Chapter 65 He's Here
When the old lady heard that Madam Lan wanted to take Qiuxuan to Ganquan Temple, she was a little puzzled: "Why would you suddenly want to go to burn incense?"
She had just given the order for the maids to stay home obediently for the entire month.
“Xuan’er was frightened after falling into the water and keeps having nightmares. The Ghost Festival is just around the corner, and I thought it would be more reassuring for her to go and pray to Buddha.”
With the Ghost Festival just around the corner, when Qiu Xuan mentioned dreaming of a water ghost, Lan Shi immediately thought of taking her to offer incense.
The old lady agreed, saying, "Ganquan Temple is convenient, let's go."
"Sixth Miss has arrived."
Qiu Heng stepped in: "Grandmother, Second Aunt, Second Sister."
"Mm," the old lady responded demurely.
Qiu Heng walked closer: "Grandmother, did you just mention Ganquan Temple?"
The old lady's eyelids twitched.
Lan Shi smiled and said, "Ganquan Temple is nearby. Your second aunt just told your grandmother that she wanted to take your second sister to Ganquan Temple to offer incense."
Qiu Heng immediately grabbed the old lady's sleeve: "Grandmother, I want to go with my second sister."
"No." The old lady refused without hesitation and pulled her sleeves away.
No twitching.
Qiu Heng tugged at the old lady's sleeve even tighter: "Ever since I jumped into the river on Qixi Festival, I've felt inexplicably uneasy. Grandmother, let me go with my second sister. I'll stay close to my second aunt."
The old lady's expression changed slightly.
Did Liu Yatou exhibit any unusual behavior after falling into the water?
Hiss—could those two girls really be possessed by something?
Thinking of this, the old lady secretly pulled her sleeve outwards with force.
It still didn't twitch.
"Grandmother, please agree."
Madam Lan also said, "Madam, let Heng'er go with them. Your daughter-in-law will take good care of them."
The old lady, unable to bear it any longer, said: "Go, go."
You unlucky girl, let go of me right now!
Qiu Heng loosened her grip on the old lady's sleeve and smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Grandmother."
There was not much to prepare for going to Ganquan Temple. After leaving the Lan family of Qiansongtang, they took the two of them out the door and arrived in less than half an hour.
There were many worshippers at Ganquan Temple, and the hall was filled with the rich fragrance of sandalwood.
Lan led Qiuheng and Qiuxuan to offer incense and donate money for incense oil, planning to return after having a vegetarian meal.
Spend more time in such places to ward off evil spirits.
"Ganquan Temple is famous for its vegetarian food. Heng'er hasn't tried it yet, has she?"
"No."
"Then try it today. If you like it, your second aunt will bring you again—" Lan's smile faltered as she looked ahead.
She was a middle-aged woman who looked somewhat haggard, surrounded by several maids and servants.
Qiu Xuan lowered her eyes slightly, concealing the turmoil within them.
She is the wife of the Marquis of Xiping!
Lady Lan instinctively stepped in front of Qiu Heng and Qiu Xuan, greeting them in a casual tone: "Madam Hou."
The Lady of Xiping reacted even more coldly, nodding slightly before walking past.
Upon arriving at the guest room, Madam Lan's face darkened: "They plotted against us first, but now that we've met them, it's as if we've wronged their family."
Having met the people she disliked, Lan lost her desire to stay for the vegetarian meal and promised to bring the two of them over again the next day.
When Lady Xiping returned to the Marquis's residence, she encountered her youngest son, Zhao Si, walking out.
"Mother," Zhao Si greeted indifferently, without stopping.
"Where are you going at this hour?"
Let's go out for a walk.
The wife of the Marquis of Xiping was annoyed by her son's lukewarm attitude, and the resentment she felt towards Lady Lan also welled up: "You always have such a sullen face, do you wish your mother would pay with her life for that vixen?"
Zhao Si's expression grew even colder: "My son didn't mean that."
"Why are you making a fuss if I didn't mean it that way? Your mother is doing this for your own good, why can't you understand!"
Surrounded by trusted confidantes, even those who administer the drugs to the young lady, Lady Xiping had no need to hide anything.
"For my own good? If it were for my own good, my mother wouldn't have done that!"
He likes his cousin.
His mother disliked his cousin's low social status, but he agreed to marry his wife first and then take his cousin as a concubine.
Unexpectedly, the marriage to the second daughter of the Yongqing Earl's family fell through, and her mother forced her cousin to have an abortion, saying that if the second wife of the Yongqing Earl's family could find out about this, other families could too. Once her cousin gave birth to the child, this hidden danger would be impossible to resolve.
He didn't see how his cousin drank the medicine; his mother stopped him from getting close. When he saw her again, she was already a cold corpse.
My cousin is dead!
Mingming's mother initially agreed to let her cousin secretly give birth to the child, but because the marriage proposal with the Yongqing Marquis's family was discovered by the other party, she broke her promise and caused her cousin to lose her life!
"You still don't understand your mother's good intentions?" The Lady of Xiping Marquis's voice trembled with anger. "I get angry at home because of you, and then I run into that annoying Lan woman when I go out. What sins have I committed!"
Lady Xiping flung her sleeves and left, leaving Zhao Si stunned.
Lan Shi? Qiu Er's mother?
He met Qiu Er and her daughter during that matchmaking.
Zhao Si stopped the last maid and asked where the Lady of Xiping had gone today.
"When Lady Hou went to Ganquan Temple, she met the second wife of the Yongqing Earl's Mansion who was going to offer incense with her daughter."
Ganquan Temple—Zhao Si murmured, his eyes chillingly cold.
The next day, Qiu Heng and Qiu Xuan followed Lan Shi to Ganquan Temple.
"Mother, I'll take my sixth sister for a stroll around the temple."
Lady Lan hesitated for a moment, but couldn't bear to spoil her daughter's mood: "Go ahead, but don't let the maids leave your side."
The temple is filled with tall trees, serene bamboo groves, and pools and rocks everywhere.
Qiu Xuan glanced around casually, her voice so soft that only Qiu Heng beside her could hear, "I wonder if that person will come."
According to her analysis, regardless of whether that person was Zhao Si or not, since he intended to kill her, he should have been paying attention to her movements. And with just a little attention, it wouldn't be difficult to know that she had come to Ganquan Temple for two consecutive days.
Will that person... take the bait?
Qiu Xuan wasn't sure, but she had no choice but to use herself as bait and try this clumsy method.
Sixth Sister said that the man had just attempted to kill someone but failed. During this period, he is most likely to be swayed by his emotions and continue to act. However, once he calms down as time goes by, it's hard to say what will happen.
If she hadn't attracted that person, she would have had to stay home as much as possible and live in constant fear when she went out.
She hadn't done anything wrong, and she was unwilling to accept this outcome. She only hoped that God would be kind to her and grant her a stroke of luck.
"Even if they came, they wouldn't make a move seeing so many people," Qiu Heng said softly.
"Sixth Sister, let's proceed as agreed."
Qiu Heng nodded slightly and said in a loud voice, "Second Sister, I'm going to wash my hands."
When you're out and about, washing your hands and changing your clothes are polite ways of saying you need to use the restroom.
Not long after Qiu Heng and Fang Zhou left, Qiu Xuan sent a maid to fetch some vegetarian snacks.
"How can a young lady manage alone?"
Qiu Xuan pointed to the pilgrims not far away: "There are people everywhere. Sixth Miss will be back soon."
After the maid left, Qiu Xuan strolled around admiring the scenery and unknowingly walked to the edge of the bamboo grove.
Thicker green bamboo stalks, each thicker than a bowl, stretched out one after another, creating a scene that seemed to block out the sky.
Qiu Xuan did not step inside. She sat with her back to the bamboo forest, gazing at the sky in a daze.
The ever-changing clouds are like the unpredictable human heart.
Will that person come? Is someone secretly watching her?
As Qiu Xuan was thinking silently, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and covered her mouth, dragging her into the bamboo forest.
The girl, who had been clenching her hands tightly due to nervousness, quietly loosened them.
He's here.
(End of this chapter)
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