Chapter 145 Grandfather Decides the Entire Matter
Tea streamed down Yongqingbo's old face, wetting his beard.
The Earl of Yongqing wiped his face and pointed at the old lady incredulously: "Have you lost your mind?"
"I think the Earl has lost his mind. He actually wants to send his perfectly good granddaughter to be someone's concubine!"
"I haven't finished speaking yet!" The Earl of Yongqing's face turned ashen with anger. "Prime Minister Fang said that as long as we agree, he will help with the succession to the title—"
"Inheriting the title? Inheriting the title? You're practically delusional about it! Even if you really do inherit the title, so what? The world will still criticize the Yongqing Marquis's family for making their granddaughter a concubine just to inherit the title!"
"So what if he can inherit the title? What nonsense are you spouting!" The Earl of Yongqing looked at the old lady as if she were an idiot. "If he can inherit the title, the eldest son will be the Earl of Yongqing, Song'er will also be the Earl of Yongqing, and Song'er's eldest son will also be the Earl of Yongqing! Our descendants will not be reduced to commoners, and I will have the face to face our ancestors in the future!"
The old lady sneered: "You can't even protect your own children and grandchildren now, what about your descendants?"
"A woman's view, long hair and short eyes!" The Earl of Yongqing stamped his foot. "What's wrong with exchanging a granddaughter for the hereditary title of the Earl of Yongqing's mansion?"
The old lady's tone was resolute: "I will not accept it!"
Yongqing was furious: "Don't forget I'm the head of the household. I'm only telling you out of consideration for our long marriage, and you're making a scene. Let me tell you, I'm the one who makes the decisions here, so don't go crazy!"
The old lady stared intently at the swaying curtain behind the Earl of Yongqing as he stormed off, murmuring almost inaudibly, "Who's gone mad? Who's gone mad..."
After a while, the old lady suddenly snapped out of her daze: "Chuncao, Chunxia—"
The head maid, Chuncao, walked in quietly: "This servant is here."
"Go to Lengxiang Residence immediately and invite the Sixth Miss here."
"yes."
At this time, Qiu Heng was invited over by someone sent by the Earl of Yongqing.
"My grandfather is looking for me."
Uncle Yongqing looked at his granddaughter.
The girl with her hair styled in two buns was at the prime of her youth, with fair skin, black hair, and delicate features. She possessed a rare calm demeanor, giving off an air of intelligent resilience.
Although the Earl of Yongqing had spoken harshly to the old lady, his regret only intensified upon seeing Qiuheng.
If Sixth Sister were to enter the palace with her ambition, she might even rise to a position more prestigious than the Imperial Concubine. If we could exchange her for a granddaughter to go to the Prime Minister's residence, the Earl's family could inherit the title, which would be the best of both worlds.
"Heng'er, how did you feel when you visited the Prime Minister's residence these past few days?"
Qiu Heng replied calmly, "The Prime Minister's residence has a large number of servants, strict rules, and displays the grandeur of a high-ranking family in every aspect."
“That’s true. Prime Minister Fang is the head of all officials, and his residence is not comparable to that of an ordinary family.” Yongqingbo paused, then tentatively asked, “What do you think if Heng’er could live in the Prime Minister’s residence?”
"Please speak frankly, Grandfather."
"The Prime Minister's residence has taken a liking to you and wants you to become the concubine of the Prime Minister's third son. What do you think?" Yongqing Earl paid attention to Qiuheng's reaction, but found that her expression did not change much after hearing these words.
Look at him, he's much more composed than an old woman. With such temperament and qualities, he's bound to have good fortune.
Qiu Heng countered, "What does Grandfather think?"
"Hehe." Uncle Yongqing stroked his beard. "Grandfather feels that you are being treated a bit unfairly. However, the wife of the third young master of the Prime Minister's mansion comes from an ordinary background and is weak-willed. She is not well-liked by her mother-in-law. If you enter the Prime Minister's mansion, it will not be difficult for you to live a good life."
Qiu Heng remained silent for a while, then said calmly, "In that case, I will follow my grandfather's arrangements."
Her words made Yongqingbo hesitate: "Don't you have any other thoughts?"
Most young girls, upon hearing they would become concubines, would either contemplate suicide or weep uncontrollably; Liu Yatou's reaction was far too calm.
“My granddaughter has many ideas, but since her grandfather has this plan, all I can do is try my best to live well under his arrangement.”
“You—” Uncle Yongqing sighed, “Heng’er is a good child, you should go back now.”
He needed to think it over again to see if exchanging Liu Yatou for Fang Xiang's help was a bad deal.
"Granddaughter takes her leave."
Qiu Heng returned to Lengxiang Residence, where Chuncao had been waiting for a while.
"Sixth Miss, the Old Madam wants you to go to Qiansong Hall."
When Qiu Heng arrived at Qian Song Tang, she met the old lady with a solemn expression.
"grandmother."
The old lady remained silent for a moment as she watched her granddaughter curtsying.
She felt embarrassed that the sixth girl had agreed to go to the Prime Minister's residence to apply medicine to a nanny, so she had ignored the girl. She never expected that after being ignored for a few days, the girl would be going to become someone's concubine!
"Why did it take you so long to get here?" the old lady asked coldly.
“My grandfather just called me over to talk.”
Upon hearing this, the old lady's face darkened even further.
The old man is quick on his feet.
With a wave of her hand signaling the servants to leave, the old lady said in a deep voice, "Since your grandfather has come to find you, you must already know."
The old lady simply couldn't bring herself to say the words "become a concubine."
"Yes, I heard it from my grandfather."
"What do you think?" The old lady asked the same question as the Earl of Yongqing, but her thoughts were completely different.
Qiu Heng lowered her eyes, avoiding the old lady's gaze: "Granddaughter can only listen to her grandfather."
Seeing her granddaughter's submissive attitude, the old lady felt a surge of anger: "Why can you only listen to your grandfather? You are still the adopted daughter of the Princess Consort of Kang, and the Prince of Kang's heir treats you very well..."
If one were to swallow one's pride and go to the Prince Kang's residence to cry and beg, the Prince Kang's residence could intervene and surely prevent one from becoming a concubine.
And such a thing could only be done by Liu Yatou herself.
Qiu Heng sighed inwardly.
It is said that you can't judge a book by its cover. Although the old lady values her reputation and seems strict on a daily basis, she truly loves her granddaughter.
Unlike the Earl of Yongqing, who only saw profit and treated his granddaughter not as a granddaughter but as a bargaining chip.
Unfortunately, she was going to disappoint the old lady.
After a moment of silence, Qiu Heng said calmly, "Aheng has grandparents and a father. She has no face to go to the Kang Prince's mansion to cry and make a scene."
"You—" The old lady's face turned pale and then red, and her chest felt tight.
This girl is usually not one to suffer a loss, and she's quite shameless. What's wrong with her now?
"Sixth Girl, you need to know that this is a major life event for you. Once it's settled, there's no turning back. This isn't the time to worry about saving face. You need to think this through!"
She values her reputation so much, yet she'd rather Sixth Sister go to Prince Kang's mansion for help. Has this brat's head been slammed in a door?
"My granddaughter has thought it through."
"Okay, okay, just don't regret it."
The old lady chased Qiu Heng out, her face dark with anger.
"Madam, please have some tea." Chuncao offered the tea, fearing that the old lady might get sick from the anger.
The old lady took the teacup, drank a sip, and put it on the table: "Prepare the car, let's go."
Even if Liu Yatou resigned herself to her fate, she still couldn't bear the thought of her perfectly good granddaughter becoming someone's concubine.
It's one thing for poor families to sell their daughters because they can't make a living, but for a noble lady from an aristocratic family to become a concubine, she will never be able to hold her head high for the rest of her life!
Qiu Heng returned to Lengxiang Residence and leaned against the screen at the head of her bed, lost in thought.
Everything was going according to her plan, but she didn't seem happy.
The image of the old lady's angry and confused face flashed through her mind, followed by the image of the boy with a serious expression who said he would take responsibility for her.
Qiu Heng chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Whether she's happy or not is the least important thing compared to what she has to do.
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