Chapter 4 Gap
Su Yanqiu frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure showing on his face.
"The Immortal Doctor from Qingfeng Mountain? Abbot Xuanming? Mother, Heng'er has been raised in the Su family for over ten years. Do you really want to do this?"
Liu looked at him sideways and said meaningfully, "Yanqiu, don't forget what the King of Qi told you. It's impossible for you and Heng'er to be together."
"Have you forgotten the prophecy that Abbot Xuanming spoke of back then? Your position as Crown Prince was not easy to obtain. Don't let that vixen ruin your future."
Liu chuckled softly, "Besides, if she knew what you had done and knew who you were, do you think she would let you go?"
Su Yanqiu's heart tightened.
Of course he understood that if Yuheng knew the truth, she would hate him to the core.
He clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a moment. Finally, he opened his eyes and stood up, saying, "My son understands and will put the overall situation first."
"Jinshu has been raised in Yongzhou since she was young and knows very little about the affairs of Yanjing. Now that she has returned to the mansion, we must keep an eye on her. We must not reveal her identity, and we must not let her cause any trouble that will bring harm to the Marquisate."
Liu nodded: "I know my limits."
"Also, don't let her enter the Su family ancestral hall, and don't let her know what's inside." Su Yanqiu said, then turned and left Huayuan Courtyard.
Late at night, he took out the crushed golden hairpin with flowery patterns from his arms and examined it carefully.
The hairpin was no longer in shape, obviously having been severely crushed by someone.
He had wanted to put it on Su Yuheng himself tonight so that he could be closer to her, but now that the hairpin was ruined, all his wishes were in vain.
"Prince." Mo Yu pushed the door open and walked in.
"Will you follow His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi's instructions tomorrow? Will you lead the Fourth Young Lady to Fanlou?"
Su Yanqiu's eyes darkened slightly, and he felt a little unhappy. He was thinking about what Su Yuheng had just said to him.
"Let's just turn it down for now. I'll definitely find an excuse to cover it up later."
"Heng'er is now so beautiful that she is bound to attract people's attention. I hope she will never leave the house."
He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold: "But... for my future, for the Marquis' Mansion, it's okay to sacrifice her."
Mo Yu understood in his heart that in the eyes of the prince, interests are the most important thing.
"I understand."
The next day, not long after Liu Jinshu moved into Fangfeiyuan, chaos broke out on the Liu family's side.
In the Huayuan courtyard, Nanny Gui hurried in and closed the door behind her.
"Madam, something happened!"
Liu put down the teacup and frowned, "Why are you so anxious? Speak slowly."
Nanny Gui said anxiously, "Yesterday you instructed that Miss Jinshu be given the share according to the rules for a legitimate daughter, and somehow today it reached the old lady's ears. Everyone in the mansion is saying that Miss Jinshu's birth date and horoscope are fake, and her eyebrows and eyes are very similar to yours. I'm afraid she is your illegitimate daughter born to someone else before you married into the Marquis's Mansion, and has been raised in the Liu family..."
Upon hearing this, Liu was so angry that she trembled all over and threw the teacup to the ground.
"absurd!"
"Who is so bold as to gossip about me behind my back? When I find her, I will beat her to death with a stick and feed her to the dogs!"
Nanny Gui said helplessly, "I have sent people to investigate, but there is no clue. Now the old lady is furious and ordered you to go there immediately, saying that the cousin's current allowance is not in accordance with the rules."
"The master mysteriously disappeared two years ago. The Marquis's Mansion is no longer what it used to be. Giving a cousin a share of the royal daughter's allowance will cause dissatisfaction among the other courts."
Liu's heart was beating like a drum. She just wanted to give her daughter the best, at least to make her life better in the Marquis' Mansion.
But she didn't expect that someone would gossip and spread Liu Jinshu's identity in such a exaggerated way. If this spread out of the house, how would she hold her head up in front of the noble ladies in Yanjing in the future?
She suppressed her anger and said coldly, "Forget it. The Marquis' Mansion is empty now, so we can't keep it simple. The old lady is pressing us too hard, so we can only let Jinshu down for now and let her live according to the standards of a distant relative."
"She's been treated like a legitimate daughter since she arrived in Yanjing. It's too ostentatious. If Yuheng notices, she'll probably become suspicious."
Aunt Gui looked embarrassed.
The Marquis's Mansion is no longer what it used to be, and the allowances for distant relatives are very meager.
"Yes, I'll do it right away."
At noon, Liu went to the old lady's courtyard.
Old Madam Su sat upright on the chair, looking at Liu with some dissatisfaction.
Now the whereabouts of Marquis Dingbei are unknown, and the eldest son Su Mingzhe is sitting in a wheelchair all day. Although the title of Marquis falls on Su Yanqiu, she still feels that the disappearance of Marquis Dingbei is a bit strange.
"Yuan'er has been missing for so long, and you're not worried."
"Although Jinshu has been taken back now, you can give her the same treatment as a legitimate daughter, and you won't have to worry about what others will say."
Liu sat down on the chair and said with some dissatisfaction, "Old Madam, the Marquis is not at home all day. I don't know whether he is fooling around with someone or has disappeared."
"He left cleanly, leaving the mess at the Marquis' Mansion for us to take care of. Jinshu grew up in Yongzhou and suffered so much there, so I naturally hope she'll have a better life here at the Marquis' Mansion."
"If it were based on my cousin's share, how shabby would it be?"
Madam Su said, "The Marquis' Mansion is no longer what it used to be. If you hadn't used up a lot of our property to subsidize your worthless brother, how could our Mansion be in this state?"
"Besides, Jinshu has just returned, and you're already giving her the share of the legitimate daughter. What will the other houses and courtyards think? If her identity is exposed, have you considered the consequences?"
Upon hearing this, Liu lowered her head.
"My daughter-in-law knows about this, so I'll just change Jinshu's share back."
Madam Su sighed and said, "Yuan'er has been missing for two years, and the Cangzhou authorities still have no information on his whereabouts. Our mansion is now supported by only Yanqiu. Food and clothing are not as affordable as before, so let's all save some money."
Liu said, "My daughter-in-law understands."
The old lady said, "You go down first."
"Yes, ma'am."
By the afternoon, in the west wing of Fangfei Courtyard, Liu Jinshu could no longer sit still.
She looked around at the simple furnishings in the room, feeling extremely sad.
The Marquis's Mansion only assigned her one maid to do the rough work in the west wing.
She clutched her sleeves, gritted her teeth and secretly hated
The maid Tianshuang brought in water and saw that she looked unhappy. She advised, "Don't be upset, cousin. The Marquis's Mansion has been tightening its belt lately, and it's not easy to decorate like this."
Liu Jinshu asked coldly, "Is this the treatment for a distant cousin? What about the daughter of the Marquis's family?"
Tianshuang pursed her lips and smiled, a hint of contempt flashing in her eyes.
"There's naturally a world of difference between a daughter of a marquis and a distant cousin."
"Although Fangfei Courtyard was granted by the Emperor himself, the West Wing must follow the rules. If the rules of the mansion are violated, the masters of the other rooms will complain to the old lady, which will not be good. Therefore, this West Wing..."
She looked around and chuckled, "I'm the worst among all the masters."
Liu Jinshu stood up suddenly: "The worst?"
Tian Shuang nodded: "Miss, this is the rule in the mansion."
Rules! Rules again!
Liu Jinshu thought he would be able to enjoy wealth and luxury after returning home, but he turned out to be worse than the maid in Fangfei Courtyard.
Su Yuheng has occupied her position for more than ten years, and now he is favored by the Supreme Emperor. Why?
Even Su Yanqiu has never seen her once.
"Last night, brother... no, cousin, did you go to see the fourth young lady after you came back?"
Tian Shuang said, "The prince has always loved the fourth young lady the most and often gifted her with jewelry and treasures. I think he gave her a hairpin again last night."
Liu Jinshu's heart ached. She was Su Yanqiu's biological sister, the real daughter of a marquis!
But instead of coming to see her, her brother went to give a hairpin to Su Yuheng?
Bai Zhi hurried into the master's room of Fangfei Courtyard.
"Miss, the old lady is really angry. My cousin's allowance is only slightly better than that of the maid in the mansion."
Su Yuheng glanced at the luxurious furnishings in the room, then glanced at the poetry book on the table, and the corners of his lips raised slightly.
"In a few days, the Spring Festival Banquet will be held. All the ladies from the high-ranking families in the capital will be attending. Mother will definitely let my cousin go with us. I must teach her etiquette in the next few days."
She stood up, a cold look in her eyes.
"Go and call all the maids and nannies in the courtyard. I have something to arrange."
"Yes, Miss." After Bai Zhi went out, she summoned the maids from Fangfeiyuan shortly afterwards.
After Su Yuheng arranged things for the maids, he gave instructions to Bai Zhi.
"When my cousin comes into my room to talk to me later, you two should leave the room first and have one of you observe the situation from the north window."
Bai Zhi was a little puzzled. The young lady was acting so mysteriously, maybe she was calculating something?
"I understand."
Su Yuheng glanced at the poetry collection on the table and felt a sense of relief.
Spring Banquet, waiting for a good show.
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