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Her entire body trembled with anxiety, her beautiful complexion turned pale, and her eyes were slightly reddened with faint tear streaks.

It evoked a sense of pity in those who witnessed it.

“Grandfather, I disagree!” After entering, she faced Duke Qi and bit her lip forcefully, suppressing the anguish in her eyes. She paid her respects to Pei Yusheng and then to Duke Qi, “Grandfather, why must it be like this? This matter clearly concerns Third Lady Qu, why should it be pushed onto me?”

Qu Qiuyan was escorted out, and many people witnessed it, sparking discussions. The previous events hadn’t been fully explained, and now new incidents arose. If, at this moment, Liu Jingyu went to show any hint of remorse, everyone would link her to all the unfavorable incidents, reinforcing some of the rumors about her.

Qu Qiuyan went out safely and then fainted inexplicably. She was carried back to the Qu Mansion. Although no one dared to talk about the sachet in public, there were many people who suspected her in private. If she showed weakness now, she would look even more guilty.

Even without direct accusations, her reputation would suffer greatly.

Liu Jingyu couldn’t understand what had come over her grandfather. Although he didn’t dote on her as much as her grandmother did, he had always treated her well in the past. He always had her best interests at heart, and she was sincerely grateful that he had entrusted her with the title of county lady. She had silently vowed to treat her grandfather well in return.

But what was happening now? How could her grandfather act this way?

Was it all because of that blind woman from the Qu Mansion? How could her grandfather push her aside, especially at such a crucial moment? Didn’t he realize it?

“County Lady, does this matter truly have nothing to do with you?” Pei Yusheng looked at her and coldly retorted.

Although Liu Jingyu’s appearance was striking, and she was quite beautiful, Qu Qiuyan was no less attractive. Moreover, Qu Qiuyan was not Pei Yusheng’s type, or else they would have established their relationship years ago.

The pitiful woman before him wasn’t the one he held in his heart. Moreover, Pei Yusheng had come here out of anger, and he felt little sympathy for Liu Jingyu.

His anger wasn’t directed at defending Qu Qiuyan, but rather to protect his own interests. By trampling on him, they were giving face to the crown prince, which greatly infuriated him.

“This matter originally had nothing to do with me. I merely learned about certain things but, at that time, I was in a rush to return home and deliver medicinal herbs to my mother. I didn’t pay much attention to it. When I came back, I heard about the incident and recalled Third Lady Qu’s matter. I intentionally sent someone to summon her for questioning. Then, my grandmother and Forth Lady Qu arrived. As Third Lady Qu listened, she suddenly fainted.”

Liu Jingyu’s eyes grew increasingly red. After finishing her words, she bit her lip forcefully, causing her cherry lips to lose color and reveal white teeth marks.

With innocent eyes, she looked at Pei Yusheng, her thoughts unspoken.

Although Pei Yusheng didn’t care about Liu Jinyu, seeing such a beautiful woman looking at him in this pitiful way, he had never seen Liu Jinyu like this before. In the past, Liu Jinyu always carried an air of superiority in front of others, which he neither disliked nor liked very much.

But now, she had a resemblance to Qu Qiuyan’s demeanor, which gave her a touch of elegance.

Her eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at Pei Yusheng, waiting for him to speak.

“Let’s consider this matter settled, please excuse me, my lord.” Pei Yusheng said, finally remaining firm. He bowed to Duke Qi and turned to leave.

“Your Highness…” Liu Jinyu wanted to call him back, but he had already walked away, leaving her with no choice but to turn to Duke Qi. “Grandfather…”

“Let it be, I will prepare a gift for you. We’ll say you’re going to visit the sick. The third Lady Qu still hasn’t woken up, and we don’t know if there’s anything wrong. I’ve heard that even two imperial physicians have gone there, but to no avail. It’s a good opportunity for you to go and see.”

Duke Qi waved his hand, cutting off her words, his expression indifferent.

“Grandfather, you… you can’t treat me like this.” Liu Jinyu couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. They streamed down her face as she sobbed.

Even if they claimed she was going to visit the sick, it was just a cover-up. The Qu family would surely spread the truth of this matter.

“Enough, let’s end this matter here! Jingyu, your status is different from ordinary people. You need to act more appropriately at this time. As for what happened before…” Duke Qi’s face grew even darker as he spoke. He looked at her with a tinge of disappointment. “Regarding today’s incident, whether you were involved or not, you know it yourself. The paper in the study is also missing a few sheets. I heard you wrote something today.”

Having said that, Duke Qi shook his head, as if trying to shake off his negative thoughts. He sighed heavily. “Jingyu, tell your grandfather, did you do it intentionally?”

“Grandfather, I… I didn’t!” Liu Jinyu couldn’t dare to tell the truth at this moment. She stubbornly insisted while crying.

Duke Qi stopped asking further questions. He took a deep look at her and turned around to leave with long strides.

Maybe he was overthinking it. Although his granddaughter was involved, it was likely for dealing with the Third Lady Qu. After all, she had no connection with the Forth Lady Qu. Given her temperament, she didn’t seem like someone who would bully a weak young lady like that.

This was the most reasonable explanation; otherwise, today’s events couldn’t be explained.

However, despite that, Duke Qi still insisted that his granddaughter make amends to the Qu family.

No matter what she had to apologize for, she just had to apologize!

Debts always needed to be repaid, right?

Some things seemed destined to happen. Otherwise, how could his granddaughter end up involved with Forth Lady Qu?

Liu Jinyu glared angrily at the retreating figure of Duke Qi, her eyes filled with resentment, her teeth clenched tightly.

Before this, she genuinely regarded her grandfather as her closest person. But now, that was no longer the case. This grandfather had become possessed and was no longer the same person he used to be.

“County Lady.” the maid timidly called out.

“Let’s go home.” Liu Jinyu said coldly, tightly gripping her fist. Even without her grandfather, she still had her mother. Her mother would surely help her.

Compared to her grandfather and grandmother, her mother was the only person she truly felt close to. Everyone else wasn’t good, including her father…

“Father, this matter really has little to do with me. But now, Grandfather has placed the blame on me. What should I do?” In Minister Liu’s study, Liu Jinyu cried, her tears falling like pearls, her voice choked with sobs.

She had just come out of her mother’s courtyard and went straight to Minister Liu’s residence.

“Your grandfather asked you to go to the Qu Mansion to apologize?” Minister Liu put down the pen in his hand and asked his daughter.

He was an extraordinary middle-aged man, even in his older age, his youthful charm and elegance were still apparent. His handsome features exuded a refined and scholarly demeanor. At first glance, he left a favorable impression on people.

Having held the position of Minister for many years, his stature was remarkable. Among the six ministers, he was the youngest, and the court officials believed that he had the greatest potential to be promoted to a higher position. His future was limitless.

“Yes, grandfather said so. Father… I… what should I do? If the Crown Prince misunderstands, what will happen?” Liu Jingyu sobbed, speaking clearly.

Mother had advised her to steer the conversation towards the Crown Prince’s favor.

Minister Liu frowned, realizing the complexity of the situation. While her grandfather’s words seemed unreasonable, their relationship over the years made him believe that there must be a different interpretation to his daughter’s words. If one considered fairness, her own father-in-law was the epitome of impartiality, to the point of being obsessively just, even at the cost of sacrificing loved ones.

Was it truly her fault in this matter?

“Are you sure this matter has nothing to do with you?” Minister Liu asked again.

“Father, I truly got unintentionally involved. I only found out that Lady Qu intended to harm someone with a sachet. I threw the sachet into the neighboring flower hall and didn’t have time to explain further before returning home. Don’t you also know about my return?” Liu Jingyu wiped her tears, her words pleading.

This incident couldn’t remain hidden. Her mother had advised her to address it delicately, knowing her father’s uncompromising nature. He might indeed seek information from her grandfather.

Minister Liu fell silent for a moment. He was already aware of the situation. Coincidentally, when he returned home, he saw Liu Jingyu entering right after him, and they had a conversation together.

Upon closer examination, Liu Jingyu’s account seemed plausible.

However, her father-in-law’s words couldn’t be dismissed as false. Jingyu must had made a mistake. If she had informed her mother-in-law about the incident at that time, it would have prevented further consequences.

This matter had become significant, involving the Crown Prince’s Mansion and the Lord Jing Mansion. It was not a trivial issue. Moreover, he heard that Third Lady Qu remained unconscious, and it was Lord Jing who intervened. After all, she had already been designated as Lord Jing’s concubine. The decree had been issued.

His intervention in this matter was now justified.

When news reached Minister Liu from the palace, he didn’t pay much attention. Qu Zhizhen was his subordinate, and he was well aware that Third Lady Qu had hopes of becoming Lord Jing’s consort. But now, she had become a low-ranking concubine whose position was unclear. The term “concubine” was merely an external label, and her status was far inferior to that of a consort.

In the royal household, only the first and second wife held true authority. The concubines had a place, but they were usually daughters of concubine-born mothers or daughters of fifth or sixth-ranked officials. Compared to the legitimate daughters of ministers, their status was lower. Minister Liu couldn’t fathom Qu Zhizhen’s reasoning when he agreed to this arrangement.

Now, he realized that this matter was related to his own daughter.

“Father …” Liu Jingyu was still begging. Her mother had said that as long as she begged successfully, her father would definitely help her. However, in the next moment, her face stiffened.

Minister Liu stood up and said, “Prepare the gifts. I will go with you.”