Quick Wear Dream Qiqi

Chapter 433: Training the Prodigal Son 3

Every word and every action in front of everyone during the day was carefully calculated.

She had already figured out that although Zhao Chengye seemed absurd, he actually secretly controlled 30% of the restaurant business in the capital, and Zuixianlou was just the tip of the iceberg.

He deliberately made enemies with the government, and I'm afraid he had other intentions.

"Miss, Zhao Chengye has been released." Chuntao hurried over to report, "After he came back, he locked himself in the study and didn't allow anyone to approach."

A smile appeared on Meng Qiqi's lips.

It seems that this dude has begun to be wary of himself.

But this is exactly what she wants - only by making Zhao Chengye aware of the threat can she force him to reveal more flaws.

At the same time, in Zhao Chengye's study, the candlelight flickered.

He stared at the painting "Night Mooring on the Spring River" on the table that Meng Qiqi had shown him. Somewhere under the reeds in the painting, there was a small "Zhao" mark faintly visible - that was the special mark of his secret industry.

"This woman..." Zhao Chengye clenched his fists, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes, "Is she really unaware, or is she pretending to be stupid?"

…………

On the morning of the second day, the tranquility of the west courtyard of the Duke's Mansion was broken by a burst of crying.

Meng Qiqi had just finished her breakfast when she saw a disheveled maid being dragged in.

The maid's face was covered in bruises, and she struggled desperately when she saw her: "Madam, help me! Aunt Yingying said I stole her bracelet, but I really didn't..."

Before he finished speaking, a gorgeous figure came over with lotus steps.

Aunt Yingying was wearing a skirt embroidered with peonies in gold thread, and the jade hairpin on her head swayed gently with her steps.

She glanced at the maid on the ground and said with a sweet smile, "Sister, you are finally here. The person in your room is dishonest and stole my heirloom bracelet. How should this be handled?"

Meng Qiqi glanced at the shining gold bracelet on Aunt Yingying's wrist and sneered in her heart.

In the original owner's memory, this concubine Yingying was Zhao Chengye's most beloved concubine. She relied on her favor to make things difficult for him.

She squatted down and asked the maid softly: "You said you didn't steal, but do you have any evidence?"

The maid was sobbing breathlessly: "Last night, Aunt Yingying asked me to go to the kitchen to get some bird's nest porridge, so I went... When I came back, she said the bracelet was missing..."

"Hmph!" Aunt Yingying snorted coldly, "The kitchen is only a hundred steps away from my yard, and you were gone for a whole hour! If you weren't stealing, what were you doing?"

Meng Qiqi stood up and glanced at Aunt Yingying's evasive eyes, and she understood what was going on.

She suddenly turned to Chuntao and said, "Go and call all the maids in the mansion and tell them that I want to try a case."

Half an hour later, the maids in charge of the Duke's Mansion gathered in the west courtyard.

Meng Qiqi sat in the main seat, her expression calm. "Today's matter concerns the reputation of the Duke's Mansion. I ask all the maids to handle it impartially."

She looked at Aunt Yingying, "Sister, you said the maid stole the bracelet. Have you searched her body?"

"Of course we did!" Aunt Yingying stiffened her neck. "So what if we didn't find her? Maybe she's hiding somewhere else!"

"In that case, let's search again." Meng Qiqi signaled the maids to start.

After a while, the maids reported back: "Young Madam, the bracelet is indeed not found."

Concubine Yingying's face changed, and she was about to explode when Meng Qiqi suddenly slammed the table and stood up, "Great! How dare you frame me in the Duke's Mansion! Come, lock Concubine Yingying up in the woodshed and wait for my husband to come back and deal with her!"

"You! Why do you lock me up!" Aunt Yingying screamed, "I'm going to tell the Second Master..."

"Tell what?" A familiar voice came from outside the yard.

Zhao Chengye folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the door frame, watching the scene with a half-smile in his eyes.

He changed into a dark blue brocade robe today, which made him look more heroic than usual.

Upon seeing this, Aunt Yingying immediately rushed over and said, "Second Master, help me! The young mistress is wrongly accusing me..."

Zhao Chengye avoided her hand without leaving a trace, and his eyes fell on Meng Qiqi: "Madam, what are you talking about?"

Meng Qiqi bowed, her tone neither humble nor arrogant: "My husband, you don't know, Aunt Yingying falsely accused the maid of stealing. The Duke's Mansion has always been known for its strict rules. If this matter is not dealt with, I am afraid it will chill the hearts of the servants."

Zhao Chengye stared at her for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Great! How about using rules to convince others!"

He turned to the housekeeper and said, "Lock Yingying in the woodshed and don't bring her any food for three days. As for this maid..."

He paused, "Reward her with ten taels of silver and transfer her to the East Courtyard."

The maid looked up in disbelief and kowtowed repeatedly to express her gratitude.

Aunt Yingying slumped on the ground, her face pale.

Meng Qiqi looked at this scene and sighed inwardly.

Zhao Chengye's seemingly casual handling of the matter actually concealed a mystery - he not only gave her face, but also warned Aunt Yingying, and made it clear to everyone in the mansion that he was the real master of the West Courtyard.

After everyone dispersed, Zhao Chengye walked over to Meng Qiqi and said in a low voice, "Madam, you have good tricks. But..."

He leaned close to her ear, his warm breath sweeping across her neck, "It's best not to have any inappropriate ideas."

Meng Qiqi calmly took a half step back and said with a smile, "My husband, you are joking. I just don't want to cause any trouble in the house."

She looked at Zhao Chengye's receding back, her eyes gradually turning cold.

This man is much more difficult to deal with than he appears, but since she dared to join the game, she will not back down easily.

At night, the study in the west courtyard of the Duke's Mansion was brightly lit with candles.

Meng Qiqi spread out a yellowed map of the capital, on which were densely marked the properties under Zhao Chengye's name.

Chun Tao came in with hot tea. Seeing her frown, she couldn't help asking, "Miss, are you still investigating Zhao Chengye's case?"

"Yeah." Meng Qiqi didn't even look up, her fingertips tracing the location of Zuixianlou. "He may appear to be a playboy, but his businesses are spread all over the capital, involving restaurants, gambling houses, silk shops... If he says there's no conspiracy behind this, I won't believe it."

As he was speaking, there was a sudden sound of tiles clattering outside the window.

Meng Qiqi's eyes flashed, she raised her hand to extinguish the candle, and quietly approached the window.

Under the moonlight, a black shadow jumped over the courtyard wall like a civet cat. It was the maid who was transferred to the East Courtyard by Zhao Chengye during the day.

"Follow her." Meng Qiqi whispered.

Chun Tao took the order and left. Half an hour later, she hurried back with a serious expression. "Miss, the maid went to the Yuelai Inn in the south of the city and met a man wearing a bamboo hat. I couldn't hear what they said, but the man gave her an envelope."

Meng Qiqi stroked her chin, thoughts racing in her mind.

The Yuelai Inn in the south of the city is one of the industries secretly controlled by Zhao Chengye.

It seems that this maid is not simple, and may be a spy planted by Zhao Chengye next to her.

On the second day, Meng Qiqi got up early and "accidentally" met Zhao Chengxuan's wife in the garden of the Duke's Mansion.

As they chatted, she casually said, "I saw you looked hurried yesterday, brother. Was there something bothering you?"

The other party sighed and said, "To be honest, my business has been a little slow recently. I don't know why, but several shops are asking for returns."

Meng Qiqi's heart moved.

return the goods?

This timing is too coincidental.

She consoled him, "Brother, you're always smart. You'll definitely be able to figure it out. By the way, I heard the Yuelai Inn in the south of the city is doing pretty good business. Is there any possibility of cooperation?"

Mrs. Zhao Chengxuan's eyes lit up: "Are you talking about Yuelai Inn? That's the largest inn in the capital. If we can..."

She suddenly realized, "No, the owner of that inn is so elusive that even the government can't find out..."

Meng Qiqi smiled but said nothing.

My words have already planted the seeds.

As long as Zhao Chengxuan and his wife start investigating Yuelai Inn, Zhao Chengye will inevitably be implicated.

And what she has to do is to add fuel to the fire.

At the same time, in Zhao Chengye's study, he was staring at the secret letter on the table with a sneer.

The letter contained only one short line of text: "Meng Qiqi sent someone to follow Xiao Cui."

He threw the letter into the candle flame and watched it slowly turn into ashes.

"Interesting." He muttered to himself, "The prime minister's concubine's daughter is more difficult to deal with than I imagined."

The night was dark outside the window. He looked at the stars in the sky, his eyes gradually becoming cold.

He has been lurking in the big chess game in the capital for many years and will never allow anyone to ruin his plan.

And is Meng Qiqi a chess piece or an opponent?

He decided to meet this mysterious wife in person.

The dusk was like a veil, shrouding the west courtyard of the Duke's Mansion in a hazy gloom.

Meng Qiqi adjusted her hairpin in front of the bronze mirror. The jade tassel swayed gently with her movements, making the look in her eyes even deeper.

Chuntao had just sent the news, and Zhao Chengye specially ordered the kitchen to prepare wine and food and invited her to have dinner together - this was the first time since they got married.

"Miss, why don't you stay?" Chun Tao clutched the corner of her clothes. "Zhao Chengye is suddenly so attentive. Who knows what he has in mind."

Meng Qiqi put down the comb and ran her fingertips across the silver needle hidden in the dressing table - it was made from the leftovers of the Void Divine Stone and was tempered with a poison that could instantly paralyze mortals.

"The more abnormal it is, the more I need to go and see it." She stood up, her sleeves fluttering slightly, and secretly hid the silver needle in the folds of her sleeves. "Remember, if I don't return in half an hour, go to the East Courtyard immediately to find the eldest young master's wife."

As you step into the dining room, the warm fragrance mixed with the aroma of wine hits you in the face.

Zhao Chengye was reclining on a carved rosewood chair, his moon-white gown half-open, revealing a section of his dark red bodice. He was fiddling with a white jade wine jug in his hand. He caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye and said with a lazy smile, "Madam, you're finally here. If you hadn't come earlier, I would have drunk all this osmanthus wine."

Meng Qiqi sat down opposite and glanced at the dishes on the table.

Steamed sea bass, crystal braised pork, eight-treasure duck... these are all the Jiangnan flavors she casually mentioned yesterday.

"Thank you for your concern, my husband." She picked up the wine glass and took a sip. The rich aroma of the wine was tinged with a faint medicinal taste. "However, these dishes seem to be prepared for me?"

Zhao Chengye raised his eyebrows, the amber wine rippling in the glass: "Madam, you are joking. I just told the kitchen to make it casually."

He suddenly leaned forward, his warm breath brushing against her ear. "Madam's recent actions have impressed me. Saving the old woman, investigating the kitchen, dealing with Yingying... Is it time to investigate my study next?"