Chapter 20: Inside the Ancestral Hall, Outside the Ancestral Hall

Third Master Qiu looked at Qiu Heng and asked the Old Madam, "Why is Heng'er kneeling?"

The Old Madam's face was cold. "Since you have heard of the good deeds this girl has done, shouldn't she be kneeling?"

"But your son feels that Heng'er did nothing wrong."

The Old Madam impatiently argued with her son, "Then why haven't you sent the Sixth Miss to the ancestral hall to reflect!"

Two servant women went to pull the girl away, but Third Master Qiu pushed them aside. "What are you doing? What are you doing? You're all so clumsy!"

"Third!" The Old Madam slammed the table heavily. "Am I, as her grandmother, not allowed to discipline my granddaughter?"

"That is not what I meant."

"Then what are you making a fuss about? Or are you saying that the words of me, her mother, are merely wind blowing past your ears?"

The words were heavy.

Third Master Qiu lowered his head. "It's not that..."

"Take her away."

Seeing that he could not stop them, Third Master Qiu hurriedly asked, "How long do you intend to keep Heng'er in the ancestral hall?"

"How long?" The Old Madam's cold gaze fell upon the young girl's fair face. "Until she knows she was wrong."

Third Master Qiu watched helplessly as Qiu Heng was led away, then crouched down to pick up the items scattered all over the floor.

His movements were very slow. He picked up each item one by one and placed them into his pocket, finally gently wiping a mud dog.

The colorful mud dog still looked majestic and spirited.

Heng'er would probably like it.

Thinking this, Third Master Qiu felt even more distressed.

The First Madam, Lady Zhao, spoke up to break the silence. "Please do not take it to heart, Old Madam. Heng'er is young and has been used to having no restrictions; she will become sensible once she has your guidance in the future."

"I'll be satisfied if she doesn't anger me to death." The Old Madam's anger was hard to quell, and she waved her hand for everyone to disperse.

After Qiu Heng was brought to the ancestral hall, the servant women closed the door. "Sixth Miss, please kneel properly. We will be right outside; if you need anything, just call out."

This was a reminder that they were supervising and that she could not try to evade her punishment.

Qiu Heng ignored the servants and silently knelt upon the cushion.

The two servant women stood guard outside. After a while, they peeked through the crack in the door and saw the girl kneeling perfectly straight, so they exchanged a glance.

"The Sixth Miss dared to take it upon herself to report to the officials, yet she is quite obedient when kneeling in the ancestral hall."

The other servant woman whispered, "That is because she is young and doesn't understand the severity of offending the powerful. But then again, which granddaughter does not revere her grandparents?"

Children are not even allowed to be disrespectful to their parents, let alone the younger generation.

Time passed, and it was soon noon.

The two servant women took turns eating lunch. They glanced at the girl kneeling properly inside and were preparing to take a nap when they saw Third Master Qiu arriving with a food box.

"Third Master, you cannot bring things to the Sixth Miss."

"This is food."

"Even food won't do. Third Master, please do not make things difficult for us; the Old Madam will punish us if she finds out."

Third Master Qiu reached into his money pouch again and again until he pulled out a piece of broken silver.

The two servant women remained unmoved.

"Third Master, it really won't do. The Old Madam is extremely angry. If she knows the Sixth Miss has food and drink in the ancestral hall, she might change a one-day sentence into several days."

"Indeed, if you truly consider the Sixth Miss's well-being, you should let her follow the rules."

Helpless, Third Master Qiu silently carried the food box away.

One servant woman curled her lip. "Third Master certainly dotes on his daughter."

The other laughed. "What use is doting?"

A piece of broken silver barely larger than a fingernail, and he expects them to grant a favor? It was truly laughable.

Everyone in the household knew that this master of the Third Branch had never held a steady job since his youth and was prone to playfulness. Later, after losing his daughter and his wife passing away, he had fallen into a slump; after years of drinking, his mind was no longer very sharp.

It would be a miracle if such a man could protect his daughter.

While the two servant women were mocking Third Master Qiu, Qiu Xuan and Qiu Ying encountered Qiu Fu on their way to the ancestral hall.

"Is Second Sister also going to bring food to Sixth Sister?"

Qiu Xuan nodded. "Grandmother was so angry; I'm afraid Sixth Sister won't have anything to eat."

Qiu Ying took Qiu Xuan's arm. "Let's go together then. To be honest, Second Sister, the thought of going to a place like the ancestral hall alone makes my skin crawl."

"I didn't expect to run into Fifth Sister."

"Well, after all, we did eat those delicious pastries from Sixth Sister."

The red bean cakes that had made her crave them so much in the carriage two days ago had been sent to them by Sixth Sister's servants; they had finally tasted them.

When the two sisters arrived at the ancestral hall, they saw two "door gods" guarding it.

"Second Miss, Fifth Miss, please stop."

As servant women acting on the Old Madam's orders, they were not intimidated by the granddaughters.

"We aren't coming in; we just want to bring some pastries for Sixth Sister to eat."

"The Old Madam has commanded that the Sixth Miss is not allowed to eat anything today. You two should head back."

"Please, make an exception for us." Qiu Xuan pushed the prepared silver toward them.

One servant woman squeezed the silver, intending to take it, but the other coughed and pushed the money back. "We wouldn't dare disobey the Old Madam's orders. If you two truly wish the best for the Sixth Miss, you should let her understand the consequences of her mistakes so that she won't make even greater ones in the future."

Once she put it that way, the tempted servant woman had no choice but to act resolute.

Qiu Xuan and Qiu Ying sighed at the closed doors of the ancestral hall and left helplessly.

Once the two were far away, the servant woman who had been tempted said regretfully, "Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if we took it..."

"Don't be so short-sighted. This is the Sixth Miss's first punishment, and the Old Madam intends to establish her authority strictly. If word gets out that we let her off easy, there will be no good end for us."

As Qiu Xuan and Qiu Ying were walking back, they ran into Qiu Fu.

"Are Second Sister and Fifth Sister going to bring food to Sixth Sister?" Her eyes swept over the food boxes in their hands, and Qiu Fu smiled. "It seems you didn't succeed."

"Is Fourth Sister also going to the ancestral hall to bring food to Sixth Sister?"

"How could I possibly bring her food? I'm going to see if she's crying her eyes out." Qiu Fu walked past them in a good mood.

She knew they wouldn't be able to get it in; were the old maids serving the Old Madam just for show?

"Fourth Sister is really—" Looking at Qiu Fu's retreating back, Qiu Ying wanted to say something but didn't dare.

Among the five sisters, the eldest had long since entered the palace, and of the remaining ones, the Fourth Sister was the most willful and arrogant.

Qiu Xuan, however, smiled. "Regardless, it is enough that Fourth Sister has the heart to check on Sixth Sister."

It was truly unexpected.

Qiu Heng was equally surprised.

Kneeling in the ancestral hall, she had heard everything from Third Master Qiu's arrival to the conversation between Qiu Xuan, Qiu Ying, and the two servant women.

She hadn't expected to hear the voice of the Fourth Miss, Qiu Fu, as well.

"I'm not bringing food to Sixth Sister. I'm just seeing if she's kneeling properly. If she isn't, I'll tell Grandmother."

"Oh, Fourth Miss, if the Sixth Miss isn't kneeling properly, just tell us, and we will go in to watch her personally."

"Then I'll trouble you two to open the door."

The two servant women, having been given silver, exchanged a glance and opened the door.

They had long heard that the Fourth Miss disliked the Sixth Miss; since this allowed them to both take the money and do a favor for the Fourth Miss, why not?

The door creaked open, adding an inexplicable sense of gloom to the dim ancestral hall.

Qiu Fu instinctively rubbed her arms and spoke coolly, "Sixth Sister knows how to make incense, and her personal maid can even make pastries; why is she not liked by Grandmother?"

Perhaps because she knew the tragic fate of the girl before her, and as long as it didn't interfere with her own schemes, Qiu Heng was too lazy to argue.

Her tone was casual. "Is that even a question? Grandmother just doesn't like country girls."

"You—" Qiu Fu was practically speechless.

How could someone be so self-destructive?

"Here, white sugar cakes. I didn't bring them specifically for you; I just saw that Second Sister and Fifth Sister couldn't get them in, so I wanted them to see how foolish they are."

Qiu Fu pulled a packet of pastries from her sleeve, stuffed them toward Qiu Heng, and turned to leave without waiting for a response.

(End of Chapter)