According to Jiao Lianping, this marriage was indeed sought by Jiao Lianyu himself. Setting aside the vague notion of a "husband-supporting destiny," there must have been other reasons for Jiao Lianyu to choose Qiu Jingyuan.
Qiu Huaixin's brow furrowed abruptly. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"It seems that besides his close friend, the Third Young Master, Jiao Lianyu also desires a more solid connection." Jiao Lianping sneered. Qiu Jingyuan was the daughter of a convicted official. Her only reliance now was Qiu Jiakou. She called the Minister of Administration her uncle, and Jiao Lianyu was also a son-in-law of the Qiu family. If he had the patronage of the Provincial Administration Commissioner, Jiao Lianyu would surely soar to great heights in the future.
Zhan Feiyu recalled Qiu Jingyuan's visit to the villa earlier and said with a smile, "It is said that Qiu Wenlan secretly met with Qiu Jingyuan before committing suicide by poison. Jiao Lianyu might be plotting for this."
Qiu Wenlan was the culprit behind the downfall of the Qiu family's third branch. She had been in contact with barbarians. Qiu Wenlan's secrets before her death might be related to barbarians or the court, but whatever they were, they were certainly significant.
"Qiu Jingyuan is talking nonsense," Qiu Huaixin flatly denied Zhan Feiyu's deduction.
The thought of his own family being dragged down by the third branch, his father submitting a memorial of self-reproach, and his elder brother's promotion being thwarted made Qiu Huaixin detest the third branch. He had participated in the investigation of the third branch back then, and it was thoroughly investigated. There were no dying words.
What Qiu Huaixin did not mention was that his mother had also arranged a marriage for him before. Although it had not been officially confirmed, the two families were well-matched. He was the youngest legitimate son, and she was the second legitimate daughter. After the new year, a matchmaker would be invited to their home.
However, after the incident with the third branch, this marriage also fell through. Qiu Huaixin did not blame the other party. It was human nature to avoid misfortune. When it involved barbarians and the grave crime of colluding with the enemy, it was understandable that the other family regretted the engagement.
But Qiu夫人 fell ill because of this, and Qiu Huaixin truly detested the third branch.
As for Qiu Jingyuan, his cousin from a different branch, after learning of her ruthlessness, Qiu Huaixin felt no affection or tenderness towards her. Otherwise, Qiu Jingyuan would not have come to the villa to find Zhan Feiyu instead of going to the Qiu family's main residence to seek help from Minister Qiu, her uncle.
Perhaps because Minister Qiu intended to befriend him, Qiu Huaixin did not hide anything. "Qiu Jingyuan did meet with Qiu Wenlan before her death, but it was for less than half an hour, and someone was watching the entire time. Qiu Wenlan only said five sentences, and there were no secrets at all."
"Could it be that Jiao Lianyu has something in his possession that Qiu Jingyuan holds?" Jiao Lianping asked, but then he shook his head and denied it himself. "Jiao Lianyu is a complete hypocrite. He would never scheme or plan without a profit. Sacrificing his own marriage to frame his stepmother would be a loss outweighing the gain."
"You mother and son are thieves... Perhaps it's you, Jiao Lianping, who is crying 'stop thief'!" Qiu Huaixin couldn't help but retort, swallowing the words "mother and son" that had slipped out.
His mother and Madam Jiao were close. Qiu Huaixin looked at Jiao Lianping suspiciously, believing that Jiao Lianping was behind all of this.
Although Jiao Lianping was dissolute, he respected Madam Jiao, his mother, the most, even more than Prefect Jiao. Provoked by Qiu Huaixin's words, Jiao Lianping, in his rage, grabbed a teacup and threw it.
Qiu Huaixin knew he had spoken out of turn, but he never expected Jiao Lianping to dare to act! Drenched in tea from head to toe, the noble Third Young Master Qiu had never suffered such humiliation.
The weather was hot, and the two hot-blooded young men could start fighting with just a word.
"What is this?" The second steward, accompanied by a maid, had just reached the door and was stunned by the messy room.
He was especially shocked to see the bruised and swollen Qiu Huaixin, his eyes wide. In Qianzhong Circuit, at the Qiu family's villa, who dared to hit the Third Young Master?
As for Jiao Lianping, he was even more miserable!
He had already been whipped by Prefect Jiao, his skin torn and flesh exposed. He had only used medicine for the past few days to heal his wounds. As soon as they started fighting, his wounds had reopened. Now he sat cross-legged on the ground, panting. He had lost all the demeanor of a young master of a noble family. It hurt like hell.
The Third Young Master and the First Young Master had fought? The second steward's mouth twitched. He had heard before that the Third Young Master was close to the Prefect Jiao's youngest son, and naturally, he was at odds with the First Young Master. But he had never heard of them fighting all these years.
Thinking that Zhan Feiyu was the honored guest that the master had personally instructed to be looked after, and as for their Third Young Master, the second steward could not bother with him, pretending not to see the blood flowing from his mouth.
"Miss Zhan, the snake soup is ready," the second steward said with a smile, handing the food box to He Nuan and continuing, "It must be drunk hot, otherwise it will have a fishy smell."
"Thank you, Steward," Zhan Feiyu said with a smile. Although He Nuan's cooking was excellent, the chef Liu at the villa had a secret recipe for snake soup, so he took over the task.
Qiu Huaixin and Jiao Lianping had also calmed down by now, but when they heard the steward's words, they looked at Zhan Feiyu with stunned expressions and then spoke simultaneously, "Snake soup?"
"It's hot in summer. Please trouble the steward to bring two more sets of bowls and chopsticks. Young Master Jiao and Third Young Master can share a bowl," Zhan Feiyu said, offering the gift. After all, she couldn't drink the entire pot of snake soup herself.
A moment later, the clear soup, sprinkled with chives, was slightly milky white. The snake meat, in sections, looked like eel segments at first glance. Even before drinking, the aroma was enough to make one's mouth water.
"You dare to drink snake soup?" Qiu Huaixin still found it hard to believe. After all, the second steward had sent a message back to the mansion earlier, saying that the villa had been sprinkled with snake repellent powder inside and out, especially in Zhan Feiyu's master bedroom and study. The amount of powder was enough for an ordinary family to use for three to four years.
"Fighting poison with poison!" Zhan Feiyu grinned, picked up a spoon, and scooped up a mouthful of soup. Her eyes lit up, and her movements became even faster. Overcoming her fear, the taste of the snake soup was absolutely exquisite.
Qiu Huaixin and Jiao Lianping exchanged a look, then looked back at Zhan Feiyu, who was squinting her eyes and drinking the soup with satisfaction. A sense of fear inexplicably arose in their hearts. This little girl was ruthless to others, but even more ruthless to herself!
...
Half an hour later, Qiu Huaixin and Jiao Lianping left with their new and old injuries. This visit had ended anticlimactically. After all, since she dared to drink snake soup, Zhan Feiyu probably wasn't too frightened.
Returning to the study, Zhan Feiyu was too full and was pacing back and forth to aid digestion. "A Nuan, do you think Jiao Lianyu suddenly agreed to this marriage with Qiu Jingyuan because of the old master's orders?"
He Nuan, who was tying a knot, stopped her movements and thought for a moment before saying, "Jiao Lianyu is a concubine's son. If he wants to soar to great heights in the future, besides Prefect Jiao, marrying well and having the support of his in-laws would be more beneficial to his career."
Jiao Lianping was useless on his own. Otherwise, he would have not only the Jiao family but also Madam Jiao's maiden family. His wife Chen's family was also a help.
In contrast, the Huang family, where Concubine Huang resided, was not only unable to help but was a burden. Jiao Lianyu had planned to marry into the Qiu family's third branch in his early years, valuing the Qiu family's background. But now, marrying into it seemed somewhat suspicious.
Zhan Feiyu rubbed her chin, her eyes sparkling. She looked at He Nuan with a playful smile and said, "Perhaps this is a test from the old master, and also to prevent Jiao Lianyu from betraying him in the future."
To put it exaggeratedly, if Jiao Lianyu were to marry a princess or a county princess, would the old master be able to threaten Jiao Lianyu in the future? That would be absolutely impossible.
But by marrying Qiu Jingyuan, the daughter of a convicted official, Jiao Lianyu would have severed his ties with his wife's family. In the future, if he wanted to achieve great success, he could only obey the old master's orders.
"Miss, what are you planning to do?" He Nuan's heart skipped a beat. Her lady's smile made her feel uneasy.
"It is impolite not to reciprocate," Zhan Feiyu's smile grew brighter. She had been so frightened by those snakes that she had nightmares all night. It was not her style not to retaliate.
She quickly walked back to the desk, rolled up her sleeves, added a little water to the inkstone, and began to grind it.
A moment later, a letter was sent from the villa to the Prefectural Yamen of Qianzhong, and finally delivered to Prefect Jiao by a minor official. Several groups of people were watching in secret, but this letter was personally delivered by He Sheng, so no one dared to intercept it openly.
Dismissing his attendants, Prefect Jiao did not open the letter immediately. His expression became more solemn. Since Zhan Feiyu appeared in the Qianzhong Circuit, Prefect Jiao felt that he had been more tired during this period than in the past year, not only physically but also mentally.
First, his eldest son's face was slapped, almost disfiguring him and ending his official career. Then, it was discovered that Li Li, who served in the study, was a spy, and his second son almost lost his life saving him.
Prefect Jiao had not expected that his usually gentle daughter-in-law would be so bold as to hire assassins, and the target was his second son, who had just returned from the brink of death.
These events had left Prefect Jiao physically and mentally exhausted. He had not expected that rumors would suddenly spread throughout the streets and alleys. By the time Prefect Jiao learned of it, his second son's marriage had already been decided.
Although she was a young lady of the Qiu family, she was also the daughter of a convicted official. After investigation, Prefect Jiao learned that although Qiu Jingyuan was young, she was a ruthless, malicious, and cruel person. She had taken human lives at a young age. With such a girl entering the family, Prefect Jiao felt that it would not be domestic discord, but the ruin of the family.
Looking at Zhan Feiyu's personal letter at this moment, Prefect Jiao, without reading the content, could sense the impending danger, like the calm before the storm. The Jiao family was already on the verge of collapse and could not withstand any more turmoil.