Chapter 179 Qiu Fu Returns Home
Qiu Fu's eyes widened: "You and Lord Xue joined forces?"
"Yes. He tracked down the spy to the Prime Minister's residence, so he asked me, who was there, to keep an eye out..." Qiu Heng said the same thing as Xue Han.
Qiu Fu asked incredulously, "You sneaked into the treacherous prime minister's study all by yourself? Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
"I was scared. But when I thought about the evil deeds of the treacherous minister, I decided to take a gamble."
"But if you lose the bet, you'll lose your life!" Qiu Fu still couldn't understand.
Seeing Qiu Fu's genuine worry, Qiu Heng smiled and said, "I didn't think about losing the bet at the time."
Qiu Fu shook her head: "How could Lord Xue entrust such a dangerous task to you? I thought he liked you, but it turns out he just wants you to do things for him."
This man is no good; he's not worthy of Sixth Sister.
Qiu Heng silently gave up trying to explain for Xue Han.
The carriage entered the Yongqing Earl's Mansion through the side gate and stopped in front of the second gate. Qiu Heng and Qiu Fu got out of the carriage together.
"It's so cold, Uncle Zhang, you've worked hard coming out with me. Let's get you some wine to warm ourselves up." Qiu Heng took out a gold bean from her purse and gave it to Uncle Zhang.
Uncle Zhang was startled: "Sixth Miss, this, this, this—"
This is more than enough to fill a whole vat of wine!
"Uncle Zhang, please accept this."
Qiu Heng smiled and pulled Qiu Fu inside.
Qiu Fu was stiff and speechless with shock. By the time the old woman guarding the second gate warmly welcomed them in, she was already numb with shock.
What exactly happened during the days she was away?
"Fourth Sister, see you later."
Qiu Fu nodded, her heart pounding as she walked through the familiar garden.
On such a cold day, and with noon approaching, there were hardly any people in the garden, which gradually made her relax. When she arrived at her lodgings, she took off her veil and let out a deep breath.
The maid in the courtyard thought she had misread it and stammered, "Miss, young lady?"
Qiu Fu composed herself and asked as she walked into the house, "You all know I'm 'sick,' right?"
The maidservant followed closely beside Qiu Fu, her head bowed nervously: "Yes..."
The girl's disappearance has been kept secret, with the official explanation being that she was ill and recuperating.
Upon entering her boudoir, Qiu Fu calmed down upon seeing the flustered maids and instructed, "Go to Qiansong Hall and inform the old lady that my illness is cured."
In Qiansong Hall, the old lady was furious when she saw Qiuheng walk in: "Out again?"
"I went out for a walk."
"Can't you just stay home for even one day?"
Qiu Heng said confidently, "When we lived in the countryside in the south, my granddaughter ran all over the mountains and fields every day. She couldn't stand being cooped up at home all the time."
The old lady took a deep breath: "Is this the countryside? You're a young lady from a respectable family now, how can you be so wild! Tell me, wasn't it all a waste of your time to go to the Prime Minister's residence on your own initiative?"
It was all for nothing that I went to curry favor with the First Madam of the Prime Minister's mansion.
The old lady understood perfectly well how difficult it was to please a noblewoman like Madam Yang.
"It wasn't a complete waste of effort; the Prime Minister's residence is finished now."
Old lady: !
At this moment, a maid came in to report: "Madam, we have received a report from Furong Residence that Fourth Miss has recovered from her illness."
Old lady: !
After a series of shocks, the old lady secretly pinched her thigh and slowly got up: "Go to Furong Residence."
What does it mean that the Fourth Sister is cured? Where is the Fourth Sister now?
The old lady hurried to Furong Residence.
Qiu Fu thought that her grandmother would call her over after she went to Qiansong Hall to report the news, but unexpectedly the maid reported that the old lady had arrived.
She hurried out to greet her, and saw the old lady walking briskly towards her.
Upon seeing Qiu Fu, the old lady was stunned: "Fourth girl?"
Qiu Fu thought she was strong enough after going through so much, but when she bowed down, she couldn't help but choke up: "Grandmother—"
"What are you doing—" The old lady realized it was inconvenient to talk outside, so she pulled Qiu Fu inside and dismissed the maids and servants.
"Sixth girl—" The old lady paused, "Never mind, you can stay."
She had always suspected that Fourth Sister's disappearance was related to Sixth Sister.
The old lady and her eldest son and his wife were determined to send their fourth daughter to the Prime Minister's residence. The second and third sons didn't seem like they would interfere, as she knew their grandchildren's capabilities perfectly well. The only exception was their sixth daughter.
Without the maids and servants around, Qiu Fu knelt directly at the old lady's feet: "Grandmother, I'm back..."
The old lady's throat tightened, and she asked in a trembling voice, "Where have you been all this time?"
Qiu Fu couldn't help but look at Qiu Heng.
Qiu Heng nodded slightly, encouraging her to say what they had agreed upon.
"I went to hide at my sixth sister's friend's place."
The old lady looked at Qiu Heng with a complicated expression: "I knew you would be indispensable in everything."
Good or bad, this girl is really good at causing trouble!
Although she was inwardly complaining, the old lady couldn't help but smile: "Heng'er, when did you make these friends, and what do they do?"
"I went out for a stroll and met some like-minded friends, all of whom were honest and hardworking."
The old lady asked again, "How did you take Fu'er away?"
"My friend knows how to bypass the Great Firewall."
The old lady gasped for breath and almost fainted.
"Is this what it means to be honest and dutiful?"
"Being honest and upright refers to one's character, while climbing over walls is a skill. I begged my friend to climb over the wall to take my fourth sister away. If Grandmother wants to blame someone, blame me, not my friend who can climb over walls."
Qiu Fu cried, "Grandmother, don't blame Sixth Sister, you should blame me."
"What's it to you?"
"It's my bad luck."
The old lady was so angry that her mouth twisted into a crook.
Those two brats!
"Alright, considering the good outcome, I don't want to say more. But Heng'er, think about it carefully. Today your friend was able to climb over the wall to save someone, but what if he climbs over the wall to do evil in the future?"
"Granddaughter only did this because she understands her friend's character and Fourth Sister's situation was critical. However, Grandmother's reprimand is correct, and I will be more considerate in the future." Knowing that the old lady meant well, Qiu Heng didn't mind coaxing her a little.
The old lady calmed down considerably and secretly decided to strengthen the defenses of the mansion as soon as possible. She instructed Qiu Fu: "Remember, it was Grandmother who arranged for you to go out and hide."
Qiu Fu nodded: "Granddaughter has remembered."
The old lady then looked at Qiu Heng: "Heng'er, it's good that you're helping your sisters, but your grandfather and the others might not think well of you if they find out—"
Qiu Heng smiled sweetly: "It was Grandmother who saw Fourth Sister off, it has nothing to do with me."
She didn't care that the eldest son's wife and son had opinions about her, but in people's eyes, it was reliable for the elders to arrange for her to go out and hide, but if it was arranged by her, people would be suspicious of Qiu Fu's experiences as a girl outside.
The household knows that many people are missing from Qiu Fu's household, so there is no need to let Qiu Fu be the subject of speculation.
Having agreed on a unified story, the old lady quickly summoned everyone in the know to Qiansong Hall, except for the Earl of Yongqing.
“I arranged for Fu’er to go. I didn’t want her to become someone’s concubine. The Marquis’s family can’t afford to lose face like that!” The old lady’s gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on her eldest son. “Eldest son, if you want to blame someone, blame me for making the decision on my own. Don’t blame Fu’er.”
Qiu Heng and Qiu Fu exchanged a glance, and couldn't help but laugh at the old lady's excuse, "If you want to blame someone, blame them."
Master Qiu hurriedly bowed and said, "Mother's words make me ashamed. I know you are doing this for Fu'er's own good."
The old lady looked intently at her son and said bluntly, "I'm not just doing this for Fu'er's sake, but for yours as well. Do you feel proud to have a daughter who is a concubine?"
"Yes, yes," Master Qiu replied awkwardly.
"And—" The old lady twitched the corners of her mouth, feeling a sense of satisfaction, "If Fu'er had really let your father arrange for her to enter the Prime Minister's residence as a concubine, wouldn't she have become a huge joke in the eyes of the world?"
Master Qiu lowered his head even further, thinking to himself that it was a good thing his father wasn't there, otherwise it would have been so embarrassing.
The old lady had no intention of ending it there. She picked up her teacup to moisten her throat and finally said what she had been holding back for so many years: "You take your father's words as golden rules, but do you not think that if he were really capable, would he have wasted so many years? He is not as good as Heng'er. She went hunting in the autumn after only a short time at home and even won the Emperor's praise."
(End of this chapter)
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