HLnovel Chapter 216 The Fleet Returns
Chapter 216 The Fleet Returns
Seeing her like this, Gao Xian felt an even stronger sense of guilt.
He stood up, walked quickly to her, handed her the handkerchief, and asked, "How come there's blood on this...?"
Mo Qingkui didn't speak, but silently raised her hand.
Gao Xian lowered his eyes, his gaze freezing instantly.
Mo Qingkui's fingertips were covered with countless needle marks.
The needle marks were all red and swollen, a shocking sight.
"What's going on!" Gao Xian exclaimed urgently, quickly taking her hand.
But he didn't dare touch the wounds, afraid of hurting her.
His gaze as he looked at her fingertips was filled with heartache.
Mo Qingkui lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper: "Your Majesty, I know I made a mistake last time and displeased you, so I've been learning embroidery these past two days..."
"These needle marks are from when I was learning embroidery."
Gao Xian was shocked, and his hand holding hers trembled slightly.
He never imagined that Mo Qingkui would go to such lengths for him...
She was the most special woman he had ever met.
She was talented, possessing a vibrant freedom that the women of the imperial harem lacked; she was like the most radiant forsythia in spring, every petal fully unfurled.
She will never bow down; she will always hold her head high and refuse to lower it.
But this time, she actually put in so much effort, torturing herself like this...
His fingertips caressed her palm, his voice full of heartache: "Why were you so foolish?"
Mo Qingkui raised her head, a tear welling up in her eyes, but she forced it back.
Her voice trembled with a sob, “Your Majesty, I just don’t want to disappoint you anymore. I know that I am outspoken and not gentle enough, so I want to learn to do things that women should do to make Your Majesty happy.”
Looking into her tearful eyes, Gao Xian felt as if something had clenched his heart.
He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "I have never thought you were not good enough. You don't need to change yourself for me. I like you just the way you are."
Previously, he was only angry that Mo Qingkui wasn't attentive enough to him.
Now that she's willing to do these things for him, he naturally won't be angry anymore.
Mo Qingkui leaned against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
If she were willing to take action, all those women in the harem would be trampled under her feet in an instant.
That's what makes her different from them.
Within fifteen minutes, the news of Consort Chen regaining favor spread throughout the palace.
The next day.
Qinglan Courtyard was bustling with activity early in the morning.
"Young Madam, you're back! You're back!"
Granny Song strode into the room, her face full of smiles.
"Who's back?"
"The two fleets that our Marquis's mansion bought have returned!" Granny Song said repeatedly. "Captain Li and Captain Yang returned together and just entered the mansion."
"The master just sent someone to tell you, young mistress, to come over as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Qin Jiuwei immediately placed the teacup on the table, her skirt lightly brushing the ground as she walked briskly towards the outside.
Her voice was clear and pleasant, and she smiled as she said, "Let's go collect the money!"
Main courtyard.
As soon as Qin Jiuwei entered the room, she saw boxes upon boxes of pearls and precious stones.
The enormous pearls gleamed in the sunlight, the red coral carvings were lifelike, and the various gemstones were dazzling.
These were all brought back by the fleet when they went out to sea.
As for which fleet brought it back...
Qin Jiu raised her eyes slightly and looked at the two men standing close together.
The man, only forty years old, with a haggard and honest face, kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve; it was Li Feng.
Standing next to him was a young man in his early twenties, with a thin face and bright black eyes.
Qin Jiuwei recognized him almost immediately; he was Yang Cunxing.
Before Yang Cunxing went to sea, he sent a letter to the Marquis's residence, requesting an audience.
But Qin Jiuwei was not in the mansion that day, so they did not see her.
This was the first time the two had met, and Yang Cunxing immediately recognized her and bowed to her.
At that moment, a somewhat shrill female voice rang out from outside the house.
"My God!" Xie Wanning exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the jewelry in the room.
Such high-quality pearls are probably rare even in the palace, yet now they are being displayed in boxes and boxes right in front of them.
"I like this, and this too!"
Xie Wanning went straight forward and started picking through the boxes.
"Wanning, put those things down," the Lady Hou said to her with a gloomy face.
"Mother, what are you doing?" Xie Wanning complained. "This is all money we earned. What's wrong with me picking some out?"
"This wasn't earned by our fleet," Lady Hou said coldly.
Xie Wanning was stunned. "Who is that?"
"This is the profit from the fleet that your sister-in-law chose."
"What?" Xie Wanning looked at Qin Jiuwei in disbelief. "How is this possible? The leader of the fleet she chose is so young, how could he possibly be so capable?"
Qin Jiu smiled faintly, "Second Miss, whether someone is capable or not cannot be judged solely by their age."
"Look," Qin Jiuwei said, her gaze falling on the box of pearls and jade, a smile in her eyes, "isn't this all a testament to skill?"
Xie Wanning choked instantly, her face turning pale and then red.
"What about this one?" Xie Wanning walked to another large box. "This one should be the last one, right? It cost three thousand taels of silver! Surely it shouldn't be empty-handed!"
Lady Hou's lips tightened into a thin line, "This isn't it either..."
"So which one is it?"
Xie Wanning almost lost her temper and nearly jumped up.
"Third Miss, this is the one." Granny Kang handed over a small wooden box.
Xie Wanning opened it without waiting.
Inside, there were only a few scattered pearls and corals, of ordinary quality and scarce in quantity.
Compared to the chests of treasures beside it, it looked pitifully shabby.
"This...this is impossible!" Xie Wanning trembled with anger. "We spent three thousand taels of silver and got this junk in return?"
Li Feng wiped the sweat from his brow and said tremblingly, "Third Miss, the sea is rough, we encountered a storm, and lost a lot of cargo..."
"Useless trash!" Xie Wanning could no longer suppress her temper and slammed the wooden box to the ground, scattering pearls everywhere. "Useless thing!"
"Wan Ning!" Lady Hou shouted sternly, "Mind your manners!"
This child has been spoiled rotten! He has absolutely no manners!
Xie Wanning's eyes were red, and she felt extremely wronged. "But Mother, we earned so little this time, especially compared to..."
Especially compared to Qin Jiuwei!
These huge boxes all belong to her!
In the end, all she got was a small box with nothing inside; it was incredibly shabby!
Lady Hou also felt very uncomfortable.
She had been so confident in choosing Li Feng, but all she brought back was this little bit of stuff!
Yang Cunxing, whom Qin Jiuwei selected, brought back so many things that they almost filled the room!
Nothing more...
Perhaps Yang Cunxing only brought back some things and didn't make much money.
Just as Li Feng and Yang Cunxing arrived, Qin Jiuwei came too, and the two of them hadn't even had a chance to report their expenses.
"Captain Li," Lady Hou called softly, forcing a smile, "how much did you earn this time?"
She still held onto a sliver of hope.
Perhaps Li Feng brought back fewer things because he exchanged them all for silver.