Chapter 142 Taking a Concubine
The scout relayed the message back, and Hu Si reported to Xue Han: "Sir, this morning, Miss Qiu Liu took Fangzhou to the Prime Minister's residence and did not leave until nearly noon."
"The Prime Minister's residence..." Xue Han's eyes flickered slightly, "Why did Miss Qiu go to the Prime Minister's residence?"
Gathering intelligence was something Hu Si was used to doing; he would do his best to be thorough without needing specific instructions. When Xue Han asked him this, his expression was strange: "I heard that Miss Qiu went to Lingwei Temple to offer incense and ran into Madam Yang, the First Madam of the Prime Minister's Mansion. They had a verbal altercation, and Fangzhou beat up the nanny who served Madam Yang..."
He couldn't believe that the little girl who caught fireflies during the autumn hunt was so fierce. He even wanted to meet her to see if the Fangzhou he knew was the same person as the Fangzhou in the rumors.
"Then Madam Yang came to our door, and the result of our discussion was that Miss Qiu would go to the Prime Minister's residence every day to apply medicine to that nanny."
"From which day did you start going?"
"Four days ago."
Four days ago——
Xue Han gestured for Hu Si to leave and lightly tapped his fingers on the table.
Four nights ago, he encountered the thief again on the street.
The image of the bluish bruises on the girl's fair ankles flashed through Xue Han's mind, and he sighed softly.
It's almost certain that Ah Heng and the thief are the same person.
It is clearly impossible for an ordinary mountain couple to raise a daughter with such high skills.
What faction is behind Aheng? What is her purpose in going to the Prime Minister's residence?
If Aheng was a spy from an enemy country, why would she remind him to save the crown prince during the autumn hunt?
Was it to gain his trust so that he could have some future plans, or was there another hidden reason?
Too many questions swirled in Xue Han's mind.
He had the urge to confront them directly, but reason wouldn't allow him to indulge that impulse.
As the Imperial Envoy, he had dealt with many spies. Without experiencing torture, those spies were very tight-lipped. If they admitted to being spies as soon as they were questioned, they weren't spies, they were fools.
Asking directly won't get you what you want to know; it will only alert the enemy.
Xue Han chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Ah Heng had always been a mystery to him, shrouded in enigma. He was fond of Ah Heng, yet he couldn't fully trust her.
Xue Han traced the character "蘅" on the table with his finger and remained silent for a long time.
At the Prime Minister's residence, the kitchen in Madam Yang's courtyard was never idle. When the rice dumplings were sent to the Third Young Master for dinner, he only took one bite and didn't touch them anymore.
Madam Yang's expression darkened slightly upon hearing the maid's report.
Granny Su suggested, "Madam, why don't we talk to the old lady of the Yongqing Marquis's mansion and send that maid to the Prime Minister's mansion? No matter what, Miss Qiu Liu has to listen to her grandmother's arrangements."
In Su Mama's opinion, the Prime Minister's Mansion asking the Yongqing Marquis's Mansion for a maid was a favor to the Yongqing Marquis's Mansion, and the old lady of the Marquis's Mansion would certainly be more than happy to receive such a favor.
Madam Yang shook her head: "That's not appropriate."
"lady?"
“You’ve experienced it yourself. That maid named Fangzhou has a fiery temper. If we force her to separate from her master and come to the Prime Minister’s residence, who knows what might happen? It concerns Sanlang, and I don’t want to take any risks.”
Granny Su smiled and said, "Madam is so thoughtful. But in that case, it will be inconvenient to use that maid."
Madam Yang raised her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, her voice soft yet filled with determination: "It seems that if you want a maid, you'll have to get the mistress too..."
The next day, Madam Yang went to pay her respects to her mother-in-law, her face showing worry.
The old lady then asked, "Has Sanlang's health improved?"
Madam Yang sighed, "It's not getting any better, and the weather is getting colder and colder."
It's a well-known fact that people have learned that it's even harder to get sick in winter.
The old lady's face also showed worry: "Sanlang's illness is more serious than before. Putting aside everything else, he doesn't eat much, and even a good body can't withstand it."
"Yes. But Sanlang had a good appetite yesterday at lunch." Madam Yang told her about Fangzhou making pastries. "It's a pity she's a maid from another household. I heard she's served Miss Qiu since she was a child, so they can't be separated."
The old lady frowned: "I'm getting old and don't usually care about outside affairs, but I didn't know the Yongqing Marquis's mansion was so lively lately. How about this, have someone quietly inquire about Miss Qiu's birth date and time. If it doesn't clash with Sanlang's, then have the Prime Minister speak to the Yongqing Marquis."
As for whether the Earl of Yongqing would refuse, the old lady thought it impossible. In recent years, the Earl of Yongqing had been eager to serve Prime Minister Fang, and he would certainly be more than happy to establish a relationship with the Prime Minister's residence.
To obtain the woman's birth date and time, the proper way is to have a matchmaker visit her in person. However, since the old lady was taking a concubine with the intention of bringing good fortune to her grandson, it wouldn't be appropriate for an ordinary family to simply ask directly.
That's easy to handle. There are people outside who specialize in doing this kind of thing; it just costs more money.
Before long, the old lady of the Prime Minister's residence received Qiu Heng's birth date and time. Seeing that her birth date and time did not clash with her grandson's, she consulted the fortune teller.
"You want Yongqing Earl's granddaughter to be Sanlang's concubine?" Fang Xiang looked surprised.
He had previously heard from his wife that they wanted to find a concubine for their grandson to bring good luck, and he thought they would look for a woman from a humble family. He never expected that they would choose a noblewoman from the Earl's mansion.
"That's not appropriate; it'll easily attract gossip."
The old lady raised an eyebrow: "Are some idle gossips more important than Sanlang's health? Besides, who dares to gossip in front of the Prime Minister? As for gossiping behind his back, we can't hear it anyway."
Fang Xiang stroked his beard.
“Not just any concubine, but a noble concubine. Isn’t the Earl of Yongqing always thinking about inheriting the title? The Prime Minister can just give him some incentive.” The old lady pursed her lips. “The Prime Minister thinks it’s inappropriate to take a noble lady from the Earl’s family as a concubine, but it might be an opportunity that the Earl of Yongqing couldn’t have asked for.”
Fang Xiang had done too many inappropriate things, but he just said it casually. After listening to his wife's words, he nodded and soon arranged to meet with Yongqing Bo to express his thoughts in a roundabout way.
When Yongqing first heard this, he was overjoyed, but on his way home, he began to struggle with his decision.
It would be such a good deal to exchange a granddaughter for the title of Earl, but why did it have to be the sixth daughter?
It's such a pity to send Sixth Sister to be a concubine for the Prime Minister's son; it would have been better if it were another girl...
When Yongqing returned to his residence, he felt more and more regretful.
"Why are you sighing like that, Lord Yongqing? Have you encountered some trouble?" The old lady couldn't stand Yongqing's bitter look and asked with a hint of disdain.
This was something I was going to tell my wife anyway. After thinking it over, Uncle Yongqing said, "He invited me for tea today to discuss finding a wife for my grandson, Liu Yaya."
The old lady's first reaction was disbelief: "The only unmarried man in the Prime Minister's household is the Fourth Young Master, who would actually agree to a marriage alliance with our household?"
The Earl of Yongqing chuckled, "Not the fourth young master, but the third young master."
"The Third Young Master?" The old lady thought hard for a moment. "Didn't the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Mansion get married the year before last? The Earl's Mansion even prepared a generous congratulatory gift to send over."
"Hehe, it's not about marrying a wife, it's about taking Sixth Girl as a concubine—"
"A concubine?" The old lady's face changed drastically, staring at the Earl of Yongqing in disbelief. "The Earl agreed?"
"Madam, please hear me out first—"
Upon hearing this, the old lady's vision blurred, and she grabbed a teacup from the table and splashed it on that old man's face.
written request for leave
I have a fever that makes it really hard to keep going, so I need to take one or two days off. I'll resume updating as soon as I feel better. I'm so sorry.
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