Chapter 42

Was Qiu Jinning the one who did not know what was important? Was Qiu Jinning the one who failed to be kind to others? Clearly, it was the Second Prince who had forced others against their will and pushed them too far.

Hearing Qin Chu say this, Qiu Shou’an pinched his wine cup, his expression freezing. “Is that so? Could it be that Brother-in-law lied to me again?”

His brother-in-law was Eldest Young Master Gu. Naturally, Gu San could not admit to that and immediately cut in. “Every word my elder brother said is true. Brother-in-law, don’t you know him? He would never lie to you.”

After saying this, Gu San looked at Qin Chu provocatively.

Qin Chu sneered. “So it was Eldest Young Master Gu who said it. No wonder. Brother Qiu may as well listen to Miss Qiu explain what the truth actually is.”

Qiu Shou’an chuckled and lifted his cup. “Miss Qin is right. Although Brother-in-law is not an outsider, one should not listen to only one side in any matter. Jinning, tell me what exactly happened.”

Qiu Jinning placed her teacup on the table and said faintly, “It was indeed my conduct that was improper and made Elder Brother worry.”

Qin Chu suddenly looked at Qiu Jinning, her face full of astonishment.

Even if the prophecy could not be mentioned, even if the phoenix maiden could not be mentioned, surely they could still say that she had been forced until she jumped from the carriage, right?

And she was just admitting it?

Qin Chu did not understand.

Hearing this, Qiu Shou’an smiled again. “Elder Brother is not blaming you. Although the Second Prince was demoted, he is still a commandery prince. In the future, you must think three times before acting. All right, let’s not talk about that. Since bailiantales.com you and Sister Gu have both come to the capital, you should interact more often and look after each other. Elder Brother is a man, so there will always be times when I cannot take care of everything. Don’t always trouble Miss Qin.”

Between the lines, he was warning Qiu Jinning that he and the Gu family were the people she should be close to. Qin Chu was only an outsider.

“Elder Brother is right,” Qiu Jinning answered again.

Qin Chu looked at her, wanting to speak but stopping. The Qiu Jinning before her was simply unlike the one she knew.

Yielding everywhere, obeying everywhere. He was only her elder brother. Why go this far?

At that moment, someone lightly touched her leg beneath the table. Qin Chu drew in a quiet breath and endured it.

Only after sending off Qiu Shou’an and Gu San did she ask in confusion, “Miss Qiu, why did you not explain? It clearly was not your fault.”

Qiu Jinning did not answer her. Instead, she looked outside and said wistfully, “Elder Brother has always loved me. Every time he went out, he never forgot to bring me something. Sometimes it was a small ornament for girls, sometimes a string of candied hawthorns. Last year, he married Sister-in-law, and only then did he begin to grow distant from me day by day.”

“Did Gu San’s eldest sister drive a wedge between you siblings?” Qin Chu cried out in surprise. The Gu family was far too awful. Not a single one of them was good.

“Yes and no. Not long after Elder Brother married Sister-in-law, I passed the provincial exam as the top scholar. After that, Elder Brother deliberately avoided me. At the start of the year, he even came to the capital far ahead of time.”

They had once been siblings who loved each other dearly. But after Elder Brother married Sister-in-law, after she became provincial top scholar, their relationship was never as intimate as before. It was as if something had come between them.

At first, Qiu Jinning had not understood. Later, she slowly did. Elder Brother was a proud person and also a famous talent of Jiuqu County. His greatest regret was that he had not become provincial top scholar and had come second instead.

But she had passed as the top scholar. From then on, [Read on BaiLianTales]everyone knew that County Magistrate Qiu’s daughter possessed both talent and beauty and was the top scholar of a prefecture. She was mentioned and praised every time.

It was as though everyone had forgotten that County Magistrate Qiu also had a son who had once been widely famed for his talent.

Qiu Jinning more or less understood then. So when she showed her brilliance, she had invisibly diminished the talent and reputation Elder Brother had been so proud of. That was why Elder Brother had grown distant from her, why that layer of estrangement had appeared.

Qin Chu thought briefly and understood. Then her heart ached for her. “That is not your fault. Your elder brother is narrow-minded.”

In the modern world, she had heard too many similar stories. Generally, if a woman was mediocre and nameless, brothers or husbands could still dote on her and stay close to her. But once that woman achieved something and gained some fame, the people who had once been closest to her would change.

It was nothing more than useless jealousy.

For example, the original Eldest Miss Qin’s cheap elder brother, Qin Mo, had still somewhat resembled an elder brother before she took over the Qin family. But after she took over the Qin family, the way he looked at her was like looking at an enemy who had murdered and robbed him of his life.

Qiu Jinning sighed softly. “I have been injured for so many days, yet Elder Brother never came to see me. Now that he finally visited, he came together with Gu San. I do not know whether he wanted to visit me, or whether the Gu family wanted to use his identity to probe.”

“Perhaps your elder brother did not know you were injured.” Qin Chu also knew in her heart that possibility was very small, but she could not bear to see Qiu Jinning in low spirits, so she comforted her gently.

Qiu Jinning gave a self-mocking smile. “After that incident on Zhuque Street, who did not know that the provincial top scholar from Jiuqu County offended the Second Prince and even caused him to be demoted to Commandery Prince Ping?”

Qiu Shou’an was also a juren in the capital preparing for the exams. How could the people he interacted with not know such news? The reason he had not come was probably fear. He feared offending imperial nobles, so he pretended not to know.

Now that he knew the Second Prince would let bygones be bygones and even intended to draw closer, he dared to come.

Qin Chu held Qiu Jinning’s [unauthorized copy]hand. “Maybe your elder brother did not know that provincial top scholar was you. Don’t think too much.”

Qiu Jinning looked deeply at her and lowered her eyes without speaking.

Did he not know?

The previous top scholar from Jiuqu County had been Elder Brother’s classmate and had already passed as a jinshi last year. Now, the only provincial top scholar from Jiuqu County who had come to sit for the exams was her, a female top scholar.

If Elder Brother truly cared, how could he not know?

Qiu Jinning knew that if she could settle peacefully in the inner residence and be a carefree county magistrate’s daughter, not taking the imperial examinations, not being full of ambition, not coming to the capital to sit the exams, Elder Brother could still be the good elder brother from before.

But she was unwilling. She was unwilling to live a mediocre life, to enter the rear courtyard and betray all her learning. Since childhood, she had yearned for a broader world.

All these years, that had never changed.

Seeing her lower her brows and say nothing, Qin Chu slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said gently, “Let’s not think about that anymore. In the future, just ignore him. Like today, pretend to agree. It’s not as if you’ll lose a piece of flesh.”

Before Qiu Jinning could react, Luyao, who had been guarding outside the hall, hurriedly walked in. “Miss, Nanny Ziyun has something to discuss with you.”

Why was Qin the Great Good-for-Nothing touching Miss again? The moment no one was paying attention, she started hugging and holding Miss. How could this be allowed?

Qin Chu was stared at by the little maid’s vigilant gaze and unconsciously released her hand, feeling as if she had inexplicably been caught in the act.

Watching the master and servant bailiantales.comleave, she looked at Guanzi. “Guanzi, do you feel that Luyao has been a little strange lately?”

That gaze looked strange no matter how one saw it, staring at her like she was guarding against a thief.

Guanzi did not quite understand. “The skinny maid has always been strange. Hot and cold.”

Seeing that she did not realize it, Qin Chu made it clear. “She seems to have some hostility toward me. It feels like she does not want me to get close to Miss Qiu.”

It did not seem like this before. When had it started?

It seemed to be from last night, when the little maid had suddenly glared at her and spat at her for no reason.

Guanzi thought carefully, then blurted out, “This servant knows! The skinny maid must have been coaxed over by Nanny Ziyun. She was actually persuaded to defect by the enemy. How spineless.”

Qin Chu was stunned by Guanzi’s words. She frowned and thought, but could not make sense of it. Was… that the case?

Seeing her frown, Guanzi lowered her voice with a somewhat sneaky expression. “Miss, don’t worry. I will go persuade the skinny maid back later and make her stop ruining your good moments. If she dares not listen, this servant will properly teach her a lesson.”

The corner of Qin Chu’s eye twitched. “Don’t mess around. Come, we’re going to the winery.”

In the eastern side courtyard, Qiu Jinning was led directly back to her room by the little maid.

“Where is Nanny? What did she need me for?”

Seeing this, Luyao took the initiative to confess. “Miss, Nanny Ziyun is in the kitchen learning how to cook. It was [Read on BaiLianTales]not that she had something to discuss with you. This servant deliberately called you back.”

Qiu Jinning looked faintly at the little maid, her brows sinking as she waited silently for an explanation.

She saw the little maid wipe the corner of her eye in grievance. “Miss, last night this servant asked the plump maid about it. Miss Qin truly kept a male concubine. You must not be sad. There are thousands upon thousands of good future sons-in-law in the world. She is not the only one.”

The moment she thought of Qin the Great Good-for-Nothing keeping a male concubine while also provoking her young lady, Luyao felt as if she had fallen into a pot of oil. Her heart was suffering terribly.

She felt sorry for Miss and felt it was unfair for Miss.

Qiu Jinning did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Do not speak nonsense. She is not that kind of person. Rumors cannot be fully believed.”

“But the plump maid admitted it herself. Could it still be false?”

“I have also gone to a pleasure house. You accompanied me there. Did I ever do anything improper?”

Luyao’s heart sank. Miss was stubbornly clinging to the wrong path. What kind of bewitching soup had Qin the Great Good-for-Nothing given Miss? She braced herself and said, “This servant accompanied you to the pleasure house to look for Miss Qin. Miss, you are not the type to frequent pleasure houses.”

Qiu Jinning stared at the little maid for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “I also went by myself. I did not ask you to accompany me. I went secretly, and I even ran into Miss Qin.”

She had lost her body on the night of Lantern Festival. She had clearly wanted to forget it, yet the scene returned to her dreams every night.

Some thoughts were difficult to speak of, and she could only rely on herself to untangle them.

So she had gone alone to the Qin River, dressed as a man, and called for a woman in a pleasure house. But when the other party threw herself into her arms, Qiu Jinning had fled in a panic.

There had been no stirring, only shame and panic. Panic and confusion.

That had made Qiu Jinning understand that there was a certain feeling one could not have simply by finding any woman. Later, she went to find Divine Physician Han and then thought it was because of the love gu that only Qin Chu could make her heart beat in that inexplicable way.

But after spending time together, she gradually realized it might not be because of the love gu.

She had fallen for that person. Even when the love gu did not flare up, her heart would still stir.

Even when the love gu did flare up, she only wanted to stay with that person and did not want to be touched by anyone else.

Luyao froze in place.

Miss had secretly gone to a pleasure house!

What had she secretly gone to a pleasure house to do? What else could she do? The key was that she had even run into Qin the Great Good-for-Nothing?

So it was not that Qin the Great Good-for-Nothing was unworthy of her Miss, but that they were like a turtle seeing a mung bean—colluding together?

Ah, pah. Miss was not a turtle. Even if Miss had done something improper, she was a turtle with wings, a turtle fairy.

The little maid walked out in a daze, repeatedly struggling in her heart. Should she continue stopping them in the future or not?

The young ladies were too messy. She did not know what she should do.

“Skinny maid, come here. I have something to tell you.”

The sudden voice interrupted Luyao’s wild thoughts. She came back to herself and looked at Guanzi, hesitating before walking over.

Guanzi dragged her a little farther away. “Skinny maid, were you turned by Nanny Ziyun? I’m telling you, stop ruining my Miss’s good moments. Otherwise, I really will beat you.”

After she finished speaking, the skinny maid did not respond. She only stared at Guanzi with a complicated pair of eyes.

Guanzi could not help raising her fist. “What? You think I don’t dare beat you?”

Luyao stared at her. After holding back for a long while, she finally squeezed out one sentence. “My Miss does not despise your Miss, so you must not despise my Miss either. Everyone is half a jin against eight liang. No one should look down on anyone.”