At this time, he was seriously injured and was about to die. Once this rumor spread, the people had an extra topic of gossip, but it also caused an uproar in the official residences of Kyoto. Even the empress dowager who had just received the news in the palace that morning was shocked. It was obviously news that had been covered up, so why did it spread like wildfire at this moment!
Yun Qianmeng opened her eyes at the sound of Mu Chun's hurried footsteps. Seeing the anxious expressions on Mu Chun and Mi Ma Niang's faces, she knew that the news of her uncle's injury must have been leaked by the mastermind behind the incident...
【81】
"Miss, let me go to the Marquis' Mansion to inquire about the news!" Seeing Yun Qianmeng frowning, Mu Chun became anxious too!
"No need!" Yun Qianmeng interrupted her good intentions, stood up, and put on her coat. Just as she had Mu Chun tie up her loose hair, she saw Mi Ma Ma walk in from the outer room. Seeing Yun Qianmeng awake, she immediately bowed and said quietly, "Miss, just now, the little maidservant of Pan Lan's family came over and said that Master Su has attached himself to Prince Chen, which is why he has such a big disagreement with the Prime Minister! And according to the gatekeeper, they just saw Eunuch Qu, the Queen Mother's attendant, leading the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital towards the Prince of Fuguo's residence!"
Yun Qianmeng nodded, her eyes were clear and calm, but a layer of worry could not help but fill her heart!
The imperial physicians are all carefully selected doctors. The empress dowager sent them over out of love for her younger brother. However, among these imperial physicians, there is no guarantee that there are no people planted by the other party!
My uncle's life is so fragile now, we can't make any more mistakes!
With such a big thing happening in the Duke of Fuguo's Mansion, I wonder if Emperor Yugan has sent someone to the border to inform my cousin!
At this time, Old Lady Gu was sitting in the Strict Punishment Hall, watching Guard Ma bring up the butler who was tied up!
Guard Ma had followed Qu Lingao since childhood and was naturally loyal to him. Seeing such a traitor appear in the mansion today, he kicked the butler on the back of the knee without saying a word, forcing the butler to kneel in front of the old lady.
"It's true that it's hard to guard against thieves in your own home no matter how hard you try! I didn't expect that you hired not a doctor to cure illnesses, but a deadly butcher!" The old lady looked at the housekeeper kneeling below, her eyes filled with grief and anger!
The old housekeeper was already over forty years old this year, with white frost on his temples. When he saw that what he had done was exposed, he had nothing to say and just knelt in front of the old lady in silence!
But the old lady was not satisfied with his silence, so she winked at the guard Ma, who immediately placed his hands flat on the butler's shoulder blades and slowly applied force. The guard Ma was a martial artist, so he naturally knew the meridians and acupoints of the human body. After a while, he saw that the butler, who had wanted to get away with it, was sweating profusely from the pain, and finally he fell to the ground with his body tilted!
"Tell me! Who is your real master? My Fuguogong Mansion treats you well. The Marquis has always been kind and never beats or scolds his servants. But you, a black-hearted person, actually let someone poison the Marquis. Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?" The old lady was furious. She pointed at the butler with a trembling hand and began to curse. The hatred in her eyes could not be hidden. Thinking of the butler who almost killed her son, the old lady wanted to torture him to death!
Seeing Old Lady Gu raging and ferocious, and with a skilled martial arts guard standing beside her, the housekeeper, unwilling to endure any more hardship, hurriedly opened his mouth. "Old Lady, spare my life! I had no other choice! The Third Master threatened the lives of my family, and I was forced to do this!"
But in the face of his plea for mercy, Old Lady Gu had no mercy in her heart at this time. She just waved to Guard Ma and asked him to take the man away and deal with him!
"Mother, why not use the housekeeper to testify against Uncle San and others!" Ji Shuyu was puzzled when she saw that the old lady did not find Qu Yanshi to confront him!
But Old Lady Gu shook her head. "Qu Yan is a ruthless man. Even those who work loyally for him will be hard to come by after the deed is done! The doctor who poisoned him has probably been silenced by him long ago. With only the housekeeper's one-sided statement, and Qu Yan's cunningness, he will definitely turn against us!"
Ji Shuyu was shocked when he heard this, but he could only nod helplessly!
Although Old Lady Gu severely punished the housekeeper, the wind direction in the court had obviously changed after Qu Lingao's incident!
On the second day of the morning court, Qu Yan, the Minister of Revenue, immediately handed the memorial to Emperor Yugan and said in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to make!"
The chief eunuch beside Emperor Yugan immediately came down the stairs and took the memorial held high in Qu Yan's hand. Emperor Yugan glanced at the unremarkable Qu Yan calmly and asked in a slightly cold tone, "What's the matter?
"Your Majesty! Today I am reporting that the Minister of Revenue, Lord Xu, has embezzled more than 300,000 taels of silver during his tenure. I ask Your Majesty to investigate!" Qu Yan knelt on his knees and spoke the contents of his memorial clearly!
For a moment, the ministers in the hall looked at each other, then looked at Qu Yan with doubts, and then looked at the Minister of Revenue who was reported!
At this moment, a trace of panic flashed across the face of the Minister of Revenue. He immediately looked at the ministers standing in the front. Seeing their calm expressions, the Minister of Revenue gradually felt relieved. He then stood out from the crowd, lifted up his clothes and knelt beside Qu Yan. He said in a sonorous and powerful voice, "Your Majesty, I have served as the Minister of Revenue for more than ten years and have worked diligently. I have never thought of abusing my power for personal gain! I hope Your Majesty will be wise and not let Minister Qu's alarmist words wrongly accuse me!"
"Hmph, Lord Xu, why are you so flustered? You should wait until the Emperor reads my memorial before making a decision! You're so anxious, are you hiding something? I've been your subordinate for so many years, and I've handled countless matters. Most of the people in the Ministry of Revenue are your direct subordinates. It would be easy for you to tamper with things!"
However, Qu Yan did not allow Xu Mingshan to defend himself. Before the memorial reached Emperor Yu Gan's hands, he immediately spoke out in rebuttal. Although it was just a few simple words, it really hit the nail on the head, causing the other ministers in the hall to believe his words!
After all, there will be some relationships between the superiors and subordinates in various government offices and departments, otherwise they will never be able to employ people with confidence!
However, what puzzled everyone was that Qu Yan had been the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue for so many years, why did he only expose Xu Mingshan’s evil deeds now?
"Qu Yan, you are slandering me! You have been jealous of me for a long time, and today you found a trumped-up charge and want the emperor to punish me. You are dreaming! The emperor is a wise ruler in ancient times, how could he listen to the words of a villain like you?" Xu Mingshan was furious when Qu Yan pointed out these things that others knew but never said out loud. Regardless of the fact that he was kneeling in the Golden Throne Hall, he stood up and pointed at Qu Yan and shouted!
This action only made Qu Yan sneer. He looked at Xu Mingshan and said, "Master Xu, why are you so angry and embarrassed? Are you afraid that others will not know that you are corrupt and perverting the law?"
In a word, Xu Mingshan's crime of corruption was confirmed, and those adults who wanted to come forward to plead for Xu Mingshan withdrew their steps. Everyone was weighing the consequences of today's incident in their hearts. Everyone's eyes could not help but look at Emperor Yugan on the dragon throne and several dignitaries standing at the head of the ministers. Seeing that those people did not express anything, and even thought that what was happening at this time was just a child's game, they could not help but be glad that they did not be the first to speak out!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You must believe me! All of this was fabricated by Qu Yan. I have been incorruptible during these years in office and have never done anything corrupt! All of this is just a frame-up by Qu Yan because he is jealous of me for having maintained my position as the Minister of Revenue for so many years! Your Majesty, please do not believe what he says. Please do not wrongly accuse a loyal and good person!" Xu Mingshan was a little panicked when he saw that there were hundreds of ministers in the hall, but no one came out to plead for him. He immediately kowtowed to the silent Emperor Yu Gan on the dragon throne with a sad face to show his loyalty!
Seeing this situation, Yun Xuanzhi glanced at Xu Mingshan who was already at a loss, and then looked at Qu Yan who had a sinister smile on his face. He immediately had an idea in his mind. However, before Emperor Yu Gan opened his mouth, he was not in a hurry to speak, so as not to fall into the trap of the Queen's evil hand!
However, Chu Feiyang's eyes did not look at the two people who were kneeling in the middle of the hall and looked like clowns. His black eyes with a faint smile just glanced at King Chen opposite him inadvertently. Although he was as silent as usual today, his cold eyes just now accidentally glanced at someone in the opposite team. The smile on Chu Feiyang's face became even wider!
"Your Majesty, I also have a memorial to submit!" At this time, the Minister of Justice Su Yuan, who was standing behind him, stepped out of the queue, knelt on his knees with his hands in his hands and spoke loudly, interrupting the Minister of Revenue's defense!
"What's the matter?" Emperor Yugan threw Qu Yan's memorial in his hand on the table and spoke with a hint of coldness, but his eyes frequently swept over the expressions of the ministers at the moment!
"Your Majesty, I am here today to report to the Minister of Revenue, Lord Xu! My memorial lists all the funds handled by the Minister of Revenue during his tenure over the past decade, and also details all the expenditures. Most of this money was not spent entirely on government affairs. As Minister Qu stated, the total of these excess funds is indeed over 300,000 taels of silver! Your Majesty, please review this and do not allow this corrupt official to once again deprive the treasury of its resources!" Su Yuan spoke in a clear voice, clearly outlining Xu Mingshan's actions over the years.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Mingshan, who had been claiming his innocence, suddenly collapsed to the ground. His pale face made people believe what he had done!
While the eunuch went down to get the memorial, Emperor Yugan's sharp eyes scanned the faces of several important ministers who had surrendered one by one, but what he was thinking about was not Xu Mingshan's corruption!
The court officials became even more nervous and frightened when they saw how calm Emperor Yugan was!
Especially those officials who had close contacts with Xu Mingshan on a daily basis were frightened and had cold sweat on their foreheads, fearing that they would be the next unlucky ones!
"Your Majesty!" The eunuch carefully placed the memorial in his hand in front of Emperor Yugan, and then stepped aside!
Emperor Yugan calmly picked up the memorial on the table, only to find it thick and heavy. He opened the first page and saw a string of amounts densely written on it. After reading only two pages, Emperor Yugan became furious. He slammed the memorial shut and threw it hard at Xu Mingshan's face!
"Look at what you have done! You still dare to ask me to trust you! I trusted you so much in vain and let you serve as the Minister of Revenue for so many years. Is this how you manage the national treasury for me? If I let you serve as the Minister of Revenue for another ten years, will my national treasury become the storehouse of your Xu family?" Emperor Yugan's face was full of anger, and his roar scared all the ministers so much that they lowered their heads and dared not make a sound!
Xu Mingshan was so frightened at this time that he let the memorial hit his face without any reaction. He just mechanically opened the memorial. He still had a lucky mentality, but when he saw the account numbers on it, his heart sank to the bottom!
That thick memorial not only recorded in detail the amount of silver he had withheld from the various appropriations of the imperial court when he was the Minister of Revenue, but also the bribes he had received in those years!
Xu Mingshan's face was dead silent at this moment, and he no longer remembered to kowtow to Emperor Yugan and beg for mercy. "In his heart, he only begged Emperor Yugan not to send him to the prison of the Ministry of Justice, but to sentence him to death directly!
"Hmph! It seems you have nothing to say? Minister of Justice!" Emperor Yugan was too lazy to even look at Xu Mingshan. He immediately looked at Su Yuan and said harshly, "Immediately dismiss the former Minister of Revenue, Xu Mingshan, from his post and investigate the case of corruption and bribery. All officials implicated will be dismissed. Those who accept bribes and embezzle seriously will be beheaded in public, and their families will be exiled to the frontier!"
Su Yuan accepted the order and immediately said in a deep voice, "I will follow the emperor's orders! I will investigate this case thoroughly and not let any fish slip through the net!"
After he finished speaking, Su Yuan waved his hand and asked the guards at the door to drag away Xu Mingshan, who was lying paralyzed in the middle of the hall!
"Your Majesty, Xu Mingshan has been dismissed, and the position of Minister of Revenue has become vacant! I believe that the Assistant Minister of Revenue Qu Yan is dedicated to his duties and is qualified for the position of Minister of Revenue!" At this time, Prince Chen, who had been silent all the time, spoke!
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yu Gan turned his gaze to King Chen, only to see that he still had a cold face. Although it was unclear what Jiang Muchen's purpose was in this matter, the fact that he spoke at this time was worth pondering!
"Oh? Your Highness has chosen a candidate so quickly!" Chu Feiyang, who had been silent until then, also spoke up! As usual, he had an unfathomable smile on his face, but his eyes concealed a deep chill that made people dare not look directly at him!
Jiang Muchen withdrew his gaze from Emperor Yugan and then shot towards Chu Feiyang. His gloomy eyes met Chu Feiyang's smiling black eyes in mid-air, and a stone stirred up a thousand waves. However, one of them was cold and the other was elegant. Although the others knew that they were not on good terms, they could not find any flaws from their expressions, so they all lowered their heads even more!
"Prime Minister Yun, in your opinion, is there a suitable candidate?" Emperor Yu Gan neither answered King Chen's question nor looked at the undercurrent between Jiang Muchen and Chu Feiyang. Instead, he looked at Yun Xuanzhi who had never spoken a word!
Yun Xuanzhi glanced at the ministers in the hall and said, "I have been carefully considering the effect of Prince Chen's words on Emperor Yugan's mind, and I spoke carefully. I believe that the emperor has already made up his mind! Please make it clear to the emperor, I dare not speak rashly!"
"In that case, let the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue replace Xu Mingshan as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue!" Emperor Yu Gan pondered for a moment before speaking loudly!
Upon hearing the news of his promotion, Qu Yan showed no joy at all. Instead, he kowtowed three times respectfully to Emperor Yugan, then said solemnly, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my utmost to serve the court! However, I have one more matter to report!"
"Speak!" Unexpectedly, Qu Yan had so many things to do today. Seeing that his expression was more solemn than before, Emperor Yu Gan agreed to his request!
"Your Majesty, the Marquis Qu Lingao of the Fuguo Mansion was ambushed today and died of his injuries. His eldest son Qu Changqing is not in the capital, and the Fuguo Mansion cannot be without a leader for a day. Your Majesty, please re-select the candidate for the Marquis of the Fuguo Mansion!" Qu Yan said this matter with a serious look, and Yun Xuanzhi's gaze instantly shot towards him. The eye contact between Chu Feiyang and Jiang Muchen also ended. Jiang Muchen did not look at Qu Yan, but Chu Feiyang half-closed his eyes and glanced at Qu Yan lightly, with a plan in mind!
Emperor Yugan obviously expected Qu Yan to not let go of the title of Marquis of the Marquisate. He was about to refuse when Su Yuan stepped out and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Fuguo Duke's Mansion is a meritorious minister of Western Chu. Your Majesty's grace is so great that you cannot let the Fuguo Duke's Mansion be without a leader for a day. Today, Marquis Qu is seriously injured. It is better to choose another talented person so that the Marquis can recover in peace. This will show your compassion for the court officials!"
"I second the motion!"
"I second the motion!"
"I second this motion!"
As soon as Su Yuan finished speaking, he saw that more than half of the ministers in the hall knelt down in front of Emperor Yugan, and all of them agreed with Qu Yan and Su Yuan's proposal!
"The Empress Dowager is here!" At this time, the shrill voice of Eunuch Qu was heard outside the Golden Palace!
Emperor Yugan immediately stood up, quickly stepped down from the dragon throne, and personally greeted Empress Dowager Qu who walked into the hall!
"Long live the Queen Mother!" The ministers knelt down and shouted "Long live the Queen Mother!"
"How come you, Queen Mother, have time to come to your son's palace today?" Emperor Yugan was helping Queen Mother Qu walk inside. Although Queen Mother Qu's face was as gloomy as water, her eyes were faintly filled with anger. When she reached Qu Yan, she stopped and said with a hint of coldness and anger, "Just now, when I was passing by the palace, I heard Lord Qu's suggestion and came in to take a look out of curiosity! I didn't expect Lord Qu to be cursing the Marquis!"
As soon as Queen Mother Qu said this, the ministers who had seconded the proposal fell to the ground one after another, not daring to say anything more!
Qu Yan was now the Minister of Revenue, and with the support of Prince Chen and others, he was no longer the bastard who had to live his life at the Fuguo Mansion and obey orders. Seeing the Queen Mother barging into the palace during the morning court session, Qu Yan sneered, "The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. Queen Mother, please go back!"
Seeing Qu Yan being so tough today, the Queen Mother immediately swept her sharp eyes over the ministers who were kneeling in the hall, and finally looked at Prince Chen with gloomy eyes. Seeing that he had a calm face and a sarcastic look in his eyes, the Queen Mother Qu knew in her heart that the manipulator of today's incident must be Prince Chen!
Otherwise, how could Qu Yan, a small Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, overthrow Xu Mingshan, who had a deep-rooted foundation?
It seems that Qu Yan has found a big target. On the second day after Ling Ao was injured, he joined forces with Prince Chen to force Ling Ao to give up the position of Marquis, and made half of the officials kneel down and ask the emperor to agree to re-elect the Marquis of Fuguo Mansion!
However, no matter how powerful Prince Chen is, he is not the emperor!
Seeing Qu Yan taking advantage of the situation, the Queen Mother's anger suddenly disappeared. Her expression was much calmer than when she entered the palace just now, and her tone returned to its usual calmness. "What you said is wrong, Lord Qu. Lord Qu is my brother from the same mother. It is natural for me to care about him! But Lord Qu, as the Marquis's biological brother, actually took advantage of the Marquis's injury and tried to force him to give up his title! With such intentions, how can Lord Qu be a loyal and patriotic subject?"
Qu Yan saw that every word the Queen Mother said hit him in the back. Not only did she imply that he was cruel and ruthless, but she also doubted his loyalty to Xi Chu in front of all the civil and military officials in the court. He was furious for a moment, but he remembered where he was and tried his best to suppress his anger. He laughed in anger and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your advice! However, precisely because I am the Marquis's brother, I have to make plans for the Fuguo Mansion! There are only the old lady and other women in the mansion. If there is no one in charge, I am afraid that even the servants will bully the master! Please don't doubt my intentions, Queen Mother. Everything I do is only for the Fuguo Mansion!"
"Empress Dowager, I think Lord Qu's brotherhood is truly touching!" At this time, Chu Feiyang spoke casually!
His words aroused suspicion from Prince Chen Qu Yan, while a deep anger flashed across the Queen Mother's eyes!
But Chu Feiyang didn't care about the crowd's reaction at all, and continued to drive on as if no one was around. "It's just that Mr. Qu's concern seems a bit excessive! Not to mention that the Marquis is still alive, even if he were gone, according to the custom of Western Chu, the inheritance is passed to his eldest son! The Marquis's eldest son is Qu Changqing, so it seems that it won't be anyone else's turn!"
Chu Feiyang spoke the word "others" slowly. Even someone with the slowest reaction would know that this person must be Qu Yan!
Qu Yan remained calm despite Chu Feiyang's rebuttal and ridicule. His expression of loyalty and patriotism was seen as full of disgust by the empress dowager!
However, at this time, the Queen Mother heard the meaning of Chu Feiyang's words, and she glanced at Yu Gandi seemingly unintentionally. Yu Gandi immediately understood and looked at Yun Xuanzhi, who said in a loud voice, "According to the ancestral system, only when the incumbent dies or abdicates can someone else inherit the throne! The Marquis is only injured at this time, and it is really inappropriate to discuss this matter at this time! I hope the emperor will understand!"
Emperor Yugan heard Yun Xuanzhi's explanation, smiled faintly and nodded, then opened his mouth. "Master Qu, this matter cannot be discussed again in the future!"
Seeing that Chu Feiyang rejected his proposal with just a few words from the Queen Mother, Emperor Yugan, and Yun Xuanzhi, Qu Yan felt angry and anxious. He immediately raised his eyes slightly to look at Prince Chen, but saw that he looked calm and was not affected by this matter at all. He suppressed his anger and retreated back to the queue in an orderly manner!
Seeing that no court officials had anything else to report, Emperor Yugan ordered the eunuch to adjourn the court, and he personally helped the empress dowager out of the hall!
"Your Highness is really good at his tactics today!" After the ministers dispersed, Chu Feiyang said with a smile as he passed by Prince Chen!
"Prime Minister Chu is not worthy of being given in!" Hearing the hidden meaning in Chu Feiyang's words, King Chen retorted!
"The best I can do is to counter each opponent's moves. How can I compare to the prince's shrewdness and foresight?" When it comes to verbal battles, no one among the officials of the same dynasty would be Chu Feiyang's opponent!
But today, Prince Chen didn't know what to think. Looking at Chu Feiyang's smiling eyes, anger surged in his heart, and he immediately responded. "On this point, Prime Minister Chu seems to be even better! Just now, Prime Minister Chu changed the direction of the situation with just a few words. In the entire Western Chu, I'm afraid only Prime Minister Chu has this ability!"
“Hahaha! Your Highness, you are too kind! No matter how powerful I am, I am not as good as your magic tricks to play people in the palm of your hands! I heard that Concubine Yuande is worried about your marriage today. I wonder which lady your Highness has taken a fancy to. On the wedding day, I want to ask for a glass of wedding wine!” Chu Feiyang looked less elegant and more generous when he laughed!
But only Jiang Muchen knew that Chu Feiyang's cunning eyes were full of ridicule for himself!
A prince whose marriage is manipulated by others is nothing more than a puppet no matter how much power he holds!
Moreover, Jiang Muchen always felt that there was something else in Chu Feiyang's words. Thinking of the previous times when Chu Feiyang competed with him for Yun Ganmeng, Jiang Muchen's brows suddenly frowned. But when he came to his senses, Chu Feiyang had already gone away, leaving only a purple figure... "Your Highness, it is my incompetence that I did not ask for the position of Marquis back!" After Chu Feiyang left, Qu Yan came to the side of Prince Chen, and said with a look of unwillingness in his heart!
"No problem!" Jiang Muchen just left these two words and strode towards the palace gate, leaving Qu Yan standing outside the hall alone, his eyes full of sinisterness!
In the blink of an eye, a month passed. Half a month ago, Emperor Yugan announced an edict in the court, approving the previous petition submitted by King Hai to confer the title of Prince Hai on his fifth son, Hai Chenxi, and to have the formal conferring ceremony take place on the ninth day of September!
As soon as this imperial decree was issued, all the palaces were in an uproar. The King of the Sea was already deeply favored by the emperor, so it was nothing wrong to confer the title of Prince on his son!
But what is striking is that the title of this prince is actually "Hai", and it was drafted by the Sea King himself, which is the same as the Sea King's title. It can be seen that the fifth son of the Sea King's Mansion is deeply favored by the Sea King. Even if he has not become the prince, he can still make the Sea King protect him so much!
Qu Lingao has been in a coma for the past month. Due to the hot weather, the scar on Qu Lingao's chest has gradually rotted and become inflamed. Lying in bed all day without being able to move has caused his back to be covered with heat rash!
Doctor Xiao Nie and the other imperial physicians tried many methods, but in the end, they gave up because Qu Lingao was unable to move due to a chest injury. They could only place ice in the inner room to cool him down and prevent his injuries from worsening too quickly!
The ones who had the hardest time this month were Old Lady Gu and Ji Shuyu!
On the one hand, the two of them had to manage the huge Fuguo Mansion, on the other hand, they had to deal with the occasional harassment from Qu Yan and others, and they also had to keep an eye on Qu Lingao's condition. After only one month, the hair on Old Lady Gu's temples had turned a lot whiter, and Ji Shuyu looked much thinner and haggard!
Qu Feiqing seemed to have grown up and become sensible in an instant. Not only did she learn how to do household chores from her mother and grandmother, she also took the initiative to take on the responsibility of taking care of her father!
However, every time when she saw her second uncle and third uncle coming to visit her grandmother and father hypocritically, Qu Feiqing couldn't help but feel angry!
On this day, Yun Qianmeng came to the Fuguo Mansion to visit everyone. As soon as she stepped into the inner room where Qu Lingao was living at the moment, she saw Qu Feiqing sitting by the bed in a daze with an empty medicine bowl in her hand!
Seeing her cousin, who was in her prime, become so haggard recently, Yun Qianmeng gently took the medicine bowl from her hand and handed it to Mu Chun. Then she sat down on the round stool beside the bed, smiled softly, and said softly, "Cousin, what's wrong with you?"
It was only then that Qu Feiqing noticed Yun Qianmeng. With a slightly weary smile, she said calmly, "Meng'er, although your aunt is the Empress Dowager, she's still in the palace and can't always keep an eye on the Prince's Mansion! Daddy's been in a coma for over a month now, and I heard the people the Emperor sent to look for my brother haven't returned yet. If this continues, I'm afraid the Prince's Mansion will eventually become Second Uncle's and Third Uncle's!"
Yun Qianmeng's heart tightened when she heard her say this. She felt that Qu Feiqing's expression was a little strange today, as if some decision was brewing in her heart. So she took Qu Feiqing's hands and said, "
"Cousin, my cousin is deep in the enemy's territory, so naturally it's not easy to find him! And with the old lady in charge and the queen mother as the backing, he will definitely not fall into the hands of those two uncles! Now we just need to make sure that my uncle can wake up as soon as possible, and don't think about other things!"
But today, Qu Feiqing seemed completely oblivious to Yun Qianmeng's persuasion. She only smiled helplessly at Yun Qianmeng and then said, "I've been wondering lately, if I marry the Prince of Hai, will it change the situation in the mansion?"
Yun Qianmeng was shocked when she heard this. She couldn't help but tighten her grip on Qu Feiqing's hands and immediately spoke to comfort her, "Cousin, how could you have such thoughts? The Sea Prince's Mansion is not as rich and glorious as it appears. The Sea Prince's Concubine obviously doesn't like the Hai County Prince. If you really marry him, I'm afraid she won't like you either! Besides, the Hai Tian County Princess is not someone you can easily deal with! Cousin, please don't make this decision just because of the current difficulties, otherwise you will regret it for the rest of your life!"
The most important point Yun Ganmeng made when he said this was that Hai Chenxi and Qu Feiqing were not the same kind of people at all. Hai Chenxi was cunning and shrewd, and his scheming was probably no less than that of the Sea King. If Qu Feiqing really married him, she would probably have a hard time!
But just as Yun Qianmeng finished her words, she saw Qu Feiqing's brows furrowed tightly, and the determination in her eyes was gradually blurred by the tears that surfaced. She... 12 She reached out with her hand, gently wiped away the tears that she couldn't help but shed, and after a moment of easing her overly sad mood, she slowly spoke, "Meng'er, how could I not know what you said? But do you know how many sleepless nights Grandma and Mother have suffered in the past month? Whenever they think of Daddy's current situation, Grandma and Mother can't eat, but they can't muster up the energy to deal with those who take advantage of the situation! Although I am a girl, I can't just watch my relatives being bullied! Instead of sitting and waiting to die, it's better to find a way out! Isn't Third Uncle proud of the fact that Qu Jingqing can now enter and leave Chen Wangfu freely? Then I will marry into Hai Wangfu and see who will have the last laugh!"
"It's absolute nonsense!" But at this moment, the angry voice of Old Lady Gu came from the door!
Before Qu Feiqing and Yun Ganmeng could stand up and salute, they saw Old Lady Gu rush forward and slapped Qu Feiqing hard, causing her face to tilt to one side. Five palm prints immediately appeared on her fair and tender face!
Yun Ganmeng was horrified and immediately grabbed the old lady's hand that was about to hit her, begging for mercy, "Grandma, please calm down! My cousin only said such foolish words in a moment of impatience! Grandma, please don't be angry! We are at my uncle's bedside right now, please don't make him sad!"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng mention Qu Lingao, the old lady finally lowered her raised hand. Then she looked at her son lying on the bed with a loving look. She stomped her hands hard on the crutches she was holding and shouted angrily at Qu Feiqing. "Come with me!"
After saying this, Old Lady Gu brushed away everyone's support and walked out of Qingsong Courtyard quickly!
After being slapped by Old Madam Gu, Qu Feiqing just touched her painful and burning cheek woodenly, then smiled faintly at Yun Ganmeng, turned around and followed the old madam out of Qingsong Courtyard!
Yun Qianmeng was worried, so she immediately sent Mu Chun to the small kitchen to inform Ji Shuyu, and she immediately followed the old lady!
However, the old lady walked further and further away, and finally stopped in front of the ancestral hall of the Fuguogong Mansion!
This ancestral hall is cleaned all year round, and there is a faint smell of incense coming from it. The old lady looked up at the four words "Qu's Ancestral Hall" on the black plaque, and then strode in!
"Feiqing, kneel down!" Seeing Qu Feiqing enter the ancestral hall, Old Lady Gu immediately shouted loudly!
Qu Feiqing knelt on the cattail mat with a slightly numb look, and stood up straight facing the ancestors of the Qu family!
Seeing her stubborn look, Old Lady Gu recalled her words just now. She felt that she had never been so angry when facing Qu Yan, Qu Fu and others. She immediately scolded Qu Feiqing, "Today, grandmother will teach you a lesson in front of all the ancestors of the Qu family! Feiqing, remember this, no matter how poor our Fuguo Mansion is, we don't need to sell our own daughters in exchange for a moment of peace! Your eldest daughter of the Fuguo Mansion has been with me since she was a child. I raised her by myself. Not to mention how outstanding you are, but I will never allow the child I raised to despise herself! No matter how difficult and hard your situation is, you must not forget your identity. You are the legitimate daughter of the Fuguo Mansion! You are not a frivolous woman like Qu Jingqing! You are now seeing Qu Jingqing being free because of her freedom. "Going in and out of Prince Chen's Mansion is such an honorable thing! But you have to know that what she paid for was her reputation and prestige! Even if she is chosen by Prince Chen to be a concubine in the future, so what? No matter how good her birth is, what she did today has already lost the chance to become a principal concubine! The principal concubine is not only based on family background and status, but also on the test of one's character and virtue. All of these are indispensable! Moreover, if grandmother thought that a marriage with the Sea Palace was possible, then when the Sea Princess came to visit for the first time, grandmother would have agreed to the marriage! Why would a girl like you say such a thing? If you really did that, even if your father woke up and your eldest brother came back from the border, they would not be grateful for your sacrifice today. Some of them would just feel distressed! Child, do you understand grandmother's intentions?"
By the time Old Lady Gu finished speaking, Qu Feiqing was already sobbing. The stubbornness she had shown earlier had long since faded under Old Lady Gu's nagging heart. All that was pierced was her little girl's heartbreak and sorrow. Yun Qianmeng stepped forward and knelt on the cattail mat with Qu Feiqing. She gently embraced her trembling body with her arms and said to Old Lady Gu with a moved expression. "Grandma's words are a revelation. Meng'er and I will keep them in mind and never forget them! But please don't blame my cousin; she's just worried too much! My cousin has always been of good character and would never do anything so outrageous and immoral. Please forgive my momentary slip of the tongue!"
The old lady was moved by the deep sisterly love between Yun Qianmeng and Qu Feiqing, but her majestic eyes were fixed on Qu Feiqing, and she would not let her go until she admitted her mistake in person!
After Qu Feiqing's agony, the pressure she had been holding in her heart for a long time was relieved, and her emotions became much calmer. Seeing that Old Lady Gu was waiting for her reply, she immediately kowtowed three times respectfully towards the ancestral tablets and said solemnly, "Granddaughter knows her mistake! I will never say such foolish words again! Please punish me, Grandmother!"
Seeing that she had finally regained consciousness, Old Lady Gu nodded in satisfaction and then left.
You should kneel before this ancestral tablet for three hours and reflect on your actions! Meng'er, come back with me!"
"Yes!" Seeing that Yun Qianmeng still wanted to beg for mercy from Old Madam Gu on her behalf, Qu Feiqing pulled Yun Qianmeng over and shook her head at her, but replied firmly, then knelt respectfully, with a look of firmness and unyieldingness in her eyes!
Yun Gan dreamed that his persuasion was meaningless, and what the old lady had just said also woke up Qu Feiqing, so he felt a little relieved. He ordered the maids and servants beside him to take good care of her, then stood up and supported the old lady Gu as they walked out of the ancestral hall!
At this time, Ji Shuyu, who heard the maid's tip-off, stood quietly at the door of the ancestral hall. When she heard her daughter's dangerous idea, she was immediately frightened and broke out in a cold sweat!
I couldn't help but feel a little guilty. I have been busy with my husband's affairs in the mansion recently and neglected to take care of my concubine!
Fortunately, the old lady scolded Fei Qing and woke her up, allowing Ji Shuyu to finally let go of her worries!
However, after seeing the old lady leave, Ji Shuyu did not go into the ancestral hall to let his daughter get up. Instead, he turned around and took the maidservant beside him to
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