Do Not Offend the Reborn Wicked Wife-Chapter 339: I Agree! That’s Right!

Afterwards, Li Qinglu went to find the Young Prince Qi Jingyu.

"Do you intend to tell Grandpa about those matters from Heifeng Village before?" Qi Jingyu, upon hearing this, was displeased, his expression extremely serious, "Do you realize how much trouble this will cause for me and my father?"

At that time, there were thousands of sets of armor and weapons in Heifeng Village, all of which were taken away by Qi Jingyu, enough to equip several thousand troops.

In comparison to tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of troops, this force might not seem like much, but in the eyes of the Emperor and the courtiers, it was an act of rebellion, treasonous!

Now that Li Qingmu actually wanted to inform the Emperor of this matter, it was dreadful news for the Prince Lingjiang and his son.

"Heir, do you trust me?"

Looking at the shocked Young Prince, Li Qingmu suddenly asked.

Qi Jingyu was silent for a moment and said, "Of course, I trust you, but this matter is too significant; I dare not take this risk."

"But if we don’t take the risk, what if something indeed happens at Luanshi Ridge? I’m injured and can’t go, and Yue’er is a woman. The General Mansion has only a hundred or so Cao Family Army soldiers, not enough manpower. I need to borrow troops from the Emperor! Borrowing troops requires explaining the reasons to the Emperor."

Li Qingmu looked seriously at Qi Jingyu: "Although these are merely Yue’er and my conjectures, and I know that it’s not worth taking such a risk over mere speculation, I still want to do it! Young Prince, you trust me, don’t you?"

Qi Jingyu fell into contemplation.

Suddenly, he looked up, his gaze heavy on him, "If I refuse, you will still tell Grandpa, won’t you?"

Li Qingmu nodded.

"So you came merely to inform me of your intentions, not to discuss with me?"

Li Qingmu lowered his gaze, "I’m sorry."

He didn’t know what to say to him; words couldn’t express his guilt. On one hand, was his wife’s safety, on the other, a close friend’s grand ambitions. The choice was too difficult!

Yet Li Qingmu chose Long Yue.

For Yue’er was the only one in his life; the rest, he could only apologize for.

Qi Jingyu silently looked at him. Since the situation had reached this point, stopping him was impossible; in that case, let him be!

Moreover, Qi Jingyu believed, Li Qingmu was not the type to rashly act; having made this decision, he must have other considerations and backup plans.

Trust those you choose without doubt, and doubt those you don’t use. Since he chose him, he could only trust him unconditionally.

"I agree!"

"Thank you, Young Prince!"

The following morning, Li Qingmu entered the palace, and Long Yue went to find Qi Junyi.

Qi Yun was fifty years old, so the early princes like the Third Prince were already in their thirties, having established their mansions and offices. The Third Prince Mansion wasn’t very far from the General Mansion, just a short incense’s walk.

"Mrs. Li, please!"

A steward from the Third Prince Mansion welcomed Long Yue into the mansion.

"I wish to see His Highness, there are matters I wish to discuss with him."

"Mrs. Li, please wait a moment!"

Normally, as just a woman, Qi Junyi wouldn’t meet with her, but given Li Qingmu’s special circumstance, Qi Junyi agreed to see her.

Qi Junyi met with Long Yue in a pavilion in the back garden, accompanied by maids and servants to avoid suspicion.

"Mrs. Li, may I know the purpose of your visit?"

Qi Junyi didn’t use "I, the Prince," which, to some extent, avoided certain misgivings; like a conversation between two relatives.

After all, the relationship between Chang Lexi and Cao Xiao was very close, and the two families were on the verge of becoming in-laws.

This Third Prince, his mind was rather meticulous.

Long Yue internally nodded slightly, stood up respectfully and said, "I have some matters to discuss with His Highness."

"What matters? Is it about Le Xi and Cao Xiao?"

This was just a pretense to divert attention.

Long Yue thought for a moment and said, "Yes. There were misunderstandings between our two families, but it wasn’t a big deal. Now that the two have mutual affections, it’s the perfect opportunity to clear them, and everyone is delighted."

Qi Junyi nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, that makes sense! Imperial Censor Li is a talented youth, not only resourceful but also courageous. It’s fortunate to have your family as in-laws! Mrs. Li, please have some tea!"

Long Yue took a sip of the tea, savoring the sweet and mellow top-grade Dragon Well.

"Your Highness, there is something I wish to inquire about."

Suddenly, Long Yue said.

Qi Junyi nodded, "Please speak."

Long Yue glanced at the surrounding servants and maids, appearing troubled, and Qi Junyi waved his hand: "Mrs. Li, feel free to speak, they are all my trusted aides."

Long Yue shook her head, "This matter involves privacy; it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask directly. May we move to the study?"

Qi Junyi looked somewhat hesitant, as being alone face-to-face was improper, but seeing Long Yue’s serious and distressed expression, he agreed.

In the study, Qi Junyi turned to Long Yue: "Mrs. Li, can you speak now?"

Long Yue nodded, looking into his eyes, "May I ask, in the past, where was the iron ore you mined being sent to, Your Highness?"

"Bang!"

Before the question finished, Qi Junyi slapped the desk and shouted angrily, "Mrs. Li, don’t think you can act recklessly just because we may become relatives! I accommodate you, but it doesn’t mean I allow slander and framing!"

Those words made it sound severe.

Regardless of Qi Junyi’s anger and frustration, back then the iron mine was discovered by Long Yue and Li Qingmu, Wang Ren’s family was exterminated, and the Third Prince couldn’t protect him, which dealt a critical blow to his reputation, chilling the hearts of many loyal to him.

After this incident, they almost became arch-enemies, but for the sake of Le Xi, he welcomed Long Yue and her husband, which demonstrated how protective the Chang Family was, a tradition even the son of Chang Wenxue inherited.

But welcoming doesn’t mean allowing degradation, at least currently, Qi Junyi felt Long Yue trampled his dignity.

Long Yue shook her head and said, "Your Highness, please don’t be angry. I bring this matter up not to revisit old cases, but to seek a clue."

"Hmph, if Mrs. Li is inquiring about the iron ore’s destination, then, I’m sorry, there is nothing to disclose. Additionally, Mrs. Li may leave now, please!"

This was an outright order to leave, which showed how furious he was.

Long Yue shook her head and sighed, "Your Highness might be unaware, back when my husband served as the County Magistrate of Gaoyang County, he went to Luanshi Ridge to suppress mountain bandits and found that some bandits were privately forging armor and weapons. Afterward, we captured those bandits in one clean sweep.

Given this, even if there are bandits at Luanshi Ridge now, they shouldn’t be so rampant, as that previous purge was extensive. Yet, now there are many more bandits there.

What’s more bizarre is that those bandits are quite good in combat, wielding sharp sabers and spears. Do you think someone might be using that place to secretly forge weapons again?"

"I haven’t!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Junyi turned pale, adamantly insisting, "I honestly haven’t! I admit that back then, the iron mine Wang Ren accidentally discovered was permitted by me for private excavation, but I never engaged in weapon making! Even if I desired the Emperor’s throne, I wouldn’t rebel against my father the Emperor!"

He spoke with decisive firmness, and Long Yue, observing his eyes, saw unwavering determination, which implied he was telling the truth!

"Then, can you tell me, where did the iron ore go back then? Rest assured, Your Highness, I am not here to seek old grievances, only to ascertain its destination."

"Don’t you already know?" Qi Junyi looked at her, "Those iron ores were transported to Jiangnan, reportedly in the Jiangling South area."

Long Yue’s pupils slightly contracted; it seemed correct then!