EBE Chapter 265 Qin's Father is Punished
Chapter 265 Qin's Father is Punished
As night fell, lights began to twinkle in Qinglan Courtyard.
"Mother!" Xie Jue's childish, clear voice came from outside the door.
Immediately afterwards, the door was pushed open, and a small figure squeezed in through the crack.
Xie Jue, carrying a small basket, rushed up to Qin Jiuwei, panting heavily.
He was exhausted, but his eyes shone like the stars in the sky.
He held the small basket high and handed it to Qin Jiuwei, "Mother, these fruits are for you. I picked them myself! They are all the best-looking ones."
Xie Jingchun followed slowly behind him, and upon hearing this, reached out and pinched his neck.
"I clearly picked them all. You only know how to pick those that are overripe and about to rot."
Xie Jue immediately pouted, "I clearly picked it! Mother, look at this pear, it's the roundest and prettiest!"
Qin Jiu chuckled and gently rubbed Xie Jue's little head.
"It doesn't matter who picks it, the most important thing is that we can buy the fruit."
Xie Yanli sat to the side, holding a cup of tea, his gaze fixed on them, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Qin Jiuwei looked up at him and asked softly, "Husband, would you like to try some fruit?"
Xie Jue immediately presented him with a fruit as if it were a treasure. Xie Yanli took it and praised the fruit for being beautiful.
Xie Jue's eyes lit up even more when he heard this.
"The fruits you picked are very good, but you need to wash them before you eat them," Qin Jiu said gently.
A maid stepped forward and took the small basket from Xie Jue's hand.
After washing the fruit, it was carefully placed on a wooden tray and brought up.
While the group was enjoying their fruit, Xie Yanli got up and left the room.
Stepping out of the room, the cold night wind greeted me.
Xie Yanli walked down to the corridor.
Not far away, a dark figure appeared silently.
Xie Yanli's gaze darkened. "Go to the Chen residence. He knows what to do."
After he finished speaking, he paused, his voice calm but with a hint of coldness: "Also, double the number of people monitoring Xie Zhongzhi."
The shadowy figure paused slightly, then acknowledged the order and withdrew.
The next day, at the imperial court.
The ministers, dressed in court robes, stood on both sides, as solemn and dignified as ever.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present," Imperial Censor Chen suddenly straightened up and said loudly.
"Speak," Gao Xian replied coldly, his gaze sweeping over the officials.
Imperial Censor Chen slowly raised his head and handed the memorial in his hand to the eunuch.
"Your Majesty, I impeach Qin Jiang, the Vice Minister of Rites, for accepting bribes and abusing his power. What's worse, he has recently been pressuring his colleagues and disrupting the order of the court. He is utterly unfit for any important post!"
Upon hearing this, the court fell silent instantly, as if the air had frozen.
Qin's father's legs went weak, and he hurriedly knelt down on the ground.
"Your Majesty! I am innocent!" Qin's father prostrated himself on the ground, repeatedly crying out his innocence.
"I am devoted to the country, how could I dare to accept bribes or act for personal gain? If I have done anything wrong, I am willing to accept divine punishment!"
Gao Xian took the memorial handed to him by Imperial Censor Chen, and his expression grew increasingly grim as he read it.
After reading it, he slammed the document shut, threw it directly in front of Qin's father, and roared, "The evidence is irrefutable, yet you still dare to argue!"
Qin's father opened his mouth, as if to speak.
Gao Xian interrupted him directly, coldly saying, "Effective immediately, Qin Jiang is demoted two ranks and sent back to his residence to reflect on his actions. He is not permitted to enter the court again without my order!"
He had already learned by chance about what happened at the entrance of the Marquis's residence yesterday.
Qin Le'an is of bad character, but I never expected that his parents are no better!
Of course, they all need to be dealt with!
These words struck like a thunderclap.
Qin's father's face turned deathly pale instantly. Before he could react, the guards standing at the door immediately stepped forward and dragged him away.
Xie Yanli remained silent throughout, his gaze fixed on Qin's father.
A barely perceptible smile was hidden beneath a calm, expressionless face.
The inner palace, the imperial garden.
A cold wind blows, but the red plum blossoms quietly bloom, their red hues standing out against the white snow.
Mo Qingkui wore a thick lake-blue brocade robe, covered with a silver fox fur cloak, and adorned with warm, lustrous white jade pendants at the lapel.
She wore a plain silver velvet crown inlaid with pearls, the loose tassels swaying gently in the wind. Behind her, two palace maids followed respectfully, carrying several imperial hand warmers wrapped tightly in their hands.
"Sister Xianfei, you're admiring the flowers here, why don't you invite me to join you?" Mo Qingkui walked straight over to Xianfei after seeing her.
Her investigation was correct; Consort Xian was indeed here.
Consort Xian glanced at her, her eyes practically rolling to the heavens.
She was just like her, a concubine, but she dressed up like a noble consort every day!
"My sister is so busy, how could I dare to disturb her?" Consort Xian said indifferently.
"Sister is too kind." Mo Qingkui gently stroked the jade bracelet on her wrist. "However, I have indeed been quite busy. I just went to the Imperial Study, and His Majesty bestowed upon me quite a few things. Would you like to take a look?"
Before she could answer, Mo Qingkui raised her hand, signaling the palace maid behind her to present the brocade box.
The palace maid understood and stepped forward with the brocade box. Upon opening it, a crystal-clear jade pendant came into view.
The jade pendant has a warm luster and intricate carving. The front features flowing auspicious clouds, while the back depicts a small landscape painting. It is clearly a masterpiece meticulously crafted by a skilled artisan.
"The Emperor said that jade is the best for nourishing the body, and he insisted that I wear it."
“I think they look really good, so I’m going to have the craftsmen carve a few more and give them to my sisters later.”
As Mo Qingkui spoke, she lightly tapped the jade pendant with her fingertips, a smile playing on her lips, "However, the craftsman's skills are too slow; it will probably take some time to complete."
Consort Xian's gaze fell on the jade pendant, and a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes.
A cold smile played on her lips: "My sister is indeed deeply favored by the Emperor. He has given such a fine gift to only her. It is truly enviable."
Mo Qingkui sensed the sarcasm in Consort Xian's words, but pretended not to hear it, a hint of mockery in her eyes.
"Although my sister doesn't receive any favors, she's very resistant to the cold."
She gently smoothed her cloak. "It's such a cold place in the Imperial Garden, yet you, sister, are still able to patiently admire the flowers here."
Upon hearing this, Consort Xian was so angry that her teeth chattered!
Consort Chen is going even further than before!
That bitch! Why didn't I poison her last time?!
Consort Xian suppressed her anger and said sarcastically, "My sister looks so good now. She almost didn't wake up a few days ago, which really worried me."
Mo Qingkui ignored her and continued to steer the conversation toward Gao Xian.
She smiled slightly, "Thanks to His Majesty, the warm jade pillow he sent is just what I need. I've been sleeping very soundly at night lately."
As she spoke, she deliberately raised her hand to tidy her loose hair, revealing the bracelet on her wrist.
They were a pair of extremely rare purple jade bracelets, translucent and warm to the touch, gleaming with a faint, ethereal light.
"This bracelet is quite strange. After wearing it, I really feel warmer," Mo Qingkui said with a smile.
"His Majesty said this is a treasure selected from the Imperial Treasury, and it is very precious."
Consort Xian stared at the pair of bracelets, her breath catching in her throat.
The treasures of the imperial treasury? The Emperor has never bestowed anything from the imperial treasury upon her!
Consort Xian was almost driven mad with anger, and the fake smile on her face could barely be maintained.
Mo Qingkui looked at her expression and smiled with satisfaction.
Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance.
Before long, a familiar figure strode over; it was none other than Eunuch Li.
He stopped in front of the two and said gently, "Your Highness, the Emperor has summoned you to have tea together."