Chapter 313 Bells
The new emperor would not formally receive the congratulations of his officials at Changchun Garden, but would instead return to the palace.
At this time, the news of Emperor Jingping's death was only known to those present. His body was moved to a carriage and quietly sent back to the palace.
The officials who attended the banquet also went to the palace, while only Qiu Heng, Princess Rongning, and Princess Jiayi returned to their homes.
The events of that day were too dramatic and thrilling, and the three of them had different feelings when they parted ways.
Qiu Heng was thrilled by the Crown Prince's smooth succession to the throne, Princess Rongning was tormented by the fact that she had glimpsed her father's rebellious intentions, and Princess Jiayi was worried about her brother Lingyun's future.
"Jiayi, I'll go to the Prince's Mansion to see you and Brother Ling tomorrow," Qiuheng said to Princess Jiayi before boarding the carriage.
Princess Jiayi forced a smile: "Alright."
"Princess—"
Princess Rongning hurriedly interrupted Qiuheng: "Aheng, I'm going home first."
Watching Princess Rongning flee, Qiu Heng sighed and got into the carriage to return to the Yongqing Marquis's residence.
The Earl's mansion was peaceful and quiet, just like any other ordinary day. Only the old lady was habitually on edge after Qiu Heng left for a banquet early in the morning. She only felt relieved when the gatekeeper brought news that the sixth young lady had returned, and then she ate two pieces of lotus root starch cake.
Based on experience, I knew that something would go wrong if Sixth Sister went to such an important event as the royal banquet, but this time everything went smoothly.
Thank goodness, it's better to avoid this kind of experience.
As evening approached, the deep, resonant sound of bells and drums continued for a long time. The old lady loosened her grip, and the teacup fell to the ground and shattered.
The sound of the bell... the sound of the bell...
The old lady, being a titled lady and possessing ample experience, quickly grasped the meaning behind the sound of bells and drums after her initial shock, and hissed, "Go and invite the Sixth Miss over, immediately!"
Chuncao, the head maid, had not seen the old lady so irritable in a long time, and the continuous tolling of the bells made her realize that something was wrong, so she hurriedly went to Lengxiang Residence.
The Earl of Yongqing arrived at Qiansong Hall before Qiuheng.
The Earl of Yongqing came running, but tripped on the threshold as he entered and nearly fell at the feet of the old lady.
"Prepare plain clothes, quickly prepare plain clothes!"
When an emperor dies, all officials and nobles who hear the bells and drums must immediately dress in mourning clothes and enter the palace to mourn.
"The order has been given." The old lady's lips trembled, her mind in turmoil.
It wasn't just the officials who needed to wear plain clothes; everyone in the Earl's household also had to. Afterward, various decorations, menus, and other matters in the mansion would also need to be changed.
But for the old lady, all she wanted now was to see Qiuheng immediately.
The Earl of Yongqing rarely shared the same understanding with the old lady: "Call Sixth Girl here! Didn't she go to a banquet today? Did she come back and say anything to you?"
Was it a royal banquet that the emperor died that very day?
Yongqingbo could not have imagined any of this.
The old lady gritted her teeth: "No, she went straight back to Lengxiang Residence, just like she always does when she goes out and comes back."
"Sixth Miss has arrived."
At the maid's call, Qiuheng walked in.
"Grandpa, grandma."
"Heng'er, what happened at the banquet today?" Marquis Yongqing asked impatiently.
The bell tolled, and Qiu Heng understood why she had been summoned. She obediently replied, "A lot has happened. The current emperor suddenly vomited blood and died. It was discovered that the elixir concocted by Master Miaoqing was defective. Master Miaoqing was killed by the Deputy Commander of the Palace Guard. Later, the Crown Prince arrived and ascended the throne directly before the coffin, becoming the new emperor..."
As Qiu Heng continued speaking, the faces of the Earl of Yongqing and the old lady grew paler and paler, until finally they both clutched their chests.
"Sixth daughter, such a shocking thing happened, and you came back without saying a word?" Uncle Yongqing asked incredulously.
He wanted to bang his head against the wall to calm himself down. How could this strange girl be so calm and collected?
Qiu Heng didn't respond to Yongqing Bo's words, but thoughtfully reminded him, "Grandfather, aren't you going to the palace yet? If you delay any longer, you might be the last one."
The Earl of Yongqing cried out in surprise, snatched the plain clothes brought by the maid, put them on, and ran away as fast as he could.
Only the old lady and Qiuheng remained in the room.
The old lady took a deep breath, but still couldn't keep her voice steady: "Sixth girl, how do you manage to be so calm?"
"No, it's just that everyone will find out soon. There's nothing our manor can do, so we'll just go with the flow."
"You really have a good idea!" The old lady tapped Qiu Heng's forehead. "I was just thinking that at least you didn't cause any trouble this time, but I never expected—"
Little did anyone expect that this would bring about the emperor's death.
Suddenly remembering something, the old lady grabbed Qiu Heng's hand: "Heng'er, tell me the truth, did the late emperor say anything to you at the banquet?"
Normally, at such a banquet, it would be impossible for a monarch to have a private conversation with a noblewoman, but anything related to the sixth daughter is often unusual.
"They exchanged a few words. She said that Consort Yu and I got along well and that she would invite me to the palace often to accompany my elder sister."
The old lady's vision went black for a moment, and she had only one thought: It's good that the dog emperor died!
"What's wrong with Grandma?"
"It's alright." Ignoring her wildly beating heart, the old lady patted Qiu Heng's arm. "Grandmother is alright."
Let whoever wants to beat whom, as long as the family members are happy with the Buick.
As they were talking, the members of the third branch of the family arrived one after another, all because they had heard the sound of bells and drums announcing the death.
The old lady entrusted all matters related to the mourning period to the eldest wife, Zhao.
Qiu Heng wasn't interested in any of that: "Grandmother, I want to go back to Lengxiang Residence."
"Go back, go back," the old lady waved her hand, out of sight, out of mind.
Qiu Heng knew nothing about how the officials in the palace paid homage to the new emperor, how they mourned the late emperor, or when the Earl of Yongqing would return to his residence. When she was awake late at night, she suddenly heard a knocking sound at the window.
Even though Xue Han had never sneaked into the Marquis's residence at night, Qiu Heng's first reaction was that Xue Han had come to find her.
She walked to the window and pushed it open.
Xue Han was indeed standing outside the window when he saw the girl in the snow-white undergarment, and his face immediately turned red.
"Aheng, you—"
Qiu Heng stepped aside: "Come in first and we'll talk."
Xue Han hesitated for a moment, then climbed through the window and entered.
Qiu Heng closed the window: "Why are you looking for me at this hour?"
Xue Han's gaze wandered aimlessly. He wanted to say, "Aheng, put on a coat," but his mouth seemed glued shut.
Qiu Heng rolled her eyes at him: "What are you so nervous about? Get to the point."
Xue Han gave a bitter smile.
He wanted to get down to business, but he didn't expect that being in Aheng's boudoir, facing Aheng who was only wearing her undergarments, he wanted to run away in panic.
"Xue Han?"
Xue Han tried to look up, focusing only on Qiu Heng's face, and explained dryly, "I was busy until very late today, and I won't be able to get away tomorrow, so I had to come to find you at this time."
Qiu Heng was both amused and exasperated: "I know, our Lord Xue is a respectable person."
Although he didn't know why the tightly wrapped inner garment made him so nervous, Qiu Heng still picked up the outer garment draped on the screen and put it on.
Xue Han's expression returned to normal, and he began to recount the forged imperial edict: "When I arrived at the Eastern Palace, the messenger was forcing the Crown Prince to drink poison... After a secret interrogation, the messenger confessed that he was Zhu Xiang's man..."
(End of this chapter)
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