Although this was the Qiu family's villa, Zhan Feiyu was now considered the mistress of the villa and naturally took her seat at the head of the table. "Miss Qiu, please sit."
"I apologize for the intrusion, Miss Zhan." Qiu Jingyuan tried her best to smile, but the turbulent emotions in her heart made her expression stiff and her smile appear forced.
After all, before last year, she was the most distinguished daughter of an official in Qianzhong Circuit. Now, she had become the daughter of a convicted criminal.
Zhan Feiyu also observed Qiu Jingyuan, who sat below her. Gone was the arrogance and wildness from their first meeting, her pride completely vanished. However, there was no trace of subservience; instead, a layer of gloom had settled upon her. It seemed Qiu Jingyuan's life had not been smooth sailing after returning to Qianzhong Circuit.
"May I ask why you have come, Miss Qiu?" Zhan Feiyu asked directly.
The third branch of the Qiu family had fallen. Qiu Jingyuan's grandfather and father had become prisoners. All relatives of the third branch involved in the case had also been escorted to the capital for trial. Although the verdict had not yet been handed down, the main culprits would certainly be executed, and others would likely be exiled.
However, Qiu Jingyuan was still a Qiu by name and had called Lord Qiu her uncle for many years. The affairs of the third branch were unrelated to her, a young lady confined to her chambers. Even in her fallen state, others in Qianzhong Circuit, out of respect for Lord Qiu, dared not kick her while she was down. At most, they would mock and ridicule her with words. Of course, the members of the third branch whose property had been confiscated could not live in the same luxury as before.
Before Qiu Jingyuan could speak, her eyes had already reddened. Quickly suppressing the embarrassment and grievance in her heart, Qiu Jingyuan choked out, "I know that the downfall of my family is deserved by my father and them, but I don't want to marry someone who could be my father's age."
As she finished the last word, tears streamed down Qiu Jingyuan's face.
She was only thirteen this year. If the third branch had not fallen, at this age, it would indeed be appropriate to arrange a marriage. Choosing a suitable husband would take at least half a year, and completing the six rites of marriage would take another two to three years, just in time for her prime marrying age.
"Marriage?" Even Zhan Feiyu was surprised and stunned. The survivors of the third branch were either the old, the weak, women, or children, or insignificant figures. Therefore, the Imperial Guards had not sent anyone to keep an eye on them, and Zhan Feiyu was unaware of Qiu Jingyuan's situation.
Compared to Zhan Feiyu's baby-faced cheeks, Qiu Jingyuan was slender. Her features had already matured. Although she was still in her early youth, one could vaguely discern a graceful figure. However, to speak of marriage was still too early.
Lowering her head to wipe away her tears, Qiu Jingyuan's voice was filled with bitterness and helplessness, along with an uncontainable resentment and hatred. "Our family is now living off our dwindling assets. The three aunts are strong and overbearing. My mother's dowry was pawned to bribe officials. Now, the entire family of over thirty people relies on the aunts' dowries to live. If I am married off, they will receive a betrothal gift of five thousand taels."
Qiu Jingyuan's grandfather had only one daughter, Qiu Wenlan, in his early years. Not wanting this lineage to be broken, he had to adopt three sons from the clan. Who would have thought that he would later have a late-born son, Qiu Tai? Qiu Tai married Lady Dou, who gave birth to two children, Qiu Jinyu and Qiu Jingyuan.
After the incident, none of the adult males of the third branch were clean. Qiu Jingyuan's three uncles were imprisoned, and her adult male cousins met the same fate.
Although all of this was due to their crimes of corruption and disregard for human life, the women of the family deeply hated Qiu Jinyu. If he had not been a barbarian, the third branch would not have suffered this disaster, and their husbands and sons would not have been imprisoned, or even beheaded!
But Qiu Jinyu died at Aozi Pass, Qiu Feng also died, and the main culprit, Qiu Wenlan, committed suicide by poison. This hatred naturally fell upon the surviving Lady Dou and Qiu Jingyuan.
For years, Qiu Jingyuan, relying on the favor of her elders, had paid no attention to her three adopted uncles, let alone their wives and children. Even a toddling infant could be kicked by her if she was displeased.
In the past, she had even disliked her infant nephew's crying at night, forcing her eldest cousin's family to brave the wind and snow to change courtyards in the middle of the night in the dead of winter.
In the severe cold of winter, with snowflakes flying, the eldest cousin's wife was still in her confinement period, and the infant nephew was only five days old. But Qiu Jingyuan, in a fit of temper, listened to no one.
The more domineering and arrogant Qiu Jingyuan had been, the more she suffered now that retribution had arrived. It was a pity that Lady Dou was not strong enough to protect her only daughter.
"My eldest aunt publicly told me that the groom is the only son of the Xiang family. But my mother spent money to inquire, and that Xiang Changshou is actually a sickly person. He wears layers of clothing even in the height of summer, and he puts on a padded jacket before it even gets cold. I heard that he has been taking medicine since birth, and he drinks more medicine than milk."
Qiu Jingyuan looked up, her eyes red, and said to Zhan Feiyu, "Xiang Changshou is sick again this time. My eldest aunt clearly wants to marry me off to bring him good luck."
The five thousand taels of betrothal gift money was simply blood money.
Qiu Jingyuan had once looked down even on Jiao Lianyu. What was the point of his talent for studying? Could it compare to her brother Qiu Jinyu? He was the recognized child prodigy of Qianzhong Circuit, achieving the triple crowns in just a few years of study!
Moreover, Jiao Lianyu was merely a lowly illegitimate son. For a noble lady of the Qiu mansion like her to serve an unspeakable concubine after marriage was truly a grand joke!
What if Prefect Jiao valued Jiao Lianyu? At best, he would inherit the Jiao family in the future. If he was lucky, he might become a prefect of the fourth rank by the age of thirty. But her uncle was a provincial governor, a second-rank official of the court!
Qiu Jingyuan had thought about her marriage. She was young, and her grandfather and father had both said that her uncle might return to the capital in the future. Once he went to the capital, he would at least be a minister of the six ministries, perhaps even enter the Grand Secretariat and become a powerful minister second only to the emperor.
She was the only daughter in the entire Qiu family. Her uncle treated her like his own daughter. If she followed her uncle to the capital, she would marry a prince. At the very least, she would marry the eldest son of a prominent noble family, and in the future, she would be a princess or a marquis夫人, or at worst, a general's wife. Jiao Lianyu was not even worthy of carrying her shoes.
"If you are unwilling, you can go and tell Lord Qiu directly," Zhan Feiyu offered a conscientious suggestion.
Even if Lord Qiu knew about Qiu Jingyuan's private actions, she was still his junior relative, and she had learned her lesson. Lord Qiu should stop this marriage, and perhaps even ask Madam Qiu to find a suitable marriage for Qiu Jingyuan.
"I don't have the face to ask my uncle. Originally, my eldest cousin could have been promoted, but because of our third branch's affairs, he missed this opportunity and has to wait another three years," Qiu Jingyuan said, shaking her head and crying.
Qiu Bingde was currently a fifth-rank official. He had indeed been implicated by the third branch, but with Lord Qiu's magnanimity, he would not hold it against Qiu Jingyuan.
Zhan Feiyu nodded. "Then why have you come to me, Miss Qiu?"
It couldn't be that she wanted Zhan Feiyu to pressure her three aunts in the third branch to give up this marriage. With Zhan Feiyu's status, she could indeed do that.
However, once Zhan Feiyu left, her deterrent power would be gone, and Qiu Jingyuan would still have to marry. If not Xiang Changshou, it might be someone else. Given her three aunts' hatred for Qiu Jingyuan, any marriage would definitely be a pit of fire.
Qiu Jingyuan sat up straight. Although she was in a state of disarray, dressed in "plain cloth and hairpin," she was still the daughter of an official. When she put on airs, her demeanor was much better than that of ordinary women.
"Miss Zhan, you saved the life of the second young master Jiao. The Jiao family also intended to marry into our family back then. As long as Miss Zhan is willing to come forward, I believe Madam Jiao will definitely agree." After a period of crying and showing weakness, Qiu Jingyuan finally stated her purpose.
Compared to marrying the sickly Xiang Changshou, a member of a merchant family, she would rather marry Jiao Lianyu, the illegitimate son. Her mother had also analyzed that Concubine Huang was just a concubine, not a proper mother-in-law. She only needed to show courtesy.
Madam Jiao, as the prefect's wife, had always stayed out of Jiao Lianyu's affairs and would not put on the airs of a mother-in-law to torment her daughter-in-law. In this way, marrying into the Jiao mansion would be most suitable for her.
"Prefect Jiao will not agree," Zhan Feiyu said, pouring cold water on the determined Qiu Jingyuan. Although Prefect Jiao was somewhat blind in matters of the inner chambers, as the prefect of Qianzhong Circuit, Lord Jiao would absolutely not allow his son to marry the daughter of a convicted criminal, especially since Jiao Lianyu was to inherit the Jiao family in the future.
Qiu Jingyuan nodded in agreement. "But Madam Jiao will agree!"
To have an illegitimate son marry a daughter of a noble family of equal standing, or to marry the daughter of a convicted criminal, Madam Jiao would choose the latter without hesitation! However, this marriage could not be openly arranged; it would definitely require some methods of the inner chambers.