Chapter 913: Question! It Would Be Suppressed?
Qin Huaiyong came!
"Father! Save me, Father!" Qin Yuru took a step back and cried when she heard Qin Huaiyong"s voice.
Qin Huaiyong stood at the open door with a cold face. The servant girls and old maids beside him stepped backward, not daring to stop him anymore.
How could the servants resist a general with a murderous aura brought from the battlefield?
Qin Huaiyong walked in calmly. Qin Yuru rushed to stand behind him and cried when wiping the tears, "Father, save me! Father, save me!"
Qin Huanyong"s arrival made both Old Madam and Countess Yong deeply embarra.s.sed.
"Old Madam, Countess Yong, I don"t understand! Why did you do that? If you don"t want to pay for Madam Di"s wedding with dowries, you didn"t have to give her these shops at that time. We would never force you to do so even if you didn"t give her any dowry! Why did Duke Yong"s Mansion embezzle money?"
Qin Huaiyong had learned about the matter. He cast cold eyes at the two women.
Old Madam and Countess Yong blushed due to his questions and didn"t know how to deal with him.
"You not only took back the management of those dowry shops but also cooked the books! When Madam Di and I just returned to the capital, you used to ask us for money, saying that you had been suffering a loss for many years. Now I just heard a different version. I wonder whether Old Madam and Countess Yong have ever felt guilty for your greed. Aren"t you afraid that your devil deeds to your family will disappoint them?" Qin Huaiyong said in a cold voice.
He had never had a good impression of Duke Yong"s Mansion. "Qin Yuru wouldn"t have made such a scene if Duke Yong"s Mansion had treated Madam Di well." Thinking of this, he felt even angrier.
Since Old Madam and Countess Yong did not speak, Qin Huaiyong said again, "I can"t believe that you treated your family like that! What will you do to other people? Since Old Madam and Countess Yong don"t like Yuru, I will take her home. No matter how wrong she is, she should not be sentenced to death!" Then he cupped his hands to them and turned to go out.
Qin Yuru hurriedly followed up.
Old Madam wanted to stop them, but she didn"t know what to say. She could only watch them leave.
"Mother, what should we do now? What should we do?" Countess Yong sat down weak and limp in the chair and burst into tears. "This is not only my own fault but… Mother…"
"Shut up!" Old Madam reproached. She waved her hand and asked all the servants in the room to leave.
After everyone else left, Old Madam sat down with a tight frown between her eyebrows. It was really hard to deal with this matter at the moment.
"Mother, what should we do now? If it is exposed… our whole mansion will be in trouble…" Countess Yong cried in a low voice.
She was at a loss for what to do next. If Qin Yuru fought against her to the end, she would fail. She had expected to suppress Qin Yuru with elders" ident.i.ty. But it seemed that Qin Yuru had decided to pursue it unless she died. Countess Yong didn"t know what to do at the moment.
When it came to the false accounts, she felt very aggrieved too. She did do that by herself.
"I didn"t steal much of her money, though I did do the stealing! Now I am the one taking all the blame. How can I take the blame alone?"
"Shut up! I"ll think about it!" Old Madam of Duke Yong"s Mansion was in a bad mood now. She banged the table with her hand again and said in a harsh voice. She was unable to deal with it now. She didn"t expect that Qin Yuru would expose the whole thing and even tell the government regardless of anything.
Since it had been spread to the yamen, how would Qin"s Mansion react? It was hard to say!
At least, Duke Yong"s Mansion might not be powerful enough to deal with the government.
"Invite Duke Yong here! I want to ask him to deal with this matter. Just say… I can"t deal with it anymore. If the whole thing is exposed, Duke Yong"s Mansion will become a tragedy!" Old Madam"s face looked very dark through the half-closed door.
"Yes, yes! I"ll go now!" Countess Yong seemed to be granted amnesty. She stood up in a hurry and staggered out. She almost tripped at the door. Luckily, she reached out to hold the door frame in time to steady herself. Then she rushed away.
All the servant girls and old maids who followed her hurried to catch up with her.
"What a sin… what a sin…" In the main room, Old Madam sighed heavily…
"You guessed it, Miss! Everyone in the capital has known about it. They are now gossiping about Countess Yong"s misconducts, saying that she coveted her daughter-in-law"s dowries and occupied her sister-in-law"s dowries, and she has taken charge of a shop for many years since her sister-in-law married out. The two sets of account books have been sent to the lord mayor"s yamen, and everyone is waiting for a public trial there!" Qing"er reported the message she got to Shao Wanru.
Shao Wanru sealed the sachet, on which there were a few stalks of purple bamboo embroidered. Under the bamboo was a small gra.s.sland with a few small flowers attached to it. It looked very elegant.
The sachet was filled with herbal medicines that could drive snakes and insects away. So she had to be very careful when sealing the mouth with so many herbals in it. It couldn"t be sewn too tightly or too loosely, or it would lose its original shape and become ugly.
After hearing Qing"er"s words, Shao Wanru was very calm and carefully moved the needle. When the mouth of the sachet was completely sealed, she cut off the thread and said, "There won"t be a public trial!"
"Why, Miss? Many people saw it happen. There are witnesses and testimonies! They can be considered the ironclad evidence!" Qu Le took the scissors handed over by Shao Wanru and asked in confusion. "I don"t think it can be suppressed. Since First Miss Qin wants to uncover it, she shouldn"t want to let it go easily!"
"Whether she wants to let it go or not, it doesn"t matter anymore!" Shao Wanru said with a slight smile. Her black hair that had just been washed causally scattered on her back. The faint light softened the charm in her eyes, which changed her charming nature into a gentle one. She looked more delicate and beautiful.
The voices of "Your Highness" came from the door one after another. Chu Liuchen came back.
As soon as Shao Wanru stood up, the curtain was lifted, and Chu Liuchen had come in. He looked handsome and elegant with a navy robe with golden bamboo patterns.
The servant girls in the room left carefully.
"Why are you still making it? Didn"t I tell you to go to bed early?" Chu Liuchen reached out to pick up the sachet put on the table, and then said with a gentle look and in a doting voice, "Such a dark light hurts your eyes. You can ask the servant girls to make it if you want it finished!"
"There are some made by the servant girls! You can give them to your followers. The one I made is only for you!" Shao Wanru handed the sachet to Chu Liuchen and said, "Look, it"s filled with the smell you like. It has the smell of not only the insect repellant but also the good incense you often use. Do you like it?"
The smell of the herbal medicines in the sachet was very strong, but there was indeed a different fragrance mixed with it. It smelt very light under the strong herbals. But if the sachet was carefully sniffed, it could be told that the fragrance was the same one in Chu Liuchen"s study.
"I certainly like what you made for me, Zhuozhuo! But I will feel distressed. You haven"t been asleep at this time. I told you that I would come back later tonight, didn"t I?" Chu Liuchen led Shao Wanru to sit on the couch and hold her in his arms habitually.
"I can"t fall asleep anyway. We were talking about Qin Yuru!" Shao Wanru didn"t intend to hide it from Chu Liuchen. "I asked Qing"er to inquire about it before. She has just come back!" Shao Wanru said.
Chu Liuchen removed the strand of black hair between her eyebrows. Her half-dry hair fell over, which made her face look as small as a palm. She looked unbelievably gorgeous with delicate eyebrows and watery eyes.
"What did you get?" Chu Liuchen asked casually, leaning back against the cus.h.i.+on on the couch and holding Shao Wanru in his arms, who was made to lie on his body.
Shao Wanru blushed. So she closed her eyes to deal with her shyness. "Qin Yuru made trouble that caused Duke Yong"s Mansion to be the target of public criticism! Qing"er had gone to inquire about it! She said that lord mayor"s yamen has accepted and heard the case!"
"It must be suppressed!" Chu Liuchen said lazily. He helped Shao Wanru to sit in a different position—she leaned on one of his arms so that she would be more comfortable.
"Is it because of Prince Yue?" Shao Wanru raised her watery eyes to look at him and asked. It was not a question, though she sounded like she was asking one.
"Chu Liuyue does involve himself too many domains. The Empress won"t like it," Chu Liuchen replied meaningfully. Shao Wanru had told him before that it was proved that Chu Liuyue was the secret supporter of Duke Yong"s Mansion.
"What about His Majesty?" Shao Wanru asked after thinking for a while. The Empress would not like it even if she thought of her daughter.
"Uncle the Emperor doesn"t like it even more, he…" Chu Liuchen raised the corner of his mouth, with his long eyelashes reflected in his eyes. "He never lets others know what he likes or dislikes!"
Such words seemed to have a different meaning. Shao Wanru pondered for a moment and did not ask more questions. Chu Liuchen would deal with the Emperor, and she believed that he could deal with it well.
However, Shao Wanru was worried about something else. She understood that Aunt Shui had nothing to do with the matter, but she was afraid there would be a deviation, so she subconsciously asked Chu Liuchen, "How will Ningyuan Army General"s Mansion deal with it? Will it implicate people of the General"s Mansion?"
"Of course not. Ningyuan Army General is not a stupid man. He is not as simple as you see!" Chu Liuchen said, "You don"t have to be worried. I have told you before that I will help you even when you are in big trouble! Don"t worry!"
Then he patted her back gently and opened his eyes with a smile. His eyes were vivid and handsome.
Shao Wanru looked up subconsciously and met his eyes. She felt a sweetness in her heart. After her rebirth, she found it hard to believe others, but Chu Liuchen was not one of them.
It seemed that he would protect her at any time, which made her feel inexplicably at ease…
"Although the matter will be suppressed soon, it might cause another storm in the Palace!"