Chapter 9 Lin Qiao
During the days that the road in the manor was under construction, Yao Qingling did not go out.
She wiped the jewelry, jade, porcelain, lacquerware, and valuable paintings and calligraphy in the storeroom clean, wrapped them in soft cloth, and put them away.
These were brought from the Duke's Mansion over the past two years after we moved into the new mansion; some are still in the storeroom of the Duke's Mansion's Hua Cui Courtyard.
The deeds to several other shops, as well as the deeds to the land and house of an estate, are kept at the Duke's mansion by Princess Deyang...
Qingling checked the list she had prepared, while Taoye looked at a row of shelves on the left.
On it were several exquisitely crafted mother-of-pearl inlaid sandalwood boxes, containing delicate and luxurious jewelry.
"Miss, aren't you taking these with you?"
Yao Qingling looked up at the items on the shelf and said calmly, "These were gifts from Princess Deyang."
Princess Deyang bestowed gifts upon her because she was Zhan Xingzhuo's wife and her daughter-in-law.
Now that they're divorced, she has nothing to do with them anymore, and they should be even.
Taoye nodded and said, "Should we take advantage of the crowds and chaos now and send these boxes to Tongluo Lane?"
Tao Ye was worried that if the young master ran out of money, he might force the young lady to sell these things, which would be better than sending them to Tongluo Lane.
Now that the young lady has her own house and someone to look after it, she feels completely at ease.
Also, be wary of them holding onto things during the divorce proceedings; it's better to secure your assets first.
Yao Qingling knew Tao Ye's worries and smiled, "Silly girl, can I leave this dowry to them?"
She put away the list, dusted herself off, placed her hand on the stacked boxes, and said slowly with a calm expression, "Taoye, I was carried to the Duke's mansion in a grand sedan chair. If I'm leaving, I should leave openly and honestly. If I'm carried to Tongluo Lane before the divorce, people will gossip and accuse me of being sneaky. I might even be accused of theft, and then the divorce won't be possible."
The dowry and betrothal gift lists are all there. When the couple divorces, they will check their belongings and leave cleanly.
“But—” Tao Ye was worried about her son-in-law. What wouldn’t he do for Zhou Zhi Ning?
But what the young lady said wasn't wrong either.
She was very conflicted.
At this moment, the gatekeeper brought Granny Jia from the Duke's mansion to deliver a message. Taoye pouted and glanced at Qingling, then became worried again.
Rumors are spreading everywhere, not only embarrassing the new mansion but also the Duke's mansion. The Grand Princess of Deyang must be furious.
When Yao Qingling pawned the jade pendant, she had already thought about this day. She calmly said to Granny Jia, "I'll go change my clothes and come right away. Please come to the flower hall for a cup of tea."
Granny Jia straightened herself and said coldly, "No need, this old servant still needs to report to the Grand Princess. Please, Second Young Mistress, act quickly and don't keep the Grand Princess waiting."
Qingling responded and turned to change her clothes, while Taoye saw Granny Jia out of the mansion.
Before long, Qingling and Taoye boarded the carriage to the Duke's mansion.
Qingling closed her eyes, her body swaying gently with the carriage.
Princess Deyang was the younger sister of the late Emperor Suwen and the aunt of the current Emperor Jingyan.
After her marriage, she had a very good relationship with the Duke, and the couple had two sons and a daughter.
The eldest son has already inherited the title and been appointed as the heir apparent; Zhan Xingzhuo has made his way in the officialdom through his own abilities.
He should have had a smooth career in government, but instead he became sworn siblings with Zhou Zhining.
When the Censorate has something to do, they criticize the emperor and powerful officials; when they don't, they dredge up corruption cases from years ago. Even though the Duke has severed ties with the Zhou family and doesn't acknowledge Zhou Zhining as his adopted daughter, Zhan Xingzhuo is still his biological son.
Therefore, the Censorate criticized the Duke's Mansion for maintaining ties with the daughter of a disgraced official, protecting corrupt criminals, and being muddle-headed and corrupt.
If it weren't for the prestige of the Grand Princess of Deyang and the Duke, the Duke's mansion would probably have been implicated by the Zhou family and demoted or dismissed from office.
The reason why the Duke has not expelled Zhan Xingzhuo from the family or divided the family property is because the Grand Princess of Deyang disagrees.
She only has two sons.
If the Duke's Mansion is to remain undefeated for a hundred years, the brothers must work together.
She believes that Zhan Xingzhuo is simply trapped by guilt and can't let go of Zhou Zhining.
"...Xingzhuo is a loyal and righteous child. Back then, he watched helplessly as the Zhou family was convicted and the Duke's Mansion did not offer any help. He felt that the Duke was too cold-hearted and unjust, and that he felt guilty towards the Zhou family. As long as he comes to his senses, he will return to his original position, and he will treat you even better."
If she agrees to separate the family and kicks Zhan Xingzhu out of the house, it will only further chill her son's heart, and the relationship between the two sides will be irreparable.
Therefore, for the past two years, the Grand Princess Deyang has been pressuring Yao Qingling, hoping she will take on the responsibilities of a wife. As long as Zhan Xingzhuo focuses his attention on her, he will let go of Zhou Zhining and eventually forget her.
Yao Qingling felt a heavy weight in her heart.
After her parents passed away, although she had relatives to take care of her, their care and love were not as great as those of Princess Deyang.
She was a very good elder who taught her how to be a good daughter-in-law and how to treat others. She was also patient with her, often praising and encouraging her, and rewarding her with gifts.
However, Qingling disappointed her.
Yao Qingling opened her eyes and sighed softly.
As the carriage passed through the market, a sudden burst of noise caused it to slow down.
Taoye lifted the curtain and looked outside. She saw a little girl of eight or nine years old struggling to swing a heavy iron spear in the crowd. Every move she made was off-target, with the spearhead pointing downwards, which made people laugh.
But the little girl looked serious and focused, putting her best effort into each move.
Peach Leaf, like the other spectators, was amused, and Miss Hope laughed too.
She pointed at the little girl: "Miss, she looks just like you when you were little."
Yao Qingling stared blankly at the little girl: "Hmm, she does look a bit like her."
She was born and raised on the southwestern border.
Her father was a general. As soon as she learned to walk, he taught her horse stance; when she could run, he taught her boxing. On her eighth birthday, her father gave her a silver spear, which she named Purple Lightning Silver Spear—she is Qingling, and it is Purple Lightning.
After she arrived in the capital, her cousins laughed at her, saying she looked like a wild monkey. Everyone said she should act like a girl and no longer allowed her to wield weapons.
She was raised to be a typical sheltered young lady.
But she misses her childhood so much...
"Stop the carriage," Yao Qingling suddenly ordered.
She got off the carriage and went into the crowd.
The gong, placed on the ground with its inside facing up, contained no reward money.
People felt that the little girl's performance was not good enough or exciting enough.
Suddenly, the little girl looked at Yao Qingling with bright and lively eyes. She smiled, stopped her swinging moves, and put down the heavy iron spear.
She took out an iron spear that was almost as tall as her and swung it around again.
This time, every move was powerful and imposing; the iron spear's authority could be felt even from several meters away.
However, she was just a young girl after all, and she did not unleash the sharp and deadly power of her silver spear that pierced the air—moreover, the common people hated war and disliked the blood-stained and desolate atmosphere.
Yao Qingling exclaimed "Good!" and placed a silver ingot into the gong.
The others felt the performance wasn't enough, so they tossed a few coins and left, claiming Yao Qingling was a plant.
As fewer and fewer people arrived, the little girl grew anxious.
She placed a thick layer of tiles on the ground, shouted loudly, and slammed them down with her palm.
But she had used too much force, and only the top few tiles broke.
She swept away the broken tiles, added a few more, gathered her breath, stared intently at the pile of tiles before her, and raised her hand high—
"Stop!" Qingling called out to stop them.
Although the little girl practices martial arts, her bones are not yet fully developed. If she hits the tiles so hard, even if she manages to smash them all with one palm, her hand will be ruined.
Qingling then took out another ten taels of silver and gave it to her.
The little girl took the money, looked up at her, and said in a clear voice, "Why are you giving me money when my performance was bad?"
She was very vigilant, gripping the silver tightly in one hand and the iron spear firmly in the other.
Qingling smiled, said nothing, and returned to the carriage.
Taoye said, "Miss, you've given her too much. These children are out performing for money, and there are human traffickers behind them. She earned so much money this time, but if she doesn't earn any next time, the traffickers will abuse her."
Taoye came from a poor background and had witnessed the cruelty of those people when she was young; she herself was sold into the household by her family and knew best the confusion and helplessness of children.
Qingling shook her head and said with a smile, "Look at her spirit and energy, does she look like she's being controlled by human traffickers?"
She had just checked and there was no suspicious person watching her in the crowd.
The girl had clear eyes, a haughty demeanor, and was not thin; her skin and hair were exquisitely maintained. Her performing at this time was either for a noble lady's entertainment, or because her family had suddenly encountered misfortune and she desperately needed money.
But Qingling had no intention of meddling in other people's business.
The carriage continued towards the Duke's mansion.
On the other side, Lin Qiao took twenty taels of silver, wrapped the two iron spears on the ground in cloth, grabbed the gong, and ran away.
They were heading towards the capital's prison...
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