Chapter 604 The Truth
The carriage slowly left the village as darkness fell. Qiu Huaixin could vaguely see the lights of the village through the carriage curtain.
"Young Master?" Shi Song looked at Qiu Huaixin, who had straightened up, with concern. Fortunately, they had come prepared today. Otherwise, not only would the Young Master's reputation be ruined, but he might even be accused of driving someone to their death. Not to mention that the entire Qiu family would be implicated.
Qiu Huaixin closed his eyes and rested. After a long while, he spoke tiredly, "Let's not go home. Let's go to the別院 (bieyuan)."
Half an hour later.
Zhan Feiyu was now living in the別院 (bieyuan), making her the owner. Even though Qiu Huaixin had arrived, the gatekeeper still followed the rules and asked for an inquiry first.
"You're coming at this hour?" Zhan Feiyu put down her chopsticks and glanced at Yin Wuyan sitting beside her. Seeing that her elder brother did not object, she said, "Please invite the Third Young Master in. If the Third Young Master hasn't eaten, have the kitchen send over a few dishes."
"Yes." The servant acknowledged and retreated. As he stepped out of the flower hall, he couldn't help but look back. Fortunately, Miss Zhan was too young, otherwise, he would have thought the Third Young Master was smitten with her.
Zhan Feiyu knew that Qiu Huaixin had gone to the countryside for a banquet today. However, she had been busy with her studies and homework during the day. Now, she couldn't help but ask, "Elder Brother, what happened with Qi Changlin?"
If it weren't for a major event, Qiu Huaixin wouldn't have come so late at night. Judging by the time, he must have gone to the別院 (bieyuan) after leaving Qi Changlin's house and entering the prefectural city, without even returning to the Qiu family.
"We'll talk about it later," Yin Wuyan said in a deep voice, his cold gaze fixed on the door. It seemed that Qiu Huaixin trusted Xiao Yu very much, otherwise, he wouldn't have come this late at night.
A quarter of an hour later.
After Qiu Huaixin recounted in detail what had happened at Qi Changlin's house, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. "Miss Zhan, since you've helped someone, help them to the end. I, Qiu Huaixin, even if I'm unlearned, would not force an innocent woman to her death!"
Qi Niangzi's death weighed heavily on Qiu Huaixin's mind and ignited his anger. Qiu Huaixin was determined to investigate the matter thoroughly. However, when Magistrate Jiao questioned her in the village, he could only infer that Qi Niang had intended to die, but there was no concrete evidence to support this.
Zhan Feiyu glanced at the expressionless Yin Wuyan again. Qiu San Gongzi was right about one thing: Magistrate Jiao couldn't find out, but the Jinlongwei would surely find evidence.
A moment later.
"What?" A simultaneous exclamation of shock arose. Zhan Feiyu and Qiu Huaixin, who had finished eating, both looked at He Sheng, who was replying. The surprise on their faces was identical.
This tacit understanding...
Yin Wuyan's cold gaze fell upon Qiu Huaixin.
Why did it feel so chilly? Had the temperature dropped at night? Qiu Huaixin shivered unconsciously but kept his attention on He Sheng, unable to resist asking, "Has Qi Niang gone mad?"
That's right. If she hadn't gone mad, why would she have committed such a foolish act as suicide? Qiu Huaixin shook his head with a sigh, once again understanding the meaning of Madam Qiu's words that day about marrying a virtuous wife. If women in the inner chambers were to become ruthless, it could also be a matter of life and death.
Zhan Feiyu was also dumbfounded. Even though she hadn't met Qi Niang, she had heard He Nuan mention her a few times before. She was truly a virtuous and sensible woman who was filial to her mother-in-law and took care of her children. She shouldered the entire Qi family alone, allowing Qi Changlin to study with peace of mind.
Yet, such a woman, who could be considered a model of a woman in the Great Qing Dynasty, chose to die rather than divorce her husband so that he could marry a wife of equal social standing who would benefit his career. Not only that, but she also framed Qiu Huaixin before her death, wanting the Qiu family to owe her a life and to promote Qi Changlin in the future.
He Sheng occasionally exchanged information with the Jinlongwei and knew many unbelievable things. Qi Niang's matter was not too outrageous. "Qi Niang was sickly and destined for an early death. Furthermore, two herbs were secretly replaced in the medicine she took. Not only did Qi Niang's health become increasingly weak, but her mind also became somewhat confused."
Knowing that she would die young, Qi Niang was not without sadness or pain. After all, her husband had not yet achieved success, and her two children were still young. Her mother-in-law was paralyzed and needed care for her meals. If she died, what would happen to this large family?
Qi Niang would fall ill every few days. She knew she would die early, but she didn't expect the day to come so soon. However, a woman who could single-handedly support a family, though appearing thin, was as firm as a rock in her heart.
Qiu Huaixin steadied his mind, feeling that all his previous sympathy had been wasted. He sneered, "So she knew she was going to die, and that's why she went to the guest room to extort my Qiu family?"
If Qi Niang's plan had succeeded, her death would have sealed Qiu Huaixin's crime: getting drunk and harassing his friend's wife, and then forcing her to her death.
As long as Lord Qiu did not disown his own family, in order to protect his youngest son, Qiu Huaixin, he would have to downplay the matter. The first priority would be to appease the victim's family, the Qi family. Qi Niang was already dead, and her two children were still young. This benefit could only go to Qi Changlin.
With the promotion and protection of the Qiu family, Qi Changlin's future prospects were imaginable. Qi Niang used her death to pave a brilliant path for Qi Changlin. With such a scheme, who could say she was an ignorant village woman?
He Sheng looked at the schemed-against Qiu Huaixin with sympathy. If it were just Qi Niang's scheme, it would be fine, but the Wu family was also involved. Third Young Master Qiu was destined to encounter petty people, and all of them were female petty people!
"Ma Qi is the grandson-in-law of the Wu family's old madam's wet nurse. Years ago, her granddaughter was abducted by traffickers and only returned to Qianzhong Dao by chance a few years ago to acknowledge her relatives. However, having been abducted in childhood had damaged the woman's reputation, so outsiders were unaware of this matter."
After Madam Wu married into the Qiu family, her mother, Madam Wu, not trusting her daughter, bestowed a favor upon the old wet nurse, allowing her granddaughter and grandson-in-law to come to Qianzhong Prefecture. They opened a cosmetic shop in the prefectural city. If Madam Wu had any issues, she would send the news back to the Wu family through Ma Qi.
He Sheng did not mention Ma Qi, and Qiu Huaixin did not know that this ordinary cosmetic shop was a property of the Wu family. The fact that they could keep the news so secret indirectly indicated that Sister-in-law Da was guarding against the Qiu family.
"So the news that Third Young Master Qiu was drunk and molested his friend's wife was also spread by Ma Qi secretly?" Zhan Feiyu interjected. At that time, Jiao Lianyu and Qi Changlin were still at the medical clinic, and within two quarters of an hour, the news had spread throughout Qianzhong Prefecture as if it had grown wings. The apparent instigator was Ma Qi, but the mastermind was the Wu family.
"Not only that, but it was also Ma Qi who secretly sent people to change Qi Niang's medicine, causing her to become even weaker." When people are sick, they tend to overthink. Moreover, the medicine also had the effect of causing mental confusion. He Sheng continued to report, "After that, Ma Qi sent people to the village..."
In autumn, red leaves covered the mountains. Nobles in the prefectural city liked to go to the mountains to enjoy the autumn scenery. Qi Niang, who was picking chestnuts in the mountains, happened to encounter this scene.
Two young ladies, about twenty years old, were arguing. Qi Niang, fearing she would get into trouble, hid behind a thorny bush and did not come out.
Logically speaking, those who could come to the mountains to play together must be close friends. However, these two young women were sisters-in-law. The elder one was extremely arrogant, constantly mocking, ridiculing, and despising her sister-in-law, verbally humiliating her to the extreme.
Although they married into the same family, the elder girl came from a good background, with her father and elder brother both holding official titles.
The shorter girl, however, was a country woman. It was only because she was beautiful and gentle in disposition that her father, a mountain hunter, accidentally saved her husband, which led to this marriage.
But who would have thought that after marriage, the shorter girl would not only be bullied and ridiculed by her sister-in-law but also treated poorly by the favored servants in the family, with their food and clothing being deducted.
Even her children were mocked as "country bumpkins." Not only were they bullied by their cousins, but even children of the same age in the clan would mock and beat them. Who could help it if her mother was a vulgar woman, and she, as her daughter, was naturally a lowly wretch?
After the sisters-in-law left, Qi Niang, who had been squatting for too long, fell to the ground. But she couldn't care less now. The scene she had just witnessed kept replaying in her mind. It turned out that a low-born mother would implicate her children, causing them to be mocked and bullied in the future.
Qi Niang could already imagine the difficulties her two children would encounter in the future, which made her think of Qi Changlin, who was still studying in the official school.
Although her husband rarely talked about his school days, from the occasional words, Qi Niang had heard that even though Qi Changlin studied well, he was often bullied and ridiculed by classmates from good families because of his humble background.
It was only later, when he became good friends with Second Young Master Jiao, that no one dared to bully her husband. Even scholars looked down on people like this, let alone in the inner chambers.
Qi Niang remembered the short girl's ashen face and low whisper as she left, "Why is my father a hunter, and my mother a country woman? Why wasn't I born into a good family, so my children wouldn't be bullied..."
At this moment, Qi Niang suddenly had a thought: she couldn't let her two children be bullied and ridiculed like this in the future, or she would die with regret!
Since she was destined to die early, why not let her two children have a mother with a noble background, even if she was a stepmother?