The sun was rising, and the autumn sky was clear and crisp.
If it were merely for Qiu Huaixin to replace Lord Qiu in visiting an old friend, Madam Wu could have suppressed the displeasure that welled up in her heart. However, she had not expected to hear something that almost made her lose control of her emotions from Qiu Bingde after breakfast that morning.
"Let Third Brother go to the yamen to handle the sealed assets of the third branch?" Madam Wu's expression changed slightly.
Nanny Dong, who was serving by the side, immediately exchanged a glance with the two maids tidying the table. Soon, there was no one else in the room. Even after Nanny Dong brought the tea, she retreated to wait outside the flower hall.
Qiu Bingde was currently admiring the "Autumn Mountain Grass Hall Painting" hanging on the wall and said without turning his head, "Didn't I tell you last night that Father intends to send Huaixin out? This can be considered a form of training."
Neither Qiu Huaixin nor Jiao Lianping were entirely dissolute wastrels. However, because one was the young master of a Provincial Governor's family and the other was the eldest son of a Prefect's family, they had always had smooth sailing in Qianzhong Prefecture. Anyone they met would show them a certain degree of respect.
But once they left the Qianzhong Circuit, Qiu Huaixin would face many more challenges if he didn't trade on Lord Qiu's name.
Although Madam Dou's dowry and some private properties were sealed in the Qianzhong Prefecture yamen's treasury, the affairs of the third branch involved barbarians. Furthermore, as Lord Qiu was the head of the Qiu family, to avoid suspicion, the affairs related to the third branch were handled by officials sent by the imperial court from the Ministry of Revenue.
There were still two officials remaining in Qianzhong Prefecture to handle the aftermath. Moreover, this Official Tao and Lord Qiu had clashed in the imperial court in their early years, so it would not be easy for Qiu Huaixin to retrieve these items smoothly.
Madam Wu took two sips of hot tea from her cup before her agitated emotions subsided. Even she knew that Madam Dou, her cousin-in-law, had a token in her dowry. Whoever obtained this token would surely achieve a great merit.
Madam Wu recalled that she had helped entertain guests at the third branch for an entire day yesterday, her mouth dry from talking, and her feet aching from walking so much. She had worked hard, only for the benefits to fall into others' hands in the end.
The more she thought about it, the more unwilling she felt. Madam Wu lowered her head, using the act of drinking tea to conceal the excessive and extreme anger in her eyes. Clearly, her husband was the heir of the Qiu family, yet all these benefits were being given to his third brother.
Qiu Bingde finally shifted his gaze from the painting, turned, and walked back to the table to sit down. He said gently, "The funeral rites will last a few more days. Madam has worked hard."
Although Madam Dou had died tragically and unexpectedly, the families who came to offer condolences were doing so out of respect for Lord Qiu. For some who traveled from afar, even if they rushed over as soon as they received the news, it would still take two to three days of travel. Therefore, Madam Dou's coffin would be kept for five days before burial. Fortunately, summer had passed, so there was no worry of the body decaying.
"Since Mother is not in a condition to appear, it is only natural for me to help with the funeral arrangements." Madam Wu smiled gently, stood up, poured a cup of tea for Qiu Bingde, and handed it to him. She then continued subtly, "I heard from Jingyuan about her mother's dowry. The items listed on the dowry list are convenient to verify, but the troublesome part is some items that were added later. Third Brother has always disliked handling these complicated and trivial matters, so why don't I go along?"
Madam Wu's words sounded reasonable. Madam Dou's dowry had a list, and when the officials sealed these properties, they had also made detailed records. By cross-referencing with the dowry list, one could tell if anything was missing or damaged, or if something inferior had been swapped in.
However, for the items Madam Dou added later, Qiu Jingyuan did not have a detailed list. It was written from memory by Madam Hu, who had previously managed the treasury, vaguely noting down what items there were. But there were many subtleties involved.
For example, for a set of pearl hair ornaments, were the pearls large or small? Were they the most common white pearls, or the valuable pink pearls? If the pearls on the hair ornaments were swapped, even if they were still pearl hair ornaments, the price difference would be tens of times.
Furthermore, for some ancient books, calligraphy, paintings, or antique ornaments, if a fake was substituted, once it left the yamen, even if it was discovered, the yamen would likely not admit it.
Qiu Huaixin, as a young master of a noble family, lacked both patience and experience to handle such trivial matters.
Qiu Bingde, taking Madam Wu's words as genuine concern for Qiu Huaixin's ability to handle the matter, explained, "Official Tao Shilang from the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of this matter. He had some past conflicts with Father, and it would be inappropriate for female family members to go."
If only Prefect Jiao was responsible for this matter, Madam Wu could have gone without issue. However, Official Tao, although only a fifth-rank official, was an official from the capital. Moreover, the Tao family had some connections with imperial consorts in the palace. If Official Tao were to make things difficult, Madam Wu would surely be humiliated. Not only would Qiu Bingde be reluctant, but Lord Qiu would also not allow Official Tao to disgrace the female members of the Qiu family.
Sending Qiu Huaixin was also to temper him. What Qiu Bingde did not reveal was that there might be a token in Madam Dou's dowry or private property. Various forces were watching, and it was unknown if there would be any accidents along the way. Therefore, Qiu Huaixin had to be sent.
...
Five days later, Madam Dou's funeral rites concluded. Madam Wu visibly lost weight, and Madam Qiu also sent someone to bring her bird's nest soup to nourish her body.
"Madam." Nanny Dong, ignoring the rain that had fallen on her, quickly entered the inner chamber. She signaled the servants attending to retreat outside before approaching the bedside and whispering to Madam Wu, "Just now, news came from the third branch that Third Young Master will be taking Qiu Jingyuan to the yamen tomorrow to handle the dowry matters..."
"Didn't my husband say it was inconvenient for female family members to go?" A mocking laugh rang out. Madam Wu leaned against the bed, her pale face appearing exceptionally cold due to the sneer.
What was Madam Xu? She was called Qiu Jingyuan's aunt, but her entire family had been adopted. They were distantly related, and at the time, they had wanted to sell Qiu Jingyuan to the Xiang family for five thousand taels of silver to bring good luck.
Yet, even Madam Xu could go to the yamen to handle the dowry matters. She had hinted and implied to her husband before, but what was the result?
Nanny Dong also understood Madam Wu's unwillingness. However, when it involved external affairs, let alone a servant like her, even if Madam was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Qiu family and the future mistress of the household, Madam could not interfere.
After Madam Wu's expression calmed down, Nanny Dong tentatively asked, "Madam, how did Master reply?"
The Master Nanny Dong referred to was Madam Wu's father, the current head of the Wu family. Madam Wu's insistence on obtaining the token was also for Qiu Bingde's sake, wanting him to gain this merit.
However, Madam Wu was now disheartened. "It is wise to guard against danger in times of peace! It is a pity that my husband only cares about brotherly affection. Since that is the case, why should I be the villain for nothing!"
A daughter obeys her father at home and her husband after marriage. But for a young lady from a noble family like Madam Wu, her maiden family was her greatest backing. As long as her maiden family was strong enough, her husband's family would not dare to slight her.
Nanny Dong had served Madam Wu since she was a baby. After more than twenty years of interaction, Nanny Dong naturally understood the meaning behind Madam Wu's words. She intended to leverage the Wu family's influence to benefit them.
"Nanny, please go to Deyuantang to find Doctor Liu and tell him I am still feeling unwell." After speaking, Madam Wu closed her eyes to rest.
Nanny Dong retreated with light steps. Outsiders might not know, but Nanny Dong was aware that the owner behind Deyuantang was from the Wu family. This time, the Wu family had even sent their second master to oversee it, but the second master's whereabouts were kept secret, and it was likely that even the Qiu family did not know.
On the other side, at the Qiu family's別院 (courtyard villa), Qiu Huaixin also sent a message, arranging to go to the yamen at the hour of Shen (3 PM - 5 PM) tomorrow to handle Madam Dou's dowry matters.
Zhan Feiyu finished reading the letter and casually placed it on the desk, looking at He Sheng. "Is there anything else?"
"Tomorrow, the prefectural yamen will surely be a battlefield." He Sheng looked troubled. As a subordinate, he should not interfere with any of his master's decisions; he should only obey and execute them.
This token was within Madam Dou's dowry or private property. Everyone knew that once this item fell into the hands of Lord Qiu or Zhan Feiyu, it would be "gone and never to return."
Therefore, tomorrow's yamen was the last opportunity. With the Dragon Guard operating in secret, no one dared to make any rash moves. So, as long as tomorrow arrived, in a chaotic battle, whoever's hands the item fell into would depend on their skill.
Zhan Feiyu smiled and said, "They are planning to fish in troubled waters."
The bird that sticks out gets shot! No one dared to be the first to step forward, so they could only rely on a chaotic battle. Once the waters were muddied, who knew who snatched the item, and they wouldn't fear investigation by Lord Qiu or the Dragon Guard afterward.
He Nuan, standing beside them, couldn't help but interject, "Miss, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall."
Zhan Feiyu did not have many enemies in the Qianzhong Circuit. The Xiang family did not count; they were merely merchants, and even if Old Master Xiang were given ten thousand guts, he would not dare to retaliate.
Cai Zhiyuan was one, but he was currently imprisoned in the prefectural yamen. When a tree falls, its monkeys scatter. Even if the Cai family wanted revenge, they lacked much power and were not to be feared.
He Sheng and He Nuan were truly worried about the old master who had been hidden in the shadows. He would definitely seize the opportunity to kill Miss. Once a chaotic battle occurred, even if the Dragon Guard would protect Miss at all costs, there was always a chance.