Chapter 108: A Plot Within a Plot Within a Plot
"Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!"
The regular, incessant knocking on the door continued, startling the dozing doorman awake. He called out impatiently, "Who is it, coming to my door so late at night?"
Fearing it was a thief, he cautiously opened the door and poked his head out: "Don't you see what time it is? Who are you and why are you knocking on my door in the middle of the night? Do you know where this place is?"
Because he was standing in the backlight, he couldn't see the person's appearance clearly, but he vaguely felt that his clothes looked familiar.
"Hanlin Xiao sent me here with a message. Remember to inform Lord Qian that the task he entrusted to me has been completed. The final outcome is beyond my control. This matter is over. Do not seek him out again."
After saying this, the man turned around and walked away. No one could stop him. In a few seconds, he disappeared from the entrance of the alley.
When the doorman heard this, his anger disappeared completely and he became alert. He frowned and looked thoughtful.
He had heard of Xiao Hanlin's reputation. Thinking about it, it was Xiao Hanlin's servant who delivered a letter a few days ago. Judging from his figure and clothes, he seemed to be similar to the man just now.
But what exactly did the master ask Xiao Hanlin to help with that made Xiao Hanlin send someone to deliver the message in the middle of the night?
The more sneaky the action was, the more the doorman dared not underestimate it. He even worried that he had learned some unspeakable secret and couldn't help feeling a little scared.
After thinking about it, the doorman didn't dare to disturb Xiao Hanlin in the middle of the night, so he simply waited at the gate of Eighth Aunt's courtyard. Xiao Hanlin was staying at Eighth Aunt's place last night.
The next morning, Qian Tongzhi's attendants were surprised to see him and asked curiously, "Old Liu, why are you standing here acting as a door god so early in the morning?"
Old Liu was sweating profusely from anxiety. After a night of deliberation, he felt more and more that he had learned a secret that could not be revealed. He was so frightened that he kept begging, "Brother Shu, is the master awake yet? I have something important to report."
Seeing him sweating profusely, Shu Ge was also surprised and asked, "What happened to scare you like this?"
Old Liu did not hide it and told it in his ear.
Shu Ge had been with Qian Tongzhi for many years, so he naturally knew Xiao Hanlin. Upon hearing this, his face changed drastically: "Wait, I'll go in and report to the Lord."
After a while, someone came out and called him in. As soon as he entered, he saw Qian Tongzhi with a gloomy face. He shouted coldly: "Why are you telling us about such an important matter now?"
"Are you sure that man is Xiao Hanlin's follower?"
Old Liu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "It was indeed him. This young man came to our house two days ago. I still remember his appearance."
Qian Tongzhi frowned. "Why would Xiao Hanlin say that out of the blue? Why did I ever ask him to do anything?"
"No, you said he came here two days ago? What did he come here for?" asked Qian Tongzhi.
He attached great importance to Xiao Hanlin's connections, but this time Xiao Hanlin was the examiner, and he was afraid that getting too close would be a bad thing, so he waited until the end of the provincial examination before sending his visiting card, but he waited and waited but received no reply.
But now the doorman said that Xiao Hanlin's servant had come to his house more than once. How could he not be surprised?
The concierge wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained, "A letter was delivered, but then Qingzhu, who was with the master, took it away and said he would personally deliver it to the master."
Qian Tongzhi slammed the table and yelled, "Go and tie up Qingzhu for me!"
Soon a teenage boy was pushed in. He looked pale and frightened, and told everything without Qian Tongzhi asking any questions.
"Master, it's none of my business. The letter was taken away by Eighth Aunt, who said she would hand it to you personally. I thought the letter had already reached you."
Qian Tongzhi had been immersed in officialdom for many years and could see through the strangeness of it. At this moment, he still couldn't understand why the eighth concubine took the letter, but it didn't stop him from being furious.
He even ignored the fact that the eighth concubine was still in bed, rushed in and dragged her up, and slapped her twice, making Chen Pingting, who was still sleeping, see stars.
At this moment, Qian Tongzhi had no intention of showing any mercy to the woman. He shouted, "Bitch, where's the letter?"
Chen Pingting covered her cheeks and continued to struggle: "What letter, Master? I don't know. Did you listen to some rumors and wrongly accuse me? Since I married you, I have always been an honest and obedient person. Master, you..."
"Someone, come here and search it for me." Qian Tongzhi did not argue with her.
Chen Pingting panicked and reached out to stop him, but was pushed aside by Brother Shu.
She suddenly looked up and saw Shu Ge's cold eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. The follower beside Qian Tongzhi was actually Madam Qian's distant nephew. He had always been from Madam Qian's lineage and had always disliked her.
Soon, Brother Shu took out a letter from under the mattress.
Qian Tongzhi opened the envelope and started reading it. He was so upset that his hands were shaking as he held the letter.
Suddenly, he felt a black screen in front of his eyes and fell backwards.
Brother Shu supported Qian Tongzhi and asked repeatedly, "Master, are you okay? Do you want to see a doctor?"
Chen Pingting also shouted with concern on her face. Her clothes were disheveled at the moment, and her tearful and concerned look was touching. She was exactly the kind of pitiful and weak girl that Qian Tongzhi liked most.
Qian Tongzhi shook his head, gasping for breath as he finally came to his senses. The look in his eyes as he looked at Chen Pingting was no longer tender and affectionate, but rather a look of wanting to devour her flesh and drink her blood. "Tell me, how did you get my official name?"
Chen Pingting half-knelt on the ground and just cried out: "Master, I really know everything. Someone must have wronged me."
At this time, Shu Ge said, "Master, do you remember that someone reported a while ago that the Eighth Concubine had entered the study? Could it be that she stole the business card that time?"
Qian Tongzhi also suddenly remembered this incident. At that time, Chen Pingting was acting coquettishly and silly, and he thought it was not a big deal so he did not pursue it.
After figuring out the matter, Qian Tongzhi grabbed Chen Pingting's hair and angrily said, "You bitch, how dare you secretly use the name card and do such a big thing behind my back!"
"What is there for her to be afraid of?" Mrs. Qian appeared at the door in time, obviously someone had already informed her.
Seeing Chen Pingting's embarrassed look, she sneered, "Master, have you forgotten that I warned you before? This merchant girl is not a pushover."
"Her family is rotten to the core, especially her brother who is involved in all kinds of things, such as drinking, whoring and gambling. The only reason he can still survive in Qingzhou Prefecture is because of your face, Master."
Qian Tongzhi was even more furious when he heard this and kicked Chen Pingting: "Bitch, how many times have you used it secretly?"
How could Chen Pingting admit it? She hugged his thigh and said, "Master, I was really wronged. It must be that Madam couldn't bear to see me being favored, so she conspired to frame me."
"Master, I am sincere to you. One night of marriage is worth a hundred nights of love. Do you know me?"
It was particularly pitiful to see a beautiful woman crying, and Qian Tongzhi was a little hesitant at that moment.
But Madam Qian would never give Chen Pingting a chance to fool around. She warned him coldly, "Master, Xiao Hanlin sent someone to bring this message. It's obvious that he wants to break off all ties with you. All the favors that you have worked so hard to accumulate have been wasted."
When he thought of this, Qian Tongzhi's anger boiled over. He no longer cared how pitiful Chen Pingting was and shouted angrily, "Come here, drag her away and lock her up. No one is allowed to visit her."
Chen Pingting had witnessed firsthand what happened to those imprisoned concubines. She immediately shouted, "Madam, I'm just a concubine and can never challenge your position. Why do you still want to harm me like this?"
Madam Qian sneered and said, meeting Qian Tongzhi's gaze, "Some people really won't give up until they reach the Yellow River."
"Master, I've learned of a coincidence these past few days." Madam Qian smoothed her hair and said, "Master, I'm sure you're wondering why Eighth Concubine is targeting Mr. Su, who has recently become famous."
This matter is indeed strange. Qian Tongzhi also doesn't understand why Chen Pingting, who is in the inner house, wants to harm Su Fengzhang. What benefit will it bring to her if Su Fengzhang fails the exam?
Madam Qian said, "Master, you don't know that before marrying into the Qian family, Eighth Aunt had a previous marriage."
Qian Tongzhi frowned and interrupted her: "I know about this matter, don't beat around the bush."
Madam Qian didn't mind his rude tone and continued, "I'm not beating around the bush. Today's matter is closely related to Eighth Aunt's previous marriage."
"Master, you have been deceived by the Chen family. The story about your fiancé dying in an accident is all lies to deceive you."
"In fact, Eighth Aunt's fiancé was also a talented young man. Who knew that the Chen family would unreasonably break off the engagement and force him to death? After his death, they even refused to come to the family's house to pay their respects and apologize."
"Master, you may not know that the Eighth Concubine's fiancée is named Su Zongzhang, and she is the biological brother of the current great scholar Su."
"Back then, they killed their own father and brother. Now, seeing the great scholar Su becoming more and more successful, the Chen family must be terrified and unable to eat. They are afraid of his revenge, so they decided to strike first."
Qian Tongzhi finally understood the whole story. He glared at Chen Pingting and shouted, "How dare you, a bitch, take action during the provincial examination? Do you know how much disaster this will bring to the Qian family if it is exposed?"
"No need to lock her up, just drag her away and beat her to death with sticks!" Qian Tongzhi said angrily.
Mrs. Qian, however, hid her smile and said, "Master, beating him to death would make too much noise. Please leave it to me."
Qian Tongzhi waved his hand to acquiesce to this statement. Madam Qian laughed triumphantly. Chen Pingting was so frightened that she trembled: "Master, please forgive me this time. I am pregnant with your child..."
But Madam Qian had already sent someone to drag her out. Flesh and blood? How could a concubine be considered flesh and blood? The Qian family had no shortage of sons.
Even if Chen Pingting was dealt with, the matter was irreversible. Qian Tongzhi was furious and even took his anger out on Madam Qian: "Since you knew about Su Fengzhang's situation, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Madam Qian immediately said aggrievedly, "Master, I just heard about this. It's only been a few days since the great scholar Su's reputation spread."
"Besides, even if I knew, it's extremely difficult for me to see the master even once on a normal day, so how could I dare to say something that would spoil the fun?"
Qian Tongzhi understood the resentment in her words and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, you can go down first."
After she left, Qian Tongzhi started to have a headache. From what Xiao Hanlin said, it seemed that he had tried to stop Su Fengzhang before, but he failed. Now that Su Fengzhang was famous and was about to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination, it was too late for him to take action.
Fortunately, Su Fengzhang won in the end. He certainly would not have thought that Chen Pingting had taken action before. Now that he has dealt with Chen Pingting, even if Su Fengzhang hears about it in the future, he will not make things difficult for him!
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