Chapter 176
**Chapter 176: Investigating Zhao Qing**
Zhao Qing held her wine cup and smiled, "Is this wine from the palace? No wonder it smells so fragrant."
Having grown up in Liangzhou City, she was used to drinking the roughest grain liquor. Zhao Qing's heart soared as she carefully sipped the exquisite wine from the jade cup.
Sweet, rich, bursting with fruity aromas!
It was truly delicious!
No wonder it was said to be from the capital of Da Qing; the remote Liangzhou City couldn't compare even a fraction to the grandeur of the imperial city.
Shen Wei remained silent, secretly observing Zhao Qing's every move. Just moments ago, when Shen Wei mentioned "palace jade liquor," Zhao Qing showed no sign of surprise.
After Zhao Qing finished her drink, Shen Wei smiled and said, "Princess Zhaoyang is the beloved daughter of the Empress of Da Qing, so it's only natural that her residence is stocked with fine palace wines. They say a cup of this exquisite wine costs one hundred and eighty taels of silver at the market in Yanjing."
"One hundred and eighty taels for a cup? That's quite expensive," Zhao Qing exclaimed, astonished. The people of Yanjing really knew how to do business.
Shen Wei carefully studied Zhao Qing's expression, drawing a conclusion in her mind: Zhao Qing was either truly not from the modern world or exceptionally skilled at playing the fool.
After a moment of thought, Shen Wei feigned envy, her admiration slipping through her words: "County Princess, I’ve heard you’re quite skilled at weapon-making. That’s truly impressive."
Zhao Qing lifted her head, a hint of pride on her face.
With the precious "Taihua Notes" in hand, Zhao Qing felt confident. She feigned modesty, saying, "I was born in a harsh borderland and learned a bit from watching my father work as a carpenter."
This was Zhao Qing's deliberate excuse. Back in Liangzhou City, both Shangguan Xuan and Shen Mieyue had inquired about her past, wanting to know how she understood such marvelous weapon-making techniques. Zhao Qing always attributed it to her father's teachings.
Her father had been a carpenter and had passed away many years ago. Even if someone wanted to investigate, there would be no evidence left.
Shen Wei seemed to accept her explanation, raising her hand to search her hair, retrieving a gold hairpin inlaid with green gemstones. "I feel a connection with you, County Princess. We met briefly at the marquis's residence a few days ago, and now we meet again at the princess's palace. It must be fate. This hairpin was a gift from the prince, and today I present it to you."
The maid, Cai Ping, understood the cue and took the hairpin, presenting it to Zhao Qing.
Zhao Qing was initially taken aback but then graciously accepted the hairpin. She was no longer the herbalist from Liangzhou; she was a noble county princess, the future mistress of the marquis's residence. It was only natural for her to accept the flattery from Shen Wei, a side consort.
Zhao Qing examined the intricately designed hairpin. Made of pure gold, the pin's head was shaped like a peacock's half plume, luxurious and beautiful.
Shen Wei's eyes narrowed slightly as she reminded her, "County Princess, this hairpin was crafted by the palace's skilled artisans over half a month, and it even contains a hidden mechanism."
Upon closer inspection, Zhao Qing noticed a soft green glow emanating from the center of the peacock design on the pin's head.
What a clever design! No wonder it was the work of the artisans from the imperial city of Yanjing. Zhao Qing marveled, "The hidden green light mimics a peacock's eye—how fascinating!"
Without hesitation, Zhao Qing accepted the hairpin.
Shen Wei observed Zhao Qing's every action, deep in thought. This gold hairpin inlaid with turquoise had a structure that contained a small net woven from gold threads at the pin's head, with a green gemstone embedded inside. By simply activating a small mechanism on the hairpin, one could open the gold net and reveal the gemstone within.
Zhao Qing could conceive intricate weapons, yet she failed to notice even a small hidden mechanism in a hairpin...
Shen Wei recalled what the Prince of Yan had mentioned about the "composite bow." He had said that Zhao Qing, the military strategist, only provided blueprints and never participated in the actual weapon-making.
Was it that she was unwilling to engage in the crafting? Or was it that Zhao Qing simply didn't know how to make them?
Shen Wei took a sip of her hot drink, pondering silently. If her guesses were correct, Zhao Qing likely wasn't from the modern world. She probably had just been lucky enough to acquire knowledge of modern weaponry from somewhere.
Perhaps it was a book, or maybe a mural, or a scroll.
Shen Wei silently resolved to find a time to investigate and uncover where Zhao Qing had obtained her modern knowledge.
...
...
Meanwhile, in the study of the princess's palace, Zhaoyang instructed her maid to grind ink as she quickly wrote two IOUs.
As she wrote, Zhaoyang said, "A dowry is a woman's private property; only a spineless man would use a woman's dowry. Your marquis's residence still owes Sun Qingmei twelve thousand taels of silver. She entrusted me to act on her behalf, and the marquis must repay it this year."
Having swiftly finished the IOUs, the maid handed them to Shangguan Xuan. His face turned ashen. He knew very well that his mother had been willing to bring Sun Qingmei into the family precisely because of her substantial dowry. Sun Qingmei's father had died in battle, and her brother had passed away from illness, leaving her as the sole heir of the Sun family, inheriting all their wealth.
Marrying Sun Qingmei was akin to bringing home a treasure chest.
Everyone in the marquis's residence was well aware of this and had been leeching off Sun Qingmei. Yet today, being confronted by Zhaoyang, Shangguan Xuan felt his face flush with embarrassment.
Zhaoyang was merely a powerless princess, relying on the Empress's favor to throw her weight around in Yanjing. He, Shangguan Xuan, had earned great military achievements, guarding the borders for the Li family of the Qing nation, protecting the homeland. Who didn't regard him as a national hero?
To return to the capital and be humiliated by Zhaoyang like this was simply unacceptable.
"Fine, I'll sign," Shangguan Xuan said, filled with indignation, as he grasped the brush and signed his name.
With his military accomplishments and a clever wife like Zhao Qing, the Marquis of Zhennan's residence would surely regain its former glory.
A mere twelve thousand taels of silver could be repaid quickly.
Zhaoyang, satisfied, placed the IOUs back in the box. "Knowing your marquis's residence is poor, I won't make things difficult for you. From now on, on the fifteenth of each month, I will send someone to your residence to collect one thousand taels, and you can repay it within a year."
After securing the IOUs, Zhaoyang took a couple of sips from the hot drink the maid handed her and leisurely asked, "You mentioned you have an important letter. Let me see it."
Shangguan Xuan took a letter from his sleeve.
This was given to him by Yan Yunting.
Yan Yunting was now an official in Liangzhou City, assisting Shen Mieyue in military affairs, far from home. Being so distant, he inevitably missed his beloved in Yanjing. He had written letters to both Dan Tai Rou and Zhaoyang.
Dan Tai Rou replied to every letter, her words filled with affection, even sending Yan Yunting leather boots and hats through someone. But Zhaoyang had yet to respond to any of his letters!
Moreover, the letters Yan Yunting had sent to Zhaoyang seemed to have vanished without a trace.
Yan Yunting suspected that Zhaoyang was still upset with him. After all, she had held a grudge for a long time over his failure to meet her at Luoyue Lake. So, he wrote a letter and entrusted it to Shangguan Xuan to deliver it to Zhaoyang in person.
"Your Highness, you will surely be pleased to see this letter," Shangguan Xuan presented it.
Everyone in Yanjing knew of Zhaoyang's deep affection for Yan Yunting.
Since Yan Yunting left the capital for his post, Zhaoyang had not interacted with any other men, remaining quietly waiting for his return.
The maid took the envelope and handed it to Zhaoyang.
Zhaoyang casually glanced at the envelope, noticing the neat characters on the front: "Written by Yunting, personally opened by Zhaoyang." Her eyes widened in surprise. "A letter from Yan Yunting?"
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