Chapter 4 Questioning the Murderer

The young master of Fuhailou Restaurant was named Qian Chuan, who loved gambling, drinking, and womanizing.

These past few days, he's felt like something's not right.

"Qian Lai, did you hear anything?" Qian Chuan suddenly stopped on the way to Liuxiang Lane, grabbed the servant and asked.

The servant looked bewildered: "What's that sound? Are you asking about the peddler's cries, young master?"

There is no curfew in the city, and the hustle and bustle at night is no less than that during the day.

"The sound of horses' hooves, it's the sound of horses' hooves!" Qian Chuan said with certainty.

The servant strained his ears to listen, but all he heard were various sounds, a chaotic and noisy cacophony, yet he heard no sound of horses' hooves.

"No--"

Qian Chuan panicked: "How could there not be? I heard it yesterday too!"

Seeing his young master's unpleasant expression, the servant hesitated for a moment before asking, "Young master, are you perhaps overthinking things—"

Qian Chuan's expression changed.

A few days ago, a young master surnamed Han came from the capital. His sons, like stars in the sky, accompanied him everywhere, and he spent lavishly to support them. One day, on their way back from hunting, young master Han hit someone and, I heard, killed them. Young master Han quickly returned to the capital, and his sons acted as if nothing had happened, but he felt uneasy and stayed at home for quite some time before going out.

These past few days I've been hearing the sound of horses' hooves all the time while walking on the street. Could it be that he's just overthinking things?

"Maybe I misheard. Let's go." Fearing that his friends would laugh at him for being a coward, Qian Chuan suppressed his suspicions.

Liuxiang Lane was just ahead, and now red lanterns lit up one by one, and a faint scent of perfume wafted in the wind.

Qian Chuan took a deep breath of the intoxicating aroma and quickened his pace.

In a small building in the alley, familiar prostitutes served tea and wine, their soft flesh exuding warmth and fragrance.

Qian Chuan went to sleep contentedly.

Tap, tap, tap...

In the middle of the night, Qian Chuan suddenly opened his eyes, sat up in a panic and looked around to find the source of the sound. When his gaze fell on a certain spot, his pupils suddenly dilated.

A figure stood quietly not far from the bedside. His face—he had no face, only hair!

"Ah—" Qian Chuan opened his mouth to scream, but found that the sound was blocked in his throat and he couldn't shout out at all.

A figure approached him, without footsteps, only a faint smell of blood reaching Qian Chuan's nose. Overwhelmed with terror, Qian Chuan's teeth chattered, and he managed to squeeze out a few words: "Ghost, ghost..."

A pale, cold hand reached out and gripped Qian Chuan's neck.

"Why did you run me over...why..."

"No, it wasn't me..." Qian Chuan cried, tears streaming down his face, his whole body trembling.

"Who—is—that?" The iron-like hand loosened slightly, and the voice was deliberate and clear.

Qian Chuan gasped for breath, his reason overwhelmed by terror: "His surname is Han, and his father is a high-ranking official in the capital... If you want to take my life, go to the capital to find him. It has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with me!"

The hand brushed past Qian Chuan, carrying a chill and a faint fragrance. Qian Chuan closed his eyes, filled with fear, and fell back onto the soft bed.

As dawn broke, Qian Chuan suddenly sat up and immediately saw the prostitute sleeping beside him.

The fear receded like a tide, leaving behind only shadows and doubts in the heart.

"Was it all a dream?" Qian Chuan murmured.

The prostitute woke up at the noise and put her arm around Qian Chuan's shoulder: "Young Master Qian, what's wrong?"

Qian Chuan stared intently at the prostitute: "Did you hear anything last night?"

"No--"

Suddenly, Qian Chuan thought of something, pushed the prostitute aside, and rushed to the dressing mirror.

The man in the mirror was deathly pale, with a distinct, broken blue mark on his neck.

It's not a dream! There are ghosts, there really are ghosts!

Qian Chuan felt his scalp tingle, grabbed his clothes, put them on, and rushed out.

"Young Master Qian, Young Master Qian—"

The prostitute was completely bewildered, and Qian Chuan was never seen again.

The next day, while cleaning the room, the maid picked up a hairpin from the side of the screen.

"Miss, the hairpin you were looking for yesterday was found here."

"I didn't take it off when I went to bed the night before last, and I found it was gone when I got up to do my makeup yesterday. How could it have ended up there..." the prostitute said casually, without thinking about it any further.

The young master of Fuhailou in the city was frightened and grew thinner day by day, while the girl from Yunfeng Village who went up the mountain to pay respects to her parents every day became quieter and quieter.

That day, after Qiuheng finished kowtowing in front of the grave, Wang Mama gently advised, "It is good that you are filial, but if you suffer every day, it will only make your adoptive parents worry in the afterlife."

For more than a month, the child has been going up the mountain every morning and returning home after dark, showing a deep bond with his adoptive parents.

"I understand," Qiu Heng said softly.

During the time they spent together, she could feel Wang's mother's sincerity.

"It's good that you've figured it out, let's go down the mountain."

Steward Qiu, who had been waiting impatiently for some time, saw Wang Mama and Fangzhou accompanying Qiu Heng down the mountain and said indifferently, "Sixth Miss, please get in the carriage. It's time to set off."

The carriage gradually left the village behind, and once it got onto the main road, it sped up.

...

At the Yongqing Marquis's residence, a maid entered the room to deliver a message: "Madam, the carriages to pick up the Sixth Miss have arrived at the outskirts of the city."

Lady Yongqing nodded and gave the order: "Bring the person over directly when they arrive; there's no need to alarm anyone yet."

Although Steward Qiu's letter stated that her identity had been confirmed, she still had doubts and would wait until she saw it in person before discussing anything else.

The carriage entered through the side gate of the Yongqing Marquis's residence and stopped in front of the hanging flower gate. Qiu Heng was led into the Thousand Pine Hall.

The old lady stared at the bowing girl with a scrutinizing gaze: "I heard your name is Aheng."

"yes."

"Get up."

Qiu Heng stood up and looked up, and what came into view was an old woman with a rather long face.

The old lady knew at a glance that there was no mistake.

There was no other reason than that the girl in front of him was almost a carbon copy of his deceased third daughter-in-law, Du.

After looking at the sachets and clothes handed over by the steward, the old lady naturally had no recollection of them. She asked Wang Mama a few questions and then instructed the maids to go to each courtyard to spread the word.

People kept coming in, and Qiansongtang became crowded.

"This is your aunt."

Madam Zhao, the eldest wife, held Qiu Heng's hand and smiled, "Just like my third sister-in-law."

After receiving the gift from the First Madam, Qiu Heng then bowed to the Second Madam, Lan.

Unlike Zhao, Lan was not enthusiastic and did not talk much.

Qiu Heng recalled Wang Mama's veiled advice: the First Madam was sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside, and the Second Madam was not one to cause trouble.

She wouldn't take Wang's mother's words as gospel; we'll see how it goes later.

After that came the greetings between peers.

The second daughter, Qiu Xuan, is elegant and quiet, and is the only girl in the second branch of the family; the third daughter, Qiu Yun, has a face like a silver plate, and the fifth daughter, Qiu Ying, who has a heart-shaped face, are both illegitimate daughters of the first branch of the family; the fourth daughter, Qiu Fu, is the most beautiful among the sisters and is the daughter of the first wife.

Qiu Heng also learned from Wang Mama that the eldest daughter of the fourth daughter, Qiu Fu, had entered the palace at a young age.

Having received a pile of handkerchiefs and beaded flowers, Qiuheng accepted the sachets that Fangzhou had prepared in advance and returned the gifts one by one.

Fourth Sister Qiu Fu smiled, holding the sachet: "I didn't expect Sixth Sister to have prepared a return gift. Actually, it's not necessary."

Qiu Heng smiled.

"Your grandfather and the others aren't home yet. You'll see them when they return. I've already sent someone to fetch your father—"

Before the old lady could finish speaking, the curtain was lifted, and a maid's voice rang out: "The old master has returned."

Qiu Heng's gaze swept over the Qiu family's daughters and landed on the old man at the door.

This is the infamous Earl Yongqing, who sold his granddaughter for personal gain.

Let me explain the timeline: the female protagonist travels to thirty years in the future, stays there for seven years until the country is completely destroyed, then stays for another three years, making a total of ten years, before returning. Recommendation votes are very important during the new book phase, so please consider giving a few, my dears! Thank you!

(End of this chapter)