Chapter 240: 6: The Second Task

At this moment,

An Yihua suddenly understood why she had been able to marry into the Marquis Residence.

Marquis Valiant’s status was well-regarded by the Emperor. Although Marquis Valiant himself lay unconscious, the Emperor showed all his concern for his eldest son.

Thus, this was indeed an advantageous match.

Everyone knew

that as long as Gu Changze didn’t court death, his future was bound to be bright.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

There were not a few families desiring this marriage, and she was not the one with the most distinguished family background. Yet, in the end, it fell into her lap.

Others said she was lucky.

But in truth?

Her mother-in-law said it was because she had a gentle nature.

Actually, that was putting it too politely.

Her temperament was clearly meek and easily bullied.

Therefore,

Gu Changze chose her because he had decided from the start to bully her.

“Mother!” Gu Changze clenched his teeth, as he would never admit his scheming. He only said, “No matter the truth, no matter what, I will not allow you to harm Qingqing! Otherwise, you will lose me as your son!”

“Then truly, it would be a double blessing,” Ye Xiao said with a light laugh.

Gu Changze: “???”

With a calm tone, Ye Xiao instructed, “Go, call over the Jingzhao Prefecture Magistrate, and tell him we’ve caught a spy from the enemy country. There must be something wrong with that Nishang Pavilion of Liu Qingqing’s as well. Have the Magistrate take people to thoroughly search it!”

Gu Changze was dumbfounded; he found it hard to believe as he shouted, “Mother, you’re going to endanger Qingqing’s life!”

Ye Xiao looked at him expressionlessly, “If she truly is innocent, a careful investigation will clear her name, will it not? Or are you afraid of something!”

Gu Changze’s expression turned ugly.

He verbally assured Ye Xiao that there must have been some misunderstanding.

But deep down, he was beginning to realize something.

He had never considered that possibility before, but after Ye Xiao’s hint, he recalled their daily interactions, inevitably noticing certain clues.

Liu Qingqing seemed to subtly bring up matters of the military with him.

He had thought Liu Qingqing had unique interests and was happy to show off his own knowledge. Whenever she asked, he couldn’t wait to share everything he knew.

At those times, Liu Qingqing would often appear utterly admiring of him.

Gu Changze had his suspicions; Liu Qingqing most likely did have issues.

But…

How could she, a frail woman, have willingly wanted to do such a thing?

She must have been coerced!

Even if she had managed to extract some secrets from him, so what?

Could a woman really influence the outcome of war?

Moreover, once she completely followed him, she would naturally let go of the past and quietly become a concubine of the Marquis Residence.

Wasn’t that a good thing?

Yet his mother insisted on making a scene. When all was said and done, not only would Qingqing suffer, but his own reputation would also be implicated, wouldn’t it?

Gu Changze looked resentfully at Ye Xiao, “Mother! If you insist on doing this, then I will have no choice but to leave with Qingqing!”

Ye Xiao let out a cold laugh, “You can leave at any time. But Liu Qingqing can’t, she must undergo an investigation.”

Gu Changze’s face grew even more unsightly, and he roared again, “Mother! How can you do this to me, to Father who lies unconscious? I am the sole heir of the Marquis Residence.”

Ye Xiao looked at him coldly, “Your father battled on the field for ten years, dealing with official duties day and night despite his critical injuries, until he finally fell unconscious. To him, the country is something he wants to protect with his life. And you, if for the sake of a woman, you cast aside filial piety and the greater good of the country, well, if your father were awake, he would surely kill you with his own hands.”

Ye Xiao’s voice was icy cold.

Gu Changze couldn’t help but shudder.

He knew…

His father was capable of such an act.

“Lock up this unfilial son,” Ye Xiao said indifferently, “We’ll discuss this after the investigation results of Liu Qingqing come out.”

The guards immediately stepped forward.

Gu Changze glared resentfully at Ye Xiao, unable to fathom how his mother, who had always been accommodating to him, could have become like this.

Suddenly, Gu Changze’s gaze fixed on An Yihua.

It was this woman!

It must have been her stirring things up behind the scenes.

An Yihua was so intimated by his glare that she felt numb, and she couldn’t muster any sentimental emotions. Instead, she unconsciously smiled at Gu Changze.

Um.

Consider it a thanks for the drama he contributed tonight.

Gu Changze was imprisoned again.

Ye Xiao glanced at An Yihua, “Someone will come to investigate Liu Qingqing’s matter later. You should go back to your room to rest. I’ll wait here.”

In a soft voice, An Yihua said, “Mother, I can’t sleep anyway, so I’ll just stay here with you.”

Ye Xiao thought about it and didn’t refuse.

She was eager to complete tasks to rack up points, and if nothing went wrong, she shouldn’t be staying in this world for too long.

It was also crucial that An Yihua quickly learned to stand on her own.

Hearing that a spy from an enemy state had been discovered and that the discoverer was the lady of Marquis Valiant Residence, the official from Jingzhao Prefecture came with his team posthaste.

Ye Xiao spoke of the suspicious aspects of Liu Qingqing and directly handed her over to them.

What she described was not only Liu Qingqing’s intermittent martial skills but also revealed some of the woman’s dubious behavior as articulated in the original book.

The official from Jingzhao Prefecture listened and took it very seriously.

Because he suddenly realized something terrifying.

If there was something amiss with Liu Qingqing, could there also be an issue with Nishang Pavilion, the largest brothel in Beijing?

Nishang Pavilion had only been open for a few years but had already become hugely famous and popular with the elite.

If there were problems with the ladies here, the implications could be enormous.

The official from Jingzhao Prefecture hurriedly took his men and left.

Liu Qingqing glared at Ye Xiao with venomous eyes. She originally wanted to curse a few words out loud, but she was so physically drained from retching that she had no strength left and could only be forcibly taken away.

Liu Qingqing couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

How did she suddenly possess martial skills?

Why would the lady of Marquis Residence be willing to risk Gu Changze growing distant from her just to deal with her!

Wasn’t she the one who valued and cherished her son the most?!

Harboring full confusion, Liu Qingqing was taken into custody.

Thereafter.

With explicit and implicit tips from Ye Xiao, the official from Jingzhao Prefecture’s people indeed discovered a myriad of issues with Nishang Pavilion.

Nishang Pavilion was sealed off, and batch after batch of these charming women were arrested.

Liu Qingqing, from then on, was never released.

An Yihua had been observing Ye Xiao’s actions during this period.

Her mother-in-law was indeed decisive and swift. She had thought that Liu Qingqing would linger in the Marquis Residence for a while, but to her surprise, in just one night, her mother-in-law had sent her off to jail.

Furthermore, from the details her mother-in-law provided to the Jingzhao Prefecture the same evening, she noticed that she had been aware of this woman’s antics for more than just a day or two. She must have suspected Liu Qingqing’s identity for some time and was waiting for a surefire strike!

While she was ruthless with Liu Qingqing, Ye Xiao was equally harsh on Gu Changze.

Gu Changze was still howling for Liu Qingqing; Ye Xiao firmly ordered guards to stand watch in the front and back of the room, not giving him a chance to leave.

Gu Changze even tried to threaten with a hunger strike.

As a result, Ye Xiao cut off his meals outright.

After starving for three days, it was Gu Changze who reluctantly gave in.

Afterward, he began to harm himself.

The moment he started threatening, Ye Xiao directly sent a knife over to him.

Gu Changze hesitated for a long while but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to harm his own body.

“Mother, are we going to keep my husband locked up forever?” An Yihua hesitantly said.

It wasn’t that she felt sorry for him; it just seemed that keeping him locked up wasn’t quite right.

Ye Xiao didn’t even look up, “Keep him locked up for now, there will be someone to deal with him in due time.”

She had no interest in disciplining someone else’s child.

This male protagonist…it was about time he came to his senses.

According to the plot.

By this time, the female protagonist had already arrived in the capital, but her reputation wasn’t yet established. In the book, she still had to solve some enigmatic ailments and wait another year or so before truly rising to fame and then being summoned by the Emperor to treat Marquis Valiant.

But…

Ye Xiao didn’t want to wait that long.

She was still focused on her second mission!