Although Feng Xiwu was curious, Lu Qingwan stopped at that, so he didn't ask further.
He said to himself, "I thought the first thing you would ask about was Marquis Lu's case."
Lu Qingwan's hand pushing the four-wheeled cart stiffened slightly, "It's only been a day, can there be a result?"
For some reason, the moment she swore to her original self that she was Lu Qingwan, she suddenly felt a deeper connection to Lu Zhenting and Princess Anyang.
It was as if they were truly her biological parents.
As long as her mother's death was not settled, she did not dare to see her father, so she could only find excuses to delay time.
Even, the moment she saw Feng Xiwu, she didn't have the courage to step forward and ask.
But she didn't expect Feng Xiwu to tell her with great certainty, "Marquis Wenchang, Lu Zhenshan, his mother Madam Zhang, and his sister Lu Wenting, conspired to murder Marquis Zhaolie, Lu Zhenting, and Princess Anyang. The evidence is conclusive.
I have already presented the details of the case to His Imperial Brother. His Imperial Brother has ordered that the Marquis Wenchang's estate be stripped of its title, and Lu Zhenshan and Madam Zhang be executed tomorrow at three quarters past noon.
Given that Lu Wenting did not directly participate and is already married, her imperial decree is revoked, and she is forbidden to enter the palace for eternity.
The male members of the Marquis Wenchang's household are to be exiled three thousand li, the female members are to be made official prostitutes, and children under ten years old are to be sent to the Enyangyuan without prosecution."
Lu Qingwan was stunned, "Is it true or false? The envoys from Xiliang are coming soon, and His Majesty doesn't care anymore?"
"The imperial edict has already been issued, do you think it's true or false?"
Feng Xiwu was amused by her surprised expression.
"No, I thought that with you here, my parents could get justice, but I didn't expect it to be so smooth."
Lu Qingwan guessed as a matter of course, "You didn't agree to any unequal treaties with His Majesty again, did you?"
"Unequal treaties?"
Feng Xiwu pondered the phrase and realized, "It really is.
His Imperial Brother wants me to attend court as usual from now on and not be lazy anymore. Isn't that an unequal treaty?
My Consort, allow me to remind you, the favors you owe me are increasing, and my only ambition, is it not a bit of a loss?"
"Don't worry, I will definitely find a way to cure your leg."
Lu Qingwan raised three fingers in a gesture of oath, "As long as your leg doesn't recover, I won't leave you. I will keep my word."
She thought her attitude was sincere, but Feng Xiwu's brow twitched. This girl was still thinking of leaving?
Suppressing the anger in his heart, he nodded with extreme calmness, "Alright, then I'll entrust my leg to my Consort.
However, I heard that you had already sold off that dowry?"
He muttered to himself, if you want to use the money to run away, then you won't get a single tael of silver.
Fortunately, Lu Qingwan didn't think that much. Hearing that the Marquis Wenchang's family had received their due punishment, she was in a good mood and said, "Yes, Bai Xinglin is expanding, and there are too many places to spend money.
Moreover, a mere pharmacy has too singular a function. I want Bai Xinglin to treat more patients.
Hiring resident doctors, nurses, and buying medicinal herbs all cost money. That little bit of money is not enough, and I still need to find ways to earn more."
As soon as Feng Xiwu heard that it was to be spent on Bai Xinglin, he was relieved.
He even kindly told Lu Qingwan, "On your wedding day, the dress you wore was very popular among the noble ladies in the capital.
And the barbecue you ate that day, and the stewed goose in an iron pot you talked about, Li Jin has long wanted to ask if those things can be used for business. If you really want to make money, you can discuss it with him. When it comes to making money, Li Jin is a master."
"You should have said so earlier!"
Lu Qingwan was so excited that she even forgot the dignified pretense she had maintained for the past few days, "Where is he? I'll discuss it with him now."
Feng Xiwu sighed, "They have been busy entertaining the envoys these past few days and will only return late at night. You prepare what you need to prepare, and after the Longevity Festival, hand it over to him directly."
"That's true. Then I'll hurry up and prepare."
With a way to make money, Lu Qingwan was energized, and her eyes brightened.
Feng Xiwu shook his head with a smile. She was as sad as a pitiful child when she cried, and full of spirit after crying. What kind of person was his little Consort?
The supper was simple yet exquisite. Lu Qingwan, after a day of hard work, could chew bark with relish. How could she not enjoy a table full of delicacies? She ate until her stomach was round and full.
Leaning comfortably on the chaise longue, she belatedly remembered, "Marquis Wenchang's household has fallen, but Madam Lan died too early. Is there no way to deal with her side?"
"I had people investigate. It was indeed Madam Lan who took the initiative to plot against Marquis Lu with Madam Zhang.
Her father, Lan Huaizhong, was only a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue at the time. After the incident, she was supposed to be sent to a nunnery to end her life.
Madam Lan was unwilling and deliberately made a scene, forcing her father to grant her a title. Fearing the reputation of having too much merit, he was forced to take her as a concubine.
In this matter, Minister Lan and his wife were indeed innocent."
Lu Qingwan understood what he meant, "So you mean, later on, they were no longer innocent?"
"After Madam Lan married into the Marquis's household, she was not favored. To secure her position, she used public property of the Marquis's household and your mother's dowry to appease her family and arranged for her sister to be conferred a noble lady in the palace.
It was largely due to this noble lady's arrangements in the palace that Minister Lan was able to rise from a mere sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue to a minister within a decade."
Lu Qingwan understood, "In other words, they were all beneficiaries of my mother's death.
But because Madam Lan had already married into the Marquis's household at the time of the incident, and she is now dead, so this family cannot be convicted, right?"
Feng Xiwu nodded. Fearing that Lu Qingwan would feel stifled, he added, "But there is not entirely no way to deal with them, it's just that, at least, it cannot be for the crime of causing your mother's death."
"Your Highness, please tell me?"
Lu Qingwan looked at him with sparkling eyes, "What I care about is the result. As long as this family can be punished, I don't care about the process or the crime."
"Then, let's start with Ci'en Hall."
Feng Xiwu uttered a sentence in an unusually calm tone that surprised Lu Qingwan greatly.
"Is Ci'en Hall the Lan family's property?"
"Nominally, it is the property of the imperial merchant Zhang family, but without the Lan family's extensive arrangements, Ci'en Hall would not have been able to dominate the market.
Moreover, Madam Zhang's arrogance in the Marquis Wenchang's household for so many years relied on the Zhang family's support from behind. Even if I didn't mention it, you wouldn't let them off, would you?"
He spoke very directly, and Lu Qingwan did not deny it. Instead, she smiled at him and said teasingly, "My parents gave birth to me, and my Prince understands me. My fate is truly too good to have found such a husband!
I should go to the Guanyin Temple another day to pray and thank Buddha for granting me such a good husband."
"It's getting late, it's time to rest!"
Feng Xiwu maneuvered the four-wheeled cart towards the inner chamber. If he hadn't seen his red earlobes, Lu Qingwan would have believed he was sleepy.
She raised her eyebrows leisurely, "I thought you were so calm. You've been teasing me all day, and now you're showing your true colors?"
"Your Highness, wait for me, I've come to help you achieve your grand ambitions!"
She deliberately shouted mischievously, and as expected, she heard a muffled cough. Lu Qingwan, having succeeded in her prank, laughed wickedly.
She didn't notice Feng Xiwu's increasingly twisted gaze at all.