Moments later, in Jiang’s residence.

Qiu Jinzhu walked into Qiu Yelan’s residence with fear.

“Why are you here?” Qiu Yelan wore casual clothes and held an ivory silk fan in her hand. She pointed at the nearest seat, hinting Qiu Jinzhu to sit down. She then asked directly, “Now the rumor is running wild. Why are you here to see me, not trying to find a solution with your parents?”

“You heard that too?” Even though Qiu Jinzhu learned from her and saw Kuang Qingwu in private, but Qiu Yelan and Jiang Yashuang became a married couple and she was despised by everyone. Now speaking of it, she still felt like her face was burning. Qiu Jinzhu dazed for a while and said, “Please save me, sister!”

After she said that, Xiuyan who was standing behind her pulled her secretly. Qiu Jinzhu then remembered to kneel, but she was in such a hurry that she almost fell. So she supported on the ground with her hands. Xiuyan who was sent over by Princess Yang looked at how Qiu Jinzhu behaved. Xiuyan sighed secretly and kneeled down with her, “Please help sixth Commandery Princess giving your blood relation! Princess Yang is willing to do everything for you…”

“There’re many who would do everything for me. Why would I need her?” Qiu Yelan sneered mockingly. She patted on Qiu Jinzhu’s shoulder with the fan, “Stand up and talk. The rumor is going wild. In such a short time, everyone on Mount Dizi knew. If you waste more time, Empress Dowager probably will send someone for you. Hurry up and tell me what happened, so I can give you some advice!”

Hearing her tone, Qiu Jinzhu knew Qiu Yelan would help her. Qiu Jinzhu and Xiuyan were very happy yet surprised. Commandery Princess Ningyi was never easy to talk up to before! Let alone such a big trouble, even some small ones, because they had some grudges before, Qiu Yelan would always take all her chances to torment them before promising anything!

There was definitely a reason. Qiu Jinzhu and Xiuyan subconsciously thought the rumor had gone wildly so fast, even though Prince’s Mansion of Puyang wasn’t hiding anything on the surface, yet both Prince’s Mansions never had any grudges before. Xiao Family, since old Princess Qin, had all left people with a decent impression. They had never done anything mean. Yet this time, they directly pointed out Qiu Jinzhu’s identity. They were looking to start a feud with Prince’s Mansion of Xihe at all costs!

Was it possible that…?

“It would be fine if you were tricked by another, but Kuang Qingwu’s father Kuang Shihan is difficult to deal with. Back then, no one in the Kuang Family wanted to raise him. My grandfather raised him up like he was my grandfather’s own blood. Yet in the end, he set my grandfather’s whole family up, even my father…”

She knew they would doubt her because she agreed to help them too quickly. But there was no other way. The Empress’ party now needed something to fight back. Qiu Yelan didn’t have the time to dawdle with them. She thought quickly and suddenly sneered. She stared at the fan in her hand and said slowly, “They say like father like son. How can you believe such a person?! I don’t know why you are so stupid!”

That was more like it! In Qiu Yelan’s mind, her maiden family was Ruan Family. When had she ever treated the Prince’s Mansion of Xihe as her family?

After her sneer and mockery, Qiu Jinzhu and Xiuyan stopped doubting her. They were relived in secret: they almost forgot that she had an absolutely irreconcilable feud with Kuang Family!

“My uncle and Kuang Shihan? He?” This was the first time Qiu Jinzhu heard this news. She blurted out, “Didn’t they say he died on the battlefield?”

“Even though my father only ranked the third in the Western Army, but in terms of his title, even my grandfather who controlled the Western Army was lower than him. How can you underestimate my father’s guards?” Qiu Yelan sneered, “Then even my grandfather came back alive. Had it not for Kuang Shihan, how could my father die in a battle?!”

She squinted at Qiu Jinzhu and looked thoughtful, “No wonder you would be with him then. After all, they are my biggest enemies, but your biggest benefactors! Otherwise, how can Lu and her son come back to the Mansion? If not, your father’s first wife probably won’t “die of an illness”, and your mother won’t get married into Qiu Family. There won’t be you then!”

“Please stop joking.” Seeing Qiu Jinzhu blushing and being speechless, Xiuyan tried to smooth things over hurriedly, “Sixth Commandery Princess was lied to by that Kuang Qingwu! Now everything is exposed. The Prince’s Mansion of Puyang is even leading it. Princess Yang doesn’t know what to do. She thought for so long and you’re the only one that could help! Please!”

With Xiuyan’s status in front of Princess Yang, this was quite obsequious.

Qiu Yelan didn’t plan to waste more time with them. She thought what she did should have dispelled their misgivings. She then sat up straight, “Then why are you still saying all these? Tell me what happened so I could help you!”

“It’s like this…” Qiu Jinzhu knew how serious this was. Not only her, her mother Princess Yang, and her brother Qiu Yinzhi’s future were all in the hands of Qiu Yelan. Even though she felt it was hard to say, she did quickly talk about the whole story.

It was actually quite simple. On the last Emperor’s birthday, there was an earthquake. Because everyone was worried about aftershock, they stayed for a while and went back to Jing City later in succession. During this time, because they were afraid of the summer residence like the Prince’s Mansion of Puyang’s that crushed and hurt old Princess Qin, even if a residence was newly built, the owner didn’t dare to stay. They all put up temporary tents on a wide and open ground.

Things were obviously messy at then.

After all, the reason why Mount Dizi was chosen as the location for the royal Summer Palace was that it had a good view.

Since it was a mountain, then no matter it was strange, dangerous, deep or steep, elegant, perilous, it wouldn’t be flat. Therefore, there wasn’t much open space on Mount Dizi. So the tents were all close to each other.

That was how Qiu Jinzhu met Kuang Qingwu.

She wasn’t paying much attention, but somehow, she kept running into him, so she started remembering him.

Then one day Kuang Qingwu greeted her. She stopped and talked with him. “I didn’t think too much. But I heard him saying he was the Young Prince of Marquess Zhang. I thought since Marquess Zhang was married to a Princess and was a general guarding the border, I shouldn’t slight his only son.”

After the start, everything else happened smoothly. Later, if Qiu Jinzhu had gone out, she would have met Kuang Qingwu. They talked to each other quite often. In front of the servants, they didn’t do anything inappropriate. Yet after some time, even a simple greeting had a dubious taste in it.

Finally one day, he asked Qiu Jinzhu to send her maids away as he wanted to say something to her. Since they were meeting up quite frequently, Qiu Jinzhu had a presentiment. After some hesitation, she asked the maids to go away into a distance with a frightened yet cheerful mood.

Just like she predicted, Kuang Qingwu took the chance and expressed his adoration enthusiastically!

Kuang Qingwu was of course not as handsome as Jiang Yashuang or graceful as Deng Yi. He also lacked the playboy’s intrinsically charm that attracted women like Qiu Jinglan. But compared to these three who would be remembered by history just by their looks, in normal people’s eyes, he was handsome enough.

Especially his background, he was the only son of Marquess Zhang. His official mother Xingkang Grand Princess didn’t have any child. He was also the nominal grandson of Regent Empress Dowager. In terms of his rank, let alone Jiang Yashuang, even Jiang Tianchi who was the Great General of North was only the same as him.

This kind of man would be qualified to marry a Princess, yet he fell in love with Qiu Jinzhu. Qiu Jinzhu was only thirteen then and was first in love. How could she not feel satisfied?

“Qiu Yelan has Jiang Yashuang and I have Qingwu!” She was flipped. Even though she refused it in a restrained manner, but Kuang Qingwu pursed her more and Qiu Jinzhu agreed to him while pretending to refuse. Then Kuang Qingwu’s young servant complained, “Master, you came to Jing City this time to participate in the imperial examination in spring. Now you fell for Commandery Princess Ningtai. You’re matched and Marquess Zhang will like her. But you only thought about meeting Commandery Princess. How far behind are you with your study? Mr. Leshan just scolded you two days ago. If you fail the imperial examination in spring… Marquess will hate Commandery Princess! If you’re not thinking for yourself, think for Commandery Princess!”

Of course, Kuang Qingwu scolded that young servant harshly. He then consoled Qiu Jinzhu, “Don’t listen to him. I know what I’m doing. I won’t give my father a chance to be angry at you!”

When saying that, he looked soulful. His persistent look melted Qiu Jinzhu into a warm spring pond.

But after a few days, the young servant came to find her in secret. He cried when seeing her, “Young Prince can’t bear to not see you. But he’s afraid to get Marquess Zhang angry if he fails and it leads to you. So he comes to see you in the day and goes home to study at night. How can he hold on like that? This morning he fainted! He’s not awake till now!”

Hearing that, Qiu Yelan said quietly, “You then went to see him without caring anything. When you arrived, you found him unconscious and looking withered. He had no one to look after him. So you found a way to stay and look after him. During then, you probably heard him mumbling. Either your name or how he loves you or that he’ll die if he leaves you. Am I right?”

Qiu Jinzhu was immersed in her past memories. Tears came out of her eyes now and then. Hearing this, she was dazed, “How do you know?”

“If you had a brother who frequently gave you hours of lectures on ‘The 999 Miserable Ends When Being in Love with the Wrong Guy’ or ‘The Common Methods Used by Playboys’, and every time he drew on many examples and each example was different…” Qiu Yelan thought in her heart, “I would guarantee that even if you’re a girl born in this time who was still young and naive, Kuang Qingwu would never be able to get to you before he became a real master!”

But she wouldn’t tell Qiu Jinzhu this kind of speech that would damage Qiu Jinglan’s reputation. She just said quietly, “Kuang Shihan has a wild ambition. He bites the hands that feed him. How could his son not know how to pretend? Besides, with Kuang Qingwu’s status, he definitely didn’t buy his young servant from someone yesterday with ten tael. How could his servant not know any rule? He dares to say all that to you when his master is meeting you. Clearly, Kuang Qingwu taught him. They were acting together to coax you!”

Qiu Jinzhu couldn’t help but said, “Prince’s Mansion of Puyang spread the words out. I don’t know when I offended them. Actually Qingwu was nice…”

“If he really likes you, why didn’t he say anything, now the rumor is running wild?” Qiu Jinzhu’s heart froze because of what Qiu Yelan said, “You can’t count on him. Now, why don’t you think about what you need to do?”

Seeing Qiu Jinzhu’s tears dropping, Qiu Yelan asked Su He to give her a handkerchief. She said calmly, “Now to save you, we need to get Kuang Qingwu to marry you! But you probably don’t know, Empress Dowager Gu is eager to win Kuang Shihan over, so she promised Kuang Shihan last year to marry Princess Changping to Kuang Qingwu! Even though your rumor got out, just thinking about the Western Army, Empress Dowager won’t mind it. Of course, won’t mind him. I don’t think Empress Dowager will go easy on you!”

Qiu Jinzhu didn’t know what to say at this moment. Thankfully, Xiuyan came together. She smiled obsequiously and asked, “Could you please teach sixth Commandery Princess?”