Chapter 180
**Chapter 179: Investigating Zhao Qing's Secret**
...
In the Zhen Nan Marquisate.
In two days, the Marquis of Zhen Nan would be marrying the princess of Pingyang County. The servants in the estate were bustling about, festive silk ribbons adorning the entire courtyard.
Zhao Qing, in her temporary residence at the Luo Fang Courtyard, closed the door and walked to the corner, where she took down a brick. Hidden within the wall was her "Taihua Zha Ji" (Taihua Notes). As she flipped through a couple of pages, her brow gradually furrowed.
This little notebook contained many words she couldn't understand, along with some crooked, scribbled symbols. Although there were numerous weapon blueprints, Zhao Qing often needed to spend a lot of time just to grasp the content of a single drawing.
She turned to a new page, where a strange contraption labeled "mechanical cannon" was sketched, featuring "two wheels + iron pipes." The handwriting was hasty and wild, making it hard to decipher. Zhao Qing, who was already not well-versed in reading, found it quite a headache and simply stuffed the "Taihua Zha Ji" back into the wall.
Setting the blueprints aside, she needed to prepare for her wedding.
She could study the new weapon designs after the marriage. Zhao Qing returned to her vanity, happily beginning to groom herself.
The jewelry on the vanity was sparse and mostly inexpensive. The only valuable piece was a gold hairpin gifted by the concubine Shen from the Yan Wang (Prince Yan) residence.
But Zhao Qing was undeterred; once she became the mistress of the Zhen Nan Marquisate, her vanity would surely be filled with treasures.
"Miss," a maidservant knocked on the door from outside, saying, "Concubine Shen from the Yan Wang residence and Young Mistress Yao have arrived."
Zhao Qing set down the hairpin and went to the courtyard door to greet them.
The winter air was biting cold, and Shen Wei wore a warm fox fur cloak, holding a delicate copper flower hand warmer. The red plums in the marquisate were blooming beautifully, and Shen Wei paused beneath the plum tree, engrossed in their beauty.
Cai Ping quietly attended to Shen Wei, occasionally brushing aside the tangled branches of the plum tree.
From a distance, Zhao Qing saw Shen Wei beneath the plum tree, the flowers beautiful, and the woman even more so. Suppressing her envy, Zhao Qing approached and politely inquired, "Concubine Shen, what brings you here?"
Shen Wei turned, offering Zhao Qing a slight smile. "In two days, the princess will be married. Traditionally, a bride must wear a delicate phoenix crown and bridal veil. Coincidentally, the prince gifted me a box of Nanhai pearls, and I’ve come to present them to the princess to adorn her wedding crown, making it shine even brighter."
Cai Ping took out a purple sandalwood box and opened it in front of Zhao Qing.
Inside were twelve perfectly round Nanhai pearls, their luster smooth and nearly flawless—clearly top-quality gems.
Zhao Qing had never seen such beautiful pearls before, her eyes widening in awe.
"This... this is too much," Zhao Qing thought of snatching the pearls to her chest, but she feigned reluctance.
At that moment, Cai Lian returned, bouncing along with Li Yao. Li Yao was only eight years old, full of energy, and had come to the marquisate with Shen Wei. She joyfully ran around, with Cai Lian closely guarding her.
"Auntie, look at this plum blossom rabbit!" Li Yao exclaimed, clutching a uniquely shaped rabbit.
The rabbit was woven from bamboo strips, with two bright red plum blossoms adorning its ears, looking exquisitely crafted.
Li Yao was enamored with it.
Cai Lian approached and reported to Shen Wei, "Young Mistress Yao just went to the marquisate garden to pick plums and happened to see a maid weaving rabbits. That maid was quite skilled; in less than a tea break, she made a rabbit to give to Young Mistress Yao."
Li Yao gleefully held up her little rabbit, excitedly saying, "Auntie, I want that maid to make another rabbit for me to take home to Sister Le You."
Shen Wei smiled and nodded, turning to Zhao Qing with a beaming expression. "Princess, how about this? I’ll gift you this box of pearls, and you can send that maid who makes rabbits to me, just to please the children."
Exchanging a lowly maid for a box of precious Nanhai pearls was quite a bargain.
Zhao Qing understood that Shen Wei was using this as an excuse to give her the pearls in a reasonable manner.
A gift offered at one's door is hard to refuse. Zhao Qing hardly hesitated and instructed the maid to accept the box of pearls. "I appreciate Concubine Shen's kindness."
Shen Wei casually instructed Cai Lian, "Cai Lian, take the maid who can make rabbit toys to the marquisate's management office and retrieve her contract."
Cai Lian lowered her eyes and replied calmly, "I will take care of it right away."
The maid who could make rabbits was, of course, the one Shen Wei had planted in the marquisate to gather information. That maid was clever and had discovered that Zhao Qing hid things in the wall's brick crevice.
Shen Wei couldn't leave that maid in the marquisate; she needed a clever excuse to take her back to the Yan Wang residence, keeping her under close watch.
"The plum blossoms in the marquisate are in full bloom, simply breathtaking. Would you accompany me to enjoy the flowers?" Shen Wei extended the invitation.
Having received such a generous gift, Zhao Qing naturally wouldn't refuse.
Shen Wei further reminded her, "These Nanhai pearls are delicate and should not be exposed to direct sunlight or drafts. Cai Ping, personally deliver the pearls to the princess's chamber. Also, make sure to explain the care instructions for the pearls to the princess's personal maid."
Cai Ping held the pearl box, saying, "I will obey."
Zhao Qing didn't think much of it and allowed the maid to accompany Cai Ping to her chamber. As for Zhao Qing, she took on the role of the marquisate's mistress, leading Shen Wei to admire the blooming red plums.
...
Cai Ping, holding the pearl box, followed Zhao Qing's personal maid into the chamber.
But Cai Ping wasn't there just to deliver pearls; she was under Shen Wei's orders to search the room for hidden items.
Zhao Qing's chamber wasn't very large, with a few pieces of jewelry displayed on the vanity.
Cai Ping placed the pearl box on the table, pretending to lose her grip, causing the box to fall to the ground with a thud, and the twelve round pearls scattered everywhere.
"Oh no! Quickly pick up the pearls; we can't let them get damaged!" Cai Ping feigned surprise.
The maid was startled as well.
Cai Ping grabbed the maid's hand, anxiously saying, "Sister, let's split up to look for them. You search the east side of the floor, and I'll check the west side by the wall. Be thorough; if we miss even one, we won't be able to pay for it!"
The maid was new to the marquisate, timid and easily frightened. She followed Cai Ping's suggestion and knelt on the floor to start searching.
Cai Ping ran to the corner, squatting down to feign searching. Her sharp eyes quickly spotted the problematic brick.
She swiftly and skillfully removed the brick, reaching into the wall's crevice to pull out an old leather-bound book.
Having served Shen Wei for a long time, Cai Ping was aware of Shen Wei's emphasis on "eradicating illiteracy." All the maids and eunuchs in the courtyard were required to learn to read. Under Shen Wei's influence, Cai Ping had also learned quite a few characters.
She quickly scanned the cover of the leather book, recognized the text, and casually flipped through a few pages, making a mental note of the book's thickness and structure.
"Sister, how many pearls did you find?" the maid asked softly from across the room.
Cai Ping quickly stuffed the leather book back into the wall, replaced the brick, and replied loudly, "I found five."
Cai Ping remembered Shen Wei's instructions; this was not the right time to steal anything from the wall, or Zhao Qing would immediately suspect Shen Wei.
Cai Ping continued to pick up the pearls, and after a while, they managed to gather all of them. Cai Ping wiped the dust off the pearls with a cloth and carefully placed them back in the box.
Once the pearls were secured, Cai Ping took the maid's hand, her expression earnest. "Sister, we mustn't let the mistress know about the pearls falling. If the mistresses find out, we won't be able to bear the consequences."
The maid's face turned pale. Though she hadn't served Zhao Qing for long, she knew Zhao Qing was not an easy mistress to please.
Zhao Qing had a bad temper and loved gold and silver jewelry, forbidding the maids from touching her things. If a maid were to mishandle her jewelry, Zhao Qing would surely lash out.
The maid nodded nervously, keeping the incident of the fallen pearls to herself.
...
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