Chapter 250 Revisiting the Prince of Fu's Mansion

Qiu Heng sensed the seriousness and bitterness in Xue Han's question.

"Peace and tranquility prevail—" Qiu Heng's tone was soft, but her heart was cold.

Peace and tranquility were her wish, but it was nothing more than a dream. She and Xue Han might wait until they were old and gray, and still not see it.

How could she bear to make Xue Han wait so long?

Once Emperor Jingping dies from taking the medicine and the Crown Prince ascends the throne, if Xue Han doesn't blame her for letting her adoptive father die, she will marry him.

"Can you wait?" Qiu Heng asked with a smile.

Xue Han felt a pang of pain in his heart, but he showed no sign of it on his face and said earnestly, "I'll wait however long it takes."

Qiu Heng held up two fingers: "Give me two years."

Two years?

A look of joy flashed in Xue Han's eyes as he grasped Qiu Heng's outstretched finger.

The girl's fingers were long, slender, and fair, as alluring as spring onions.

Unable to resist, Xue Han lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand.

Qiu Heng's face burned, and she tried to pull her hand back, but it was held even tighter.

"Aheng." Xue Han gazed at the girl with rosy cheeks, "We agreed on two years."

Qiu Heng lowered her eyes slightly and said, "Mm."

Xue Han felt as if spring thunder had suddenly struck his heart, and his heart blossomed with joy.

"How about we take two roasted ducks back for the old lady and uncle to try? Or perhaps the pastries from Songfengju are quite unique—"

Seeing Xue Han's barely concealed joy and his haphazard suggestion, Qiu Heng quickly waved her hand: "No need, they only know I went to the Kang Prince's residence, they don't know I asked to meet you. It's better to avoid trouble, I'll send someone to Taoran Tower to buy it tomorrow."

Xue Han then calmed down.

The two paid their bill and left Songfengju; the snow was still falling.

Qiu Heng climbed into the carriage and lifted the curtain: "Xue Han, see you after the New Year."

See you after the New Year.

After watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Xue Han opened his umbrella and walked back to the Xue residence.

Uncle Xiao opened the door, shocked: "Why is the young general back so early!"

Xue Han understood what Uncle Xiao was thinking and was quite speechless.

He had never realized that Uncle Xiao, who was taciturn and brave in battle, was so enthusiastic about him getting married.

"The food at home isn't very good anyway, why doesn't the young general come back after dinner?" Uncle Xiao muttered, still unwilling to give up, he looked outside again.

It really was the young general who returned alone.

Xue Hanwei twitched his lips slightly: "Uncle Xiao thinks the food at home isn't good, so we'll get a different cook later."

"No need, no need. We're just roughnecks, we can eat anything. Once we have a mistress, we can find a chef who suits her tastes."

"I suddenly remembered I have a letter to reply to, so I'm going to the study." Xue Han walked away quickly.

Uncle Xiao returned to the gatehouse and sighed.

He didn't want to get involved in matchmaking, but the young general was already twenty.

He still remembered the young boy on the battlefield, who was said to have been sent by powerful eunuchs to gain military merit. At the time, no one dared to say anything to his face, but they looked down on him a lot behind his back. That boy had a fearless spirit, slashing again and again, earning himself respect and military achievements.

His leg was crippled on the battlefield, and his meager pension was only enough to live on for a year. It was the young general who gave him a place to stay.

In the eyes of the world, that child was the adopted son of the Hidden Prime Minister, the Imperial Envoy, and Lord Xue, but in his heart he would always be the Young General.

The young general is good in every way, except for lacking a wife.

Qiu Heng had no idea how much regret Xiao Shu felt that Xue Han had returned so early. She returned to the Marquis's residence, made a brief appearance in front of the old lady, and then quietly slipped out again at dusk.

The streets were covered in snow, with few pedestrians. The biting wind made the wine flags flutter, and the lights gradually came on.

Qiu Heng, whose eyebrows and eyes were covered by a hood, hurried along and knocked on a courtyard gate.

Nie Sanniang was overjoyed when she opened the door and quickly pulled Qiuheng into the house.

"Sixth Miss, we've been waiting for you!"

Are Brother Tao and the others home?

"Yes, we're here. Knowing that Sixth Miss was released from prison, we figured you would definitely come over in the next couple of days, so we didn't go anywhere else."

"Then let them come over."

Tao Da and his two companions arrived quickly.

Chen San was so excited he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet: "Sixth Miss, our plan to break you out of prison was almost finalized, but I didn't expect you to be out!"

Qiu Heng: "...I came out too early."

Nie Sanniang kicked Chen San: "What nonsense are you talking about? The fact that Sixth Miss has been released from prison safely is a great thing."

Chen San scratched his head: "I was just so happy to see the Sixth Miss so close to me. The Sixth Miss, you don't know, we were in the crowd when you came out of the palace that day."

Qiu Heng smiled and said, "I know."

Chen San was stunned: "Sixth Miss saw us?"

"I know you'll be there even if I don't see you."

Qiu Heng spoke calmly, but Chen San almost burst into tears and quickly turned his face away.

Nie San Niang silently rolled her eyes.

It seems Chen San's impulsive and tearful nature is beyond redemption.

"Does Sixth Miss want to ask about Prince Fu's situation?" Tao Da asked.

Qiu Heng nodded.

She will be going to the Prince of Fu's residence tomorrow, so asking about the Prince of Fu's situation today might be helpful.

“We can’t go into the Prince Fu’s mansion, so we can only keep watch from outside. Third Sister has memorized the places the Prince Fu has been to.”

Nie San Niang handed a small booklet to Qiu Heng.

Qiu Heng opened the book and saw that it recorded the places Fu Wang had visited by date: teahouses, taverns, brothels, Taoist temples... Some records detailed the identities of his companions, some only recorded the number of people, and some only recorded the location.

Prince Fu frequented three or four teahouses, with Taoranlou being the most frequent, but the records do not reveal anything special about it.

Qiu Heng's gaze lingered on the Taoist temple, and she murmured, "Lingwei Temple."

Chen San laughed and said, "Lingwei Temple has many worshippers every day, which makes it convenient to follow Prince Fu. I even hawked my wares outside the temple."

Liu Er spoke up: "When Prince Fu went to Lingwei Temple, he mostly met with the True Man Miaoqing."

“According to the records in the book, there were usually other people present when Prince Fu met with Master Miaoqing.”

Liu Er said, "Yes, that Master Miaoqing is highly regarded by nobles. Prince Fu often invites several friends to listen to her preach and discuss the Dao. I've noticed that there are quite a few important figures surrounding Master Miaoqing..."

Qiu Heng took the booklet back to the Earl's Mansion, memorized everything recorded in it, and the next morning told the old lady before taking a carriage to the Prince of Fu's Mansion.

It was Princess Rongning who invited Qiuheng. Xiuqiong, who had gone to visit Qiuheng in prison that day, was waiting at the door early. As soon as the carriage stopped, she went up to greet her and personally helped Qiuheng out of the carriage.

"The county princess has arrived. Our princess has been waiting for you."

"How has Your Highness been lately?"

Xiuqiong looked bitter: "The princess has been quiet and reserved since she returned to the capital. She only seemed more energetic today when the county princess came."

After passing through multiple moon gates and entering the house, Qiu Heng met Princess Rong Ning.

Princess Rongning was even thinner than when they parted in Xijiang, her face as pale as snow, as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Upon seeing Qiu Heng, her dormant eyes lit up, and she hugged Qiu Heng tightly: "Ah Heng, it's so good to have you back!"

She had already decided that if her uncle, the Emperor, did not let Ah Heng go, she would commit suicide in front of him.

Having survived countless near-death experiences and sacrifices, she finally returned to Daxia and home. She would never accept the absurd outcome of sending Aheng back to Xijiang.