Chapter 19 Inside and Outside the Ancestral Hall

Master Qiu looked at Qiu Heng and asked the old lady, "Why is Heng'er kneeling?"

The old lady said coldly, "Now that you've heard about what this girl has done, shouldn't you kneel down?"

"But my son thinks Heng'er did nothing wrong."

The old lady, growing impatient, argued with her son: "Why haven't you sent the Sixth Miss to the ancestral hall to reflect on her actions yet!"

Two maids went to pull the person away, but Master Qiu pushed them aside: "What are you doing? You're all so clumsy!"

"Third daughter!" The old lady slammed her hand on the table. "As her grandmother, can't I discipline my granddaughter?"

"That's not what my son meant."

"Then why are you making a scene? Or are you saying that what I, as your mother, say is just going in one ear and out the other?"

That's a harsh statement.

Master Qiu lowered his head: "No..."

"take away."

Seeing that he couldn't stop her, Master Qiu hurriedly asked, "How long do you want Heng'er to stay in the ancestral hall?"

"How long?" The old lady's cool gaze fell on the girl's fair face. "We'll talk about it when she realizes she was wrong."

Master Qiu watched helplessly as Qiu Heng was taken away, then squatted down to pick up the things that had fallen to the ground.

He moved slowly, picking up the items one by one and putting them into his pocket, and finally gently wiping the mud dog.

The colorful mud dog still looks majestic and spirited.

Heng'er should like it.

Thinking this, Master Qiu felt even more distressed.

Madam Zhao, the eldest wife, spoke up, breaking the silence: "Please don't take it to heart, Madam. Heng'er is still young and used to being unrestrained. With your guidance, she will become more sensible in the future."

"I'll be content if she doesn't drive me crazy." The old lady was still furious and waved for everyone to disperse.

After Qiu Heng was brought to the ancestral hall, the servant closed the door and said, "Sixth Miss, kneel properly. I'll be right outside. Just call out if you need anything."

This is a reminder that someone is monitoring us, and we cannot simply ignore it.

Qiu Heng ignored the servants and silently knelt on the cushion.

Two maids stood guard outside the door. After a while, they peeked through the crack and saw the girl kneeling upright. They exchanged a glance.

"Sixth Miss dared to take it upon herself to report to the authorities, but unexpectedly she became obediently kneeling in the ancestral hall."

Another maid whispered, "That's because she's young and doesn't understand the power of offending the powerful. But what granddaughter doesn't respect her grandparents?"

Children should not be disrespectful to their parents, let alone their grandchildren.

Before we knew it, it was noon.

After the two maids finished their lunch, they glanced at the young girl kneeling peacefully inside and prepared to take a nap when they saw Master Qiu arrive carrying a food box.

"Third Master, you mustn't send anything to Sixth Miss."

"This is food."

"Even the food is not allowed. Third Master, please don't make things difficult for us servants. The Old Madam will punish us if she finds out."

Master Qiu rummaged through his money pouch again and again, and finally pulled out a piece of silver.

The two maids remained unmoved.

"Third Master, it really won't do. The Old Madam is furious. If she knew that the Sixth Miss was eating and drinking in the ancestral hall, she might make her kneel for several days instead of just one day."

"Yes, if you care about the Sixth Miss, then you should make sure she follows the rules."

Helpless, Master Qiu silently picked up the food box and left.

A maidservant curled her lip and said, "The Third Master certainly dotes on his daughter."

Another maid laughed: "What's the use of feeling pain?"

They expect them to do them a favor with a piece of silver that's barely bigger than a fingernail. It's laughable.

Everyone in the household knows that the master of the third branch of the family has never had a proper job since he was young. He is a playboy, and after losing his daughter and wife, he became despondent. Over the years, he has been drinking so much that his mind has become less sharp.

It's no wonder that someone like that could protect his daughter.

When the two maids were laughing at Master Qiu, Qiu Xuan and Qiu Ying met him on their way to the ancestral hall.

"Is Second Sister also going to deliver food to Sixth Sister?"

Qiu Xuan nodded: "Grandmother was so angry, Sixth Sister probably won't have anything to eat."

Qiu Ying took Qiu Xuan's arm: "It's perfect timing to go together. To be honest, Second Sister, I get really nervous going to a place like the ancestral hall by myself."

"I never expected to run into Fifth Sister."

"Well, after all, I ate such delicious snacks from my sixth sister."

The red bean cake that had made her so hungry in the carriage that day was finally served to her by her sixth sister two days later, who sent someone to deliver a plate to each of them.

When the two sisters arrived at the ancestral hall, they saw two door gods.

"Second Miss, Fifth Miss, stop here."

As a servant who follows the old lady's orders, she is not afraid of the granddaughters.

"We're not going in, we're just bringing some snacks to Sixth Sister."

"The old lady has given the order that the sixth young lady is not allowed to eat anything today. You two young ladies should go back."

"Please do me a favor, ladies." Qiu Xuan slipped the prepared silver over to them.

One of the maids pinched the silver, wanting to accept it, but the other coughed and pushed the money back: "This servant dares not disobey the old lady's orders. If the two young ladies truly care about the sixth young lady, they should let her know the consequences of making mistakes, so that she won't make even bigger mistakes in the future."

After she said that, the maid who was tempted had no choice but to become resolute.

Qiu Xuan and the other person sighed as they looked at the closed ancestral hall gate and left helplessly.

After the two had walked away, the maidservant said with great regret, "Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if she had accepted it..."

"Don't be so short-sighted. This is the first time the Sixth Miss has been punished. The Old Madam wants to establish her authority by punishing her severely. If word gets out that we went easy on her, we'll be in big trouble."

As Qiu Xuan and Qiu Ying walked back, they encountered Qiu Fu.

"Did Second Sister and Fifth Sister go to deliver food to Sixth Sister?" Qiu Fu smiled as she glanced at the food boxes the two were carrying. "Looks like they didn't make it."

"Is Fourth Sister also going to the ancestral hall to deliver food to Sixth Sister?"

"How could I possibly bring her food? I'm just going to see if she's crying." Qiu Fu walked past the two of them, in a rather good mood.

I knew they wouldn't be able to get it in; were the old women around my grandmother just for show?

"Fourth Sister is really—" Looking at Qiu Fu's back, Qiu Ying wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't dare.

They were originally five sisters. The eldest sister went to the palace early, and the fourth sister was the most spoiled and willful.

Qiu Xuan smiled instead: "No matter what, it's enough that Fourth Sister has the heart to see Sixth Sister."

This really surprised her.

Qiu Heng was also surprised.

She knelt in the ancestral hall and heard everything from the arrival of Master Qiu San to the conversations between Qiu Xuan and Qiu Ying, as well as the two maids.

Unexpectedly, I heard the voice of the Fourth Sister, Qiu Fu, again.

“I’m not bringing food to my sixth sister. I just want to see if she’s kneeling properly. If she’s not, I’ll tell Grandmother.”

"Oh dear, Fourth Miss, if Sixth Miss doesn't kneel properly, tell me and I'll go in and keep an eye on her myself."

"Then please open the door, madams."

The two maids, who had been given money, exchanged a glance and opened the door.

I'd heard long ago that the Fourth Miss didn't like the Sixth Miss. This way, I could get money and do the Fourth Miss a favor at the same time, so why not?

The door creaked open, adding an eerie touch to the dimly lit ancestral hall.

Qiu Fu subconsciously touched her arm and said coolly, "Sixth Sister can make incense, and her personal maid can make pastries. Why doesn't she please Grandmother?"

Perhaps knowing the tragic fate of the girl before him, Qiu Heng didn't bother arguing with her words as long as it didn't affect his own plans.

She said casually, "Is that even a question? Grandmother doesn't like country girls."

"You—" Qiu Fu was at a loss for words.

How can there be such a person who gives up on everything?

"Here, white sugar cake. It wasn't specially brought for you, but because my second sister and fifth sister couldn't bring it in, I wanted to show them how clumsy they are."

Qiu Fu took out a packet of pastries from her sleeve and stuffed it into Qiu Heng's hand. Without waiting for her response, she turned and left.