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墨書 Inktalez
Dou Mama had heard about Liu Mama long ago when she was in the Northwest. Therefore, when she delivered the items prepared by Qing Wu to the Liu Residence and heard from Peach Silk that Liu Mama seemed to be in the Capital City, she paid attention and asked a few more questions.
As soon as she returned to the palace, she hurried to the Falling Sunset Pavilion. She thought it best to inform the young lady about this matter quickly.
When Dou Mama found Qing Wu, Qing Wu was listening to Mu Si Zhi from the Department of Craftsmanship report on matters.
“...Everything else is fine, but that Jade Orchid…”
After finishing the report, Mu Si Zhi looked at Qing Wu, hesitating to speak.
Jade Orchid was originally a palace maid in the Sewing Workshop. At that time, she was responsible for making clothes. Now that the Six Bureaus have been divided, she has naturally been assigned to Mu Supervisor.
“What happened to her?” Qing Wu asked while flipping through the recently received booklet.
Mu Si Zhi glanced at her expression and, seeing that she was not displeased, let out a quiet sigh of relief and said softly, “That Jade Orchid has been making noise all day long, nitpicking everything. No matter what task she is given, she can always find an excuse. It doesn't seem like she wants to do any work.”
Mu Si Zhi was known for her stability; otherwise, she wouldn't have stood out among many palace maids and been chosen by Qing Wu as a lady-in-waiting.
Now, when it came to discussing Jade Orchid, her expression was angry and her tone was agitated, clearly unable to suppress her frustration.
Seeing her like this, Qing Wu smiled. She closed the booklet in her hand and set it aside, saying, “If she refuses to work, just handle it according to the rules.”
This left Mu Si Zhi feeling somewhat troubled. “But she is the Imperial Teacher...” She paused, suppressing the rest of her words and fidgeted with her hands awkwardly.
Qing Wu understood that Mu Si Zhi wanted a word of assurance from her. After all, Jade Orchid had a powerful backing, and ordinary people would not dare to touch her.
So, Qing Wu said, “If she refuses, then you can say that these rules were set by me. If she finds it inappropriate, let her come find me directly.”
With this assurance from her, Mu Si Zhi visibly relaxed. Her back straightened considerably. Clearly, with Qing Wu as support, she felt more confident.
Qing Wu did not think there was anything wrong with Mu Si Zhi's approach.
She was the one who promoted him, and since it was the right thing to do, she naturally wanted to help. Moreover, in this harem, sometimes having a high rank does not guarantee success. When encountering those arrogant and unreasonable individuals, simply reasoning with them is futile.
After thinking for a moment, Qing Wu said, "You need not fear Jade Orchid. If she continues to act tyrannically, she will be severely punished. However, you must pay attention to her malicious words. If necessary, come to me for guidance."
The mention of severe punishment made Mu Si Zhi stiffen for a moment. Upon hearing Qing Wu's subsequent words, she realized that this was meant to use Jade Orchid as an example to intimidate others. She quickly nodded, "I understand."
Seeing her tense demeanor, Qing Wu knew that she had misunderstood.
In fact, Qing Wu's actions were more aimed at warning Jade Orchid and exposing more of her flaws.
Previously, after Huo Yun'ai secretly took action and had the Du Family and Liu Fangshi arrested, Jingzhao Prefecture did not publicly try the cases of the two families. Many people were unaware of why they were arrested or what their situation was afterward. Jade Orchid in the palace certainly could not know either. That was why she felt so unrestrained.
Such an arrogant person would not restrain herself if given a stern look; instead, she would become even more reckless. In that case, it might lead her to do things she normally wouldn't.
This could potentially benefit Huo Yun'ai.
However, Qing Wu would not share these thoughts with Mu Si Zhi. She considered that if Mu Si Zhi truly punished Jade Orchid as a warning to deter others from causing trouble, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
After Mu Si Zhi bowed and withdrew, Qing Wu summoned Dou Mama, who had been waiting nearby.
In her eagerness to find Qing Wu, Dou Mama had come a bit closer. Qing Wu had already spotted her. Noticing the worry on Dou Mama's face after Mu Si Zhi left, she asked others to wait for a moment and discussed matters with her first.
However, no matter how much Qing Wu thought about it, she did not expect that Dou Mama would bring up Liu Mama's situation.
"How did you find out about this?" Qing Wu asked in surprise; she hadn't anticipated running into someone she had been searching for for years in the capital. However, based on her understanding of the He Family, her mother would never spread such news.
Now that the matter had reached her ears, it was likely that Dou Mama wanted her help in locating this person.
After Liu Mama went missing, Liu Fangyi had tried to find her. However, at that time Liu Mama had signed a short contract with the family, and just as it was about to expire and they were preparing to renew it for another three years, they could no longer find her before the formal signing could take place.
Finding a servant from home without a solid reason for handling the matter must have made it difficult for her parents to ask their colleagues for help; thus they sought out Qing Wu instead.
After some consideration, before Dou Mama could elaborate, Qing Wu already asked, "Did your mother tell you?"
"No. It was Lord Liu," Dou Mama replied. "Lord Liu informed Peach Silk and asked her to come to me. Lord Liu also specifically mentioned that if it is convenient for the young lady, she should help investigate. If not, he will find another way."
Upon hearing this, Qing Wu was initially surprised, then let out a quiet sigh.
Liu Fangyi was a military general who rarely expressed affection verbally and seldom spoke in overly gentle terms. However, his care for the children was no less than that of his wife, He Family.
The matter concerning Sister Lan had been a lingering pain in his heart for many years. Even after all this time, it remained unchanged.
Since Sister Lan had passed away due to a cold illness, Liu Fangyi paid close attention to the children's warmth and coldness. Whenever the weather turned windy and cold, he would sternly shout at the children to wear more clothes and instruct those responsible for sewing to make their garments thicker...
The siblings, even Liu Anfeng who often faced scolding and occasional punches from Liu Fangyi, all knew their father loved them.
"I understand." Qing Wu glanced at the time; it was almost lunchtime. She stood up, brushed the hem of her garment, and said, "I will go find His Majesty." She also greeted the two maids from Falling Sunset Pavilion, saying she would see everyone again after lunch and urged them to return for their meal.
The matters of the Six Bureaus were numerous and trivial; generally, there weren't any major issues. However, due to insufficient coordination and some imperfect systems, they could not be resolved quickly. It required a gradual approach.
However, the situation with Liu Mama was different. At this moment in the capital city, seeing her was one thing; whether she would still be in Capital City a few days later was another matter entirely. If they wanted to find her, they needed to act quickly.
Seeing Qing Wu heading towards Zhaoyuan Palace, Dou Mama was suddenly alarmed and disregarded etiquette as she grabbed Qing Wu's arm. "Young lady, Lord Liu means that perhaps you could seek out Wen Heir and ask him for assistance."
Wen Qingyue had settled down in the capital after escorting Qing Wu back home. As the Heir of the Marquisate, his connections, means, and subordinates were far beyond what Liu Fangyi could compare.
Dou Mama became anxious and stammered, "The Heir Apparent... should be able to be found. Young lady you..."
Are you asking His Majesty for help? Wouldn't that be too much?!
Qing Wu understood why Dou Mama was so nervous and smiled. "I'm just going to have a word with His Majesty. Whether it works out or not depends on His Majesty's intentions."
In fact, she had just considered whether to ask her brother for help. But thinking about Huo Yun'ai's temperament, if she had an issue, he would rather seek help from someone else than turn to him; he would surely be displeased again.
Even if the person she "brought in for help" was her own brother, he was still unwilling.
Although Dou Mama knew that Qing Wu was favored and cared for by His Majesty, she feared that Qing Wu might provoke his anger. After all, in previous years, the young lady was a girl he had watched grow up, and the Liu Residence was the home of an official in the Capital City. The young lady might have been able to act willfully. However, now she was the future daughter-in-law of His Majesty; the Liu Family would be the future in-laws...
Once her status changed, her actions naturally could not remain the same. It wasn't necessary to be overly cautious, but at least she should be a bit more careful, right?
Moreover, others might not know, but the few of them who had participated in investigating Liu Fangshi were aware that this time the Du Family and Liu Fangshi being captured was likely related to Zheng An.
Since that was the case, while His Majesty was busy with these matters, the young lady recklessly brought her personal issues to trouble him...
The more Dou Mama thought about it, the more frightened she became, and she hurriedly followed after her.
When they arrived outside Zhaoyuan Hall, they saw Uncle Yu and Li Zigong standing at the door, looking as if they dared not breathe. Upon seeing Qing Wu approach, the two finally managed to force a smile and welcomed her.
Dou Mama noticed that Qing Wu was about to enter directly and quickly called out to her softly. Then she asked Uncle Yu, "How is His Majesty today..." and gestured with her eyes.
Back when they served before His Majesty together, they had developed a kind of tacit understanding. Before entering, they would first check His Majesty's mood to prepare themselves mentally.
Uncle Yu pointed towards the direction of the Zheng Family and shook his head with a bitter smile.
Li Zi silently mentioned "Imperial Teacher's" son and shrank his neck.
This clearly indicated that His Majesty was angry again because of the Imperial Teacher.
Dou Mama was greatly alarmed and thought it would be unwise to enter at this time; she intended to quickly call Qing Wu back. However, Qing Wu showed no fear and still had Li Zi open the palace door.
Dou Mama was extremely worried but did not leave; she waited in the corridor for Qing Wu.
Once inside the hall, Qing Wu realized why Uncle Yu and Li Zi looked so frightened.
The window was open, scattering the papers stacked on the table in front of it.
Young Emperor stood tall by the window, his expression cold, surrounded by an air of sternness.
Qing Wu paused for a moment, stepped forward, poured him a cup of tea, and brought it to him.
He did not reach for it, so she took his hand and forcefully placed it in his palm. Then she went to close the window.
"The wind is so strong; what if it makes you cold?"
At this moment, it had already started to cool down. The wind today was strong enough to sway the branches of the trees.
Huo Yun'ai, upon hearing this, lowered her eyes slightly, holding the teacup in one hand and gently stroking it with the other. After a while, she pursed her lips and coldly huffed, "Since you are too busy to see me, why do you care about my well-being? If I am sick, then so be it; I’ll just take it as an opportunity to rest."
Her tone seemed cold but was filled with resentment and unwillingness. It was clear that she was upset with him for being preoccupied with Six Bureaus, resulting in fewer opportunities for them to meet.
Qing Wu found herself at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond.
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