Once they entered the room, Yunshui put down the things she was carrying. “Miss, the kitchen has gone too far this time. Although they don’t know exactly what happened at Yunwu Mountain, they heard that you angered the Marquis, so they gave me spoiled food. Concubine Tang even sent someone over specifically to say that she would help you only after you changed your bad temper.”
Tang Moying had been in the Marquis’s residence for several years and had gradually built up some influence of her own.
Qu Sheng was taking his time coming down the mountain and had yet to return to the residence. The servants in the manor didn’t know exactly what had happened, so they generally wouldn’t dare to act recklessly.
In the past, they might have shown Tang Moying some consideration and refrained from treating Qu Jinshu too harshly.
But today, Qu Jinshu absolutely refused to believe that the servants would have acted this way without Tang Moying’s instructions.
It seemed Tang Moying wanted to force her into submission through this method.
Looking down at the spoiled food, Qu Jinshu said with a self deprecating smile. “So it turns out my enemies aren’t just my sworn foes. Even my own biological mother is one of them.”
“Miss, what should we do?” Yunshui asked, seeking Qu Jinshu’s opinion.
“The food at Manyue Pavilion is quite delicious. How about we hire a cook from there?” Qu Jinshu poured a cup of tea for herself and Yunshui, speaking in an unhurried manner.
“A cook from Manyue Pavilion?” Yunshui stared at her in astonishment.
Manyue Pavilion was the finest restaurant in the capital and its food was priceless.
Of course, this was also because the restaurant’s mysterious owner was generous with money. As a result, all the finest cooks from across Xiling flocked there.
This had led to a peculiar situation, as long as a wealthy and powerful family could afford the price, they could hire a cook from Manyue Pavilion.
All they had to do was offer the cook a satisfactory monthly salary and pay Manyue Pavilion a hefty buyout fee before taking the cook away.
“Miss, do we really have that much money?”
Although Yunshui was also craving the food from Manyue Pavilion, their financial situation was truly pitiful.
After her young lady returned victorious, the rewards bestowed upon her by the Emperor had all been taken by Qu Zhao. As a result, they had practically no money left.
“Who says we don’t have money?”
Qu Jinshu took out Qu Zhao’s human skin mask again.
“Our money is this human skin mask.”
Half an hour later.
Qu Jinshu, disguised as Qu Zhao, and Yunshui, dressed in men’s clothing, appeared together at the largest money house in the capital.
The moment Qu Jinshu stepped through the entrance, the manager greeted her with a welcoming smile.
“Oh! Lord Qu, what brings you here? Are you here to withdraw money?”
“Mm.” Qu Jinshu nodded. “Withdraw all the money I have deposited.”
Although Qu Zhao loved to squander money, he was the legitimate son of the Marquis’s household, and Gao Qionghua had secretly saved quite a substantial fortune for him.
Therefore, he had quite a large sum deposited in the money house.
Moreover, he was extremely lazy. In the past, he would always send her to withdraw money using his banknotes.
“Lord Qu, you have one hundred thousand coins deposited here. Are you certain you want to withdraw the entire amount?” The manager looked rather troubled.
“Mm. I need the money urgently. What? Are you refusing to let me withdraw my own money?” Qu Jinshu’s voice turned cold, carrying a clear warning.
“Hurry up and bring me the money.”
The manager naturally didn’t dare offend her. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he immediately ordered someone to prepare the money.
By the time Qu Jinshu and Yunshui left, their waists were bulging with money.
“Miss, one hundred thousand coins! That’s one hundred thousand coins!” Yunshui could barely contain her excitement.
“This place isn’t safe to linger around. Let’s change our clothes and head to Manyue Pavilion.”
Less than half an hour later, Qu Jinshu and Yunshui arrived at Manyue Pavilion, dressed in women’s clothing with veils covering their faces.
“Welcome, honored guests. Please come inside.” A waiter immediately hurried out to greet them.
“Arrange the private room on the top floor for me.”
Qu Jinshu glanced up at the upper floors before giving the waiter this instruction.
Manyue Pavilion was famous not only for its food but also because it was the tallest building in the capital. From the private rooms on the top floor, one could overlook the entire city.
The waiter also glanced toward the top floor.
He looked a little hesitant, but eventually nodded. “Please follow me upstairs.”
Restaurants had always been places where gossip spread. Many of the capital’s secrets had originated from conversations held in establishments like this.
Thus, as Qu Jinshu made her way upstairs, she actually overheard some interesting news.
“Have you all heard? General He has been demoted.”
“What? Wasn’t he just recently rewarded and promoted by the Emperor? We all thought his future achievements would surpass even those of Old General He. What exactly happened?”
“You wouldn’t know, would you? I have a relative serving in the Imperial Guards. He told me that Prince Jing was attacked last night. Not only did General He fail to protect him, but he actually lured the assassins toward the Tenth Prince!”
“No way! General He is actually that kind of person? Wouldn’t that make him an accomplice in the attempted murder of a prince?”
“If it had been anyone else, they would have been thrown into prison by now. But you all know Prince Jing’s circumstances. Besides, General He has rendered military service. The Emperor’s punishment was already rather lenient.”
“I heard about it too. Apparently, he was demoted and sentenced to one hundred strokes of the cane. But before they could finish half the punishment, the Princess sent someone to plead for leniency on his behalf. So the punishment was stopped.”
“Why was General He so foolish? Isn’t he practically ruining his own official career?”
Qu Jinshu didn’t bother listening to the rest of their conversation.
What interested her more was that the Eldest Princess had pleaded for He Xiujun.
The Eldest Princess was the Emperor’s biological elder sister, and her daughter-in-law was He Xiujun’s aunt.
Because of this connection, the He family’s aunt had approached the Eldest Princess for help.
So the Emperor had no choice but to show her some consideration.
Heh…
He Xiujun had certainly gotten off lightly.
However, his actions had already cost him the Emperor’s favor.
Unless another opportunity presented itself, he wouldn’t be able to make a comeback anytime soon.
This was the price he had paid for pursuing the so called true love he cherished so much. She wondered whether he could bear the consequences.
Once they reached the private room, Qu Jinshu instructed the waiter generously, “Bring out every signature dish your restaurant has.”
The waiter was stunned for a moment before breaking into a wide grin.
“Certainly, miss! Please wait a moment.”
“Miss, could you please tell me what exactly happened at Yunwu Mountain?” Yunshui looked at Qu Jinshu pleadingly.
As a servant, she hadn’t been allowed to accompany her young lady on the hunt, nor could she follow her to meet the Emperor. She had only heard vague rumors about He Xiujun’s punishment and didn’t know the details of what had actually happened.
P.S. Money house – a traditional bank.