Chapter 142 Taking a Concubine

Chapter 142: Taking a Concubine

The tracker trailing them reported back, and Hu Si went to inform Xue Han: “Your Excellency, early this morning, Sixth Miss Qiu took Fang Zhou to the Prime Minister’s residence and did not leave until nearly noon.”

“The Prime Minister’s residence…” Xue Han’s eyes flickered. “Why did Sixth Miss Qiu go there?”

Gathering intelligence was Hu Si’s usual task, and he required no specific instructions to be thorough. Upon hearing Xue Han’s question, he wore a strange expression: “I heard that Sixth Miss Qiu went to burn incense at Lingwei Temple, ran into the Prime Minister’s principal wife, Madam Yang, and they had a verbal altercation. Fang Zhou ended up beating Nanny Su—the nanny attending Madam Yang.”

He couldn’t imagine the little girl who had caught fireflies during the autumn hunt being so fierce—and even wanted to meet her, to see whether the Fang Zhou he knew matched the one in the rumors.

“Then Madam Yang paid a visit, and the result was that Sixth Miss Qiu had to go to the Prime Minister’s residence daily to apply medicine to Nanny Su’s wounds.”

“Since when did she start going?”

“Four days ago.”

Four days ago—

Xue Han gestured for Hu Si to withdraw, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

That night four days ago, he had encountered the little thief—A Heng—on the street again.

The image of the girl’s pale ankle, marked with a green bruise, surfaced in his mind, and Xue Han let out a low sigh.

A Heng and the little thief were almost certainly the same person.

An ordinary mountain couple—her supposed parents—could never have raised a daughter with such exceptional martial prowess.

What faction stood behind A Heng? What was her purpose in visiting the Prime Minister’s residence?

Yet if A Heng were an enemy spy, why had she warned him to rescue the Crown Prince during the autumn hunt?

Was it to gain his trust for future schemes—or was there another reason?

Too many questions swirled in Xue Han’s mind.

He had felt the urge to confront her directly—but reason forbade him from indulging that impulse.

As Imperial City Commissioner, he had dealt with numerous spies; without torture, they remained tight-lipped. Anyone who admitted to being a spy at the first question wasn’t a spy—but a fool.

Questioning her would yield no answers—only alert the enemy.

Xue Han smiled bitterly.

A Heng had always been enigmatic to him, full of riddles. He was fond of her—but could not bring himself to fully trust her.

Tracing the character “Heng” on the tabletop with his finger, Xue Han fell into a long silence.

At the Prime Minister’s residence, the kitchen in Madam Yang’s courtyard had been busy without rest—but the savory dumplings sent to the Third Young Master for dinner were bitten once and then left untouched.

Hearing the maid’s report, Madam Yang’s face darkened.

From the side, Nanny Su suggested: “Madam, why not speak with the Dowager Lady of the Yongqing Earl’s residence and request that this maidservant be transferred to the Prime Minister’s residence? After all, Sixth Miss Qiu must obey her grandmother’s arrangements.”

In Nanny Su’s view, the Prime Minister’s residence requesting a mere maidservant from the Yongqing Earl’s residence was doing the latter a favor—the Dowager Lady would surely be grateful.

Madam Yang shook her head. “That won’t work.”

“Madam?”

“You’ve experienced it yourself. That maidservant, Fang Zhou, has a fiery temper. If we force her to leave her mistress and come here, who knows what might happen? It concerns Third Brother’s health—I won’t take that risk.”

Nanny Su forced a smile: “Madam remains the most considerate. Still, it will be inconvenient to make use of her.”

Madam Yang rubbed her temples, her voice soft but resolute: “It seems, if we want the maidservant—we’ll have to take the mistress too…”

The next day, Madam Yang went to pay respects to her mother-in-law, her face full of worry.

The Dowager Lady asked: “Has Third Brother’s health improved at all?”

Madam Yang sighed: “It shows no sign of improvement—and the weather is growing colder.”

Sick people always suffered more in winter—that was common knowledge.

The Dowager Lady’s face also clouded with concern: “This bout of illness is more severe than any before. Not to mention—if he eats little, even a robust constitution cannot endure.”

“True. But yesterday at lunch, Third Brother had a decent appetite.” Madam Yang recounted the matter of the pastries Fang Zhou had made. “Unfortunately, she is a maidservant from another household. I hear she has served Sixth Miss Qiu since childhood—they are inseparable.”

The Dowager Lady frowned: “I am old and do not inquire much about outside affairs—so I was unaware the Yongqing Earl’s residence has been so lively lately. How about this: have someone discreetly inquire about Sixth Miss Qiu’s birth date and time—her Eight Characters. If they do not clash with Third Brother’s, let the Prime Minister speak with the Yongqing Earl about it.”

As for the possibility of the Yongqing Earl refusing—the Dowager Lady deemed it impossible. In recent years, the Yongqing Earl had practically groveled before Chancellor Fang—he would surely leap at the chance to forge ties with the Prime Minister’s residence.

To obtain a woman’s birth details—the Eight Characters—the proper way was to send a matchmaker to the door. Yet the Dowager Lady intended to take a concubine to bring good fortune to her grandson. For an ordinary family, it would be simple—just ask outright. But for a high-status family, such directness would be inappropriate.

That was easy enough to handle—there were specialists outside who handled such matters, for a modest fee.

It did not take long before the Dowager Lady of the Prime Minister’s residence obtained Qiu Heng’s Eight Characters. Seeing no clash with her grandson’s, she spoke to Chancellor Fang.

“Take the Yongqing Earl’s granddaughter as a concubine for Third Brother?” Chancellor Fang looked surprised.

He had heard his wife mention taking a concubine to bring good fortune to their grandson—but assumed she would seek someone from a humble background, not a noble lady from an earl’s residence.

“That would be inappropriate—it could invite gossip.”

The Dowager Lady raised an eyebrow: “Are a few idle words more important than Third Brother’s health? Besides, who dares gossip openly before the Chancellor? As for whispers behind his back—we won’t hear them anyway.”

Chancellor Fang stroked his beard.

“It wouldn’t be an ordinary concubine—but a noble concubine. The Yongqing Earl has been fixated on inheriting the title, hasn’t he? Just offer him some sweeteners,” the Dowager Lady said with a curl of her lip. “The Chancellor deems it inappropriate to take a noble lady from an earl’s residence as a concubine—but for the Yongqing Earl, it may be a golden opportunity.”

Chancellor Fang had done many inappropriate things before—so he only mentioned it in passing. After hearing his wife’s words, he nodded—and soon arranged to meet the Yongqing Earl, subtly conveying his intentions.

The Yongqing Earl was overjoyed at first—but on the way home, he began to hesitate.

Exchanging one granddaughter for the earldom was a splendid deal—but why did it have to be the sixth girl!

Having the sixth girl become a concubine to the Prime Minister’s son was such a waste. If only it were another girl…

Returning to the earl’s residence, the Yongqing Earl grew increasingly regretful.

“Why is the Earl sighing? Did you run into trouble?” The Dowager Lady could not bear his bitter expression and asked, suppressing her disgust.

He would have to tell the old woman anyway. After a moment’s thought, the Yongqing Earl said: “Today, Chancellor Fang invited me for tea—and wishes to take the sixth girl as a concubine for his grandson.”

The Dowager Lady’s first reaction was disbelief: “Isn’t the only unmarried son in the Prime Minister’s residence the Fourth Master? Would he truly wish to form a marriage alliance with our house?”

The Yongqing Earl gave an awkward laugh: “It is not the Fourth Master—it is the Third Master.”

“The Third Master?” The Dowager Lady searched her memory. “Did the Third Master of the Prime Minister’s residence not marry two years ago? Our house even sent a generous gift.”

"Heh, not as a wife—he wants to take Sixth Girl as a noble concubine—"

"A concubine?" The old lady's face went pale, staring at Lord Yongqing in disbelief. "Lord, did you agree?"

"Madam, hear me out first—"

Upon hearing this, the old lady's vision went dark. She grabbed the teacup from the table and splashed it right in his face.

Author's Note

I have a fever and can hardly hold on. I need to take one to two days off. I'll resume updates once I'm better. My apologies.