Chapter 1 Undermining Hearts

A touch of coldness hung at the corner of her lips. Before Mother Xun could speak, Yu Qingwu raised her head again and asked, "By the way, Mother Xun, let me ask you something. Does my maternal grandmother's family still have any unmarried women? Are they all betrothed or not?"

Hearing this, Mother Xun was even more stunned. She frowned and pondered, "This old servant vaguely remembers that Qiu Shi's younger brother, the old Marquis Qiu, has six granddaughters in total, two嫡 (dí, from the legal wife) and four 庶 (shù, born of concubines). The eldest granddaughter has already married, and the other 嫡 granddaughter is said to be engaged. As for the four 庶 ones, they rarely show their faces, and this old servant has never seen them..."

"But... the youngest daughter, Qiu Shiyi Niang, born to old Marquis Qiu's second wife, is only sixteen this year and is very favored in the Qiu mansion. That Madam Qiu brings Shiyi Niang everywhere she can find nobles, trying to make her stand out. Now this Shiyi Niang is considered a talented woman of some renown in the capital, and many young masters have come to propose marriage, but so far, I haven't heard of any engagement."

Qiu Shiyi Niang...

A talented woman? Very good!

A glint flashed in her eyes. Yu Qingwu nodded and smiled at Mother Xun without batting an eye. "Alright, Mother, I understand. Please trouble you to invite Third Miss Shen."

Snowflakes fluttered down, and Mother Xun opened the door, letting in a gust of cold air.

Yu Qingwu leaned lightly against the chair, tapping her fingers gently on the table, and instructed the maid outside the room to prepare some tea and fruit.

When Shen Rou entered, several exquisitely made pastries had already been placed on the rosewood table in Qingning Courtyard.

These pastries had been brought out from Empress Zhou's palace when she went to the palace a few days ago.

With just one glance, Shen Rou saw the subtlety.

In an instant, the anger in her heart surged even higher. You should know, she rarely had the opportunity to meet the Empress, let alone eat a pastry made by the imperial chefs in the palace.

Looking again at the extremely conspicuous ruby hairpin in Yu Qingwu's hair, Shen Rou's eyes almost spat fire.

"Yu Qingwu, I order you to leave Crown Prince gege (older brother) immediately!"

Just like when she was a child, Shen Rou still had that superior attitude.

Her immature face was full of anger, and she analyzed presumptuously, "Yu Qingwu, someone of your status is simply not worthy of Crown Prince gege! Have you ever thought that once your past crime of killing someone is revealed, Crown Prince gege might not even be able to keep his position as heir."

Shen Rou maintained her posture. As she spoke, she took out a packet of silver from her sleeve and handed it to Yu Qingwu, with a face of charity. "I know that a merchant's daughter of your lowly origin can't understand these things at all, but if you really love Crown Prince gege, you should think of him. Take this silver and never appear in the capital again."

That kind of expression, that kind of arrogance, that kind of self-righteousness, was as if the words 'I'm smart' were written on her face.

It is said that the more foolish people are, the more they like to consider themselves clever. It really is true.

Yu Qingwu rested her cheek on her hand and leaned on the table, looking at Shen Rou with extreme ridicule. She couldn't help but laugh. "Shen Rou, do you think that if I leave, His Highness won't call off the engagement with you?"

Hearing this, Shen Rou's face turned red, and she was somewhat embarrassed and angry. She said angrily, "If you hadn't stirred things up, why would Crown Prince gege have called off the engagement with me for no reason?"

"That's really not it..." Yu Qingwu smiled lightly, picked up a piece of pastry, and handed it to Shen Rou. "It seems you're not very clear about the real reason why His Highness called off the engagement with you. Actually, it's... because of Qiu Jia's (Family) Shiyi Niang."

She sighed softly, her eyebrows and eyes filled with helplessness. "Actually, I originally persuaded His Highness a few times, after all, compared to Qiu Shiyi Niang, you and I are blood-related cousins, but His Highness disagreed, saying..."

"Saying what?" Just now, when she heard Qiu Shiyi Niang, Shen Rou had already felt lingering fear in her heart. Now, after hearing Yu Qingwu's words, her face became even more unsightly. She hurriedly asked, "What did Crown Prince gege say? Did... did that Qiu Shiyi Niang speak ill of me?"

As expected of a well-known fool, she took the bait?

Yu Qingwu sneered inwardly, raised her eyes to look at Shen Rou for a moment, gently grasped her hand, and said in a sympathetic tone, "Cousin, now I'm also a clay bodhisattva crossing a river, barely able to save myself. For the sake of my own future, let me tell you the truth. Actually, His Highness called off the engagement because... because of grandmother. She was afraid that after you became Crown Princess, you wouldn't be willing to take care of the Qiu family, so she thought of letting her little niece, Qiu Shiyi Niang, replace you. Saying... that Qiu Shiyi Niang is more intelligent and beautiful than you, and she shares the same surname as her. Moreover, that Qiu family can help His Highness more than the Duke's manor, so she made His Highness call off the engagement with you and instead seek to marry that Qiu Jia's Shiyi Niang."

"And in order to make that Shiyi Niang legitimate, she even specially found a reason that you are jinxing (cursed) your husband."

"You're talking nonsense! Grandmother wouldn't do that!" Before Yu Qingwu could finish speaking, Shen Rou interrupted sharply.

She angrily withdrew her hand and retorted angrily, "Yu Qingwu, don't even think about sowing discord between me and grandmother..."

"Cousin, whether I'm sowing discord or not, wouldn't it be clear if you go back and ask grandmother?"

"Didn't grandmother tell you that she wanted to sacrifice you for the sake of your two older brothers' future? Didn't she scold you for being stupid today? When you asked her the specific reason, did she only use the excuse that the Duke's manor had a handle in His Highness's hands and was threatened by His Highness to prevaricate you, but couldn't give a specific reason?"

The so-called killing with words, Shen Rou's face was already pale after Yu Qingwu finished speaking.

In those watery apricot eyes, there was disbelief and even more indignation.

Yu Qingwu curled her lips, staring at her sympathetically, and continued to fan the flames, "Also, grandmother hasn't subsidized the Qiu family any less on weekdays. If you don't believe it, you can ask your uncle to check the accounts. However, grandmother probably won't agree..."

Saying that, Yu Qingwu sighed again, reached out and grasped Shen Rou again, with a sympathetic tone, "Compared to the Qiu family, we are all outsiders in grandmother's eyes, and in the end, we are all just stepping stones for the Qiu family..."

A few gentle and soft words were like demonic sounds entering her ears.

"You're talking nonsense! Grandmother wouldn't! I'm grandmother's own granddaughter! How could grandmother help outsiders?"

Shen Rou's face turned green, and she loudly defended Qiu Shi.

However, she couldn't help but recall her grandmother's usual actions in her mind. Grandmother always said she was dull and always praised that Qiu Shiyi Niang. Moreover, when grandmother mentioned the annulment of the engagement today, she indeed didn't give a specific reason.

Could it be that grandmother really ruined her marriage for the sake of the Qiu family? Wanted to make her give way to that Qiu Shiyi Niang?

Glaring fiercely at Yu Qingwu, Shen Rou suddenly got up and strode out of Qingning Courtyard with red eyes.

Yu Qingwu stood in front of the window, watching Shen Rou leave, and then took down the support pole...

"Shijie (senior female apprentice), killing with words."

Bang, just as she was about to close it, a large hand suddenly pressed on the window.

Yu Qingwu was stunned and looked up at the person outside the window.

She saw a man in a dark python robe standing outside, his handsome face, those deep phoenix eyes staring at her quietly, the smile not reaching his eyes, with a bit of blame in his wicked voice, he snorted coldly, "Is it that gu (I, used by royalty) is not enough to make shijie trust me? So much so that you even drag that innocent Shiyi Niang into the water?"