Chapter 417 – Fall In Love At First Sight
Chapter 417 Fall in Love at First Sight
“What?” The steward was taken aback for a moment and couldn’t react immediately.
“The maid you sent last time, the one you said was very useful.” Qu Mingcheng’s tone became even more unpleasant as he hadn’t seen the master and this whole situation had become a mess.
“Oh, okay, I understand now!” The steward immediately grasped the situation.
Qu Mingcheng mounted his horse again, turned around with the servant, and left. Since the young lady wasn’t present, he felt he was unnecessary here. He didn’t want to waste any more words with a steward.
He had met this young lady by chance. At first sight, Qu Mingcheng was captivated by her charm. They had a pleasant conversation, and he found her eloquent and refined. Her every word and action were graceful and delightful. Despite being a woman, she possessed remarkable insight.
After investigating her background, he found that she was the legitimate daughter of a fallen aristocratic family. Although their family had declined, their social status was still prominent. They had influential relatives serving in official positions, and their current residence was a secluded mansion where she sought seclusion.
Although she also had a place to stay in the capital, it was not convenient for them to meet due to societal norms. Thus, they chose to meet at this secluded place.
Since getting to know this Lady Xu Qinglu, Qu Mingcheng made it a point to visit her whenever he had free time. He would find various excuses to see her.
In each visit, they would engage in conversations, enjoying each other’s company. Only the people around them and Lady Xu herself knew about it.
Qing Mei, the maid, was recommended by her as someone useful when he mentioned that his sister needed a capable maid. She had selected Qing Mei, an intelligent maid, from a well-off family in the capital. They were still in the process of training her, but Lady Xu believed she would be valuable. He had been given Qing Mei by Lady Xu, who repeatedly emphasized her usefulness.
This was also why Qu Mingcheng was determined to protect Qing Mei at all costs.
It wasn’t just about the reputation of a maid but also the reputation of Lady Xu herself.
However, at this moment, Qu Mingcheng was helpless. If he dared to intervene further, he would face punishment from his father. He could only pass on the news for now. He felt that he had done everything he could to save Qing Mei.
If it weren’t for this maid, none of this would have happened. She had caused embarrassment for both him and his sister. He was still angry with her, even though she was supposed to be a well-trained and clever maid. Could someone like her be considered clever? Qu Mingcheng was genuinely frustrated.
Initially, he had planned to take care of Qing Mei and send her back once she had recovered a bit. However, he hadn’t expected his father to take action directly.
As Qu Mingcheng angrily left, the young steward turned to a servant accompanying him and said, “Pass on the message to the master that Qing Mei is in trouble and being sold.”
“Yes!” The servant responded, mounted a horse, and followed behind Qu Mingcheng towards the city.
“Qing Mei is being sold?” Qu Moying had just settled down when she received this report from Granny Miao. Her long eyelashes fluttered twice, and her eyes remained calm like water.
This outcome was something she had anticipated.
Even if Qu Qiuyan can tolerate this maid because of Qu Mingcheng, Qing Ju by Qu Qiuyan’s side cannot be tolerated. On that day, it was inevitable that someone would be scapegoated, and the only suitable candidate was someone close to Qu Qiuyan. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to enter Qu Qiuyan’s room.
With two senior maids, if one was not suitable, the other would likely be pushed out.
It was not surprising that a maid in charge was ultimately chosen. The number of people Qu Qiuyan could use by her side had decreased. Moreover, it was not the time before. It was not so simple to find capable individuals. Although the maid in charge was capable, Qu Qiuyan would undoubtedly choose to protect Qing Ju, who was always by her side.
But what difference did it make? Qing Ju, who had experienced a brush with death, would surely resist, and this close companion would inevitably be sold off.
Qu Zhizhen would not allow such a maid to remain, not to mention that Qu Mingcheng’s unusual favoritism toward this maid had strained his relationship with his sister. Qu Zhizhen also couldn’t tolerate her.
“Granny Miao, spread the word about Qing Mei again. Say that Qing Mei may have already been sold by the Second Young Master’s people!” Qu Moying contemplated for a moment and already had a plan in mind.
She wasn’t holding onto the matter of a maid so tightly. Rather, she felt that this line of investigation was quite unusual. It was evident that Qing Mei had been sent specifically to deal with her.
There weren’t many people who would target her, aside from those few in the Qu Mansion whom she detested. Liu Jingyu was also someone she didn’t understand.
“I also thought the same, so I secretly passed along the message earlier, saying that I heard it from the East Mansion. They, in turn, claimed that the information came from the West Mansion. I was just someone gathering information, and in truth, I know nothing,” Granny Miao said with a smile.
She fully understood the implications of her words.
The corners of her lips curled slightly. This matter was just a mere pawn in the game. She wouldn’t waste manpower investigating the matter of a maid. If Qu Qiuyan had any intentions, she could investigate it herself.
One thing was certain—this was definitely a lead!
She was now giving Qu Qiuyan a wake-up call…
“Granny Miao, how do you find these medicinal herbs?” This matter wasn’t worth any further consideration. Qu Moying stood up, holding her skirt, and pointed to the herbs on the table that had been purchased today.
Granny Miao had already noticed them. She took a few steps forward, examined a few of them, and smiled approvingly, nodding repeatedly. “Indeed, it’s still your ladyship who should select. These two maids have no understanding of these matters. They’ve chosen poorly. I’m not comfortable using them, and you wouldn’t feel at ease consuming them. These are good choices, well-selected. However, this Scutellaria isn’t ideal…”
Granny Miao suddenly pointed at the open page showing Scutellaria and said, “Your ladyship, this is an especially important herb. If it’s not of good quality, it will have a significant impact!”
This Scutellaria was something she had specifically reminded Qu Moying to pay special attention to.
“Granny Miao, there’s no better option. I’ve heard that all the high-quality Scutellaria has been taken to the palace. Dowager Consort Qu is sick, and Scutellaria is one of the main ingredients in her medicine. The emperor ordered all the aged Scutellaria in the capital to be collected for the palace. This is already the best Scutellaria that we could find!”
“The main ingredient?” Granny Miao murmured, with a hint of doubt on her face.
“Granny, do you think something is amiss?” Qu Moying noticed the peculiarity and asked in a soft and charming voice, tilting her head slightly.
“It’s not that there’s anything particularly amiss, but there’s something… Is the dowager’s illness particularly severe?” Granny Miao furrowed her brow and pondered for a moment before inquiring further, “Is your ladyship planning to visit the palace to pay her respects?”
Lady Qu Moying always had her own ideas, and this matter was originally not something Granny Miao should be concerned about. However, she still asked this time.
“That’s what I’m thinking, so I wanted to ask Granny Yan if it’s appropriate,” Qu Moying replied. As she spoke, Yu Chun had already led Granny Yan into the room.
Granny Yan stepped forward and bowed to Qu Moying, her gaze flickering over a table filled with medicinal herbs, revealing a hint of surprise. She had no idea that Granny Miao was knowledgeable in medicine.
“Granny Yan, Dowager Consort Qu is ill, and I heard it’s quite serious. Should I go and visit her? Are there any taboos I should be aware of?” Qu Moying asked. In the palace, things couldn’t be inferred using common sense. It was better to be cautious and handle matters with care.
“The Dowager is seriously ill?” Granny Yan also expressed astonishment. “She has always been in good health. Although she’s getting older, she hasn’t had any major illnesses. At most, she would cough once or twice.”
“Dowager Consort Qu has such good health?” This time, Qu Moying was also surprised. She noticed that Dowager Consort Qu’s age was similar to that of the Old Lady, but her health was quite poor. Whenever the seasons changed, she was prone to illness, especially during those days, when she needed extra care.
A few days ago, the Old Lady had been coughing for several days and only recovered after taking medicine for a few days. But now, she was still recuperating, claiming that her age left no room for negligence.
“Her health is truly excellent. It seems her mother came from a martial background and was skilled in swordplay during her time in the boudoir. Although she no longer practices those skills after entering the palace, her health is better than that of the other palace concubines. When the Empress Dowager was alive, she repeatedly praised her good health and expressed her envy for her strong constitution.”
Granny Yan explained, reaffirming her praise.
“I have served Dowager Consort Qu for quite some time, and I can confirm that her health is truly exceptional,” added Granny Yan.
“The emperor ordered people to collect various medicinal herbs from all over the capital. Any herb with a significant age was sent to the palace,” Qu Moying said with a serious expression after contemplating for a while.
“Could it be that the Dowager Consort Qu’s illness is truly that severe?” Granny Yan became anxious. Although she was now officially serving Qu Moying, she still had a sense of loyalty to Dowager Consort Qu. Following Qu Moying was, to a certain extent, following Dowager Consort Qu’s intentions. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been asked to stay in the Qu Mansion at that time.
“It seems so. I was also thinking about it earlier. With such a massive effort, it must mean that Dowager Consort Qu’s illness is severe. Could it be true…?” Granny Miao didn’t dare to continue, but everyone in the room understood the implication behind her words.
Granny Yan’s face turned pale with worry.
Qu Moying gently pursed her lips, her long eyelashes casting uneven shadows on her snow-white skin. After a long pause, she said, “Right now, all our speculations are baseless. The most important thing is to go into the palace and find out.”
Especially the words spoken by Lord Wei, Pei Qingmin—were they really just casual remarks or held deeper meaning?
In Qu Moying’s perception, there was definitely a hidden meaning, but Lord Wei was an idle prince who didn’t care about anything. Not only was he idle, but he was also plagued by illness. Even if he didn’t intend to be idle, his health was undeniably weak. It was likely that Qu Moying could push him down with a single push.
Although Qu Moying hadn’t taken Lord Wei’s pulse, judging from his complexion and demeanor, she knew he wasn’t pretending. His illness was genuine and debilitating.
For such a Lord Wei, it was unlikely he had ulterior motives, right? So, were his words really just casual? It was truly difficult to judge at the moment.
“Lady, I want to accompany you into the palace,” Granny Yan volunteered. She genuinely worried about Dowager Consort Qu and wanted to see her in the palace.
“My Lady, I’ll go too!” Granny Miao pondered for a moment and spoke in a low voice. She wanted to see what kind of illness had suddenly befallen Dowager Consort Qu and caused such a serious condition.
Qu Moying looked at both of them, knowing that they both had their own thoughts. She glanced at Yu Dong standing behind her and made a decision. “Granny Yan, you should go into the palace by yourself. I’ll take Yu Dong with me. Granny Miao, you should stay here. I’m afraid I can’t bring you into the palace.”
Her current status meant she couldn’t bring many people into the palace. At most, only one person was allowed. Moreover, when noble ladies entered the palace, they usually brought maidservants and rarely stewards like Granny Miao. It wouldn’t be appropriate for her to accompany them.
As for Granny Yan, since she was originally from the palace, she could go ahead.
It was better for her to enter the palace first, and she can follow later. Since this time she entered the palace by submitting a note, she wouldn’t need Granny Yan to guide her.
Granny Yan nodded. This was the best plan. It would appear that there was only one person, but in reality, there would be two people, taking advantage of her own identity.
“Your ladyship, when you see the condition of Dowager Consort Qu later, especially…” Granny Miao sighed helplessly since she couldn’t go, furrowing her brow. “Perhaps I’m overthinking, but please make sure to carefully observe her appearance and ask the imperial physician about her condition.”
Qu Moying nodded. Even if Granny Miao hadn’t mentioned it, she understood what she meant. Granny Miao suspected that her illness was severe and something was amiss. That’s why she wanted to personally see and inquire, but she couldn’t bring Granny Miao into the palace with her.
The last time she saw Dowager Consort Qu, she seemed fine, with good spirits and a healthy body. Now, why did the emperor suddenly become anxious and initiate a city-wide search for a good medicine?
