She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 324 Those who wish take the bait

The spies of the Prince of Zhenbei closely monitored the movements of key figures in Northern Qi, focusing primarily on the forces behind important court officials and favored concubines.

You will then have some understanding of the relationship between the Imperial Tutor and the Lin family.

Shen Qingtan frowned, turned the roster to the Lin family page, and saw a detailed relationship diagram with notes on key events.

She saw the information in the register and finally understood why Lin Yi was hostile to the Imperial Tutor. His daughter had disappeared after being taken away by the Imperial Tutor.

Regardless of whether he died at the hands of the Imperial Tutor or not, Lin Yi would hold the Imperial Tutor responsible for this.

In addition, Lin Yi is also the brother of Consort Shu.

Lin Yi sent his daughter to the Imperial Tutor, probably hoping to win him over and pave the way for Consort Shu's son.

The Imperial Tutor took the person away, and there was no trace of him, neither alive nor dead, which meant that he had broken ties with the Lin family and Consort Shu.

Consort Shu wanted her son to be the crown prince, so how could she tolerate the emperor's tutor taking power?

During this outbreak of plague in Yingcheng, Lin Yi and Consort Shu took the opportunity to attack the Imperial Tutor.

Shen Qingtan said worriedly, "Lin Yi spread rumors, slandering the Imperial Tutor for ignoring the plague in Yingcheng, which led to the spread of the plague to other cities in Northern Qi. In order to confirm the rumors and ruin the Imperial Tutor's reputation, he will definitely stop the Imperial Tutor from dealing with the plague."

The Imperial Tutor assigned Zhao Yi to manage the plague, and Zhao Yi became the first person Lin Yi attacked.

Sun Wu instantly understood the meaning behind Shen Qingtan's words: Zhao Yi would become a sacrifice in the power struggle between the Imperial Tutor and Lin Yi.

"Lin Yi sent his trusted confidant to Yingcheng?" Sun Wu's expression turned solemn. "I'm going to Yingcheng to deliver the message to the Second Master, to prevent him from being persecuted."

"Deputy General Sun, thank you for your trouble."

Shen Qingtan was worried about Zhao Yi, fearing that he might be targeted by Lin Yi because of the unequal access to information.

"This is my duty." Sun Wu took the tea that Tingxue had brought him, gulped it down, and hurriedly left the room.

Shen Qingtan continued to peruse the registers, clarifying the relationships between the various families, and gained a better understanding of the situation.

At this moment, Liu Yue came in from outside, took a handkerchief to brush the snow off her body, and then came to Shen Qingtan's side.

"Second Madam, palace maids and eunuchs request an audience with you and await your arrangements."

Shen Qingtan closed the book and looked up at Liu Yue: "Go and tell them that I am tired today and will not see them for the time being. We will arrange their whereabouts after things have settled down in a few days."

Liu Yue replied, "This servant will go right away."

"Wait a minute," Shen Qingtan instructed. "Go to the trunk and get a bag of silver. Give each person five taels of silver and treat them to a pot of wine."

Liu Yue was taken aback, unsure of her master's thoughts.

Shen Qingtan continued to instruct, "Be respectful to them. We're new here and don't know anyone. We'll have to rely on them for many things."

Liu Yue pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Did you instruct me to do this on purpose?"

Shen Qingtan gave Liu Yue an approving look: "Second Master's identity is special. This is our first time in the capital, and we are all alone and helpless. These eunuchs and palace maids grew up in the deep palace and all have masters behind them. They are probably all here with missions. Only by eliminating their wariness of us and making them think that we are easy to manipulate will they easily reveal their true colors."

Liu Yue understood and said with a smile, "This servant knows what to do."

Shen Qingtan beckoned Liu Yue to come closer.

Liu Yue leaned closer to listen.

Shen Qingtan gave her a few instructions.

Liu Yue nodded, went to the inner room to get her things, put them in her sleeve pocket, and then opened the door and walked out of the courtyard.

The palace maids and eunuchs stood neatly at the courtyard gate. Hearing the commotion inside, they subconsciously looked up and saw Liuyue walking alone, but the mistress of the mansion was nowhere to be seen.

Liu Yue smiled and said warmly, "Dear gentlemen, sisters, and cousins, the mistress is tired today and has already rested in her room. You may go back now. You can come and pay your respects again after the mistress has settled down."

Everyone looked at Liu Yue in surprise, completely unexpected that Shen Qingtan would not see them.

After all, they were bestowed upon them by the Emperor of Northern Qi.

No matter how high Shen Qingtan's status was in the Great Zhou Dynasty, after arriving in the Northern Qi Dynasty, she was nothing more than a prince's wife with no power or influence.

If one is intelligent, one should curb one's arrogance and meet them.

But Shen Qingtan found an excuse and deliberately ignored them.

They looked at each other, unable to tell whether Shen Qingtan was a fool who, presumptuously held onto his status, didn't even give His Majesty any face.

Is Shen Qingtan more cunning, or is there another motive behind his actions today?

"The mistress was raised in seclusion and pampered, and the long journey from the capital of the Great Zhou to the capital of the Northern Qi, a distance of several thousand miles, is truly exhausting. Please forgive her and don't take it to heart."

Liu Yue took out a money pouch from her sleeve, stuffed a piece of silver into each person's hand, and said with a smile, "We are new to Northern Qi, completely clueless, and know nothing about anything. We will have to rely on you to guide us in the future, so as not to offend any important people."

Looking at the silver in their hands and Liu Yue's fawning manner, everyone concluded that Shen Qingtan was truly physically unable to cope, which was why she hadn't summoned them.

Although they were of lowly status, they came from the palace and were bestowed by His Majesty, so everyone would give them some face.

If someone is arrogant, stupid, and ignorant, they wouldn't be bribed with money.

“The princess is the master, and we are servants. It is our duty to serve our master. We cannot be expected to rely on her.” The eunuch and the palace maid clutched the silver in their hands: “Sister Liuyue, you are really too kind to us.”

Liu Yue hesitated, her smile somewhat forced, and instead of explaining further, she said, "Please bear with me for what happened today."

Everyone understood immediately: "The Crown Princess is unwell, so we did not come to the courtyard to request an audience today."

They promised not to tell anyone that they had been turned away today.

Liu Yue breathed a sigh of relief: "His Highness and the Princess Consort love reading and brought a lot of books from the Great Zhou. If any of you have time, please help organize them and put them in the study in the front courtyard."

After she finished speaking, she carefully observed everyone's expressions, as if worried about displeasing them.

Everyone took in Liu Yue's expression, exchanged glances with those around them, and three or four people pushed and shoved their way forward: "We were assigned to serve His Highness and the Princess Consort. We are not currently on duty in the manor, so please leave the task of organizing the books to us."

"Thank you for your hard work." Liu Yue closed the courtyard gate. "Let me take you to the study."

The four people who volunteered to tidy up the study followed Liuyue to the study.

There were seven or eight boxes in the study.

Liu Yue walked up to a lacquered and gilded chest and pointed to the other chests, saying, "You guys sort out the books from these chests."

As Liu Yue carried the lacquered and gilded box into the inner room of the study, the group's eyes flickered slightly. They composed themselves, opened the box, and took out the books one by one, placing them on the shelf.

Just then, a clear voice came from outside the door: "Sister Liuyue, are you here?"

Several people turned their heads and recognized the person standing at the door as another maidservant serving Shen Qingtan.

"I'm here," Liu Yue said as she came out from the inner room.

Tingxue quickly said, "Second Grandma had a headache before, and now she feels cold all over. She wants to drink the ginger soup you make to dispel the cold."

Liu Yue's expression changed, and she quickly walked outside: "I'll go take a look."

As the group watched Liuyue and Tingxue leave, they glanced furtively into the inner room of the study.