Li Liang’s husband Chen had long been accustomed to Li Liang using such dirty tactics. She had already used this trick to toy with countless innocent men before. Chen adjusted the cloud-footed pearl curled hairpin in his hair, wearing cloisonné red coral earrings, and skillfully squeezed past the crowd of officials’ husbands, warmly taking Qiu Qiushuang’s hand to go admire the brocade carp by the pond.

Qiu Qiushuang’s eyes flickered slightly. He didn’t recognize this person at all, yet they were being overly friendly. It must not be simple.

He instinctively looked back at Qiu Shuzhi. Surrounded by admirers, her every smile and frown was dazzling and eye-catching. Such a radiant person was about to marry someone else as her husband. He, with his disability, feared he would never be worthy again, unless…

He gritted his teeth and turned to follow Li Liang’s husband towards the pond.

“I heard that young master Qiu was frightened as a child and lost his voice, unable to speak?” Chen played with the red coral filigree gold bracelet on his hand, asking with deep meaning.

Qiu Qiushuang nodded silently. Against the backdrop of flowers, his features appeared even more gentle and elegant.

Indeed! Chen hooked the corner of his mouth, looking Qiu Qiushuang up and down. He looked soft and weak, easy to manipulate, and being mute, he wouldn’t be able to cry out if wronged. That made things even easier.

Chen led Qiu Qiushuang through the dense flowers, stopping in a place far from the crowd, and pointed at the fish swimming back and forth in the nearby pond, saying: “Young master Qiu, look how merrily these brocade carp are swimming!”

Qiu Qiushuang’s clear eyes darkened slightly. Following his gesture, he leaned slightly over the edge of the unprotected pond. The rippling water surface clearly reflected Chen’s ferocious face behind him. A hint of calculation flashed through Qiu Qiushuang’s bright eyes.

Chen coldly snorted and exerted a slight force from behind him.

Splash!

Qiu Qiushuang fell into the water.

“Help! Someone has fallen into the water!” Chen cried out anxiously like an innocent person.

Qiu Shuzhi heard the sound and immediately stopped her conversation. Because Chen hadn’t specified who had fallen into the water, she first looked for Qiu Qiushuang’s figure in the crowd, but couldn’t find him anywhere.

Realizing that the person who had fallen into the water was her own cousin, Qiu Shuzhi immediately pushed through the crowd and ran towards the pond.

But that small pond was some distance from where she was. Before she could make it through the flower bushes, someone suddenly appeared out of nowhere, jumped into the water, and pulled out the struggling Qiu Qiushuang, helping him to the shore.

The crowd quickly followed.

Summer clothes were originally light and thin, and once wet they became even more so. The thin wet clothes immediately revealed outlines. Without thinking, Qiu Shuzhi took off her outer robe and draped it over him.

“Heavens, it was young master Qiu who fell into the water!” The crowd exclaimed continuously.

“It was the Vice Minister of War who saved young master Qiu, how fortunate, how fortunate!” Someone sighed.

“Yes, if it weren’t for Minister Li Liang, young master Qiu might have…”

“But this way, hasn’t young master Qiu’s body been touched by Minister Li Liang…”

Someone in the crowd suddenly said such a thing, and the people who had just been relieved that Li Liang saved Qiu Qiushuang immediately changed their expressions.

The Great Qi was extremely strict in disciplining men, and men followed the teachings of male virtue. When a man fell into water and was inevitably touched by a woman, his body would be considered tainted. In the future, no wife’s family would dare to take him in marriage. He could only marry the rescuer, firstly as a way of repaying the kindness, and secondly to preserve the man’s reputation.

Qiu Qiushuang had just fallen into the water and was shivering all over from the shock. Suddenly hearing the crowd say such things, he hurriedly reached out a hand from inside her outer robe and tightly grasped the hem of her clothes.

Although he couldn’t speak, Qiu Shuzhi could see the panic and fear in his eyes. His clear, translucent eyes were brimming with tears, on the verge of crying.

“What’s happening up ahead?” Qin Qing hadn’t reached the Imperial Garden yet when he heard a commotion. He was wearing an ink-colored robe embroidered with a white plum blossom branch on the back, lacking some of the air of royal nobility but adding a touch of elegant charm. Only the folding fan in his hand remained unchanged.

A small palace servant hurriedly ran forward to inquire, and soon came running back anxiously.

“Reporting to the Empress Dowager, it was Secretary Qiu’s cousin who fell into the water and was fortunately rescued by Minister Li of the Ministry of War.”

“Her cousin?” Qin Qing’s voice was slow and deep: “I remember, her cousin is not some well-behaved thing either.”

Although Qin Qing was within the palace, his spies were also distributed in secret places, so he naturally knew about the ‘moving’ love story between Qiu Shuzhi and her cousin Qiu Qiushuang that was circulating among the common people.

Yu Ye responded: “Yes, there have always been rumors among the people that Secretary Qiu and her cousin were already secretly engaged, but oddly enough, the person Secretary Qiu is determined to marry is not him. I really don’t know how such rumors got out.”

Qin Qing lightly fanned himself with the folding fan, sneering: “Yu Ye, living deep in the palace, you naturally haven’t seen how crazy men can be when fighting over a woman. The rumors were obviously deliberately spread by that unruly thing, just to force her.”

Who would have thought she wouldn’t fall for it!

Qin Qing’s eyes tightened, even the hand holding the folding fan trembled tightly.

Not only did she not fall for it, she even cruelly rejected his heartfelt adoration, shutting him out. He really didn’t know what it was about that whore from the brothel that had seduced her, making her so infatuated, making him hate it to the core.

If he had known it would come to this, he shouldn’t have taken him back to the palace back then out of consideration for his Yue bloodline. He should have let that bastard die outside.

“But now that young master Qiu has fallen into the water, and it was Minister Li who rescued him, according to the customs of the Great Qi, it seems this young master Qiu can only submit to Minister Li.” Yu Ye said calmly.

That’s right.

Qin Qing’s eyes lit up, the madness in his eyes growing stronger.

Li Liang, the Vice Minister of War, and Qiu Shuzhi had long been enemies. Li Liang, like Li Mian, was excessively lustful by nature. She had dozens of husbands in her household, and countless beautiful boy servants. She even specially purchased handsome men from among the common people to keep in her back courtyard as living screens and soft chairs, toying with them all day long for pleasure. Her reputation for debauchery was known throughout the city, and no respectable man would come within half a step of the Li residence.

If her gentle and pitiful little cousin really entered the Li residence, he would likely be tortured to death by Li Liang to vent her anger over the seizure of military power.

Qiu Qiushuang was Qiu Shuzhi’s only relative, always cherished beyond measure. She couldn’t possibly watch him enter the fire pit with open eyes.

“Greetings, Father Empress Dowager. Why has Father Empress Dowager’s procession stopped here?” Yue Shen and Empress Qin Zhengya gathered around the Empress Dowager. Seeing the crowd bustling from afar, as the time was approaching, Yue Guanyi also happened to arrive, and all the royal family members were gathered.

“After all, it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival. I wanted to wait for you all to go together,” Qin Qing said with a cold smile, looking at the ethereal white-robed figure, his gentle eyes full of suppressed viciousness.

“Father Empress Dowager is always so thoughtful,” Qin Zhengya said with a gentle smile. Only Yue Guanyi’s expression was slightly gloomy, feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

“Young Master Qiu, are you alright? Is there anywhere you feel unwell? Come, let me help you up,” Li Liang, also soaking wet, said softly beside Qiu Qiushuang, about to reach out and touch him.

Qiu Qiushuang couldn’t speak, but he pushed her away, hiding behind Qiu Shuzhi as if he had seen some fierce demon. He clung to her arm, refusing to let go, his body trembling with fear.

Qiu Shuzhi knew that this reaction was due to extreme fear. If there weren’t outsiders present, he would have already thrown himself into her arms.

“Young Master Qiu, you are truly ill-mannered. My wife-master kindly saved you, yet not only do you not thank her, but you even show disgust. This is truly ingratitude,” Chen’s sharp voice was full of sarcasm, extremely grating to the ears.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. My husband speaks without thinking, Young Master Qiu, please don’t take offense,” Li Liang said gently, looking like a kind-hearted person with a gentle temper.

Only the assembled court officials knew that this demeanor clearly showed she had taken a liking to the delicate Qiu Qiushuang.

However, this Qiu Qiushuang had a figure like a slender willow, shoulders as if carved, delicate and tender as jade. His eyes were like the rippling spring waters of West Lake, full of emotion. With three parts of soft bone, he was truly a pitiful sight to behold.

Some officials were already secretly congratulating Li Liang, this half-old hag, on her good fortune. Saving someone by chance, and it turned out to be such a beautiful young man. Now Secretary Qiu’s cousin had no choice but to marry her, after all, his purity had been ruined, and no woman would be willing to take him as a husband.

“Thank you, Minister Li, for your timely rescue. I thank you on behalf of my cousin,” Qiu Shuzhi said coldly.

She keenly felt that the incident of her cousin falling into the water was not simple. How coincidental that he and Chen fell into the water together? How coincidental that Li Liang was right there?

She and Li Liang were already enemies, making it hard not to suspect that after failing to target her directly, Li Liang had turned her attention to her cousin.

“No need for thanks,” Li Liang said with a smile, looking at Qiu Qiushuang hiding behind her, her gaze very much like that of a creepy aunt.

“I’ll take my cousin to change into dry clothes first. Please excuse us, Minister,” Qiu Shuzhi said as she led Qiu Qiushuang away.

Unexpectedly, as they were leaving, they encountered the Empress Dowager who had arrived early. Qiu Shuzhi, holding the soaking wet Qiu Qiushuang, knelt down: “This official pays respects to Your Majesty, greetings to the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Qiu Niang, what happened to you?” Yue Guanyi rushed forward immediately, but saw her tightly protecting Qiu Qiushuang beneath her, his eyes somewhat pained.

Qin Qing first coldly appraised the cousin rumored to be graceful and charming. He wasn’t much, bland and uninteresting, far from the rumors. At best, he could be considered passable, though his pitiful appearance was most likely to arouse women’s sympathy.

“Is this Secretary Qiu’s cousin? Why is he soaked through?” he asked with concern, though his voice was devoid of any warmth.

Qiu Shuzhi briefly recounted what had just happened. Qin Qing lightly fanned himself: “How pitiful. My chambers are not far, why don’t we let him change into some of my everyday clothes first?”

“Father Empress Dowager’s clothes are too grand. Cousin is young, wearing your clothes might shorten his life,” Yue Guanyi said unhurriedly. “This prince is the same age as cousin, and Fengyang Pavilion is not far. Why not go to Fengyang Pavilion to change clothes and then return? It won’t be too late.”

Shorten his life?

Qin Qing glared angrily, nearly breaking the folding fan in his hand. He was only a few years older than Yue Guanyi, not yet thirty, how could he be that old!

Qin Zhengya smiled gently, softly helping Qiu Qiushuang up: “I happen to have a set of clothes similar to what Young Master Qiu is wearing. Why don’t Young Master Qiu come with me? We’ll find a place to change, and it won’t waste time.”

With Qin Zhengya smoothing things over, the icy atmosphere between Qin Qing and Yue Guanyi finally eased a bit.

Qiu Shuzhi looked gratefully at Qin Zhengya: “Then we’ll trouble the Empress.”

Qin Zhengya nodded slightly. As he inadvertently moved closer, the cold fragrance from his body made Qiu Shuzhi’s face slightly flush: “Secretary Qiu, there’s no need for such formality.”