I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 225 How about we deal with Consort Chen together?

Suddenly, Qin Jiu turned her head and saw Nan Nan standing to the side.

When Nan Nan was little, she didn't eat well and was very thin and small. Now, after being cared for by the Marquis's family for some time, she has gained some weight.

But he was still so frail that he seemed as if a gust of wind would knock him over.

Qin Jiuwei turned her eyes slightly and suddenly ordered, "Nannan, go to the kitchen and tell them to stew some bird's nest, saying it's a reward for you."

Xiaohe then spoke up, "Miss, we have bird's nest in our small kitchen, why bother going to the Marquis's mansion's main kitchen?"

Qin Jiuwei didn't explain much, "Just get it from the kitchen, Nannan, you go yourself and tell the kitchen maids what I just said."

On the other side, Qin Le'an left the Imperial Garden with light steps.

Now she understands her position in the Emperor's heart even more. Just now, Consort Chen was right next to him, but the Emperor still chose to protect her.

The Emperor truly loves her!

She was overjoyed and walked even faster.

But suddenly, a long-faced maid blocked her way.

Qin Le'an recognized her as Su Yun, the close maid of Consort Xian.

Su Yun bowed and said, "Princess Qin, Her Highness the Virtuous Consort invites you to come to her palace for a chat."

Qin Le'an originally wanted to refuse,

But when she thought of the humiliation Consort Chen had just inflicted on her, her anger flared up and she immediately agreed.

The air inside the palace was filled with the subtle fragrance of sandalwood. The virtuous concubine sat gracefully on a brocade couch, holding a teacup in her hand, and smiled gently.

"Sister Qin, I already know about what happened today."

The way Qin Le'an called her "Sister Qin" gave him goosebumps.

But he refrained from speaking, his expression remaining very respectful.

Seeing that she knew what was good for her, Consort Xian curled her lips and said, "Consort Chen is so arrogant. Sister, are you really willing to be humiliated by her like this?"

"Past grievances can be put aside for now, Sister Qin. I wish to join forces with you." Consort Xian leaned forward slightly. "We can each get what we need and work together to deal with Consort Chen, what do you say?"

Qin Le'an replied almost without hesitation, "Your Highness, I am willing."

She was determined to get revenge for the humiliation she had suffered at the hands of Consort Chen!

Upon hearing this, Consort Xian smiled.

The Marquis's Residence, Qinglan Courtyard.

The bird's nest was quickly served in a small blue-and-white porcelain bowl, its color clear and translucent, like glistening snowflakes suspended in the soup.

“This bird’s nest looks… a little off,” Xiaohe said.

Qin Jiuwei took it, scooped up some with a small spoon, gently scooped a mouthful and put it in her mouth, her eyes immediately darkening.

"This is not bird's nest."

Authentic bird's nest has a smooth and soft texture, but this bowl of bird's nest lacks that smooth and delicate texture. Instead, it is somewhat sticky, like glue but not quite.

It's probably made with tapioca flour or white fungus.

Xiaohe immediately retorted angrily, "How dare this kitchen use inferior ingredients!"

Qin Jiuwei wasn't angry; instead, she gently curled her lips into a smile.

Just as she had guessed, the opportunity to stir up trouble had arrived!

"Who's in charge of these things?" she asked.

Granny Song bowed her head and replied, "Reporting to Madam, it is Granny Qiu, the head of the kitchen."

"She's got some nerve!" Qin Jiuwei placed the bird's nest on the table, her eyes turning cold. "Call Granny Qiu here. I want to see how she'll explain herself to me."

Before long, several more people came out of the main house.

Granny Qiu knelt in the hall, cold sweat pouring from her forehead, her body trembling uncontrollably.

The other kitchen managers stood on either side, not daring to utter a single word.

"Granny Qiu, you have quite the nerve," Qin Jiuwei said coldly. "You've actually mixed soaked white fungus into the bird's nest to pass it off as bird's nest. Do you think I won't notice, or do you think the masters of this mansion won't be able to tell?"

With a wave of her hand, Qin Jiuwei slammed the bowl of bird's nest to the ground with a loud "crack," shattering it into countless fragments that scattered everywhere.

Granny Qiu was so frightened that she immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Young mistress! This old servant was confused for a moment, and truly dared not intend to harm your mistress! But... but..."

Granny Qiu trembled as she tried to defend herself, but Qin Jiuwei's gaze was so sharp that she could barely speak.

"Just trying to take the opportunity to skimp on the money?" Qin Jiu chuckled, her tone sarcastic. "Bird's nest is precious, but the masters of the Marquis's mansion don't eat much of it, so you're using white fungus to make up the difference."

"Today, you sent a young maid to fetch the bird's nest, and you were so sure she couldn't tell the difference that you took fake bird's nest without any hesitation."

"In this way, the money for the purchases will naturally end up in your pocket. In addition, you overstate the expenses by 30% every day, and the total amount adds up to quite a sum."

She sensed something was wrong when she looked at the accounts, so she used Nan Nan as a way to test the waters.

Unexpectedly, this Granny Qiu was utterly useless; the moment she was lightly fried, everything was exposed.

"Madam, have mercy! This old servant knows she was wrong! Please spare my life, Madam!" Granny Qiu kowtowed repeatedly, her voice already trembling with sobs.

Qin Jiuwei sneered: "Take her away and lock her up in the woodshed."

She turned to the managers beside her, "The kitchen accounts will be re-checked from now on, and all purchases must be fair and transparent. If similar situations are found again, we will not let them off lightly."

The managers were startled and immediately lowered their heads, their expressions extremely respectful, repeatedly saying, "Yes! Yes! We understand! We would never dare!"

After everyone left, Qin Jiuwei picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and gazed at her with a deep, unfathomable look.

By capturing Granny Qiu, I can finally give an explanation to the Marquis and the Old Madam.

She had just put down her teacup when a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Sister-in-law, what happened?"

Xu Liuer rushed in; she walked so fast that the maid didn't have time to announce her arrival.

"Liu'er?" Qin Jiuwei was also a little surprised to see her. "Why are you here?"

Xu Liuer wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face.

"I heard there was an accident in the kitchen, and I thought my sister-in-law couldn't handle it all by herself, so I rushed over to see if there was anything I could do to help."

The old lady asked her to help manage the household with her sister-in-law.

She knew she was clumsy and didn't know much, so she had to be even more diligent.

Knowing something had happened, of course I had to come and check. How could I pretend I didn't know? I'd help in any way I could.

Qin Jiuwei couldn't help but smile softly, a warmth welling up in her heart.

"Why are you in such a hurry? You're sweating. Take a rest. The kitchen issue has been resolved."

She turned her head and instructed the maid to bring over some tea.

Xiaohe recounted what had just happened to Xu Liuer.

When Xu Liuer realized that all of this was a trap set by Qin Jiuwei, her eyes widened in surprise.

She stammered, "Sister-in-law... how did you know that Granny Qiu had embezzled money just by looking at the accounts?"

Qin Jiuwei chuckled and handed her the ledger. "I can tell from this."

Xu Liuer stared at it for a long time, but still couldn't understand it.

Qin Jiuwei said helplessly, "Isn't it all written up there?"

Xu Liuer: ?

Where is it written?