HCB Chapter 408 Mo Qingkui, whom we haven't seen in a long time
Chapter 408 Mo Qingkui, whom we haven't seen in a long time
"I won't bother you any longer at your residence. The Zou family has another house in the capital, and I'd like to stay there for the time being and focus on my studies."
"I will be of legal age in another year. I am not young anymore, and it is time for me to learn to live on my own."
He spoke calmly, his tone carrying a youthful confidence and expectation.
Qin Jiuwei nodded after hearing this, her eyes showing more appreciation.
Zou Jingwen was well protected by his family, but that doesn't mean he was an ignorant child.
He has his own ambitions and dares to try.
That's fine.
After seeing off the Zou family, Xie Yanli took a carriage to Wenyuan Pavilion.
Zou Jingwen also packed his things and left.
Qin Jiuwei returned to Qinglan Courtyard.
I had barely sat down when a maid rushed in, looking flustered.
"Young Madam." The maid bowed, her tone tinged with unease.
"Several boxes were found at Cuihua Garden, all belonging to the Zou family. We servants don't know what's inside, so we dare not open them without permission."
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Qin Jiuwei stepped into Cuihua Garden.
The maids immediately stepped back a few paces, following behind her with their heads bowed and eyes lowered.
In the courtyard, several large boxes were neatly arranged under the eaves.
"Open it." Qin Jiuwei stepped forward and gave the order in a calm voice.
The maid carefully opened the lid of the box, and the inside was immediately filled with dazzling light.
These boxes were filled with silver!
The silver ingots were neatly stacked, filling the entire box to the brim.
A look of surprise flashed across Qin Jiuwei's eyes.
The maids were also stunned.
It took the maids a full half hour to count them all.
There are a total of 200,000 taels of silver here.
"Young Madam, what's going on?" Xiao He asked, pursing her lips.
"Was it left behind by the Zou family? They haven't gone far yet, so it should be possible to return it in time..."
Qin Jiuwei gently shook her head.
"This was deliberately left behind by the Zou family. It's a full 200,000 taels of silver. How careless must one be to leave it behind?"
"This is their compensation to Xie Yanli."
But... Xie Yanli no longer needs him.
Qin Jiuwei spoke up and instructed, "Send all this silver, along with the 100,000 taels of silver from the day before yesterday, to Zou Jingwen. Do not leave it at the Marquis's residence."
The Zou family's feelings towards Xie Yanli were truly complex.
I hate him, I resent him, and I feel guilty.
But Xie Yanli's attitude was much clearer.
He didn't want to have anything to do with the Zou family anymore.
Besides...
Qin Jiuwei's suspicions resurfaced.
Xie Yanli may not be related to the Zou family by blood at all.
We absolutely cannot accept this money.
The Imperial Palace, Shou'an Palace.
A maid walked in with her head bowed.
She walked hesitantly, very cautiously.
Hearing footsteps, the Empress Dowager looked up.
Seeing that there was no one behind the maid, he frowned immediately.
"What about the emperor?"
The maidservant hurriedly knelt down, her head bowed low. "Your Majesty, the Emperor is busy with state affairs and said he has no time to come."
In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall became tense.
"How long is he going to keep being so willful?!"
The Empress Dowager's face darkened, and she abruptly stood up from her chair, the tassels on her phoenix crown swaying violently with her movement.
Upon seeing this, the eunuchs and palace maids standing in the hall immediately knelt down.
"Please calm down, Your Majesty! Please calm down, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down," said Granny Wei as she stepped forward and whispered her pleas.
"There may be other reasons why the Emperor is not coming, but the most important thing right now is the investiture ceremony."
"Please take care of your health, Your Majesty. The proper course of action is to proceed with the investiture ceremony as scheduled."
The Empress Dowager glanced coldly at Granny Wei, her tone still displeased: "He is the Emperor. How can he not attend the investiture ceremony for a concubine? How can this be legitimate?"
"As long as Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is present, this investiture ceremony is perfectly legitimate," Granny Wei continued to persuade.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression softened slightly.
"Well, since we've been preparing for this for a long time, we can't let him delay our important business."
"The investiture ceremony will proceed as scheduled!"
Royal study room.
Yuan Xi lowered his eyes, his expression showing a hint of caution.
"Your Majesty, the people sent by the Empress Dowager have been dismissed."
Gao Xian raised his head, a cold and gloomy look shrouding his brows.
After listening to Yuan Xi's report, he nodded expressionlessly, "Understood."
The investiture ceremony was held in the Qinghua Hall within the palace.
Red candles burned brightly in the hall, gold curtains hung to the ground, incense wafted in the air, and melodious music filled the air.
Palace maids carrying gift books and eunuchs carrying brocade boxes filed in.
Meng Wanqing, dressed in gorgeous clothes, slowly stepped forward.
Not long after the investiture ceremony, the news spread throughout the palace.
Youlan Palace.
The two maids were chatting.
"This Consort Meng is the first pregnant concubine in the harem. If she gives birth to a prince, she will be second only to the emperor. She is far superior to the one we are serving now."
"That's right. The one we serve, how he treated people when he was in power, he deserves to be in this state now."
"It's a pipe dream for her to climb back up now. We might as well find a way to serve Consort Meng instead, at least there's still some hope there."
"That's right. She used to be the favored Consort Chen, but what is she now? Does the Emperor even remember her? She still acts all high and mighty. Who would even bother with her? She really thinks she's something special."
Their voices reached the hall.
Like a fine needle piercing a curtain, it pierced the resentful eyes in the hall.
Each word was like a venomous snake, slipping out of the darkness and coiling in the air.
Behind the simple bed curtains, a pair of eyes stared intently out the window, filled with resentment.
Mo Qingkui slowly sat up from the bed.
Her face was pale and haggard, with slight redness and swelling at the corners of her eyes, indicating that she had been crying for a long time.
The sparkle in his eyes was gone, replaced by weariness and resentment, making him seem several years older all of a sudden.
She listened to the sounds outside the window and began to tremble.
Gao Xian! Gao Xian! You betrayed me!
You had a child with another woman!
Mo Qingkui lowered her head, her gaze falling on her withered hands.
The emotions she was suppressing surged within her like a raging undercurrent, crashing against her body.
His face became increasingly distorted.
The front courtyard of the Marquis's residence.
"Did you find out what I asked you to inquire about?" Meng Ze asked.
The subordinate cautiously replied, "I have found out that Madam Zou did not give birth at the Marquis's residence, but at the Summer Palace outside the city."