Ci Jinzhi

 Earlier, when Mrs. Wang asked Xin You for credit and said that most of the people in Shaoqing's house now live in Wan Qing, Xin You was shocked.

 Are the people in Shaoqing's Mansion too easy to bribe?

After hearing the report from Mama Wang, Xin You said hard and walked out of the house.

 The courtyard is filled with endless fragrance, lush vegetation, and colorful butterflies flying.

Xin You's sleepiness caused by a restless night's sleep dissipated, and she looked in the direction of Ruyi Hall and thought silently: Miss Zhu's complaint should have spread.

What would that person do?

The setting sun was about to set, trying its best to burn colorful clouds in the sky. Someone came from the front and reported: "My dear cousin, the clerk from Qingsong Bookstore is here. He said he wants to see you for something."

Xinyou went to the front without delay.

Liu Zhou was waiting in the small hall. When he saw Xin You, he quickly put down his tea cup and stood up: "Master."

Xin You asked the boy serving tea to step aside and asked Liu Zhou, "What's the matter?"

Liu Zhou took out a letter from his arms and said, "A Jinlin guard who helped our bookstore kill the primary school student sent a letter and said it was for you."

He Qingxiao had previously sneaked into Qingsong Bookstore one night to make money. He Qingxiao sent fifty Jinlin Guards to help. Later, these Jinlin Guards would run to the bookstore from time to time, and Liu Zhou became familiar with these people.

Xinyou took the letter and took out the letter paper to read.

 She read it quickly, read it again carefully after finishing it, and held the letter tightly.

“Master, what’s the matter?” Liu Zhou asked worriedly.

Xin You smiled: "It's okay. It's getting late. You should go back to the bookstore quickly."

 Liu Zhou was stunned for a moment.

 It seems that I have never seen my boss with such a bright smile.

“What’s wrong?” Xinyou asked.

"My boss seems to be in a good mood." Liu Zhou suddenly felt a little wary and said tentatively, "I must feel more comfortable after returning home. I can see that the people in Shaoqing's Mansion are very considerate to my boss."

What if the boss feels that it is better to stay in Shaoqing's house and not return to the bookstore?

Xin You was amused by the waiter's little thoughts: "You just came here and you know that the people in Shaoqing's Mansion are considerate to me?"

"That's not the case. From the doorman to the boy who serves tea, they are all polite to the villain. This is not all because of the boss's face, but it shows the importance of the boss in their hearts."

Hearing this, Xin You thought about how Mother Wang and Aunt Li had unintentionally bribed most of Shaoqing's house.

Seeing Xin You's expression was different, Liu Zhou scratched his head and asked, "Did the villain say something wrong?"

"It's not wrong. Go back and tell shopkeeper Hu that the people in the bookstore should stop running around these days and do their own thing with peace of mind. I will go back after staying here for a few more days."

Hearing that Xin You would be back soon, Liu Zhou felt relieved and left happily.

Xinyou returned to Wanqingju, asked Xiaolian to bring a basin, burned the letter and threw it into the basin.

Xiao Lian didn’t ask what was burned and quickly packed away the remaining ashes.

 For Xinyou, things went smoothly and she was finally in a good mood. But for Concubine Shu, it was a bolt from the blue.

In the Qianqing Palace, the chamberlain whispered: "Your Majesty, Concubine Shu has been kneeling for an hour."

Emperor Xingyuan's eyes flashed with deep disgust: "Tell her, either kneel down and die here, or go back."

Outside the palace, Concubine Shu's body was shaking non-stop, her legs and feet were almost numb.

It was clear that the sun had set, leaving only a few rays of light, but she felt like she was kneeling under the scorching sun, and her whole body was being burned like torture.

Hearing the footsteps, Concubine Shu's eyes lit up and she couldn't wait to ask the chamberlain who came over: "Does the Emperor want to see me?"

"Ms. Concubine Shu, you'd better go back." The chamberlain advised, not daring to change the message randomly. "The Emperor said, you can either die on your knees here, or go back..." Concubine Shu's body tilted.

The palace attendants who followed supported Concubine Shu on the left and the right, and whispered: "My queen, go back."

The chamberlain who delivered the message didn't even look back when she entered. Concubine Shu stared straight in the direction of the palace door, with hatred and resentment in her eyes.

She has always known that the emperor has no love for her, but she has been with this man for twenty years, and in the end she doesn't even have any affection at all?

Why is this man so ruthless?

But no matter how much hatred or resentment, it was useless. She could not save her brother with her resentment, nor could she help her son.

Thinking about her brother's tragic death, Concubine Shu bit her lip hard.

 She can't sit still and wait for death. Now that her son is imprisoned in the clan's mansion, at least he is still alive and she still has a chance to work hard!

"Help...help me up..." Concubine Shu had not suffered such a crime for so long that she didn't even have the strength to speak.

The maid lifted up Concubine Shu and helped her walk in the direction of Hanlian Palace. After walking a short distance away, Concubine Shu said, "Go to Cining Palace."

 If there is one person in the world who can persuade the emperor, it is the Queen Mother.

Of course, there is another person whose words may be more effective than the Queen Mother, but that woman is already dead.

Thinking of Queen Xin's death, Concubine Shu raised her lips and suddenly gained strength again.

 “The Queen Mother, Concubine Shu wishes to see you.”

 The Queen Mother is eating cherries.

 The white porcelain bowl is piled with agate-like red cherries, which is eye-watering.

Cherries are also rare for wealthy people. The Queen Mother has a good appetite and eats them one bite at a time.

　　The interest in eating cherries was interrupted, and the Queen Mother said calmly: "Let her come in."

Not long after, Concubine Shu came in. She was helped in by the palace maid: "I have met the Queen Mother."

 Looking at Concubine Shu's embarrassed appearance, the Queen Mother was a little surprised: "What's going on?"

Concubine Shu knelt down and said, "Queen Mother, please save Yi'er!"

The Queen Mother actually didn't care about Concubine Shu's life or death. When she heard something happened to her precious grandson, she immediately sat up straight and asked, "What's wrong with Yi'er?"

"Yi'er, Yi'er has been imprisoned in the clan's residence..." Concubine Shu covered her face with her hands and cried bitterly.

The Queen Mother frowned fiercely: "What happened? Why was Yi'er imprisoned in the clan's mansion?"

“I don’t know the specific concubine, I just know that the emperor was very angry. I went to Qianqing Palace to ask for an audience, but I knelt for a long time but could not see the emperor’s face..."

Of course Concubine Shu knew that. She had been in charge of the harem for more than ten years, so she still had some connections. On the contrary, the Queen Mother has children and grandchildren, has everything she needs, enjoys endless food and drinks, is somewhat interested in the gossip outside the palace, does not understand or care about court affairs, and Emperor Xingyuan has warned not to disturb the Queen Mother's purity. News generally did not reach the Queen Mother.

"Queen Mother, please save Yi'er. Yi'er has suffered so much after entering a place like that..."

Concubine Shu cried and complained that the Queen Mother felt sorry for her grandson and drove her to Qianqing Palace.

 “Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is here.”

After hearing the report from his chamberlain, Emperor Xingyuan frowned slightly and hurriedly got up to greet him.

"It's already dark. If the mother wants to see her son, she can ask someone to send a message." Emperor Xingyuan stretched out his hand to support the queen mother, and the maid who was supporting the queen mother silently stepped aside.

The Queen Mother has always known her son's filial piety and did not beat around the bush: "The Ai family heard that Yi'er was imprisoned in the clan's mansion. Is this true?"

Emperor Xingyuan nodded in recognition.

 The Queen Mother's face immediately darkened.