Chapter 75 The Empress Dowager Stirs Up Trouble
Qin Zhengya led Qiu Qiushuang to a pavilion where palace servants guarded all around, making it impossible for outsiders to enter. He handed a set of light green clothes to Qiu Qiushuang, “Does this suit satisfy Young Master Qiu?”

Qiu Qiushuang gratefully accepted it, knowing that Qin Zhengya didn’t understand sign language, he knelt down directly to express his thanks.

“You mustn’t, you mustn’t.” His voice was extremely gentle. He would definitely take good care of Lord Qiu’s relatives, this was the best thing he could do for her.

Yue Guanyi had such a gloomy and cold temperament that even in that situation, he was still verbally sparring sarcastically with the Empress Dowager. He was really worried about whether Yue Guanyi would be able to take good care of Lord Qiu after marrying into the family.

Yue Guanyi was also such a domineering and ruthless person. After marriage, he definitely would not allow the royal consort to take concubines. Thinking of this, Qin Zhengya felt even more distressed about Qiu Shuzhi’s future situation.

Qiu Qiushuang held the clothes silently, his eyes showing difficulty.

Qin Zhengya noticed something, “What’s wrong?”

Qiu Qiushuang’s face turned slightly red as he looked outside the door. Qin Zhengya thought for a moment and smiled, “Are you feeling embarrassed in front of me?”

Qiu Qiushuang nodded.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you outside. Remember to come out after you change, the Mid-Autumn Feast can’t wait too long.”

Qin Zhengya closed the door and guarded outside, looking up at the sky. The color of the sky had gradually darkened at this time. The scenery of a summer evening was always especially moving. The sunset glow was fiery and charming, just like that day…

She walked with him on the long palace path, the pearl plum blossoms swayed like snow, and the tranquil footsteps seemed to brush against his heart, forever unforgettable.

At this time, on the other side.

The royal family had already entered the venue under the salutations of hundreds of officials and their families.

Yue Shen wore a ginger red deep robe embroidered with ginkgo leaves in gold thread, tied with a white jade belt at the waist. Her long hair was done up dignified and stable with a few gold silk chasing cloud hairpins inserted, simple yet solemn. Compared to when they first met, she had an additional trace of maturity.

“Rise, my beloved subjects.” She said calmly from the main seat.

The kneeling crowd slowly got up, only to discover that the Empress’s seat was actually empty. How could the national father be absent at the Mid-Autumn family banquet?

Could it be that the Empress had fallen out of favor again? The crowd secretly speculated.

However, what shocked them the most was Qiu Shuzhi sitting beside Yue Guanyi. What virtue and ability did a mere Zhonglang General have to sit together with the eldest prince?

Sensing the crowd’s unusual gazes, Yue Shen slowly smiled.

“Today, I invited all you beloved subjects here not only because it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, but also for an important matter.”

Yue Shen clapped her hands and Yu Zhi stepped forward to read the imperial edict:

By the mandate of Heaven, the Empress decrees: Our elder brother Yue Guanyi, with a dignified appearance and a gentle, honest character; Now there is Qiu Shuzhi, a Yulin Zhonglang General, outstanding in talent and well-versed in both literature and martial arts. Therefore, We decree this marriage, choosing an auspicious day for the grand wedding.

Respect this!

As the edict was announced, the crowd was shocked, especially those young lords who had feelings for Qiu Shuzhi – their hearts were utterly crushed. The officials, on the other hand, all looked towards Qiu Shuzhi with envy in their eyes.

They were not envying Qiu Shuzhi for marrying Yue Guanyi, that living King Yama. Even if such a man was offered to them for free, they wouldn’t dare to accept.

What they envied was that Qiu Shuzhi now had royal status, as well as the Embroidered Guards force under Yue Guanyi that spanned the entire country. Any one of these could allow her to rise to the top in one step.

“This subject congratulates His Highness the Elder Prince and congratulates Lord Qiu!” Gu Zheng was the first to step out and offer congratulations. As soon as the edict was announced, she paid attention to observe Qin Qing’s expression, and sure enough, it turned gloomy.

With the Shuntian Prefecture Chief taking the lead, others gradually reacted and began to praise how well-matched the couple was.

Then the crowd was surprised to find that the eldest prince, whom they thought was as gloomy and vicious as a ghost, could actually smile. However, it was not towards them, but shyly hooking Qiu Shuzhi’s hand with his little finger, showing a gentle and slightly intoxicated smile like a shy young man. If one looked closely, he was not hooking Qiu Shuzhi’s hand, but her sleeve.

The timid gaze was numbingly charming. To be able to tame the domineering, sharp, and peerless eldest prince into a docile little horse – Qiu Shuzhi was truly impressive!

Qin Qing narrowed his cold eyes, his incomparably handsome face slightly pale. Before the feast even started, he was already drinking strong alcohol cup after cup, his expression gloomy like dripping water.

The smell of alcohol came from beside her. Yue Shen stared at Qin Qing, whose eyes were cold and fierce, then looked at the affectionate couple on the side.

She should be happy for her elder brother, but she just couldn’t feel happy no matter what. Instead, she felt her chest stuffy and uncomfortable.

She downed a cup of pomegranate wine. The strong alcohol burned her throat, but no matter what, it couldn’t warm the damp and empty coldness in her heart.

“Shuzhi.” She poured another cup. Using the joyous occasion of announcing the marriage, she personally passed the white jade cup to her, also taking the opportunity to affectionately call her “Shuzhi”.

Instead of coldly calling her full name, ordering her around like commanding a beast. Every low shout and reprimand stabbed at her heart. She knew it was fake, but every time she said it, the guilt in her heart would increase.

“Your Majesty…” She accepted the wine cup with some trepidation.

To have the Empress personally pour wine was a supreme honor.

“This cup is to you, wishing you eternal love.” She drained it in one gulp, the gold silk chasing cloud hairpins in her hair making a crisp clinking sound.

“This lowly official thanks Your Majesty.” She took a sip. Although it was pomegranate wine, it was still quite strong.

She was a little worried about whether the young Empress could handle such strong wine at a young age. But before she could persuade her, the young Empress had already poured herself another cup.

“This cup, to us…” The white jade cups clinked crisply, the sound of striking jade crashing into Yue Shen’s heart.

To our relationship getting closer by another step.

She tilted her head back, letting the strong alcohol invade her throat. The sunset glow spread red, her eyes shimmering with a chilling light, cold and beautiful.

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The announcement of this marriage was extremely sudden. Most officials still hadn’t recovered from the shock, but Li Liang was quite pleased with himself.

Qiu Shuzhi had married the eldest prince and become a royal consort, but her cousin had already lost his chastity and reputation because of her. He would still have to enter her rear palace all the same. Thinking of Qiu Qiushuang’s tender and soft charm, Li Liang felt an itch in his heart.

Amidst the harmonious atmosphere, Cai Er hurriedly ran over, as if something major had happened. He first told Yu Ye, then came to Qiu Shuzhi’s side.

“What happened?” Seeing his frightened expression, Qiu Shuzhi asked with concern.

Cai Er had a mournful face, trembling as he said, “Lord Qiu, something terrible happened. Young Master Qiu… he… he hanged himself.”

“What?” Qiu Shuzhi was stunned for a moment, knocking over the wine cup, spilling the fine wine all over the table.

“Then how is my cousin now?” She grabbed his shoulders and asked anxiously. In this world, he was her only relative left. He must not have any mishap.

“Fortunately, the Empress discovered it early, otherwise it could have caused a great disaster. But Young Master Qiu is extremely emotionally shattered right now, determined to seek death. The Empress is persuading him. Please go persuade him quickly.” Cai Er sobbed.

“Alright, quickly lead the way.” Hearing that Qiu Qiushuang was fine, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. But she couldn’t be careless and immediately wanted to go.

“Qiu Niang, I’ll go with you.” Yue Guanyi grabbed her hand. His dry, slightly cool hand grasped her wrist, his low voice calming her down.

“Okay.”

She took Yue Guanyi and left the banquet. On the way, Qin Qing’s eyes followed them coldly.

“Qiu Qiushuang hanging himself to death…” He slowly waved his folding fan, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes, “This fool does have some brains.”

Qiu Shuzhi almost ran while lifting her skirt to the door. Before entering, she heard Qin Zhengya’s anxious persuasion coming from inside. Suddenly, a clattering sound came from inside the room. Qiu Shuzhi thought something had happened inside and hurriedly rushed in.

As soon as she entered the door, she saw Qiu Qiushuang holding a broken teacup fragment, with the sharp edge pressed against his own neck, about to pierce it. And on his originally delicate and pale neck, there was a clear and obvious tear mark, blue and purple, hideous, clearly caused by being strangled by a hanging rope.

“Stop!” Qiu Shuzhi snatched the sharp object from his hand and said with a pained heart, “Cousin, why are you doing such a foolish thing?”

“Young Master Qiu must have been shocked. I accompanied him to change clothes, but who knew that he would hang himself with clothes in the room without a sound. If I hadn’t heard the sound of a stool falling inside and felt that something was wrong and rushed in, Young Master Qiu might have lost his life.” Qin Zhengya said with a choked sob, blaming himself for not being able to take good care of Qiu Shuzhi’s cousin.

“This lowly official truly has no way to repay your great kindness and virtue.” Qiu Shuzhi said gratefully.

But the most important thing at the moment was Qiu Qiushuang who was determined to seek death.

At this moment, he was tightly held in Qiu Shuzhi’s arms, his face full of tear stains, his eyes even more tearful, weakly tugging at her lapel.

Seeing him like this, Qiu Shuzhi felt extremely heartbroken, “Cousin, are you silly? How can you seek death because of this kind of thing? I will absolutely not marry you off to that kind of woman.”

Qiu Qiushuang’s face was pale, and he weakly shook his head, “I seek death because I am no longer pure.”

“Who dares to say you are not pure!” Qiu Shuzhi said angrily, “In my heart, cousin is the cleanest and purest person in this world, no one can compare to you.”

The tears in Qiu Qiushuang’s eyes grew even more, almost wetting her lapel, silently crying, making her not know how to coax him.

Yue Guanyi stood quietly to the side.

Clean and pure?

He looked at the man who was curled up in Qiu Niang’s arms, acting affectedly, deliberately putting on this pitiful and weak appearance to make Qiu Niang pity him and feel distressed for him.

Just seeing Qiu Qiushuang like that made him feel disgusted, but unfortunately Qiu Niang was deceived by his gentle and harmless appearance, not knowing what a vicious and venomous heart the man in her arms had.

After they got married, he would definitely dig out this person’s true face and make Qiu Niang completely loathe him.

“A man’s chastity is far more important than Lord Qiu thinks.” Qin Qing’s voice was slow, fanning with a folding fan as he came, the apricot blossom and drizzle on the fan dispersing the heavy atmosphere in the room, noble and elegant.

“Except for some men who are content with degradation and can shamelessly live, which man from a good family does not value chastity more than life.” Qin Qing coldly glanced at Yue Guanyi, his words full of endless sarcasm.

He sat down on the bedside, sighing, “It’s a pity that Young Master Qiu’s temperament is too fierce, that’s why he would seek death.”

“Father Empress is right, but no matter what, one cannot stake one’s life on it.” Qin Zhengya also felt some regret.

“If it were an ordinary family, marrying the rescuer would be fine. But the Li family is a den of wolves, and she is old enough to be Young Master Qiu’s mother. How can Young Master Qiu endure such humiliation.” Qin Qing said faintly.

“I will absolutely not marry my cousin to that kind of person.” Qiu Shuzhi’s face was full of heavy gloom, “At worst, I won’t marry for a lifetime. I, Qiu Shuzhi, can’t even support him?”

“You!” Qin Qing persuaded gently, “You still don’t understand men’s thoughts after all.”

Qiu Shuzhi looked at him in confusion.

Qin Qing looked at the trace of doubt that surfaced in Qiu Shuzhi’s watery eyes, shimmering with a gleam, crashing straight into his heart. He wished that the person curled up in her arms at this moment was himself.

“The human heart is unpredictable, and rumors are even more dangerous. When a man loses his most valued reputation and chastity, how can it be resolved with just a word from you to support him? Isn’t that clearly telling everyone that the Qiu family has a man whose purity has been defiled by a woman?”

Qiu Shuzhi fell silent, and the atmosphere became heavy and prolonged.

“Does the Empress Dowager have a good plan?” Qiu Shuzhi looked at the lifeless Qiu Qiushuang in her arms and asked with a pained heart.

This question happened to fall into Qin Qing’s plans. He deliberately made such a big circle just for her to ask this question.

“Naturally, someone openly marrying Young Master Qiu will make the rumors collapse on their own…”

“But now…” Qin Zhengya said with some disappointment, “The matter of Young Master Qiu falling into the water is already known to the hundreds of officials. Who would be willing to marry Young Master Qiu?”

“Shuzhi, I won’t make things difficult for you.” Qin Zhengya’s words were like a sharp blade that deeply pierced into Qiu Qiushuang’s heart, which was already on the verge of collapse. He gestured with his fingers that were almost transparent from losing color. Taking advantage of Qiu Shuzhi’s inattention, he grabbed her hand and used the ceramic shard in her hand to cut his delicate neck. Instantly, a bead of bright red blood seeped out.

“Cousin!” Qiu Shuzhi released the ceramic shard and covered his wound. Fortunately, the cut was not deep and did not endanger his life.

Qin Qing smiled coldly. This chess piece was indeed ruthless. Since you can use your life as bait, then I will lend you a helping hand.

“The Empress is right. Now it’s impossible to find a family with a clean background and good status for Young Master Qiu, but Young Master Qiu’s temperament is so fierce, I’m afraid in the future… Sigh, now there is only one way.”

“What way?” Qiu Shuzhi looked up at Qin Qing. Now as long as there was a way to help Qiu Qiushuang, she was willing to do it.

Qin Qing’s gentle words were layered with frost, “You marry him.”

“You and Young Master Qiu are childhood sweethearts to begin with. Cousins marrying is a joyous occasion that can naturally dilute today’s matter and free Young Master Qiu from this sea of suffering.”

“This cannot be.” Qiu Shuzhi said decisively.

She had already made a marriage agreement with Yue Guanyi, how could she marry another man? Even though in Great Qi a woman could take concubines, but wouldn’t that just make her cousin her concubine?

Just thinking about it felt utterly absurd to her. Absolutely not!

“Indeed it cannot be.” Qin Qing said word by word, his low voice heavy and crazy, “You just promised Yi’er the position of legal husband. Marrying Young Master Qiu can only be considered taking a concubine. But Young Master Qiu is your relative, making him a lowly concubine seems inappropriate. Why not make him an equal husband?”

“This matter concerns Young Master Qiu’s reputation and life. The virtuous and kind Yi’er surely won’t stand by and watch him die, right?”

He looked at Yue Guanyi on the side, the hatred suppressed to the extreme flashing in his gentle and jade-like eyes. Even if you marry Qiu Niang, I won’t let you, this wretched person, have your way.