Chapter 608 Disappointment
Qi Changlin's accusation against Qiu Huaixin was without evidence. After all, the initial "caught in the act" and later Madam Qi's "protesting her innocence with death" had nothing to do with Qiu Huaixin.
Prefect Jiao slammed his gavel and sternly questioned, "Who kneels before the court?"
"Replying to your honor, your humble subject is..."
Whether it was the villagers, the few friends present at the time, or their attendants, the testimonies of each witness proved that Qiu Huaixin was on the mountain behind with Shi Song at the time of the incident, and Madam Qi had committed suicide. In reality, it had nothing to do with Qiu Huaixin at all.
Although Qi Changlin was disappointed, he looked at Prefect Jiao's solemn and majestic face. He opened his mouth, and his whole body knelt on the ground in dejection, unsure if he regretted gambling everything he had for a "clean reputation."
Meanwhile, at the Qiu Residence.
Madam Wu paced back and forth in the room, her brows furrowed, occasionally looking towards the door. She had been restless all morning.
"Eldest Young Madam." Nanny Dong, who came to report the news, hurried into the room but also cautiously glanced behind her. She nodded at the two maids, signaling them to continue guarding the courtyard entrance.
Upon entering, Nanny Dong saw Madam Wu's gloomy expression and did not dare to delay. "News has come from the yamen. Qi Changlin accused the third young master without evidence. Prefect Jiao, considering that Qi Changlin had just experienced the grief of losing his wife yesterday, and that the third young master was also magnanimous enough not to pursue the matter, he did not sentence Qi Changlin for false accusation."
Otherwise, if the "adulterer" in the guest room bed was not Qiu Huaixin, and Madam Qi had committed suicide, and Qi Changlin had brought a coffin to beat the drum and protest, it would have been a clear case of false accusation with extremely bad influence. If Prefect Jiao had judged it more severely, he could have stripped Qi Changlin of his scholarly title.
Madam Wu, who had already guessed this outcome, nodded with a grim expression. However, her restless heart made it impossible for her to calm down. "With this, Mother can rest assured."
Nanny Dong could hear the coldness in these words. Setting aside whether Prefect Jiao was biased towards the third young master, even the witnesses in the main hall could prove the third young master's innocence. Qi Changlin's accusation had instead cleared the third young master's name.
"Did Prefect Jiao not find out the origin of that body?" Madam Wu pressed, which was also the source of her unease.
As Madam Wu's confidante, Nanny Dong was well aware of the Wu family's scheme against Qiu Huaixin. They had previously sent people to lure Madam Qi, making her believe she was dying, so she wanted to use her death to pave the way for Qi Changlin and their children.
For this purpose, the Wu family had also swapped the medicine Madam Qi secretly bought from the pharmacy with the Wu family's specially made medicine. This medicine, when drunk with wine, would only create the illusion of drunkenness.
Afterward, the Wu family also arranged for people to create a diversion to lure Shi Song and those secretly protecting Qiu Huaixin away. This way, Madam Qi could succeed. However, who would have thought that their efforts would be in vain? None of the assassins the Wu family had arranged that day returned. Not only was the Wu family anxious, but Nanny Dong's heart was also hanging high.
"The people arranged by the family were all assassins. Even if they were caught, they would not reveal a single word," Nanny Dong said in a low voice, whether to comfort Madam Wu or to reassure herself.
Madam Wu unconsciously clenched her fists, which then loosened. At the same time, she felt a burning pain in her palms. Looking down, she realized that her palms had been scratched by her fingernails.
"Old servant will get the medicine," Nanny Dong said upon seeing this and quickly turned to go to the inner room.
As Nanny Dong gently applied medicine to Madam Wu's palms, Madam Wu was still thinking about the matter. Her husband said that Huaixin was trying to confuse the enemy, so he let Shi Song put on Qiu Huaixin's outer robe, then wear the jade crown to disguise himself as Huaixin and place him on the guest room bed. Then Shi Song took Huaixin to hide in the mountains until the family's reinforcements arrived before revealing themselves.
This explanation was logical and without any flaws. It could only be said that Qiu Huaixin had stumbled upon success.
As for Madam Qi, who climbed into the bed, she was truly stupid. She didn't even see clearly whether the person on the bed was Qiu Huaixin, let alone realize that the person lying on the bed was a corpse. She even staged a scene of being molested. She was truly foolish to the extreme.
Nanny Dong, who was applying medicine, heard Madam Wu's curses towards Madam Qi. Fearing that Madam Wu might reveal something to Madam Qiu if she was angry, she could only try to comfort her, "Madam Qi was originally an ignorant village woman. Moreover, she had drunk some wine at the time, and her senses were probably unclear, which is why she didn't notice anything amiss."
"A stupid woman who can't be helped, she caused my Wu family to lose several assassins!" Madam Wu's resentment did not subside. Madam Qi's death was one thing, but the Wu family had lost several meticulously trained assassins because of it, which was also one of the reasons Madam Wu's anger was hard to quell.
Half an hour later.
Madam Wu showed no trace of her previous anxiety and anger. Seeing Madam Qiu in a good mood, she also smiled and said, "Mother, you can rest assured now. Qi Changlin wanted to frame third brother, but now he has inadvertently proven third brother's innocence."
If Qi Changlin had not brought a coffin to the yamen, even if Qiu Huaixin was innocent, would the people of Qianzhong Prefecture believe it?
It was estimated that ninety percent of people would think that Qiu Huaixin had indeed molested Madam Qi and forced her to death, but because he came from the Qiu family and was the youngest son of Lord Qiu, the matter could be resolved easily. Qi Changlin, a mere scholar, would not dare to seek justice for his wife.
However, Qi Changlin's accusation led to Prefect Jiao presiding over the trial in court. With so many citizens listening outside the court, it proved Qiu Huaixin's innocence.
"Eldest sister-in-law is right. The pure will remain pure, and the turbid will remain turbid. These wicked people with black hearts who want to scheme against third brother in secret are not afraid of retribution falling upon themselves," Madam Ming said indignantly. She was naturally someone who hated evil, and coupled with Qiu Huaixin's consistent respect for her as his second sister-in-law, now that he was being schemed against and framed, Madam Ming's anger also flared up.
For Madam Qiu, the most important thing was that her youngest son, Qiu Huaixin, was safe and sound. As for whether to retaliate against those who schemed against him, Madam Qiu really did not need to worry. Lord Qiu would definitely not let go of those who repeatedly schemed against Qiu Huaixin.
As the father and sons returned together, Madam Qiu stood up and walked towards the entrance. Madam Wu and Madam Ming followed behind.
After Qiu Huaixin, the "defendant," explained the events in court in detail, Madam Qiu finally felt completely at ease watching the still boisterous Qiu Huaixin.
"It's just a pity that with this incident, Huaixin's marriage will likely be delayed." Qiu Wangshu's teasing made Qiu Huaixin's expression freeze for a moment, followed by a look of joy. His smug appearance made one think Madam Qiu was about to arrange a marriage with a shrew for him.
"Mother, you already have two grandsons, Lin Ge'er and Chen Ge'er. Marrying a few years later won't delay you and Father from having grandchildren." Qiu Huaixin gratefully accepted the words, still looking nonchalant, but a fleeting shadow flickered in his eyes.
Regarding Qiu Huaixin's marriage, Madam Wu and Madam Ming, as sisters-in-law, naturally found it inconvenient to speak. Qiu Huaixin's marriage was decided by Lord Qiu and Madam Qiu.
Qiu Bingde was somewhat helpless at this moment. Huaixin had missed the opportunity to marry the young lady from the Gu family in Nanling. Even if he arranged another marriage later, he might not find a lady of such background.
Lord Qiu, seated at the head of the table, looked at Qiu Huaixin, who had narrowly escaped disaster. He said gently to Madam Qiu, "Since Huaixin is unwilling to get married, then let him have his way."
Before Qiu Huaixin could excitedly speak, Lord Qiu slowly continued, "Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. Since the first two cannot be achieved for the time being, then go and strive for an official title."
Uh...
The smile on Qiu Huaixin's face stiffened. He couldn't even achieve the latter two!
Qiu Bingde and Qiu Wangshu exchanged glances. The two brothers raised their teacups and toasted each other. It served him right. Let Huaixin be smug every day about not having a wife and children and being free and easy. Compared to an official title, marriage seemed easier for the two brothers.
Qiu Bingde's talent was insufficient; becoming a Juren was probably his limit. Lord Qiu also saw this, so he did not force him and let Qiu Bingde start from a minor official position to gain more experience in his career.
As for Qiu Wangshu, he had talent, but his ambition was not in this area. Compared to the exam essays that had to be written for the imperial examinations, Qiu Wangshu preferred to express his opinions freely. Moreover, he was passionate about mountains and rivers and did not care about the livelihoods of the people. He could read but not necessarily be an official.
Therefore, both brothers were reluctant to take the imperial examinations. Seeing Qiu Huaixin suffer at this moment, the brothers could not help but feel fortunate to have escaped. Thinking of those cramped exam booths, where they had to eat, drink, and relieve themselves inside for several days, the imperial examinations were truly not something a human could endure.
(End of this chapter)