I am Yuan Niaoniao

Now that Qi Lei has been dismissed from his post and is staying at home, Qi Changfeng is a useless man and there is almost no hope for him. Song Mingzhu and Qi Lei were so worried that half of their hair grew white overnight.

"Madam, Feng'er is in this condition now and I'm afraid there is no hope for him." Qi Lei sighed.

"Master, cheer up." Song Mingzhu was worried. Her son had turned out like this. Her husband, who was the prefect yesterday, became a commoner today. Fortunately, the emperor did not blame him and implicate the whole family. At least he was not convicted to go to jail. She should be thankful.

“How could it turn out like this…” Qi Lei muttered to himself.

"It must be that bitch who is unlucky for us, Master. In my opinion, we should just marry her off and get some gifts. Then we can take Feng'er back to the countryside to live out our retirement years." Song Mingzhu was not willing to let Qi Zhiying go at all.

"Don't talk nonsense. It has nothing to do with Zhiying. It's because of you and I over-indulging Feng'er that he ended up like this." Qi Lei used to turn a blind eye and let Song Mingzhu and Qi Changfeng bully Qi Zhiying, but this time it was indeed his and Song Mingzhu's excessive indulging that led to Qi Changfeng's current fate. He could not blame others.

"Qi Lei, you have to protect that little bitch, don't you?" Song Mingzhu was furious. Without the support of her family, Qi Lei wouldn't be where he is today. After he became successful, he changed. He even favored the maid in his room and made her pregnant with Qi Zhiying. If it weren't for her kindness, that child who shouldn't have been born should have gone to hell with her mother.

"Madam, look at you. You're here again. Didn't we say it was all over?" Qi Lei knew he was in the wrong and didn't know what to say.

I will write a letter to my parents tomorrow, and if there are any wealthy families who want to marry a concubine, I will marry her to them. "Song Mingzhu gritted her teeth and said, her son is not having a good life, why can that bitch's child be better than hers, she might as well marry her and put an end to it. She can also get some gifts to leave for Feng'er.

Although Qi Lei felt that it was inappropriate, he did not go against Song Mingzhu's wishes. After all, he was no longer the prefect and had to look after her family's wishes.

Xiaoqing, who was squatting in the corner and eavesdropping, ran back to Qi Zhiying's yard in a hurry.

"Miss, Miss, something...something bad has happened. Madam, Madam wants to help you find a marriage partner. She wants to marry you!" Xiaoqing ran so fast that she was out of breath and couldn't even finish her words.

"What?" Qi Zhiying was furious when she heard that. Was she still unwilling to let me go? At this point, she still calculated the last bit of my value. "This vicious woman!" After just a few days of comfortable life, she insisted on provoking me. In this case, you can't have an easy life. I was originally planning to let you go, but now it seems that I am still too merciful. "Xiaoqing."

"Yes, miss." Xiao Qingqing calmed down.

"Go do something for me." Qi Zhiying thought for a moment, picked up a pen and wrote a letter. "Send it to Yuan Mansion, to Miss Yuan."

"Yes, miss." Xiaoqing immediately trotted out of the house.

/////////

"Miss, Miss Qi sent her maid Xiaoqing to deliver a letter. She asked Miss to read it."

"Oh?" Qi Zhiying? I don't know her and we have no contact, why would she look for me? Yuan Niaoniao opened the letter puzzled.

:

Miss Yuan, I am sorry to bother you. I have no other choice. Can you come to Wanghu Tower to meet me tomorrow when you are free? I have something important to ask you.

Please do see me.

Qi Zhiying

After reading the letter, Yuan Niaoniao felt puzzled. She invited me to meet at Wanghu Tower tomorrow, but how could she know that I would definitely go? "Dongxue, did the maid say anything else?"

"Miss, there's nothing wrong, but she looks anxious and her tone is very urgent. She looks like she's about to cry. Maybe something happened to her young lady." Dongxue said after thinking for a while.

Yuan Niaoniao was still very confused as to why she wanted to see him. They had no connection and no interests, so there was no reason for her to come to him. According to her understanding, Qi Zhiying was the daughter of a concubine and had been oppressed by Song Mingzhu and Qi Changfeng for a long time. But now Qi Changfeng had been abolished, Qi Lei had lost his official position, and Song Mingzhu's flame should have disappeared. Life should not be difficult anymore.

"Miss, then? I go and reject her?" Dongxue saw that Yuan Niaoniao seemed to be in an awkward situation.

"Please tell the maid that I will be there on time." After thinking about it, he decided to go to the appointment. He vaguely felt that it would be okay to go.

"Okay, miss." Dongxue immediately went to reply to Xiaoqing who was still waiting.

.............

"Miss, Miss Yuan said she will be here on time tomorrow." Xiao Qingqi ran all the way back, panting again.

"Did she really agree?" Qi Zhiying's eyes gleamed. She wanted to give it a try, but she wasn't sure if she would come to the appointment. After all, there was a huge gap between her status and hers. "Thank you for your hard work, Xiaoqing. Go and have a rest first."

"Okay, miss." Seeing her miss's expression of renewed hope, Xiaoqing felt that it was enough. As long as the miss was fine, everything would be fine.

The next day, Qi Zhiying got up early, washed and dressed, and quietly left the house. She wanted to avoid running into Song Mingzhu and being pestered by her again. Besides, she had something to ask of someone today, so it would be most sincere to go early and wait.

When they arrived at Wanghu Tower, Qi Zhiying booked a private room and told the shopkeeper, "When Miss Yuan comes, you can bring her to my room."

"Okay, Miss Qi. Please go to your room and wait first. I will make the arrangements." The shopkeeper has been working in Wanghu Tower for so long that he is naturally very familiar with all the dignitaries in the city, and therefore he also knows who Miss Yuan she is talking about.

Qi Zhiying nodded slightly and took Xiaoqing to Wanghu Tower.

After waiting for two quarters of an hour, Xiao Qing couldn't help but worry: "Miss, do you think Miss Yuan will come?"

"Yes." Qi Zhiying was not in a hurry. "We came too early. You can sit over there for a while."

"Miss Qi." The shopkeeper's voice sounded outside the door: "Miss Yuan is here."

"Okay, please come in." Qi Zhiying stood up immediately after hearing that.

After Yuan Niaoniao came in, Qi Zhiying stepped forward and said, "Hello, Miss Yuan."

"Miss Qi" Yuan Niao Niao nodded and walked straight to the table and sat down. "What's the matter, Miss Qi?"

"I'll be frank with you, Miss Yuan. I want to trade favors for favors." Seeing that Yuan Niaoniao was so straightforward, she didn't beat around the bush.

Yuan Niaoniao didn't say anything or refuse, she just nodded.

"I once vaguely heard father talking to mother about how your father, General Yuan, did not die in battle, but had other causes. It seemed to be related to the higher-ups in the palace, but I don't know the details." Although Qi Zhiying grew up under oppression, she would not have grown up safely without her clever mind. So she knew that this clue was definitely useful, but it was unclear if she dug deeper.

"Are you sure?" Yuan Niaoniao was shocked. She already found it strange, and she hadn't met her father since that time. There were some things she hadn't asked clearly. Now she was shocked to hear Qi Zhiying say this.

"It's absolutely true. You also know that my father was the prefect of the capital city." The seriousness on Qi Zhiying's face did not seem fake.

"Then what do you want me to help you with?" Yuan Niaoniao asked.

"Help me enter the palace. I want to be the emperor's concubine." Qi Zhiying said word by word, "I have no other choice." Given her current situation, becoming the emperor's concubine is the only way out. "If I can successfully enter the palace, I swear on my life that I will find out what you want to know."

"But." Yuan Niao Niao looked embarrassed. With Qi Zhiying's current identity, if she entered the deep palace where people were eaten without leaving any bones, she might stay there for the rest of her life.

"I know, I'm not afraid." Qi Zhiying knew what Yuan Niaoniao was thinking. If she went in, she still had a glimmer of hope. If she stayed outside, Song Mingzhu would not let her go easily, and she could do nothing about it.

"It's OK as long as you know what's going on. I'll give it a try." Yuan Niaoniao thought about it and agreed to it: "I will send someone to contact you later. Please go back and wait for my news."

"Okay, thank you very much, Miss Yuan. Zhiying will always remember your kindness in her heart." It was done, and Qi Zhiying's eyes were full of gratitude.

"Don't thank me, you earned it yourself." Yuan Niao Niao said with a smile. Today's trip was not in vain. I will go back and ask my grandfather for clarification.

After parting with Qi Zhiying, Yuan Niaoniao rushed home. When she opened the door of the study, her grandfather and the master were there, and she felt a little embarrassed.

"You're here, Niao Niao." Yuan Wuhe was still concentrating on playing chess. He knew who it was as soon as he heard the sound of the door being pushed open.

"Grandpa. Master." Yuan Niaoniao closed the door gently, walked over to sit next to them, supported her chin with her hands, and watched the two of them play chess silently.

"You must be busy, girl." Seeing Yuan Niao Niao sitting quietly next to him, Yuan Wuhe guessed that she must be busy. "Tell me, what new ideas do you have this time?"

He looked at Chu Rong, then at his grandfather, and was a little conflicted for a moment, not knowing whether to say it or not.

"Is your master an outsider? I will send someone to drive him away immediately." Yuan Wuhe guessed that Yuan Niaoniao must have something important to say.

"Old man Yuan, I'm really angry with you." Chu Rong crossed his arms across his chest and tilted his head to the side in a huff.

"It's okay to say it. Your master is not an outsider." He meant that everything could be discussed in person and he trusted Chu Rong.

"Hmph, you, old man Yuan, are sensible." A smug smile appeared on Chu Rong's face.

"I want to know about my father. I feel like it's not as simple as him dying on the battlefield." Yuan Niaoniao thought about it and asked directly.

Yuan Wuhe and Chu Rong looked at each other, then looked at Yuan Niao Niao and sighed: "Do you know something?"

Yuan Niaoniao nodded.

"Back then, your father led his troops to the battlefield. It was a victory, but he never came back. I requested to bring back the body, but the emperor said I was too old and refused to let me go. Then I asked your master to go to the border." Yuan Wuhe said sadly, "When your master arrived at the border, it was too late. Your father's camp caught fire, and all his subordinates died. I have always had doubts, but I could not find any clues. I wanted to pursue it, but you are still young, and I have to support the entire Yuan family, so I had to give up."

"Although the bodies of your father and his subordinates were in disarray and could not be distinguished, I still secretly took some away. Tests showed that they all died of poisoning." Chu Rong said seriously.

"That means there really is something strange about my father's death." Yuan Niaoniao had actually already been certain in her heart, but it was only after hearing what her grandfather and master said that she finally believed it in her heart.

"Niu Niu, let some things go." The reason why Yuan Wuhe had endured until now was to protect everyone in the Yuan family.

Yuan Niaoniao naturally understood what Yuan Wuhe meant, but she was unwilling to accept it. She knew that her father was killed by someone, but she couldn't do anything for him.

"Niao Niao understands, Grandpa, don't worry. I'll go back first."

"it is good."

After Yuan Niao Niao left, Chu Rong spoke for a long while: "Do you think this stubborn girl will act as if nothing happened after knowing this?"

"We can only take it one step at a time. Alas." Yuan Wuhe naturally knew that with Yuan Niao Niao's temper, she would definitely not give up. But he couldn't persuade her, so he could only start making plans. At worst, he could risk his life.

Although Chu Rong didn't say anything, he already had a plan in his mind.

.......................

"Niaoniao, why are you here?" Chen Shaoyi was quite surprised to see Yuan Niaoniao coming to see him. This was the first time she came to see him.

"I need your help with something." Yuan Niao Niao sat down and poured herself a cup of tea. She drank it in one gulp before telling her what Qi Zhiying had come to her for today.