Two days later, everyone went to the theater. They had reserved a window seat with a good view in advance, but the play on stage was boring, so everyone changed their minds and started chatting about this and that, eventually bringing up matters in the palace.
"His Majesty is in a bad mood today and only ate half a durian. He may be feeling down for a while. Little girl, if you have something you want to see the Emperor about, you should postpone it."
"Has something happened?" Qiao Lian'er asked.
"Consort De hanged herself."
"Consort De, such a position is not easy to attain, why would you be so distraught?"
There are usually only a few concubines in the palace, each of whom is the glory of her family. They are not only concubines, but also shoulder the responsibility of the family's prosperity. Unless absolutely necessary, they will never die.
Pei Zhujin sighed softly: "Of the four concubines in the palace, Consort De and Consort Xian are the most popular. Both of them think they are the most important people in the Emperor's heart, and they have been vying for his affections for many years, refusing to give in to each other."
"Just two days ago, Consort Xian received a large durian as a gift, which caused quite a stir among the concubines. Although durians can be bought from Miss Qiao, the ones that can be bought are far smaller than those presented to the Emperor. Every concubine is proud to receive a durian from the Emperor, which has become a standard for judging their importance in the Emperor's heart."
"The favored concubines receive a piece every day, so when Consort Xian received a whole durian, it caused quite a stir among the other concubines. Consort De, unable to accept this, questioned the Emperor and was reprimanded. So, after noon today—"
Even setting aside the concubines, Qiao Lian'er was still quite shaken.
She said that the reason why that woman bought a durian of almost the same size as her that day was to undermine her morals.
So easily, they took the life of their powerful enemy.
That Consort De is really fragile; she can't even withstand this little bit of trouble.
Qiao Lian'er silently rubbed her forehead.
Pei Zhujin continued, "The Emperor sent someone to measure Consort Xian's large durian and found that it was slightly smaller than the one presented. The palace servants all said that Consort De's death was not worthwhile."
Pei Shijiu glanced at Qiao Lian'er: "Little girl, when did Consort Xian come to buy durians from you?"
"Just two days ago, I went to the palace to present durians. On the way, I was stopped and taken to a private room. A woman was sitting with her back to me and said that she wanted to buy me a durian that was slightly smaller than the one I was presenting. Her request was almost imperceptible."
The two brothers exchanged a glance, their faces showing sudden realization.
"The Consort Xian's move was truly bloodless; she was a master strategist indeed," Pei Zhujin shook his head.
“Miss Qiao, don’t take it to heart. You were just selling a durian. This has nothing to do with you.”
“I won’t blame myself for this,” Qiao Lian’er said. “Otherwise, with so many murders, wouldn’t those who sell knives and forge swords all be guilty?”
Anyone who comes to her to buy durians, no matter who they are, will sell them to her as long as they pay the right amount.
“That’s more like it, that’s how a little girl should be,” Pei Shijiu agreed.
Qiao Lian'er was completely unaffected; he continued to sell durians and nuts, and money poured in every day.
Half a month later, he had earned more than a million taels of silver. He generously gave Dacheng and Zhizhi ten thousand taels of silver as pocket money.
"Brother Dacheng, if you like a girl, just go after her openly. Spend money freely, and if you need more, just ask me."
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