Zhan Feiyu could understand Qiu Bingde's helplessness. His own younger brother was consorting with wolves, yet Qiu Huaixin had no inkling that he was being used by Jiao Lianyu.
Coupled with Qiu Huaixin's unrestrained nature, unless the Qiu family presented irrefutable evidence, he would only assume they were prejudiced and looked down upon Jiao Lianyu, who was born to a concubine. If it backfired, it would be even worse.
"Since the eldest young master discovered Jiao Lianyu's untrustworthiness long ago, do you not have any evidence?" Zhan Feiyu asked with a smile. As the saying goes, even the wisest can make mistakes. Qiu Bingde had been observing Jiao Lianyu for years; surely he hadn't gained nothing.
Hearing this, Qiu Bingde couldn't help but sigh. He had never expended so much mental energy dealing with political rivals. "Originally, I intended for Huaixin to discover Jiao Lianyu's hypocrisy himself. Unfortunately, Jiao Lianyu has made no mistakes over the years. He acts with extreme caution and never acts himself, always guiding the situation."
This was also because Jiao Lianyu was still studying and had not entered officialdom. He didn't need to scheme in the official academy.
As for the ill repute of Madam Jiao and Jiao Lianping, as a son of a concubine, Jiao Lianyu only needed to hint subtly, and outsiders would misinterpret it.
Moreover, Jiao Lianping was accustomed to arrogance and never concealed his dislike and contempt for his half-brother Jiao Lianyu. As for his close friends like Qiu Huaixin and Qi Changlin, Jiao Lianyu had indeed put in effort, and his words and actions were impeccable.
As the youngest son of the prefect, Jiao Lianyu could be considered talented and diligent in his studies. He respected his teachers and cared for his classmates. Whether they were from humble backgrounds or were the children of officials in Qianzhong Prefecture, no one had any grievances with Jiao Lianyu. Qiu Bingde himself admitted he was no match for his social skills.
Seeing Qiu Bingde so dejected, wishing he could knock some sense into Qiu Huaixin with a hammer, Zhan Feiyu stood up, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him. "When a petty person succeeds, they flaunt their power; when a gentleman succeeds, they follow the Way. Eldest young master, you need not worry. When the time comes for him to enter officialdom, I believe the third young master will surely be able to discern people with a discerning eye."
What Zhan Feiyu said was the same reason Qiu Bingde hadn't stopped Qiu Huaixin and Jiao Lianyu from interacting in the past: waiting for Jiao Lianyu to reveal his true colors. Unfortunately, Qiu Bingde already regretted it.
Looking at the beautiful young girl before him, with her intelligence and sensitivity, she must have understood the regret in his words, yet she still asked him to wait.
Qiu Bingde's gaze deepened slightly, then he smiled and probed, "Miss Zhan, I understand what you mean. However, Huaixin is already implicated in a murder case. If we continue to indulge him, I fear it will be beyond repair in the future!"
Jiao Lianyu had not entered officialdom, and his exploitation of Qiu Huaixin was at most "borrowing a tiger's might." But once he entered officialdom, it would be different. Huaixin had no defenses against him, and Qiu Bingde truly worried that one day his own brother would be made a scapegoat.
"Zi Xu once advised King Wu to cultivate virtue and eliminate evil," Zhan Feiyu interjected, deliberating whether to reveal the inside story. "But if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. If we eliminate Young Master Jiao, there will be Young Master Liu and Young Master Ma in the future. Rather than not knowing who the evil will be later, it's better to keep Jiao Lianyu. Eldest young master already has his guard up; at most, the third young master will learn from his mistakes."
"The higher authorities want to keep Jiao Lianyu?" Qiu Bingde bowed respectfully in the direction of the capital. His probing was over; he was now certain.
Just as Zhan Feiyu said, if they eliminated the evil that was Jiao Lianyu today, there would inevitably be a second and a third. This statement applied not only to the Qiu family but also to the future Qianzhong Circuit, as Jiao Lianyu was destined to pass the imperial examinations and enter officialdom.
Qiu Bingde pondered, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. If it weren't for considering that Zhan Feiyu was a young girl, Qiu Bingde, who had long since entered officialdom, would never have drunk this fragrant flower tea.
Zhan Feiyu spoke frankly, and Qiu Bingde reciprocated. "Qiu Jingyuan's marriage was arranged suddenly. Now, the third branch has very little that people can covet. The only thing left is Qiu Wenlan's suicide by poison. If the third branch has anything else, it might be related to the barbarians. Father deduced it should be a token, and this token might be sealed in the prefectural yamen's storeroom."
If the token were still in the third branch, it would have been found long ago. After all, the third branch now only had a few ineffective female relatives. The household was not like a sieve, but it was close. The internal and external situations had been investigated countless times.
Seeing that Zhan Feiyu was not surprised at all, Qiu Bingde continued with a smile, "Combining this with her marriage, it is likely that this token is sealed within the dowry of the third branch."
There were only two ways to obtain Madam Dou's dowry: first, Qiu Jingyuan's engagement; second, Madam Dou's death. The dowry would definitely be returned to Qiu Jingyuan and Mo Ge, who was adopted.
"Madam Dou's death by falling into the well, although accidental, the third young master is involved. I suppose Prefect Jiao will conclude the case quickly, and it would be reasonable to return Madam Dou's dowry in advance," Zhan Feiyu added. Otherwise, if Qiu Jingyuan truly made a fuss, it would damage Qiu Huaixin's reputation.
The yamen returning Madam Dou's dowry was also to appease the situation. Moreover, the dead could not be brought back to life. For Qiu Jingyuan, a dead mother would certainly not be as valuable as a considerable dowry.
"At the time of the incident, Miss Zhan was in the mourning hall paying respects, and I already know the circumstances of the incident. Could Miss Zhan reveal some details?" Although Qiu Bingde had lingered outside the prefectural yamen for a quarter of an hour without entering, he knew everything he needed to know.
Qiu Bingde's first suspicion was also the guard who saved her, but such a scheme was too crude and clumsy.
There was another possibility: Madam Dou committed suicide, using her own life to leave a large dowry for Qiu Jingyuan and owing a great debt of gratitude. In this way, Qiu Jingyuan would essentially receive the protection of the Qiu family.
However, Qiu Bingde thought of Madam Dou adopting Mo Ge, who was only a year old. If she had considered her long-term future, Madam Dou would certainly not commit suicide. Therefore, Madam Dou's death could only be murder.
As for the scissors in her hand accidentally cutting her neck artery when she fell into the well, it was too coincidental and bizarre. Qiu Bingde did not believe it.
"That's not right!" Suddenly realizing something, Qiu Bingde stood up abruptly, his expression grim. "The murderer might still be hidden in the well!"
Therefore, Madam Dou was murdered, but the killer was not the guard who saved her. Instead, they had hidden in the well beforehand, and after Madam Dou fell in, they immediately killed her. When the guard jumped in to save her, the killer submerged into the bottom of the well again. This way, it was seamless!
After the shock, Qiu Bingde looked at Zhan Feiyu, who was slowly drinking tea with a teacup in her hand. His turbulent emotions calmed down, and he sat back in his chair. Qiu Bingde said with a wry smile, "Thank you, Miss Zhan, for your assistance. Otherwise, this murderer would have already escaped."
After Prefect Jiao took a group of yamen officials to the Xiang family, he immediately sent the coroner to examine the body and ordered Master Teng to seal off the Xiang family. Prefect Jiao personally inquired about the circumstances of the incident before bringing all involved parties back to the yamen.
As for the well where the incident occurred, the constables had gone through the motions. Prefect Jiao also personally inspected it. Afterward, Prefect Jiao planned to leave some constables to guard the Xiang family until Madam Dou's case was finally concluded.
As for this well, no one would pay much attention to it. It was like someone accidentally falling into a river, and the body was retrieved. After the constables surveyed the scene, no one cared anymore. Some onlookers would even come to the riverbank to stroll and look.
However, Zhan Feiyu had mentioned to Prefect Jiao at the time that Qiu Jingyuan would definitely come to the well to pay respects. To prevent the servants of the Xiang family from curiously coming to the well, it would be better to leave two constables to guard the well. This way, when Qiu Jingyuan and the younger generation of the third branch came to pay respects, they would feel a bit better.
Otherwise, it would be inappropriate for Qiu Jingyuan and the others to arrive in mourning attire while a crowd of servants gathered around the well, pointing and laughing.
"The seventh month the fireflies appear, the ninth month the clothes are given. If my aunt's spirit is in heaven, it should be snowing in the ninth month," Qiu Bingde said, looking at the lotus flowers in the vase, his words full of regret.
The heat of summer meant that being in a well for several hours was nothing for a well-trained martial artist. If it were the depth of winter, Qiu Bingde would like to see how long this person could hide in the well.
Zhan Feiyu was amused by the resentment in Qiu Bingde's words. Her gaze shifted, and she suddenly said, "If Eldest Young Master is still not appeased, I have a method. Eldest Young Master can find a large amount of saltpeter and pour it into the well."
Qiu Bingde was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed. Although saltpeter was expensive every summer, for the Qiu family, let alone just saltpeter, even gold, silver, and jade were readily available.