Chapter 54 The Prime Minister's Residence
As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles. The rumors outside not only reached the old lady's ears, but also quickly spread throughout the Marquis's mansion.
The Qiu Xuan sisters went to Lengxiangju together.
"Miss, four young ladies have arrived."
"Please come in." Qiu Heng put down the incense materials in her hand and went out.
She was covered in fragrance, which filled the noses of Qiu Xuan and the other three.
Qiu Xuan observed Qiu Heng's expression and, seeing that she was calm, felt relieved: "Is Sixth Sister making incense?"
Qiu Heng invited the four of them to sit down: "I'm making incense. There are three kinds of incense that I'm rushing to finish because I promised someone."
"Could it be that you promised that Lord Yuan's concubine?" Qiu Fu asked with a stern face.
"Fourth Sister—" Qiu Ying tugged at Qiu Fu's sleeve, carefully watching Qiu Heng's reaction.
Qiu Fu shook off Qiu Ying's hand and instead said, "Sixth Sister, are you stupid? Making incense for a corrupt official's concubine? Do you know what the people outside call that Lord Yuan? They call him Yuan the traitor!"
"I didn't think that much about it." Faced with Qiu Fu's questioning, Qiu Heng lowered her eyes slightly. "I heard from my grandfather that Lord Yuan's family wanted the incense I made, so I went."
“Grandfather—” Qiu Fu’s anger towards Qiu Heng immediately subsided when she mentioned the Earl of Yongqing.
Looking at the girl with her eyebrows raised in anger, Qiu Heng asked softly, "Can the sisters disobey their grandfather's words?"
She will not only not cover for Yongqingbo, but will also use this opportunity to warn the four of them.
Their grandfathers were not a protective mountain for them, but a crushing boulder that would shatter them to pieces and leave them with tragic fates.
Qiu Fu was stumped by Qiu Heng's question.
Her first thought was of her eldest sister.
My eldest sister was my grandfather's eldest granddaughter. Whenever my grandfather spoke up, she made a fuss and cried, but in the end, she still ended up going to the palace.
Now that it's the sixth sister's turn, what can be done?
What will happen when it comes to her in the future?
A chill crept up my spine, and my anger turned into fear.
Qiu Fu wasn't the only one with this thought; Qiu Xuan's face turned pale as she thought of the marriage she had narrowly escaped.
Her gaze swept over her sisters' faces; they were all young, beautiful, and shared the same grandfather.
They are no different; misfortune can strike at any time and randomly.
But there was nowhere to hide.
Qiu Xuan couldn't bring herself to say the words she wanted to comfort Qiu Heng; she felt a sense of despair.
"Do you sisters want to eat red bean cake?" Qiu Heng asked, breaking the suffocating silence.
Qiu Fu blurted out, "I won't eat!"
Eat, eat, eat! How can I be in the mood to eat when I'm already like this?
Qiu Heng seemed not to hear, and stuffed red bean cakes into everyone's hands.
"This is freshly made by Fangzhou, and it tastes just right now. Sisters, please try it. I added extra sugar this time."
Qiu Xuan stared at the red bean cake and took the first bite.
It was indeed sweeter than before, and the sweet and soft taste dispelled much of the fear that was growing wildly in my heart.
If only time could stand still here, with the sisters enjoying sweet red bean cakes together, instead of heading towards a terrible future.
After leaving Lengxiang Residence, the four sisters barely spoke, each lost in their own thoughts as they returned to their lodgings.
The First Madam specifically called Qiu Fu over and instructed her: "Go to Sixth Miss's place less often in the future. She grew up in the countryside and is used to being unrestrained. She doesn't know how to behave properly and who knows how many more jokes she will make in the future."
Qiu Fu was already terrified when she heard this, and it was like a spark hitting boiling oil. She immediately exploded: "Do you think that Sixth Sister will lead me astray?"
The first wife frowned: "Why do you have such a temper? Am I wrong?"
"Doesn't Sixth Sister listen to Grandfather? Without Grandfather, how would Sixth Sister have been able to contact the Yuan family?"
"You scoundrel! You even dare to slander your grandfather! Don't you have any semblance of a noble lady?"
"What use is a noble lady? I don't care!" Qiu Fu cried and ran away.
The first wife and her daughter parted on bad terms. On the second wife's side, Qiu Xuan nestled beside her mother, her fingertips icy cold.
"Mother, I'm scared."
The second wife patted her daughter's back: "I'm arranging your marriage. I'll tell your grandmother when the time is right."
Qiu Xuan froze, looking at her mother nervously.
She wanted to ask, but was afraid of hearing the answer.
The second wife held back from saying, "I can only assure you that if it works out, you will be satisfied."
If it turns out that telling her won't work out in the end, and it will only cause my daughter unnecessary distress, it's better not to say anything.
Right now, everyone outside is saying unkind things about the Sixth Miss, and even Xuan'er and the others are being affected. It seems that the opportunity she's been waiting for has arrived.
In the center of the room, Qiu Heng continued arranging the incense materials when Master Qiu the Third arrived.
"Heng'er, are you busy?"
"Yes, is something the matter, Father?"
Master Qiu observed Qiu Heng's reaction and secretly breathed a sigh of relief: It seems that Heng'er is unaware of those unpleasant words spoken outside.
That's good, that's good, so I won't be upset if I hear that.
"It's nothing. It's just... I dreamt about your mother." Master Qiu suddenly had a bright idea.
"My mother?"
"Yes." Although it was made up, the sadness in Master Qiu's voice when he mentioned his wife was real. "Your mother said that you are the one she is most worried about... Your father promised your mother that he would take good care of you. It doesn't matter if you never get married in your life. Your father can support you."
The Earl's family is not poor. Although he doesn't have much income now, he will receive a considerable amount of property when the family divides the inheritance, enough to support his two children.
We need to let Heng'er know that even if things get really bad, there's still him.
“I remember what my father said.”
Qiu Heng brought out a square bamboo-patterned incense pendant: "This is suitable for you to wear."
Master Qiu was overjoyed to receive his daughter's gift and immediately replaced the sachet at his waist.
The next few days were relatively peaceful, but not long after, Qiu Heng received a letter from the Prime Minister's residence.
Fang Rui, the granddaughter of Fang Xiang, invited the Qiu sisters to a small gathering at the Prime Minister's residence.
In the past, the Qiu family girl would have been thrilled to receive an invitation from the Prime Minister's residence, but now she hesitated upon seeing it.
"It's so hot, maybe we shouldn't go," Qiu Xuan said, looking at Qiu Heng.
At the birthday banquet of the Princess of Jiayi, Fang Rui's attitude towards the sixth sister was clearly unfriendly, and now that the invitation has been sent, it seems the banquet will not be a pleasant one.
“It’s really hot. Second sister, you should stay home. I’ve been feeling really stifled these past few days, so I’m going out for some fresh air.” Qiu Heng’s gaze lingered on the elegant invitation.
She knew there was no such thing as a good banquet, but how could she miss the opportunity to step into the Prime Minister's residence?
Interestingly, this opportunity was earned through her current notoriety, proving that her efforts were not in vain.
“Go, why not go? Not going would make you look guilty.” Qiu Fu’s stubbornness kicked in.
In the end, all five Qiu family daughters appeared at the flower banquet at the Prime Minister's residence.
"Is that Miss Qiu Liu?"
It's her.
"I really couldn't tell..."
Amidst the hushed whispers, a voice rang out: "Some people are really shameless; they actually have the nerve to show their faces here."
Qiu Heng looked over upon hearing the sound and saw Cheng Susu standing next to Fang Rui, her face filled with undisguised disdain.
Before Qiu Heng could speak, Qiu Fu stepped forward and asked in confusion, "Miss Fang, could the invitations we received be fake?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
