When Elder Mei takes action, his efficiency is truly remarkable.
Good news came that evening: Han Yu had been wrongly accused and was released without charge.
Of course, that's not all. I heard that Zhao Luming was arrested, accused of framing his classmate out of jealousy.
Lord Shen also escorted Shen Hongyan to the Provincial Administration Office to confess her crimes.
I don't know what method Lord Shen used to make Shen Hongyan accuse her of simply because she was angry that Han Yu and Li Xinniang had gone on a blind date, and she just didn't like him.
Yan Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. No matter what the final outcome was, Zhao Luming and Shen Hongyan would not fare well.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing's eyes turned somewhat sinister. No one knew that she was the one who had actually orchestrated this whole scheme.
She had never forgotten what the Shen and Chen families had done to her family. She hadn't been able to deal with them before, but that didn't mean she would never seek revenge.
This story begins when she asked Lin Ning'er for help.
It was common knowledge that Magistrate Shen was a womanizer, but he was constrained by his status and could not openly patronize prostitutes.
If you were to ask who knows best what these kinds of men like, it would undoubtedly be courtesans.
Yan Qingqing had inquired about Shen Tongzhi's preferences beforehand.
He then had Lin Ning'er choose a woman from Zuisheng Tower who suited Shen Tongzhi's taste.
She pretended to sell herself to bury her father, which attracted the attention of Magistrate Shen.
That person was Huo Shuixian. Lin Ning'er promised that after the matter was completed, not only would she release Huo Shuixian from her contract, but everything Huo Shuixian obtained from the Shen family would also be hers.
With Huo Shuixian's arrival, the jealousy and rivalry in Shen Tongzhi's harem became even more severe.
Either this concubine stole that concubine's jewelry, or this concubine drugged that concubine.
Even the most prestigious concubine, Aunt Chen, was locked in the woodshed for several days for ruining Magistrate Shen's plans.
With trouble brewing in the Shen family's backyard, Madam Shen and Aunt Chen had no time to cause trouble for Yan Qingqing.
However, Yan Qingqing did not let her guard down. She had received information that the eldest son of the Shen family was a scholar with good knowledge and would be taking the exam this year.
However, he was extremely jealous and could not tolerate people from poorer families who were more educated than him.
Yan Qingqing then asked Lin Ning'er to send a message to Huo Shuixian.
She deliberately stirred up trouble in front of Young Master Shen to arouse his jealousy.
Huo Shuixian was beautiful, and with a little bit of seduction, she made Young Master Shen completely infatuated with her.
Her words naturally aroused his jealousy.
He dared not lay a hand on others, but only on Han Yu, whose family background was inferior to his but whose talent was superior.
However, fearing that something might happen and implicate him, he acted melancholy in front of Aunt Chen.
Aunt Chen felt sorry for her son and naturally wanted to stand up for him.
However, Aunt Chen was clever. After finding out about Han Yu's situation, she got Shen Hongyan involved under Huo Shuixian's deliberate guidance. In any case, no matter the final outcome, Aunt Chen and Madam Shen would fight to the death.
It is no longer possible for them to cooperate.
Whether Magistrate Shen protects his son or his daughter, he will lose one of them.
The only thing Yan Qingqing hadn't figured out was that this person was actually Han Yu.
This is why Yan Qingqing agreed on the spot when Madam Han came to visit – mainly because she felt guilty.
Now that the matter has been settled, Yan Qingqing is thinking about returning to Chengyang County.
However, news of Yan Qingqing's arrival in the prefectural city spread like wildfire.
Many people came to visit her early the next morning.
After all, there were very few noblewomen in the entire Xuancheng Prefecture with a higher rank than Yan Qingqing.
However, Yan Qingqing did not see most of the people.
Firstly, there were too many people for her to meet, and secondly, it was inconvenient to meet them all at the inn.
Although she didn't meet most of the people, there were some she still had to meet, such as the wife of Prefect Liu.
Back when Yan Qingqing was still without a rank in Canghe Village, Madam Liu had shown her kindness.
Later, when Yan Qingqing was promoted, she was the first person from the prefectural city to send gifts.
Yan Qingqing felt she had to meet her because of this favor.
So after Mu Xi reported back, Yan Qingqing asked Mu Xi to invite her in.
As soon as Madam Liu entered, she knelt and bowed to Yan Qingqing, saying, "This humble servant, Liu, greets the esteemed Lady Mingzhao."
Yan Qingqing quickly helped the woman up and scolded her, "Madam Liu, what are you doing?"
"We are of the same rank, there's no need for such a grand ceremony. Isn't this making me feel utterly ashamed?"
According to the regulations of the imperial court, except for the wives of first and second-rank officials, other ranks of imperial consorts were not required to perform the full kneeling ceremony when greeting each other.
The main forms of greeting are the wanfu (a type of curtsy) and the deep squatting (another type of curtsy).
Of course, one can also perform a full kneeling ceremony on important occasions.
Prefect Liu was a fourth-rank official, and his wife was also a fourth-rank lady. Yan Qingqing's official title was also only fourth-rank, but the emperor graciously granted her an additional third-rank title.
Madam Liu stood up and replied, "While what Master Mingzhao said is true, not all masters are the same."
I am a man of great stature because of the blessings and favors bestowed upon me by my master.
You were truly bestowed this title by the Emperor based on your merits.
Besides, you not only have a title, but also a third-rank official rank. Even a lady of the third rank would have to show you the same courtesy.
Mrs. Liu was being polite, and Yan Qingqing didn't want to argue with her about it anymore.
He simply smiled and asked her to sit down.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Madam Liu explained the purpose of her visit.
It turned out that after Lord Liu learned that Han Yu had been wronged by Zhao Minglu, he took it very seriously and went to discuss it with Lord Mei of the Provincial Administration Commission overnight.
Lord Liu advocated severely punishing the framing party, but since the matter involved Shen Tongzhi's daughter, Shen Hongyan, many officials spoke up for Shen Tongzhi.
Lord Liu is outnumbered, and I'm afraid Lord Mei will side with Prefect Shen. I hope Yan Qingqing is prepared for this.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Thank you, Madam Shen, for coming to inform me of this matter. I think Lord Mei will have a fair way to handle this."
Madam Liu smiled and didn't bring it up again.
She came today mainly to try and get closer to Yan Qingqing.
Not to mention Yan Qingqing's own rank, the key point is that she also has a very good relationship with Magistrate Ling.
Magistrate Ling is the eldest son of the Ling family in the capital.
If Lord Liu can establish a connection with the Ling family, would Magistrate Shen still dare to disregard him?
In terms of strength, the Ling family is far stronger than the Qian family.
Of course, Yan Qingqing was somewhat aware of Madam Liu's little schemes.
After seeing Madam Liu off, Yan Qingqing sighed. This Lord Liu has it tough. He has the title of prefect but is often hampered by Vice Prefect Shen. It's just a pity that Vice Prefect Shen can't touch him yet.
Before Yan Qingqing could even suggest returning to Chengyang County, Magistrate Ling actually sent someone to tell her to pack her things and go back to Chengyang County as soon as possible.
Yan Qingqing was somewhat surprised, because judging from Magistrate Ling's demeanor, he had no intention of going back at all.
However, this suited Yan Qingqing's wishes perfectly, as she still had a lot of things to deal with at home.
In the afternoon, Yan Qingqing and Magistrate Ling rode two fast horses, each accompanied by their own guards, and left the prefectural city.
By the time Lord Mei received the news, the two had already left Xuancheng Prefecture, which made Lord Mei so angry that he stomped his feet.
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