Chapter 113 – The Scum Father’S Disgusting Suggestion
Chapter 113 The Scum Father’s Disgusting Suggestion
After they arrived at the mansion, they visited the Old Lady first. The Old Lady checked Qu Moying’s arms and found the skin not swollen anymore, only looking a bit redder than usual. It was a relief for her. Then she dismissed her two granddaughters to let them have some rest first. After all, their life in the Eastern Palace was still not as convenient as back home.
After Qu Moying went back to the Qianyue House and got changed, a maid came to visit. She was sent by Qu Zhizhen, asking her to have a talk in the study.
Qu Moying washed herself up and headed to Qu Zhizhen’s study with Yu Chun.
The study was located at the outer yard, quite far from the Qianyue House. After several turns, they finally saw the yard where sat the study. It was the first time Qu Zhizhen formally called her over after she came back to the mansion. Before, she only met him in the Old Lady’s yard or the garden.
Every time Qu Moying saw him and curtsied to him, this vice minister would just directly pass by, totally ignoring his daughter.
Now that he sent a servant to call her over in such a formal way, it was unusual but not surprising.
Qu Moying heard that Yu’s illness was severe this time, and she was still in a coma. Many doctors were seen coming and going in the Qu’s Mansion.
After she arrived at the study’s door, the young servant went inside to report her arrival. Soon, he came out and bowed to her respectfully, “Fourth Lady, please go in.”
Qu Moying nodded and stepped into the study with Yu Chun. Qu Zhizhen, in a dark blue casual outfit, was sitting behind the wide desk, sizing her up with a stern look on his face.
She calmly walked up and curtsied to him, “Father.”
Only silence answered her. Qu Moying knew this was Qu Zhizhen’s test on her. She remained in the same posture, not wobbling at all. She had been through strict training as Ji Hanyue and could hold the position longer than ordinary ladies. Her body looked totally stable.
After a while, Qu Zhizhen’s voice rang, “You can stand up now!”
“Yes, Father!” Gracefully, Qu Moying straightened up and took two steps back aside. Then she lowered her head, obediently waiting for her father’s lecture.
Her movement looked smooth and flawless. The way she curtsied was even more standard and skillful than Qu Qiuyan. She didn’t seem to be a young woman who was never trained on royal etiquette at all. On the opposite, Qu Moying’s behavior was even more elegant than any noble lady Qu Zhizhen had met before.
Was she really the blind little daughter he left in the village because she had no value?
“You’ve learned royal etiquette?” Qu Zhizhen asked sternly.
“My cousin once sent one of her grannies to teach me,” Qu Moying said softly.
Qu Zhizhen never cared about what happened to her in the village, let alone this kind of small detail. As Ji Hanyue in the past life, she also knew that no one in the Ji Family cared about it.
“Can you see things?” Qu Zhizhen nodded as his eyes fell on her face. He totally couldn’t see her eyes behind the long, wide veil.
“I can, but not when the light is too strong,” Qu Moying said honestly.
She would eventually take off the veil one day.
“When will your eyes fully recover?” asked Qu Zhizhen.
“Probably a couple of months later. By then, my eyes should be totally fine.” Qu Moying’s voice was soft, “It’s all thanks to my cousin. She sent a doctor to treat my eyes, and the treatment was very effective.”
Qu Zhizhen was aware of it since Ji Hanyue even sent a person to ask for his opinion. He agreed because he didn’t want to reject Ji Hanyue, the future Crown Princess. As for his daughter’s eyes, he never cared or expected they would be cured.
To his surprise, her eyes were really cured. He frowned at Qu Moying with a sharp look on his face, “I heard your skin suddenly became red and swollen that day. Was it really because of Yu?”
Qu Moying knew Qu Zhizhen called her over because he wanted to ask about what happened in the Eastern Palace. Yu must’ve told him that she didn’t frame Qu Moying, and he still believed in her words.
Regardless of all the facts lying in front of his eyes and all the clues pointing at Yu, Qu Zhizhen still chose to believe Yu’s innocence.
What a loving husband he was to Yu. But why did he treat his ex-wife and daughter so coldly?
“Father, I don’t know how it happened. I just suddenly felt my body was very itchy. Then it started to hurt a lot. I was trying to hold it back, but I couldn’t hold it anymore in the end and passed out,” said Qu Moying calmly.
She had no reason to directly accuse Yu of framing her. No matter what Yu did, she was still Qu Moying’s stepmother. Moreover, Qu Zhizhen, who always favorited Yu, deeply believed whatever Yu said.
As for Qu Moying, all she needed to do was tell him what she had been through.
“Who had touched your clothes?” asked Qu Zhizhen.
“After the servants sent them to me, I put the clothes aside and started to wear them since the next morning. If I have to point out who touched my clothes, then it should just be my two maids and me.” Qu Moying lifted her head and curtsied to Qu Zhizhen, “Father, if you find it suspicious, you can ask Cousin Yue to make an investigation. He told me before that he is an expert at this kind of thing.”
It was the manager of the embroidery workshop who sent her the clothes. After giving the clothes to her, she tripped and changed the rest of the clothes to clean ones. Every detail of the whole process indicated that Yu was behind it. If Yue Wenhan or anyone else came to investigate it, all the clues would point to Yu.
Qu Moying guessed that Qu Zhizhen didn’t dare to let anyone investigate it.
Why would he do it when he tried every means to get Yu out of trouble?
“How can you let the vice minister of the Dali Temple investigate a family issue? This is not a child’s play!” A trace of anger showed up on Qu Zhizhen’s face as he remembered the scene when Yue Wenhan blocked him on the street and made him twist his ankle. Yue Wenhan surely had his own reason for doing that. If he invited Yue Wenhan to investigate in his mansion, maybe he would reveal more dirty scandals.
“Then, Father, do you know who’s the real culprit behind it?” Behind the veil, Qu Moying’s cold eyes fell on Qu Zhizhen, who was irritated by his own embarrassment.
Her heart was filled with disdain toward Qu Zhizhen.
“Enough. This thing is already over. The culprit should be one of the old maids around Yu, but Yu somehow took the blame. You should know the truth, and don’t trust the rumors outside,” Qu Zhizhen said impatiently, still choosing to trust Yu’s explanation.
However, the Old Lady said it was Yu, so did Qu Moying and the outsiders, which already drew his suspicion.
However, Yu was taken into his family by him, and he had his own reason to do so. For this reason and his two children, he couldn’t divorce Yu.
Compared to Yu, Qu Moying was just a daughter he never cared about. Although she was no longer blind, she still lost her engagement and had no value for him at all.
Qu Moying was so angry at this shameless man that she almost laughed aloud. Was he telling her that Yu was innocent? He called her over to let her declare Yu’s innocence for her since Qu Moying’s words as the victim were the most convincing. As long as Qu Moying said an old maid did it, Yu could gradually distance herself from the trouble.
What a brilliant plan!
“Father, do you mean the manager of the embroidery workshop framed me?” Qu Moying lifted her head. Even though her eyes were covered by the veil, Qu Zhizhen could still feel her cold gaze.
“It was indeed the embroidery workshop’s manager’s fault. Yu had punished her after she came back. Yu is still lying in bed because of her sickness. All the family affairs in the mansion have become a mess because no one is handling them. Rumors about our family are spread everywhere. Your grandmother still needs to help with the family affairs at such an old age. Anyway, if this keeps going, it won’t do any good to our family. Your marriage hasn’t been settled yet. Don’t tell me you expect your grandmother to take you out to mingle with others!”
Qu Zhizhen’s voice softened, “Ying, I know I’ve neglected you for years. You finally came back to the mansion but then lost your engagement with the Marquis Yongning’s Family. I won’t ignore you and let this kind of thing happen to you again. After all, we are family. I can ask Yu to help you find a decent husband, at least not worse than Young Master Yongning.”
He talked while standing in Qu Moying’s shoes as if he was wholeheartedly thinking for her. As the head of this family, he knew that only harmony could lead his family to prosperity.
However, after all the witnesses and clues proved that Yu was behind it, Qu Zhizhen still wanted Qu Moying to stand out for Yu and declare her innocent. Qu Moying couldn’t help but wonder how stupid she was in Qu Zhizhen’s eyes.
If she really did as he said, it would tell everyone that she was a stupid, cowardly girl, making her a joke in the capital.
As for her marriage, she never cared about it in the beginning. Yu was determined to help Yu Qingmeng marry into the Marquis Yongning’s Family, but Qu Moying never wanted it. After knowing about her engagement with Xu Lipeng, she designed the whole breaking-off situation. Luckily, her plan was a success.
“Father, I’m sorry I can’t do that.” She looked up at Qu Zhizhen and said in a flat tone, “Many people have already known the truth, including Cousin Yue, Princess Ji, and the Crown Prince. When it happened that day, Princess Ji and the Crown Prince were both there. I heard something else happened between the Crown Prince and Third Sister later.”
Qu Zhizhen was such a scum father, trying to use his own daughter as cannon fodder!
Some things could be covered up by lies. Still, the severity of the current situation made it impossible to be covered up!
Qu Moying’s words roused a feeling of anxiety in him. Except for Qu Moying, Qu Qiuyan was also involved in trouble when staying at the Eastern Palace. He heard that Lord Jing cold-shouldered Qu Qiuyan and didn’t agree to see her, which was another headache for Qu Zhizhen.
He was also reminded that the rumors about Yu spread out from the Eastern Palace after Princess Ji investigated it. Princess Ji was also an innocent victim since Qu Moying helped her wipe tears with her sleeve, making her skin have an allergic reaction too.
“Alright, you should be pretty tired now. Go back to rest first!” Qu Zhizhen fell into silence for a second and dismissed Qu Moying while waving his hand impatiently. It seemed like his original plan was not feasible anymore.
Qu Moying sneered inwardly. She was speechless seeing her scum father still daydreaming about exculpating Yu. Moreover, she even needed to remind him of Ji Youran’s involvement in the situation to make him realize how ridiculous and unrealistic his plan was.
Yu was determined to get out of trouble and even convinced Qu Zhizhen to force Qu Moying to prove her innocence. But she forgot Ji Youran was involved too. Qu Moying purposefully wiped Ji Youran’s face with her sleeve a few more times than usual. If Qu Moying remembered it correctly, that part on Ji Youran’s face was where her old wound should be.
If Yu expected exoneration, she should start from Ji Youran instead of Qu Moying. Of course, Qu Moying didn’t think she could destroy Yu by this. However, it would be hard for Qu Zhizhen to pull out this stuck nail.
Soon after Qu Moying walked out of the study, she ran into Qu Qiuyan, who seemed to be in a rush. Seeing Qu Moying, Qu Qiuyan stopped immediately…
