Chapter 574 A Mess

The kindness for accommodating him? He took his mother away in a big way, and then Yujie could inquire about it at the gate of the Yuhui Nunnery even before the officials of the Ministry of Justice left. It was obvious that everyone knew it clearly. The royal family had always been cautious in their domestic affairs. Since it was so easy to inquire about it, he obviously didn’t intend to keep it a secret and didn’t even care about whether others knew it or not.

Regarding paying back the kindness of the Yuhui Nunnery for accommodation, he did that in order to maintain his good reputation for half a year. From now on, everyone coming to the Yuhui Nunnery would know what Commandery Prince Qing had done to express his gratitude.

It was followed by a religious rite. Commandery Prince Qing naturally was unqualified to hold a religious rite for the late emperor, so the religious rite was impossible to be held for the late emperor. It was most likely to be held for a relative or parent of Imperial Noble Consort Yu, and he did that to show his filial piety.

In any case, it not only was a good deed, but also showed his gratitude and filial piety. Commandery Prince Qing, who had planned all these, was obviously not an ordinary person.

This kind of thing originally had nothing to do with Shao Wanru. As a weak lady in the backyard, she couldn’t deal with this kind of matter. Nevertheless, because it might be influential to Chu Liuchen, she inevitably noticed it and instructed Qing’er to go down the mountain and tell Chu Liuchen what she had seen and heard today.

It was not because she doubted Chu Liuchen’s capability. If he wanted to find out these, it was certainly not difficult. But now the officials of the Ministry of Justice left gradually, and it was not convenient for him to come up the mountain, so it would be less convenient for him to investigate into it.

Shao Wanru would never forget that when she was about to come to the Yuhui Nunnery, Chu Liuchen had entrusted some tasks to her, but she hadn’t accomplished them yet. So she thought that she owed him. Since she knew something, she naturally reported it to Chu Liuchen immediately.

The imperial concubines of the late emperor within the high wall could not make any trouble now. After the investigations of the Ministry of Justice, even if there was anything fishy, it must have been found out.

Qing’er left soon and came back soon. She only brought back Chu Liuchen’s reply, “His Highness said that he got it and you don’t need to interfere in the affairs of the imperial concubines of the late emperor anymore!”

Her words made Shao Wanru let out a sigh of relief. The area within the high wall had been guarded in an increasingly strict way. If she showed any interest in the area within the high wall, it would inevitably arouse others’ suspicion. When she passed by the side door occasionally and saw the nuns, who didn’t move a step from there, she knew that the area was no longer guarded slackly as before and she should walk over without looking sideways.

Qing’er brought another piece of news from down the mountain. Shao Wanru thought it both expected and unexpected.

Now Qi Rongzhi took the blame for recommending Xiushui Taoist Priest from the Baiyun Taoist Temple. It was said that the First Miss Qi knelt down and apologized tearfully to Old Madam in front of an official, who came to Duke Xing’s Mansion to inquire about the matter. She said that she was misled by the words of the Young Madam of Duke Yong and thought the Taoist priest a good person, so she recommended him to Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion.

If it were for her recommendation, Old Madam wouldn’t have agreed without hesitation when a nun in the Yuhui Nunnery recommended the Taoist priest.

It was said that Old Madam was very kind. She pulled Qi Rongzhi up and said that it was reasonable for her, who had just moved to the capital city, to be deceived. She told Qi Rongzhi that she should no longer believe others’ nonsense and tell the elders in the mansion about it so as not to make trouble.

Madam of Duke Xing repeatedly asked the official from the Ministry of Justice to forgive her for believing hearsay and prepared lavish gifts for him.

As the official from the Ministry of Justice left, what Qi Rongzhi had done was spread. Everyone said that the Miss Qi from Jiangzhou was extremely undignified without the decency of a Miss from an aristocratic family at all. She was such a gossip against a lady’s virtue and passed on some nonsense like a garrulous servant and thus to make such big trouble.

She let down Madam of Duke Xing, who recognized her as an adopted daughter, and her painstaking efforts in nurturing her in the past two years…

The gossip about her was extremely unpleasant. They suggested that Qi Rongzhi was ill-behaved and ill-bred by nature. Despite Madam of Duke Xing’s painstaking efforts in nurturing her, she was still undignified. Aristocratic families attached most importance to a lady’s decency. With such a reputation, it would be difficult for Qi Rongzhi to have a good marriage!

“Miss, Duke Xing’s Mansion shifted all the blame on the First Miss Qi and the First Miss Qin. They are so cunning.”

Hearing Qing’er’s words, Yujie curled her lip and said sarcastically.

She had been against Qi Rongzhi and Qin Yuru, so she did not have a good impression of them. Although they seemed to be wronged now, Yujie thought that she would not sympathize with them and they asked for it.

In order to get close to Madam of Duke Xing, the First Miss Qi had set up Shao Wanru several times, and she had always been lofty since she became the adopted daughter of Duke Xing’s Mansion. The First Miss Qin went even farther than the First Miss Qi. She colluded with Madam Di to set up Shao Wanru. If it weren’t for Shao Wanru’s intelligence, Shao Wanru would have fallen into their trap and been killed long before.

“I’m afraid that Madam of Duke Xing has underestimated Duke Yong’s Mansion!” Shao Wanru said with a light smile.

Although Duke Yong’s Mansion was not as powerful and noble as Duke Xing’s Mansion and it seemed to have attached itself to Duke Xing’s Mansion in the last life, it was an aristocratic family anyway. Besides, what Huangrui had done made her feel that Duke Yong’s Mansion was not as simple as it seemed to be.

The case of the Baiyun Taoist Temple had no influence on Duke Yong’s Mansion at all in the last life. If Duke Xing’s Mansion intended to make Duke Yong’s Mansion take all the blame, it would probably be just the opposite of what they wished.

However, she didn’t know who the two mansions respectively worked for. If they worked for the same master, it would be such a coincidence!

As she expected, a few days later, there came another piece of news from outside. It was said that the Young Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion, who claimed to be wronged, hanged herself in anger. Fortunately, a smart maid saved her. The members of Duke Yong’s Mansion, who were also unbearably indignant, requested to confront Qi Rongzhi in front of the investigator from the Ministry of Justice with the intention of finding out when and where their Young Madam met Qi Rongzhi and told her about Xiushui Taoist Priest.

Regarding the connection between them and Xiushui Taoist Priest from the Baiyun Taoist Temple, Duke Yong’s Mansion admitted it frankly in front of everyone. They claimed that they had actually been deceived by the Taoist priest as well and recommended him to other families sincerely. Regarding whether other families had invited the evil Taoist priest to their mansions or not, it had nothing to do with them!

The reason why they trusted the Taoist priest so much was that the late Duke Yong had also been deceived. Now that the late Duke Yong had passed away, it was impossible for them to ruin a dead person’s reputation by making him take the blame!

What Xiushui Taoist Priest had done was exposed after the late Duke Yong was deceived. Later, Old Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion didn’t trust Xiushui Taoist Priest, so she seldom invited Xiushui Taoist Priest to Duke Yong’s Mansion, even less than some aristocratic families did. Now what the evil Taoist priest had done was exposed. It had nothing to do with Duke Yong’s Mansion!

The officials of the Ministry of Justice checked it out and found that Xiushui Taoist Priest rarely went to Duke Yong’s Mansion. Except for the first time he was invited to go there by the late Duke Yong, he barely went there. He had never been there since Qin Yuru married into Duke Yong’s Mansion. Because of what Qin Yuru had done before, it could be considered that she married into Duke Yong’s Mansion with a terrible reputation. Thus, she almost never met anyone after getting married, let alone to meet Qi Rongzhi and lure Qi Rongzhi to mention Xiushui Taoist Priest.

Duke Yong’s Mansion was very tough. They requested a confrontation between Qi Rongzhi and Qin Yuru. However, Duke Xing’s Mansion was unwilling to do so. They said that although Qi Rongzhi was not a biological daughter of Duke Xing’s Mansion, she was an unmarried Miss in Duke Xing’s Mansion, so they couldn’t allow her reputation to be tarnished further. They requested to leave it unsettled, stop the investigation and end it with Qi Rongzhi’s mishearing.

Now no one could offer a proper explanation. Qi Rongzhi claimed that she heard of Xiushui Taoist Priest from the Young Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion. Meanwhile, Qin Yuru’s hanging herself made others think that she was really wronged. Nevertheless, if she didn’t mention Xiushui Taoist Priest, how did Qi Rongzhi know him? How long had she been in the capital city? She hadn’t been in contact with this Xiushui Taoist Priest. Could it be possible that she heard of him from someone in Duke Xing’s Mansion?

In this way, the question went back to the beginning.

Anyway, it became a mess. Many among the members of Duke Yong’s Mansion and Duke Xing’s Mansion were suspicious, and each of them insisted his/her opinion with certainty.

The officials of the Ministry of Justice visited both of the two mansions, but couldn’t find out the truth. They had intended to take the First Miss Qi back for interrogation. However, the First Miss Qi also committed suicide. After she was saved by someone in Duke Xing’s Mansion, Duke Xing’s Mansion no longer allowed the officials of the Ministry of Justice to interrogate her and requested to leave it unsettled. If the Ministry of Justice kept investigating into the matter, it would also do no good to Duke Yong’s Mansion.

It was said that after Madam of Duke Xing made a special visit to Duke Yong’s Mansion, Duke Yong’s Mansion stopped requesting the Ministry of Justice to take Qi Rongzhi back.

The rumor outside was still unpleasant, but this time it was mainly about Madam of Duke Xing and Old Madam of Duke Xing. People all thought that if someone made Miss Qi lie about it, it must be one of them.

Now that Duke Yong’s Mansion stopped requesting a result, everyone could only consider it a mess.

The First Miss Qi, who was connected with the shameless First Miss Qin, was obviously also a girl of bad character.

After getting the news, Shao Wanru had another half bowl of rice cheerfully.

In the last life, Duke Xing’s Mansion and Duke Yong’s Mansion were closely attached to each other and became two great mountains suppressing her. Now after the conflict between them, although she didn’t know what deal they made in private, they would inevitably bear grudges against each other and couldn’t be on intimate terms with each other as they did in the last life.

Besides, she was glad to see Qi Rongzhi and Qin Yuru turned against each other.

With these rumors about what she had done, it would be very difficult for Qi Rongzhi to seek a good marriage. At that time, Qi Rongzhi thought highly of Duke Xing’s Mansion and tried every way to make Madam of Duke Xing adopt her. She did that for a good marriage, didn’t she?

Now even with Duke Xing’s Mansion as her backing, it was difficult for her to be accepted by an aristocratic family.

The reason why Qin Yuru, who also had a bad reputation, could get married was that she married into her maternal grandma’s family!

Now based on Qi Rongzhi’s temperament, Shao Wanru could tell that she probably bore a deep grudge against the entire Duke Xing’s Mansion!

That was good. The biggest difference between Qi Rongzhi and Qin Yuru was that Qi Rongzhi was a vicious person with a brother, who was also a vicious person of no scruples.

After Duke Xing’s Mansion made Qi Rongzhi take the blame, she wondered how the cooperation between Qi Tianyu and Shao Yanru went on. If they hadn’t reached an agreement before, why would Qi Tianyu have covered Shao Yanru’s retreat in that situation?

Qi Tianyu was a poisonous scorpion, while Shao Yanru was a beauty snake. Shao Wanru wondered if the poisonous scorpion would swallow the beauty snake or be swallowed by her…

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