Chapter 86 Moving Forward
Qiu Heng breathed a sigh of relief: Luckily, I didn't touch her shoulder.
"Second sister, what happened?"
"My marriage is arranged!" Qiu Xuan's voice choked with emotion.
She knew that if others saw her like this, they would laugh at her to death.
Even the best marriage proposal shouldn't make a girl cry tears of joy.
But she didn't want to hide it from her sixth sister.
Her feelings at this moment were less about being overjoyed at the marriage and more about the pleasant surprise of escaping a terrible fate thanks to her own and her family's help.
"Sixth Sister, you're right. You have to consider your own affairs instead of leaving everything to others!"
When she first heard that the Marquis of Xiping's family had come to propose marriage, if she hadn't listened to her sixth sister's advice and hadn't investigated Zhao Si, the outcome would have been self-evident.
"Second Sister, please have a seat." Qiu Heng pulled Qiu Xuan to sit down and asked with a smile, "Which family are you talking about?"
Qiu Xuan gradually calmed down and said softly, "He is the son of my aunt's husband's eldest brother. We've known each other since we were little."
"Childhood sweethearts, congratulations, Second Sister!" Qiu Heng was genuinely happy for Qiu Xuan.
Although the book doesn't record who Qiu Xuan married, judging from the actions of the Marquis of Xiping's family, it's highly likely that it was them. Qiu Xuan avoiding this marriage is at least a good start.
Qiu Xuan blushed slightly: "I owe everything I have today to Sixth Sister."
"Second sister, you're too kind. We're sisters. If I encounter any trouble, I'm sure you'll help me."
Qiu Xuan nodded emphatically.
The engagement between the Qiu and Song families was conducted discreetly and smoothly.
When the three sisters from the eldest branch of the family were together, they talked about Qiuxuan's marriage.
"I heard that Young Master Song is very fond of Second Sister. They've known each other since childhood. How wonderful!" Qiu Ying said, her voice filled with longing.
Qiu Fu rolled her eyes at her: "You're sixteen now, can't you be a little more reserved?"
Qiu Fu has been in a bad mood lately.
Second Sister's marriage was clearly arranged by Second Aunt. They were childhood sweethearts, in love, and even after marriage, she had the care of her maternal aunt.
The more this happened, the more indignant I felt for my eldest sister, the more worried I became about myself, and the more disappointed I felt in my parents.
Qiu Ying didn't care about Qiu Fu's sarcasm at all, and chuckled: "It's just that people only start thinking about marriage when they reach a certain age. It's not like they can't get married."
"I think it's a bit of a pity," Qiu Yun said, her thoughts differing from those of the two sisters.
"What's a pity?" Qiu Ying asked.
“Our family is, after all, a noble family, while the Song family… is of a lower social standing.” Qiu Yun would never say this outside, but she couldn’t help but reveal her thoughts in the atmosphere of casual conversation among the sisters.
Qiu Fu's temper flared up: "Even if we come from a humble background, we won't starve. It's a hundred times better than encountering a madman like Zhao Si from the Marquis of Xiping's mansion!"
Qiu Yun gave an awkward smile and said nothing.
The conversation ended there, and the three sisters went their separate ways.
Mid-Autumn Festival arrived in the blink of an eye, and the three families gathered at Qiansong Hall for a reunion dinner.
The old lady instructed Lan Shi, "Hurry up and prepare Er Yatou's dowry." She then said to Zhao Shi, "Please help her out more."
Both daughters-in-law agreed.
The old lady glanced at her five beautiful granddaughters one by one and sighed inwardly: This marriage for Er Yatou is not easy.
Having both substance and appearance is ideal, but if you can only choose one, substance is more practical.
"Second sister is engaged, does that mean third sister will be getting married soon too?" Qiu Song said, just as he was thinking of something.
Zhao glanced at her son and said, "Child, don't talk too much."
Qiu Song pursed his lips and secretly glanced at Qiu Heng.
He didn't care whether his third sister got married or not; he just thought that if his older sisters were to get married one after another, his second, third, fourth, and fifth sisters would all have to get married before his sixth sister could get married.
When will this end? With Sixth Sister around, he won't be able to cause trouble for Qiu Feng.
"If only Sixth Sister were his real sister," Qiu Song thought regretfully, clinging to the simple thought that if he couldn't beat her, he should ask her for protection.
When Qiu Yun was called upon by her younger brother, she secretly glanced at Zhao Shi, only to see that Zhao Shi had a calm expression and seemed indifferent to the matter.
Zhao was not the type to shirk her responsibilities, but she knew that her father-in-law would interfere in her granddaughters' marriages, so she didn't bother with her two illegitimate daughters, Qiu Yun and Qiu Ying.
Compared to his second granddaughter's recently arranged marriage, the Earl of Yongqing was more concerned about Qiuheng: "Heng'er, have you finished making the incense pendant that the Imperial Concubine requested?"
"It will take some more time."
"Will it take this long?"
“This is considered extremely short. Some incense needs to be aged in cellars for several years to achieve its best effect,” Qiu Heng explained calmly, looking at Yongqing Bo. “You don’t understand.”
The Earl of Yongqing was taken aback.
As the head of the Earl's family, not only his children and grandchildren, but even the old lady had never spoken to him like that.
The old lady, holding her chopsticks, was also stunned.
She was blinded by greed and didn't send Granny Zhu over again!
The scene fell eerily quiet for a moment. Yongqing Bo laughed heartily: "Everyone has their own expertise. Grandfather really doesn't know anything about incense making. Heng'er, please put more effort into making incense for the Imperial Concubine."
Old lady: ?
The others looked at the benevolent-smiling Earl Yongqing, and then at the nonchalant Qiuheng, and their feelings were complicated.
Only Master Qiu didn't think too much about it and happily praised, "Our Heng'er is so amazing."
Master Qiu and Madam Zhao exchanged a glance.
A Mid-Autumn Festival reunion banquet made everyone in the Earl's mansion truly realize the special treatment the Earl of Yongqing had for his sixth daughter.
The streets were brightly lit, the moon was full and round, and families were reunited, but Xue Han went to Qinglian Lake.
The legend of Qinglian Lake being haunted has grown increasingly popular, becoming a favorite tale told by storytellers in taverns and teahouses. It's alright during the day, but after nightfall, Qinglian Lake becomes deserted.
Xue Han walked slowly along the lakeside, his gaze fixed on the lake surface.
The moon is full today, but I didn't see Qiu Liu.
Her strange illness always made him feel that something was wrong, but it was as if there was a veil or a fog in front of him, and he couldn't see clearly.
But he had a premonition that once the fog was cleared, he would get an amazing answer.
Is he ready to reveal the answer?
The boy, feeling the autumn wind blowing, asked himself a question, only to find that he couldn't explain it clearly.
In late August, Yuan Chenghai's family members were escorted to the capital, where several government offices jointly tried the case.
Only then did the news of Yuan Chenghai's violent death and serious crimes spread among the people of the capital.
Yuan's family members are in prison and can't be seen, but Yuan's residence is definitely not going anywhere.
Every day, the gate of the Yuan residence was smashed with countless rotten eggs and vegetable leaves, leaving the area in a mess.
Liniang dared not cry or make a fuss anymore, fearing that the authorities would remember her as a fugitive and imprison her as well.
Hui Niang would repeatedly open the vanity case containing her valuables late at night to check them out, and then carefully hide them away.
She didn't know what the future held, but even ants cling to life, so she dared not die and could only await her fate.
By the end of August, Yuan Chenghai's crimes were settled. Since he was already dead, the male members of his family were sentenced to exile, and the female members were confiscated and sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution).
As for how Yuan Chenghai was poisoned, a lot of manpower was spent at first but no one found out. Now, who would bother to investigate? The death of Yuan Chenghai has become an unsolved mystery as his crimes have been settled.
The people all said that it was Heaven's will that brought retribution upon the traitor Yuan.
Hui Niang had been in the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) for several days when she was suddenly taken away by an official.
Hui Niang was filled with unease, but then she heard the official whisper, "Someone has redeemed you from your servitude and removed you from the register. Your household registration is now in Sipingfang... You should go quietly."
Hui Niang looked incredulous: "May I ask, sir, who redeemed this slave?"
The official shook his head: "Don't ask. Knowing too much won't do you any good. Just live your own life, that's better than anything else."
"Yes, yes, yes..." Hui Niang covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
The Great Xia Dynasty was open-minded, and many women made a living on their own. Having escaped her status as a courtesan, and with her hidden valuables, she could live a stable life as long as she was careful.
"I don't know who my benefactor is. You brought me out, sir, so you are my benefactor." Hui Niang knelt down and kowtowed deeply to the official. She couldn't wait to run towards Sipingfang and towards her new life.
The official smiled to himself, thinking that this woman was really lucky, as she had actually troubled the Prince of Kang's son to do his best to get her removed from the social class.
In the teahouse, Qiu Heng drank tea instead of wine, saying, "Thank you for your help, Brother Ling."
"I'm overjoyed that Aheng is willing to ask me for help." Ling Yun smiled, his joy coming from the bottom of his heart.
"Then I might cause Brother Ling a lot of trouble in the future."
"Just say the word." Ling Yun's eyes curved into a smile. "Aheng and Jiayi can just call me Big Brother."
Qiu Heng shook her head: "It's easier to call him Brother Ling."
Ling Yun didn't press the matter further and asked her, "Are you really not going to let that lady know that it was you who helped her redeem herself?"
"No need," Qiu Heng said. "I've already attracted a lot of gossip because of my dealings with the women of the Yuan family. It's better to avoid trouble."
She didn't care about gossip; she just didn't want Hui Niang's gratitude.
Now that Yuan is dead, both she and Hui Niang should move on and have no further interaction.
(End of this chapter)
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