Chapter 949 Ask for Help
“No, no! You’re not an outsider, Your Highness! Please stay!” Qin Huaiyong bowed to Shao Wanru and said softly with regret in his eyes.
“Uh... okay!” Shao Wanru hesitated for a moment and no longer stood on ceremony. She was not a member of Qin’s Mansion now, but she used to live in Qin’s Mansion for many years and almost knew everything about it. “It will only be beneficial for them if I stay!”
“No! You’d better leave, Your Highness! It’s not appropriate for you to get involved in such things!” Old Madam Qin shook her head.
Qin Huaiyong lowered his head and explained with a bitter face, “Mother, I am going to say something really important. When Her Highness was living with us, she was oppressed by Madam Di and Qin Yuru, and I was fooled to ignore their devilry every time. Now I know the truth, so I should publish it and uphold justice for Her Highness!”
Shui Ruolan looked at Old Madam Qin and then Qin Huaiyong, not knowing what to say.
“I want to know about the truth, Grandma. It won’t be troublesome for me!” Shao Wanru comforted Old Madam Qin in a soft voice. She was sincerely grateful to Old Madam Qin.
“Old Madam Qin is always my grandmother, though I have no blood relations with her.”
Since Shao Wanru and Qin Huaiyong insisted, Old Madam Qin could only nod helplessly.
After they took a seat, Qin Huaiyong waved his hand, and all the servants in the room left.
“Mother, I have just been informed of something, and I have to tell you in case Duke Yong’s Mansion threatens you and Ruolan with it!” Qin Huaiyong went straight to the point after the servants left.
“What is it?” Old Madam Qin sat up straight. She had realized that it was not simple. “His abnormal behavior just now should have something to do with what he is going to say!”
“Mother, Qin Yuru is not my daughter! Madam Di, that shameless woman, fooled around with another man and got pregnant with Qin Yuru before she married into our family!” Qin Huaiyong was upset and angry.
No man could remain silent if he was cuckolded and forced like this.
“What... what? What did you say?” Old Madam Qin looked at Qin Huaiyong in shock, and her lips trembled before she made a sound.
“General, you can’t make jokes on things like that!” With a pale face, Shui Ruolan pinched the handkerchief in her hand with fingers in spasm.
However, Shao Wanru was very calm. She looked at Qin Huaiyong with her watery eyes full of curiosity and extremely faint surprise.
Stared at by such a pair of eyes, Qin Huaiyong felt even more embarra.s.sed. “Shao Wanru used to be my adopted daughter. I had raised her for many years! How could I have no feelings for her? If it weren’t for Madam Di and her daughter, how should we look like strangers at the moment?”
He supported Qin Yuru again and again in Duke Xing’s Mansion before, which, to some extent, broke off the father-daughter relations.h.i.+p between Shao Wanru and him!
Qin Huaiyong gnashed his teeth with hatred when thinking of something more than the fact that he was cuckolded.
“It’s true, Mother. It was because Qin Yuru had known about her biological father that she burned Madam Di to death. She wants to keep it secret! Of course, she may have gotten some benefits from her biological father and wants to take control of our mansion!” Qin Huaiyong sneered, and his eyes turned red with anger.
“How... how could this be possible...?”
Even Old Madam Qin’s fingers were trembling. “How could such an absurd thing be true? How could there be such shameless people in the world?” But her son’s expression made Old Madam Qin have to believe it. “How... how could it be like this?”
“Madam Di... Madam Di...” Shui Ruolan stammered, but she didn’t know what to say.
“Mother, I won’t hide it. Since we have reported to the official about Madam Di’s death, let’s just make it public too. Mother, Ruolan, please check the inner court and find out what happened and who was there before and after Qin Yuru left that day. They are all the evidence. Except for Qin Yuru, no one had ever been to Madam Di’s courtyard. Before she walked out of Qin’s Mansion, Madam Di’s courtyard had been on fire!” Qin Huaiyong composed himself and said.
“Okay, I’ll arrange for people to investigate it right away!” Old Madam Qin took a deep breath and calmed herself down soon. After all, she had experienced a lot.
“General, you... ” Shui Ruolan asked worriedly.
“I’m fine,” Qin Huaiyong shook his head and replied. He knew Shui Ruolan was worried about his reputation. “After everything is settled, I am leaving the capital city. When I come back, it will be a few months later and everything must fade away. If I make more contributions, no one will look down on me!
“The most important thing for men is power and influence. Such a little mistake is nothing!
“Besides, I have a son, who is still very young. Reputation is not a big deal for him now!”
“Ruolan, you will help Mother deal with the affairs in the inner court! As for the...” Qin Huaiyong paused for a moment and glanced at Shao Wanru’s face. He just said such a big secret, but Shao Wanru was only a little surprised. She was much calmer than Old Madam Qin and Shui Ruolan.
“If she were still my daughter, though nominally...”
At the thought of that, Qin Huaiyong immediately dismissed such a tempting idea from his mind. “There is no such hypothesis! I can’t count it on such a flimsy hypothesis!”
It was like he was always partial to his biological daughter in the past! He was never softhearted when his daughter was wronged.
Generally, it was natural that he, as a father, doted on his daughter. But now it sounded pretty sarcastic.
“Qin Yuru is the illegitimate child of Madam Di and Chu Huairan, the fourth son of Grand Prince. Madam Di had been pregnant with her before marrying me! Qin Yuru went to Grand Prince’s Mansion as soon as Madam Di told her the secret. I think she has been accepted into that family!” said Qin Huaiyong with his cold eyes full of anger.
Of course, Qin Huaiyong knew about Grand Prince’s fourth son Chu Huairan. A few days ago, he even met that old playboy, who, together with several other men of his kind, hooked up with several prost.i.tutes and caused some trouble. Qin Huaiyong pa.s.sed by with the Imperial Guards Team and dealt with it.
At that time, Qin Huaiyong secretly laughed at that royal family member. “He is such a loser that he disgraces himself and the old Grand Prince! So what if Grand Prince is the Emperor’s uncle? His son is such a black sheep who brings shame to his whole family!”
On thinking of it, Qin Huaiyong got infuriated that his face turned livid. “I suddenly remember that Chu Huairan, with a faint smile on his face, turned his head sideways, looked at my face, and kept asking the people beside him whether I was the Ningyuan Army General at that time!”
Qin Huaiyong thought it was because of his fame that Chu Huairan asked about him.
“Grand Prince’s fourth son?” Old Madam Qin was too shocked, and then she murmured, “What should we do now?”
“Mother and Ruolan will deal with the affairs in the inner court, and I will deal with those in the outer court. Don’t worry, Mother. We are in the upper hand in this matter. Both Duke Yong’s Mansion and Grand Prince’s Mansion will not get away from it!” Qin Huaiyong stood up and said goodbye to Old Madam Qin. Then he cupped his hands to Shao Wanru and said, “Please take care of my mother, Your Highness!”
“Take care of yourself, General!” Shao Wanru nodded with a smile.
Qin Huaiyong turned around and left. “I will not take it lying down. The bigger it gets, the better it is for us! I am leaving for Xu State, so the Emperor will not hurt me!”
Duke Yong didn’t go back to Duke Yong’s Mansion with Countess Yong. On their way back, he secretly turned his way to Prince Yue’s Mansion.
He entered Prince Yue’s Mansion through the back door and went straight to Chu Liuyue’s study.
In the study, Chu Liuyue looked at Duke Yong with cold eyes. After Duke Yong told him what had happened just now, he asked coldly, “Who is your sister’s adulterer?”
Duke Yong only told Chu Liuyue how Qin Huaiyong reacted in Qin’s Mansion and did not mention the past. Anyway, it was not anything glorious, and Duke Yong was too ashamed to mention it.
Chu Liuyue’s question made Duke Yong’s face darken, but Duke Yong shook his head and said, “I don’t know much about it. Only my mother and sister do. At that time... at that time... it had been too late when I found it!”
“You don’t even know it? How can you take charge of a mansion?” Chu Liuyue questioned sharply, “If I had known that you were so unreliable, I wouldn’t have put you in an important position at that time. Look how much trouble you have caused! Should I help you deal with this too?”
“Your Highness!” Duke Yong knelt down and said, “Please save us, Your Highness!”
“I can’t help you this time!” said Chu Liuyue in a sharp voice. He did hate Duke Yong now. “I am afraid that this matter can’t end peacefully. Duke Yong’s Mansion can’t afford to be investigated at this time. It even took a lot of effort to get away from the last trouble!”
“Help us, Your Highness!” Duke Yong cried, “I am your servant, and you don’t want other people to discover that I am raising many women illegally, do you?”
“Are you threatening me?” Chu Liuyue sneered. Then he grabbed an inkstone beside him and smashed it heavily on Duke Yong’s head. Blood instantly flowed down his face.
“If possible, how I wish I could smash him to death!” Chu Liuyue thought.
Suddenly, an idea entered his mind, so he said to Duke Yong with a calm face, “You go back and find out who the adulterer is. And then report to me. He can’t be an ordinary person! Since your sister has given birth to his child, he can’t escape his responsibility when your mansion is in trouble, can he?”
“Yes, yes, Your Highness! I’ll go and ask my mother right away!” said Duke Yong in a panic. He was really fl.u.s.tered.
Everything relevant to his mansion was in a mess, and he didn’t know how to deal with them. But Chu Liuyue’s order gave him a way out. Duke Yong couldn’t help nodding.
Chu Liuyue threw a handkerchief onto Duke Yong’s head and said, “Go back to your mansion! Be quick. Don’t let the officials beat you!”
“Yes, Your Highness!” When Duke Yong was standing up, he staggered and almost fell down. Chu Liuyue reached out to hold him and said in a friendlier voice, “Are you all right, Duke Yong? Sorry, I was too angry just now!”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness... I... I’m fine!” Duke Yong shook his head repeatedly. Prince Yue didn’t abandon him! Duke Yong suddenly felt hopeful and confident!
“Go to Prince Zhou’s Mansion first and then to Prince Xin’s Mansion... Don’t go to Prince Chen’s Mansion...” Chu Liuyue thought for a moment and ordered slowly.
“Yes, Your Highness!” Duke Yong replied. That was what he used to do carefully! He had done the same thing many times before to confuse other people in case Prince Yue was exposed as the person behind the scene.
Chu Liuyue nodded. As Duke Yong staggered away, Chu Liuyue ordered slowly with coldness in his eyes, “Keep an eye on him!”