Chapter 153 A Heart Dead as Ashes
Qiu Fu was taken away, and the room was as calm as before a storm, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
The old lady gritted her teeth and glared at Yongqing Bo, her nails digging fiercely into her palms.
How could I have become husband and wife with such a thing?
Afraid that the old lady would lash out at him in front of the younger generation, Yongqing said calmly, "You should all go back. Eldest daughter-in-law, you are the mother, so go back and talk to Fourth Sister and tell her not to get stuck in her own thoughts."
"My daughter-in-law knows."
Zhao glanced at her two illegitimate daughters and left with Master Qiu. Qiu Yun and Qiu Ying followed silently with their heads down.
Qiu Xuan glanced at Qiu Heng, and seeing that she hadn't moved, she hesitated for a moment before walking out.
"Why isn't Heng'er leaving?" Uncle Yongqing asked Qiu Heng.
"My granddaughter has something to say to her grandparents."
"you say."
After the Earl of Yongqing and the old lady finished speaking in unison, they exchanged a glance and then looked away in disgust.
"You can only tell your grandparents," Qiu Heng emphasized.
The Earl of Yongqing waved for the attendants to step back: "What does Heng'er want to say?"
“A few days ago, my granddaughter went to the Prime Minister’s residence and saw the First Madam rushing to Young Master Fang’s place. Miss Fang didn’t even have time to greet me…” No one told Qiu Heng where Madam Yang had gone at the time, but that didn’t stop her from saying it. “I vaguely heard that Young Master Fang suddenly became critically ill…”
The old lady exclaimed, "Really?"
“How could my granddaughter talk such nonsense?” Qiu Heng saw the changes in the expressions of the old lady and the Earl of Yongqing. “Grandfather, Grandmother, isn’t the Prime Minister’s family just using Fourth Sister to bring good luck?”
The Earl of Yongqing looked serious and did not doubt Qiu Heng's words. On the contrary, he felt that this made sense: No wonder the Prime Minister's residence was in such a hurry, requiring it to be completed within three days...
"The Prime Minister's family is utterly shameless!" The old lady gritted her teeth, glaring fiercely at the Earl of Yongqing. "We absolutely cannot agree to Fu'er's matter!"
Yongqing Earl disagreed: "Even if it's a marriage to ward off bad luck, it's nothing. Fu'er doesn't want to be a concubine, so if something really happens to that Third Young Master Fang, then she won't have to serve him."
"You're completely bewitched!" The old lady pointed at Yongqing Bo, her hand trembling with anger.
Marquis Yongqing sneered: "Me, bewitched? I'm not acting on impulse; I'm truly thinking of our Marquis's mansion!"
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Qiu Heng spoke up: "Grandfather, the Third Young Master Fang is critically ill. If Fourth Sister passes away soon after entering the family, the Prime Minister's Mansion might think that he was cursed to death by Fourth Sister, and then take their anger out on the Earl's Mansion."
What the Earl of Yongqing cares about most is his mansion, so using the safety of the mansion as a pretext is the most likely way to persuade him.
In fact, Qiu Fu was indeed blamed after the death of Young Master Fang.
After hearing Qiu Heng's words, the Earl of Yongqing hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "The Prime Minister's family knows the condition of Young Master Fang. If it was originally a case of dying from illness to bring good luck, how can they blame us?"
"Grandfather should understand better than his granddaughter that a family like the Prime Minister's Mansion, which is used to using power to oppress others, would never reason with someone who is inferior to them."
“Yes, we can’t afford to offend the Prime Minister’s residence.” The Earl of Yongqing sighed. “Since Prime Minister Fang has spoken, what else can we do but send Fu’er over? If we refuse, the Prime Minister’s residence will definitely hold a grudge against our Earl’s residence if something happens to the Third Young Master Fang.”
The old lady sat motionless, too exhausted to even argue.
"Heng'er, your grandfather knows that you get along well with Fu'er and the others, but you are a sensible person and should understand your grandfather's difficulties." Yongqing Bo was too lazy to coax his wife who was being confrontational, but he did not want Qiu Heng to harbor any resentment.
"My granddaughter understands."
The old lady, who looked like a clay sculpture, suddenly glanced at Qiu Heng, her eyes filled with disappointment.
"You may all leave now, I need to rest," the old lady said, her expression revealing neither joy nor sorrow.
"It's good that you've figured it out. At your age, you should just enjoy your retirement. What's the use of worrying so much?" Lord Yongqing flicked his sleeves and walked out.
Qiu Heng curtsied to the old lady: "Granddaughter takes her leave."
The old lady didn't even lift her eyelids, as if she hadn't heard anything.
As Qiu Heng approached the door, she heard the old lady mutter barely to herself, "Useless, I am truly useless..."
Qiu Heng's heart skipped a beat for no reason, and she had a bad feeling.
She only read in a book that the fourth daughter of the Yongqing Marquis's family was betrothed to the third son of the Prime Minister's family as a concubine, and that after the third son of the Prime Minister's family passed away, the fourth daughter of the Qiu family died of grief.
And what about the old lady?
What was the grandmother's fate?
Without making a sound, Qiu Heng called out to Yongqing Bo as he walked out.
"Is there anything else, Heng'er?" Uncle Yongqing didn't want to bring up Qiu Fu's matter again, so he asked impatiently.
Qiu Heng said softly, "I think Grandmother is in a very bad mood, and I'm worried that she might do something rash."
Even if the Earl of Yongqing has no bottom line, if anything were to happen to the old lady, Qiu Fu would never be able to enter the Prime Minister's residence again.
Based on reasoning, the old lady should be fine at this time, but the old lady's dejected appearance just now made her really worried. Better safe than sorry.
Yongqingbo paused for a moment, then nodded approvingly: "Heng'er is right. Your grandmother is getting old and a little confused, and she is prone to getting stuck on trivial matters."
After watching Yongqingbo return to instruct the people of Qiansongtang, Qiuheng walked out.
Qiu Xuan ran to the Second Madam, Lan Shi.
Seeing her usually composed daughter run in, Madam Lan's heart skipped a beat: "What's wrong with Xuan'er?"
"Mother, Fourth Sister is going to be sent by Grandfather to the Prime Minister's mansion to be a concubine!" Qiu Xuan grabbed her mother's hand, her eyes filled with tears.
Lan was taken aback, then her expression changed: "Where did you hear that from?"
"When my grandfather and the others were talking about these things, I was in Qiansong Hall..." Qiu Xuan recounted how the old lady called her granddaughters over for lunch, then Qiu Fu suddenly ran in for help, and finally everyone dispersed.
Upon hearing this, Lan was utterly horrified: "This is truly absurd."
A wave of lingering fear washed over her, causing her to unconsciously hug her daughter tightly, murmuring, "Thank goodness my Xuan'er's marriage is arranged..."
"Mother, what should we do about Fourth Sister?" Qiu Xuan was also terrified, and therefore felt even more deeply for Qiu Fu's plight.
Lan smiled wryly: "Don't say that no one can sway your grandfather's decision. Your uncle and aunt are happy to see it happen. What can others do?"
"Will Fourth Sister really become a concubine?" Tears that had been held back finally streamed down Qiu Xuan's face as she struggled to accept it. "Fourth Sister is such a proud person; for her, this would be worse than death..."
Ms. Lan could only remain silent as her daughter cried and vented her emotions.
After leaving Lan's place, Qiu Xuan went to Lengxiang Residence. When she entered the house, she found Qiu Yun and Qiu Ying there as well.
"Second sister, please sit down," Qiu Heng greeted Qiu Xuan. "Third sister and fifth sister have also just arrived recently."
The three sisters held their tea and drank it silently, only to find the tea bitter.
"Sixth sister, do you have a way to deal with fourth sister's matter?" Qiu Ying was the first to ask.
Qiu Xuan's marriage was full of twists and turns, but everyone knows that she was able to have a good outcome thanks to Qiu Heng. This is also why Qiu Xuan and the other two came to Lengxiangju by mutual agreement.
Meeting the expectant gazes of the three, Qiu Heng shook her head slightly: "I am powerless to change what my grandfather has decided."
"Grandfather loves Sixth Sister the most, can't we think of another way?"
“Grandfather didn’t like me the most.” Qiu Heng looked at Qiu Ying. “Grandfather liked titles the most. He liked whoever could contribute to the title in the future.”
In the silence, Qiu Heng picked up the food box on the table: "Let's go see Fourth Sister first."
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