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The shopkeeper in that shop was a confidant of Yu, and the staff members were also close to the shopkeeper. Dealing with them was quite tricky. However, this time sending them away was a win-win situation.

Old Lady Qu was unaware of the situation and believed that exchanging a pastry shop for the Yue’s Gold Pavilion was undoubtedly a great deal. Though it meant owing money to Madam Duan, she asked Qu Moying to raise more funds and promised to supplement her contribution to repay the debt quickly.

Madam Duan was currently a widow, which was a sad sight to witness.

The downfall of the once-prosperous Earl Ling’an’s Mansion was a stark reminder of life’s uncertainties. No one could have anticipated such a fate for the once-thriving Earl Ling’an’s Mansion.

“Yes, grandma, I’ll take care of it as soon as possible.” Qu Moying agreed.

Seeing Qu Moying’s compliance, Old Lady Qu sighed and mentioned the matter concerning Qu Qiuyan.

Ultimately, Qu Moying deserved an apology from Qu Qiuyan for her actions. However, given Qu Qiuyan’s current situation with Lord Jing behind her, it was uncertain whether she would listen to Old Lady Qu’s advice.

Moreover, Qu Qiuyan had suffered serious injuries this time. Old Lady Qu had seen her swollen arm, which looked quite frightening.

“Grandmother, I understand. Let’s leave the past behind. There’s no need to bring it up again.” Qu Moying gently interrupted Old Lady Qu.

Some actions couldn’t be undone with a simple apology, and Qu Moying didn’t wish to hear insincere apologies from Qu Qiuyan.

“Ying, I have put you through so much. As for the future… let’s not dwell on it for now.” Old Lady Qu sighed vaguely, refraining from further discussion about uncertain future prospects. She could only hope that her granddaughter, Ying, would have a better life ahead, and she wished the Lord Yun would show more compassion for his own granddaughter, though the possibility seemed remote due to his reputation of avoiding relationships with women.

“Grandmother, let’s focus on the present. Talking about the future now is futile. However, when I came here just now, I overheard something, and I’m not sure if I should share it.” Qu Moying softly interjected.

She didn’t want to burden Old Lady Qu with additional troubles.

“What is it?” Old Lady Qu asked, surprised.

Yu Dong stepped forward, bowed to Old Lady Qu, and expressed her anger: “Old Lady Qu, when we were on our way back to the mansion, we took our time, and lady decided to walk for a while. Unexpectedly, we heard some hurtful words. She was deeply upset.”

Qu Moying lowered her head and remained silent. She played with the veil in her hand, lightly pinching it and watching it slip from her fingers.

“They said… they said our lady is… is… the daughter of Minister Liu.” Yu Dong said.

Qu Moying’s face turned red, and she admonished in a low voice, “Yu Dong, don’t speak nonsense.”

“My lady, I am not making things up. Those people indeed said so just now.” Yu Dong said with a sense of grievance, looking at Old Lady Qu, “Old Lady, I really heard those words. Our young lady was present at the time, but she had her face veiled, so no one knew her identity. However, they still maliciously tarnished our young lady’s reputation.”

“Where did they say that?” Old Lady Qu asked sternly.

“It was in front of a tea house just outside our mansion. When I and the young lady were passing by, many people were discussing it. It was infuriating to listen to. I wanted to confront them, but the young lady stopped me!” Yu Dong said, still angered by the incident.

“Are they still there?” Old Lady Qu felt a pang of discomfort.

“Yes, just now when we returned, they were still there, and quite a few people were present.” Yu Dong pointed in a direction.

“Grandmother…” Qu Moying bit her lip.

“Ying, someone must be spreading false rumors to cause trouble. You go first, and I will discuss this matter with your father.” Old Lady Qu was angry, but she was also concerned that Qu Moying might misunderstand. After comforting Qu Moying for a few minutes, she sent her back.

Qu Moying didn’t insist and left the room.

This incident was quite unexpected. Qu Moying indeed accidentally overheard it, but considering the number of people gathered there, this malicious incident was likely to spread rapidly.

Qu Qiuyan acted swiftly!

There must be someone backing her up, and the most likely candidate was Yu’s family. However, what she was most concerned about was Qu Zhizhen’s stance. On that day at Yu’s place, Qu Zhizhen unhesitatingly defended his mother. But who was the woman who came out after the argument between Yu and Qu Zhizhen?

Qu Moying had a feeling that this woman was not ordinary and might have some connection with her mother.

In Qu Moying’s more than ten years of life, such a woman had never appeared before, but she was real and present. According to Yu, this woman had some influence, but Yu didn’t dare to elaborate. If this woman wanted to harm her mother, how could her mother, who had no relatives in the capital, resist?

This woman was one aspect, but Qu Qiuyan was also involved. Qu Qiuyan was currently leveraging the power of Lord Jing’s mansion. Although she was only a concubine there, it seemed that she had plans for further advancement.

Of course, Qu Moying couldn’t let Qu Qiuyan get what she wanted.

After Qu Moying left, Old Lady Qu immediately sent someone to find Qu Zhizhen. When he arrived, he saw his mother sitting with a gloomy expression, and he knew that something had happened.

Usually, Old Lady Qu had a mild temper and rarely showed dissatisfaction with him.

“Mother, what happened?” Qu Zhizhen asked.

“Just now, Ying heard people outside talking about the Yue family.” Old Lady Qu said angrily, “It’s been so many years since Yue passed away. You know what it was like when she was in the mansion. Now suddenly, people are criticizing her?”

Qu Zhizhen suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Mother, what are they saying about Yue?”

“They’re saying that Ying is the daughter of Minister Liu. Where did this come from?” Old Lady Qu slammed the table in frustration.

Qu Zhizhen’s expression immediately turned grim. “Is this rumor spreading outside?”

“Someone is spreading it, and Ying happened to hear it. What’s going on? Did you offend someone, or did Ying offend someone?” Old Lady Qu stared at Qu Zhizhen, demanding an answer.

“Mother, I need to investigate this matter. It seems that someone is targeting our family.” Qu Zhizhen replied evasively.

“Then hurry up and investigate. If this matter spreads, it will tarnish Ying’s reputation. The Yue rarely went out back then. Even if there were any matters, she always sought the approval of the mansion before leaving. So, how could there be a person like Minister Liu?” Old Lady Qu thought more and more angrily and sadly. She recalled Yue’s past, and grief overwhelmed her. “It has been so long since she passed away, yet they are still defaming her. Who could be behind this?”

“Mother, don’t be sad. I will go and investigate now. I will definitely find out the truth. I know what kind of person Yue was, and I am well aware that Ying is my daughter.” Qu Zhizhen said, nodding at Old Lady Qu to comfort her.

Observing Qu Zhizhen’s sincere appearance, Old Lady Qu felt he was being genuine. She nodded in response and wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, cautioning him, “You better investigate this thoroughly. Something seems suspicious. Could it be the doing of County Lady Jingyu? She doesn’t have any good intentions towards our Ying.”

Old Lady Qu’s words triggered a realization in his mind. He suddenly remembered the note Yu showed him. Where did that note come from? If it truly belonged to Yu, why didn’t she bring it up all these years? And why show it to him only after the passing of Yue?

However, if it wasn’t her own, and she couldn’t leave the house, the only way someone could see her would be to visit secretly as her children did.

Mingcheng has been in the house recently and didn’t visit yesterday. On the other hand, Qu Qiuyan met an outsider who happened to be Liu Jingyu.

Even though Liu Jingyu claimed to have visited as a well-wisher, she didn’t meet her daughter directly. What if she left something behind?

No doubt, Qu Zhizhen had indeed figured out the truth!

Of course, this was the direction Qu Moying wanted him to be suspicious of. By revealing this incident sooner, she could implicate Liu Jingyu in the matter.

“Mother, I understand.” Qu Zhizhen said with a gloomy face as he turned to leave. However, Old Lady Qu called him back, “The matter with Yue’s Golden Pavilion has been handled by Ying. She compensated for the pastry shop left by her mother. Now the shop belongs to someone else. You should know about it.”

“Mother, it’s up to you.” Qu Zhizhen replied indifferently, not concerned with such trivial matters. He nodded and left, determined to investigate who was behind all this – was it Yu acting alone or was someone else involved?

As Qu Zhizhen hurriedly left, Qu Qiuyan, who came to look for him, missed him by a hair’s breadth. Learning that her father had just left, Qu Qiuyan stomped her feet at the study’s entrance.

Though she heard her father was resting in the study, she came to see him. However, she was told that her grandmother had called him away. Qu Qiuyan didn’t want to meet Old Lady Qu, so she decided to wait here. But if her grandmother had summoned her father, it must be for an urgent matter, and he wouldn’t be away for long. Little did she expect he would leave the mansion entirely, leaving her waiting in vain.

“Lady, let’s go back. Your health isn’t good, and you need to rest.” Qing Ju advised, concerned about Qu Qiuyan’s pale complexion and the possibility of her fainting.

“Let’s go.” Qu Qiuyan indeed wasn’t feeling well. If she couldn’t find her father now, she could come back later. She was determined to find her father and share the whole incident with him.

This time, she would see how that Qu Moying would respond!

Even if it was because of Lord Jing, his father would not mistreat her. Although her status in Lord Jing’s Mansion was a little low, everything was possible in the future as long as Lord Jing thought highly of her.

But for Lord Jing to value her, herself wasn’t enough; she also needed financial resources. Originally, her mother had made preparations for her, but now everything had ended up in Qu Moying’s hands. This time, Qu Qiuyan would make Qu Moying suffer, physically and financially.

“Qing Ju, ask Fourth Lady about the pastry shop later!” Qu Qiuyan instructed Qing Ju as they walked away, with a victorious smirk on her face.

Qu Moying’s luck would not save her, as everything would end up being Qu Qiuyan’s in the end…