Chapter 10: A Chance Encounter

The youth in green was thin and upright; compared to when he wore crimson, he looked a little less dazzlingly beautiful and a little more elegant and refined.

It was Xue Han, the Imperial City Guard she had only seen yesterday.

He strolled over, looking as if he were merely wandering about.

Qiu Heng regained her composure in an instant, passing him by without casting a glance his way.

However, the youth stopped and tilted his head toward the young lady wearing a veil hat: "Sixth Miss Qiu."

Qiu Heng’s first instinct was to pretend she hadn't heard and walk away quickly, but the instincts honed from countless dangerous experiences allowed her to make a rapid judgment.

The young lady also stopped, lifted the veil covering her face, and revealed a perfectly measured look of confusion: "Lord Xue?"

"Is Sixth Miss Qiu alone?"

Qiu Heng felt this question was ill-intentioned.

Given her current status as the Sixth Miss of the Yongqing Earl’s Mansion, it was clearly abnormal for her to appear on the street alone, not to mention without a retinue of servants or maids.

And just yesterday, this very person had specifically visited her home to rule out the suspicion that she was a spy, not caring in the slightest about offending the Earl of Yongqing.

If her excuse were not clever enough, it would surely deepen his suspicions.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Qiu Heng gave a shy smile: "I was curious about the sights of the capital, but going out is not as convenient as it was back in the countryside, so I snuck out to take a look. I hope Lord Xue won't speak of this; if my elders at home find out, they will surely scold me."

The youth’s eyes showed signs of contemplation upon hearing this.

Qiu Heng calmly allowed him to watch her, cursing her bad luck inwardly.

Looking across the capital, very few people had seen her, yet she had happened to run into this Lord Xue. And as if that weren't enough, he had recognized her at a glance despite her change of attire and the veil hat.

Such a coincidence and such keen eyesight were baffling.

The youth seemed to believe the explanation and changed the subject: "When I went to your residence yesterday, did I cause Sixth Miss Qiu a lot of trouble?"

Qiu Heng: "..." What do you think?

After a subtle silence, Xue Han looked apologetic: "It was my lack of consideration... If Sixth Miss Qiu needs any help in the future, you can come to me."

Qiu Heng felt a vague sense of strangeness upon hearing this.

Whether from the records in books or his confrontation with the Earl of Yongqing yesterday, Xue Han did not seem like a warm-hearted person. Yet, looking at his expression now, he appeared quite sincere.

A thought suddenly occurred to Qiu Heng.

"If I am in difficulty, is Lord Xue truly willing to help?"

The youth was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting a request for help to come so soon, and his speech faltered: "Yes, of course..."

"Not long ago, my foster father came to the city to fetch a doctor for my foster mother, but he was struck and killed halfway by a group of young nobles riding back to the city... I want to know who it was that struck and killed my foster father."

Xue Han’s enthusiasm was truly strange, so she would see if he was just being polite, if he was genuinely kind, or if he had other motives.

"Sixth Miss Qiu, tell me carefully where your home is, and on which day the accident occurred..."

"My home is in Yunfeng Village, Suiyun County..." As she answered the questions one by one and watched the youth listening intently, Qiu Heng had a feeling.

He seemed to be serious.

Suiyun County was not far from the capital. The young nobles there were accustomed to acting recklessly and did not consider the accidental killing of a mountain dweller to be a world-shattering event, so there was no talk of keeping it secret. In that case, with the capabilities of the Imperial City Guard, it would be easy to find out that the one who struck and killed her foster father was Han Ziheng, the son of Han Wuzhi.

And Xue Han’s foster father, Xue Quan, had always been at odds with Han Wuzhi.

That was the source of Qiu Heng’s sudden idea.

She wanted to see what Xue Quan would do if he had leverage regarding Han Wuzhi’s son killing an innocent commoner.

If Xue Quan used this to attack Han Wuzhi, with such a person intervening, could her foster father receive justice?

Even if this justice was not true justice.

But if she couldn't even obtain this kind of justice, she could put away any extra thoughts.

"I will send someone to investigate. If I find anything, I will inform Sixth Miss Qiu."

Qiu Heng bowed deeply: "Many thanks, Lord Xue."

"It is getting late, Sixth Miss Qiu should return early."

"Until we meet again, Lord Xue."

Qiu Heng walked a few steps forward before the youth’s voice came from behind: "Until we meet again."

The Yongqing Earl’s Mansion stood tall and brightly lit in the hazy night. Qiu Heng landed inside the wall like a nimble swallow and returned to Lengxiang Residence.

"You’ve returned, Miss." Fangzhou took the spices Qiu Heng was carrying, feeling a bit curious, "Is Miss going to make incense again?"

Only Fangzhou knew that Qiu Heng’s daily trips to the mountain to guard the grave were just an excuse for Mother Wang and the others. During that time, the young lady had made many incense pills, incense powders, and incense sachets that she had never seen before.

"Yes, I want to make a type of incense—calming incense."

The candles in the room were bright. Watching Fangzhou deftly organizing the spices, Qiu Heng asked softly: "Fangzhou, don't you think I've changed a lot?"

Since she returned home in the heavy rain, there had been many changes, yet Fangzhou had never asked.

Fangzhou’s hands paused. She put down the incense materials, walked back to Qiu Heng’s side, and slowly took her arm.

"Miss was lost in the mountains for so long; you must have suffered a great deal. It is only natural that there are changes."

She dared not ask, for she feared that if she did, the young lady would vanish.

She was certain that the young lady was still the young lady. Even if it was only her soul that had returned, as long as she was back, that was enough.

Whether human or ghost, changed or unchanged, what did it matter?

"Fangzhou."

"Yes."

"I want to eat chestnut cake."

Fangzhou revealed a bright smile: "I will make it for you tomorrow."

In the following days, Fangzhou made chestnut cakes, shortbread, square cakes, hibiscus cakes...

Mother Yu, who came to Lengxiang Residence every morning to slack off, ate so much that her conscience pricked her. She took the initiative to advise Qiu Heng: "Sixth Miss, learning etiquette is hard work, but don't forget to send some pastries to Qingsong Hall to show filial piety to the Old Madam. Once the Old Madam recognizes your filial heart, you will be able to leave the mansion to attend banquets like the other young ladies."

Mother Yu’s words were not spoken idly. Just today, the four young ladies of the Earl’s Mansion had gone to attend a flower banquet hosted by the Changchun Marquis’s Mansion, leaving only Qiu Heng behind.

In Mother Yu’s view, the Sixth Miss being confined to the mansion and unable to enter the circle of noble ladies, with no chance to be seen by noble madams, meant her future was bleak.

And the one who could decide these things was undoubtedly the Old Madam.

"Thank you for the reminder, Mother Yu. Try this Touhua Ci; Fangzhou just made it."

While Mother Yu enjoyed the delicious pastry, Fangzhou couldn't help but worry for Qiu Heng: "Miss, should I go and find out what the Old Madam likes to eat?"

"No need."

Qiu Heng picked up a piece of pastry and ate it slowly.

In this world, the one who truly decided the fate of the mansion was not the Old Madam, but the Earl of Yongqing.

If the Old Madam could decide these things, the one sent to be a concubine and die in the prime of her youth would not have been her favorite granddaughter—the Fourth Miss, Qiu Fu.

And that Earl of Yongqing, who had no shame in his pursuit of glory, was not someone who could be swayed by a few plates of pastries.

"Once the incense is made, Fangzhou will be able to accompany me out."

...

At the Changchun Marquis’s Mansion, the flower banquet was held in the garden. The two daughters of the Marchioness of Changchun were greeting the invited noble ladies as hosts.

The younger sister, named Feng Caixing, heard that the Qiu family ladies had arrived and couldn't wait to go and greet them.