Chapter 126 The Ball Flying Towards Prince Fu

Qiu Heng smiled at Qiu Song, who was looking at her with fervent eyes: "It's true."

Fangzhou, standing to the side: ?

Qiu Song excitedly shook Qiu Feng's arm: "Second Brother, did you hear that? Sixth Sister really killed the black bear with one palm!"

Qiu Feng's eyes were full of suspicion.

"Sixth Sister, please take me as your apprentice. I want to learn how to fight black bears!" Qiu Song suddenly knelt down and hugged Qiu Heng's ankle.

Qiu Heng remained silent for a moment.

I didn't expect this chubby kid to be so ambitious.

"You need to practice the basics first."

Qiu Song looked up and asked, "How do I practice?"

"Hire a reliable martial arts instructor who isn't afraid of hardship."

"I'm not afraid of hardship!" Qiu Song stood up and patted his chest. "Once I've mastered the basics, Sixth Sister will teach me."

Qiu Heng smiled and said, "Okay."

"Let's go then." Qiusong reached out to pull Qiufeng along.

Looking at her blood-related younger brother, Qiu Heng suddenly said, "Second brother can train with third brother."

If chaos cannot be avoided, those with skills will ultimately have a greater chance of survival.

Qiu Feng was taken aback: "Me...can I do it too?"

"If Sixth Sister says you can do it, then you can." Before Qiu Heng could speak, Qiu Song shouted.

Dinner was served at Qiansong Hall. Except for the eldest son, Qiu Yang, who was away at school, all three branches of the family gathered together.

"Heng'er saved the young princess of the Prince of Fu's mansion and won the Emperor's praise. Next year, everyone in our Earl's mansion can go on the autumn hunt." The Earl of Yongqing announced this great news to everyone.

Master Qiu laughed and agreed, "Then we're all benefiting from Heng'er's success."

The Earl of Yongqing glanced at his grandchildren: "You should all learn from Heng'er and always keep the Earl's Mansion in your hearts."

After the meal, everyone went their separate ways. Master Qiu, afraid of spoiling his daughter's mood and unable to help but worry, softened his voice and said, "Heng'er, you are capable and make your father happy, but more than that, your father hopes that you are safe and sound. Your father doesn't really want to go on the autumn hunt."

"Father, rest assured, your daughter will put safety first."

"That's good."

After returning to her room, the First Madam said in a complicated tone, "I never expected that Sixth Girl would be so capable, becoming the savior of the Prince of Fu's mansion once again."

Master Qiu laughed heartily: "Isn't this a good thing? Anyway, it's our Earl's Mansion that benefits."

"Yes, it's a good thing." The first wife didn't refute it, but she felt uneasy inside.

It would be even better if this glory was earned by one's own children.

Two days later, the old lady took Qiuheng to a banquet at the Prince of Fu's mansion.

The old lady was a little upset on the way.

Twenty years ago, no, ten years ago, it would have been a rare opportunity for her to interact with people of such status as Princess Kang and Princess Fu, and it would have made her proud.

But she's already this old, and all she wants to do every day is drink tea and eat snacks. She doesn't want to bother trying to please others anymore. She never expected that Liu Yatou would force her to be more ambitious.

"Heng'er, don't talk too much in front of Princess Fu, lest people laugh at our Earl's Mansion for having no manners."

"yes."

The carriage stopped, and the grandfather and grandson got off. A steward was already waiting there.

"Madam, Miss Qiu, the Princess has been looking forward to this."

Princess Fu and the others were in the flower hall. Upon hearing that the old lady had arrived, she rose to greet her: "Please sit down, old lady. I've been thinking of meeting you since I was in Dingbei so I could properly thank you. I'm so glad to finally meet you today."

The old lady saw the Princess Consort's sincerity and smiled with delight: "Your Highness is too kind."

"It's not just politeness, it's a genuine thank you to the old lady for raising such a brave and intelligent granddaughter as Sixth Miss. I only have one daughter, Rong Ning; if anything were to happen to her, the sky would fall..."

Princess Rongning curtsied to the old lady.

The old lady immediately stopped feeling annoyed.

It turns out she was just annoyed by one-sided attempts to please; this back-and-forth was quite enjoyable.

After dinner, Princess Fu and the old lady chatted over tea, and Princess Rongning invited Qiuheng to play in the garden.

"This is where I practice Cuju (ancient Chinese football)." Princess Rongning pointed to an open area in the garden. "Would you like to have a match?"

"good."

Seeing that Qiu Heng readily agreed, Princess Rongning smiled, clapped her hands, and two groups of maids came over.

"Come on." Princess Rongning tossed the ball high into the air.

In terms of Cuju (ancient Chinese football) skills, Princess Rongning is a cut above, but Qiuheng has martial arts skills, and her strength and agility are not inferior even if she tries to conceal them.

The two teams were evenly matched and engaged in a heated battle.

Princess Rongning was in high spirits, feeling extremely happy.

"Watch this!" She flipped backward and kicked the ball towards Fengliuyan in mid-air.

Qiu Heng leaped up, caught the ball, and kicked it with force.

The ball flew like a shooting star, soaring over the heads of the crowd and heading outwards.

"Watch out!" Princess Rongning shouted instinctively, and the guards behind Prince Fu moved swiftly to deflect the flying ball.

Prince Fu stopped and looked over.

Princess Rongning walked over and asked with a smile, "Father, were you frightened?"

"Is Rong Ning playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) again?"

At this moment, Qiu Heng walked up and curtsied to Prince Fu, saying, "I have disturbed Your Highness. Please forgive me."

Prince Fu chuckled and waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright. So Miss Qiu is also skilled at Cuju (ancient Chinese football)?"

"I only know how to play it a few times."

"Being able to interact with Rong Ning on a regular basis must be quite nice."

"Father, aren't you just praising yourself?"

"Haha, it's only natural for a father to be happy that his daughter is good at playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football)." Prince Fu's tone was full of doting affection.

Princess Rongning glanced curiously at the Taoist priest beside Prince Fu: "Father, are you going out?"

“A new master has arrived at Lingwei Temple. His Taoist skills are profound. Father, go and pay him a visit.” Prince Fu nodded to Princess Rongning and Qiuheng. “You two have fun, but be careful not to get hurt.”

Even after Prince Fu had walked far away, Qiu Heng's gaze still followed his retreating figure.

"What are you looking at, Miss Qiu?" Princess Rongning asked with a smile.

Qiu Heng casually made up a story: "The Taoist priest next to the prince looks familiar to me, as if I've seen him before."

She deliberately kicked the ball over there, just to see what the Taoist priest who appeared next to Prince Fu looked like.

She had thought about it repeatedly; with his knowledge and abilities, he couldn't possibly be an unknown figure. The capital would be moved south in a few years, and by then, even without the title of Imperial Preceptor, he should have been dealing with the power center of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Therefore, she had to be wary of the Taoist priests who appeared around high-ranking officials and nobles.

“That Taoist priest is from Lingwei Temple. Miss Qiu Liu may have seen him when she went to the temple.” Princess Rongning had no interest in Buddhism or Taoism, so she invited Qiu Heng, “Come, come, let’s have another match.”

On the way back to the Yongqing Marquis's residence, Qiuheng asked the old lady, "Grandmother, have you been to Lingwei Temple?"

She had to go and see the newly arrived Taoist master who possessed profound Taoist skills.

"I've been there, it's in the Western Hills." The old lady asked, puzzled, "Why are you suddenly asking about Lingwei Temple?"

"Today I played Cuju (ancient Chinese football) with Princess Rongning and almost hit Prince Fu. I heard Prince Fu say that he was going to Lingwei Temple, so I asked him out of curiosity."

The old lady choked, her throat tightening: "You almost hit Prince Fu with your football?"

Good heavens, she was wondering why things had gone so smoothly this time, and it turns out she was waiting for this!