Chapter 268

Chapter 268 – The Extraordinary Young Master Mo Yixuan

Chapter 268 The Extraordinary Young Master Mo Yixuan

When the Old Lady arrived at Qu Zhizhen’s study, Qu Zhizhen had already received the news. After he helped the Old Lady inside to sit down, he looked at Hai Lan, who had already knelt in front of him, and said with a gloomy face, “Tell me everything in detail.”

Aunty Hai Lan didn’t dare to hold back anything, so she told him everything in detail, including Yu Qian asking an old maid to ask for her instruction.

“Mother, Yu’s people did this themselves.” Qu Zhizhen said with certainty after hearing Hai Lan’s confession.

“I know, but this matter is related to our mansion. Think about it, others will wonder how Yu Qian had the guts to lie to the people of Duke Yu Mansion? He wouldn’t dare unless he has someone backing him up.” The Old Lady couldn’t help but frown as she sighed.

“You can leave now.” Qu Zhizhen ordered Aunty Hai Lan coldly.

Aunty Hai Lan hurriedly retreated.

“Mother, even big families like us could not afford to make a fool of Duke Yu Mansion.” Qu Zhizhen said flatly.

Qu Zhizhen’s words were true. Even though Duke Yu Mansion had declined, Duke Yu used to be the one the emperor trusted the most. It was said that the emperor still trusted him the most now. Qu Zhizhen even heard that the emperor was going to promote Duke Yu again. Whether it was now or in the future, Qu Mansion could not compare with Duke Yu Mansion.

“What should we do now?” The Old Lady asked anxiously.

“Mother, let me handle this matter. I will go talk to Duke Yu about it and explain it clearly.” Qu Zhizhen thought for a moment and said. Although it seemed that Qu Mansion was the one behind this, Qu Mansion’s strength was far below Duke Yu Mansion’s. Qu Mansion could not scheme against Duke Yu Mansion.

He should be able to explain it clearly.

Seeing that Qu Zhizhen was confident to take care of the matter, the Old Lady heaved a sigh of relief in her heart and asked, “How should we deal with Yu Qian?”

“Let the Ministry of Justice’s people deal with him. He worked for Yu, but he actually schemed against Yu after she fell ill. I wonder whom he colluded with. What’s the use of keeping such a person?” Qu Zhizhen said coldly. He reached out and rubbed between his eyebrows. He was really annoyed.

He was increasingly disgusted with Yu. Not only was she useless, but even her people were also useless. She now caused such a scene, which made him a laughingstock to people in the capital.

He thought he really shouldn’t have let Yu enter the mansion back then.

The Old Lady nodded and said, “Alright, you take care of it.” Then, she suddenly thought of something and said to Qu Zhizhen, “I have given all of the dowry of Yue in Yu’s hands to Ying. Those shops were originally intended to be left for Ying, and the shop that is involved in the incident is also hers.”

Qu Zhizhen really didn’t know about this and asked in surprise, “They were all Yue’s?”

“Yes, they were all Yue’s. Now, they are all returned to Ying. In the future, Ying can manage them herself. She could keep the old staff or hire whoever she wants. After all, those shops will all be hers in the future. When she gets married, she has to take them with her, so she should learn to manage them now.”

The Old Lady nodded.

“She is still young. Mother, please take care of her.” Qu Zhizhen thought for a while and agreed. He did not care about these things.

Since those shops were Yue’s dowry, it was only right to leave them to Qu Moying.

Seeing her son directly agree, the Old Lady breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that her son would insist on keeping these shops for her grandson. Although her grandson was nice, these shops belonged to Qu Moying. They did not belong to her grandson in the first place, so he should not take them.

The Old Lady did not want Qu Moying to suffer losses again.

Now that Qu Zhizhen did not object, the Old Lady was happy. She specially asked Qu Zhizhen about his situation, but Qu Zhizhen looked very tired, so she stood up and went back to the inner yard with Hai Lan. She also informed Qu Moying to go to the shops in the next few days, especially the clothing shop.

After the Old Lady left, Qu Zhizhen rubbed between his eyebrows, feeling a headache. He stood up and walked to the back window. He looked out of the window. A breeze blew in, bringing over the faint scent of lotus flowers. There was a pool of lotus flowers outside his window, and they bloomed very beautifully. Although there were not many flowers, they brought pleasant fragrance when the wind blew.

Qu Zhizhen looked at the pool of lotus flowers, and his lips slightly curved. Then, he closed his eyes and rested for a while. He already had an idea in his heart.

He opened his eyes, turned around and strode away. Although it didn’t seem to be a big deal, he didn’t want to delay it. Otherwise, it would affect Qu Mansion’s reputation.

As for Yu and the people around her, Qu Zhizhen would not let them appear in front of others again, lest they continued to be a drag to him.

Qu Mingcheng’s words touched him that day. He thought he would anyhow let Yu out in the end. After all, Yu had a daughter and a son.

But now, the idea had faded away. He now thought Yu was just a troublemaker, and the people around her were the same.

Coincidentally, he met Duke Yu in the palace today, so Duke Yu should be in the capital’s Duke Yu Mansion now.

He got on the carriage and headed towards Duke Yu Mansion. As soon as he arrived at Duke Yu Mansion, he asked someone to deliver his letter.

The gatekeeper received the letter and sent it inside. Soon, a young man of fourteen or fifteen years old came out. He was tall, like a man of seventeen or eighteen years old, and handsome. He was Duke Yu’s son, Mo Yixuan, who welcomed guests on behalf of his father.

Qu Zhizhen had met Mo Yixuan when the latter was a child, but he had never seen him since then. Like his parents, Mo Yixuan always kept a low profile. He rarely showed up unless there were important banquets.

Qu Zhizhen found Mo Yixuan a bit familiar, perhaps because he had seen him when he was a child.

“Vice Minister Qu, this way please.” Mo Yixuan stepped forward to greet Qu Zhizhen in a natural manner. It could seem that he was experienced in receiving guests.

“Young Master, it’s very polite of you. Is Duke Yu here?” Qu Zhizhen smiled as he walked in. He looked at Mo Yixuan beside him with admiration. Although his son was very outstanding, he had to admit that Mo Yixuan was even more outstanding.

He behaved decently and calmly, and he was friendly to others. He would keep a proper distance from others, neither close nor detached, and he was not arrogant at all.

His bearing was no ordinary. He lived up to his identity as Duke Yu’s son.

Mo Yixuan talked with Qu Zhizhen as they walked, and they arrived in front of a study. Then, Mo Yixuan stopped and bowed to Qu Zhizhen, “Vice Minister Qu, please go in. My father is waiting for you inside.”

“Thank you, Young Master.” Qu Zhizhen also bowed with a smile.

Mo Yixuan was really good. He had the demeanor of the young Duke Yu back then.

Mo Yixuan turned and left. Qu Zhizhen went into the study and saw Duke Yu sitting in the middle. He hurriedly walked forward and bowed to Duke Yu with a smile.

Duke Yu, Mo Nianheng, looked at Qu Zhizhen and smiled. Then, he gestured to Qu Zhizhen to take a seat and said, “Vice Minister Qu, please sit!”

He was a handsome middle-aged man. Even though he was already middle-aged, it could be seen that he was very handsome when he was young. He had a temperament different from that of ordinary civil officials. Although his fierce temperament had faded away, he still gave off a sense of dignity.

Qu Zhizhen sat down on the guest seat. He heard that Duke Yu disliked beating around the bush the most, so he went straight to the point, “Duke Yu, I came here today for the dispute between the servants of our two mansions. I shouldn’t have been the one to come here, but my wife was too sick to get up, and I heard that Duchess Yu is not in good health.”

Since the matter had gotten to the Ministry of Justice, Duke Yu must know about it as well.

As expected, Duke Yu didn’t beat around the bush. He nodded and asked, “What exactly is going on?”

Qu Zhizhen smiled bitterly. “My wife is seriously ill, and she couldn’t manage the shops. The shopkeeper wanted to earn benefits, so he made such a farce. I don’t know who asked him to do this. The Ministry of Justice is still investigating it. But no matter what, our mansion shared part of the blame, so we should make up for the loss of your mansion.”

As Qu Zhizhen spoke, he took out some checks from his pocket. The total amount of the checks was the same as the money that Yu Qian asked for the shop. Hai Lan had informed him of every detail about the deal. The checks represented Qu Mansion’s apology.

After all, Yu appointed Yu Qian to be the manager, so Qu Mansion could not absolve from the blame.

“Vice Minister Qu, who did you offend?” Duke Yu asked bluntly.

“I don’t know, but it’s normal for an official to unknowingly offend other peers.” Qu Zhizhen smiled even more bitterly. “Not long ago, my mother brought my two daughters to Dabei Temple, and my eldest daughter’s old maid was bribed to cause trouble. It somewhat ruined my two daughters’ reputations.”

He was talking about Granny Qing. He had interrogated the scoundrel, but no matter how he asked the scoundrel, the latter only said that Granny Qing asked him to do this, and he only knew Granny Qing. The scoundrel said that Granny Qing’s master asked her to say so, and there was nothing else.

Qu Zhizhen could do nothing else. He secretly punished the scoundrel in the end.

“I wonder who was behind it?” Duke Yu was astonished.

“I don’t know. Perhaps the person behind these two matters was the same. But no matter what, this matter has to do with us. Duke Yu, I am sorry to cause trouble for you. Please forgive us.” Qu Zhizhen lowered his head in distress.

“Since there are other reasons, please bring the checks back. Let’s wait and see the result of the Ministry of Justice’s investigation.” Duke Yu refused Qu Zhizhen’s checks.

It meant that he would not hold the Qu Mansion accountable. Qu Zhizhen was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked him, “Thank you for your generosity, Duke. I will definitely give you an explanation after I get to the bottom of this.”

He did not expect Duke Yu to be so nice, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’re welcome, Vice Minister Qu. If there is nothing else, please go back. I still have to go out to see my wife.” Duke Yu looked at Qu Zhizhen and said indifferently.

He was ordering Qu Zhizhen to leave. But since the matter had indeed been settled, Qu Zhizhen did not need to waste time here. It was said that Duke Yu had a deep affection for his wife, and it seemed to be true.

“It just so happens that I have something to do. Sorry to trouble you, Duke Yu. Goodbye!” Qu Zhizhen tactfully stood up and cupped his hands towards Duke Yu.

“Vice Minister Qu, you’re welcome.” Duke Yu waved his hand and watched Qu Zhizhen leave. His eyes flickered slightly. Then, he called a young servant beside him and said, “Go and invite Young Master over.”