Chapter 29
Just two days later, Xie Qinghong actually received a response from the Qiu family. When Madam Qiu came to visit her maternal grandparents, she subtly told her to consider her reputation and not to get close to her son since the marriage was already arranged.
With a few words, the mother shut the man down and subtly mocked him. Madam Qiu turned pale with anger and declared, "Madam Xie doesn't care about Miss Xie's reputation, but I have to consider my son's. Therefore, I can only have my husband tell His Highness the Prince of Nan the truth. The Xie family's conduct is despicable!"
Xie Qinghong curled her lips and said, "So Madam Qiu would consider the young lady's reputation? I thought Madam Qiu would also know about Young Master Qiu's behavior. After all, she raised her own son, so she should know what he looks like. Whoever he is, is he worth me getting close to?"
Madam Qiu glared at her coldly and said, "You're sharp-tongued and twisting the truth. My son is upright and honest, always proper and respectful. Many girls have secretly admired him, but he has never overstepped his bounds. Miss Xie, you have quite the big mouth."
Xie Qinghong found these words grating. "A gentleman should be described as upright and virtuous, not something that any petty person can claim to be." She immediately retorted without hesitation, "Madam Qiu's wording is incorrect. If Young Master Qiu is upright and virtuous, then everyone else must be a god without desires. If you must inform the Prince of Nan, then please do so quickly, otherwise the mid-year evaluation will be approaching."
The mid-year evaluation she was referring to was an assessment of officials' performance at the end of the year. One aspect of this was talent evaluation, where the governor of a prefecture had to recommend talented individuals from his jurisdiction. These individuals had to be outstanding in terms of knowledge, morality, and reputation. Since arriving in Huaizhou, the Qiu family had been building up Qiu Ran's reputation for two years, and they were preparing to recommend him this year to secure a high-ranking position and launch his official career.
Madam Qiu was so worried about her son's betrothal that she rushed to his door to warn him. Knowing his character well, she knew he definitely had feelings for the Xie woman and wanted to nip those feelings in the bud. This Xie woman was already the fiancée of the Prince of Nan's heir, yet she still acted so shamelessly. She couldn't let her seduce her son. Once her son entered officialdom, he could find a respectable noblewoman in Wangjing to marry, and all his past foolish actions would be insignificant.
Madam Qiu's mind raced. She thought to herself that Xie's daughter was indeed cunning, knowing about the mid-year evaluation. It seemed she thought the Qiu family wouldn't take the matter to the Prince of Nan because of the evaluation. Ha, they were mistaken. To increase her son's chances, she had already had her husband write to the Prince of Nan. The Prince of Nan, for the sake of Pei's reputation, might recommend her son, making the appointment even more certain.
Madam Qiu sneered, "I won't trouble Miss Xie with the mid-year evaluation. Since you show no remorse, I'll wait and see what your fate will be!" With that, she took her leave without any hesitation.
As soon as Madam Qiu left, Liang Yu touched his daughter's little face and suddenly laughed: "Why have I never seen you argue like this before? Who was it when you were little and couldn't win an argument with your brother, and stayed up all night afterward? Now it seems your brother doesn't get the upper hand at all."
Xie Qinghong was taken aback for a moment, then belatedly realized, "Oh right, when did I become so good at arguing? Brother, you definitely can't win against me."
Liang Yu was quite pleased: "A girl doesn't necessarily have to be delicate and demure. I feel more at ease with you this way, so you won't be bullied when you get to the South. Like this time, when the young master of the Qiu family spoke ill of you first, you just need to fight back. Their family is not upright and won't last long."
Xie Qinghong reassured her mother: "Qiu Ran has done all sorts of evil deeds, and I will definitely make him pay the price."
Because of the attitude of his classmates at Bailu Academy towards the rumors, Qiu Ran stopped letting his servant show his face. Originally, he had a group of supporters at Baihe Academy, but after his servant's deeds were exposed and spread by a few girls, the self-proclaimed gentlemen of Baihe Academy no longer bothered to associate with him.
Qiu Ran had never suffered such humiliation before. He immediately stopped studying and went home to complain to his mother, saying that Xie's daughter had tried to seduce him but failed and instead slandered him for his lack of virtue. Madam Qiu loved her son dearly, and that very night she had Qiu Min, the governor of Huaizhou, write a letter to the Prince of Nan. In the letter, she said that Xie's daughter, who was about to marry the Prince of Nan's heir, was not virtuous and had no integrity whatsoever, and warned the Prince of Nan to be careful that his family's reputation might be ruined in the future.
Seeing that Xie Qinghong was only putting on a show of power, Qiu Ran couldn't help but feel smug: "This little girl is all talk and no action. She probably doesn't know that the Prince of Nan already knows about her character. Even if he doesn't say anything for now, what kind of good life will she have after marrying into the Prince of Nan's mansion? Just wait and see. If she offends me, I'll ruin her reputation."
The servant, who had been kicked that day, harbored even greater hatred for Xie Qinghong and immediately offered a suggestion: "My lord, I think this is not enough. The Prince of Nan is an elder, and due to His Majesty's arranged marriage, he probably won't do anything. Why not tell that young master? He's a ruthless man; he might even come to Huaizhou with his sword to find Lady Xie and make her lose face! But we also need to find out who her lover is, so that the young master doesn't think it's related to you, my lord."
Qiu Ran pondered: "What you say is true, but only you have seen this lover; no one else believes it, it's just hearsay..."
"Don't worry, my lord. I've been keeping an eye on things these past few days. If that man appears, I'll report to you immediately."
"Well done." Qiu Ran nodded in satisfaction. "I'll go out and see what's going on. If it can't get out of the academy, then let it spread to the streets. It'll be something to talk about over tea and after meals. I want to see how Xie Qinghong will shut up all the gossip."
Qiu Ran, who was accompanied by his servants, had no idea what awaited him on the street. Although he hadn't been out much for two days, he felt like he was being watched all the time. He had seen plenty of such glances in the past, mostly from young women and wives who were too shy to talk to him, but today those gazes seemed to be filled with malice, making him feel cold on the back.
Xie Qinghong had already received the news when Qiu Ran left. Today was the monthly holiday, and he couldn't hold back any longer. She sat in the most bustling teahouse in Huaizhou City and lightly tapped the table with her fingers: "Let's begin."
Qiu Ran was walking down the road, slowly waving a folding fan with a rather elegant air, when he suddenly heard the sound of something being thrown into the air above his head. He thought it must be those handkerchiefs and sachets again, and was about to look up with a smile when the thing fell quickly and hit him directly on the forehead, breaking it.
It was an egg! His forehead was covered in egg yolk, and cracked eggshells slid off his face and fell to the ground. The servant was startled, looked up but saw no one, and quickly pulled out a towel to wipe him clean. Qiu Ran grabbed the towel and shoved him aside, shouting angrily, "Who is it? Go see who dares to be so bold!"
Before the servant could even go upstairs, a group of girls came down together. When they saw Qiu Ran's appearance, they immediately burst into laughter, pointing and whispering at him. Although they seemed to be covering half of their faces with their fans, their voices were quite loud.
"Look, look! Young Master Qiu looks so disheveled."
"Oh dear, who was trying to throw the sachet but accidentally threw the wrong one? But this egg is quite a good match for Qiu Langjun."
"Yes, it seems we've been throwing those handkerchiefs and sachets in the wrong place all this time. From now on, we should just throw eggs at Qiu Langjun."
"And what about leafy greens and cucumbers? I think they would suit Qiu Langjun very well."
Qiu Ran's eyes were bloodshot with rage. All her former elegance and composure vanished as she angrily pointed at them and shouted, "I am Qiu Ran! Are you all insane?!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Qinghong stepped out from behind a group of girls. Long earrings fell to the side of her neck, and her pure gold headdress was exquisitely designed, without the slightest hint of vulgarity. Her light gold gauze dress fluttered in the wind.
It was a stark contrast to his disheveled state.
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