Chapter 251 Too Many Enemies

Chapter 251: A Few Too Many Enemies

Uncle Zhang stood up as soon as he saw Qiu Heng: "Sixth Miss, are you heading back?"

"Mm. Uncle Zhang, go rent a horse at the livery stable and have the horse pull the cart home. I'll walk ahead."

Uncle Zhang glanced at Xue Han beside Qiu Heng and nodded in agreement.

With Lord Xue accompanying her, the sixth young lady was even safer than riding in the carriage.

Though the snow showed no sign of stopping, it wasn't heavy. Walking toward the Yongqing Earl's Manor, Qiu Heng asked Xue Han, "What a coincidence today. Where were you headed?"

"I had nothing to do, just wandering around. I didn't expect to run into you."

"Wandering around?" Qiu Heng tilted her head up, slightly skeptical.

Seeing her doubt, Xue Han curled his lips into a faint smile: "I have no official duties now, and I'm alone. If I'm not wandering, I have nothing else to do."

When he left, he thought: A Heng is going to Prince Fu's manor today. Maybe I'll happen to meet her?

And he did, witnessing such a perilous scene.

Qiu Heng lightly kicked the accumulated snow on the path: "Then I must thank Lord Xue for being the hero who saved the beauty."

Suddenly, her hand was taken. Qiu Heng's steps slowed.

The young man's eyes were dark as ink, filled with amusement: "A Heng, every time I saved you before, you cursed me under your breath, didn't you?"

Qiu Heng: "..."

After a brief awkward moment, Qiu Heng composed herself: "This time, I truly thank you. Otherwise, I would have had to kill the spooked horse in full view of everyone."

Though the common folk wildly exaggerated that she could lift a tripod, the officials and nobility only considered it an embellished rumor, assuming she knew some flashy but useless martial arts.

That wasn't a bad thing for her.

With great deeds not yet accomplished, being seen as a major threat would hinder her plans.

"This hidden arrow today—I wonder if it was to test my skills or to take my life." Qiu Heng stopped joking and turned to serious matters.

"The situation is a bit chaotic right now; it's hard to judge. Finding the person who shot that arrow today is highly unlikely. Once I see you safely back to the manor, I'll go take another look."

Qiu Heng shook her head: "Since we didn't catch him at the time, searching now is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Now that the plan has failed, as you said, we should just sit tight and see what happens."

If this had happened before her trip to Western Jiang, she would have suspected Northern Qi spies or Honored Consort Yu. That one journey to Western Jiang thrust her into the spotlight, making her the focus of countless eyes—now, it's anyone's guess.

As they spoke, they arrived at the Yongqing Earl's Manor.

"I'm going in."

"I'll go with you to see the old madam."

Qiu Heng was caught off guard.

Go see your grandmother together?

"You were attacked in broad daylight, and I witnessed it. It's better to go explain to the old madam together, to avoid—"

"Avoid what?"

"To avoid her thinking I don't care about your safety, that I'm unreliable."

Qiu Heng looked at Xue Han as if she were seeing him for the first time, her eyes widening just a bit.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Qiu Heng smiled: "I thought you didn't care what others think."

"Your grandmother is not just 'others.'"

He didn't want any more obstacles on the way to marrying A Heng.

"Alright, if you insist." Qiu Heng's gaze swept over the horse blood stains on Xue Han's clothes, and she hated to think what expression her grandmother would have when she saw it.

In Qiansong Hall, the old madam was enjoying some snacks, feeling quite content.

Her youngest granddaughter was safe and sound, and that old thing was still locked away in prison. Thinking that for the New Year she wouldn't have to see that gloomy old face was truly gratifying.

A maid entered and announced: "Old Madam, the Sixth Young Lady has returned, along with Master Xue."

Master Xue?

The old madam paused, the snack in her hand: "Sixth Young Lady came back with Xue Han?"

"Yes."

What's going on? Didn't Sixth Girl go to Prince Fu's manor?

The old madam put down her snack, puzzled, wiped her mouth, and said, "Show them in."

She went to the main hall and had just sat down when Qiu Heng and Xue Han entered.

"Old Madam." Xue Han bowed politely.

The old madam studied the young man bowing before her.

Could it be that Sixth Girl had used visiting Prince Fu's manor as a pretext to rendezvous with Xue Han?

No need for that—she never stopped them from seeing each other.

Wait—

The old madam's gaze sharpened, and her expression suddenly changed: "Lord Xue, why do you have bloodstains on your clothes?"

Xue Han looked down, then explained, "This is horse blood."

"Horse blood? Where did the horse blood come from?"

Xue Han glanced at Qiu Heng and began recounting the incident with the spooked horse: "...I didn't expect the frightened horse to belong to the Count's manor, with A Heng in the carriage."

A hidden arrow? A spooked horse? A near crash?

As Xue Han narrated, the old madam's face kept changing color, finally leaving her holding her head, feeling dizzy.

Trouble once again!

"Heng'er!" The old madam said sharply.

Qiu Heng put on an innocent look: "Grandmother?"

The old lady paused.

She'd forgotten that every time she stirred up trouble, it was others who got hurt.

"You weren't scared, were you?" Remembering that Xue Han was still present, the old lady managed a few words of comfort.

"Oh... I was a bit nervous at the time, afraid I might smash into Vice Minister Cheng's carriage and cause trouble for the family."

The old lady's mouth twitched sharply.

If that had happened, people would probably have come to her door again, just like that time with the Prime Minister's wife.

But later, most of the people in the Prime Minister's residence were dead...

The old lady suddenly calmed down and showed a gentle smile to Xue Han: "Today's matter was all thanks to you, Official Xue. Have you had lunch yet? Please stay for a casual meal, so that this old woman can express her gratitude."

"You are too kind, Madam. Even if it were someone else's younger relative, I would have intervened in such a situation, let alone when it was A Heng."

The old lady's smile faded a little.

He calls her so familiarly—why doesn't he just send a matchmaker to propose?

"The matter of A Heng's street ambush has already been reported to the Jingtian Prefecture and the Imperial City Bureau. I will take my leave now to go ask if there's been any progress."

Xue Han took his leave. The old lady said a few polite words and instructed the senior maid Chun Cao: "See Official Xue out for me."

After Xue Han left, the old lady's face darkened: "Tell me, who did you offend that they would resort to such vicious means?"

Qiu Heng simply shook her head: "I can't think of anyone."

"Isn't there even a suspect?"

"Previously, when I was bathing in the hot spring, I was abducted by Northern Qi spies, but instead I exposed the Prince Chen's heir. I heard that Northern Qi paid a lot to redeem him... Western Jiang probably also hates me. There are also the officials and merchants who suffered losses due to the fall of the Treacherous Chancellor, and some ministers who advocated peace in the face of Western Jiang's invasion..." Qiu Heng looked troubled. "It's hard to say which side it is."

The old lady felt choked.

Great Xia, Northern Qi, Western Jiang—quite the collection.

"Go back to your room and rest." The old lady waved her hand, worn out in body and mind.

Word of Qiu Heng's ambush quickly reached Emperor Jingping.

"This County Princess Suiyun—why is she always in so much trouble?"

Although Emperor Jingping had released Qiu Heng from the Dali Temple prison, he was still dissatisfied. He wasn't very concerned about her ambush and said flatly, "Then investigate it thoroughly."

Sensing Emperor Jingping's attitude, both the Jingtian Prefecture and the Imperial City Bureau breathed a sigh of relief.

There was little hope of catching the villains; they were simply relieved not to incur His Majesty's wrath.

To Emperor Jingping, who was faced with internal and external troubles, Qiu Heng's ambush was merely a trivial matter. But little did he know that after a few days of word-of-mouth, the story had taken on a different twist among the capital's commoners.