Chapter 261 February
Hu Si returned on the 22nd day of the first lunar month.
After receiving Xue Hanchuan's letter, Qiu Heng took Fangzhou and went out.
Wu Qingzhou drove the carriage smoothly, but the people sitting in the carriage were not at peace.
"Miss, is Hu Si really missing a hand?" Fangzhou asked with deep regret.
"We'll see you soon." Qiu Heng lifted a corner of the car window curtain, letting the chilly spring breeze blow in.
The streets were bustling with traffic and people. The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year seemed to have not yet completely dissipated, and the liveliness of early spring had already arrived.
The carriage stopped in front of the Xue residence.
As soon as Uncle Xiao, who was guarding the gate, saw Qiu Heng arrive, he quickly sent his servant in to deliver a message to Xue Han.
Qiu Heng led Fang Zhou over and greeted Uncle Xiao before Xue Han strode over.
"Aheng, you've arrived. Please come in."
"Where is Commander Hu?" Qiu Heng lifted the hem of her skirt and stepped over the threshold.
This was the first time she had stepped into Xue Han's home.
The courtyard was clean and tidy, paved with smooth bluestone slabs, with a few trees planted in the corner. It was not the kind of grand mansion, but an ordinary house.
"I told him to wait inside."
As Xue Han accompanied Qiu Heng inside, he caught a glimpse of Fang Zhou looking at him curiously, and he suddenly felt a little regretful.
We should get a bigger house. Although Aheng didn't care about these things, a big house would be more spacious and comfortable to live in.
Fortunately, there are still two years until the wedding, so there's still time.
"Sixth Miss Qiu!" Hu Si came out of the house and greeted Qiu Heng with joy. Then he gave Fang Zhou a big smile and said, "Fang Zhou is here too."
Qiu Heng looked at Hu Si's arm and saw that the lower part of his left sleeve was empty. She pursed her lips.
"It's nothing." Seeing Qiu Heng and Fang Zhou staring at his arm, Hu Si acted as if he didn't care at all. "I'm lucky. It's my left hand that's injured. If it were my right hand, it would be troublesome."
"It's good that everyone is back safe and sound. Commander Hu must have had a long journey. Try some of the pastries Fangzhou made later; she made quite a few different kinds today." Seeing that Hu Si wasn't completely despondent, Qiu Heng felt much relieved.
It's impossible not to feel bitter when you're in the prime of your life and have a physical disability, but as long as you still have energy and spirit, that's good.
Fangzhou concealed the sympathy in her eyes and held up the food box in her hand to Hu Si: "There are sweet and savory dishes, as well as lotus root dumplings that I just learned to make. Commander Hu, please try them all. If there's anything you particularly like, I'll make it again."
"Thank you so much, Fangzhou. I'm so lucky! Before, I had to fight with the adults for food if I wanted some. You have no idea how possessive the adults are of their food—"
"Hu Si".
Hu Si chuckled and didn't reveal any more of Xue Han's past.
The meal was laid out in the main hall, with wine and meat. Hu Si recounted his experience of protecting Princess Rongning as she fled Xijiang and staying on the border to recuperate.
"At that time, I thought I couldn't die. Even if I lost all four limbs, let alone just one hand, I had to live. Only if I lived could I hear the good news that the adults and Hong—Sixth Sister—were alive..." Hu Si, who was drunk, had tears in his eyes.
Xue Han patted Hu Si's shoulder forcefully, everything was understood without words.
Hu Si got so drunk that only Xue Han escorted Qiu Heng and Fang Zhou to the gate.
"Hu Si will be staying with me for now. Ah Heng, what do you think about me buying a bigger house?"
"Land in Beijing is incredibly expensive; having enough space is enough, right?"
Having read about cities crumbling, houses destroyed, and rivers of blood flowing through the streets, and having witnessed firsthand the ruins and the plight of people as worthless as weeds, Qiu Heng believed that only people mattered; everything else was secondary.
"Oh, I'll take another look."
Sitting in the carriage on the way back to the Earl's residence, Fangzhou couldn't suppress the smile on her face.
"Why are you smiling so slyly?" Qiu Heng asked with a smile.
"Young lady, didn't you realize that Lord Xue is asking about your residence after you get married?"
Qiu Heng covered her face with a round fan and leaned against the carriage: "I'm sleepy, I'll take a nap first."
Two days later, Qiu Heng received an invitation from Princess Rong Ning, and the meeting place happened to be Tao Ran Lou.
Princess Rongning invited not only her, but also Xue Han and Hu Si, mainly to personally thank Hu Si.
"Your Highness is too kind. Protecting you back to Great Xia is both an order from the lord and my duty as a guard."
"Everyone was injured or died trying to protect me..." Princess Rongning smiled bitterly, subtly mentioning Hu Si's future.
Hu Si rejected Princess Rongning's suggestion that Prince Fu arrange a job for him without hesitation: "I'd rather stick with our master."
Xue Han raised his cup to Princess Rongning: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your consideration for Hu Si. Fortunately, I have been reinstated as the Imperial City Envoy. As long as I am in the Imperial City Envoy, Hu Si will have a place."
“I’m relieved that Commander Hu’s duties are not affected.” Princess Rongning handed a small box to Hu Si. “I thought Commander Hu would probably refuse, but he shouldn’t refuse this, otherwise I won’t feel at ease.”
Hu Si hesitated and didn't answer.
It's in a box; I don't know if it's suitable to keep it.
Seeing Hu Si hesitate, Princess Rongning simply opened the box: "It contains two thousand taels of silver notes."
Hu Si wasn't one to argue, and seeing that it was just a silver note, he happily accepted it: "Thank you, Your Highness, now I have enough money to get married."
He was happy to receive the money, and Princess Rongning was at ease; it was a win-win situation.
On the way back to the Xue residence after the gathering, Hu Si patted Xue Han's arm: "Sir, do you have enough money to buy a new house?"
"Keep the money you used to marry your wife safe."
"Then, sir, do you have enough money to marry Miss Qiu Liu?"
"Don't worry about it."
...
In the following days, Qiu Heng went out more often, sometimes visiting the Prince of Fu's mansion, and sometimes inviting the Princess of Jiayi County to enjoy incense. The noble ladies who had been curious about Qiu Heng's experiences in Xijiang no longer had to worry about being disliked by the imperial family for associating with her, and invitations poured in like snowflakes.
In the Jade Palace, Consort Yu stroked her long fingernails as she listened to the report, a half-smile on her face: "Flying around like a butterfly, she's quite popular. Go to the Yongqing Marquis's residence and tell Princess Suiyun that I miss her and invite her to come to the palace for a visit."
When Qiu Heng received the message from someone in Consort Yu's palace, she had just finished feeding the pigeons.
"What a coincidence." Looking at the white dove with its head slightly tilted and its eyes darting around, Qiu Heng said in a barely audible voice, then got up and went to the dormitory to change her clothes.
The imperial sedan chair that came to pick her up stopped outside the hanging flower gate. The old lady ignored Qiuheng's advice and followed her out. She watched her get into the sedan chair and leave, and then sighed heavily.
The trusted nanny whispered, "Don't worry, Madam. Sixth Miss has been to the Imperial Concubine's place many times; she knows what's going on."
"What good is it if she knows what she's doing? One brute force can overcome ten techniques." The old lady murmured to herself in the cold wind, then turned and walked heavily inside.
That Consort Yu was showered with favor; she said snow was warm, and even the Emperor would agree. If you offended someone like that, there was no reasoning with her.
As the unassuming palace sedan chair was carried into the palace, a eunuch from Yuchen Palace alighted from the carriage and entered Taoran Tower.
"You've arrived."
The waiter led the eunuch into a private room, and soon fine wine and delicacies were served.
After a hearty meal, the eunuch wiped his mouth clean and asked, "Is the roasted duck ready?"
(End of this chapter)
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