The deposed empress married a prince, and the dog emperor wept with regret!

Chapter 187 Tong Qian's Downfall

The evidence against Tong Qian was irrefutable and irrefutable. The Emperor did not want to hear any further explanations from him and sentenced him to immediate execution in accordance with the law.

However, because Tong Qian embezzled such a large sum of money, the execution would not be carried out until the Ministry of Revenue had verified the amount and the embezzled funds.

Tong Qian was locked in a solitary cell. Apart from a tiny, breathable window, the cell had walls on three sides, with only a small door in one of the walls.

Tong Qian's limbs were all locked with heavy iron chains, and there was also an iron chain around his waist that secured him to the wall.

He had considered that one day he might end up like that when he was doing those things. But people have a tendency to take chances and speculate, and he always felt that he wouldn't end up like that.

The cell was dimly lit. Knowing he was sentenced to immediate execution, Tong Qian didn't even have time to feel fear. He was still thinking about his entire treasury of treasures, which were about to fall into the hands of that damned emperor!

And there are his hidden valuables nearby!

Just as he was feeling regretful, a voice came from the doorway.

"Lord Tong! Lord Tong!" The man whispered, his voice barely audible. "Lord You sent me to ask you, as colleagues, do you have any last wishes?"

Tong Qian slowly moved his eyes, cursing You Mingwang, that old scoundrel, in his heart.

He knew he definitely had some private assets, so he wanted to squeeze some money out of me before I died!

But thinking of his descendants, Tong Qian still held a sliver of hope for You Mingwang. Although You Mingwang was a bit of a coward, his character was still trustworthy. And the money he had left behind would be enough for his descendants to live on for a lifetime.

Having received Tong Qian's words, the minor official scurried away like a mouse.

At the manor outside the capital, Fang Rao personally led people to the place Tong Qian had mentioned and dug up everything.

The workers were dumbfounded when they saw the several boxes full of money. So much money! Although they had no greed, they couldn't help but swallow hard when they saw the silver.

"Alright, let's head back to the manor after we move." With that, Fang Rao opened the box and tossed a gold brick to each of them. He planned to finish quickly before dawn.

Everyone stuffed the gold bricks into their pockets and then got to work with great enthusiasm.

As dawn broke, the examination hall prepared to open its gates to let the candidates out. Carriages from various families were parked in front of the hall, completely blocking the alleyway.

The servants who knew each other were chatting, and everyone felt that a lot had happened in just a few days.

First, the Ministry of War lost its weapons, then the Vice Minister of Revenue, and then the Imperial Concubine killed Empress Jingxian. It's like a series of scandalous events, one after another, they're all stuffed with gossip.

Cui Yan emerged from the examination hall with unsteady steps, his eyes glazed over, and dark circles under his eyes looking as if he'd been punched twice. The servant who greeted him had a similar pale complexion, almost deathly so. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the two of them had been taking the exams together in the examination hall for days.

"Young master, you'd better go back and see! Madam and Master had a fight, and she's gone back to her parents' home!"

Upon hearing the news, Cui Yan rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. His father always said that his mother lacked common sense and was overly sentimental, and his father was right.

These are truly troublesome times. She's even making a fuss about going back to her parents' home. Isn't that just making us a laughingstock?

Cui Yan hurried home, and his house looked desolate compared to when he went to the examination hall. It was still the same house, but it felt as if a layer of gray gauze had been shrouded in it, exuding a sense of decay and sorrow.

"Father, I heard that Mother went back to her parents' home."

When Cui Maosheng saw his son return, he had prepared a table full of food for him. Upon hearing him mention Madam Cui, he impatiently waved his sleeve and said, "Never mind her, we'll live just fine without her!"

Cui Yan thought about it and also felt that Madam Cui had gone too far this time. How could things have escalated to this point! Moreover, he still harbored some resentment towards Madam Cui. If she hadn't disapproved of his marriage to Yongle and hadn't been so unenthusiastic about the wedding, Yongle wouldn't have been engaged to that boy from the Shen family.

Before the exam, he tried to see Yongle, but he couldn't. Princess Xuan kept a close watch on Yongle, so messages couldn't get through. He was busy with the exam, so he planned to contact Yongle after leaving the examination hall.

"Father, I still want to try to win over Princess Yongle." After all, Yongle was so determined to marry him before, he didn't believe that she would fall for someone else in such a short time.

Seeing that his son and he had the same idea, Cui Maosheng dismissed the servants and took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handed it to him.

He whispered, "Son, take this. You can use it if necessary!"

Cui Yan looked at his father in confusion, "What is this?"

"Once she becomes your woman, aren't you afraid she won't listen to you?"

Cui Yan immediately understood what kind of medicine it was. He hesitated for a moment, but still put it in his pocket.

"What about my mother..."

"Don't bother with her! Let her suffer a bit at her parents' house, and she'll learn that a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl, and no one will welcome her!"

Madam Cui had indeed suffered mistreatment at her parents' home. That day, she went out under the pretext of buying things for her mother, but in reality, she didn't want to stay at home and suffer her sister-in-law's temper.

"Madam, that looks like Miss Shen," said the old nanny beside her, looking at the young woman selecting fabrics at the counter.

Madam Cui looked at the girl dressed in simple clothes and wearing only a jade hairpin in her hair. After hesitating for a while, she still went up to her.

"Miss Shen."

Shen Qingyu turned to look at Madam Cui, paused for a moment, and then recognized who it was.

"Madam Cui."

Both of them were a little embarrassed, but Madam Cui spoke first: "Congratulations to your younger brother on his upcoming marriage to Princess Yongle."

Shen Qingyu glanced somewhat nervously at Madam Cui, but seeing that the expression on her face was genuine, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. After all, this could be considered a major hijacking for the Cui family.

"If Madam doesn't mind, you can come and have a drink later."

"Alright, alright! What kind of material are you picking out?"

“With summer approaching and the weather getting hot, I’ve come here to pick out some fabric for the children at the Tzu Chi Foundation to make summer clothes. Those children grow so fast; the clothes they could wear last year are too small for them this year.”

"Then I'll go with you to take a look."

Shen Qingyu didn't understand Madam Cui's intentions, but she still asked her to help her choose. For her, she had never personally selected inexpensive and practical fabrics before; she had only bought them for their looks, after all, the Shen family wouldn't let her go hungry.

Madam Cui helped her choose several bolts of cloth and even went to the Tzu Chi Foundation with her. Shen Qingyu could sense her curiosity and longing for the Tzu Chi Foundation from her words, and gradually lowered her guard.

Madam Cui also found a place to go. At first, she went to the Tzu Chi Foundation every day and found that many people were surrounding her there. With her talent and experience, she quickly won the favor of the supervising nannies and children.

Madam Cui liked them very much because they were all obedient!

Later, she moved directly into the Tzu Chi Foundation, so much so that the Lu family thought she had returned to her husband's family, while her husband's family thought she was still at her parents' home!

Of course, this is a story.