Chapter 34: The Secret of the Empress and the Yu Family
Yu Yunxi moved closer and said in a low voice, "Go ahead and report it. Your injuries are internal and can't be seen. The law enforcers won't be able to do anything. Moreover, between the both of us, who do you think they'll believe?"
"You! Don't think that they'll take your side just because you're the Eldest Miss of the Yu family! I…"
"Oh? So you know my identity?" Yu Yunxi said with a sneer before she kicked the man's knee. Then, she asked, "Tell me, who instructed you to do this?"
Both the man and the chubby woman's expressions changed drastically upon hearing these words.
"What? I don't know what you're talking about."
Yu Yunxi kicked the man's other knee. "You still refuse to tell me?"
This time, the man could no longer endure the pain. He fell to the ground and cried out in pain. He hastily said, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything! Miss Yu, many of the shops near yours have been bought by your legal mother!"
Yu Yunxi's expression darkened.
'Legal mother? Madam Chen? As expected, it's her.'
"She, she also said that if you want to keep the Revival Hall, you shouldn't create so much trouble," the man said tremblingly.
What? She means that I shouldn't pursue the matter about the dowry, right?'
Yu Yunxi sneered. She had wondered what kind of tactic Madam Chen was going to come up with, but in the end, it was nothing more than some dirty tricks.
The deeds of Yu Yunxi's mother's shops were all in the hands of the Yu family. The exception was the Revival Hall. Madam Chen and the others felt that the business of Revival Hall was not good so they were too lazy to manage it. For this reason, the deed was with Wang Fu and the others. After beating Wang Fu up yesterday, Yu Yunxi had gotten the deed back.
Yu Yunxi knew that Madam Chen must have heard the news yesterday and assumed that she cared very much about the Revival Hall. It was not difficult to figure out that Madam Chen planned to use the Revival Hall to force her to give up on the dowry.
"I do care about my mother's medical hall. However, what I care about is its reputation, not this shop," Yu Yunxi murmured.
"County Princess, you mean…"
"This place was a good location more than ten years ago. However, most people now live in the south of the city so this place is no longer a prime location. The first step to rebuild the medical hall is to change the location."
In fact, Madam Chen's dirty tricks did not affect Yu Yunxi's plan at all. Moreover, it even spurred her plan.
Yu Yunxi looked at the man and the chubby woman and asked, "She bought all these shops?"
"Yes, yes. We were just hired by her to make things difficult for you."
The duo was very afraid of Yu Yunxi now so they responded very quickly.
Yu Yunxi raised an eyebrow and thought to herself with a scoff, 'How interesting…'
It was not profitable to do business in this area. Madam Chen was already short of money, but in order to deal with Yu Yunxi, Madam Chen actually chose to suffer a loss.
"Qian Jiao, take down the plaque, and find someone to sell the shop. It's best to sell it to those in the death care industry," Yu Yunxi said.
Qian Jiao's eyes lit up immediately as she replied, "'I understand, County Princess."
With the appearance of a business in the death care industry, the shops nearby would have an even harder time doing business in the future. With this, Madam Chen would suffer an even bigger loss.
After getting someone to arrange everything, Qian Jiao walked over and asked, "County Princess, do you have an idea of where you want to open the medical hall?"
Yu Yunxi lowered her head and mulled over the matter for a moment. She had seen all the shops left by her mother, and none of them were suitable to be used as a medical hall. Moreover, the deeds of the shops were still with Yu family so things were a little tricky. In the end, she concluded it was better for her to buy a new shop.
"I have quite a few shops that I like, but I don't know if the owners are willing to sell them," Yu Yunxi said with a sigh.
…
Yu Yunxi did not waste time and brought Qian Jiao to the south of the city to look at a shop.
"This place is big enough, and it's close to the downtown area. Behind the shop is where many commoners live. This place is suitable to be used as a medical hall," Yu Yunxi said, patiently explaining to Qian Jiao.
"Then, what are we waiting for? County Princess, I'll speak to the owner immediately," Qian Jiao said.
Qian Jiao rolled up her sleeves before she left to speak to the passersby. After a while, she ran back, panting slightly. After she regained her breath, she said, "No one knows the owner of the shop. It's said that the owner is very mysterious. He only visits a few times a month, and he only visits at night."
'How mysterious…'
Yu Yunxi frowned. After a moment, she said softly, "Forget it. Let's go back first. We'll wait and see if we have a chance to meet the owner."
…
During the journey back to the Prime Minister's Residence, a figure suddenly rushed out, almost crashing into Yu Yunxi's carriage. Fortunately, Qian Jiao managed to rein in the horses in time.
Aunt Qing got up from the ground and shouted anxiously, "Eldest Miss, I've thought about what I could offer you!"
"Qian Jiao, bring her with us. We'll return to the residence using the backdoor," Yu Yunxi said coldly from inside the carriage.
Qian Jiao did not ask Yu Yunxi why she wanted to use the back door and did as she was told. She quickly pulled Aunt Qing up before the carriage moved toward the Prime Minister's Residence again.
In the carriage, Aunt Qing, who was covered in dirt, looked at Yu Yunxi nervously. She did not know what to say or do.
On the other hand, Yu Yunxi calmly sipped from the teacup in her hands. After a moment, she looked up and asked, "Tell me. What do you have to offer, Aunt Qing?"
Aunt Qing gulped before she replied in a low voice, "I, I know many of that Chen woman's secrets…"
"Speak."
"Concubine Zhao fell into the river and died in the residence a few years ago. That Chen woman pushed her into the river. She also had a hand in Concubine Deng's miscarriage in the early years. Concubine Gao had once eloped with a man before she married into the residence. She found out about the matter so she had been using it to control Concubine Gao…"
Aunt Qing began to reveal the secrets she knew.
However, Yu Yunxi said icily, "Aunt Qing, you know that these things aren't what I want to hear."
"B-but, but…"
"These things can't bring Madam Chen down," Yu Yunxi said sarcastically.
In big residences, there were not many people with clean hands. Madam Chen was a very jealous person, and the number of people she killed was likely not limited to the people whom Aunt Qing had named. It was impossible for Yu Zhongcheng to be unaware of it. In Yu Yunxi's opinion, Yu Zhongcheng probably acquiesced to Madam Chen's actions. After all, Madam Chen had the support of the Chen family, which could help the Yu family stabilize its position in the Imperial Court. Unless Madam Chen truly hurt the foundation of the Yu family, Yu Zhongcheng would definitely protect her.
"B-but, but, I only know this much… Although I was always by that Chen woman's side, she didn't trust me completely. She entrusted most of her important matters to Nanny Liang," Aunt Qing said, looking embarrassed.
"Is that so?" Yu Yunxi laughed mockingly. She set the teacup down and looked at Aunt Qing with a piercing gaze before she continued to say, "Until now, you still don't plan to tell me the truth."
"I, I…"
Yu Yunxi's patience was running out. She interjected, "What I want to know is the real reason why Madam Chen wants to silence you."
Aunt Qing's face turned pale in just a blink of an eye.
"If the secrets you know are really just as what you said, Madam Chen wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to kill you and your entire family. Tell me, what secret is it?" Yu Yunxi asked, sounding very certain.
Aunt Qing lowered her head, looking frustrated. "I'd hoped to hide it. I didn't expect you to find out…"
After a long silence, Aunt Qing said in a trembling voice, "Back then, after you were captured and thrown into the dungeon to be buried in the Imperial Mausoleum, I fled back to the Prime Minister's Residence. At that time, I saw…"
"What did you see?"
Aunt Qing shuddered as she replied, "I saw the Empress entering the Prime Minister's room."
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