Chapter 260 Good News
Qiu Heng blinked and changed the subject: "My granddaughter hasn't had breakfast yet, she went back to Lengxiangju first."
"Stop right there."
"Is there anything else, Grandmother?"
Did you hear what I just said? Tell Xue Han to come and propose marriage right away.
They're at the prime of their lives, full of youthful vigor, and deeply in love. What if something goes wrong?
"This... requires careful consideration."
The old lady raised an eyebrow: "Why?"
"That gentleman was skilled in divination and physiognomy. He said I shouldn't get married before I'm twenty, otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise, it will bring disaster to your family."
The old lady looked at Qiu Heng with a mixture of belief and doubt.
Getting married could bring trouble to one's family? Could it be that they know she believes in these things and are just trying to fool her?
"I have rarely heard of such a claim."
"Grandmother doesn't believe me?" Qiu Heng sighed deeply. "Xue Han is responsible, capable, and handsome. I like him at first sight. If it weren't for the warning from the teacher, what reason do you think I would have not to discuss marriage with him?"
Yes, such a fine young man—
The old lady suddenly came to her senses.
I almost got led astray by this brat. What's so good about it? What kind of good person would take someone else's daughter out of the house at night?
Xue Han, that shameless bastard!
Seeing Qiu Heng's bright, sparkling eyes, the old lady had no choice but to believe it: regardless of Xue Han's character, it was certain that Sixth Sister liked him. Her unwillingness to discuss marriage might indeed be due to something that fortune teller had foreseen.
I'll have to wait until I'm twenty—
The old lady silently calculated for a moment, then waved her hand with a look of utter despair: "Let's go back to Lengxiang Residence."
"Granddaughter takes her leave."
Qiu Heng walked out of Qiansong Hall and breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he was caught red-handed, he didn't have to be pressured by the old lady to get married, which was an unexpected bonus.
As soon as they entered Lengxiang Residence, Fangzhou grabbed Qiuheng's hand: "Miss, I think the old lady suspects you are faking your illness."
"Our Fangzhou is just so clever."
Fangzhou gasped, "Does the old lady really have suspicions?"
"It wasn't just suspicion; they actually sent people to wait for me at the base of the wall... The old lady told me to use the side gate from now on."
Fangzhou almost cried: "The old lady is such a kind person."
She no longer had to worry about her daughter sneaking out.
"Please get me some food."
Qiu Heng went to the room where the pigeons were kept, played with the pigeons for a while, rolled up the note she had written, stuffed it into a thin tube, and released the pigeons.
The white dove spread its wings and quickly flew out of the Yongqing Marquis's residence.
Xue Han ate breakfast casually and then sat in the study to read.
The cooing sound spread, and Xue Han immediately put down the book that had barely been turned, walked to the windowsill, and opened the window.
Pigeons flew in and paced on the table by the window.
Xue Han stroked the pigeon, took out the note and unfolded it. After just one glance, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, died completely.
He should have known this sooner; often, the good things don't come true, but the bad things do.
On the eighth day of the following month, the people sent to keep watch reported back that Consort Yu's men had not gone to Taoran Tower.
On the ninth, tenth... all the way to the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, there was no movement from the Jade Palace.
But the imperial court made a big move.
An urgent report arrived from the western border—no, it should be called good news.
Xi Jiang has withdrawn his troops!
Emperor Jingping was overjoyed and laughed loudly: "My ministers, do you see? The Western Jiang are embroiled in internal strife and should be unable to deal with external affairs for the next three to five years!"
The report clearly stated that the Xijiang army, led by Prince Chiyan's father, invaded the Great Xia. The tribe's forces were insufficient, and as a result, it was annexed by its brothers. Prince Chiyan's father urgently withdrew his troops to deal with the situation, and several powerful tribes began fighting for the Xijiang throne.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is wise and benevolent; Heaven blesses our dynasty!"
Hearing the enthusiastic congratulations from his ministers, Emperor Jingping was overjoyed.
One of the heavy stones weighing on my heart has finally been lifted.
Xue Quan winked at one of the officials he was on good terms with.
Taking advantage of the crowd's excited discussion over the momentous news, the official suddenly said, "In that case, Princess Rongning and the others killing the King and Prince of Xijiang is a great thing! It not only teaches Xijiang a lesson for breaking the agreement and enhances the prestige of our Great Xia, but it also plunges Xijiang into internal strife..."
The hall fell silent for a moment, then a series of voices echoed in agreement.
Emperor Jingping was in a great mood, and upon hearing this, he immediately felt that it made sense. He nodded and said, "Rong Ning is indeed an outstanding person. He escaped death and suffered a lot while being sent to marry Xijiang."
Emperor Jingping immediately ordered a generous reward to be sent to the Prince of Fu's residence, and glanced at Xue Quan: "What has Xue Han been up to lately?"
Xue Quan respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, Xue Han has been staying at home these past few days and hasn't gone out much."
"At such a young age, how can you stay cooped up at home all the time? Summon Xue Han to an audience."
When Xue Han arrived, Emperor Jingping was already in the banquet hall.
The palace music was melodious, and the dancers were charming. Although the banquet was held on short notice, everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
"Your humble servant Xue Han greets Your Majesty."
Emperor Jingping, holding a golden cup with dragon patterns, gently swirled the jade liquid inside and looked at the young man who was bowing.
"I heard from Xue Quan that you have been staying at home lately and rarely go out?"
"Your Majesty, this year's Lunar New Year was relatively quiet, so I took the time to relax."
Emperor Jingping showed his disapproval: "You are a promising young man, and you cannot let your talents go to waste. How about this, you will still be in charge of the Imperial City Guard, so that I will have less to worry about."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Jingping felt that restoring Xue Han to his original post was not enough, so he rewarded him with a lot of gold and silver jewelry.
As for Princess Suiyun—
Slightly tipsy, Emperor Jingping's mind flashed with the bright and beautiful image of a young girl.
She's a flower with thorns, full of trouble, and her relationship with Xue Han is ambiguous...
Dissatisfaction prevailed, but since Rong Ning and Xue Han had already been rewarded, it wouldn't be good to leave her out.
Emperor Jingping, comparing the amount of gold, silver, and silk he had bestowed upon Xue Han with half of what he had given him, casually ordered it to be sent to the Yongqing Earl's residence.
In the Yongqing Earl's residence, after the eunuch finished conveying the imperial edict and left, a group of people looked at the rewards piled up in the courtyard and fell silent for a moment.
The Sixth Miss has received another royal reward!
Of all these people, the Earl of Yongqing was the one who felt the worst.
All these rewards were for Sixth Sister. It's like he suffered in prison and was even kept there for the New Year, but in the end, the good outcome was all for Sixth Sister.
The old lady glanced at the Earl of Yongqing and smiled, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly carry these imperial gifts to Lengxiang Residence, and be careful not to bump them. Sixth Miss's trip to Xijiang has been quite successful. Have dinner at Qiansong Hall tonight."
Qiu Heng silently watched as everyone at Lengxiang Residence put away their belongings, and couldn't help but smile as she thought about the old lady's words.
The internal strife in Xijiang was supposed to happen several years later, triggered by the death of the King of Xijiang. She carefully deduced the cause and detonated it ahead of time, though she was also uneasy, fearing that the internal strife in Xijiang might not have occurred, leading to a war between the two countries.
But think about it, so what if we were wrong? Even if there was bloodshed and war, we still straightened the spine of the Xia people. No matter how bad it was, it couldn't be worse than what was recorded in history.
Fortunately, she made the right bet.
A cooing sound rang out, and a white dove flew in and landed on Qiu Heng's outstretched hand.
Qiu Heng untied the thin tube tied to the pigeon and took out the note.
Fangzhou leaned closer, grinning, and asked, "Miss, is this a letter from Lord Xue?"
Qiu Heng ignored Fang Zhou's teasing and said with a smile, "Xue Han said that Hu Si will be back in a few days."
Thank you to Tianya Haijiao Yidengjun for the generous donation, and thank you to all the readers who subscribed, voted, and donated.
(End of this chapter)
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