Chapter 192

Chapter 192 Wait for the Right Time and Protect Concubine Xiang

When they arrived at East Mansion, Qu Qiuyan and Qu Moying did not see Luo from the first branch. They heard that she had just left.

Not managing to see Luo, the two sisters planned to come back, but when they went out, they saw Qu Caiyue.

Since the last time they came back, it was the first time they saw Qu Caiyue.

When Qu Caiyue saw the two of them, she was also slightly stunned.

“Second Sister, why didn’t you go out with Aunt Luo? I heard that Aunt Luo brought Eldest Sister out today.” Qu Qiuyan had an idea and asked with a smile.

When they went to ask just now, the maid from the first branch told them that Luo had something to do and had gone out of the city with Qu Xuexin. However, the maid didn’t explain it in detail.

Qu Moying bowed to Qu Caiyue.

“Qiuyan…” Qu Caiyue didn’t seem to be in good spirits. She glanced at Qu Moying with impatience in her eyes, feeling that Qu Moying was an eyesore here.

“Second Sister, Third Sister, since you have something to say, I’ll go back first.” Qu Moying looked at the two of them and said.

“Alright, Moying, see you.” Qu Qiuyan smiled.

Qu Moying nodded at them and slowly left. Qu Caiyue had something to say, and Qu Qiuyan looked very willing to stay and listen. That meant she was unwanted here.

However, she did not know when Qu Qiuyan had become so enthusiastic. Under the eye veil, Qu Moying’s eyes darkened, and the corners of her lips curved silently. The things that the Old Lady had instructed just now must have made Qu Qiuyan feel antipathy!

However, it was instructed by Qu Moying’s so-called father and the Old Lady. No matter how dissatisfied Qu Qiuyan was, she would not dare to fight!

Seeing Qu Moying leave, Qu Caiyue said to Qu Qiuyan, “Qiuyan, why don’t you come to my place to have a talk?”

“There’s no need. Let’s just sit over there!” Qu Qiuyan pointed to the pavilion aside. The gentle smile on her face faded, and she turned around to go to the pavilion.

She was very familiar with everything about East Mansion.

Although Qu Caiyue felt that it was not very good, she had to follow Qu Qiuyan. In fact, when she saw Qu Qiuyan, she did not want to say anything, but when she saw Qu Qiuyan give her a look, she had to show that she had something to talk to Qu Qiuyan.

“Tell me, what is it?” Qu Qiuyan sat down on the stone bench in the pavilion and said with a cold expression.

Qu Caiyue looked around uneasily and waved to the maids from East Mansion, asking them to retreat. Now, only she, Qu Qiuyan, and Qing Lian were left in the pavilion.

“Qiuyan…” Seeing that everyone had left, Qu Caiyue moved her mouth and looked at Qu Qiuyan dryly.

“Aunt Luo has gone to match Eldest Sister up with blind dates?” Qu Qiuyan got straight to the point. Although East Mansion and West Mansion were separated by a wall, Qu Qiuyan deliberately asked her servants to pay attention to this side. Therefore, she knew some things about East Mansion.

Similarly, if Luo, who managed East Mansion, made her servants pay more attention to West Mansion, she would also know some things about West Mansion.

Bringing Qu Moying over but not mentioning that Luo was not around, Qu Qiuyan did it on purpose.

“Yes.” Qu Caiyue felt extremely wronged when this matter was mentioned. Both of the two sisters were not engaged now, but Madam only cared about the Eldest Sister’s marriage but not hers. It seemed as if her marriage was impossible to arrange unless the Eldest Sister’s was settled. Qu Caiyue thought about it and felt depressed.

“Eldest Sister’s marriage won’t be so easy to settle. Second Sister, do you plan to keep waiting like this? Time flies. If you wait for too long, how could you get a good marriage?” Qu Qiuyan smiled and asked slowly.

Qu Caiyue’s eyes also turned red. She looked up at Qu Qiuyan and begged, “Qiuyan, help me.”

“How can I help you? I am younger than you. Also, even if I were your Elder Sister, I can’t help you, either, because East Mansion is not a place we can meddle in.” Qu Qiuyan refused without hesitation, “What a pity, Second Sister. You have a beautiful face, and you’re one of the most beautiful ladies in the capital, but your marriage had to be delayed… It’s really…”

After saying this, Qu Qiuyan shook her head as if she sincerely felt pity for Qu Caiyue.

“Qiuyan, please help me.” Qu Caiyue’s tears were about to fall. The handkerchief in her hand was crumpled into a ball. She was in a bad mood. This was what she was worried about. The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, but there was nothing she could do. She didn’t know when the Eldest Sister’s marriage would be settled. Qu Caiyue knew how picky Madam was about the Eldest Sister’s marriage.

Just based on Madam’s enthusiasm for choosing a husband for Eldest Sister, Qu Caiyue felt that when it was her turn, she would probably be left with no good men to choose. At that time, she might really not be able to get married.

“Actually, there is another person who can decide your marriage,” Qu Caiyue said slowly.

“Who… who is it?” Qu Caiyue was extremely excited. “Qiuyan, I beg you to give me pointers.”

“It’s far from giving pointers. It’s only for the sake of your favors for me in the past,” Qu Qiuyan said indifferently.

“Yes, yes. I understand. Heaven knows how sincere I am to you, Qiuyan.” Qu Caiyue nodded repeatedly to show her loyalty.

“Grandmother can help you.” Qu Qiuyan was very satisfied with this, and she smiled slightly.

However, these words dispersed Qu Caiyue’s expectations in her heart. Her face sank, and she said with a bitter smile, “Qiuyan, how can I tell Grandmother about this? Even if I did, Grandmother wouldn’t care about me. Madam has the final say. With Grandmother’s personality, she doesn’t really want to manage affairs, and she won’t argue with Madam because of this matter.”

She had once thought of this idea, but how could she, an unmarried noble lady, say such words and act as if she was desperate to get married?

If she really said that, not to mention Madam, even the Old Lady wouldn’t forgive her.

“Did I say you should go to say it yourself?” Qu Qiuyan proudly raised her chin and said with a bit of arrogance, “Can’t you let others tell Grandmother? For example, since Aunt Luo is not in the mansion today, shouldn’t you tell Grandmother if something happened to you?”

Luo not being around was not a rare event in East Mansion recently.

Right now, what Luo was most concerned about was the marriage of her eldest daughter. From time to time, she would bring her eldest daughter out and abandon everything in the mansion just to find a good marriage for her eldest daughter.

“You mean I… I…” Qu Caiyue understood. Her expression changed drastically, and her voice began to tremble.

“It depends on what you want. Aunt Luo has been away from the mansion recently. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to do such a thing, right?” Qu Qiuyan stood up and tugged at the corner of her dress.

She had thought of an idea for Qu Caiyue. Now, it was up to Qu Caiyue herself. Of course, she wasn’t really doing this for Qu Caiyue.

As for whether Qu Caiyue would use this method or not, since Qu Qiuyan had already proposed it, she was naturally certain that Qu Caiyue would definitely do it.

“I understand.” Qu Caiyue was not stupid. She gritted her teeth and said. Right now, this seemed to be her only chance, and she would try her best for it.

If her marriage fell into Grandmother’s hands, it would naturally be much better than falling into the Madam’s hands.

In no way would Madam be sincere enough to find a good marriage for her…

Qu Moying went back to West Mansion first. Upon returning, she asked Granny Miao to report to the Old Lady that Luo was not in East Mansion. That was why Qu Moying came back to West Mansion first. Qu Qiuyan stayed in East Mansion to talk to Qu Caiyue.

After Granny Miao went to report, she brought back another piece of news. It was about Concubine Xiang. At that time, Granny Wu happened to be talking to the Old Lady about Concubine Xiang. Granny Miao waited outside for a while and eavesdropped.

It seemed that the Old Lady was also paying attention to Concubine Xiang.

“My lady, the governor has accepted Concubine Xiang’s case. After Concubine Xiang was beaten up, the governor sent someone to Earl Ling’an’s Mansion to investigate Second Lady Ji, but they didn’t seem to find anything. They only vaguely heard that Second Lady Ji left with someone, and the Ji Family couldn’t find her, and there was no other evidence. Would they say that Concubine Xiang was lodging a false accusation against them, my lady?”

Granny Miao said worriedly.

Qu Moying put down the score in her hand, and her fingers on the zither unconsciously drew two strokes on the strings in front of her. The strings made a crisp sound. Her fingers pressed down, and the sound trembled a few times and gradually calmed down.

“No.”

Qu Moying shook her head, and her eyes darkened slightly. The most important thing when she decided to send Concubine Xiang to Yamen was to protect Concubine Xiang first and then provide a strong premise for the follow-up of the case.

With such a legitimate reason and such great fanfare, the governor had no choice but to accept Concubine Xiang. They needed evidence when investigating a case, and now it was time to collect the evidence.

Concubine Xiang was very safe in Yamen now.

Now, Qu Moying didn’t have a proper identity or solid reason, so she couldn’t provide protection for Concubine Xiang.

This period of time was enough for the matter of Father wanting an heir to be brought up to the Emperor. Right now, all she had to do was wait and see the changes in the situation.

“Granny Miao, ask Granny Zhou to visit Concubine Xiang and send some food and medicine over.” After pondering for a while, Qu Moying said again.

Concubine Xiang and Granny Zhou were both Yue’s people, who was from the South. This was something everyone knew. There were even some well-informed people who found out that Concubine Xiang had left the mansion with Qu Moying that day. Although it was said that Concubine Xiang had taken the initiative to leave the carriage to go to Yamen, this matter must have still aroused the suspicion of some people.

Since that was the case, there was no need for her to hide it. She should just let Granny Zhou go and visit Concubine Xiang.

Since they both were Yue’s people, it meant they shared a sense of kinship with each other. Therefore, it was no big deal for Qu Moying to interfere. Although it was a bit harmful to her reputation, so what?

“Only Granny Zhou will go? Can I follow?” Granny Miao thought deeper and asked.

This suggestion was good. Qu Moying nodded and said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Granny Miao, to make a trip with Granny Zhou.”

Granny Zhou was going to visit Concubine Xiang in the name of their kinship, while Granny Miao was doing it for the sake of safety. It would indeed be the best if the two of them went together!

Calculating the days, Qu Moying guessed Father’s matter should be settled soon.

When this matter reached the Emperor, this kind of thing was only a small and reasonable matter to the Emperor. Since it was Father’s last wish and it was verified to be true, there was no reason for the Emperor to not grant the wish of Father, who was a loyal official.

Originally, Qu Moying felt that this matter should have been settled sooner. It seemed that Crown Prince Pei Luo’an and Ji Youran still did not give up, so she would give a push and make it even more difficult for them to make trouble.

If the title of Earl Ling’an fell into the hands of the second branch of the Ji Family, she would rather destroy this title than let them succeed…

The days of Concubine Xiang being released would not be far away!