There is also spring for passers-by

"I've been here for almost an hour, and your excuses keep changing. Could it be that there's something shameful going on in the Cui family's backyard? That's interesting. All the maids and servants that Miss Han brought with her from the Han family were sent away by your Cui family on some pretext. Even her wet nurse was driven away to the countryside. How could a helpless little girl like her boss around? I'm afraid the Cui family's servants have Miss Han under their thumb, and she can't even leave the second gate without their approval."

These words were too harsh, and Ningyuan Hou and his son kowtowed repeatedly: "Wise King, calm down! The Cui family wouldn't dare!"

"Don't dare. This prince thinks you are very bold! You think that because the Han family has no relatives or elders, you bully the orphan girl of the Han family at will. The Han family's elders are gone, but her elders' friends are still there. You are so perfunctory in front of this prince, which shows that you, the Cui family, have never treated her well! Well, pack up all her things. The Queen Mother misses her and has specifically instructed that she should live in the palace permanently."

The virtuous prince took out a list and said, "These are the things she brought with her when she entered the Cui family. Just pack them according to this list."

The prince glanced at the list and the items on it looked quite familiar.

The virtuous prince sneered again, "Does she look familiar? Seeing an orphan girl helpless, she robbed the old lady and the wife of the Han family of their belongings. This is truly a testament to the good upbringing of your Cui family! I will not interfere in matters concerning the harem. The Queen Mother will have her say later."

If this gets out, the Cui family will be in trouble.

Cui Zhen is selecting a queen. If she cannot become the queen, she can be one of the four concubines. After all, she is the woman of the new king, and her status is noble and extraordinary.

The prince said in a trembling voice: "My Lord, Qingwan... is missing!"

"When was it lost?"

"Probably... maybe yesterday."

"Was it really yesterday?"

"I haven't heard any noise since the day and night before..."

The virtuous king was so angry that he laughed. "Your Cui family's harem is in turmoil and full of secrets. What does this have to do with a young lady from the Han family? You have driven away all the servants and maids around her, so how can you order them around? Miss Xie got into trouble in your Cui family, and the Xie family wanted justice, but instead of investigating their own family, they let a young lady from another family take the blame.

When she didn't respond, they locked her in the woodshed and didn't give her any food or water. The weather has been getting colder recently, but they didn't care how she, a lady from a prominent family, could stand the cold.

Han Qingwan was rescued. If she hadn't been rescued, she would have frozen to death or starved to death in the woodshed in your backyard.

Your Cui family is truly a good family! Good family education! Good methods——"

The last few words were spoken with emphasis. The wise king had already been testing him, so how could he not understand now?

Although Gongsun Dan didn't say much, he just wanted to rescue Han Qingwan and let her return to the General's Mansion to live. Although the elders of the Han family were gone, the people in the mansion were all elders who had worked with General Han. They would protect and educate her together, and they would always be able to let her grow up safely.

The Cui family actually treated the orphan of the Han family in this way. It was really too much!

When the virtuous prince refused to leave, Ningyuan Hou went to the backyard and slapped his wife twice. "Bitch! This scandal has been exposed to the royal family! If the palace knew about this, they would never choose the Cui family's daughter to serve in the palace! Hurry and return the Han family's old belongings that you took away, and pack everything up for the virtuous prince to take away."

Ning Yuanhou looked at Li with fierce anger in his eyes.

The wife of the Ningyuan Marquis had no way to argue. Who would have thought that when Han Qingwan was taken in, the Han family actually made a list, stating the amount of jewelry, ornaments, clothes, and gold and silver she carried with her, all clearly written down.

"Ms. Li, take the list and count it. If there's anything missing, I'll hold you and the Second Young Master's wife accountable. Go now!"

She was old and seldom concerned with the household affairs, so for the past ten years or so, Li and the second young master's wife had been handling them.

Li took the list with both hands, and the more she read it, the more alarmed she became. The famous paintings and calligraphy on it had long since disappeared, so where could they possibly be found? But the virtuous prince was waiting outside, and she couldn't afford to be perfunctory. If she alerted the censors, those officials would spit at them to death. If the Xie and Liu families learned of this, they would surely use it to suppress the Cui family.

Most of the original things were gone, so the two sisters-in-law of the Li family had to find things of similar value to replace them. The jewelry that was snatched away by the young ladies of the Cui family was also returned without missing a single piece and put back into the jewelry boxes. This round of tidying up actually cleared out eighteen loads of items.

The wise king asked the people he brought with him to take inventory.

"The Queen Mother decrees that since the Cui family cannot treat Han's orphan well, the earlier marriage is cancelled."

Li was startled for a moment, and just as she was about to speak, the prince clasped his fists and said, "When Miss Han recovers, we will come to your house to apologize."

The virtuous prince handed over a jade pendant and said, "This is the token of our engagement. Please return the engagement letter and the token. This is the Queen Mother's intention."

Li was unwilling.

Han Qingwan is the only one left in the Han family. If he marries her, all the wealth accumulated by the Han family for generations will belong to the Cui family.

Everyone thought that the marriage was arranged by the Wen family, but in fact it was obtained by Li family after she cursed and swore to the Wen family that she would treat Han Qingwan as her own daughter.

If she didn't respond now, the virtuous king would not leave. He stared at them with a sarcastic look, as if to say, I know all the tricks you are playing, and this time the royal family will not ignore it. Even the new king knew about this and felt that the Cui family had gone too far.

The virtuous prince said coldly, "You don't want to break off the engagement, but you should treat Miss Han better. But now, you've pushed her to the point of nearly losing her life, yet you still want to hold on to her. Are you unwilling to let her go, or are you reluctant to part with the Han family's wealth and property? Most of the Han family's farms and shops were bestowed upon them by three generations of emperors: Injo, Dejo, and Hwajo. Now that the Han family is gone, you still want to claim the imperial gifts. What good are you dreaming of?"

The implication is that if the Han family is gone, the imperial court will take these things back.

A bunch of greedy villains.

Ningyuan Hou urged Li to take out the engagement letter, marriage certificate, and token of trust. The virtuous king looked at them again and again and led his people away.

He did not return to the palace, but took the things to the residence of the General Guarding the Country and handed them to the housekeeper Han, Gongsun Dan, Wu Qi and others.

"How is Qingwan now?"

"She was already ill and fled home to seek help. She fainted the moment she woke up this morning. She's very weak. Mr. Gongsun took her pulse, and now she can only recuperate slowly. It's us who failed to take good care of her. We knew that Nanny Lian and the others had been sent away, but we didn't even go to see her. This child suffered so much injustice in the Cui family. Now she really has no way to survive, so..."

The virtuous king said, "Recover first. If anything happens, come to the virtuous king's mansion and report it. I will not ignore it."

The Han family only has this little bloodline left. Even if the imperial court considers that the Han family has produced several generations of military generals who are loyal to the emperor and the country, it will preserve this last bloodline for them.

The original owner's body was really weak. He caught a cold this time. Although Wen Wan's medicine saved his life, he really fell ill.

Gongsun Dan and the chief steward brought back Nanny Lian, Maizi, Douzi, Meizi, and Xingzi, and arranged for them to serve her.