Xiangzhou Arc: Transmigrating into Another World - Chapter 42: Could it be that his brain was truly kicked by a donkey?

Seeing Hanxiang care about her, Ye Qiaoqiao only gave a few perfunctory words: "I'm fine."

She really had no mood to elaborate right now, so she gently pulled her hand out of Hanxiang's grasp, lifted her feet, and stepped right into the Divine Calculation Pavilion.

Who would have expected that she had barely been inside long enough to drink a cup of tea when a loud clamor arose at the entrance.

It was almost the *Shen* hour, why would anyone still be here at this time?

While Ye Qiaoqiao was pondering inwardly, her steps had already taken her out first to see what was happening outside.

What came into view was a man dressed in a dark brown official robe. The robe was impeccably tailored with exquisite embroidery, displaying the wearer's extraordinary status.

However, when her gaze touched the newcomer's face, a trace of disdain flashed across Ye Qiaoqiao's eyebrows.

The person who had come was none other than Chen Bailei.

He was followed by several junior servants carrying multiple chests, walking straight into her Divine Calculation Pavilion.

Ye Qiaoqiao did not speak, just quietly watching this scene and waiting for Chen Bailei to open his mouth.

Upon seeing Ye Qiaoqiao, Chen Bailei stood up straight, with quite a bit of the feeling of someone terrified of being relegated to an inferior position, and said loftily, "I have returned these silver taels to you, and I hope you will not stir up trouble in the future!"

Ye Qiaoqiao chuckled softly: "Weren't you unwilling to give them on that day? Why are you returning them now?"

Chen Bailei's complexion turned the color of a pig's liver; she really had to poke at a sore spot.

Yet he still hardened his mouth and said, "It's already good enough that I'm returning them to you, what else could you possibly expect?"

"Since you've returned them, just place them in the courtyard!" Seeing this, Ye Qiaoqiao did not retort, but said with a cold expression.

Hearing this, the servants behind him carried the chests and placed them in the courtyard one by one in order.

Ye Qiaoqiao watched steadily, then had Uncle Zhang step forward to calculate and tally them.

Once the calculation was clear, Uncle Zhang reported to Ye Qiaoqiao: " Replying to the young miss, the amount is correct."

"That's good then, pack them away," Ye Qiaoqiao instructed her own people.

Then her eyes turned towards Chen Bailei, and she said in a tone of chasing someone away: "You can leave now."

Not only did Chen Bailei not move an inch, but instead, spotting a rattan chair in the courtyard, he sat straight down right onto it and asked, "Where is my mother?"

Watching this rogue-like behavior of his, Ye Qiaoqiao smiled and asked in return, "How would I know about your mother?"

"My mother came here to cause trouble a few days ago, how could she just vanish without a trace?" Chen Bailei wore a look of utter disbelief.

He felt that whatever Ye Qiaoqiao was saying was just lying to him, and the disappearance of his mother must definitely have something to do with Ye Qiaoqiao.

Ye Qiaoqiao crossed her arms, pursed her lips, and said, "You still know your mother came here to cause trouble, then!"

"So you do know news of her?" Chen Bailei seemed to react to something and immediately asked Ye Qiaoqiao.

Ye Qiaoqiao spread her hands and then said, "To exact revenge on me, your mother fornicated with someone and had that person plot to put me to death. Fortunately, I am blessed and survived, and I'm doing quite well."

Chen Bailei listened, feeling increasingly out of breath in his heart.

Ye Qiaoqiao's thin lips curled slightly: "She was sent to the yamen that day, and Magistrate Dong said she would be dealt with according to the laws of Nanli. As for whether she will be eating lifelong prison food next, I am not clear either."

How could this be?

Chen Bailei was greatly shocked, tumbling backward off the rattan chair with a thud.

Disregarding the pain, he grabbed Ye Qiaoqiao's clothing and shouted angrily, "It must be that you used some filthy schemes against my mother, which is why she ended up like that!"

"Is that so?" Ye Qiaoqiao hooked her lips and retorted.

Looking at the disheveled and pathetic Chen Bailei on the ground, Ye Qiaoqiao felt no pity, but instead said ruthlessly: "Whether it was your mother who used filthy schemes, or your newly wedded third concubine, you should know that much better than I do, shouldn't you? In this massive courtyard, how is it that it was precisely my home that a thief broke into?"

Chen Bailei's pupils constricted.

This Ye Qiaoqiao knew everything!

She actually knew that it was Xiang Ling'er who had found people to steal her gold leaves, all so that the crime could be committed quietly without a trace, leaving Ye Qiaoqiao completely unaware and forced to swallow this bitter pill in silence.

Yet now she actually knew it all.

Could the matter concerning his mother be true?

Thinking up to this point, he couldn't help but curse fiercely at Ye Qiaoqiao: "Ye Qiaoqiao, you are ruthless enough!"

"Compared to you, we are even," Ye Qiaoqiao said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Chen Bailei laboriously crawled up from the ground, patted the dust off his clothes, and then said viciously to Ye Qiaoqiao: "I am not finished with you over this matter!"

"Oh? Is that so? Then let's wait and see," Ye Qiaoqiao said nonchalantly, not showing much fear at all.

Chen Bailei flicked his sleeves and left the Divine Calculation Pavilion.

Ye Qiaoqiao curled her lips, watched the retreating back of Chen Bailei, and felt internally disgusted for a moment.

Not only did he cause the death of the original body, but he also thought she was the one who harmed his mother.

Truly, once a person becomes vile, they can conjure up any kind of absurdity.

Ye Qiaoqiao turned around and walked back into the room.

Having watched this entire show, Hanxiang felt that her young miss was simply amazing and followed her inside.

Looking at the furnishings inside the room and thinking of the gold and silver treasures just received, Ye Qiaoqiao called Uncle Zhang in and said, "This courtyard will be left in your hands from now on."

"Young miss, what do you mean?" Uncle Zhang asked, completely baffled.

Hanxiang on the side was also in a fog of confusion, though she knew the young miss had mentioned before about going to the capital.

Could it be because of this that she wanted to leave the courtyard for Uncle Zhang to manage?

Thinking this, she still said nothing.

Ye Qiaoqiao's expression looked somewhat weary, but she still forced herself to say: "I am going to the capital this time, and I do not know when I will return. I will have to trouble Uncle Zhang to look after things here."

"Why is the young miss going to the capital?" Hearing Ye Qiaoqiao say this, Uncle Zhang felt a deep reluctance in his heart.

If it weren't for some major event, their young miss would never cast him aside like this.

Ye Qiaoqiao rubbed her brow and then said: "You needn't worry about that; in the future, this courtyard will naturally be entrusted to your care."

Many things—such as the trip to the capital being intended to root out the person behind Crown Prince's fate-swapping ordeal—were simply not suitable for Uncle Zhang and the others to know, so she could only choose to keep it hidden.

Uncle Zhang nodded and agreed: "Very well, I promise the young miss that I will guard this place well and ensure nothing goes wrong here."

"Good," Ye Qiaoqiao nodded.

A trace of gratification flashed through her eyes.

Making a quick mental calculation, there was still the night of the full moon, only seven days left.

And she had provoked Shen Jianzhou yesterday.

Thinking about it, there would probably be a period of time when she wouldn't be able to see him.

At this moment, a junior servant wearing short blue cloth garments walked in. Ye Qiaoqiao lifted her gaze and saw it was none of other than Magistrate Dong's junior servant from the yamen.

Ye Qiaoqiao furrowed her brows slightly.

Yet she saw the servant speaking with a beaming smile: "Miss Ye, my master asked me to bring a message to you, saying that the Crown Prince has already departed for the capital and has left a letter for you; please examine it."

He already had the jade pendant, yet he still left a letter for her?

Was his brain truly kicked by a donkey?

Indeed, he must have wanted to avoid seeing her so much that he rushed off to the capital this quickly.

Thinking of this, Ye Qiaoqiao said: "Thank your master for me, and by the way, hand that letter over."

The servant stepped forward and handed the envelope to Ye Qiaoqiao.

Ye Qiaoqiao accepted it without opening it immediately.

Instead, she said indifferently: "I have received the letter, you may head back first!"

"Understood," the servant nodded and turned to leave.

Only then did Ye Qiaoqiao open the envelope, and seeing the contents inside, she was visibly startled.

Written upon it were eight large characters: "The vows to the mountains remain, but heartfelt messages are hard to entrust."