The cannon fodder original wife's bad story

Qin Qingdong and his subordinates hurriedly followed, saying, "Don't you want to sit for a while? Miss Baoyue hasn't even had a few sips of the new tea she served yet."

"Didn't you say that Guanzhou forbids me from going out and fooling around? Hurry up." At the same time, Aru offered her money. Zhu Baoyue wanted to refuse, but was stopped by Pei An's sweeping gaze.

She bowed to see him off, and Qin Qingdong chased after her with a laugh, "Ji Zhang, now I don't quite understand you anymore." He wanted to talk about Pei An's tolerance of Jin Fuyun, but then he felt that it wasn't quite what he saw.

"I am still me."

"That's true. Then let's hurry up and go. I'm not going back to the Qin residence today."

Upon hearing this, Chun Ge said, "No, that won't do. Your auntie said she'd be waiting for you to admire the moon tonight." The old auntie was a free spirit and wanted to do everything she could to bring Qin Qingdong and Wen Si together. She would have them sit around the stove drinking wine, take a break for tea, and watch the flowers and birds. She did this several times.

Unfortunately, I can never bring these two sworn enemies together.

Qin Qingdong ignored Chun Ge's wailing and kicked him away, saying, "You can go back with Jian Ji Rui." He was abandoning him. Chun Ge was shocked and thought, "This won't do!"

She wiped away the tears that hadn't yet fallen, then climbed onto the carriage.

Seeing that the Fourth Young Master had also boarded the carriage, Aru had no choice but to mount his own pony and lead Fei Bai back. Jianji Rui stepped forward to inform Qin Qingdong of his business, and Qin Er dismissed the two of them to return to their residence.

"If Miss Wen were to ask...?"

"I told him that I was invited by Si Lang to have a late-night talk with him by candlelight."

...Second Young Master, you are truly shameless!

The carriage disappeared into the night. The old lady had her maids and servants close the gate of the Manyuelou courtyard and returned to the guest room. There she saw Zhu Baoyue sitting by the window, her fair hand resting on the zither table.

“My son, you should go to bed. You stayed up late last night and didn’t sleep well today. Go to bed early, because you have to entertain guests tomorrow.”

Before the results were announced, many scholars and officials remained in the capital.

The Full Moon Pavilion is famous and has been fully booked for days, leaving everyone at the pavilion exhausted. The old woman tried to comfort her, but Zhu Baoyue seemed to be bewitched.

"girl……"

Zhu Baoyue snapped out of her daze, pursed her lips, and said softly, "Today's young lady is different from usual." Her mother bent down and whispered, "Young lady, the young lady even handed this thing to me."

She lifted her sleeve, revealing a palm-sized gold and jade plate.

It was called a gold and jade plate, but the jade was only the size of a copper coin in the center; the outside was solid gold. Zhu Baoyue was puzzled. "Did the eldest young lady give it to you personally?"

The old woman handed it to Zhu Baoyue, saying, "I sent someone to give to me, that round-faced girl."

"Panlan?"

"Yes!" the old woman sighed. "I couldn't refuse, Mom. She said she would come looking for me later, I..."

Zhu Baoyue looked at the exquisite items in her hand. If placed outside, they would be enough for an ordinary family to live on for three to five years. She stroked them a few times and sighed softly, "...Young lady, I hope you won't make things difficult for me."

The old woman sat down beside her and whispered, "The eldest young lady mentioned it during the day, and I'm thinking that the young mistress treats you differently these days, perhaps—"

"Mom, shut up!"

The old woman immediately swallowed her words, a look of regret on her face.

Zhu Baoyue knew what her mother was thinking. She calmed herself down and then called over a few of her close maids. "The young mistress has been very kind to me. She has never looked down on me. You are here with me to earn a living, so be strong and don't let others provoke you into having thoughts you shouldn't have."

A seasoned veteran, highly regarded by others, is a rare find in a lifetime.

Why bother climbing up the pole and ignoring the young mistress's high regard and affection?

The old woman sighed, "What if the Fourth Young Master has such thoughts? Does the young lady also intend to reject such a good opportunity?"

This is an incredible blessing!

The maids and servants, with their keen eyes and sharp minds, heard this, and Zhu Baoyue sneered, "Don't get such a misconception. The Fourth Young Master is of noble character and has visited my Full Moon Pavilion many times. Have you ever seen him be overly intimate with me or any other courtesan? Besides—"

She lowered her voice and concealed the light in her eyes, "With a celestial being like the young mistress, he has no room for anyone else in his heart."

The old woman sighed, "My child, you must not let yourself become so lazy—"

"mom!"

The old woman's arrogance vanished instantly. "Son, I'm only doing this for your own good."

"I'll say it again, don't be provoked. It's not easy for us to live in this world. We can't lose our sense of proportion because of these empty words. One wrong step and we might lose our lives."

Zhu Baoyue repeatedly gave instructions, and the subordinates readily agreed.

The old woman was unwilling to accept this, always feeling that the young lady was too cautious. In this day and age, which capable man doesn't have three wives and four concubines? It's not that she has to come into the mansion with the fourth young master, but even if she is kept outside, it's better than living like this, selling smiles for a living.

Zhu Baoyue concealed her exhaustion, returned to her room, and rested on her own.

Qin Qingdong and Pei An rode together in a carriage. Inside, a lotus-shaped table lamp was lit on a small table. As the carriage swayed, the interior of the carriage was sometimes dim and sometimes bright.

"Could you elaborate on the matter of the Crown Prince?"

Qin Qingdong shook his head and sighed, "It's not that it can't be talked about, but given enough time, the Duan family won't be able to keep it a secret, and it will spread sooner or later. A few days ago, my eldest sister miscarried."

"...Who did this?"

Qin Qingdong chuckled, "Eldest sister is frail. Kang'er is already so old, and she hasn't been able to conceive again. Now, she was fortunate enough to have a child, but before she was even two months along, she couldn't keep the pregnancy going because she accidentally ate a lot of cold foods—"

This pregnancy was of paramount importance to the Crown Prince's Palace, the Crown Princess, and even the Qin family, yet it ended before the three-month mark.

The crown prince was furious and ordered an investigation both inside and outside the palace.

The Eastern Palace has been embroiled in bloodshed these past few days, even implicating some in the Emperor's harem. Qin Qingdong didn't elaborate, only stating the outcome: "Several precious medicinal herbs, rarely found even in ordinary residences, were brought in by the fourth young lady of the Jin family and presented to several noble ladies in the harem, including a significant portion taken by the Third Princess. Under a pretext, they were given to Consort Duan, supposedly for health enhancement, but by a twist of fate, they ended up in her elder sister's pregnancy-preserving medicine—"

"That's quite a coincidence."

Pei An turned his head and asked in confusion. Qin Qingdong leaned lazily against the carriage and said, "I'm telling you this because I'm picking out the important ones. You might think it's a coincidence, but it took quite a bit of effort to verify it."

What does Your Majesty mean?

"His Majesty has punished the Third Princess and her mother, and Jin Si has been removed from his position as a tutor and confined to his home. As for Jin Fuyun, who lavishly presented treasures—" Qin Er's cold smile vanished in an instant, "The Empress Dowager has approved her marriage to Prince Yong, and General Jin will probably have to personally enter the palace to plead guilty in a few days. What can His Majesty do? He will have to swallow his anger."

The emperor used to think highly of this late-blooming general, but now he is much more wary of him.

The emperor and his minister gazed at each other from afar. Jin Meng defied orders several times and refused to return. The emperor was angry, but there was nothing he could do.

Dongqiao has now returned with renewed force, frequently invading the border and causing friction. If His Majesty wishes to use a cup of wine to relieve the military of his power, now is not a good time.

Qin Qingdong closed his eyes and sighed, "However, Duan Liangyuan, who was on good terms with Jin Fuyun, was crippled yesterday."