Chapter 28 Hu Qing
After listening to her husband's incoherent crying, Wang sneered, with undisguised contempt in her eyes.
"Is there any need to think? Who else could it be besides those eunuchs you pointed your finger at and called 'eunuchs'? You have a mouth that is truly deadly!"
After all, Wang was born into a merchant family. She knew very well that it was easy to see the King of Hell but difficult to deal with the little ghosts. She was even more aware of the power of the eunuchs in the palace.
She made a prompt decision, endured the pain, and took out a full five thousand taels of silver from her dowry.
He prepared generous gifts and personally brought his trusted nanny to find the whereabouts of Eunuch Xiao Shunzi outside the palace again.
Xiao Shunzi looked at the generous gifts and banknotes presented by Wang, with a humble smile still on his face, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable.
He took the things slowly and nodded slightly to Wang.
"The Second Madam is a sensible person. I am merely a messenger in the palace. I will naturally report the Second Master's regrets to Eunuch Fu'an truthfully."
He deliberately emphasized the word "truthfully", which made Wang's heart tremble.
"only……"
Xiao Shunzi changed the subject, his smile still there, but his voice was a little colder.
"The Second Master's temper... Let me speak from the bottom of my heart. If he offends any eunuch again, all old and new scores will be settled... By then, I'm afraid even the face of the Marquis and the Crown Prince may not be of any use."
Wang's face turned pale, and she quickly said, "Don't worry, eunuch! I will keep a close eye on him and won't let him talk nonsense again!"
Xiao Shunzi finally nodded with satisfaction: "That's great."
These five thousand taels, plus the two hundred taels from Xiao Zhou and the promise of "letting him go for the time being", were enough to temporarily buy the life of the second master Cui Jun and give him a chance to breathe.
But everyone knew that the feud had already been formed.
The eunuchs in the palace only stopped temporarily, and they will remember this.
Cui Jun, this idiot, will eventually get his money back with interest as long as he stays in the capital!
Cui Xiao's rest days at the Marquis's residence were ultimately short-lived. Just after the New Year's holiday, an imperial decree arrived from the palace, summoning the Third Prince back to accompany him in his studies.
The day I left the house, the sky cleared up after the snow and the sun was bright.
Xiao Zhou held her son's hand and gave him countless instructions, wishing she could give him the entire mansion.
Finally, with red eyes, she stuffed a thick stack of banknotes into Cui Xiao's purse.
"Take it! Poor at home, rich on the road! The palace is different from home, you have to take care of everything! Don't be wronged! Spend it when you need to! If it's not enough, send a message back and mother will send you more!"
Xiao Zhou's voice was choked with sobs, and her eyes were filled with deep worry and reluctance.
"Remember what mother said, protect yourself! Don't cause trouble, but don't be afraid of it! Above all else... your own safety is the most important!"
Cui Xiao looked at his mother's slightly red eyes and the few barely noticeable frosts on her temples, and felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He carefully put away the banknotes and hugged his mother tightly.
"Don't worry, Mom! I won't worry! You and Dad should take care of yourselves!" He looked at his father Cui Yan, who was silent but with a deep gaze, and said, "Dad, please take care of the family."
Cui Yan nodded and patted his son's shoulder, saying everything.
The rumbling of the carriage carried Cui Xiao away from the warm harbor of the Marquis' Mansion and headed back towards the bottomless vortex of the palace.
He lifted the curtain of the carriage and took one last look at the high hanging plaque in the mansion and the figures of his parents standing at the door. He felt a warmth in his heart, but also a vague sense of vigilance about the future.
Time flies, and the days within the palace walls pass quietly as I lecture, study with, and get along with Liu Chang and Liu Cong.
In the blink of an eye, it has been more than a month, and it is the end of February when the grass is green and the birds are singing.
On this day, a thunderclap that shook the world exploded in front of the gate of Weiyuan Marquis’ Mansion!
A dusty young man, leading a skinny horse, stood in front of the magnificent vermilion lacquered gate of Weiyuan Marquis Mansion.
He was in his early twenties, wearing a washed-out coarse cloth shorts, with a figure as straight as a pine tree, and a face bronzed by years of wind and sun. Between his brows was a sense of the vicissitudes and determination unique to a man of the world, but his eyes were unusually bright and sharp.
He looked up at the high-hanging plaque that read "Imperially Built Weiyuan Marquis Mansion" with a complicated look that included excitement, uneasiness, and a heavy persistence.
He took a deep breath, and under the doorman's astonished gaze, he carefully took out something tightly wrapped in oil paper from his arms.
He opened the oil paper layer by layer, and what was finally revealed was a very familiar, excellent white jade pendant!
The jade pendant is carved with intricate cloud patterns, with the ancient seal character "Cui" in the middle, emitting a warm luster in the sunlight.
The moment the concierge saw the jade pendant clearly, his eyes nearly popped out of his head! This… isn't this the jade pendant that the Marquis never took off in his youth?! How could it be in the hands of a stranger?!
"Please inform Lord Weiyuan and his wife."
The young man's voice was steady and powerful, with a barely perceptible hoarseness.
"Just say... Qingzhou Medicine King Valley disciple, Hu Qingzhi's senior brother, Lin Feng, holds this token and comes... to recognize his kinship!"
He paused, and each word was like a heavy hammer, hitting the doorman's heart hard:
"This item is something that my junior brother Hu Qing keeps close to him."
"My junior brother Hu Qing is the true descendant of the Weiyuan Marquisate!"
"And the 'Cui Xiao' in the palace now..."
Lin Feng's gaze was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, piercing through the towering lintel of the Marquis's Mansion and piercing straight into the unfathomable inner courtyard:
"He... is an imposter!"
It was like thunder from the sky exploding in my ears!
The doorman felt a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His vision went dark, his calves went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground!
The prince... is it fake?
That prince who was so glorious in the palace and deeply favored by the emperor... was a fake?!
The real prince... is the young genius doctor Hu Qing, who carried a large medicine box and saved the prince's life?!
How...how is this possible? ! !
But… that jade pendant! The jade pendant that the Marquis never took off in his youth! Right now, it's literally in the hands of this Jianghu man named Lin Feng! This can't be fake!
"Hurry... hurry! Go and report to the Marquis! Report to the Madam! Something... something big has happened!!"
The doorman crawled and rolled into the mansion, roaring at the top of his lungs. His voice changed in pitch due to extreme fear, like the howling of ghosts and wolves, instantly tearing apart the apparent tranquility of the mansion in the afternoon!
The news spread like wildfire, sweeping across the entire Weiyuan Marquis Mansion with a devastating hurricane!
In the warm room of the main courtyard, Xiao Zhou was checking the patterns of spring clothing, preparing to make some new clothes for her son in the palace.
She was in a good mood, humming a little tune, her fingers brushing across the soft brocade.
"Madam! Madam! It's bad! It's bad!"
The housekeeper Cui Fu rushed in, his face as pale as paper, his voice trembling, and he fell to his knees with a thud.
"Outside the mansion... a man named Lin Feng came... a man from the Jianghu... he... he was holding the Marquis' jade pendant... and said... said..."
Cui Fu's teeth were chattering, and he couldn't say the rest of the words.
The smile on Xiao Zhou's face froze instantly, her heart suddenly sank, and an ominous premonition seized her.
"say what?!"
"He said... he said the jade pendant... belonged to his junior apprentice Hu Qing! He said... that the young genius doctor Hu Qing... was... was the true grandson of our Marquisate! The Crown Prince... the Crown Prince... was a fake!"
Cui Fu almost shouted this sentence with his eyes closed.
The teacup in Xiao Zhou's hand dropped, and the scalding hot tea splashed on her skirt, but she was completely unaware.
That well-maintained, gentle and beautiful face instantly lost all its color and turned as pale as paper!
She stood up suddenly, her body swaying, almost unable to stand steadily, and she grabbed the corner of the table tightly with one hand, her knuckles turning blue and white from the force!
Hu Qing... is the real grandson?
Xiao'er...is it fake?
How...how is this possible? ! !
That child…the child she had carried for ten months, risking her life to give birth to…the child she had poured all her heart and soul into, the child she cherished like a treasure…how could it be fake?!
The huge impact swept through her mind like a tsunami, causing her vision to go black and a suffocating pain in her heart!
But then, an even colder, more terrifying thought snaked into her mind like a venomous snake—back then! That time at the Empress Dowager's funeral hall! That chaotic premature birth!
Fear! A huge, overwhelming fear instantly overwhelmed her!
It was a hundred times more terrifying than hearing any bad news! Because this was not only about his son's identity, but also about the crime of deceiving the emperor! It was about the life and death of the entire Marquis' Mansion!
"Where's the Marquis?!"
Xiao Zhou's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, and trembled uncontrollably.
"My Lord...My Lord is in the study...He already knows...He already knows!"
Cui Fu's voice was filled with tears.
"The Marquis has asked... asked his wife to come over immediately! And... and... that Lin Feng... has been... invited to the front hall..."
Xiao Zhou took a deep breath, forcing down the overwhelming fear and dizziness. She knew she couldn't panic at this moment!
Absolutely no chaos! She pinched her palm suddenly, and the sharp pain made her confused mind clear up a little.
She straightened her back, and although her face was still pale, her eyes were once again filled with the determination and sharpness that belonged to the mistress of the Marquis's Mansion.
"Prepare the sedan chair! Go to the front hall!" Her voice was cold and unquestionable.
At the same time, in the study.
Cui Yan, the Marquis of Weiyuan, stood by the window, his hands behind his back, his back to the door. Outside the window were the young buds of early spring, vibrant and full of life, yet none of them caught his now frozen eyes.
The butler's incoherent report just now echoed in his ears like the most vicious curse.
Hu Qing...is his son?
Cui Xiao...is it fake?
Jade pendant... amulet...
All the clues connected instantly! His wife gave birth prematurely after mourning the Empress Dowager, and Hu Qing's eyebrows and eyes that resembled Xiao Zhou's family members...
The truth, like a peeled onion, is presented before our eyes, pungent, glaring and bloody!
Cui Yan slowly turned around, his usually calm and dignified face was now expressionless, with only a pair of bottomless eyes.
Like two cold ponds that had been frozen for a thousand years, they were surging with shock, disbelief, and... a hint of the absurdity of being fooled by fate and a cold murderous intent!
The knuckles of his hands, placed on the window frame, turned white from the force and made a slight creaking sound.
His voice was low and hoarse, like the friction between sand and gravel.
"In...in the front hall..." the butler answered timidly.
"Go and ask the lady. And..."
Cui Yan's eyes were like poisoned ice cones, sweeping over the housekeeper.
"Seal the news! Anyone who dares to leak a single word about what happened today will be beaten to death! And all three generations of their clan will be exterminated!"
"Yes! Yes!" The butler was so frightened that he crawled out.
Cui Yan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The heart in his chest was beating like a drum, making his eardrums buzz.
He thought of Cui Xiao in the palace, the "son" whom he treated as his own son, poured all his hopes into, and even took pride in... Now, he had become the sharpest guillotine hanging over the Marquis's Mansion!
It is enough to execute the entire Weiyuan Marquis family and implicate nine generations of their clan!
At this moment, Lin Feng, holding the jade pendant and calling himself Senior Brother Hu Qing, was sitting in the front hall! He was like a thunderbolt that could explode at any moment, enough to blow the entire mansion to pieces!
Cui Yan suddenly opened his eyes, and there was only a cold determination in his eyes as if he was going to burn his boats.
He straightened his robe, strode out of the study and headed towards the center of the storm - the front hall.
Every step was as heavy as walking on a mountain of knives.
Deep in the Marquis’ Mansion, there is Yanshou Hall.
Old Madam Zhou was still slumped on the kang, her mouth and eyes crooked, her cloudy old eyes half open and half closed.
A trusted maid ran in in a panic and whispered something in her ear.
“Heh…heh…”
Madam Zhou's cloudy eyes suddenly burst into a terrifying light!
His skinny hands clutched the quilt tightly, and from his throat came a rapid and excited hoarse sound like a broken bellows!
The twisted muscles on his face twitched, forming an extremely grotesque, ghost-like smile!
Retribution! Retribution has come!
You little bastard! Your good days are over!
Things are about to change in the Marquis’ Mansion!
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