allonlinenovel Chapter 362
Chapter 362
"Sister Li, I came to give you these." Cheng Qingli happily placed the 5,000 taels in silver notes she had won today, along with the title deed to a suburban manor, in front of Li Zhiwei."What is the meaning of this?" Li Zhiwei looked at Cheng Qingli with a puzzled expression, feeling a bit guarded in her heart. She didn't know what kind of trouble Cheng Qingli was planning to stir up this time to frame her.
"Sister Li, I truly know I was wrong about what happened last time. I won't do it again in the future. I won these at the Jubao Pavilion today, and I'm giving them to you," Cheng Qingli said with a serious face.
"Second Miss Cheng, you should take these things back." Li Zhiwei glanced at them, showing no intention of accepting the items.
"Sister Li, I know you are about to marry Prince An, and your previous dowry has already been donated to the imperial court. Just consider these as my contribution to your dowry," Cheng Qingli said earnestly.
"Are you really that kind-hearted?" Li Zhiwei looked at Cheng Qingli with great suspicion. She was truly afraid that the girl was playing another trick on her. The incident last time had almost ruined her reputation completely. If it happened again, Li Zhiwei didn't think Xu Heming would really have the time to come and save her.
"If Sister Li is worried, you can have Prince An send someone to investigate. I really am not up to any mischief this time," Cheng Qingli said, looking at Li Zhiwei sadly. She hadn't expected that she wouldn't even have this little bit of credibility left with Sister Li.
At this moment, if she were to bring up the matter of cooperation with her again, would she still agree?
Cheng Qingli looked at Li Zhiwei with some difficulty, appearing as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Li Zhiwei did not soften her heart. Last time, she had been too quick to trust Cheng Qingli.
Seeing the unwavering Li Zhiwei, Cheng Qingli sighed in her heart. It must be that her sincerity wasn't enough, which was why Sister Li wouldn't forgive her.
"Sister Li, for some reason, the Prince Lanhuai's residence has repeatedly tried to buy the Qin Pavilion. If this matter is difficult for you to handle, just send someone to notify me. I will definitely clear the obstacles for you," Cheng Qingli said with a concerned look, recalling the Prince Lanhuai's residence's desire for the Qin Pavilion.
"Then I thank you, Second Miss Cheng. However, could this also be your scheme?" Li Zhiwei looked at Cheng Qingli, feeling somewhat suspicious. When Cheng Qingli gave the Qin Pavilion to her back then, was it intentional, just to bring trouble to her?
"No, no, it's just that over the past two days, Prince Lanhuai and his side consort came to the door saying they wanted the Qin Pavilion." Thinking of this, Cheng Qingli felt a bit annoyed. After all, that day when Prince Lanhuai came to propose marriage, she had casually mentioned that the Qin Pavilion now belonged to Li Zhiwei.
"Sister Li, I'm sorry. At that time, Prince Lanhuai wanted to marry his daughter, Princess Fuan, to me. In a fit of anger, I said that the Qin Pavilion was now yours. I don't know if Prince Lanhuai will come knocking on your door." As Cheng Qingli spoke, her voice grew softer and softer.
Li Zhiwei was so angry at Cheng Qingli's words that she laughed. She knew it; how could Cheng Qingli possibly be so kind?
Immediately after, Li Zhiwei thought of another question: Prince Lanhuai introduced his daughter to Cheng Qingli?
Shouldn't it be his son?
Seeing Li Zhiwei's inquiring gaze, Cheng Qingli smiled awkwardly. However, in order to win Li Zhiwei's forgiveness, Cheng Qingli still explained, "I often go out dressed in men's clothing. Outsiders all think I am the Fourth Young Master of the Cheng family. Prince Lanhuai also thought the Cheng family really had a Fourth Young Master, so he wanted to marry his daughter, Princess Fuan, to me."
"Doesn't he even know how many daughters the Cheng family has?" Li Zhiwei found it bizarre in her heart. How could there be such an absurd thing?
"In the aristocratic families of the capital, having an illegitimate child or something isn't a strange occurrence. Perhaps he thought my father really had an illegitimate son," Cheng Qingli said, biting her lip in embarrassment.
"These things, actually, I also won from Prince Lanhuai's side consort. At that time, I told her that as long as she could beat me, I would give her the Qin Pavilion," Cheng Qingli said, pointing at the items on the table again.
"Huo Yunzhi lost them?" Hearing this, Li Zhiwei picked up the silver notes and the title deed and looked at them for a while.
There was no problem with the silver notes; after all, they were from their own Rongchang Bank.
However, no one knew that Rongchang Bank was a property of the Li family. Now, Li Tianyou had also handed this bank over to the Emperor.
But the Emperor only took thirty percent of the profits.
Now, Li Tianyou had even handed this bank into her own hands.
As for the title deed, Li Zhiwei temporarily didn't see any problems with it either.
However, she didn't know for the time being whether there was any issue with the manor itself. Later, she would just have Prince An send someone to investigate, and then she would know.
Naturally, she would not take the risk personally.
"Yes, she lost 5,000 taels of silver, a mountain, and this manor to me today. However, I saw that the mountain wasn't of much use, so I gave it to the Jubao Pavilion as their commission," Cheng Qingli said truthfully.
Something belonging to the Huo family?
For some reason, Li Zhiwei felt that the mountain was probably not simple either.
"Why don't you take these silver notes and go buy back the title deed for that mountain?" Li Zhiwei thought about it. She wasn't lacking in silver, but what if there was something else on that mountain?
Otherwise, with all of the Huo family's properties confiscated, why was that mountain still kept?
"Ah, that mountain, I reckon I won't be able to get it back," Cheng Qingli said with some difficulty.
After all, it was entirely possible that the shopkeeper had already taken the title deed to her Emperor brother-in-law.
She was bold, but she didn't dare to pluck hairs from a tiger's head.
"Whose property is it?" Thinking that she had recently heard about major changes at the Jubao Pavilion, Li Zhiwei suddenly had a thought. Could it be that it was the Emperor's property?
Cheng Qingli pointed somewhat awkwardly in the direction of the imperial palace.
"Since you knew, you still dared to go?" Li Zhiwei sized up Cheng Qingli, thinking to herself that the Emperor was truly indulgent toward this sister-in-law of his.
"It was my first time going there." Thinking of this, Cheng Qingli still shrank her neck back. This matter absolutely could not be known by her Emperor brother-in-law. What if he blamed her sister?
"You should take this thing to the Emperor as well, and let him send someone to investigate it. Perhaps there will be other gains to be found within," Li Zhiwei said with a calm expression as she handed the title deed to Cheng Qingli.
"Sister Li, this is my apology gift to you." Cheng Qingli pushed the item back somewhat unwillingly.
"I will accept the silver notes. As for this item, you take it to the Emperor." Li Zhiwei was firstly afraid that Cheng Qingli was playing a trick, and secondly worried that the Huo family had something shameful hidden away.
Otherwise, how could Huo Yunzhi possibly become Prince Lanhuai's side consort?
There was probably some sort of transaction between them.
"Alright then. Next time I will bring something else to give to Sister Li," Cheng Qingli said after thinking about it.
"Wait." Li Zhiwei suddenly thought that Cheng Qingli only had one little maid by her side. If there was truly a problem with this manor, it was inevitable that the people from Prince Lanhuai's residence might try to do her harm.
"Qingyue, escort Second Miss Cheng into the palace," Li Zhiwei said to Qingyue, who was standing to the side.
"Miss, His Highness ordered me to protect you closely," Qingyue said without a second thought.