Chapter 51 The Palace’s Reward
Zhu Yu was stunned. He looked at Zhao Yi in disbelief. He opened his mouth and spoke for a long time, "Second Master, I... I don't have any money..."
The gambling debt was just an excuse she made up, hoping to stay with Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi stopped looking at her and told Jiang Mu, "Take this IOU and take Miss Zhu to the matchmaker. Sell her for silver to pay off this debt."
Zhu Yu said in horror: "No! Second Master, you can't do this!"
"Paying back debts is a matter of course. Why can't I do the same?" Zhao Yi smiled coldly, revealing a hint of sarcasm. "Your father is a gambler. If he sells you out to pay off your gambling debts, the debt I have will become a bad debt."
Zhu Yu's face turned pale: "Second...Second Master, I can sell myself to you to pay off the debt..."
"Okay." Zhao Yi agreed to Zhu Yu's request and then instructed Jiang Mu, "Send her to Lord Jiang Wangjiang's residence and tell him that this is a gift I carefully prepared for him."
When Zhu Yu first saw Zhao Yi agreed, he was ecstatic, but before he could even laugh, he was hit on the head.
Jiang Wang is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He has a well-known habit: he likes young and tender women the most. It is said that his methods are very cruel, and many women have died at his hands.
She was so frightened that her face turned pale, as if she had not expected Zhao Yi to be so cruel that he would actually give her to Jiang Wang.
Zhu Yu wanted to say something, but when she saw Jiang Mu walking towards her, she was scared out of her wits and ran away.
At this moment, she regretted it so much that she had listened to others' instigation and came to find Zhao Yi.
She was afraid that Zhao Yi would not give up and would chase her home to capture her and hand her over to Jiang Wang.
She hoped to run back home quickly, pack up her bags and leave the capital to live with her aunt who had married far away, so that she could avoid the limelight and make plans later.
Zhao Yi looked at Zhu Yu's fleeing back and withdrew his cold gaze.
Jiang Mu asked, "Second Master, are you going to arrest someone?"
Zhao Yi thought for a moment and asked, "Have you found out who ordered her?"
"I found out. I was planning to tell you when I got back home." Jiang Mu lowered his voice and said, "The day after Zhao Jue's accident at Longhua Temple, the wife of the Marquis of Cheng'en came to see Zhu Yu."
A cold light flashed in Zhao Yi's eyes, and he said in a cold voice: "There is no need to touch her for the time being."
He had other plans.
Jiang Mu responded: "Yes."
Zhao Yi got on the carriage and saw Shen Qingtan leaning against the wall, staring at the curtains in a daze.
He slowly sat down beside her. She must have heard what Jiang Mu had just said by the car window.
Madam Shen had been plotting her marriage, and now she was trying to stuff a woman into her husband's room. She must be feeling very uncomfortable.
Zhao Yi didn't quite understand Mrs. Shen's behavior. It seemed that after Shen Mingzhu returned to her ancestral home, all the favor that the Cheng'en Marquisate had for Shen Qingtan was transferred to Shen Mingzhu overnight.
He opened a small cabinet in the carriage and said gently, "Hold out your hand."
Shen Qingtan came back to his senses and looked at him in confusion.
Zhao Yi repeated: "Hand."
Shen Qingtan stretched out his hand.
Zhao Yi placed a round object in her palm.
When Shen Qingtan saw a piece of lactose in her hand, she was slightly stunned and looked at the man beside her in surprise.
"Why are you giving me candy?"
Shen Qingtan was a little confused. She didn't know what she was thinking about, and her expression was a little strange.
Could it be that because there was another woman coming to his house, he was afraid that she would be unhappy, so he used candy to coax her?
Shen Qingtan was in mixed mood and silently put the lactose into his mouth.
Seeing her eat the candy, Zhao Yi whispered, "Grandfather, grandmother, father, and mother all love you very much. If you have nothing to do, go get close to them."
The Marquis Cheng'en Mansion has treated you unfairly, but in the future the Duke Zhao Mansion will be your backer.
Zhao Yi did not say the last sentence.
Shen Qingtan understood instantly that he was comforting her clumsily just now because Madam Shen had plotted against her and was afraid that she would be sad and upset?
Although she doesn't need comfort, she still feels happy when someone cares about her feelings.
"Okay." Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "The sugar is very sweet."
Zhao Yi looked at her steadily, and seeing that her smile was not forced but came from the heart, he unconsciously curled the corners of his lips slightly.
The carriage stopped at the gate of Duke Zhao's mansion. Zhao Yi got off the carriage first and reached out to help Shen Qingtan down. He only withdrew his hand after she stood firmly.
The distance between the couple seemed to have been shortened invisibly.
The two entered the mansion side by side, and Zhao Yi announced, "I'm going to see my grandfather. I have something to discuss with him."
Shen Qingtan asked, "Will you go back to Lanxueyuan for dinner tonight?"
Zhao Yi was not sure: "You don't have to wait for me."
Shen Qingtan nodded, and took Liu Yue and Tingxue back to Lanxue Garden. As soon as they stepped into the backyard, they ran into the second lady and Shen Mingzhu.
"Niece-in-law, you're back." The Second Madam glanced vaguely at Shen Qingtan and the two maids behind her. Seeing that they were all empty-handed and had not taken any gifts from the emperor, she said in a friendly tone, "Did the emperor give you any good gifts when he first met you? Niece-in-law, don't hide it. Take it out and let your sisters-in-law open their eyes."
Shen Qingtan frowned.
"The Emperor only gifted me a gold hairpin." The Second Madam raised her hand and touched the gold hairpin in her hair. She smiled and said, "Among the younger generation in our Duke's Mansion, the Emperor favors his eldest nephew the most. I believe that the gift he bestows on his niece-in-law must be something extraordinary."
After hearing this, Shen Mingzhu, who was standing by, immediately understood what the Second Madam was thinking. It turned out that she had come here specifically to make fun of Shen Qingtan.
She glanced at Shen Qingtan and indeed saw no reward, which made her feel a little comforted.
She even had malicious speculation in her heart, wondering if Shen Qingtan had offended the emperor, which was why he didn't give her any reward just now?
Shen Qingtan retorted, "According to Second Aunt, if the Emperor doesn't give me a reward, then it means he doesn't favor Second Master, and his favor towards him is just a show?"
The second wife's face suddenly changed. If this hat was put on, she would have committed a serious crime.
"My dear niece, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. That's not what I meant."
The Second Madam flatly denied it, looked Shen Qingtan up and down, and put on a concerned look: "Normally, when an elder meets a younger person for the first time, if he is very satisfied, he will give him a gift.
I saw that my niece's wife was very pleasing, and I thought that the emperor must be fond of you, my niece's wife. Who would have thought..."
She paused deliberately and said in a fake tone, "Don't be sad, niece-in-law. The emperor might be very pleased with you and give you too many rewards. He's afraid you'll be exhausted. After you return home, he'll send someone to give you rewards."
As soon as the second lady finished speaking, there was a sound of hurried footsteps, and then the steward came over with a happy face.
"Second Madam, there are rewards from the palace. Go and claim them."
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