Chapter 5 Disdain
During the ten years that Qiu Heng spent in Daxia thirty years later, she loved reading, including official histories, unofficial histories, and even folk tales.
She didn't like the real events or stories that happened, but rather, in countless days of missing her parents, she tried to find Yunfeng Village in the piles of paper, and to find a couple who made a living by collecting and making incense.
It's a pity that ordinary people like her parents won't be recorded. What she reads is the decay beneath the brocade and flowers of the Great Xia Dynasty, the pallor beneath the fine clothes and robes, and the ugliness beneath the boundless elegance.
Among the imperial relatives, nobles, civil officials, and military generals, the Earl of Yongqing was originally inconspicuous, but he made a name for himself by selling his granddaughter for personal gain.
In the Great Xia Dynasty, some titles were not hereditary and would be revoked upon the death of the last generation. However, if the emperor granted them favor, the title could be passed on to another generation. The Yongqing Earl's Mansion faced such a dilemma. In order to pass on the title, the Yongqing Earl tried his best to please the powerful prime minister Fang Yuanzhi, and even gave one of his granddaughters to his grandson as a concubine.
When she learned from Wang Mama that the Qiu family was the same Qiu family described in the book, she knew that this was the place she was meant to be.
The master said, "When a nation is about to perish, evil spirits will surely emerge." With the fall of the Great Xia capital and the forced flight of the young emperor to the south, five people were found guilty of unforgivable crimes. These five were the evil spirits she needed to eliminate.
If she could achieve this within five years, the Great Xia might have a chance to turn things around. If she couldn't, what she would experience, and what countless other Xia people would experience, would be the bloody chaos she would later live in.
Prime Minister Fang Yuanzhi was one of her targets.
"Is this Heng'er?" Marquis Yongqing looked Qiu Heng up and down, a satisfied smile on his face.
The younger generation of the Qiu family has few men and many girls, and the beauty of the Qiu family women is quite famous in the capital.
"I have met my grandfather."
After asking a few questions, the old lady ordered a maid to take Qiu Heng to settle in, and the others dispersed, leaving only Steward Qiu behind.
"Didn't you say they were just ordinary farmers? How come they have maids?" The old lady asked Fangzhou, holding a cup of tea in one hand.
"Sixth Miss was grieving the passing of her adoptive parents, and I haven't been able to inquire about it..." Steward Qiu recounted how Qiu Heng went up the mountain every day to guard the graves.
After Steward Qiu left, the old lady's face turned cold: "What bad luck!"
But Lord Yongqing chuckled and said, "Now that everyone's back, let's not dwell on the past."
"If it weren't for Lady Changchun—" The old lady started to say, but then swallowed her words.
She didn't expect her granddaughter to come back.
Ten years ago, this girl got lost while visiting a lantern festival with her youngest son. Her daughter-in-law, Madam Du, was pregnant at the time and died shortly after giving birth due to heartbreak. Since then, she has had a son who is drunk all the time and a frail grandson.
Not long ago, the Lady of Changchun, who had returned to the capital, invited her to have tea. She mentioned that she had met a young girl in Suiyun County who looked very much like Lady Du. She wondered if the girl might be the sixth daughter of the Yongqing Earl's Mansion who had gone missing many years ago.
The disappearance of the sixth daughter caused quite a stir in the capital back then. Now that the Lady of Changchun is kindly reminding us, the Yongqing Earl's Mansion will easily be criticized if it does not respond.
The old lady and Yongqing were talking about Qiuheng, and the Qiufu sisters, who had left Qiansongtang, were also discussing her.
In March, the garden was a riot of color. Fifth Sister Qiuying twirled the colorful rope on the sachet with her fingers, smiling broadly: "I never expected Sixth Sister to be so beautiful."
Fourth Sister Qiu Fu paused in her tracks.
Third Sister Qiu Yun pursed her lips slightly: "Fifth Sister is just looking at something new, isn't she? When it comes to looks, who can compare to Fourth Sister?"
"Alright, what's the point of comparing these things?" Qiu Fu glanced at the sachet that Qiu Ying was playing with, and threw the sachet that Qiu Heng had given her into the flower bushes. "Such a crude thing, it's a wonder Fifth Sister likes it."
Qiu Ying awkwardly put away the sachet: "It was just for fun."
The second daughter, Qiu Xuan, returned to her boudoir and took out the sachet to sniff it lightly.
"Does the young lady like the sachet that the Sixth Miss gave her?" the maid asked with a smile.
Qiu Xuan lowered her eyes and looked thoughtfully at the ordinary-looking sachet: "This fragrance is quite unique and pleasant."
I saw the autumn maple when I was putting away the boxes and cages.
Yongqingbo has three grandsons. His eldest grandson, Qiuyang, is from the second branch of the family and is sixteen years old this year, currently studying at the Imperial Academy. His second grandson, Qiufeng, is eleven years old and is his blood brother. Qiusong has just turned ten. Mama Wang specifically reminded him that the third son is the only boy in the first branch of the family and is very precious to them.
The first thing Qiu Heng saw was the autumn pine.
The sturdy boy turned his head and tugged at the person behind him: "What are you dawdling for? Come and see what your sister looks like."
The thin, frail boy stumbled and was pulled forward. He looked up and his eyes met Qiu Heng's.
Qiu Heng thought, "This child is really thin."
"You're the daughter that Uncle San lost back then?" Qiu Song asked in a curious tone.
Qiu Heng raised her eyebrows: "You are—"
"My name is Qiusong. How did you get lost back then?"
"I don't remember."
"Weren't you five years old then? How could you not remember anything?" The chubby-faced boy leaned close to Qiu Heng, his tone nasty. "You're not an imposter, are you?"
"Third brother, don't say that—"
"She hasn't even said anything, why is Second Brother in such a hurry? Ah, I know, Second Brother envies that both I and Eldest Brother have real sisters, so he's eager to recognize a fake from the countryside as his sister!" Qiu Song clapped his hands and laughed.
Qiu Feng looked embarrassed and pursed his lips.
"Isn't the Third Young Master so unruly? Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Old Master and the Old Madam?"
"You're going to complain to your elders? Aren't you ashamed?"
Qiu Heng chuckled: "It seems that the Third Young Master never complains to his elders."
Qiu Song puffed out his chest: "Of course."
He's always the one bullying others, why would he complain?
"I see." Qiu Heng nodded, then suddenly grabbed Qiu Song, slammed him onto the table, and slapped him hard on the buttocks.
"Waaaah—" Qiu Song screamed in pain, but a hand choked him back down his throat.
To his horror, he was unable to break free and could only endure the increasingly painful beatings.
Even more horrified than Qiusong was Qiufeng.
The already thin boy turned pale and trembled, unable to speak.
Qiu Heng only let go after she had had her fill of beating.
"You dare hit me!" Qiu Song jumped up, wincing in pain.
"Then go ahead and complain. Tell them that I, this fake from the countryside, spanked your butt."
"You, you just wait!" Qiu Song turned and left.
The room fell silent for a moment.
After a long pause, Qiu Feng frowned and said, "You're going to be in trouble."
"Will he report me?"
"Whether I go or not, offending Third Brother won't end well." Qiu Feng gave Qiu Heng a deep look, then turned and left.
Fangzhou walked in, leaned close to Qiuheng, and rubbed his eyes: "Miss, I think I just fell asleep standing up. I dreamt that you were beating up a little fat boy."
Qiu Heng patted Fang Zhou's arm: "Don't daydream, I really did hit him."
Fangzhou sighed, unable to deceive himself any longer: "If the old lady and the others found out—"
“Such a shameful thing, this brat wouldn’t tell anyone.”
"What if?"
"We'll deal with whatever happens in the future; there's no need to worry about it beforehand."
Dinner was served at Qiansong Hall. Qiu Heng met with Master Qiu and Master Qiu Er. As for her biological father, he was said to have been helped back drunk and was still sober.
Ignoring the fierce glare Qiu Song was casting at her, Qiu Heng quietly ate her first meal at the Qiu residence.
The next morning, Qiu Heng came to Qian Song Tang to pay her respects as Wang Mama had reminded her, and Third Master Qiu stumbled in.
(End of this chapter)
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