Chapter 80 Debts Must Always Be Repaid
Qiu Heng reached out to block, but Xue Han twisted his wrist.
Trapped in the narrow alley, neither of them could maneuver effectively, and they almost exclusively clashed with their hands. Qiu Heng had the advantage in agility, while Xue Han had the advantage in strength, and the alleyway was clearly more disadvantageous for Qiu Heng.
With a backhand, Xue Han gained the upper hand and pinned Qiu Heng against the wall.
The scent etched in his memory made Xue Han blurt out, "It's you!"
It was the masked man he encountered that night!
"Who exactly are you?" Xue Han went to retrieve Qiu Heng's black face covering again.
Qiu Heng steeled her heart and bent her knee to strike Xue Han's lower body.
A painful groan rang out, and Qiu Heng seized the opportunity to break free of her restraints and ran forward without hesitation.
Xue Han gritted his teeth and threw the hidden weapon straight at Qiu Heng.
Qiu Heng, who was running, dodged to the side, and a sharp pain shot through her shoulder. This didn't stop her; instead, she ran even faster.
Xue Han chased after him out of the alley and saw the masked man, whose figure was as light as a bird in flight, disappear without a trace after a few leaps.
The lanterns hanging under the eaves of the shop cast a light, and Xue Han looked down at the bloodstains on the ground, frowning slightly.
This was the second time he had encountered this person, both times at night, and both times he acted furtively.
Was it a spy from a foreign country who infiltrated the capital, or a secret guard privately kept by some household?
Whether it's the former or the latter, as the Imperial Envoy, Xue Han cannot allow this person to continue being arrogant.
It seems we'll need to increase patrols at night from now on.
Xue Han frowned and walked forward, where he met Hu Si, who was on his way to gather intelligence elsewhere.
"Sir, we have made a discovery."
"We'll talk about it when we get back."
"Yes." Hu Si strode forward, then suddenly noticed something was wrong with Xue Han. "Sir, are you injured?"
"No."
Hu Si looked at Xue Han's pale face and didn't believe him: "You said you weren't injured, but you look terrible. Where are you hurt? Should I bandage you up before you leave?"
Xue Han took a deep breath: "No."
"It's all bleeding!" Hu Si pointed to the bloodstains on the ground. "Fresh!"
"It belongs to that little thief."
"A petty thief?" Hu Si thought for a moment, then quickly realized, "The petty thief who injured you that night?"
Xue Han nodded.
"Where is he?" Hu Si looked left and right, and even searched the ground.
Xue Han was already in pain, and Hu Si's actions made him even paler: "He ran away."
"He got away again. When did such a skilled thief appear in the capital? He escaped from the adults' hands twice." Hu Si was really curious and angry. "Luckily, the adults injured him. Maybe the thief's wound would have festered and he would have died."
Xue Han ignored him and strode forward.
Hu Si noticed something was wrong again: "Sir, you're walking strangely. Have you injured your leg or foot?"
"Shut up!"
...
When Qiu Heng returned to Lengxiang Residence, Fang Zhou, who was waiting for her, changed her expression: "Miss, are you alright?"
"It's alright, help me treat my wound." Qiu Heng had endured this long, and her sense of pain was almost numb.
When Fangzhou saw the flying knife that had entered Qiuheng's shoulder, her eyes immediately reddened. While crying, she found a pair of scissors and carefully cut open the clothes around the wound.
"Girl, this knife, this knife—" Fangzhou choked up, not knowing what to do.
"Just pull it out. It's just a small knife wound, nothing serious," Qiu Heng said calmly.
"But I—"
"Fangzhou, you have a steady hand, you're the best at treating my wounds, don't be afraid of hurting me."
Qiu Heng knew that Fang Zhou also had secrets.
That year, her father saved up money to buy her a donkey to ride, but then he met Fangzhou, who was selling herself to bury her grandfather. She couldn't bear to see Fangzhou, who was about the same age as her, so she used the money she had saved to buy the donkey to buy Fangzhou instead.
People like them don't need maids. Her parents agreed that she would only be employed, but Fangzhou was stubborn and insisted on not accepting them.
Back then, Fangzhou wasn't called Fangzhou; she called herself Pangya. As they got to know each other better, she asked Fangzhou to help her choose a name. Coincidentally, she had learned poetry from Brother Bai, and the line "Gathering fragrant herbs on the islet" came to her, so she chose the name "Fangzhou".
Fangzhou quickly demonstrated her exceptional culinary skills, but remained silent about her family's past. It wasn't until she traveled to the Great Xia Dynasty thirty years later and broadened her horizons that she realized Fangzhou's extraordinary nature.
Fangzhou can make some of the pastries that are not available in ordinary pastry shops, and he must have received strict training in the basics of cooking.
But Fangzhou didn't say anything, so she didn't ask, just as Fangzhou never asked her in detail about her experiences during the ten days she was missing.
"Girl, bear with it." The warm, soft towel was pressed against Qiu Heng's exposed skin. Fang Zhou gritted his teeth, his voice trembling but his hands steady, and suddenly pulled the knife that was stuck in the flesh out.
A soft towel was quickly placed on the wound, but it was instantly stained red by the gushing blood. Fangzhou immediately picked up another soft towel that he had prepared and used it to plug the wound.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Qiu Heng remained silent, only tightly gripping her dress.
"Young lady, are you alright?"
"It's alright, please help me apply the medicine and bandage it."
By the time Fangzhou finished bandaging the wound and helped Qiuheng bathe, it was already late at night.
"Go to sleep, young lady. I'll rest outside. Call me if you need anything." Fangzhou covered Qiuheng with the blanket and went to the outer room.
Qiu Heng lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep.
It's funny to think about it. She deliberately hit Xue Han's injured shoulder that time, and today he injured her shoulder, so it can be considered paying back the debt.
Xue Han said "It's you," indicating that he recognized her as the person who injured him that night. In that case, the risks of going out at night dressed like this would undoubtedly increase significantly.
Fortunately, I met Tao Da and the others in person today, which will make it much easier to contact them during the day in the future.
Qiu Heng drifted off to sleep, only to be woken up twice in pain during the night. She was sound asleep when Fang Zhou woke her up in the morning.
"What's wrong?" Qiu Heng opened her eyes, knowing that something important must have happened, otherwise Fang Zhou wouldn't have woken her up.
Fangzhou's face turned grim: "Miss, someone from Qiansong Hall said that someone from the palace has come and specifically wants to see you."
"The palace?" Qiu Heng was somewhat surprised. "Are you sure it's the palace?"
"That's what they said. I heard you're still resting, and they're very anxious."
Fangzhou was also anxious, because Qiuheng had just been injured, yet she had to go to see someone from the palace. What a coincidence!
“Young lady, how about I go and tell them you are sick?”
“No, it’s risky to pretend to be sick and avoid seeing me if someone from the palace suddenly comes. Let’s go see what’s going on.” Qiu Heng rejected Fang Zhou’s suggestion. “Help me fetch some water to wash up.”
Unlike Fangzhou, who was completely baffled, Qiuheng had a guess: perhaps the butterfly-shaped incense token she had given to the elder sister in the palace had finally taken effect.
This was an opportunity she had been waiting for, and of course she couldn't miss it.
After tidying up, Qiuheng walked outside.
Fangzhou was very worried and asked in a low voice, "Does the wound still hurt? It would be troublesome if you aggravated it."
"I'll be careful, don't worry."
Chuncao, who was anxiously waiting in the hall, saw Qiuheng come out and quickly bowed: "Sixth Miss, someone from the palace has come and says they want to see you. The old lady wants you to go there quickly."
This sixth young lady is truly extraordinary. While the other young ladies would have already paid their respects to the old lady by now, the sixth young lady hadn't even gotten up yet.
She couldn't even imagine how angry the old lady would be if she found out.
Inside Qiansong Hall, the old lady was indeed furious.
Why isn't Sixth Sister here yet? Is she dawdling because she wants to dress up like a fairy?
However, he couldn't show it in front of the palace eunuchs; he could only smile and chat while secretly worrying.
"Sixth Miss has arrived."
With a maid's announcement, the old lady finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That brat has finally arrived.
The dark brown curtain with auspicious patterns was lifted, and Qiu Heng walked in slowly.
The old lady raised her eyebrows.
It seems that Sixth Sister still knows what's important; she knows that people from the palace are coming, and she walks more steadily now.
Yes, the color of her clothes is also too conservative. Actually, that's unnecessary; no one would say anything if the young girl wore something bright and cheerful.
Qiu Heng had no choice but to remain composed.
I'm afraid that making big movements might aggravate the wound, and if it bleeds, at least the dark color of my clothes will make it less noticeable.
"Greetings, Grandmother." She bowed and looked at the people from the palace.
The man was fair-skinned and beardless, and appeared to be in his twenties.
"This is Eunuch Zheng, your eldest sister's attendant."
"Eunuch Zheng."
"Is this the Sixth Sister?" Zheng Yu looked Qiu Heng up and down, filled with curiosity.
It's said that this Miss Qiu Liu is quite famous among the common people, not the demure and demure type. But seeing her today, I think the rumors are wrong; she's quite composed.
"That is my daughter."
"Since the Sixth Miss returned home, I have not yet seen the beauty. I have specially asked for the Sixth Miss's permission to come to the palace for a chat."
Qiu Heng looked at the old lady.
The old lady said sternly, "It is an honor to be able to enter the palace and meet your eldest sister. You must be careful with your words and actions and not cause any trouble."
"My granddaughter understands."
“Eunuch Zheng, Sixth Girl is still young. Please allow me to give her a few words of advice in private.”
"Please go ahead, Madam." Zheng Yu stepped outside to wait.
Without Eunuch Zheng present, the old lady hurriedly whispered, "This is the first time your eldest sister has taken the initiative to ask for a favor to see the family. I'm worried there might be something else going on. Sixth girl, you must stay calm and not be as unruly as you are at home. If you cause trouble in the palace, no one will be able to help you."
Qiu Heng nodded: "Grandmother, don't worry, I have never caused any trouble for the family."
"Haven't you caused enough trouble already?!"
"Then your granddaughter isn't going?"
The old lady: "..."
Suppressing her anger, the old lady said gently, "Of course you can't not go. Just remember what your grandmother said."
If she didn't have to go, would she be so worried?
Watching Qiu Heng get into the carriage with Zheng Yu, the old lady was filled with anxiety. She tried to distract herself by chatting: "Chuncao, why did it take you so long to invite the Sixth Miss?"
Chuncao hesitated for a moment, then told the truth: "Reporting to the old lady, when I went to Lengxiang Residence, the sixth young lady had not yet gotten up."
The old lady's vision went black, and she became even more anxious: That damned brat, she's learned all the rules, what will happen when she enters the palace!
"Go and fetch Granny Yu!"
Before long, Granny Yu rushed over and said, "Greetings, Madam."
The old lady stared suspiciously at the corner of Granny Yu's mouth.
Could that crumb of pastry be stuck to the old servant's lips?
"When did Granny Yu go to Lengxiang Residence today?"
"Chen Chu then left."
We didn't have to come this early, but we did it so we could catch breakfast at Lengxiangju.
Upon hearing this, the old lady's pent-up anger flared up: "Chuncao just went to invite the Sixth Miss, but she was still asleep. You went to Lengxiang Residence so early, and you just let the Sixth Miss sleep so soundly? What kind of governess are you!"
She wanted to replace this old servant and send Zhu Mama over instead. After all this time, Zhu Mama's bad luck should have dissipated by now.
Happy Lantern Festival!
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