roccoschili Chapter 144 The Sinister Son's Sister-in-Law 20
Chapter 144 The Sinister Son's Sister-in-Law 20
Xie Qingyu didn't have knee pads in the courtyard; instead, she gave Qin Shenzhi a packet of Cold Food Powder.
"What is this?" Qin Shenzhi took the packet of medicine and subconsciously smelled it.
Then his eyes widened, and his voice was tense, "You've taken it?"
Xie Qingyu shook her head, indicating that the item was not hers.
"This is something Qin Lingrong left behind the day he came to pick me up. Tingling helped me put it away. I smelled the same scent on Qin Lingrong before. At first, I thought it was incense he wore, but Hongdou said it probably wasn't. This thing..."
"Give this to me first. It's not appropriate for you to keep it. Just pretend you've never seen this before," Qin Shenzhi said.
Seeing Xie Qingyu nod obediently, he still couldn't help but remind her, "This isn't anything good. If you smell this on anyone in the future, tell me. You should also stay away from that person."
After Qin Shenzhi finished speaking, he realized that he might have said too much. He hesitated for a moment before putting the things away, and didn't say the words he wanted to say to reassure Xie Qingyu.
After Qin Shenzhi left, Xie Qingyu closed the gate and stayed in her courtyard.
Everyone in the Marquis's mansion is now in a state of fear, and everything is very quiet.
Xie Qingyu heard that the Marquis's wife had caused a scene at the Marquis's place again in the afternoon, but she still did not get the Marquis's promise to get Qin Lingrong out.
Especially as the days passed by, the three days flew by, and it was time to pay our respects again.
When Xie Qingyu arrived at the Hou Madam's courtyard, she could tell that the people there were having a hard time; they were all as docile as quails.
If Lady Hou was merely anxious at first, she is now extremely worried.
"What exactly happened? Who's preventing us from releasing them?" Lady Hou demanded of Qin Shenzhi.
Qin Shenzhi has been using the excuse of being busy with Qin Lingrong to avoid returning to the Marquis's residence for the past two days.
He did return today when I paid my respects.
"It is His Majesty's will," Qin Shenzhi said respectfully.
"Your Majesty?!" Lady Hou was shocked and staggered backward, almost losing her footing.
"Why would His Majesty interfere? This matter could have been resolved at most by the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, so how did it reach His Majesty's ears?" Lady Hou asked impatiently.
“My father has recently been at odds with two censors in court. Just then, my elder brother got into trouble, and Censor Feng seized on this and reported it to the Emperor.”
Qin Shenzhi's words turned Lady Hou's face pale.
No wonder the Marquis avoided seeing her these past two days, and didn't even come back.
She had thought that the Marquis needed time to rescue her Rong-ge'er, but little did she know that it was because of him that her Rong-ge'er couldn't get out.
"What did His Majesty say?" Lady Hou asked, barely managing to muster a shred of reason.
"His Majesty ordered a thorough investigation. The Empress Dowager has also heard about this incident, especially since it was reported that it occurred in a temple. She is very angry about it," Qin Shenzhi said, seemingly concerned with every detail.
In fact, every word he said caused Lady Hou great panic.
"It should be alright, right?" Madam Hou murmured, glancing around the room but finding no one who could give her a definite answer.
"She was just a bit too playful; she didn't commit murder or arson, so it should be fine." Lady Hou had now reached the point of pretending to comfort herself.
"His Majesty was very angry at the time and ordered Imperial Censor Feng to follow up on the investigation. As you know, Imperial Censor Feng has always been at odds with Father. He was willing to get involved in this kind of investigation, so it's unlikely to end well." Qin Shenzhi's face seemed worried.
What she said only made Lady Hou even more anxious.
"Or..." Qin Shenzhi uttered the two words, as if there was more to come, but he didn't say them.
Lady Hou's eyes lit up. "Or what?"
"I'm afraid this is somewhat inappropriate..." Qin Shenzhi shook his head.
"If you have a solution, just say it quickly. At this point, you're still hesitating. Do you want to watch my Rong-ge die in prison?" When Madam Hou got angry, even Granny Lai was so frightened that she knelt down.
"Censor Feng's teacher is... If he were to speak up, Censor Feng might show leniency," Qin Shenzhi said.
Lady Hou's face lit up immediately. "That's right, I almost forgot. He is my father's disciple and respects him the most. If my father asks, it should be possible. Granny Lai, quickly prepare the carriage!"
Even in her panic, Lady Hou did not forget to have someone go to the storeroom to gather some things to take with her.
"Qinglian, come with me to see your maternal grandfather," said Madam Hou, seeing Gu Qinglian standing to one side.
Once the maids were ready, Lady Hou hurriedly took Gu Qinglian back home.
She didn't even care about Qin Shenzhi and Xie Qingyu, who were still in her courtyard.
"Hasn't Prime Minister Wang already retired to his hometown..." Xie Qingyu knew a little about the Lady Hou's family.
"He owns a house in the suburbs and lives there, farming and raising chickens every day..." Qin Shenzhi's lips curled into a mocking smile, "but that doesn't mean he's just an old man who only wants to farm and raise chickens."
Even though he was no longer in officialdom, half of the officials in the court were his students, and some were his students' students.
This old man had only two daughters in his life, but he had an obsession with power.
Even when he wasn't in court, he made many decisions about matters large and small within the court.
The emperor visited him several times to invite him back, but he always put on airs.
The Emperor had secretly wanted to kill him countless times, but the old fox was too slippery and could never find any fault with him.
This is a great opportunity.
I just hope that Lady Hou can put in more effort.
Qin Shenzhi didn't intend to mention these plans, but after not seeing Xie Qingyu for three days, he noticed that her face seemed somewhat pale.
She was still afraid of Qin Lingrong coming out, and couldn't sleep well because she was worried.
Qin Shenzhi was unusually conflicted.
Xie Qingyu, standing beside him, was unaware of Qin Shenzhi's current dilemma.
Because she was to pay her respects today, she deliberately stayed up late yesterday so that when she woke up early she would look like she hadn't rested well and let the Lady of the Marquis know that she was worried about her husband.
What she's pondering now is that it seems Qin Shenzhi isn't just targeting Qin Lingrong this time, but the entire Marquis's mansion.
When it comes to issues of political stance within the imperial court, it's never easy to take sides.
Once the issue of taking sides arises, it means that those in power want to begin eliminating other forces within the court.
I don't know why Qin Shenzhi harbors such deep resentment towards the Marquis's mansion... Perhaps the older concubines in the back courtyard know.
Xie Qingyu thought that since the Lady of the Marquis was not here today, it might be a good time to find out.
The more you know, the better you can plan your strategy.
Perhaps, we can go even further...
Xie Qingyu has always liked to get multiple benefits from one effort.