Reborn to marry, the short-lived prince lived a hundred years

"Before I went to court today, my wife gave me some special instructions. Her words were full of earnestness. She insisted that I find an opportunity to mention it to you, Lord Meng, and see if I could find a way to get some freshly baked goods from the princess's shop."

There was a hint of humor and helplessness in Mr. Zhou's words, but he could not hide the expectation in his heart.

Upon hearing this, shock flashed in Lord Meng's eyes, "Is this true?"

Lord Zhou nodded slightly, his eyes filled with certainty. "Of course, this is what Princess Qing said herself at Princess Luojia's flower viewing banquet yesterday. How could it be false?"

"I think Princess Qing has kept this matter a secret. Even Lord Meng, your closest relative, is unaware of it."

Lord Meng curled up a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth and shook his head slightly, but there was a slight ripple in his heart, mixed with imperceptible dissatisfaction.

Although a woman is supposed to obey her husband after marriage, the Meng family is her blood-related maternal family, and he is her biological father, but she kept her mouth shut about this matter and never revealed a single word.

Lord Meng was lost in thought, but he nodded slightly in agreement to Lord Zhou's request. "Well, when I return home, I'll send someone to ask Jiaojiao about this."

Lord Meng nodded absentmindedly and agreed, "Okay, I'll ask someone to ask Jiaojiao when I get back."

Upon seeing this, Mr. Zhou felt relieved and left with satisfaction.

After Lord Zhou disappeared from sight, several colleagues gathered around him one after another. Lord Meng responded to them one by one and finally got away, hurriedly walking out of the palace.

As soon as Lord Meng arrived at the Meng Mansion and got off the carriage, he could faintly hear the whispers of the people around him.

"Have you ever heard of Ningxiangju in the south of the city?" someone asked.

"Of course I know that Ningxiangju has become famous recently. I went there for several days in a row, but failed to buy the legendary Ningxiang Pills. I heard that if you use these pills to wash clothes, over time, the clothes will be permanently left with a light and elegant fragrance." Another person answered.

"Yes, even though she spent a lot of money to buy the shop, in the end, she didn't let the money go to waste, so it can be said that it was worth it."

"Spending a large sum of money to buy a shop? What's the point of saying that?"

"How come you haven't heard of it? The predecessor of Ningxiangju was Gubaozhai, a shop specializing in antiques and curios. I vaguely remember that it cost ten thousand taels of silver to buy that shop."

"What? Ten thousand taels of silver? Princess Qing actually has such a large fortune? You know, even those shops in prime locations on Jinhua Street are only worth four or five thousand taels of silver at most. How could they charge such a high price?"

"I heard that Princess Qing was anxious to sell off her shop and wanted to sell all the unsold antiques in Gubaozhai. That's why she needed ten thousand taels of silver."

"Tsk tsk, that shop is not well-known, but I didn't expect the things there are so valuable."

"What's so valuable about them? Those antiques have been carefully appraised by connoisseurs. They are all outdated. Even if they were to be sold, they would definitely not be worth such a high price."

"So Princess Qing was deceived?"

"Yes, but fortunately, the Ningxiang Pills that Princess Qing developed are a good thing. It's no problem to make a fortune every day. I think it won't be long before we can make up for this unexpected loss."

"really……"

Lord Meng heard everything, and the shock in his eyes first turned into confusion, and then turned into solemnity.

"Sir." The servant called softly beside him.

Lord Meng came back to his senses and strode towards the mansion with firm steps.

As soon as he entered the mansion, he stopped a maid and asked anxiously, "Where is the madam now?"

The maid bowed and said in a gentle voice, "My Lord, the Madam is admiring the flowers in the Qingya Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, Lord Meng walked straight towards Qingyaxuan without stopping, and every step he took seemed so urgent and steady.

"Sir, you are finally back." Madam Meng gently put aside the flower scissors in her hand, stood up to greet him, and her manners were gentle and virtuous.

"Why are you back so late today? Are you busy with work?" Her voice was soft, with a bit of concern and curiosity.

Lord Meng gently turned sideways, walked around Madam Meng, walked slowly to the table, and slowly sat down.

Mrs. Meng's hand paused slightly in the air, then gently dropped it, pursed her lips, and sat down beside Lord Meng as usual.

"My lord, did you encounter anything unpleasant in the court today?" Her voice was soft and concerned, with a hint of subtle temptation.

Lord Meng's gaze was like a deep pool of water, fixed firmly on Madam Meng. "Madam, did you know that Jiaojiao quietly opened a shop called Ningxiangju in the south of the city?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Meng's eyes flickered slightly, and she unconsciously turned to the side. She raised her hand and gently picked up the teapot, pouring a cup of hot tea for Master Meng. "I... know a thing or two."

"Sir, please have a cup of tea to moisten your throat first." She whispered softly and gently handed the teacup to Sir Meng.

Lord Meng took the teacup, but did not taste it immediately. He simply placed it on the table. "Besides this, is there anything else you are hiding from me?"

Madam Meng's eyes darkened slightly, and a hint of confusion appeared on her face. "What do you mean, sir? How could I hide something from you, sir?"

Lord Meng's eyes were like torches, fixed tightly on Madam Meng. "I've secretly investigated and learned that Ningxiangju's predecessor was actually an old antique shop. Its owner had an eccentric personality and would always ask for exorbitant prices."

Upon hearing this, a hint of panic inadvertently flashed across Mrs. Meng's eyes, and she secretly wondered how much of the truth Lord Meng had already grasped.

Lord Meng caught her subtle emotional fluctuations and immediately had an idea in his mind. His eyes suddenly became cold and intimidating.

"Jiaojiao is just a girl, how could she have such a huge sum of money? Could it be that she secretly took the money from the Qing Palace treasury?"

As soon as he finished speaking, something flashed through Lord Meng's mind.

His voice couldn't help but contain a hint of hesitation after a sudden realization. "So that's how it is. No wonder the Prince of Qing gave so little money when Hengzhou was hit by the disaster last time. I naively thought it was because the Prince of Qing's palace was short of money due to medical needs."

"Thinking about it carefully, it was probably then, at that time, that Jiaojiao secretly embezzled the Qing Palace's treasury. At that time, she had only been married into the Qing Palace for a little over a month. This was really too bold! How dare you... do this?"

Lord Meng's words became increasingly harsh, and the anger on his face surged like a tide, causing Mrs. Meng to panic. She denied it repeatedly, and her hands unconsciously clasped together.

"No, no, Jiaojiao didn't touch the silver treasury..."

Lord Meng slammed his palm on the table and said angrily, "She didn't touch the treasury silver of the Qing Palace? Then you did touch the silver in the palace!"