Chapter 114 Visiting Lin Chengfeng

Chapter 114: Visiting Lin Chengfeng

As they walked out, Fang Zhou glanced around. "Miss, are we heading straight back?"

"Not yet. Let's go see Captain Lin first."

Fang Zhou paused in surprise but didn't ask any more questions.

It was clear that her mistress's visit to Captain Lin wasn't a casual matter, and asking too many questions would only put her in an awkward position.

As they walked, a furtive voice suddenly called out from one side, "Sixth Miss Qiu—"

Qiu Heng stopped in her tracks and looked toward the source of the voice. From behind a tree by the roadside, a face appeared.

"Sixth Miss Qiu, over here."

Qiu Heng gestured for Fang Zhou to stay put and walked over.

"Master Cui."

Cui Er forced a smile. "Fancy meeting you here, Sixth Miss Qiu."

Qiu Heng remained silent for a moment before nodding. "Yes, it really is. Is there something you need, Master Cui?"

"Not really..."

"If there's nothing, then I'll be on my way."

"Wait—" Seeing that Qiu Heng was about to leave, Cui Er quickly abandoned his restraint. "There is something."

Qiu Heng waited for him to continue.

"Well... you heard what I said in front of His Majesty yesterday, didn't you?"

Qiu Heng: "..."

"I did."

Cui Er flushed red and blurted out as if facing death, "It's true—I really like you! I've liked you ever since I kicked the cuju ball toward you on the Dragon Boat Festival. Sending a matchmaker to Earl Yongqing's household to propose marriage was because I genuinely want to marry you, not for any other reason..."

Behind a nearby bush, Xue Han listened with an expressionless face as Cui Er poured out his feelings to Qiu Heng.

He had noticed Cui Er's suspicious behavior and followed him, only to overhear this.

How would A Heng respond?

His view blocked by Cui Er, Xue Han could only see the side of Qiu Heng's face and the lilac-colored hem of her skirt.

After listening to Cui Er, Qiu Heng replied earnestly, "Thank you for your deep regard, Master Cui. However, my heart already belongs to someone else, so I must regretfully decline your kind intentions."

"So you really do like that Lin Chengfeng?" Cui Er retorted, looking unconvinced. "What's so great about him? He's an old man much older than you!"

Qiu Heng nearly laughed but quickly suppressed the urge. "Although Captain Lin is a few years older than me, he is in his prime. Besides, matters of the heart are often beyond reason... Master Cui, you are intelligent and perceptive—you should understand. I, Qiu Liu, wish you a smooth marriage and hope you find a suitable partner soon."

After speaking, Qiu Heng gave a slight curtsy to Cui Er and turned to walk back toward Fang Zhou, who was waiting nearby.

Cui Er watched the young lady's figure walking away and chuckled to himself. "Intelligent and perceptive... Qiu Liu said I'm intelligent and perceptive..."

Even his doting mother had never praised him like that!

As for his father—

"Little beast," "scoundrel," "bastard," "wastrel"... a string of tired insults flashed through his mind. Cui Er sighed and carefully started walking, only to wince in pain as it pulled on his sore spots.

What kind of father does that? He's already this old, and his father still spanks him!

"At least he didn't hit my face..." Cui Er muttered in relief before walking away.

Xue Han stood alone beside the flowers and trees, Qiu Heng's words echoing in his ears: "My heart already belongs to someone else..."

When Qiu Heng arrived at the gathering place of the Imperial Cavalry Division guards, she confidently bowed to the guard in front of her. "I'm looking for Captain Lin. Could you please let him know I'm here?"

The guard immediately recognized her. "You're Sixth Miss Qiu!"

Before Qiu Heng could say anything else, the excited young guard shouted loudly, "Captain Lin, Sixth Miss Qiu is here to see you!"

His voice carried far, and the nearby guards who heard it began teasing and pushing Lin Chengfeng forward.

Lin Chengfeng was capable and well-liked. Though in his twenties, he had never married, and his comrades often joked and urged him about it. Now that they knew about Sixth Miss Qiu, they were more than happy to encourage the match.

"Sixth Miss Qiu." Standing before Qiu Heng, Lin Chengfeng felt his cheeks grow warm.

This wasn't due to embarrassment from his comrades' teasing but rather from shame.

In contrast to Lin Chengfeng's unease, Qiu Heng remained composed. "I came to chat with you, Captain Lin."

"Oh, alright."

The two walked slowly forward, with Fang Zhou following silently behind.

When they reached an open grassy area, Qiu Heng stopped. "Captain Lin, let's sit here for a while."

Lin Chengfeng hesitated briefly before sitting down beside Qiu Heng.

On the green carpet of grass dotted with colorful wildflowers, the two sitting side by side looked like a perfect couple to onlookers.

In reality, however, Lin Chengfeng only felt awkward.

"Sixth Miss Qiu, yesterday... I caused you trouble. I am deeply grateful," Lin Chengfeng said after a moment of silence.

Qiu Heng got straight to the point. "Did you carve this wooden doll, Captain Lin?"

Lin Chengfeng glanced at the wooden doll in Qiu Heng's hand, as if his eyes had been burned by a spark.

After a pause, Qiu Heng finally received Lin Chengfeng's reply: "No."

This answer matched her speculation.

"I noticed this wooden doll is newly made. If you didn't carve it, where did it come from?"

Lin Chengfeng frowned deeply but remained silent.

"Today, I visited my sister in the palace," Qiu Heng said, watching Lin Chengfeng closely. "She told me she didn't give you this wooden doll."

"What?" Lin Chengfeng's expression changed dramatically.

He looked at the wooden doll again, no longer avoiding it, and took a deep breath. "Sixth Miss Qiu, are you telling me the truth?"

Qiu Heng smiled faintly. "Since I stepped forward yesterday, what would be the point of deceiving you now, Captain Lin?"

"Sorry, the news just caught me off guard. I lost my cool."

"That's not important. What's crucial is to figure out who gave this wooden doll to Captain Lin."

In the grass, the young woman's voice was as clear and cool as a spring, helping Lin Chengfeng calm down.

"This has to be Honored Consort Yu's doing!" Lin Chengfeng clenched his fist.

"Walk me through it, Captain Lin. It's obviously tied to Honored Consort Yu, but whether the doll was sent by someone close to her or by my sister's people makes a big difference."

If it was someone from Beauty Qiu's side, she had to find that person. Otherwise, with such a person lurking, it would be impossible to guard against.

Lin Chengfeng clearly grasped the critical point, his face turning ashen. "On the first day of the autumn hunt, I unexpectedly ran into He'er—Beauty Qiu. That evening, a palace maid secretly came to see me, claiming the wooden doll was a gift from Beauty Qiu. I... I couldn't resist and accepted it. Later, I realized there was no safe place to hide it, so I kept it on my person..."

As the youngest son in his family, after he and He'er were separated, he had refused all marriage proposals, and his parents hadn't pressured him. To him, He'er was his wife. Years of longing made it impossible to refuse her gift after seeing her again.

"They truly understand human nature deeply," Qiu Heng sighed. "With that, another question of mine is also answered."

"What question?"

Qiu Heng pointed to the doll's head. "I was wondering why it was styled with a maiden's hairstyle if it was carved to resemble my sister. Now I realize that if the doll had been depicted with a palace hairstyle and attire, Captain Lin might not have accepted it."

The cleverness of this wooden doll lay in its depiction of Beauty Qiu as a young maiden, striking Lin Chengfeng's vulnerable spot and overwhelming his reason.

Fortunately, this also created an opening. It was precisely this detail that gave her the opportunity to break the deadlock.