This kind of thing is rare and hard to come by.
Previously, Liaodong had presented a century-old wild ginseng as tribute, which the emperor gave to Kunning Palace for Su Wanwan to use to nourish her body.
However, its quality wasn't as good as this one.
The ginseng she gave Sun Qingyu as a reward earlier was also ginseng, but its age and quality were incomparable to this one.
Liu Qi scoffed: "What a joke. This condition is at least two hundred years old."
He Ying was greatly surprised.
Such a ginseng root is extremely rare and hard to come by; it can't be bought for less than tens of thousands of taels of silver.
More importantly, even if you have the money, you might not be able to buy it.
"Where did you get this? Don't let it cause trouble." She looked at Liu Qi with concern.
Liu Qi leaned casually against the back wall of the carriage, slightly raising his eyelids with a half-smile:
"Worried about me?"
He Ying paused slightly, lowered her eyelids, and said with an unyielding tone:
"Who's worried about you? It's our lady. She even sent me out of the palace to see if I could get in touch with you."
Liu Qi glanced at her indifferently.
"This ginseng is for your wife to nourish her body, and the smaller one is for you. It's the one that gave you a warning last time. Thanks."
If He Ying hadn't warned him in time, and he had fled beforehand, he would have been caught and charged with assassination, and would have been severely punished, if not killed.
He Ying opened another box, and a smile bloomed uncontrollably on her lips.
The box contained a century-old wild ginseng, its quality similar to the one Su Wanwan had taken as a tonic recently.
It was several levels better than the ginseng that Sun Qingyu had just obtained.
She also had many good things and had saved up a lot of silver, all of which were gifts from Su Wanwan.
But she didn't have that kind of thing.
Receiving such a gift made Heying feel as sweet as if she had drunk honey.
She suppressed her pounding heart and tentatively probed shyly:
"The Marquis of Wuding's heir gave me a gold hairpin the other day. Do you think I should return it?"
Liu Qi raised an eyebrow without even pausing:
"That's good. With your wife backing you up, you'll be a Marquis's wife after you marry into the family. Many people would kill for that. Why would you want to back out?"
He Ying froze, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water.
The sweetness in my heart immediately turned into a bitter taste.
The carriage fell silent, and the ambiguous atmosphere vanished instantly.
Liu Qi, however, stared at her for a few moments, seemingly lost in thought, and then slowly said:
"You're not as blind as your wife, are you, to have taken a liking to me?"
"What's there to covet in a bandit who's turned to thievery?"
He Ying felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and she ignored him with a cold face.
Talking to this kind of person for even one more word will shorten your lifespan by a month.
She finally understood why the Empress was giving the Emperor the cold shoulder and sulking.
Liu Qi spoke first:
"We've uncovered some clues about the Su family's affairs. It turns out that a palace eunuch has become a bandit, and it's said that he was sent by the Imperial Household Department eunuch to hire江湖人士 (jianghu figures) to set fire to the Su family's house."
"He was eventually killed to silence him, but he faked his death to survive."
He Ying's expression immediately changed, and he spat out, "Why didn't you say something so important sooner?"
Liu Qi retorted, "Didn't you not ask either?"
He Ying suppressed his anger and tried to remain calm: "So, you know who my wife is, right?"
Liu Qi shrugged. This wasn't something as obvious as a louse on a bald head.
He said casually, "Your wife is really pitiful. What kind of man did she marry? Her life is so miserable."
Crane Shadow's heart sank.
Upon reconsidering Liu Qi's words, something felt off.
When did the lady ever take a liking to him?
But that's not quite right either. The lady did indeed take a liking to his abilities and went to great lengths to recruit him for her own use.
But it wasn't because she was attracted to him as a person!
She remained calm and composed, her tone indifferent: "How is Madam pitiful?"
Liu Qi became more talkative:
"Maggie assassinated the Queen and came out unscathed, and was even given a marriage in a grand ceremony. Her husband is so biased towards his mistress, and your wife just stands by and does nothing?"
"Should I go and kill Maggie to avenge her?"
He Ying clenched her fists tightly and moved to the side, trying to create some distance between herself and him.
This matter was kept secret.
Liu Qi actually found out?
How did he do that?
So concerned?
She simply said, "There's no need for that. Like a fish drinking water, only the fish knows whether it's hot or cold. The lady has her own reasons, and you shouldn't act rashly."
She didn't really understand why the Empress had always been so lenient with Ma Ji.
She has such a good temper.
Seeing her increasingly cold and distant demeanor, Liu Qi didn't restrain himself; instead, he let out a cool, low chuckle.
"In the end, your wife doesn't really like that man."
He Ying's anger surged, but her voice remained light and airy.
"Why are you worrying about these things? What does it have to do with you?"
Liu Qi paused, then resumed his lazy demeanor. "I'm a good person who was forced to become an outlaw. You're saying it has nothing to do with me?"
He Ying felt a surge of anger that she couldn't vent.
She let Liu Qi off the carriage at a secluded street corner, and having no desire to stay outside any longer, she went straight back to the palace.
Before Su Wanwan went to sleep, she handed over the things Liu Qi had given her.
Su Wanwan frowned, listened to her words, and after a long while asked:
"Zhang Yong?"
Lu Xingjian had just come out of the washroom. He had sharp ears and happened to hear Zhang Yong's name. His eyes instantly turned sharply to the master and servant.
What happened to Zhang Yong?
Su Wanwan didn't hide anything. Instead, she had He Ying repeat what Liu Qi had told her, and even let him see the two wild ginseng roots.
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