The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 41

Oh, So You Didn’t Take Me With You

After seeing the group off, Lin Xizhao led Qu Sheng back to the courtyard. She instructed a servant to take Lin Xirui back to the Prime Minister’s Residence before taking Qu Sheng back to the Marquis Qu Residence.

Qu Sheng had only just returned. Lin Xizhao had whisked her away for the entire day, and it would be improper if she didn’t go back to the Marquis Qu Residence to stay.

Lin Xizhao hadn’t drunk much wine tonight. After returning to the residence with Qu Sheng, she bathed and then rested.

On the bed, Qu Sheng lay with her eyes open, not speaking. Lin Xizhao sensed that Qu Sheng was also angry today. But there was nothing to be done. For a group of women like them to go to a restaurant, they already had to avoid being seen. They were all young ladies from the families of officials, and if any trouble arose, it would only make them a laughingstock. No one would help them. Besides, she didn’t want to have any more involvement with the Song family.

The Qu family had already helped her too much. If trouble started, the Qu family would certainly step forward for her, and she couldn’t let them worry anymore.

“Jiejie let Sheng’er feel wronged today.” Lin Xizhao hugged Qu Sheng and nuzzled against her. She hadn’t wanted this either, but this was the reality for women in Tiancheng Kingdom. Moreover, if her father found out they had caused trouble in a restaurant, he would probably never let them go out again.

Qu Sheng thought about the conversation she had with her three older brothers yesterday. Hearing Lin Xizhao’s words, she turned her head to look. She wasn’t really angry, but this second son of the Earl of Yongshen, who was not originally part of her plan, would now have to be included.

“Jiejie,” Qu Sheng called to Lin Xizhao in a gentle voice.

Lin Xizhao lifted her eyes to meet hers, and then heard Qu Sheng say, “Sheng’er is not angry.”

Even if she were angry, she wouldn’t take it out on Lin Xizhao.

Lin Xizhao gazed into Qu Sheng’s deep eyes, which seemed to be full of worries, and asked, “Then what are you thinking about? Can you tell Jiejie?”

She could never figure out what was on Qu Sheng’s mind when she was little, and she still couldn’t guess it now. But she had come to understand Qu Sheng’s temperament. If it was something she could say, she would say it. If it was something she couldn’t, she wouldn’t utter a word even with a knife to her neck.

Hearing this, Qu Sheng’s eyes lowered slightly. After a moment, she spoke: “Fourth Brother, Jiayu.”

She certainly couldn’t speak about the matter with the Earl of Yongshen, but right now, there was another matter that had her in the clouds and mist¹. In the year she had been gone, the relationship between Qu Yu and Zhao Jiayu seemed to have grown much closer.

“Oh, you mean them.” When Lin Xizhao heard Zhao Jiayu’s name, her eyes curved into a smile. Even Qu Sheng could see it; those two really weren’t being subtle at all.

Qu Sheng blinked, a look of confusion on her face as she waited for Lin Xizhao’s explanation.

Lin Xizhao shifted, changing her posture as she held Qu Sheng. Her gentle, bright eyes fell on Qu Sheng’s well-behaved face, and after a moment, she said, “This matter has to be told from after you left.”

“Actually, it wasn’t just after you left. Do you remember that one year we went riding in the countryside, and Fourth Brother came looking for you?”

Qu Sheng recalled that there was such a time. She had taken Lin Xizhao riding far away, and when Qu Yu came to find her, he was sitting with Zhao Jiayu upon their return.

Qu Sheng nodded. The corners of Lin Xizhao’s lips curved up slightly, and she continued, “That time, Jiayu nearly fell off her horse, and it was Fourth Brother who caught her.”

Qu Sheng frowned slightly. Xiao Bingying hadn’t gone that day, and Zhao Jiayu had only brought a single stableboy. When she returned, she hadn’t heard either Zhao Jiayu or Qu Yu mention it. It was only later when she asked that Zhao Jiayu admitted she had started to like Qu Yu from that moment on.

Seeing the small frown on Qu Sheng’s face, Lin Xizhao raised a slender hand, her soft fingertips smoothing the little hill between her brows. “I only found out later, too. The two of them haven’t made it clear yet, but I think it will be at the end of the year at the earliest, or next spring at the latest.”

“What?” Qu Sheng asked, confused, as Lin Xizhao mentioned the timing.

Qu Sheng had only passed her hairpin ceremony² for a year. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand matters between men and women, but in Lin Xizhao’s eyes, she was a bit slow when it came to emotions. At least, in all these years, she had never seen her show appreciation for or let her gaze linger on any young man she had met.

“Fourth Brother is probably waiting for Jiayu to nod her head, and then after discussing it with Adoptive Father and our uncles, he will send the betrothal gifts,” Lin Xizhao explained patiently and gently.

Hearing this, Qu Sheng blinked her eyelashes in a moment of realization. Zhao Jiayu was going to marry into their Qu family?

“You don’t want Jiayu to be our sister-in-law?” Lin Xizhao asked, seeing no happy reaction on Qu Sheng’s face. She also moved the hand from Qu Sheng’s forehead to cup her cheek.

Qu Sheng moved her head, her gaze shifting to Lin Xizhao’s gentle face. “No,” she said.

Although Zhao Jiayu had a fiery temper, her character was not the least bit bad. Not only did she not bully the weak, but she would also act heroically for a just cause. While she could be reckless at times, her intentions were always good.

If Zhao Jiayu’s character weren’t good, Lin Xizhao probably wouldn’t have associated with her for so long. As for Zhao Jiayu marrying into their Qu family, it would be fine as long as Qu Yu didn’t mind her temper. Besides, their Qu family had no practice of taking concubines, so Zhao Jiayu would not be wronged in any way.

Lin Xizhao caressed Qu Sheng’s cheek, her thumb brushing against Qu Sheng’s soft, warm lips. Their eyes met for a few moments. This time, Qu Sheng didn’t look away; it was Lin Xizhao who averted her gaze first.

“Let’s sleep. You’ve just returned and have been running around with me. Tomorrow, you should stay in the residence and accompany Adoptive Mother,” Lin Xizhao said. As she spoke, she withdrew her hand and pulled the quilt up on Qu Sheng’s side.

“What about Jiejie?” Lin Xizhao had arranged what she should do tomorrow, but she hadn’t said she would stay here with her.

Hearing this, Lin Xizhao raised her eyes to meet Qu Sheng’s questioning gaze and said softly, “Tomorrow I’ll return to my residence for a bit, then I’ll come back to accompany you.”

She couldn’t completely ignore the matters of the Prime Minister’s Residence.

Qu Sheng nodded. She looked at Lin Xizhao’s gentle gaze upon her, and after a moment, she shifted her eyes and closed them.

She had said a bit too much tonight.

The next morning, after Lin Xizhao took Qu Sheng to the dining hall for breakfast, she told Qu Sheng that if she got bored at the residence, she didn’t need to go find her. The wind was cold and strong; she could just send someone to let her know, and she would come back.

Qu Sheng saw Lin Xizhao onto the carriage. After watching it disappear, she turned back to find her three older brothers.

Although the Earl of Yongshen’s residence had its assets confiscated, not even two years later, his son Song Zixiang began to run businesses in the capital. He was involved in many types of businesses, but the most enviable was the horse trade.

For an ordinary horse business, one only needed to complete the paperwork at the government office to trade. But the warhorses for the military were traded between the government and merchants through designated channels.

If one didn’t have deep connections in the capital, you wouldn’t get a chance at this kind of business, not even if green smoke were rising from your ancestral graves³. And this eldest son of the Earl of Yongshen, after recovering his health, had received such an order and had been running the business for several years.

In less than a year, the Earl of Yongshen’s family had purchased another mansion in the capital. No one would believe it if you said there wasn’t a huge profit margin in it.

But even though everyone knew it was profitable, no one could snatch this business away from the Song family.

Before Qu Sheng returned from Shoulin, the Qu family had someone inquire. This business had been assigned to the Song family by the Emperor himself.

The four Qu siblings waited in the room for a while before a servant came to remind them, “Young Masters, Young Miss, the carriage is ready.”

Originally, Qu Sheng had not planned to go today, but since Lin Xizhao had returned to the Prime Minister’s Residence, she had the time and wanted to see it for herself.

Qu Ming and Qu Sheng sat in one carriage, while Qu Yu and Qu Ting went elsewhere.

Inside the carriage, Qu Ming looked at Qu Sheng, who kept her head down, and asked, “What’s wrong, Sheng-meimei?”

Qu Sheng raised her head upon hearing him and asked, “When will Second Brother get married?” Qu Ting was already married; his wife was from Shoulin. If Zhao Jiayu agreed, Qu Yu would also be getting married soon.

Qu Ming was stunned for a moment, then smiled and asked, “Why are you suddenly concerned about Second Brother’s marriage?”

Qu Sheng looked at Qu Ming, her eyes scanning his face. After a moment, she said, “I know Second Brother swore an oath before Eldest Brother’s grave that he would not start a family until he found the person who murdered Eldest Brother. But if Eldest Brother were here before us today, he would absolutely not allow Second Brother to remain unmarried at his age.”

Qu Sheng didn’t know Qu Ce, but she had heard from her father and mother that Qu Ting was practically raised by Qu Ce, and the brothers shared a deep bond. But Qu Ming was no longer young either. If he missed his best years, what good woman would be willing to marry him?

“Our little Sheng’er has grown up, even knows to bring up Eldest Brother to lecture your Second Brother.” Qu Ming raised his hand, placed it on Qu Sheng’s head, and patted it gently. He smiled, “Don’t worry, I will definitely get to the bottom of Eldest Brother’s matter. And our Sheng’er will definitely get to drink Second Brother’s wedding wine.”

Qu Sheng looked up at the determination in Qu Ming’s eyes, a trace of worry in her heart. After so many years of investigation without any useful clues, the person must be hidden very deeply and was certainly no ordinary mediocrity. Even if they found him, she feared he would be difficult to deal with.

As they spoke, Qu Ming and Qu Sheng left the capital city. At the Shili Pavilion⁴ outside the city, Qu Sheng and Qu Yu’s carriage waited for a long time. Half an hour later, they ordered the driver to continue eastward.

To the east was a small hill, not high, but sufficient to hide a carriage. Qu Ming looked at the sun’s position and calculated the time; Qu Yu and Qu Ting should be arriving soon.

After a long while, the sound of horses neighing came from outside the carriage. Qu Sheng and Qu Ming exchanged a glance.

Qu Ting and Qu Yu dismounted, looked around, and walked straight over.

“Second Brother, the person has gone in,” Qu Ting said, standing by the carriage.

Qu Ming heard this and replied, “Got it.”

Yesterday, Qu Ming and the others had bought fifty warhorses on the black market, each one strong and well-fed. Last night, they informed the manager of the horse farm here that they wanted to sell this batch of warhorses at a low price.

And the owner of this horse farm was none other than the Earl of Yongshen’s son, Song Zixiang.

They had calculated that Song Zixiang would definitely come to inspect the horses himself today.

The Song family’s second young master only knew how to indulge in debauchery. Last night, Qu Ting had sent people to deliberately discuss the horse business loudly in the room next to theirs at Houxiang Tower to attract his attention.

Song Ziqian was a good-for-nothing. The family business was all handled by his older brother. He was born of a concubine, and Madam Song also looked down on him. Having stumbled upon such a good deal yesterday, he had to come and show off.

The price Song Ziqian was quoted was ten percent lower than Song Zixiang’s. After watching the horses being led here, Qu Ting and Qu Yu quietly departed.

“Song Zixiang is inside. They should be negotiating by now,” Qu Ming said as he got out of the carriage.

Qu Sheng followed him out and got into the carriage Qu Ting and Qu Yu were in.

Qu Yu and Qu Ting’s carriage had been swapped outside; it had no markings and was unrecognizable.

The group rode in the carriage, went around the small hill, and stopped not far from the horse farm’s fence.

“Here.” Qu Ming handed a Western mirror⁵ to Qu Sheng.

Qu Sheng took it, held it in her hand, and twisted it slightly to extend it.

Qu Yu also took out a Western mirror at this time, resting it on the side of the carriage to look into the horse farm.

Qu Sheng looked inside the fence, but her view wasn’t very clear. She could only see a few people walking back and forth talking. She had seen two of them before; they were the Earl of Yongshen’s two sons.

Qu Sheng watched their lips move. It seemed that after the horses arrived at the farm, they began to haggle over the price on the spot.

The two men beside them were frowning, saying they were not keeping their word.

They had clearly agreed on a price, yet it was changed at the last minute after the horses entered the farm. The two Song brothers were banking on the fact that these warhorses came from the black market with questionable origins. If they reported it to the authorities, these men would find that if you can’t eat it all, you’ll have to carry it away⁶.

If they were lucky, the horses would just be confiscated. If they were unlucky, they’d also have to serve jail time.

Qu Sheng watched as the two men gritted their teeth, looking helpless and dejected, as if they had agreed.

Upon hearing this, the two Song brothers exchanged a smile and immediately had someone prepare the bank notes.

The two men took the bank notes and left with the others who had brought the horses. Afterwards, the two brothers couldn’t tear themselves away from the warhorses.

A quarter of an hour later, two men appeared beside Qu Sheng’s carriage.

They were the men who had come from the horse farm, the ones selling the black market warhorses.

“Second Young Master, the task you assigned has been completed,” the two said, taking the bank notes from their robes and handing them to Qu Yu, who had exited the carriage.

“Keep the bank notes. Remember, after today, you are never to enter the capital again,” Qu Ming’s voice came from within the carriage.

Hearing this, the two men looked down at the bank notes, then at each other, and said, “After today, my brother and I will never set foot in the capital again. But we cannot accept these bank notes.”

Qu Ming lifted the carriage curtain and said, “The bank notes are your payment and your security for the future. Do not say you have ever seen the Qu family.”

The two men hesitated for a moment, exchanged a look, their lips pressed tightly together. They clas-ped their fists in a salute and said, “Then we will take our leave. Farewell, and may we never meet again.”

Qu Ming said nothing more. Qu Sheng glanced at Qu Ming, then heard a commotion from within the horse farm.

After watching the two men leave, Qu Yu turned around and saw Song Zixiang riding a horse, galloping towards them.

Qu Yu watched the approaching Song Zixiang without dodging. Not only that, but Qu Sheng also stepped out of the carriage.

When Song Zixiang saw the sudden appearance of the Qu family, he stared at them in confusion.

“Qu Yu, what are you doing here?” Song Zixiang reined in his horse, his face ugly.

The Qu family had ruined his plans time and again. He had been beaten so badly he was bedridden for a year. The Song family’s assets were confiscated, his father was demoted, thrown in the great prison, and his imperial consort aunt was demoted to a concubine and sent to the Cold Palace—all thanks to the Qu family. The sight of them made his teeth itch with hatred.

“Qu Sheng?” Song Zixiang’s peripheral vision caught Qu Sheng standing in front of the carriage, staring at him. He still remembered how she looked as a child, smashing a vase over his head and making it bleed. The memory still filled him with enough hatred to want to strangle her.

“What are you doing here?” Song Zixiang asked cautiously.

Nothing good ever came from encountering the Qu family.

“Seeing you off,” Qu Sheng said, her voice clear.

Hearing this, Song Zixiang’s brows furrowed even deeper. He didn’t dare to offend the Qu family, but looking at Qu Sheng now, she was vastly different from before, especially with her clear speech and the coldness glinting in her deep eyes.

A fool, how could she be like this?

Seeing Qu Sheng’s expression, Song Zixiang began to have his doubts. No matter how he looked at her, Qu Sheng did not seem like a fool.

The horse beneath Song Zixiang shifted its feet, and he took the opportunity to pull the reins and leave. As he turned, he didn’t forget to curse, “A bunch of lunatics!”

After Song Zixiang rode off, the Qu siblings exchanged a look.

Qu Sheng, however, raised the Western mirror in her hand again, following Song Zixiang’s departing figure.

Song Zixiang’s horse was a choice warhorse, superior to ordinary horses in both strength and speed.

At this moment, Song Ziqian was also riding a horse, testing its speed.

The moment Song Zixiang saw these horses, he knew they were rare, fine warhorses, but they still disregarded their word and cut the price in half.

At this moment, the two brothers exchanged a smile, their faces showing a disgusting expression.

The fences of the horse farm were high and thick, making it nearly impossible for a horse to leap over, but it was a different story for maddened horses.

Qu Sheng watched as the warhorses in the farm, at the very instant the horses in the brothers’ hands lost control, all bolted out.

The people in the farm tried to stop them but were powerless.

A few who weren’t afraid of death tried to grab the reins but were violently kicked away by the crazed warhorses’ hind legs, their bodies flying several zhang⁷ away, dying on the spot after vomiting blood.

Song Zixiang and Song Ziqian were still holding on. They pulled at the reins as the horses beneath them thrashed about. Finally, they could only lie flat on the horses’ backs, trying to steady themselves.

But just as they lay down, a horse from the stampede leaped over Song Ziqian, its hind hooves kicking out in mid-air, knocking him off his horse.

Seeing this, Song Zixiang had no time to look; he only wanted to save his own life. His mount, seeing it couldn’t throw him off, simply rolled over and fell to the ground.

Now, not only could Song Zixiang not get up, but the horse he was riding couldn’t either.

The stampeding warhorses that had poured out of their nest, along with the other frightened horses, became a complete pot of porridge⁸, trampling everything underfoot.

“Let’s go,” Qu Sheng said, retracting the Western mirror and returning to the carriage.

“Is it done?” Qu Ting asked, lifting the carriage curtain.

“It’s done,” Qu Yu replied for Qu Sheng as he boarded the carriage.

Qu Ming reached out, took the Western mirror from Qu Yu, and lifted the curtain to take a look. After confirming the men were dead, he ordered the driver to leave.

When Qu Sheng returned to the residence, her expression was grave. With these two dealt with, there were still two more to solve. She calculated in her mind where to start next.

“My Sheng’er is back,” Lin Xizhao said softly, coming out of the room as she saw the pensive look on Qu Sheng’s face.

Hearing her voice, Qu Sheng looked up and saw Lin Xizhao walking slowly towards her. She froze for a moment, her face reverting to its previous innocent and dazed expression as she asked, “Jiejie?” When did you get back?

“Just a little while ago. What were you doing out?” Lin Xizhao raised a hand to brush the snowflakes from Qu Sheng’s shoulder, her tone casual and gentle.

It had started snowing on their way back.

“With Second Brother, eating.”

“Oh, so you didn’t take me with you,” Lin Xizhao said deliberately.

Hearing Lin Xizhao’s coquettish tone and looking into her eyes, which were filled with a glimmer that was about to overflow from their depths, Qu Sheng felt her throat move unconsciously. After a few moments, she suddenly raised her hand, grasped Lin Xizhao’s soft, slender fingers, and said, “Let’s go eat.”

“Where are we going?” Lin Xizhao was pulled along by Qu Sheng, breaking into a trot to keep up.

This little one was so easily teased. She was only saying it, but now she was being dragged out to eat again.

When Lin Xizhao returned, she had heard from the servants that Qu Sheng had been taken to a restaurant by Qu Ming. It was just that they had been out for too long, far longer than it takes to just eat a meal.

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The author has something to say:

Qu Sheng: “There’s no food to eat, but there is me. Does my wife want a bite?”

Lin Xizhao: “Don’t you cry when I start eating.”

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