Chapter 89 Qinghong Xie Qingyu is really going crazy.
Yue Yining was completely unaware of all of this.
May has arrived, and spring is in full bloom. These past few days, Yue Yining has been extremely busy with official duties, meeting with ministers daily to discuss matters.
The Green Ghost Case, which spanned three months, was investigated more and more thoroughly by the Dali Temple. Because it involved many people and concerned the national treasury and finance, it remained the focus of the Yanjing court.
Court officials continued to visit villagers in Suyang to collect evidence. While investigating in the Jin residence, several old servants who had served the Jin family for many years filed a complaint on the spot, which brought to light a long-standing incident.
It turns out that Jin Yuanxiu's first wife, Lin, did not commit suicide by hanging. Instead, she was pushed by Jin Yuanxiu during an argument, which caused her to hit her head. Because she did not receive timely medical treatment, she lost too much blood and died.
Jin Yuanxiu was at the time contacting officials of the imperial court, attempting to transition from merchant to official. If such a scandal were to be exposed, it would inevitably damage his reputation and make it impossible for him to become an official.
Therefore, Jin Yuanxiu devised a plan to fake Lin's suicide by hanging in order to cover up his crime.
Although this happened many years ago, the servants who handled the matter back then are still alive. With witnesses and physical evidence, the Dali Temple finally confirmed the truth after interrogation and investigation.
The rumor caused an uproar in Suyang City, with countless people filled with resentment, and Jin Yuanxiu's reputation was completely ruined as a result.
At the end of May, the Green Ghost case was investigated and officially closed. Jin Yuanxiu and a group of Jin family officials were beheaded and their bodies displayed in the marketplace.
At the end of spring, Yue Yining received a letter from Jin Lingxi from Suyang.
In the letter, Jin Lingxi, on behalf of herself and Jiang Hairong, once again sincerely thanked Yue Yining. Because of her testimony, Jin Lingxi, as the direct descendant of the mastermind Jin Yuanxiu, was able to protect herself and remain unharmed.
In the letter, Jin Lingxi confessed some things she hadn't told Yue Yining at the time. For example, she had arranged for several of the old servants who exposed Jin Yuanxiu to be her people. She had also transferred some of the Jin family's estates and shops that she had been managing to Jiang Hairong before Yue Yining came to Suyang City to investigate the Green Ghost case.
Therefore, although the Jin family's properties and land were confiscated, Jin Lingxi and Jiang Hairong's lives were not significantly affected.
Now, the people of Suyang City hate Jin Yuanxiu, but they pity Jin Lingxi, who has lost her mother innocently. Moreover, the ban on practicing medicine in Suyang has been lifted, and Jiang Hairong has returned. Jin Lingxi decides to use the money in her hand to open a pharmacy for Jiang Hairong.
Neither of them intended to become officials, so they agreed to continue managing their shops and businesses together in Suyang.
In her letter, Jin Lingxi wrote: "But I am still grateful to Lord Yue for helping me. My mother taught me that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. Lord Yue has been kind to me and Xiao Rong. If there is ever a day when you need our help, please send someone to find us. We will do our best to help you."
After reading the letter, Yue Yining felt relieved, her last worry was gone.
While staying temporarily at the Jin residence, Yue Yining had Jin Lingxi's fate calculated. Even though she had seen the fates of many high-ranking officials and nobles, the wealth potential in Jin Lingxi's fate still surprised Yue Yining.
It's not about being valuable, but simply about wealth; it's a symbol of abundance and prosperity, a once-in-a-century occurrence.
Yue Yining had only seen one person with such a destiny once, in a history book, a wealthy merchant from the previous dynasty.
She already knew then that Jin Lingxi's future was not limited to this.
As Grain Rain approaches, it signifies the imminent arrival of summer, with its incessant chirping of cicadas.
It was already evening when Yue Yining returned to the princess's residence. The bedchamber was empty, but there was a piece of paper on the table. Yue Yining picked it up and found it was a message left by Fu Yao.
Since arriving at the princess's residence, Fu Yao would only accompany her when needed, and otherwise spend her time training with the princess's Embroidered Guards, thus making many friends of her own age.
Looking at the scribbles on the paper, Yue Yining murmured, "So today is the day the Embroidered Zhu Guards go to the back mountain for training."
The Embroidered Crimson Guard has now expanded to a thousand members, all of whom are girls aged fifteen or sixteen. Every few days, they go deep into the mountains for nighttime training and to practice on complex terrain, all at the behest of Princess Wei Yihua.
In other words, Fu Yao will not be at the residence tonight, and will not return to the princess's residence until at least tomorrow afternoon.
Yue Yining didn't think anything of it. She didn't necessarily need someone to serve her; after all, she had suffered hardships in the past. Moreover, Fu Yao's decision to embroider Zhu Wei was a result of her deliberate guidance.
Yao Yao couldn't possibly remain her maid forever; otherwise, all her excellent martial arts skills would be wasted. The Princess is a fine mistress, and a woman of exceptional talent; serving in her personal guard would guarantee her a bright future.
Yue Yining went to find a maid outside the palace, washed and dressed inside, and then spent some time organizing the books she would need for the morning court session. Just as she was about to turn off the lights and go to bed, she heard footsteps outside the door, which happened to pass by the window and stop in front of her palace.
She looked up in surprise, and then a knocking sound came from the door.
Yue Yining raised her voice and asked, "Who is it so late?"
The voice outside the door was familiar; it was Su Yue: "I'm sorry to bother you, Lord Yue. This servant is here on the orders of Her Highness the Princess to deliver a congratulatory gift to you."
Yue Yining frowned slightly, a little puzzled, but still summoned the person in.
Su Yue, dressed in a pale yellow palace dress, approached her respectfully, curtsied, and said, "This servant greets Lady Yue."
Yue Yining: "What kind of congratulatory gift is this? Why go to such lengths and even invite Miss Suyue?"
Su Yue was the Princess's personal maid, a position of extraordinary status and rank. Such a gift-giving affair was usually handled by a junior maid or eunuch; sending such an important maid in person seemed a bit too formal.
Su Yue replied, "Your Highness sent me here because Your Highness values Lord Yue highly. This gift was also personally selected by the Eldest Princess."
Yue Yining was without makeup, her hair loose, her long, black hair cascading down to her waist. A white inner robe clung to her slender frame as she casually leaned against the table, listening to Su Yue's reply, like a white crane perched under the moonlight.
She shook her head: "I appreciate Your Highness's kindness, but I have already received many benefits from you, so it would be really inappropriate to accept another gift."
"Besides, it's so late already. Why don't you send it over tomorrow? That way I can take a closer look."
Su Yue insisted, "Your Highness said that the eldest man would definitely like this gift. She really spent a long time choosing it and specially arranged to deliver it in the evening."
“Once you open it, you will understand the princess’s intentions.”
Su Yue's unusual refusal to back down surprised Yue Yining, but she also knew that Wei Yihua had probably given her some special instructions.
Not wanting to make things difficult for the servants, Yue Yining hesitated for a moment before changing her mind and saying, "...Alright, let them in then."
Four maids carried a three-foot-tall black lacquered and gilded wooden box into the hall.
Yue Yining raised an eyebrow slightly. The size of the wooden box exceeded her expectations; she had thought it would be something small, but it looked large enough to fit a grown man.
The box gleamed faintly in the candlelight, and the jade-inlaid bronze buckle and gilded intertwined floral patterns flickered with the swaying as it was carried until it reached Yue Yining before being slowly lowered.
Su Yue ordered two maids to open the lid of the box.
In an instant, the light blue silk slipped to the ground, like the receding tide.
The young man, curled up in the box, was snow-white, his eyes covered with silk. His skin shimmered with a pearly glow, and beneath his jade-carved collarbones rose and fell his chest. His loose, raven-black hair was wrapped around his waist. He was bound from head to toe in bright red silk, with an extra piece partially covering his lower body. The fabric, as thin as a cicada's wing, was almost transparent under the bright candlelight in the hall.
Yue Yining was dumbfounded.
Su Yue bowed her head respectfully: "This is a favorite servant carefully selected by Her Highness the Princess for Lord Yue. He comes from a respectable family and has never received any guests. He has already washed his body beforehand, so you can enjoy him directly once you untie his belt."
The images were appalling, and the words were offensive.
It took Yue Yining a long time to come to her senses, and she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles: "No... why would Her Highness suddenly think of giving me a pet slave?"
Su Yue's expression turned serious, and she immediately began to speak well of her princess: "Your Highness said that she always feels that Lord Yue works very hard on a daily basis, and many things can only be accomplished thanks to Lord Yue. She wants to send some nice things to reward you."
"But she hesitated because she didn't want to send you the same things she had sent before; repeating gifts lacks sincerity. She said that you had male lovers before, so you must have some needs in that area. But during your time at the Princess's residence, you had no one to serve you, which was probably because you had some reservations. Your Highness saw all of this and kept it in mind, which is why she took the initiative to choose someone to send over."
After hearing the story behind this "surprise," Yue Yining's temples throbbed: "...Is Her Highness asleep? I want to talk to her."
"Her Highness the Princess has washed and changed and is preparing to retire for the night. If Lord Yue has any urgent matters, this servant can convey them to her."
Yue Yining sighed, "No, no need. Never mind, you can go back now. I'll go see her in person tomorrow."
She originally thought it was just a harmless misunderstanding, but she didn't expect it to have such a far-reaching impact. She really needed to find an opportunity to talk things out with Wei Yihua.
Su Yue and her maids left the palace, and the carved wooden doors closed.
Now, only Yue Yining and the male concubine who was still bound hand and foot remained in the hall.
Yue Yining was utterly overwhelmed. Fu Yao wasn't here tonight either, and she didn't know who to ask for help.
Left with no other choice, she walked over, squatted down, and spoke to the man in the box: "Um... my surname is Yue, may I ask how to address you, sir?"
The man didn't speak, but gasped for breath. Yue Yining paused, then, as she got closer, she noticed an unusual flush on his skin. Without hesitation, she reached out and touched his chest.
The skin under my palms was burning hot, unbelievably hot.
Caught off guard by her touch, the man gasped in surprise.
Yue Yining stared in shock at his bright red lips: "The person who brought you here drugged you??"
Good heavens! She's really being forced into a corner!
As Yue Yining's head throbbed with pain, she noticed the man inside the box struggling slightly. She had suddenly touched him, causing him to stumble and fall while trying to dodge; now, with his hands and feet bound, he was struggling to sit up.
"Wait a moment," Yue Yining quickly stepped forward, "Let me help you untie these things first."
She untied the red silk cloth tied to the man's face, and the brightly colored soft cloth slipped down, allowing Yue Yining to see the male slave's face clearly.
With his refined and gentle features, thin lips, and long, sparse eyebrows, he would undoubtedly be a rare and handsome man in the outside world. It's just a pity that Yue Yining has already seen a stunning beauty like Xie Qingyu, so seeing other men would inevitably make him feel somewhat disappointed.
But Yue Yining was still taken aback.
This male slave, like Xie Qingyu, had a pair of sleepy phoenix eyes. In the dim light of the flickering lamps in the hall, their faces appeared even more alike, and she almost mistook the person before her for Xie Qingyu.
Almost the instant the silk cloth fell, the man's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and his eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
The handsome man, his entire body flushed red, cried in front of her.
Seeing how pitifully he was crying, Yue Yining understood a bit of what was going on. She squatted down beside the trunk, propped her chin on her hand, and looked at him: "Did you come here to serve me voluntarily?"
The man in front of me bit his lip, his eyes red, and large tears rolled down his cheeks. He said in a hoarse voice, "I...I did it willingly..."
This doesn't look like it was done voluntarily at all!
Yue Yining stood up with a headache, paced back and forth a couple of times, and thought about how to solve this troublesome problem.
Wei Yihua's intentions were sincere, and she didn't want to disappoint her, but she really didn't have any hobbies that required her to do anything against her will, and she wasn't interested in that kind of thing either.
Unable to find a solution, she looked at the man again and suddenly realized that she had left halfway through untying him, and now half a day had passed, and he was still tied up in the box.
Yue Yining quickly knelt down again, intending to untie the silk ribbons binding him, "Sorry, I forgot, I'll untie them for you right now..."
Her gaze swept over the man, noticing the ribbon was knotted at his abdomen. She reached out, and before she could even touch him, the man suddenly shuddered: "No, don't touch there..."
Yue Yining was stunned for a moment.
In that instant, the red silk cloth that had been partially covering the man's lower body was shaken off, revealing the jade pillar tied with a silk ribbon.
Yue Yining blushed instantly. She jumped up, not daring to look again, and grabbed the silk cloth from the ground, throwing it all at him: "I...I didn't see anything!!"
She covered her face, trying her best to calm down.
Just now, a sense of resolve almost rose within her: she would turn around and go to sleep, and deal with everything after dawn.
But her damned morality suppressed the idea.
No, we can't just leave this person here to dry all night! He's probably been drugged; if we don't get rid of the drug, I don't know if he'll have any health problems.
Yue Yining did several rounds of mental preparation before resolutely turning around and walking forward again.
The man in the box was crying with tears streaming down his face. Through his blurred vision, the woman he was supposed to serve knelt down in front of him and began to untie his belt again. This time she did not hesitate and her movements were quick and efficient.
The man stared at her, stunned. Tears welled up and slid down his face as he finally saw Yue Yining so close to him.
She had her eyes closed, her cheeks flushed, seemingly embarrassed, but she was still untying his belt. Before long, he finally realized he could move his hands, and he quickly wrapped the few pieces of silk cloth around himself. Yue Yining also opened her eyes.
When Yue Yining opened her eyes, she saw that he had covered her up and breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, let's talk now."
“I know you didn’t do it willingly. You don’t need to argue with me, I have eyes and I can see. Besides, your lying skills are very poor,” Yue Yining said. “Although I think that with Her Highness the Princess’s character, she wouldn’t force a decent man, you are clearly not doing it willingly, so I definitely have to ask you a question.”
"So, you have to answer me seriously and honestly." Yue Yining stared straight at him. "Are you really doing this voluntarily?"
The man sitting in the box could no longer hold back; tears streamed down his face. He covered his eyes, sobbing, "I didn't... I didn't want to... I didn't want to sell my body..."
“But something happened to my family. If I don’t come here, we…we’ll be reduced to a lowly status…” His eyes were filled with tears. “Only by selling myself can I save my family…I have no other choice, I’m truly desperate…”
If there were other options, who would be willing to make a living by using their own body?
"Don't be afraid," Yue Yining's voice rang in his ear, "Then we won't betray you."
The man was completely stunned. Ignoring the tears that were still falling, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Yue Yining in astonishment.
He seemed to finally see the face of the woman in white before him clearly. Her features were delicate and refined, her skin fair and smooth, and she had a pair of eyes as bright as stars, looking at him with a gentle expression.
Yue Yining said softly, "Don't be afraid, I won't make things difficult for you."
"If you are unwilling, then so be it. I will go and tell His Highness that I have accepted you, so that you and your family will be safe and sound, and you will not have to sell your body to do something against your conscience."
“However, you’ll have to stay here tonight until tomorrow morning,” Yue Yining said. “It looks like you’ve been drugged. Can your body handle it?”
The man stared at her, still not quite understanding: "...Really? I don't... I don't have to do anything?"
Yue Yining smiled: "Of course. A woman's word is as good as her bond."
"To be honest, I only found out about this today. I didn't know beforehand that Her Highness the Princess had chosen a favorite servant for me. Actually, I don't need one; she probably misunderstood," Yue Yining said. "By the way, you still haven't said what to call you?"
“…Wang Zhou.” The man sitting in the box responded softly, his misty eyes fixed on her. “But, the maid who brought me here just now said that you had male lovers before…”
"Cough cough cough." Yue Yining was so embarrassed she was about to die. "Didn't you say it was all a misunderstanding?"
"How about this? I'll have someone bring in a bucket of cold water, and you can soak in it. That might make you more comfortable. As for clothes, you can wear my outer robe for now. The inner robe is probably too small for you, but the outer robe should fit perfectly. You can wear it temporarily." Yue Yining made the decision immediately. "How about this arrangement?"
Wang Zhou was still stunned. "Then, then you...?"
"Me?" Yue Yining pointed to herself. "Of course I'm going to sleep!"
She has to get up at dawn tomorrow to attend court! Who's more miserable than her!
It was late at night, but Yue Yining's palace was still brightly lit.
Huang Qiu, who was yawning while leaning on the eaves, was suddenly nudged by his guard Xiao Chuan, who woke him up: "My God! Huang Qiu, look! What's going on?"
Huang Qiu snapped out of his daze, glanced at the maid carrying a bath tub out of Yue Yining's palace in the distance, and asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's going on?"
Ogawa said, "That's strange. Why would someone call for water in the middle of the night?"
Huang Qiu was still a little sleepy: "It's just a bathtub, right? Just calling for water. Besides, what's so strange about taking a bath in the middle of the night? Aren't all high-ranking officials and nobles this debauched..."
etc!
Huang Qiu was fully awake. He clung to the eaves, rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and then his chin fell to the ground. "Wait, how many times have they called for water now?!"
Xiao Chuan slapped Huang Qiu, stopping right in front of him: "Five times! That was the sixth time already!"
Huang Qiu broke out in a cold sweat; he thought this bastard was trying to take the opportunity to slap him.
"This...this Lord Yue didn't order anyone to serve him tonight, did he? I remember only one group of maids carrying a large box in, right? Wait! Could it be..." Huang Qiu was shocked, "that box contained people?!"
Ogawa mocked him, "Your reaction was really quick, really agile!"
Huang Qiu slapped him across the face: "Get lost!"
Huang Qiu thought to himself, "This is earth-shattering intelligence!"
He and Xiao Chuan had been sent by Yin Yi to track the whereabouts of this Yue King for some time now, but they had gained nothing. Moreover, the Yue King's life was extremely regular and monotonous. When he went out, he was either handling government affairs, meeting with ministers, or hiding in the palace drinking tea, reading books, and telling fortunes. He was very boring.
He didn't understand why Yin Yi hadn't transferred them to do something else, and instead had them keep monitoring him.
Well, at least he's finally noticed something unusual about her behavior!
Huang Qiu was as energetic as if he had been injected with chicken blood. He was not sleepy for the rest of the night and stared intently at Yue Yining's bedroom until the daylight broke.
Finally, he crouched down and witnessed the scene of the bedroom door being opened from the inside.
Yue Yining, dressed neatly with her hair adorned with a jade hairpin and wearing court attire, walked out. Following closely behind her was a slightly taller man in white, with a handsome and refined appearance.
Xiao Chuan clicked his tongue in amazement beside him: "This male concubine looks like he could be blown away by a gust of wind, yet he can do it seven times in one night. You really can't judge a book by its cover!"
Huang Qiu spat at him: "You just don't understand, do you? This line of work looks easy, but it's actually very complicated!"
Xiao Chuan retorted, "You seem to know so much about this; it looks like you've worked in this industry before?"
Huang Qiu glared angrily and shouted, "Get lost!"
Yue Yining was completely unaware that someone was there. She turned to Wang Zhou and said, "Then I'll go to court first. I've instructed the maids in the manor that someone will come to escort you out of the manor later, so don't worry."
Wang Zhou stared straight at her, his face full of genuine gratitude: "I will never forget the kindness of Lord Yue. If Lord Yue ever asks me for anything in the future, I will serve you faithfully without hesitation!"
When Yue Yining first heard him say his name, she didn't quite catch it. Now, hearing it for the second time, she finally understood and paused for a moment: "Wang Zhou?"
"Are you perhaps a member of a collateral branch of the Wang family?"
Wang Zhou was stunned. Suddenly being asked about his identity, he was momentarily at a loss, and his eyes dimmed: "...Yes."
“My family members all worked under Wang Zhichang, but they were always honest officials and never did anything dirty. It’s just that when Wang fell from power, we were inevitably implicated.”
"For a while, some colleagues spoke up for my father, but later, seeing that he was imprisoned, they all backed away, unwilling to get involved further. I ran around begging for help, just trying to stall for time. Seeing my father imprisoned and my mother and sister about to be reduced to lowly status, I had no choice but to take a desperate gamble and plead with Lord Sun..."
Yue Yining narrowed her eyes. Grand Physician Sun Yang was one of the first to side with the Third Prince. She didn't have much interaction with him, but she could tell he was a shrewd person.
"Lord Sun brought me to see Her Highness the Princess. Her Highness looked me over and said she could help my mother and sister, but she had conditions."
Yue Yining could guess what would happen next. She wasn't concerned about that matter anymore; she was concerned about something else.
She found a few clues about the case of Wang Zhichang, but then she couldn't find any further leads. She didn't know any powerful families or how to contact the Wang family members who had worked for Wang Zhichang.
Unexpectedly, someone brought her a pillow while she was dozing off.
Yue Yining said, "There is one thing you can help me with right now."
Huang Qiu and Xiao Chuan were far apart and could only see the two talking. They talked for a long time, and no one knew what they were saying. Finally, Yue Yining left first, and the man in white returned to Yue Yining's bedroom and closed the door.
Seeing Yue Yining board the carriage to go to court, Huang Qiu knew that the matter was over.
He beamed with joy: "Quick, let's go back to the manor right now!" We have to tell Brother Yin this information as soon as possible!
-----------------------
Author's note: Yin Yi received the intelligence and remained silent: If this were told to Xie Qingyu, she would probably die the moment she heard it.
From that moment on, Xie Qingyu became a ghost, following her mistress every night...
ps:
Sisters, I'm just saying that if we ever drive a car in the future, it will be even more intense than this. It's not time for Ayu Ningning to do this yet. (The author looks at her outline and sighs in despair)
Ahhhhh, please click to send the author a gift of nutrient solution!! It will motivate her to update more often!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com