Chapter 12: Burning the Treasure House
Madam Yan snorted coldly, "How dare she! If Qin Mingzhu hadn't agreed to find a way to get Yunrui into the Imperial College today, do you think I would have let it go?"
The eyes of the other people in the room lit up at the same time.
I didn't expect this to happen.
Yan Qingming couldn't help but ask, "Did sister-in-law really say that?"
"She agreed to it anyway. If this doesn't work out, how can I possibly let her have an easy life in the future? Not to mention, this girl fell down, and after waking up, she still has ambitions. She wants to find a way to get the key to the Marquis Mansion's treasury from me. What a wishful thinking."
There are no outsiders in this room.
The door was closed, and Madam Yan didn't mind revealing her true face.
The treasure house was specially built by the old marquis who had the most skilled craftsmen in Southern Yan Kingdom. It was very exquisite and almost impossible to open without a key.
The upper floor is filled with trivial items used in the daily life of the Marquis' Mansion, which are not very valuable. The really valuable items are all in the underground secret room.
The special treasure house key in her hand controls the wealth accumulated by the Marquis' Mansion over the years and is very important, so she is unwilling to hand it over.
Lin Hongrong whispered, "Mom, it's not easy to get into the Imperial College. Many children from aristocratic families are scrambling to get in. Does she really think she can get in?"
She couldn't help but feel excited.
Although my eldest sister-in-law's father has been disabled for several years, he was once a general who defended the country and was once a glorious figure. The general's mansion has indeed fallen into decline in recent years, which is because the general who defends the country has many friends in the court, but also many enemies.
The first two years were all the same, but even the best of friends would lose interest if there were no conflicts of interest. Unless they were friends for life, who could continue to care for a useless person who would never be able to rise again? After a long time, it was inevitable that he would be secretly suppressed by some enemies.
But it doesn't mean that the Qin family is really useless. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Maybe Qin Mingzhu really has the means to give Yunrui the opportunity to enter the Imperial College.
Lin Hongrong was thinking that she had a younger brother at home. If she asked her elder sister-in-law for help, would she also have this opportunity?
Madam Yan nodded. "Perhaps she is using my son's death in battle as a pretext to gain sympathy from outside. It's likely that the Emperor didn't think of Yunrui, otherwise why would she need to come up with a solution? If she can do a good job, it's fine. If she can't..."
Although she hadn't finished speaking, Madam Yan's expression had obviously become a little gloomy.
Lin Hongrong quickly soothed her softly, "Mother, your sister-in-law is truly thoughtful. If this matter is truly accomplished, it will bring many benefits to Yunrui in the future. In any case, you should be more accommodating to your sister-in-law recently. She just lost her husband and is feeling very uneasy. She must be feeling uneasy, so she suddenly wants the treasure house key. Your words are still a little too harsh. Even if you don't want to give it to her, you should give her a little sweetness first, instead of refusing so coldly."
After hearing this, Old Lady Yan frowned at first, but then she felt that what Lin Hongrong said made sense.
Lin Hongrong married into the Marquis's Mansion relatively early, more than four years ago. She was well-behaved, sensible and obedient, and she was quite satisfied with her.
The second daughter-in-law had never been in charge of the household before, and she had never argued or made a fuss, but she was a good person.
"According to you, I should give her the key?"
Lin Hongrong chuckled and said, "Of course not. If my brother were still alive, you would give it to me. But now that my brother is gone, who knows if she can stay a widow forever? The financial power in the mansion cannot be handed over."
Old Lady Yan loved to hear this.
She immediately became serious: "Go on."
Lin Hongrong breathed a sigh of relief and flattered him, "Pick out some things for me tomorrow and give some to my eldest sister-in-law. This way, when Jiao'er goes out in her new clothes, people won't think that we are mistreating our eldest daughter-in-law. As long as you say a few good words, Qin Mingzhu will be completely under your control. Will she be able to turn the tables in the future? The Qin family is now in decline. If you, as her mother-in-law, treat her a little better, she will definitely be very kind to the Marquis' Mansion in the future. What good things will the Qin family not give us? We must take a long-term view..."
I have to say that this daughter-in-law is of some value to her.
Old Madam Yan nodded with satisfaction. This was the reason why she did not call anyone else but only called Lin Hongrong, an outsider.
"Well, I'll call Qin Mingzhu over tomorrow..."
Several people were discussing how to treat Qin Mingzhu and the posthumous baby in her belly.
Qin Mingzhu's words made Old Lady Yan a little cautious and she had to think carefully about the relationship between her and her husband.
Today's incident happened suddenly, and Qin Mingzhu changed so much that she couldn't keep her composure and almost lost her composure. Her relationship with Qin Mingzhu was originally quite good, but after today, some rifts were obviously created.
This is not good for the Marquis' Mansion.
She had to continue to maintain her image as a good mother-in-law, and then find a way to ease the tension with Qin Mingzhu without harming her interests.
But at this moment.
Suddenly, a noisy sound of footsteps was heard in the silent night outside.
"Something's wrong, old lady!"
The people in the room were startled and looked outside.
Then Aunt Shen came to the door and reported loudly: "There's a fire in Qingyun Court next to the treasure house!"
Madam Yan was very surprised. She immediately stood up and asked, "Isn't the yard empty? How could there be a sudden fire?"
Nanny Shen said, "It is said that a few servants were clearing weeds in the yard. When they were burning the weeds, the wind was too strong and set two dead trees at the door on fire. The fire spread to the house. The yard has been uninhabited for many years and is made of solid wood, so..."
Yan Qingming was very surprised: "Why would you go there to clean up that dilapidated yard for no reason? Who gave the order?"
Nanny Shen continued, "Madam said she wanted to prepare a temporary courtyard for the generals of the Governor's Mansion, so she arranged for someone to go and clean it up."
Old Madam Yan always felt something was wrong.
The treasure house is hidden in the most central part of the mansion. Although there are several courtyards around it, they have always been empty. No one would live there on weekdays.
This also separates a relatively safe area.
There are people taking turns guarding outside the treasury of the Marquis' Mansion. It is very strict and no one is allowed to approach easily.
But it was too late to think.
Several rows of houses in Qingyun Courtyard are right next to the yard where the treasure house is located. If the fire is not stopped in time, it will spread quickly.
Her face darkened. "What are you all still standing there for? Call everyone out and put out the fire!"
Several people in the room also ran out in a hurry.
It doesn’t matter whether Qingyunyuan is burned down or not.
The important thing is the treasure house next to it!
If this gets burned, the entire mansion will be ruined!
Old Madam Yan was supported by Lin Hongrong and quickened her pace all the way to Qingyun Courtyard. At this time, the fire was already burning fiercely.
It was just after the Chinese New Year, the weather was dry and the wind was strong, so the fire spread very quickly.
Not long after that, half of the houses in Qingyun Courtyard were burned to ashes.
When Old Lady Yan saw this, she was so anxious that she almost jumped up and hit a servant next to her on the leg with her crutch: "Hurry up, some of you go get some water to put out the fire, and the rest of you quickly open the treasure house and move everything out!"
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