Chapter 176 Still Hopeful
Nie Sanniang, holding Qiu Heng's hand, said with a face full of joy, "I knew Sixth Miss would come."
"Have you heard about the Fang family's affairs, Third Sister?" Qiu Heng asked as she walked inside.
"I heard about it, how could I not have heard about it? I even went with the neighbors to Fang's house and threw excrement there." Nie Sanniang said this with great indignation.
The head of all officials actually accepted bribes from everyone; being struck by lightning would be too lenient for that treacherous person!
Qiu Heng glanced at Nie San Niang in surprise.
I really can't believe that Third Sister would be the kind of person who throws excrement.
"My fourth sister—" Qiu Heng had just asked about Qiu Fu when she heard a sound. Looking over, she saw Qiu Fu standing on the steps outside the main room, staring blankly at her. A basin was spinning around her feet.
The young girl who used to be dressed in fine clothes at the Yongqing Marquis's mansion is now dressed in simple clothes and looks much thinner.
Qiu Heng walked over and said, "Fourth Sister, it's been quite a while since we last met."
Qiu Fu seemed to wake from a dream and rushed over to grab Qiu Heng's hand: "Sixth, Sixth Sister, what brings you here?"
Qiu Heng smiled and said, "I'll take you back."
Qiu Fu subconsciously took a step back, her eyes filled with panic: "I heard from Third Sister that the Prime Minister's mansion is finished, is that true?"
Although Qiu Fu lived with Nie San Niang for a period of time, she only trusted Qiu Heng.
Her parents still wanted to use her to gain benefits, let alone others. Apart from her sixth sister who rescued her from this predicament, she found it difficult to trust anyone else.
"Yes. The charge of the traitorous minister colluding with the enemy has been established, and other crimes have also been uncovered. The Fang family members have been exiled or reduced to the lowest social class; their fate is sealed..."
Qiu Fu covered her mouth as she listened, tears streaming down her face.
The fear that had been weighing heavily on my heart gradually dissipated, leaving only a faint shadow.
"When...when will I go back? Will I have to wait until tonight?" Qiu Fu asked, wiping away her tears as she cried out the pent-up frustration of the past few days.
"No need, you can come with me now." Qiu Heng handed over the bundle she was carrying. "These are clothes I just bought. Fourth Sister, try them on to see if they fit."
Qiu Fu took the bundle, her lips moving slightly.
She wanted to ask, "Should we just go back openly and honestly like this?"
Seeing that Qiu Heng remained calm, Qiu Fu ultimately asked no questions and turned to go inside to change her clothes.
"These days, Third Aunt has taken good care of my Fourth Sister."
Nie Sanniang poured Qiu Heng a cup of hot water: "Sixth Miss, what are you saying? Our lives and livelihoods were all given to us by you. Aren't you making me feel ashamed by saying that? I'm more than happy to have Fourth Miss by my side..."
As they were talking, Qiu Fu came out from the inner room, awkwardly tugging at her clothes, and asked Qiu Heng, "Is something wrong?"
“Perfectly done,” Qiu Heng affirmed.
Nie Sanniang looked at the girl who had put on her gorgeous dress again with a smile, her heart filled with emotion.
She still remembered that night, the despair and helplessness of the girl in front of her, which reminded her of her younger sister.
Having emerged from the hellish Yuan residence, the younger sister, now frozen in the prime of her youth, had lost all strength to move forward.
She heard the sixth sister tell her about the fourth sister's experiences.
How wonderful! With the Sixth Sister around, the Fourth Sister isn't stuck in the mud like her sister, and she still has a promising future.
"Third Sister, thank you for taking care of me these past few days. Please also thank Brother Tao and the others for me..." Before parting, Qiu Fu held Nie San Niang's hand and sincerely thanked her.
"We are Sixth Sister's friends, Fourth Sister is being too polite. We'll be happy if Fourth Sister is doing well after she goes back."
Will things be alright?
Qiu Fu was unsure, but she didn't seem particularly afraid. After going through this ordeal, it seemed like nothing was scary anymore.
Wearing a veiled hat, Qiu Fu walked into the street and shivered: "It's so cold, it suddenly got so cold."
She stayed with Nie San Niang to avoid trouble, and stayed there obediently.
“It’s cold in the dead of winter,” Qiu Heng replied, looking toward the noisy area.
The male members of the Prime Minister's residence were being escorted out of the city, followed by a crowd of onlookers who shouted and cursed incessantly. Every now and then, a piece of junk would fly out from the crowd and hit the numb men.
Qiu Fu stopped and whispered, "It's a pity there's no treacherous minister."
"Even if the treacherous minister hadn't died suddenly in prison, he wouldn't have had the good fortune of being exiled."
Qiu Fu chuckled: "Sixth Sister, you really know how to talk."
"Fourth Sister, would you like to watch a little longer?"
Qiu Fu shook her head: "I'm not watching anymore, it's too cold."
Knowing that the Prime Minister's mansion was finished, she no longer had to worry about being forced by her grandfather to become a concubine.
"Let's go get in the car then, Uncle Zhang is still waiting."
Qiu Fu hesitated for a moment: "Does Uncle Zhang know you're here to pick me up?"
"I don't know. Fourth Sister, you don't need to say anything, just follow me."
Qiu Fu nodded, feeling reassured by Qiu Heng's words.
She was a little uneasy about going back to face her elders, but no matter how apprehensive she was, it was nothing compared to the fear she felt when her sixth sister led her out of the mansion on that dark and windy night and left with her third sister and the others, who were complete strangers to her.
"Zhang Bo has been waiting for a long time, why didn't he wait at the teahouse?"
Uncle Zhang, who was sitting in front of the car, stood up, raised the hand warmer in his hand, and said happily, "With the hand warmer given by Miss Liu, I'm not cold at all."
Uncle Zhang didn't ask Qiu Fu, who was following Qiu Heng, a single question. It was Qiu Heng who casually said, "I met a friend and invited her to my house for a visit."
"Alright, Sixth Miss, sit tight."
As the carriage moved, Qiu Fu removed her veil and asked in a low voice, "Uncle Zhang didn't even ask?"
Are you really that carefree?
Qiu Heng laughed and said, "Uncle Zhang has many strengths."
Qiu Fu: "..." What's with that "you know your stuff, Sixth Sister" look on your face?
The carriage suddenly stopped, and Uncle Zhang's voice came: "Sixth Miss, we've encountered Lord Xue."
Qiu Fu gasped for breath and quickly put her veil back on.
Qiu Heng pointed, and Qiu Fu understood, moving to the corner of the carriage.
Qiu Heng lifted a corner of the car window curtain and greeted the boy outside: "What a coincidence."
“I saw it was Uncle Zhang, and guessed you might be in the car.”
These days, Xue Han has been so busy with Fang Xiang's affairs that he hasn't had a chance to meet Qiu Heng. Now that they meet by chance, his eyes are filled with undisguised joy.
"Shall we go to a teahouse?"
Faced with Xue Han's invitation, Qiu Heng could only shake her head: "No, it's cold, I want to go back early."
"There's something I want to tell you."
For example, with the confiscated goods from the Prime Minister's residence either going into the national treasury or the Imperial Treasury, Emperor Jingping should reward those who contributed. For example, the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month is approaching, and how should we deal with Aheng's strange illness recurring? For example, why is Aheng targeting Fang Xiang and Yuan Chenghai?
For example... he wanted to have a cup of tea with Ah Heng.
"Let's do it another day. I've made plans to meet some friends at my place," Qiu Heng said vaguely, not wanting Xue Han to know about Tao Da and the others yet.
Xue Han could only say, "Then we'll meet another day."
The carriage started moving again. Qiu Fu breathed a sigh of relief, took off her veil, and asked with a complicated expression, "Sixth Sister, wasn't that Xue Han, the Imperial Envoy?"
"Yes, it's him."
"You two look very familiar."
Knowing that the news would eventually spread, Qiu Heng said directly, "We are quite familiar with each other. The evidence that Fang Xiang accepted bribes from Northern Qi was obtained by me and him together."
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