Quick Transmigration: The Green Tea Mistress's Guide to Seduction - A Master's Handbook

The two days Qin Shenzhi mentioned this time were indeed two days.

The person who brought the Xuan paper was a palace eunuch, followed by two junior eunuchs.

Xie Qingyu knelt down to receive the imperial decree.

Upon hearing this decree, Xie Qingyu knew that Qin Shenzhi had succeeded in his plan.

The entire imperial edict devoted a large portion to Prime Minister Wang's deception of the people, only mentioning Qin Lingrong's defilement of respectable women at the very end, and also subtly hinting that the Marquis had done a lot of work behind Prime Minister Wang's back.

The matter concerning Prime Minister Wang should not have affected the married woman.

But since no one around Lady Hou was innocent—her father, husband, and son—they were all to be executed according to the law.

Lady Hou was naturally not exempt either.

When they came in, it was the entire Hou family, but when they left, only Xie Qingyu remained as their mistress.

Lady Hou fainted upon receiving the news.

The Marquis probably already knew this would be the outcome, so even after receiving the imperial edict, he did nothing. In the end, the edict ended up in Xie Qingyu's hands.

When Qin Shenzhi arrived, Xie Qingyu was arranging for the jailers to take stock of the servants in the Marquis's mansion.

Not a single person was spared in the Marquis's mansion; they were all sold off.

Fortunately, Tingling, the maidservant beside Xie Qingyu, was someone she had brought with her, and her indenture was in Xie Qingyu's hands, which is why she was able to keep it.

As for the rest of the servants, every single one listed in the household register was sold off.

Just then, Granny Lai, who was taking care of the Lady Hou, was called out by name. Suddenly, she shouted and tried to crash into the wooden stake of the prison cell.

However, there are gaps between each stake in this cell to absorb the force, so it's impossible for anyone to be killed by them.

No one stopped Granny Lai from running into him, since she wouldn't kill anyone anyway. The busy Imperial Guards and jailers didn't even spare her a glance.

Xie Qingyu had no time to pay attention to her at this moment; her gaze was fixed on the concubines and young children in the Marquis's mansion.

Aunt Zhao probably couldn't have held on in a prison cell like this; she barely had the strength to get up. In this chaotic scene, she was sitting still, and Aunt Xin next to her didn't look much better either.

The two illegitimate daughters were exceptionally well-behaved; even after several days in prison, their cries were not heard.

When Xie Qingyu asked about the arrangements for these concubines, she was told they would be sold off just like the servants.

Xie Qingyu felt a chill in her heart, especially for her two children.

"Don't worry." Qin Shenzhi's voice suddenly sounded behind her.

Xie Qingyu immediately turned around, and when she saw it was him, her eyes showed a hint of surprise.

Qin Shenzhi didn't look at Xie Qingyu, nor did he speak to her again, as if the sentence she had just heard was her hallucination.

Qin Shenzhi took the list of servants that Xie Qingyu had found in the Marquis's residence.

Many of the names on the document have been marked, indicating that they were among the first to be taken away and sold.

"Leave this to me, let's take her back first," Qin Shenzhi said.

The Marquis and his wife were destined never to return, not to mention Qin Lingrong, who had been imprisoned long ago.

Gu Qinglian never returned after that interrogation, and Xie Qingyu had no idea where she went.

Of all the people in the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, only Xie Qingyu and Tingling behind her were able to return.

Xie Qingyu stepped into the Marquis's residence and truly felt how desolate an empty house could be.

Logically speaking, the people from the Marquis's mansion had only been in prison for a few days, but when they returned, the house seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.

Especially when you walk through every courtyard and there's no one there, the huge mansion feels somewhat frightening.

Perhaps because of the confiscation of property, every courtyard in the Marquis's mansion showed signs of being ransacked, making the decay of the mansion even more apparent.

Tingling trembled involuntarily as she followed Xie Qingyu.

When they returned to their courtyard, things were actually a little better.

The servants who came with Xie Qingyu as part of her dowry were all in the courtyard, and there was no sign that the courtyard had been disturbed.

Tingling was somewhat surprised, her tone revealing delight, "Our courtyard wasn't disturbed at all. It seems the Golden Guard is quite good after all."

The servants were unusually quiet after what had happened, not daring to say a word, only wanting to save their lives.

They came out early and watched helplessly as the people from the Marquis's mansion were sold off.

Now all that remains is a sense of relief and apprehension.

Yes, I am terrified.

They were terrified of where they had gone.

Since the Marquis's mansion is in decline, their mistress, as the daughter-in-law of the Marquis's mansion, will naturally be driven out as well.

But everyone knows that Xie Qingyu is even less favored in the Minister's mansion, so whether they will let her go back is another matter.

Especially since she had only been married into the Marquis's household for a few months when such a thing happened, everyone would think to themselves that she might be a jinx to her husbands.

If she were sent back to the Minister of Rites, she would probably be beheaded and sent to become a nun. I wonder what would become of the servants who were bought along the way.

Xie Qingyu had no idea what these frightening people were thinking, but she was thinking something similar.

She was thinking that since the Marquis of Zhongyong had been executed, and the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion had never established an heir, it would probably be taken away as well.

In today's decree, Xie Qingyu did not see that the Marquis of Zhongyong's intention was solely to benefit Qin Shenzhi.

It seems we can no longer live in this mansion.

The possibility of her returning to the Minister's residence is indeed slim, and returning would not be conducive to her strategy.

Xie Qingyu was making plans in her mind, but she didn't show it on her face at all.

With a bit of stamina, he arranged things in the yard, warned these people not to have any improper thoughts, and made arrangements for people to patrol the area at night.

This mansion is so large, and apart from the main gate which is still open, there is no one else around, making it easy for someone to take advantage of the situation.

Nighttime is the most unsafe time.

Xie Qingyu made the arrangements, but without Hongdou by her side, she couldn't ask any questions. Even when she returned to her familiar bed, she couldn't sleep soundly at night.

The night passed without any incident.

The next morning, Xie Qingyu had just woken up when she saw Ting Ling running excitedly in from outside.

"Miss, Miss, Hongdou is back." Tingling was very excited. She had secretly shed many tears when she parted from Hongdou yesterday night, and she didn't expect to see her back as soon as she woke up this morning.

"The second young master bought me back, saying that I could still serve the young lady," Hongdou said, bowing.

"It's good that you're back." Xie Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief.

She was completely unaware of the change in how Hongdou addressed her.

"Aunt Zhao and the others..." Xie Qingyu asked softly, looking at Hongdou.

Hongdou instantly understood what she meant, "The second young master has settled her on the estate, where she'll live under a different name." Even though there were only the three of them in the room, Hongdou spoke very softly.

"That's good." Xie Qingyu was truly relieved this time.

She even joked, "I still need you here. I can't sleep well at night if you're not here."

“Miss tossed and turned in bed several times last night; she really didn’t sleep well,” Tingling added from the side.

Hongdou glanced at the incense burner beside her. "Perhaps there's no incense available. I'll light some for Miss tonight."

Xie Qingyu then realized that they hadn't lit incense last night; Hongdou had been the one doing that.

"This incense can help you sleep?" This was the first time Xie Qingyu had noticed the incense.