"I'm so sorry."
The smile on the other person's face turned slightly pale as he said to Qin Sheng, "Something came up at home, so I'll head back now."
However, when she stood up, for some reason, she lost her balance.
Qin Sheng also stood up and subconsciously reached out to support the other person's hand, only to hear her let out a soft gasp.
It's already spring, so the clothes we wear aren't as thick as they were in winter.
The other person's sleeve slid up a little, revealing several deep marks on their fair skin, which looked as if they had been pinched hard.
"..."
The other person was startled and hurriedly pulled back the sleeve on their wrist. They glanced at Qin Sheng one last time before leaving with their maids and servants.
Qin Sheng watched as they left in their carriage.
Although other people's affairs are none of her business, she still felt a little strange.
She felt that the lady's eyebrows and eyes looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
The bruises on her hands reminded Qin Sheng of one of her cousins.
Qin Sheng's cousin was a well-educated, talented, and virtuous girl from a young age, and she always followed the rules.
Later, she married into the Liao family, becoming the eldest daughter-in-law of the Liao family. Although the two families were somewhat mismatched, everyone in the family was happy for her because her cousin had married into a higher social class.
Qin Sheng didn't quite understand at the time, and didn't know why her cousin always looked so worried whenever she saw her.
Later I found out that it was because my brother-in-law had violent tendencies. Whenever he got drunk, he would raise his hand and hit my sister, whether in front of the elders or the servants.
After the Qin family found out, they went to the Left Prime Minister's residence to demand an explanation.
However, it seems that they didn't get any explanation afterward.
On the contrary, my cousin, unable to bear her husband's violence and after he stubbornly refused to divorce her, hanged herself in despair.
Qin Sheng felt heartbroken for her cousin whenever she thought about it later.
That lady from just now---
...
night.
After taking a bath, Qin Sheng sat under the lamp and read the letter her brother had written to her.
The letter came from the border; it was a thick stack. It contained a lot of information, including my brother's recent situation and the scenery of Crescent Moon City.
He said Crescent Moon City is beautiful, the people are very hospitable, and the roasted lamb is delicious. If he has the chance in the future, he must take her to visit Crescent Moon City.
He also said that he met a very feisty girl in Crescent Moon City, who hit him and then ran away...
The letter was very long, and Qin Sheng read it until late at night without realizing it.
At first, she could still wear a smile on her face, but as she watched, her eyes started to sting a little.
She knew that her brother was only reporting good news and not bad.
The border region is a place of hardship, and it's wartime, so he must have been very busy and tired, yet he still took the time to write her such a long letter.
"My lady---"
Jade brought in a cup of ginseng tea. "It's getting late, my lady. Why don't you look at it tomorrow? Get some rest."
Qin Sheng shook her head. "I can't sleep."
Perhaps it was because she had too many things on her mind, or perhaps it was because she had just finished reading her brother's letter, but she wasn't sleepy at all.
Jade then sat down and told her about what had happened in the past two days.
Qin Sheng has already secured a shop today. She wants to open an embroidery shop, as her maids are all quite skilled at embroidery.
However, when it comes to needlework, Qin Sheng couldn't help but think of Yu Rou.
"I wonder how Yu Rou is doing at the Yin residence."
Yu Rou wasn't directly sold into the Yin family. She was Granny Shi's niece, and Granny Shi personally brought her into the mansion. Presumably, her indenture was in the hands of Old Madam Yin.
"I don't know if she's still at the Yin residence or has already left," Emerald said.
Qin Sheng said, "I need to write home in a few days, or I could ask the messenger to inquire about it..."
Before he could finish speaking, he shook his head.
Let's forget about it.
She has already divorced Yin Wenxiao. If she sends someone to the Yin residence to inquire again, and people find out, it will probably cause more trouble.
Jade, however, had a sudden inspiration: "Why don't we ask His Highness to help us find out?"
"..."
Seeing Qin Sheng frown, Emerald said, "It's not a big deal anyway, His Highness should... be able to help."
The tone was not entirely certain.
Qin Sheng was thinking that she still owed that person a meal, and now she had to ask him for help again?
However, what Jade said makes sense. It's not a big deal anyway. It's inconvenient for me, but it should be convenient for Yue Rongheng, right?
Qin Sheng thought about it for a while, then sighed, "Forget it, let's talk about this later. It's getting late, you should go and get some rest too."
Jade then rose and took her leave.
Qin Sheng turned off the light and lay down on the bed.
I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
One moment he was thinking about his business, the next he was thinking about his brother who was far away on the border and his parents in the capital.
Finally, there is Yue Rongheng.
Those phoenix eyes lingered in Qin Sheng's mind, and Qin Sheng finally sat up again.
She had already been married before, and her brief marriage to Yin Wenxiao, along with her experiences in her previous life, were enough to make Qin Sheng afraid to marry another man.
No one will be unconditionally kind to you or do anything for you forever.
Especially considering she was a divorced woman... Qin Sheng lay back down on the bed, feeling that she still needed to keep a proper distance from the Regent.
...
Even in the dead of night, there were people in the Wuping Marquis's residence who couldn't sleep.
The guard climbed in through the window and reported some things to Marquis Wuping.
Wu Rukai frowned, then sneered, "No wonder. But speaking of which, Qin Sheng does indeed have a close relationship with the Regent."
At that time, the Marquis of Wuping's family had not yet moved to Ningzhou.
Back then, Empress Dowager Duanxian often summoned the young ladies of the Qin family to the palace. Although the marriage between Qin Sheng and Yue Rongheng was not discussed openly, judging from Empress Dowager Duanxian's attitude, discerning people could guess the general idea.
However, Qin Sheng came to Ningzhou after divorcing her husband's family, which Marquis Wuping was unaware of.
“My lord,” the guard said, “the Prime Minister said that the account books of Ningzhou must not fall into the hands of the Regent.”
"Of course I know that."
Marquis Wuping sneered, "Back then, the Prime Minister made me return to Ningzhou because he coveted Ningzhou's wealth and sent me here to amass riches for him."
Given time, those account books will be his lifeline.
Marquis Wuping did not trust the Left Chancellor Liao Wushan, but unfortunately, Liao held a fatal weakness in his hands.
That's why he held onto those ledgers even more tightly.
So what if the Regent Prince sneaked into the Marquis of Wuping's residence at night? He still didn't find anything.
...
Upon learning that Qin Sheng was actually the Regent's sister, Lady Wuping was terrified for several days, chanting Amitabha Buddha's name for protection in the courtyard every day.
She kept saying to Granny Xue, "It's all thanks to Jingying."
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