Chapter 8
The woodshed was in the most remote corner. In the dark, Qu Moying told Yu Chun to bring some cake and came to the woodshed with a lantern.
Granny Miao who came back with her was locked there.
Yesterday, Yu locked Granny Miao in the woodshed with the excuse that Granny Miao offended her.
Granny Miao wasn’t a servant of the family. She was rescued by Qu Moying in the village several years ago. At that time, she blacked out at the entrance of the village because of starvation. Qu Moying asked the head of the village to rescue her and intended to send her away with money and food.
After Granny Miao came to her senses, she was very grateful. Besides, she was alone, so she stayed in the village to serve Qu Moying.
She had been serving Qu Moying for several years. She treated Qu Moying heart and soul and was the most reliable person for Qu Moying.
Unexpectedly, when they just returned, Yu locked Granny Miao with an unwarranted reason. Qu Moying intended to plead with the Old Lady tomorrow, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
The woodshed was locked, and no one was at the door.
“Granny Miao, are you there?” Qu Moying walked to the door and asked quietly.
“Yes… My Lady, I’m here!” Granny Miao answered in a low voice in the woodshed. She didn’t sound energetic. Yu was so evil that she must have starved Granny Miao by forbidding others to bring her food.
“Granny Miao, I’m here to rescue you!” Qu Moying walked closer, only to find the door was unlocked and the lock was just hung on the knocker. She put down the knocker, removed the lock, and opened the door.
Yu Chun walked forward with the lantern.
“My Lady!” Granny Miao walked out. Having been starved for a whole day, she was listless. But when she saw Qu Moying, a kind and concerned smile appeared on her gaunt face, “Do the Old Lady and the Second Madam know that you come here?”
“No… they don’t.” Yu Chun felt scared and glanced at Qu Moying subconsciously. Finding Qu Moying looked composed, she didn’t feel scared anymore for no reason and calmed down.
“Granny Miao, please have some cake!” Qu Moying told Yu Chun to bring the food basket and pass it to Granny Miao.
Yu was so vicious that she wouldn’t give Granny Miao any food.
Granny Miao was so hungry that she picked up a piece of cake and devoured it. After eating it, she wiped her mouth corners with a handkerchief and asked worriedly, “My Lady, is there something wrong?”
She was locked here, and the window didn’t face Qu Moying’s yard. She didn’t know a fire broke out there.
“The Third Lady’s servant girl wanted to burn our lady.” Yu Chun answered angrily.
“My Lady, I had told you to beware of the Second Madam and her daughter before you returned. Did you get hurt?” Granny Miao asked hurriedly and reached out her hand to feel the pulse of Qu Moying.
No one would expect that a starving old lady actually came from a tribe of the Northern Qi and was skilled in medicine. Besides, she was good at identifying medical herbs and could produce medicinal powder of different functions in a secret way. Qu Moying couldn’t see clearly, but she had a good nose and was skillful at identifying medical herbs. Even Granny Miao didn’t expect Qu Moying would learn it so well.
“Granny, don’t worry. I’m fine. The servant girl trying to burn me would be sold with her family!” Qu Moying shook her head, “Granny, come with me.”
“My Lady, where shall we go?” Granny Miao asked confusedly.
“Let’s go to see my grandmother. Tell her you didn’t offend Yu and it was Yu that wronged you deliberately!” Qu Moying analyzed calmly, “My grandmother might not believe it before, but now she will.”
Qu Moying didn’t get to the bottom of what Qing He did, but it was easy for others to understand a servant girl would never dare to frame and even burn her master without being instigated.
The Old Lady thought Yu was the most suspicious. Though she didn’t investigate it further, it was sure that her heart was stabbed with a thorn.
When a proper chance came, the thorn might be fatal.
Qu Moying thought she could take advantage of the chance to plead with the Old Lady to free Granny Miao and entice Yu and her daughter Qu Qiuyan here.
Yu and the daughter wanted to kill Qu Moying, so she decided to set a trap first…
“My Lady, the Second Madam won’t admit it.” Granny Miao said worriedly. She was not afraid to be locked. Instead, she was afraid her lady would be involved.
“She will agree to free you and ask Qu Qiuyan to explain why her servant girl set the fire!” Qu Moying’s eyes looked deep and quiet. She held up her white and tender hand, waved, and then walked out slowly while saying meaningfully, “Granny Miao, I have used the medicinal powder you prepared for me last time!”
“My Lady, you use it now?” Granny Miao was surprised.
Granny Miao thought her lady was so timid and would never use it. She used to consider how to persuade her to protect herself with it.
The mixture of several medicinal powders could be more than a treatment solution. The way tribes in the Northern Qi used them was different from that in the Central Plains.
“Now that they want to kill me, I will fight to the end! It is a perfect opportunity!” Qu Moying said casually. Her slim figure looked strangely cold in the dark.
“My Lady, you are right!” Granny Miao nodded repeatedly. Fair enough. When she prepared the medicinal powder, she persuaded Qu Moying in the same way. But the latter didn’t listen. Fortunately, she woke up to the reality.
It seemed that the fire woke Qu Moying up. Good. Very good.
They walked forward and didn’t notice a tall person standing in the shadow of the winding corridor and looking at them go further. He narrowed his aggressive eyes and looked noble and cold.
The girl’s face was covered with a veil, but she didn’t seem to be blind because she would walk independently. He could not see her appearance clearly, but he could feel she was beautiful and not as ugly as she was rumored.
She kicked the servant without hesitation and acted decisively. It appeared that she even dared to kill people and set fire to houses without blinking her eyes.
She was completely qualified!
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince’s Mansion is on fire!” A guard said while pointing at the red firelight in the east.
The red firelight was larger than that in the Mansion of Vice Minister Qu…
Granny Miao didn’t matter a lot. The Old Lady hated Yu very much. Qing He was instigated by either Yu or Qu Qiuyan. Though Qing He was Qu Qiuyan’s servant girl, the Old Lady thought Yu was more suspicious.
Therefore, she agreed to free Granny Miao instantly.
“Old Lady… a fire… a fire broke out…” A senior housemaid ran in hurriedly and stammered.
“Where is the fire? Bring Yu here. How does she manage the mansion?” Things happened one after another. The Old Lady became furious and put her cup heavily on the table. She thought mansion was on fire again.
The housemaid wanted to explain. But seeing Granny Wu behind the Old Lady winking at her, she didn’t dare to say more and retreated hurriedly.
Qu Moying curled her lips silently. She intended to ask the Old Lady to bring them here with the excuse of Granny Miao. The unexpected event made things easier.