Knowing he might be a burden to the Qiu family, Qiu Huaixin stood by Madam Qiu's chair and spoke loudly, "Father, if the Qiu family's enemies truly use me to make trouble, then Father should act with righteousness and eliminate family ties. I never intended to become an official anyway."
Lord Qiu, Qiu Bingde, and Qiu Wangshu, father and sons, all looked at their youngest son, whose expression was open and honest, for the first time realizing their youngest son/brother was a bit foolish.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? Didn't you expect me to have such noble integrity?" Qiu Huaixin laughed wildly. If this happened in an ordinary family, they would probably be crying and begging their father and elder brothers for help to clear their names. Where would they find their own magnanimity, willing to be expelled from the family to avoid implicating them!
"We're looking at you because you're foolish!" Qiu Wangshu said without politeness, looking at the self-satisfied Qiu Huaixin with disdain.
If he hadn't personally guarded the door all those years ago and seen the midwife carry out his younger brother, Qiu Wangshu would have suspected he was switched at birth. He was so foolish he didn't seem like a Qiu family member.
Scolded by his second brother, Qiu Huaixin glared in dissatisfaction. Just as he was about to complain to Madam Qiu, he noticed that his mother, who usually doted on him the most, was also looking at him with disdain. Qiu Huaixin immediately became unhappy, "Mother, you're siding with second brother."
"Can't you use your brain?" Madam Qiu patted Qiu Huaixin's hand impatiently. Although she was a lady of the inner chambers, Madam Qiu knew there was definitely a conspiracy involved as soon as she heard the news.
Madam Qiu spoke helplessly, "I had already agreed to Jingyuan's marriage. It would be even better to arrange a marriage for Qiu Jing in a few years after the situation calms down. As for the adopted Mo Ge'er, he's only a little over a year old. Let alone apprenticing, he still has two or three years before he can even start his studies. Is it necessary to threaten death?"
Qiu Huaixin was stunned for a moment. When the incident happened, he really hadn't thought much about it. He just thought that the women of the third branch had lost their support, so they resorted to desperate measures to connect with their family.
If his second brother took Mo Ge'er as a disciple, then for a day as a teacher, he would be a father for life. If the third branch had any issues in the future, their family would have to look after the second brother's disciple.
Qiu Huaixin replayed the scene of Dou Shi falling into the well in his mind. After a long silence, he said with a solemn expression, "So Zhan Feiyu had the guard tied up."
Lord Qiu looked at his youngest son, who had finally started to use his brain, and said sternly, "If you hadn't gone to the Xiang family to offer condolences today, none of this would have happened."
Dou Shi was a lady. Even if she came to visit the Qiu family, she could only see Madam Qiu, her cousin-in-law.
Qiu Huaixin was a nephew but also an outsider. Qiu Jingyuan was just a young girl. Therefore, whether Dou Shi was scheming or coercing, today was the only opportunity.
Qiu Bingde and Qiu Wangshu exchanged glances. The two brothers once again lamented their youngest brother's foolishness. This was the consequence of misjudging people, and what's more, he was calculated against and still considered the person a sworn friend.
"Xiang Changshou is gone, and Gui Zhang is upset. The Jiaos' servants are gossiping, so Chang Lin suggested that Gui Zhang go to the Xiang family to offer condolences. Otherwise, if this matter spreads in the future, it will damage Gui Zhang's reputation." Even after saying all this, Qiu Huaixin still did not suspect Jiao Lianyu.
After leaving the official school every day, Chang Lin would go to the Jiao residence to recount the day's lessons to Gui Zhang. Therefore, he had been staying at the Jiao residence for the past few days and naturally heard some rumors.
If Jiao Lianyu hadn't intervened by virtue of being the prefect's son, Qiu Jingyuan's engagement wouldn't have been broken off, and Xiang Changshou wouldn't have died.
The implication of these words was that Jiao Lianyu was a "murderer," forcing Xiang Changshou to death by virtue of being an official's son. How could Qi Changlin let Jiao Lianyu's reputation be slandered like this, which led to today's events.
Thinking of something, Qiu Huaixin looked at Lord Qiu, who was sitting behind the desk, and said, "After we went to the Xiang family, Jiao Lianping also brought a doctor. He was convinced that Gui Zhang's visit to the Xiang family to offer condolences was a performance to gain a good reputation. He even made Doctor Xu examine Gui Zhang on the spot and accused Gui Zhang's wound of being smeared with chicken or duck blood."
After listening, Lord Qiu looked at Qiu Huaixin, who seemed to have sorted out his thoughts, and said, "So you believe that Jiao Lianping deliberately spread rumors in the mansion to damage Jiao Lianyu's reputation and force him to go to the Xiang family to offer condolences."
Seeing Qiu Huaixin nod, Lord Qiu continued, "Even if Jiao Lianping didn't spread rumors, some people still believe that Jiao Lianyu caused Xiang Changshou's death. Therefore, for Jiao Lianyu to vindicate himself, there was no better stratagem than to go to offer condolences with his wounds still fresh."
"Father is right. Jiao Lianping had this in mind. He was convinced that Gui Zhang was a hypocrite, which is why he brought the doctor to the Xiang family to expose Gui Zhang."
Thinking of Jiao Lianping's shocked expression at the time, Qiu Huaixin couldn't help but sneer, "This is judging a gentleman by a villain's standards. How could Gui Zhang, a person of such sincerity and integrity, falsify things to gain a good reputation."
No, Jiao Lianyu would. He was a hypocrite! It's just that his methods were more sophisticated.
To play the part completely, Jiao Lianping failed. Jiao Lianyu not only gained a good reputation for himself but also once again solidified the reputation of Jiao Lianping, his elder brother, as wicked and malicious.
It was precisely because of such a person, who was ruthless to outsiders and even more so to himself, that Lord Qiu and the others were more worried about Qiu Huaixin, who would sell himself and still help count the money.
Qiu Wangshu couldn't be bothered to look at his foolish younger brother again. He only asked Lord Qiu, "Since things have come to this, we can't let Huaixin bear the infamy of forcing an elder to death."
Qiu Huaixin wanted to say that if it wasn't an accident, then it was murder. But if he said that all of this was a setup by the scoundrel Jiao Lianping, Qiu Huaixin couldn't bring himself to say it.
It was possible to say that Jiao Lianping spread rumors to damage Jiao Lianyu's reputation, but to say that he set up a murder trap, Qiu Huaixin truly didn't believe it. Moreover, the Qiu family was implicated. Jiao Lianping would not dare to scheme against the Qiu family with such audacity.
Unable to hold back, Qiu Huaixin interrupted the conversation between Lord Qiu and Qiu Bingde, "Father, is it possible that the Qiu family's enemies orchestrated everything behind the scenes, using the foolish Jiao Lianping to force Gui Zhang to go to the Xiang family to offer condolences? Gui Zhang's injuries have not healed, and it's difficult for him to get out of bed and walk. Chang Lin is worried about Gui Zhang's safety when going to the Xiang family, so he would definitely ask me to accompany him. In this way, the mastermind's scheme would succeed."
If he went to the Xiang family, the women of the third branch would also come, and then there would be a scene of death threats. Once someone died, this dirty water would be splashed onto him, even implicating the entire Qiu family.
With each step linked to the next, a solemn expression appeared on Qiu Huaixin's handsome face. He was a member of the Qiu family and the easiest one to be schemed against. Therefore, they would start with him to attack his father.
"He's not irredeemably foolish yet," Qiu Wangshu added. He said no more. If he were to say that the person scheming behind the scenes was Jiao Lianyu, his younger brother would certainly not believe him and would just think he had a prejudice against Jiao Lianyu.
"Father, I subtly mentioned the court situation to Miss Zhan at Yipin Lou. Although Father is far away in Qianzhong Circuit, it's inevitable that some villains will scheme against Father for power. Therefore, this matter of my younger brother must be resolved." Qiu Huaixin had also considered waiting and seeing, not alarming the enemy, and seeing how many demons and monsters were lurking behind the scenes.
But then he thought Zhan Feiyu's words were also right. Although his younger brother had no intention of entering officialdom, he couldn't let him bear the infamy of forcing an elder to death. Not to mention whether he would take the imperial examinations in the future, even if his younger brother was not yet married, with this stain, families of equal standing would definitely not consider him.
Qiu Huaixin looked at Qiu Huaixin beside him. If this matter was not resolved, his younger brother would definitely not blame the family now, but what about later? In three to five years, would he regret having this stain that prevented him from taking the imperial examinations or becoming an official?
When his younger brother got married, would his wife blame them for sacrificing his younger brother's reputation for the sake of the bigger picture? If his younger brother had children later, and heard people criticizing their father as a murderer who forced an elder to death, would the children be affected?
Thinking deeply and looking far ahead, Qiu Bingde said earnestly to Lord Qiu, "No matter who is scheming behind the scenes, the priority is to clear my younger brother's name and prevent anyone from using this to attack Father."
Madam Qiu couldn't help but feel gratified. Bingde, as the eldest brother, did not wrong his younger brother for the sake of the bigger picture, putting fraternal affection first.
Madam Qiu had come to the front study twice that afternoon because she was worried that the men in the family would temporarily abandon their youngest son for the sake of the bigger picture and family interests.
If a seed of doubt was planted in Huaixin's heart today, creating a rift, no one knew what would happen in the future. Madam Qiu would absolutely not allow fratricide to happen in the Qiu mansion.