, "The old lady will find out when the time comes."
Qiao Qinghe understood that Princess Qi wouldn't easily reveal their plan against Prince Chu, so she didn't ask any further questions. She smiled and changed the subject.
The two then chatted about some trivial matters.
Ah Shuang knocked on the door and came in to report that the First Madam had sent someone to say that lunch was ready.
Qiao Qinghe then smiled and invited Princess Qi, "Let's move to the flower hall for our meal."
"Alright." Princess Qi smiled and got up to help Qiao Qinghe.
Qiao Qinghe did not refuse and affectionately placed her hand on Princess Qi's arm.
***
After lunch, Princess Qi left.
Qiao Qinghe, along with Wei Jia and Li Yiqian, personally escorted the people to the main gate.
After everyone left, the group walked back, and Wei Jia said worriedly, "Mother, Princess Qi's visit today may have ulterior motives."
"Princess Qi's attitude towards us today has been far too kind."
"They were very friendly to both me and to the housekeeper, Mr. He."
“I told her you weren’t here and asked her to come another day. She wasn’t angry at all and patiently said she would wait for you to come back.”
"Later, when the topic of children came up, she begged me to take her to see some of the children."
"Whether it was Brother Qian or Sister Zhen, she was extremely patient with them all."
"They even said they'd give the children gifts..."
"Her attempt to curry favor was far too obvious."
Qiao Qinghe said nonchalantly, "It's nothing. She just saw that I and Princess Huaiyang were not on good terms at the Princess's residence today, and thought she saw an opportunity, so she came here to make amends."
Wei Jia frowned. "Then Mother invited her to stay for lunch? And personally saw her out..."
"If someone with ulterior motives were to see this, they might think that the Qiao family and the Qi Prince's family have reconciled!"
Moreover, if Princess Huaiyang were to find out about this, it would likely exacerbate the conflict between the two households.
Qiao Qinghe smiled and said, "It's alright. I had already made up my mind when I invited Princess Qi to dine with me."
The concerns about Weijia are not unfounded.
She was certain that within half a day, the news that the relationship between the Qiao family in Nancheng and the Princess Huaiyang's family had broken down and that the Qiao family had reconciled with the Prince Qi's family would spread throughout the entire capital.
But so what?
If these rumors could instill fear in Li Sanqi and give the Qi Prince's Mansion more confidence to help her impeach Fu Wenqing, she wouldn't mind at all.
As long as the goal is achieved, being the butcher of a few rumors won't hurt.
Qiao Qinghe told Wei Jia not to worry too much and then ended the topic.
Thinking of something, Qiao Qinghe looked down at Li Yiqian and asked with a smile, "Brother Qian, do you like the aunt who came today?"
Speaking of which, Qian-ge should call Princess Qi "Mother".
However, Qiao Qinghe did not want Qian Ge'er to recognize a thief as his mother.
Qian Ge'er shook his little head and replied in a childish voice, "I don't like it."
Qiao Qinghe looked at him in surprise, "You don't like her, yet you let her hold your hand? You even smiled at her?"
Qian-ge said with a grin, "My great-aunt said that if you don't like something, just keep it to yourself and don't let anyone know."
Qiao Qinghe looked at Wei Jia in astonishment, "You taught him?"
Wei Jia smiled awkwardly, "When Qian-ge saw Li Ze bullying Lan-jie earlier, he got angry and even tried to hit Li Ze. Luckily, he had someone with him, and Li Rui stopped Li Ze in time. That's why Qian-ge didn't get hurt."
"Later, the servants in the manor treated Li Ze somewhat badly. Then Qian-ge'er caught them doing it. He then punched the servant who had mistreated Li Ze with his little fists."
"Later, the servant was ostracized. A lot of trouble arose out of nowhere."
“Qian-ge’er has a special status, so he’ll have to learn these things sooner or later.”
"I thought Qian-ge was precocious, so I taught him some basics."
As for how much she can learn and what level she will achieve, that is beyond her control.
Fortunately, the child is still young, and everything can be taught gradually.
After hearing Wei Jia's explanation, Qiao Qinghe neither agreed nor disagreed.
She knew her child was precocious, she knew her child's life was destined to be anything but smooth sailing, and she knew that Wei Jia had done the right thing.
Knowing that she couldn't protect her child forever, she especially wanted Qian Ge'er to have a carefree and happy childhood like any other child.
Seeing that Qiao Qinghe remained silent, Wei Jia wanted to offer some words of advice, but after thinking about it, she finally sighed and said, "If Mother doesn't want me to teach the children these things too early, then I won't teach them in the future."
Qiao Qinghe shook her head. "You did nothing wrong. It was my own fault for not thinking things through."
"You should teach him, as long as he doesn't dislike it and can learn it."
Wei Jia breathed a sigh of relief; she was afraid the old lady would blame her for teaching the child bad habits.
But then again, the Qiao family is now entirely supported by the old lady alone.
If the children don't use their wits, they might be devoured by those who are eyeing them after the old lady passes away.
She always tries to teach the children more survival skills.
There are always backup plans.
Of course, the most important thing is to let Jin-ge study hard so that he can take the imperial examinations and become an official in the future, thus supporting the family.
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