Chapter 195 Third Sister Arrives
Seeing the girl making a hasty oath, Xue Quan smiled and said, "I understand. Thank you for informing me, Miss Fang."
Fang Rui couldn't tell whether Xue Quan believed her or not, but she understood the importance of knowing when to stop. Talking on and on would only make people think that she had lost her mind in order to seek revenge, which would lower the credibility of her words in other people's minds.
"Miss Fang, you should go back now," Xue Quan said, serving tea.
Fang Rui wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, curtsied to Xue Quan, and left the private room.
Xue Quan sat quietly, his gaze fixed on Fang Rui's untouched tea.
Sorcery?
Did Granny Su witness it firsthand, so she silenced her?
Qiu Heng came from the countryside in the south. At first, people thought she was a crude village girl who couldn't read or write much. Now that I think about it, it was precisely because she came from the mountains and fields in the south that she had the opportunity to come into contact with unorthodox practices.
And yet, this woman actually set her sights on Han'er.
Xue Quan's eyes were icy, and he curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
Fang Rui returned to the next room, and Cheng Susu looked her over several times before standing up and saying, "Let's go."
Inside the carriage, Cheng Susu wanted to ask several times who wanted to see Fang Rui, but she held back, remembering her father's warning. She sneered, "Don't think that just because someone is looking for you, you can climb the social ladder. What crime did your grandfather commit? People avoid him like the plague."
"I know," Fang Rui said softly.
The laws of the Great Xia Dynasty were relatively lenient towards the female relatives of convicted officials. If it was just an ordinary crime, the female relatives would not even be implicated. Even for someone like the grandfather, the female relatives would either be given to meritorious officials, sold off by others, or sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution).
Ultimately, they didn't believe women could cause any trouble; they were just treated as commodities. What was there to avoid about commodities? The men who truly needed to be avoided were already on their way to exile.
Cheng Susu was humiliating her while trying to make her grateful; it was truly disgusting.
"What do you mean 'I, I, I'? What about your rules?" Cheng Susu was already frustrated by her unquenchable curiosity, and she immediately snapped upon hearing this.
Fang Rui gritted her teeth, lowered her eyes, and said, "This servant understands."
Cheng Susu then smiled and said, "You're smart to know what's good for you."
Fang Rui remained silent, a cold smile playing on her lips. Cheng Susu, that fool, thought nothing of the trip would change, but she knew that from now on, at least her safety would be guaranteed.
That's Xue Quan, so Cheng Susu won't dare to go too far even if she wants to escalate things in the future.
If Xue Quan takes her words to heart, it would be even better if he could deal with that bitch Qiu Heng in the future.
Surely they'll listen to some of it, right? What parent wouldn't feel resentful after hearing something like that?
Thinking this way, Fang Rui finally felt a glimmer of light appear in the dark road ahead.
Just as Fang Rui had expected, after returning home, Cheng Susu was summoned by Vice Minister Cheng and given special instructions.
"Fang Rui is your maid now. You can order her around as you please, but you must be mindful of the boundaries..."
Cheng Susu nodded reluctantly.
Qiu Heng was unaware of the minor disturbance on the banks of the Xiangsha River, and spent the last two days enjoying hot pot in Lengxiangju.
The sliced meat is marinated in Fangzhou's secret seasoning. Once it's dipped in the boiling pot, it's so delicious it'll make you swoon.
Enjoying such delicious food on a winter's day warms the hearts of everyone at Lengxiangju, and smiles constantly grace their lips.
"You won't go out again, will you?" Fangzhou asked casually.
Having avenged his great grudge, he now has no worries about food and clothing and wakes up happy every day. The only thing he misses is the girl.
"Let's not go out. Let's have a proper New Year," Qiu Heng said with a smile, knowing what Fang Zhou was asking.
I originally wanted to go to the mountains to see if the Taoist priest with the name Changqing was the master, but the New Year is coming soon, so I'll wait until after the Lantern Festival.
This is her first New Year since she came back. Hopefully, it will be peaceful and uneventful, especially since the old lady is getting on in years.
"Miss, a servant has come to say that a woman has come to your door. She said you ordered spices from her shop but haven't picked them up yet, so she's bringing them to you." The maid came in to report.
Did you order spices?
Qiu Heng immediately realized who the woman who had come to the door was: Nie San Niang.
This was agreed upon beforehand; if Qiu Heng didn't go out and they had something to do, they would use this as an excuse to find her.
“Bring the person to Lengxiang Residence.”
Nie San Niang waited in the hall for a while before the maid who was to take her to Lengxiang Residence arrived. She was taken aback: Is the Sixth Miss so casual at home that she can bring outsiders directly to her boudoir without fear of being scolded by her elders?
The disciples were not at all surprised by this.
It's so cold outside for the Sixth Miss, she has to change her clothes and get a hand warmer. Of course, this woman should go to the Sixth Miss's place.
Other girls? That's definitely not an option. How can a young lady just take someone to her place?
Without mentioning the differential treatment among the disciples, Nie San Niang followed the maid all the way inside and saw a small courtyard inscribed with "Leng Xiang Ju".
So this is where the Sixth Sister lives.
The tension that Nie San Niang had felt along the way inexplicably dissipated.
"Girl, the person has arrived."
Nie San Niang entered the house and saw Qiu Heng with a smile on her face.
"Third Sister is here! Let me see the spices you brought."
As soon as Qiu Heng spoke, Nie San Niang relaxed even more: "As soon as the goods arrived at the shop, I delivered them to you."
Fangzhou took the box and opened it, and Qiuheng carefully examined the spices.
Nie San Niang noticed that there was no one else in the room.
After examining the spices, Qiu Heng gestured for Fang Zhou to take them away and put them away, before asking Nie San Niang, "What brings you here, San Niang?"
"Chen San went from street to street and heard something. Although we don't know if it will be of any use, we discussed it and decided to tell Sixth Miss."
"you say."
"It's that old nanny Su from the treacherous minister's mansion who was bought by a brothel by the Xiangsha River. Chen San heard people saying that the old nanny drowned a couple of days ago..."
Although Qiu Heng didn't explicitly tell them that she wanted to eliminate the treacherous minister, they all understood. Nie San Niang and the others knew that among the Fang family, those who had the most dealings with Qiu Heng were the First Madam, Fang Rui, and Granny Su.
Chen San overheard this news by chance and kept it in mind.
A soft sound came from behind. Nie San Niang looked over and saw that Fang Zhou had tripped while walking, and a tea lid had slipped onto the tray.
Qiu Hengchong nodded gently at Fangzhou.
Fangzhou composed himself and walked over to serve Nie Sanniang tea: "Sanniang, please have some tea."
Nie San Niang didn't know if the sixth young lady's maid knew about this. After thanking her, she took the teacup, sipped it twice, and said nothing more.
"I understand. I'll trouble you to make the trip, Third Sister."
After the maidservants saw Nie San Niang off, Fang Zhou grasped Qiu Heng's hand: "Granny Su is actually dead!"
The man who once relied on the power of the Prime Minister's mansion to casually cause her family's ruin with a single word turned out to be as insignificant as an ant, dying as easily as he was told.
Fangzhou felt relieved, but also felt it wasn't worth it, though she couldn't pinpoint why. Her heart was filled with bitterness, and she couldn't help but cry.
Qiuheng gave Fangzhou a hug.
"Fangzhou, see? I told you she wouldn't have a good end. Don't let this kind of person make you unhappy anymore."
Fangzhou nodded firmly: "Yes."
Qiu Heng then began to ponder the death of Granny Su.
The news brought by Third Sister included two versions: one said that Granny Su had accidentally fallen into the water, and the other said that she had committed suicide because she couldn't think straight.
Is there a third possibility: that he was murdered?
(End of this chapter)
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