Chapter 50: Qinghu’s Task

"Your brother? Well, I see. He's a clever monkey like you. It's my bad luck to run into you and your brother."

Qinghu did not regard himself as an outsider. He flopped into a chair and looked at Lin Mengya with a smile.

"So, why do you come over here? You don't want to just chat with me, right?"

After meeting Qinghu several times, she realized that he was not so cold and ruthless as he looked.

After all, not everyone could be able to maintain their nature under such inhumane torture.

She believed that if she cured Qinghu one day, he could be able to control his temper despite that he may not become a good person.

"I come here because someone gave me a lot of money and asked me to steal something from your room."

Lin Mengya rolled her eyes and looked at the guy who was smiling at her.

"When did you change your career and choose to be a thief?"

Lin Mengya looked at him with disdain. Although Qinghu was thick-skinned, he still blushed with shame.

"Why do you look at me like this? It's all your fault! I let you go the last time and the employer changed the mind. You ungrateful brat! I suffered a lot because of you!"

In an instant, Lin Mengya got goose bumps all over. Why was this guy so shameless?

However, she had to believe him.

It was said that the Peach Blossom Dock was strict in discipline and it was also hard to be the young lord of this organization.

"By the way, what do you want to steal?"

Lin Mengya placated Lin Zhongyu who looked anxious and tight. She clearly knew that Qinghu would not hurt her.

"I want to steal an imperial edict."

Imperial edict? Lin Mengya raised her eyebrows. Why did someone want to get it? It was useless.

"In fact, my activity is not limited to your mansion. I have come to all families in the capital city who received an imperial edict before. But I found nothing. I'm curious to know where do you hide the imperial edict. Why can't I find them?"

It seemed that Qinghu just asked her carelessly but Lin Mengya responded with a sneer.

"Do you want to elicit information from me? No way!"

Lin Mengya didn't give him any chance and refused decisively.

Qinghu realized that he had no chance to get important information from her. So he curled his lips and disappeared from her room.

This guy came over here to deliver a message and do her a favor. But Lin Mengya always felt embarrassed after hearing what he said.

"Sister Princess, why do they want the imperial edict?"

Lin Mengya also frowned. The imperial edict could be both useful and useless. It depended on how you handle it.

But the Emperor was not as healthy as he used to be in these years, and therefore most of the imperial edicts were issued by the Empress with her seals on it.

No!

The Emperor issued an imperial edict before to confer on her the title of Princess Yu. She remembered that there was the seal of the Emperor on it. Do they…

"Xiaoyu, please go out and play with Biazhi. I have something to do now!"

Lin Mengya hurried to the study room of Long Tianhao. The guards outside of the room knew her, so they didn't stop her from coming in.

But she didn't expect that Long Tianhao had already left before.

"Where is the Prince?" Lin Mengya looked at Steward Deng with anxiety.

"The Prince has gone out to do something and he only brought Lin Kui with him."

Steward Deng looked at the Princess in front of him with doubts. What happened? Why was she so worried and anxious?

"Ask him to go to the Qinglan Courtyard when he comes back. Please remember that I have important things to discuss with him and he must be quick!"

If her surmise were right, then everything could be explained.

The statuette of Songzi Guanyin was not used to kill her. The Empress wanted to use it to put everyone in Prince Yu's Mansion in prison.

Breaking a statuette of Songzi Guanyin was not a horrible mistake.

They would be grounded. After months of austerity and confession, they could be released.

But countless events might happen in this period of time!

If Qinghu hadn't told her this news, she couldn't have known the truth.

"Aunt Jinyue, where is my mother?"

Jinyue found that the Princess was very anxious, so she answered immediately.

"Concubine De is having a rest. Princess, what happened?"

Lin Mengya suddenly realized that these were all her guesses and she had no evidence now.

"I… Nothing. I just come here to pay respects to mother. Since she is asleep, I'd better leave now."

But Jingyue came out of the main hall of the Art Courtyard when Lin Mengya stopped talking with Jinyue.

"Princess, Concubine De wants to see you."

Damn it! Concubine De woke up!

"Alright."

Lin Mengya regained her calmness and followed Jingyue to the room of Concubine De.

"What happened? Why do you come over here so anxiously?"

Concubine De just woke up from her nap. Her hair was slightly ruffled and she looked tired and sluggish.

Lin Mengya suddenly had an idea and gave Concubine De a clever smile.

"I'm sorry to disturb you. I come over here to pay respects to you. Besides, I also want to ask some questions about your birthday party. It's my first time to organize your party and I don't want to make mistakes and get you angry."

Lin Mengya said softly. And what she had said made Concubine De satisfied.

Looking at this cute girl, Concubine De stopped frowning and smiled.

"Well, you're a considerate kid. You can discuss these problems with Aunt Jinyue. I'm tired these days, so I can't discuss these details with you youngsters."

Concubine De rubbed the area between her eyebrows. Lin Mengya was sure that she had suffered from a chronic disease for a long time.

"Mother, I always massaged my father's shoulders before I get married. Perhaps I can help to relieve your suffering."

But Concubine De waved her hands and refused.

"Many imperial doctors have tried to cure my illness, but they all failed. You're just a little girl and I don't think you're better than them. You can leave now."

"Yes."

Lin Mengya left obediently. But she always felt that the chronic disease of Concubine De was very weird.

Long Tianhao was not in the mansion for the next ten days.

Lin Mengya was very anxious and worried. But she had no other choice but to prepare for the birthday party of Concubine De.

"Princess, this is the golden silk we are going to use at the birthday party. Please have a look."

"Princess, these are all the dishes we are going to serve the guest. Please have a look."

"Princess, this is the guest list of the birthday party, please have a look."

Lin Mengya was busy getting all these details settled.

It was the task of the Ministry of Internal Order to prepare for the birthday party of the empresses.

But the Empress said that Prince Yu's Mansion should finish all these things since Concubine De was living in the mansion now.

But she didn't expect that it was so troublesome to handle these affairs.

She couldn't make any mistakes and bring shame on the Prince. Besides, she also needed to take everything into consideration, which tired her out.

After thinking for a while, she decided that she couldn't waste her precious time on these trivial matters.

"I ask all of you to come over here today because I want to break our tasks into small steps."

Early in the morning, Lin Mengya asked the servant girls, women and butlers to come over here. She needed to give them some instructions.

"From today on, you need to report problems related to needlework and decoration to Aunt Liu at first. If Aunt Liu can't decide, you can tell Baiji. If Baiji is also confused, you can ask me."

"Report all the problems related to the guest list and return gift to Steward Deng at first. You can ask me if he can't make a decision. Sort out all the other chores and report to Baishao."

Everyone immediately bowed and listened to her instructions carefully.

They thought that this new master was young and they could fish in troubled waters.

But they didn't expect that they were wrong. She didn't make any mistakes in the past few days and arranged everything in an orderly way now.

"Yes! We'll follow your instructions!"

But Lin Mengya still didn't feel relaxed despite that she had broken the tasks into easy-to-accomplish steps.

The butler mentioned by the old woman had already been arrested by her. He didn't hold anything back and told her everything before she had tortured him.

A strange guard bribed the butler and told him that he had fallen in love with a servant girl in Prince Yu's Mansion.

But the servant girl had signed an irrevocable contract with the master.

So they had no alternative but to bribe the butler. If the old woman could find some forbidden items in the girl's room, they would throw her out.

But the butler was scared after finding that the old woman dared to check the room of the Princess.

He wanted to pack up and run away. But he was caught by the Steward Deng.

"Where is the old woman?"

Lin Mengya suddenly felt that something was wrong. The old woman was so daring and even entered her room. This was strange.

"Princess, the old woman drowned herself in a well."

"What?!"

Lin Mengya didn't expect that the old woman had died!

"Find the corpse of the old woman! I want to examine it in person!"

Steward Deng was stunned. He didn't expect that the Princess wanted to examine the corpse in person!

"But this is not appropriate. The corpse will bring bad luck and may offend the birthday party of Concubine De."

Lin Mengya looked at Steward Deng and found that he was very superstitious.

"OK, then please find an abandoned icehouse to keep the corpse of the old woman. I'll examine it later."

Steward Deng nodded and left to finish his task.

"Miss Lin, both of them have their own tasks. What can I do?"

Baizhi was different from Baishao and Baiji. She didn't have anything to do now.

Lin Mengya thought for a while and found a perfect task for her.

"This task is of great importance. I need someone who has a great taste to try the dishes in the kitchen. Do you want to do this?"

Baizhi, who was bored and upset before, suddenly became excited and nearly jumped up with joy.

"Miss Lin, you know me very well! You're so nice to me!"

Lin Mengya pulled her to stop her from being highly conceited.

"By the way, you have another task in the kitchen. Please check the food and drink of Concubine De and see if there is any regular pattern in her diet. Be careful and don't let others find this. Do you understand?"

Baizhi nodded vigorously. She would try her best to finish Miss Lin's task.

Moreover, eating and drinking were her strong points!

"Well, you can go to the kitchen now. Go back with Baishao and Baiji and tell me everything you find at night."

Baizhi rushed to the kitchen happily and Lin Mengya was lost in thought.

Everything happened too fast. What was the connection between all these events?