“Miss Li,” He Yunxiao forced a smile, “my father is still young and healthy, it’s not my turn to run the household.”
Meng Qingqian maintained her smile and, without changing her expression, dismantled He Yunxiao's act, saying, "Young Master He, it's alright if you're not in charge."
He Yunxiao was speechless. Good heavens, this antidote girl never expected me to cooperate with her in the first place; she wanted me to be a stepping stone to contact my father.
He Yunxiao knew He Yuanhao quite well. He belonged to the "first generation of officials," and the current foundation of the Marquis's mansion was entirely built by his own hard work. To have achieved his current position through his own abilities, his father could be said to have no shortage of ability, knowledge, vision, or independent thinking.
He Yunxiao expressed strong suspicion that the girl who claimed to have the antidote was trying to influence his father's stance by acting as a go-between.
And now there is an even more important matter to discuss with my father—to redeem Sister Jiang from her servitude.
To redeem Sister Jiang from her servitude, all that's needed is "having money" and "the courtesan's consent." However, after the redemption, if they want Sister Jiang to move into the Marquis's mansion, He Yuanhao, as the head of the household, cannot do so without his approval.
He Yunxiao didn't want to get bogged down in court matters with the antidote; those messy, trivial matters would never end once they started.
"Miss Li, it's too late. Let's talk about it tomorrow, or during the day today."
Meng Qingqian nodded. It was the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) now, and it would be dawn soon. It was indeed inappropriate to continue talking to He Yunxiao at this time.
"Young Master He, let me send someone to escort you out of the palace."
Meng Qingqian now holds leverage over He Yunxiao, the kind that could "sever his manhood with a single move." With such "protection," she naturally sees He Yunxiao as a "useful underling." Even disregarding his status as a member of the Marquis's family, He Yunxiao himself is a young and promising ninth-rank martial artist, which is a tremendous asset.
Someone escorted him out of the palace, and He Yunxiao naturally felt it would be impolite to refuse.
He asked with a puzzled look, "Miss Li, it's so late, aren't you going out of the palace?"
Meng Qingqian was taken aback; she had overlooked this point.
The imperial palace was the residence of the royal family. Apart from the Meng family members, only the emperor, the crown prince, the princes' concubines, and various eunuchs and palace maids could reside there. Others could enter and leave the palace, but were not allowed to stay overnight. Therefore, Li Qingmeng, as a trusted subordinate of Meng Qingqian assigned by the Li family of Jiangnan, was not allowed to sleep in the imperial palace.
In order not to give herself away in front of He Yunxiao, Meng Qingqian had no choice but to say, "I also want to leave the palace."
He Yunxiao said naturally, "Okay, let's go together."
Although He Yunxiao wasn't sleepy yet, he still had to get up early this morning to pick up Du Meimei from the Fan residence and take her to work at the Daqi Bank. After that, he also had to discuss with his father about Jiang Meimei's visit to the Marquis's residence. And this was just for the four female leads; there was already a mountain of things to do.
As for Xiaoxiao and the antidote, which would be even more troublesome, He Yunxiao didn't even dare to imagine how much trouble they would cause.
He got up and walked to the entrance of the side hall, only to find that the girl who had given him the antidote was still standing there, showing no intention of moving.
This antidote is really strange. We agreed to go together, so why are we not moving anymore?
"Miss Li, aren't you leaving?"
Meng Qingqian is now in a dilemma.
If she doesn't go with He Yunxiao, Li Qingmeng's identity will be questioned. If she goes with He Yunxiao, her appearance in men's clothing will be seen by the maids and palace women, which would be tantamount to death.
“Young Master He, please wait for me outside the gate of Changhe Palace. I will change my clothes and then we will leave the palace together.”
He Yunxiao was reluctant to agree, but seeing that Jieyao was dressed in men's clothing, he figured she could change quickly, so he agreed and said, "Then I'll go out first."
After Meng Qingqian and He Yunxiao had gone far away, she summoned Jian Ling and asked him to bring another set of men's clothes. At the same time, she also asked him to disperse the maids and palace maids waiting in Changhe Palace.
With everything prepared, even the carriages waiting at the gate, Meng Qingqian was about to leave when Jian Ling, who was scouting ahead, said, "Your Highness, Yang Zhe is still at the gate."
Meng Qingqian: ...
"Send him back to the barracks!" Meng Qingqian said irritably.
...
Gu concubine
As agreed, He Yunxiao waited for the antidote outside Changhe Palace as promised.
Unexpectedly, He Yunxiao was completely dumbfounded as soon as he arrived on the ground.
A man stood tall and straight outside the walls of Changhe Palace. Upon closer inspection, it was Yang Zhe.
In the middle of the night, Yang Zhe hadn't left; he was still waiting outside Changhe Palace.
At this point, even He Yunxiao began to admire him.
When it comes to being a simp, it has to be you, Yang Zhe.
Yang Zhe was not surprised to see He Yunxiao walk out unharmed.
In other words, it would be a major incident if He Yunxiao were carried out missing an arm or a leg.
He Yunxiao himself is merely "bait," possessing little real value. The truly valuable assets are He Yuanhao and the Marquis's military tally. Utilizing He Yunxiao to obtain those items is the best strategy.
Yang Zhe secretly praised Meng Qingqian: As expected of Princess Xiaoyue, she is indeed thoughtful and has figured out the pros and cons in just a moment, releasing He Yunxiao unharmed.
Upon seeing Yang Zhe, He Yunxiao seized the opportunity to mock him, saying, "Commander Yang, you have a good memory. We met at Chunfeng Tower, have you already forgotten when you were arresting people?"
Yang Zhe arrogantly replied, "Sorry, I, Yang Zhe, do not remember nameless people."
He Yunxiao: You're putting on such a show! If I hadn't read the novel, I'd really think you were the protagonist. When do villains who act cool ever get a good ending? I, He Yunxiao, never act cool!
Seeing Yang Zhe's behavior, He Yunxiao naturally knew where his sore spot lay. He liked Meng Qingqian, but Meng Qingqian didn't want to talk to him. It was simple.
"Ahem, Commander Yang, aren't you leaving yet? Are you waiting for Xiaoyue? I just got her to sleep. That woman always kicks off the covers when she sleeps; she's restless and keeps catching a cold. I've told her several times, but she won't change. You should go back to sleep too, don't wait for her."
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