Qi Yuan was truly something. First, she went to cause a ruckus at Yihong Courtyard, had Xiao Yunting set a fire, and made sure the scandal involving the officials inside became widely known. Then, she pretended to go after Hong Xiao to kill her.
When the matter escalated, and the fire became a major incident, the news spread to the capital, naturally infuriating the imperial court.
His Majesty would surely be furious and order a thorough investigation.
And who would be the most terrified of such an investigation?
Of course, Qi Wang!
Qi Wang would definitely try to kill Hong Xiao to silence her!
Whether the events were real or staged, in the end, Hong Xiao would undoubtedly believe that Qi Wang was the one trying to kill her to eliminate future threats.
While some poisonous snakes were frantically burrowing to escape, others sat leisurely, watching the show unfold.
Qi Yuan sat under the flower trellis in the courtyard reading a book. When Imperial Physician Hu came out, she rose to greet him.
Imperial Physician Hu quickly stepped aside and glanced at Lianqiao, who had followed him out. He said in a low voice, “This young lady’s hand has more or less recovered. As the saying goes, ‘It takes a hundred days to heal injured muscles and bones.’ From now on, she must take good care of it and avoid heavy work.”
Lianqiao, holding back her excitement, thanked the physician.
Imperial Physician Hu waved his hand, not accepting her bow.
Qi Yuan smiled and asked one of the maids to bring over a gift box.
Imperial Physician Hu raised his brows, obviously displeased. He didn’t even look at the box and waved it away, forcing a polite smile as he said to Qi Yuan, “Miss Qi, the consultation fee has already been paid.”
If he cared about such a small amount of silver, would he come just to treat a maid?
There were thousands of people waiting outside for his treatment, all holding banknotes in their hands.
Did Miss Qi really think she could buy such a favor with just a bit of silver?
Qi Yuan only smiled, unfazed, and calmly opened the gift box. “Why don’t you take another look, Imperial Physician Hu?”
He was about to brush her off but was immediately drawn by the aroma coming from the box. He couldn’t help but take a glance inside and saw two alcohol jars.
His nose twitched as he asked, “What’s this?!”
In her past life, Qi Yuan knew that Imperial Physician Hu was a notorious alcohol lover. In this life, when Xiao Yunting invited him to treat Lianqiao, Qi Yuan had already prepared the alcohol in advance.
Seeing his reaction, Qi Yuan softly smiled and said, “It’s Daughter’s Red from Yangzhou. These two jars have been buried underground for eighteen years. I originally planned to gift them to you as a token of gratitude…”
Favors must always go both ways.
Imperial Physician Hu was highly skilled, so Qi Yuan naturally wanted to build a good relationship with him.
Seeing Qi Yuan about to close the gift box, Imperial Physician Hu quickly snatched it away with practiced ease and broke into a smile. “Miss Qi, you are truly kind and know how to repay kindness! This Daughter’s Red, I graciously accept!”
Carrying the gift box, he left in high spirits, and Qi Yuan chuckled as she shook her head. She turned to Lianqiao and said, “For now, don’t carry heavy things or do hard labor.”
Lianqiao felt a bit awkward. “Miss, there wasn’t much heavy work to begin with, and now I have no work at all!”
She didn’t even know whether she was a maid or a young lady anymore.
Qi Yuan smiled gently. “If there’s no work, then so be it. Focus on your recovery first. Your hand is what matters most—it cannot be allowed to suffer again.”
Meanwhile, Imperial Physician Hu had barely returned to the Imperial Medical Bureau when he was summoned to the palace.
When he saw the eunuch’s token, he couldn’t help but ask, “Which noble is unwell?”
The eunuch lowered his head even more. “It’s the Noble Consort.”
How many noble consorts could there be in the capital? There was only one.
Imperial Physician Hu didn’t dare delay—everyone knew that this Noble Consort was His Majesty’s beloved.
He lowered his voice and asked Court Official Sun, “My lord, what exactly happened?”
The Noble Consort had always been in good health. It had only been a few days since her last wellness check. Why was she suddenly unwell?
Court Official Sun coughed and narrowed his eyes, warning him, “You’d better be careful. The Embroidered Guards just arrested a woman who plans to accuse Qi Wang. She’s even going to beat the Drum of Appeal at the palace gates today! The matter has grown too big.”
Beating the Drum of Appeal!
Imperial Physician Hu gasped.
A woman, accusing Qi Wang?
And she planned to beat the Drum of Appeal—that would mean the grievance was enormous!
Why has Qi Wang been so plagued with trouble lately? First, the scandal with Han Yue’e, the adopted daughter of Yongping Marquis’s household, who had an ambiguous relationship with him.
Then Han Yue’e allowed her maid to cause a public disturbance in the streets, which stirred public anger and ultimately led to Han Yue’e’s own death from a fall.
One scandal after another, and on top of that, the grain transport corruption case implicated the Changshi from Qi Wang’s own household.
Qi Wang had been confined to his residence recently to reflect on his behavior.
And now, another scandal?
If this were the case, it was no wonder the Noble Consort fell ill.
Imperial Physician Hu clicked his tongue and patted his chest, indicating he understood.
At this moment, it wasn’t just the Noble Consort who needed a physician—Qi Wang was on the verge of fainting.
***
With a loud slap, he struck Jinbao so hard that Jinbao’s ears rang. Pointing at him, Qi Wang roared, “How did you let this happen?! What are you all good for? A bunch of useless trash! Trash!”
It was just Hong Xiao—how could she still escape when so many assassins had been sent after her?
Even if she escaped, how could she have made it to the palace gates to beat the Drum of Appeal?
After all these years, he’d spent countless silver nurturing his people—what had they amounted to?
Qi Wang was so furious that even Eunuch Xu dared not plead for mercy and could only kneel alongside Jinbao. “Please calm your anger, Your Highness!”
Calm down?!
How could he possibly calm down?
Qi Wang was practically ready to personally cut them all down!
Wait!
In the midst of his rage, he suddenly came to a realization.
Right—why?
Why had nothing gone smoothly lately?
Whether it was the exposure of his relationship with Han Yue’e or the corruption case in the grain transport that cost him his Changshi and even the Yihong Courtyard…
All of this couldn’t be just a coincidence!
The problem was obvious now.
Qi Yuan!
She was the only one who knew his secrets!
But he didn’t expect her to move so quickly.
No—how could she have acted this quickly?
Even if she knew about Yihong Courtyard and Hong Xiao, she shouldn’t have had the capability to stir up so much trouble.
After all, she was just an unmarried young lady from the Qi family’s inner chambers, with no money and no people…
Qi Wang tightly clenched the cup in his hand and then suddenly hurled it across the room.
No—she wasn’t without money or allies.
What if she had already aligned herself with Xiao Yunting?!
Then everything made sense!
With Xiao Yunting’s help and knowledge of her past life, she could pull all this off.
Good!
Well played, Qi Yuan—that wretched woman! She had forced him into this corner!
Jinbao was so terrified his soul nearly fled. He looked pleadingly at Eunuch Xu, desperate for help.
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