Just as the village was gradually returning to calm, hundreds of miles away in the Qin family compound in Qingshui County, the atmosphere inside the Tingnuan Pavilion was extremely oppressive.
Qiu Shuang carefully bandaged Wei Jianjia's wounds. Seeing the old and new scars on her palm, she finally couldn't help but say, "Miss, you are a noble lady. It's really not worth hurting yourself for Su Hua."
"A noble lady?" The girl sneered, her beautiful eyes full of self-mockery. "Even that little hussy Su Hua can laugh at me for being a concubine's daughter. How can I be considered a noble lady?"
“Su Hua only dares to speak so rudely because she is favored by the young master.” Qiu Shuang shook her head, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. “She is just a peasant girl now, yet she is so arrogant, always going against the young lady and embarrassing her in public.”
Given time, if she really gets the opportunity...
"I'm afraid the first thing they'll have to deal with is the young lady; we really can't afford to be careless!"
Wei Jianjia narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly: "Defend? How?"
Qiu Shuang glanced out the window, and seeing that no one was around, she placed her hand on her neck and made a sharp, swift sliding motion.
"Fool!" Wei Jianjia sneered coldly upon seeing this. "Do you think the Qin family are idiots?"
Yingxian is young and naive, but Ke Yucheng, who grew up with his maternal grandfather, is more shrewd than anyone else.
Today at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, Yu Cheng already had some doubts about me.
"If I kill Su Hua now, wouldn't that be directly telling Yu Cheng that it was me?"
Although she was very reluctant to admit that the man she liked had someone else in his heart, she could not ignore this fact.
If Su Hua were killed at this moment, even if she were to marry Yu Cheng in the future, he would surely hate her for the rest of his life.
This is not the outcome she wanted.
Qiu Shuang shrank back as she was scolded, her lips trembling for a long time before she finally spoke, "Can't I kill you? Does that mean Miss is just going to keep enduring this all this time?"
These days, the young master has been talking about that little brat Su Hua the most, as well as Miss Biao. However, after seeing Su Hua twice, he has been extremely protective of her.
Even Madam Qin and Master Qin spoke only positive words about Su Hua.
If this continues, I'm afraid Su Hua will snatch Young Master away from him!
"Endure? Why should I endure?" Wei Jianjia's gaze was cold. "Just because I'm not killing her now doesn't mean I'll allow her to continue being so unruly."
Qiu Shuang pursed her lips and looked at the girl, "Then what does Miss mean?"
“I heard some new things at the Hundred Flowers Banquet today.” Wei Jianjia raised her beautiful eyes slightly. “On the way from Cangwu Town to Qingshui County, there is a bandit den, and the bandit leader there has a particular fondness for pretty young girls.”
Every now and then, he would have his men capture a few and take them into the mountains.
However, because the mountain range was so vast, and its westernmost part bordered the Western Rong tribes, the bandits frequently changed their hideouts.
Therefore, all the successive county magistrates who wanted to suppress the bandits had been unsuccessful.
Qiu Shuang grew up alongside Wei Jianjia, and with just a few words, she understood what she meant.
She couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "Miss is truly talented. Su Hua is so alluring, it's no wonder she caught the eye of a bandit. She can't blame anyone else."
"Hmph!" Wei Jianjia flicked her fingernails, her expression turning cold. "Who told her to insist on fighting for something that didn't belong to her?"
The head of the Li family comes from humble beginnings and doesn't care about his granddaughter-in-law's family background, but he certainly cares about her future reputation.
Furthermore, the Qin family, with its long history of integrity and prestige, would never accept a granddaughter-in-law whose reputation has been ruined.
Once Su Hua is taken to the bandit's den, no matter what happens inside or whether she survives, she will never be allowed to enter the Qin family again.
Even the young masters from humble families who attended the Hundred Flowers Banquet today wouldn't want her.
The more prominent she is today, the faster her reputation will be ruined tomorrow.
Isn't this move better than killing her?
Qiu Shuang smiled and said, "Miss is right. I will take care of it right away and make sure it is done perfectly."
"Wait." Wei Jianjia raised her hand to stop her. "Go and bring the carrier pigeon. I need to send a letter to the Third Prince."
What she thought would be a smooth process has become complicated because of Su Hua's interference. She must inform Consort Shu and the Third Prince to avoid being blamed for her incompetence.
"Yes," Qiu Shuang replied respectfully.
The red candles flickered, and as Wei Jianjia was writing halfway through her work, Qiu Shuang walked in hesitantly, carrying a carrier pigeon.
"What happened?"
Qiu Shuang handed over the letter in her hand, "Miss, this is a letter from the Third Prince, inviting you to a gathering on the boat on the Qingshui River tomorrow."
"What?" Wei Jianjia frowned, but she could tell at a glance that the words on the paper belonged to that person.
"The Third Prince has actually come to Qingshui County, when did this happen..."
Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.
After returning home, Su Hua only briefly mentioned the Hundred Flowers Banquet to her family, and only mentioned the headdress and Zaozhuang to Su Baishi.
The next morning, the Su family ate shrimp and crab noodles. The seafood that Qin Yucheng brought back for the Su siblings was large, with plenty of shrimp and crab roe. After braising, it was used to mix with noodles, and the taste was extremely fresh.
Most of the Su family members were eating seafood for the first time. They weren't very skilled at peeling shrimp and crabs, and their hands and mouths were covered in oil. But this did not dampen their joy at eating seafood, and the main room was filled with laughter.
Just then, a knocking sound rang out on the door.
The two little guys, one black and one white, who were engrossed in eating, shot out like shooting stars.
Immediately afterwards, a chorus of meows and barks from cats and dogs rose and fell.
"Woof woof woof—"
"Meow—"
"Who is it?" Su Bai called out to the outside.
The little black and big white dogs are very clever, and they have a keen sense of smell. If the villagers of Shanghe Village come, they will only take a look and will not bark so loudly.
Su Sanhu wiped his mouth, got up and walked out. "Mother, continue eating your noodles. I'm going out to take a look."
The courtyard gate opened and closed, and in the blink of an eye, Su Sanhu returned to the main room.
She was also holding a delicate little box in her hands. "Hua'er, the person who came said they were from the Liu family of Tangshan Prefecture, and they're bringing you a land deed for Zaozhuang."
"Huh...??" Su Hua's almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief. "How could Liu Yuxian, this peacock, be so punctual? Did the sun rise in the west?"
But when the box was opened, a land deed was neatly placed inside.
The address of Zaozhuang was written in red next to the contract, and Su Hua's name was written in the lower right corner. It was stamped with a large red official seal.
The official seal wasn't even completely dry yet.
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