Under the protection of the sergeant, Qian Tao finally arrived at the door of his house, but he looked a little embarrassed.
The crimson official robe on his body was full of wrinkles, and under the skewed black gauze with soft wings, there was an anxious and frightened face stained with sweat.
As soon as Qian Duo saw his father, he rushed towards him, choked with sobs as the pear blossoms were raining, "Dad, why did you come..."
Qian Tao was heartbroken by his daughter's grievance, but there were more important things waiting for him to deal with at the moment. He didn't care about too much love and comforted him a little, "Don't cry, Duo Niang. Let dad handle the matter first." ?”
After saying that, without waiting for Qian Duo to respond, Qian Tao straightened his clothes a little, calmed down his emotions, and walked slowly towards Zhao Mengqi, "Your Highness, it's okay for me to run the family with a weak minister. I have been negligent. I hope your Highness will give me a chance to make amends."
His posture was very low. It was obvious that the Qian Mansion had suffered a huge loss and suffered huge humiliation, but Qian Tao was able to control his emotions, and there was no hint of resentment in his words.
This made Zhao Mengqi look at him a few times and nodded slightly, "Although I am angry in my heart, I am not unreasonable. If Mrs. Qian is willing to negotiate with a pragmatic attitude, there is no room for negotiation."
Qian Tao felt at ease and could just talk if they could. After all, no matter how powerful the Qian family was, they would never be able to confront the crown prince of the Song Dynasty head-on.
After looking at the onlookers who were still lingering around, he suggested warmly, "This is not the place to talk. I wonder if your highness could be invited to sit at Han's house for a while?"
Zhao Mengqi glanced at the gate of Qian Mansion, seemingly casually, "It shouldn't be the Hongmen Banquet, right?"
Qian Tao smiled bitterly, "Your Highness is joking, how could the Qian family have the courage, and General Qu is also among those invited by Wei Chen."
"There's no need to sit for a long time. I guess the palace is still waiting for me. Let's chat in your concierge." Zhao Mengqi had no intention of wrangling for too long.
"This... is fine." Qian Tao couldn't figure out King Zhong's path, so he could only follow it for the time being.
The concierge of the Qian Mansion is actually quite spacious. After some urgent cleaning and decoration, it is no different from a reception room.
The four walls are hung with famous calligraphy and paintings, and the corners are dotted with a few potted flowers and trees. Minimalist and elegant furnishings are placed in the room, with simple and elegant furniture, desks and chairs. Finally, a furnace of fragrance is burned to fully express the feeling. Family heritage.
Zhao Mengqi sat down at the main seat, glanced around, and was greatly amazed. Huang Gou and Wu Qiong were standing behind him.
Qu Moxuan was in the second seat as the 'witness', and he was not used to the elegant atmosphere in the room.
Chang Geng and Zeng Ba were also able to accompany the last one. After all, they were also high-ranking court officials.
Qian Tao was accompanied by the Prime Minister, his peaceful and elegant expression buried in sorrow. On his left sat Concubine Qian with a gloomy face, and behind him were Qian Long and Qian Duo's siblings.
"Duo Niang, make tea."
After hearing his father's instructions, Qian Duo pouted, reluctantly moved to the tea table, and played with the tea sets skillfully.
Zhao Mengqi glanced at it casually and had to say that this little girl was really good-looking and soft...
As if sensing the gaze, Qian Duo, who was studying tea, raised his head and glared back at Zhao Mengqi with murderous intent.
He just has such a bad personality, Zhao Mengqi quickly added in his mind, "Ahem, Mrs. Qian, everyone is very busy, let's get straight to the point."
Qian Tao nodded sternly, "It's fine, I just follow His Highness' wishes. I dare to ask, what is it that makes His Highness so dissatisfied with the Han family? How can I make up for it so that His Highness can resolve it?"
"Ha! Make up for it?" Zhao Mengqi lowered his face, "How to resolve the hatred of killing your mother!?"
"What does His Highness mean by these words?" Qian Tao was surprised and confused, and Concubine Qian also had confusion on her face.
Zhao Mengqi said coldly, "That's what it means literally. This morning, the meals of my biological mother and sister were poisoned! After the incident, the maid who was most likely to have been poisoned, and Concubine Qian's trusted steward died suddenly. , do you need me to say more?"
"This!?" When Qian Tao heard this, his mind was in confusion and he subconsciously looked at his sister.
Concubine Qian was stunned for a moment, then said decisively, "I didn't do it!"
"The point is so obvious, can you get away with it just because you don't admit it?!" Zhao Mengqi looked disdainful.
"Wait a minute..." Qian Tao tried his best to calm down, "Your Highness, I forgive you for being rude. I wonder how Mrs. Huang and the princess are doing now?"
"My mother is still in a coma, and Jian's mother luckily hasn't eaten yet. It's also thanks to her small dog that smelled the poison and knocked over my mother's half-eaten soup bowl, otherwise..."
Zhao Mengqi looked frightened, but there was nothing fake about it.
Hearing that the result was not irreversible, Qian Tao felt relieved, but soon frowned again, and after thinking for a long time, he said, "Your Highness, if this matter is really the fault of my Qian family, we will never deny it. I am willing to submit to the law, but I am afraid that there may be something fishy, or there may be some misunderstanding, so please be aware of it, Your Highness."
Zhao Mengqi continued to exert pressure, "My mother is independent of the world and has a submissive nature. Apart from Princess Qian, I can't think of anyone else who would have a grudge against her and be so vicious!"
"No!" Concubine Qian protested, "Although the clues point to me and there are reasons to kill her, it really wasn't me. Someone must have deliberately framed the blame on me!"
This excuse was so weak that even Qian's family shook their heads after hearing it.
Zhao Mengqi sneered, "Then tell me, who wants to put the blame on you? Why do they want to put the blame on you again?"
"Who... who is it?" Concubine Qian's mind raced, and after much deliberation, there was only one person who was the most likely, "Could it be Concubine Yan?..."
When she told this guess, she saw that Zhao Mengqi was not surprised at all, and suddenly realized, "You know! In fact, you know it's not me, right? You already knew it wasn't me, right?"
"Joke! If it weren't for you, then why would I come to Qian's house to make trouble!?" Zhao Mengqi naturally would not admit it.
"Yes, why do you still come to Qian's house to make a fuss?" Concubine Qian murmured to herself, and began to think carefully about Zhao Mengqi's recent actions. She gradually gained a sense of understanding, and seemed to have guessed Zhao Mengqi's thoughts, "You did it on purpose ? Are you taking the opportunity to use the Qian family to establish your authority!? Yes! It must be, just like you killed Cai An!"
The more Concubine Qian said, the more certain she became. At the same time, she felt terrible about Zhao Mengqi's scheming. He had clearly guessed the truth of the matter, but he always pretended to be confused. It seemed that he had stepped into someone else's trap, but in fact he had other intentions.
But Zhao Mengqi still would not admit it, "Ha! You have to provide evidence when you speak, otherwise I will sue you for slander. Besides, even if you take a step back and say, it was not you, and it has nothing to do with you, everything is There’s cause and effect, right?”
"Yes...everything has a cause and effect." Concubine Qian smiled bitterly. She didn't expect that she would end up in the hands of a 'fool' after all her deliberate efforts. Perhaps it was time for her to take this bitter pill, "Well, in that case, Your Highness would like to What do you want?"
