Chapter 160 You Can Ask Me Out
Xue Han placed something into Qiu Heng's hand.
"What?"
"The Taoist priests in the Gyeonggi region who match your description are all recorded in this booklet. We'll go take a look together when it's convenient for you."
"Thank you." Qiu Heng put away the booklet, took a few steps, and suddenly asked, "Xue Han, you always carry this with you?"
Xue Han hummed in agreement and explained, "I just finished making it recently. I was thinking I might run into you sometime, so I put it on me for now..."
"You can ask me out."
This time, it was Xue Han's turn to ask, "What?"
"I said if you want to find me, you can just send me a letter. There's no need to wait for a chance encounter," Qiu Heng said in a nonchalant tone, but her hands were secretly clenching.
Making Xue Han like her more is much harder than killing someone; she's really not good at it.
Fortunately, Xue Han seemed even more flustered than she was and didn't realize that her composure was feigned: "Oh, okay... I understand."
"See you next time." Qiu Heng waved and walked towards the Yongqing Marquis's residence.
Xue Han stopped in place, watching the figure walk further and further away.
A hand waved in front of his eyes.
Xue Han looked at Hu Si.
Hu Si winked and said, "Sir, I heard you."
"What did you hear?"
"Your name is Qiu Liu, also known as Aheng!" Hu Si's eyes gleamed with gossip.
How come he didn't know that the adults and the red bean cake had become so close?
Xue Han glanced at Hu Si: "What's wrong with calling her Aheng? You're also called Aheng Red Bean Cake."
"Cough cough cough..." Hu Si almost choked to death, coughing violently.
The boy watched coldly, without a trace of sympathy.
It's his red bean cake.
"Sir, how...how did you know—"
Xue Han gave him a look as if he were an idiot: "Sew your mouth shut, and I won't know."
Hu Si covered his mouth and looked at Xue Han pitifully.
So the adults already knew that he called Qiu Liu Guniang Red Bean Cake? Could it be that Qiu Liu Guniang also knew?
"Sir, should we remove the people who were keeping watch?"
The figure had disappeared from sight. Xue Han said calmly, "No need, keep watching."
Hu Si shook his head.
They're already calling her Ah Heng, yet they're still spying on her. What are they thinking, sir?
Qiu Heng returned to the Earl's residence and went to Qiansong Hall.
The three Qiu Xuan sisters are in Qian Song Hall.
In the past, the granddaughters would only come to pay their respects in the morning and evening, but recently the old lady and the Earl of Yongqing have had a falling out. Fearing that something might happen to the old lady, both the first wife, Zhao, and the second wife, Lan, have instructed their daughters to come and keep her company more often.
"grandmother."
The old lady glanced at Qiu Heng, her expression indifferent: "You went out again?"
"Xue Han asked me out." Without Xue Han present, Qiu Heng immediately became shameless.
The old lady's stagnant expression was instantly shattered by such blunt words, and her face twisted in an instant.
That shameless brat! It's one thing to tell her, but to say she was having an affair in front of Xuan'er and the others!
Qiu Xuan and the other two were also stunned and looked at the old lady.
Is it really okay to say such things in front of your grandmother?
And Xue Han, is he that Imperial Envoy? When did he become so close to Sixth Sister?
Qiu Yun and Qiu Ying looked at each other in bewilderment, while Qiu Xuan didn't find it strange at all.
Long ago, Sixth Sister was able to get that Imperial Envoy to do things for one or two taels of silver. It would be strange if that Imperial Envoy didn't have feelings for Sixth Sister.
"Xue Han told me something." Qiu Heng walked to the old lady's side, completely ignoring the shock that her words had just caused to the group. "When the Prime Minister's family proposed that Fourth Sister be a concubine, they also arranged for a girl surnamed Liu to bring good luck to Third Young Master Fang."
"Two people are needed for a wedding to bring good luck?" Qiu Ying exclaimed in shock.
Qiu Heng nodded: "That girl surnamed Liu is from a commoner background. She entered the Prime Minister's residence the day after Fang Xiang proposed to my grandfather. The Prime Minister's residence must have been planning to have two people, one as a guarantee."
"They really don't treat people like human beings..." Qiu Ying murmured.
Qiu Heng looked at the old lady and slowly said, "Xue Han said that the girl surnamed Liu committed suicide on the seventh day after the death of Young Master Fang."
The old lady's expression changed drastically.
Qiu Xuan and the other two turned pale instantly.
“It’s definitely not a suicide pact.” After calming herself down, Qiu Xuan said with certainty.
Qiu Ying's lips moved slightly: "Was it...was it forced?"
Qiu Ying lowered her eyes to hide her fear, twisting her handkerchief in her hands.
“Grandmother.” Qiu Heng grabbed the old lady’s arm. “You’re right to protect Fourth Sister. If Fourth Sister enters the Prime Minister’s mansion, then besides Miss Liu, Fourth Sister will also be the one to ‘die for love’ for Young Master Fang.”
She really had to thank Xue Han for telling her all this, which allowed her to openly and honestly reveal Qiu Fu's true fate.
The old lady's eyes welled up with tears.
Today, the words spoken by the Earl of Yongqing in front of his children and grandchildren were like a public slap in the face to her. She didn't think she was wrong, but she couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
Ah Heng, that girl—
The old lady looked at Qiu Heng with tears glistening in her eyes.
This girl is really hard to figure out.
When she thought she was brilliant, she always caused trouble; when she was disappointed in her, she would do this thoughtful thing.
The old lady's heart skipped a beat, and she murmured, "I wonder where Fu'er has gone."
Qiu Heng's reaction to these words was no different from that of Qiu Xuan and the others.
The Earl of Yongqing's fear of further retaliation from Fang Xianghui, the Master Qiu's anger at losing his job, and the fact that Qiu Fu would not fare well if she returned now.
Success is achieved through secrecy, while failure is caused by leaks. Since she has become involved, she must be extremely cautious. The day the treacherous minister falls will be the day Qiu Fu returns home.
After leaving Qiansong Hall and returning to her residence, Qiu Heng opened the booklet that Xue Han had given her, and also found the list that Ling Yun had compiled, and flipped through it.
With the convenience of the Imperial City Guard, Xue Han's roster was much more comprehensive, even including mountain shrines and scenic spots.
"Young lady, these are all Taoist priests."
"Yes, I'm looking for a Taoist priest."
"What kind of person is that Taoist priest?" Fangzhou asked curiously.
Qiu Heng closed the roster and looked out the window.
It gets dark early; twilight is falling outside, and withered leaves flutter like butterflies.
“I don’t know what kind of person that Taoist priest is…” Qiu Heng murmured in a low voice, then stood up. “I’m going to see the old man, and I’ll have dinner when I get back.”
She wanted to find her teacher, but there was no time to rush things; she needed to hurry with the matter at the Prime Minister's residence. Originally, according to her plan, she had already been staying at the Prime Minister's residence for some time, hoping to gain something amidst the chaos of the funeral arrangements.
But Qiu Heng had no complaints.
The fact that they humbled themselves to beg Xue Han's old lady for her sake, and that they begged Xue Han, her adoptive father, for her sake, shows that they care about her and are concerned for her, which gives her the strength to do these things.
It was cold and windy, so Qiuheng put on her cloak and went to the Earl of Yongqing's place.
The Earl of Yongqing had a pot of liquor beside him and was sighing over a plate of broad beans.
"Sir, the Sixth Miss has arrived."
The Earl of Yongqing sat up straight, his tone revealing an urgency he himself was unaware of: "Please come in."
Sixth Sister always brings him unexpected joy; could it be that something good has happened again?
Or perhaps he would find out where Fourth Sister was, bring her back, and give her a good thrashing, which would make him feel a little better.
Of the six granddaughters, the fourth one is the most disobedient, daring to defy her grandfather. She must be severely punished as a warning to others!
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