northernbook Chapter 159 The Old Fox
Chapter 159 The Old Fox
Ye Qinghao suddenly shoved Liu Xueying away. Liu Xueying leaned back abruptly and quickly braced herself with her hands to avoid falling. Once she regained her balance, Liu Xueying looked up at Ye Qinghao with red eyes, appearing aggrieved and on the verge of tears.
But Ye Qinghao didn't even look at her: "Get lost."
After uttering this single word, Ye Qinghao turned and walked towards the main hall: "Someone, help me change my clothes."
When Ye Qing'an and Jiu Xiao saw him coming, they quickly returned to the Cloud Dream Realm.
“Heartless, cruel.” Jiu Xiao clicked his tongue. “Your father has no heart at all, does he? No matter what, Liu Xueying served him for many years.”
"Heart?"
Ye Qing'an scoffed: "How can a person not have a heart? Of course he does, but his heart can't hold anyone, whether it's his wife, his children, or anyone else. It can only hold power, status, ambition, and schemes."
Jiu Xiao blinked: "That doesn't make sense either. If he only cared about these things, why did he choose Liu Xueying instead of your mother? After all, your mother's background was much better than Liu Xueying's, wasn't it? Wouldn't a powerful and influential in-law family be more beneficial to his future?"
"That's not necessarily true." Ye Qing'an raised her eyes slightly. She had seen too many things like this in her past life.
"Perhaps at first, Ye Qinghao did think that way. However, not long after marrying my unfortunate mother, he realized that if the powerful and influential Yue family was willing to stand behind him, they would be his support. But if the path he wanted to take was exactly the opposite of that of the Yue family, then the powerful and influential Yue family would only become an obstacle to him."
Jiuxiao narrowed his eyes: "Contradictory?"
Ye Qing'an's face was full of nonchalance: "For example, one is for power, and the other is for loyalty. For example, one is an honest official and the other is a corrupt official. For example, one is desperately trying to squeeze into the struggle for the throne and form factions, while the other only wants to be aloof."
Jiuxiao exclaimed, "That is indeed a problem."
"So, Ye Qinghao suffered at the hands of the Su family, his in-laws. At first, he climbed a lot up the social ladder with the help of the Su family, but later he found that the Su family was against him."
"Back then, Ye Qinghao went to great lengths to bring down the Su family."
"I'm afraid it was because he suffered a lot and learned a lot from that incident. So after my mother died, he didn't choose a woman from a good family in Wangjing as his second wife, but instead promoted Liu Xueying from among the concubines in the inner quarters."
"Liu Xueying thought she had climbed to this position through her own means, but little did she know that it was all just a coincidence."
"It just so happens that Ye Qinghao needs a second wife, but he doesn't want another wife from an outstanding family. If he wants to shut up the gossips outside, it's most suitable to find one in his own backyard."
Jiu Xiao glanced at Ye Qing'an and clicked his tongue lightly: "Impressive."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Do you think your maternal grandfather really had evidence?"
Ye Qing'an laughed: "My maternal grandfather was also a cunning old fox. There's naturally no evidence..."
"Huh?" Jiuxiao was clearly disappointed. "So it's just verbal threats? That's so boring."
“How could it not be interesting? Didn’t you see? The Emperor has already sent someone to invite my maternal grandfather to the palace.” Ye Qing’an’s eyes curved into a smile: “Didn’t you hear that when we left just now, Ye Qinghao was calling for someone to change clothes? It’s obvious that he also wants to go to the palace.”
Jiuxiao didn't understand: "So what?"
"What do you think my maternal grandfather would say after he meets the Emperor?"
Jiu Xiao thought for a moment: "Would they accuse Ye Qinghao of killing his daughter and mistreating his granddaughter?"
“No.” Ye Qing’an shook her head: “Grandfather will not say anything. When he enters the palace, he will only exchange pleasantries with the Emperor.”
Jiuxiao's eyes were full of suspicion: "How did you know?"
"Of course I know that when my maternal grandfather enters the palace, he will not mention the Ye family's affairs. But Ye Qinghao will most likely think that my maternal grandfather went to the Emperor to complain about him. If he can't help but ask the Emperor first when he sees him."
Ye Qing paused for a moment, then smiled brightly: "The Emperor might not have known anything before, but he probably has to ask. In that case, Ye Qinghao can be said to have personally brought the matter to the Emperor's attention."
"In this way, his actions seem more like he has something to hide and is trying to cover it up."
Jiuxiao's eyes widened: "Wow... he really is a thousand-year-old fox."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Ye Qing'an: "Another litter of little foxes has been born."
"Excellent."
Jiu Xiao rolled his eyes: "What about Liu Xueying? What are you going to do with her?"
Ye Qing'an casually lowered her head, took a pastry from the plate beside her, and took a bite: "Liu Xueying, of course I can't let her go either. Isn't she deliberately showing weakness and giving up her power in managing the household affairs in order to see who betrayed her and sided with me behind her back?"
"Then I'll find a way to prevent her from ever taking back control of the central administration."
Ye Qing'an thought for a moment: "Although there is no evidence that she harmed my mother, I can still let the rumors spread first."
"Although there is no evidence that she harmed my mother, she has done a lot of shady things before. I don't believe that she could have done so without leaving any trace."
Jiuxiao's eyes widened: "From what you're saying, you're planning to cause some trouble? You really are something, as if this manor isn't chaotic enough already."
As Jiuxiao said this, his face was full of excitement: "Quick, quick, tell me, how are you planning to cause trouble?"
Ye Qing'an glanced at Jiu Xiao and smiled: "No rush, we'll take it one step at a time and proceed slowly."
After saying that, Ye Qing'an tilted her head and thought for a moment: "How about we start with the things that Ye Qinghao hates the most?"
Jiuxiao blinked: "What is the thing that Ye Qinghao is most afraid of?"
Ye Qing'an smiled: "What is the thing that men fear most?"
“Of course…” Jiu Xiao’s eyes lit up: “Women who cheat on their partners, the children aren’t his?”
"Pah..." Ye Qing'an spat at him: "What you said is only one aspect, and we will arrange it slowly later. Right now, the thing Ye Qinghao fears most is his offspring. The Ye family is a prestigious family, and having many offspring is extremely important. If someone tries every means to harm his children, he will definitely not let them off easily."
Ye Qing'an sat up slightly and said, "Let's start with the two things: Liu Xueying bribing Mr. Lingjun to give me and Feiran random lessons, and Liu Xueying killing Third Aunt's child."
"If Liu Xueying wants to cover it up, then I'll just have to investigate it myself. Then I'll put it out in the open and let everyone see."