No need to think about it. She bumped into Jiang Qizheng confronting Qiu Feng!

Although she didn’t know why they didn’t have that kind of conversation in their villa, instead they snuck out of the Jiang Family’s family dinner to talk about it, it was not the point. The point was that Qiu Yelan planned to sneak away. But Qiu Feng had good sight and hearing. He shouted which exposed her, “Who is there?”

“… I’m here to look for Cousin Xin,” under that circumstance, she had to turn around and pretended that she just arrived. She asked Qiu Feng embarrassedly who walked out of the artificial hill slowly, “Did you guys see where she went?”

“She should be going back to her room. Her room is over there.” Maybe Jiang Qizheng was crying just now. So, she didn’t show herself. She just raised her voice and told Qiu Yelan, “Follow this road to the end. When you see a Chuihua door, go in and ask any servant.”

Qiu Yelan thanked them and left in a hurry. Following Jiang Qizheng’s instruction, she asked a servant after entering the Chuihua door. She arrived at the villa Xin Fubing lived. As expected, she heard her crying and the maids comforting her in a low voice before she went in.

“Cousin Xin?” She thought for a while and then tried to call her. The sound of weeping inside stopped at once. After a while, a maid came out and said, “Madame Yelan, our lady doesn’t want to see anyone right now. Can you…?”

“Deliver a message for me. Tell her that what happened at dinner wasn’t like what she heard. Shishui and I saw it clearly within a short distance. I’m afraid that she might misunderstand. So, I come to tell her.” Qiu Yelan knew how Xin Fubing felt at that moment. She was already sad because her maiden family made her marry someone she didn’t like. And now she got chased away from her maiden family’s family dinner.

Only smashing a wine glass showed that she had the whole picture in mind. If it were Jiang Qiyun or Jiang Qisheng, they might turn over the table and make a scene!

Of course, Mi Yinyin might expect Xin Fubing would react this way. So, she dared to misrepresent Jiang Yalan’s concern on purpose.

If Xin Fubing were like Jiang Qiyun and Jiang Qisheng who made a scene at the slightest provocation, Mi Yinyin wouldn’t dare to lie to her undisguisedly!

At that moment, since Xin Fubing didn’t plan to make a scene, after hearing the message from Qiu Yelan, she smiled sadly and said, “Go tell Yelan that I have figured out the truth after hearing what she said. But what difference can it make even I expose it? Mi Yinyin is my aunt’s niece and Yalan’s wife. Will he repudiate her because of our quarrel? Exposing her will only spoil the mood and offend my aunt! Just let it go. I’m not in the mood to see Yelan. Thank her for her concern. I hope she could forgive my negligence!”

The maid took the command and walked out of the door. She told Qiu Yelan exactly what Xin Fubing said and then apologized again and again.

“Since Cousin Xin is in a bad mood, then I’ll leave her be. You guys take good care of her and don’t let her get more upset,” Qiu Yelan sighed after hearing that. She gave some directions and then left.

She was afraid that Qiu Feng and Jiang Qizheng were still at the artificial hill when she went back, and it would be awkward bumping into them again. So, she chose another path deliberately.

When she got back to the main hall, she was surprised to find that people almost left within such a short time. A few servants were cleaning up. The hosts who were still there were He Shuijin who must stay to give orders, Jiang Yaheng who was waiting for He Shuijin and Jiang Yashaung who was waiting for Qiu Yelan.

Those two brothers were talking under the porch. And they both looked worried.

Seeing Qiu Yelan coming, Jiang Yaheng said, “Yelan is here. You guys should go back too.”

“Trouble you guys for handling the rest of things here!” Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan said some polite words and then left.

When they went far, Qiu Yelan asked with doubt, “Why did everyone leave so soon?”

“Grandfather suddenly fainted!” Even the dim light couldn’t hide Jiang Yashaung’s awful look, “The family dinner surely couldn’t go on!”

Qiu Yelan was startled, “How come? What did the doctor say?”

“The doctor hasn’t come out since he goes in.” Jiang Yashuang exhaled and lowered his voice, “We don’t know how serious it is. So, it’s better that we don’t let the words get out. Grandmother has asked the first aunt and the third aunt to forbid the servants to tell anyone. As for us, we should all go back to our rooms, in case we all wait there for news and let the spy in our mansion find a flaw.”

“I got it!” Qiu Yelan puckered her lips, “Then only grandmother is taking care of grandfather?”

“The eldest Uncle and the Third Uncle both thought that since we didn’t want others to know, none of us who worked in the government should ask for leave.” Jiang Yashuang said flatly, “Thank god that Yazhu and Jingxu don’t work in the government. They can switch shifts with grandmother.”

Jiang Jingxu was the eldest great-grandchild of the Jiang Family whose mother was Madame Dou Junior. He was one year older than Jiang Huizhi, who was 15. Because he was determined to take the exam, he gave the inherited official position to his brother. He had no title at that moment which allowed him to have a free hand.

As for Jiang Yazhu, he didn’t work in the government because no one helped him.

“Then you are going to work for the Seventh Prince tomorrow?” Qiu Yelan couldn’t help frowning. Not to mention that Marquess Qin’s importance to the Empress’s clique. Just considering that he raised and taught Jiang Yashuang himself and now he was in a coma and no one knew what would happen to him, how could Jiang Yashuang fall asleep that night?

He couldn’t get a nice sleep. And he needed to help the Seventh Prince with the ceremony the next day. He also needed to withhold the information… Even he was in good health and could hold for a few days, what if Marquess Qin never recovered…

She heard Jiang Yashuang said while she was thinking, “I’ll talk to grandmother tomorrow and ask her to let you and Cousin Xin go to the Summer Palace. You guys can stay there for a few days.”

Qiu Yelan was surprised, “Go to the Summer Palace?” My husband’s grandfather was ill. As the granddaughter-in-law, even it was inconvenient for me to take care of him in the inner chamber, but how inappropriate it was for me to go and stay in the Summer Palace? Even though the Jiang Family kept a tight lid on the news now, the Jiang Family was a big family within which had enough gossip.

Although she wasn’t afraid of being gossiped by others, there was no point in giving others this kind of subject to ridicule her.

“If you don’t go to the palace, how can we tell aunt about this?” Jiang Yashuang said in a low voice, “Of course, our family has our way to deliver the message. My aunt should know it by now. But they can only give her a short note. Someone needs to give aunt details. In case aunt gets worried and others take advantage of it! How can we trust others with this? It’s better that you go.”

Qiu Yelan hesitated, “Then I just need to go to the Summer Palace. Why do I have to stay there?” It was not that she really wanted to stay in the villa to care for Marquess Qin nearby. It was just that no matter how much Empress Jiang indulged the members of her maiden family, the Summer Palace was a royal place after all. She wouldn’t be as free as living in her own yard.

“We don’t know when grandfather will wake up this time. And we don’t know how he will be after waking up either. With you staying in the Summer Palace, we have good reasons to deliver things to you. And we can deliver messages via that. Also, it’s reasonable for you to greet aunt every day. We won’t raise doubts by sending people to meet aunt again and again!”

Jiang Yashuang explained in a soft voice, “Grandfather fainted so suddenly tonight. Everyone saw it. Although grandmother arranged people to control the situation at once, as you know, it was a family dinner today. There were many servants. And we are in the villa not the Marquess’s Mansion! We may not be able to keep it a secret. Once the words get out… It can be a great blow for us! So, we must be prepared!”

Qiu Yelan caught a hint of what he meant, “Do you mean that we are going to give outsiders a hint that we all have our own plans and even about to have internal strife? So, it will make them hesitate?” If outsiders knew that Marquess Qin was ill, as Marquess Qin’s favorite grandson’s wife, she went to the Summer Palace the next day via excuses and kept staying there. It was inevitable for the outsiders to assume that Jiang Yashuang was eager to win over the Empress to contend with his uncles since his grandfather was ill.

“That’s right!” Jiang Yashuang nodded, “Grandfather is the rock of our family. Even aunt can’t contend with Empress Dowager Gu without grandfather’s help! So, if something happens to grandfather, we’ll be leaderless. And Empress Dowager’s clique will strike while the iron is hot! However, since our family is known as “Half Regime Jiang”, we have built up a foundation over the years! If they really drive us to the wall, let alone others, our father still has the Northern Army!”

“In order not to become the cannon fodder of the Jiang Family’s struggle after they losing Marquess Qin, indeed most of the people will choose to sit on top of the mountain to watch the tigers fight… But!” Qiu Yelan frowned, “I’m afraid that the Empress Dowager won’t hesitate, will she?”

Jiang Yashuang looked at her, “It’s a big deal. As long as the Empress Dowager has no accurate information, she won’t dare to go off the deep end!”

That was true!

The key figures of the fight between two Empresses were Empress Dowager Gu and Marquess Qin. Those two became allies through marriage in the early days. They worked together to suppress the regime. In the end, one of them secured her son’s position as the emperor and had the chance to act as regent for more than 30 years. The other one developed and grew via it which changed his image from “son-in-law of the Tao Family” to “Defender of the State” and “Half Regime Jiang”. It could be described as pleasant cooperation and each taking what one wanted.

And then they had a falling-out and began to go after each other. They won and they lost. No one could keep getting the upper hand… Having an opponent like that, how could Empress Dowager Gu easily believe that he was ill all the sudden and let her win so easily?

Besides, Marquess Qin had always been in good health. If the Empress Dowager got the information, her first reaction wouldn’t be happy. She would consider it a trap!

“Stalling tactics… However, it’s the only thing we can do now!” Qiu Yelan nodded silently and sighed inwardly, “It’s true that people shouldn’t count their chickens before they are hatched. They thought Xue Nongying’s matter would be their ace in the hole. They are sure to win the fight for the status of the crown prince! Unexpectedly, Marquess Qin fainted at the crucial moment. Considering how crafty Xue Chang is, if the Empress’s clique has a tendency to fail, he definitely won’t stand up and save the day. He probably will break his promise directly!”

She was really worried that they might fail at the fight for the status of crown prince because of Marquess Qin’s condition. Not just because of Marquess Qin’s leading position in the Empress’s clique. It was also because his illness had no sign which totally caught the Empress’s clique off guard!

“I don’t want to be cannon fodder… What should I do now?” Qiu Yelan pondered rapidly for a solution. This variation was the most unexpected and the one she feared the most since she traveled through time. The fight for the Crown Prince was always a life-or-death struggle. If they failed, the most decent way for Qiu Yelan to die is hanging!

“And also, if aunt has some free time, talk to her about the eighth sister-in-law’s matter to see if she could find time to persuade Yadan. I talked to aunt about it early. But Prince of Zhou was in charge of the summer holiday arrangements. Aunt was afraid that he was under the Empress Dowager’s command and would tamper with things while he had a chance. Plus, she needed to advise the Seventh Prince. She was so busy that she didn’t have time to care for other things.”

Jiang Yashuang rubbed between his eyes. His sigh interrupted her thoughts, “Yadan is a little afraid of aunt!”

Qiu Yelan pulled herself together and nodded, “How could I forget about the eighth sister-in-law’s matter? Anything else?”

“Ease Cousin Xin’s anxiety if you have the chance. If you guys meet the Seventh Prince, try to find a way to give them some time alone. And put in good words for the Seventh Prince afterward. They will spend the rest of their lives together… It’s not okay for them to be seemingly in harmony but actually at variance…” Jiang Yashuang mused for a while and continued, “Also, if people on the Empress Dowager’s side try to probe, remind Cousin Xin and don’t let them draw the secret out of her!”

“Wait! Is there a reason for me and Cousin Xin to stay in the palace?” Qiu Yelan was about to nod and suddenly thought of it. She asked in a hurry.

Jiang Yashuang said, “That’s easy. Aunt wanting to find a wife for the Seventh Prince is not a secret. She has her eye on Cousin Xin. So, she asks Cousin Xin to stay in the palace for a while in order to observe her. Also, she can see if they are a match by letting Cousin Xin spend some time with the Seventh Prince… Cousin Xin is shy. So, she drags you with her… Any excuse like this will do.”

His look was deep, “Anyway, just make the outsiders confused and uncertain!”

Only in that way could they buy more time and opportunities which allowed the Jiang Family and Empress’s clique to adjust strategy and plan. So, they were able to face the situation without Marquess Qin!

Of course, the best result was that Marquess Qin’s illness was nothing serious.

The question was… Would he faint in public if it was just a minor illness?