Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 400 Lacquer Box

The Empress was taken aback, not immediately understanding what she meant.

As if realizing she had said something wrong, Liu Yuechu quickly tried to make amends, "It was my sister-in-law who mentioned that she went to the palace yesterday to see Consort Fang. I thought Your Majesty knew about it."

"I originally intended to bring my sister-in-law along, but she felt unwell after returning home last night. Fearing that the ladies might catch her illness, she asked me to apologize to the ladies and say that I would come to pay my respects another day."

"Ziqing is also unfortunate. Perhaps she is lonely and wants to see someone to talk to." The Empress was unaware of this matter and naturally had to find an excuse to brush it off. "After giving birth to her daughter, her health has never been good, and her little granddaughter is also sickly. She is incomparable to the two in your household."

The Empress has been driven mad by the torment of the Eastern Palace these days.

Although Qin Mushuo was still able to have sex, unfortunately none of the women could conceive.

Now, the only child born to Fang Ziqing in the Eastern Palace is a sickly girl, whom the Empress dislikes at all.

“Good people are always blessed by Heaven. Your Majesty is kind-hearted, so naturally you will get what you wish for.” Liu Yuechu asked tentatively, already understanding the situation.

The matter Fang Ziqing mentioned was unknown even to the Empress. This was clearly a trap set by Vice Minister Fang for the Liu family.

He wanted to get things done, wanted to claim credit, and also wanted to dig a pit for the Liu family.

Liu Yuechu hadn't expected this old man to be so cunning. Perhaps he was instigated by Emperor Qi Xiao to deliberately sow discord between Yuan Cuo and Yuan Cuo.

The Empress was unaware of what Liu Yuechu was thinking. She had originally intended to mention that His Majesty was also very concerned about the children's health, but Liu Yuechu's question had disrupted her rhythm, and the Empress swallowed her prepared words.

After spending the morning in the palace and having lunch, Yuan Cuo came to pick them up in person.

After all, he was only the Duke of Baoguo, so it was inconvenient for him to enter the inner palace.

So he simply sent Cheng Gonggong's apprentice, Xiao Chunzi, to help.

Upon hearing that Yuan Cuo was already waiting outside the palace, the Empress smiled and lightly scolded him, "I haven't even said I wanted to release him yet, and he's already come to pick him up? If you want to pick him up, come in person. What's the point of sending just a little eunuch?"

"I hereby grant him permission to enter and leave Fukang Palace without having to worry about the precautions."

Actually, Yuan Cuo had visited the inner palace before. Back then, he would treat the Empress Dowager for poisoning every few days, but outsiders didn't know that.

Xiaochunzi quickly smiled and went to deliver the message.

Yuan Cuo had no choice but to come in person.

He bowed respectfully to the Empress, saying, "I originally only intended to bring my wife and children back to the palace, but I did not expect to be summoned by Her Majesty the Empress. Naturally, I dared not come empty-handed, so I found something at the Court of State Ceremonial to present to Her Majesty the Empress."

He handed over a four-room lacquer box.

The craftsmanship was clearly that of the Yan Kingdom. The outer layer of the lacquer box was inlaid with exquisite giant clam shell, coral, and turquoise, sparkling and extremely valuable.

The Empress opened it and found a small hidden compartment inside. The box also smelled wonderfully fragrant, refreshing and invigorating.

"Was this specially brought by the envoy from Yan? I have never seen such craftsmanship before. Have you kept it all to yourself?"

Yuan Cuo scratched his head. "This was found at the Duke of Wei's mansion. They are currently selling off their old items. I originally intended to give it to my wife, but I was summoned by Your Majesty, so I can only give it to Your Majesty first."

"I will go again later to see if I can find any good items. I have a keen eye, after all, I used to make a living with this skill. If Your Majesty trusts me, I will send you any good items I find."

……

Everyone was surprised to hear Yuan Cuo's words.

What kind of place is the Duke of Wei's mansion?

That was the family of the late emperor's concubine, and they had distinguished themselves in battle.

At that time, the Great Qi was bullied by the states of Chu, Yan, and Meng. It was only through the bloody battles fought to the end by the Duke of Wei's family that the current territory was preserved.

Unfortunately, this family, despite their illustrious military achievements, was riddled with wounds. All eight of their generals were killed in action, wounded, or died young. Only a young, unremarkable son remained, staying in the Duke of Wei's mansion to inherit the title.

But how could such a mansion possibly be sold off? This lacquer box is no ordinary old item; anyone who would take it out to sell it must be facing a significant deficit.

"I just invited the Duke of Wei and his wife to the palace for lunch a while ago. They seemed to be doing well. How come they've sold their household items in the blink of an eye?" The Empress was very puzzled.

Besides, even if there are difficulties, the Duke of Wei will speak to His Majesty and her. How can we allow such a descendant of a hero to go hungry!

"Does Her Majesty the Empress not know?" Yuan Cuo feigned surprise. "Consort Fang knew, and even encouraged our brother-in-law and his wife to buy the mansion of the Duke of Wei."

"Perhaps the Ministry of Revenue is out of money again and wants to secretly do something like 'crossing the river and burning the bridge'—ah, no, I mean, something like 'adding bricks and tiles to the foundation of the Great Qi.'"

"Moreover, this time it's not just the Duke of Wei's mansion that's going to be sold, but also the mansions of several dukes, marquises, and earls."

"Since we're out of money now, we'll start by digging out the meritorious officials of the previous dynasty. Once that's all gone, who knows when it will be the turn of..." the meritorious officials of this dynasty.

The Empress's maternal family had all perished for the sake of the Great Qi dynasty.

The Empress felt a pang of sorrow for the fallen, and her emotions surged instantly.

Even though she wanted to control it, she couldn't, and even her lips were trembling.

The other concubines were also shocked to hear this. That was the family of a former imperial concubine, and they had been purged like this? They were far inferior to the Duke of Wei's family, and they didn't know when their entire family would be wiped out.

"Alright, let's go back now, so as not to disturb Her Majesty the Empress's rest any longer." Liu Yuechu hadn't expected Yuan Cuo to say such a thing.

It seems he has figured things out this morning.

Yuan Cuo smiled and said, "I'll do whatever my wife says."

The two women picked up the children and bid farewell to the Empress and the concubines. The Empress even specially arranged for a palanquin to be sent to the palace gate, not wanting the children to be exposed to the sun.

After Yuan Cuo and Liu Yuechu left, the concubines also departed in twos and threes, all of them absent-minded and restless.

If even the Duke of Wei was treated so coldly, what about them?

As if in an instant, the concubines' desire to vie for the emperor's favor vanished...

Meanwhile, news spread that the Ministry of Revenue was going to expel the heirs of the Duke of Wei and take back the Duke's mansion, which immediately caused a great deal of discussion in the capital.

The other mansions that received the news immediately stepped forward, lamenting how many lives they had sacrificed for the Great Qi, only to be driven out of the capital now.

The descendants of the hero were not treated well; they were harsh, ruthless, and cruel.

In an instant, not only was Vice Minister Fang severely criticized, but even Emperor Qi Xiao's character was questioned.

Some even speculated that it was Yuan Cuo's idea, otherwise how could the palace dare to do such a thing?

But just as someone was criticizing Yuan Cuo for being greedy and unscrupulous, the Wei State Duke's Mansion and many other mansions all came forward to deny it.

"...The Ministry of Revenue was the one that pressured the price of the mansion, while the Duke of Baoguo bought up the useless items in the mansion at double the price."

"Who's ruthless and who's kind, is there even a need to say more?"