Lord Qiu ignored his aggressive younger son and said to Zhan Feiyu in a deep voice, "The one who swapped the swaddling clothes was Qiu Wenlan, but unfortunately, she poisoned herself to death. As for Qiu Tai and his wife, they knew nothing about it."
The third branch had always been resentful of the嫡支 (direct lineage) occupying the position of family head. For decades, they had been coveting it and itching to make a move. Especially after Qiu Tai took charge, in addition to the young genius Qiu Jinyu, the third branch also produced three scholars, and the third branch was increasingly showing a tendency to replace the嫡支.
Although Lord Qiu, a cousin, was the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Qianzhong Circuit, in terms of the next generation, the嫡支 lineage was slightly inferior.
Qiu Bingde was already a fifth-rank official, but whether it was in his studies or his subsequent official career, Qiu Bingde's ability could only be considered average. His second son, Qiu Wangshu, disliked studying, was skilled at chess, and appreciated elegance, possessing a bit of Qiu Zongxi's carefree and detached demeanor.
The most useless was his third son, Qiu Huaixin, who was intelligent but somewhat eccentric. More importantly, he also disliked studying. He had been pampered by Lord Qiu and Madam Qiu since childhood, and now it was truly a case of "easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature."
Fortunately, the Qiu family's tradition and rules were in place, so Qiu Huaixin dared not act out of line and would not cause any catastrophic disaster for the Qiu family.
"Although Qiu Wenlan returned to the clan that year, she still managed the household affairs in the third branch. Qiu Feng also changed his surname. If Qiu Wenlan dared to swap her own nephew, she must have had some ulterior motive," Zhan Feiyu's information came from the Forbidden Dragon Guard, and she knew no less about the inside story than Lord Qiu.
At this moment, Lord Qiu mentioning this matter meant he did not treat Zhan Feiyu as an outsider, but it was also a test. "Although I dislike the third branch, Qiu Zongshao only had one son and one daughter. The remaining three sons were adopted, and in his early years, he even trained Qiu Wenlan as a son."
If Qiu Wenlan resented her maternal family, then her act of revenge by swapping her own nephew, the father's own grandson, could be considered reasonable.
However, Qiu Wenlan had absolute authority in the Qiu family, both before her marriage and after returning to the clan. In this case, her action of using barbarians to swap her nephew was debatable. What was the underlying reason for this incident?
"It's a pity she's dead," Zhan Feiyu regretfully chimed in. Whether she poisoned herself or was silenced, it could no longer be verified.
Hearing about the past of the third branch, Qiu Bingde and Qiu Huaixin felt a bit wistful. The once arrogant and triumphant third branch was defeated by a young girl like Zhan Feiyu. Who could have imagined this?
With three scholars in one family, plus the prodigy Qiu Jinyu, the third branch's actions back then were as arrogant as they could be, as overbearing as they could be, more like the嫡支 than the嫡支.
Qiu Bingde was steady and generous in his dealings with people. Moreover, he was much older than Qiu Jinyu. By the time Qiu Jinyu took the imperial examinations, Qiu Bingde had already been appointed as an official. Therefore, no matter how arrogant the people of the third branch were, they could not reach Qiu Bingde.
As for Qiu Wangshu, he associated with scholars and elegant people. Although his friends were somewhat unrestrained, they were not hypocrites who flattered the powerful and looked down on the weak. Furthermore, Qiu Wangshu often went sightseeing with a group of friends, so the impact was not significant.
Only Qiu Huaixin, who was not good at studying, was often compared to his cousin Qiu Jinyu. Moreover, he was eccentric and had a bad temper, so he would cause trouble from time to time.
Qiu Huaixin detested the hypocrites of the third branch the most. However, their actions were meticulous and watertight. They either made veiled insinuations or used subtle attacks, provoking people without leaving any handle. Qiu Huaixin was so angry that he wished he could burn down the third branch.
It was thanks to the third branch that Qiu Huaixin did not cause trouble. Having been tricked and deceived by the third branch many times, Qiu Huaixin gradually became smarter and no longer acted rashly and angrily at the slightest provocation.
This was also why Lord Qiu had never taken action against the third branch. With the third branch as a lurking opponent, Qiu Bingde and the others dared not slacken their efforts at all.
"Did you find any clues, my lord?" Zhan Feiyu asked directly.
The influence of the old master could be so deeply entrenched and last for twenty to thirty years, which meant it was either related to the imperial court or to foreign tribes, or perhaps a combination of both. Ordinary noble families did not have such great capabilities, especially to evade the eyes and ears of the Forbidden Dragon Guard.
Lord Qiu stroked his beard and sighed, "Thanks to His Majesty's trust, the matter of the third branch was handled by me personally..."
Not only the major cases in Qianzhong Circuit, but also some matters in neighboring prefectures, all led to the third branch where the clues were broken. Qiu Tai truly did not know that his only son, Qiu Jinyu, was a barbarian, nor did he know that his son was swapped by his most trusted elder sister, Qiu Wenlan.
However, Qiu Tai had indeed interacted with barbarians over the years. On the surface, it was just turning a blind eye and facilitating minor matters. Even if investigated, it would not be a major issue.
Unfortunately, Qiu Tai did not know that these minor matters, when pieced together, could stir up a storm. The major merchants that Qiu Tai protected were ostensibly using Qiu Tai's name to avoid exploitation by other officials, and every year these merchants would offer a large sum of money as a fee for protection.
However, after meticulous investigation, Lord Qiu discovered that some of these merchants had business dealings with foreign tribes, and some had connections with certain officials in the imperial court. This network was too vast, involving too many people and matters, and it took Lord Qiu a long time to uncover the truth.
After listening to Lord Qiu's words, Zhan Feiyu could not help but sigh, "So Qiu Tai was just a scapegoat."
The imperial court had investigated, but the clues were all broken at the third branch of the Qiu family. All the crimes that could be found were committed by members of the third branch. And the third branch, in order to seize the position of family head, lowered their guard, thus being used as a scapegoat without even realizing it.
Zhan Feiyu glanced at Lord Qiu, who was holding a teacup and drinking tea. She thought Lord Qiu was not being honest. Perhaps Lord Qiu did not know that the third branch's affairs would have such deep and far-reaching implications, but Lord Qiu definitely knew that the third branch had committed offenses.
However, Lord Qiu not only did not investigate thoroughly but also tacitly allowed and indulged them, probably waiting for an opportunity to take down the third branch in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. What was originally an internal struggle between the third branch and the嫡支 of the Qiu family, a domestic affair, eventually turned into a major case of colluding with barbarians and treason.
To see through but not expose is the mark of a true gentleman! Zhan Feiyu narrowed her eyes, smiled, and picked up her sour plum soup to drink. She was sure that Lord Qiu must be regretting it immensely.
If he had known that the third branch was so foolish, Lord Qiu would have dealt with them long ago. Fortunately, His Majesty trusted him, otherwise, the Qiu family would have been dragged down and completely ruined by the third branch this time.
Seeing the "schadenfreude" expression on the young girl's face, Lord Qiu was not angry. Instead, he fully displayed his character of leading others into a trap to the end. "Little Yu, you are new here, and Qianzhong Prefecture is not peaceful. It is inevitable that the remnants will retaliate. I will have Huaixin accompany you for the next few days, as a gesture of hospitality from me."
What? Zhan Feiyu and Qiu Huaixin were equally shocked. They looked at each other, their expressions of disdain undisguised.
Zhan Feiyu quickly put down her cup, straightened her body, and said, "My lord, I plan to study diligently in the別院 (separate residence) these few days and will not be going out. So, there is no need to trouble the third young master."
Given Qiu Huaixin's temper, Zhan Feiyu, as a guest visiting today, naturally could not argue with the host. Therefore, Zhan Feiyu magnanimously decided not to make an issue of it.
But if she let Qiu Huaixin follow her, Zhan Feiyu was truly worried that she might lose her temper and beat him up...
"Father, second brother has probably received the letter and will be returning home in the next few days. Why don't you let second brother entertain Miss Zhan!" Qiu Huaixin almost gritted his teeth as he spoke.
Zhan Feiyu maintained the demeanor of a scholar, but in reality? She associated with scoundrels like Jiao Lianping, helped him to mock Gui Zhang, and even took fifty thousand taels of silver from the Jiao family. Truly a country girl, shallow and greedy for money! Jiao Lianyu's courtesy name was Gui Zhang.
Zhan Feiyu nodded in agreement. She, this terrible chess player, would rather learn chess from the second young master.
"Let Wangshu entertain Little Yu when he returns. Huaixin, you should restrain your temper for the next few days and don't forget that you are already of age." Lord Qiu looked at Qiu Huaixin with a half-smile before he could retort, successfully making Qiu Huaixin dare not be presumptuous.
After Zhan Feiyu visited Old Madam Qiu and Madam Qiu in the back courtyard, and after the noon banquet, when she left, it was already two hours later. Accompanying her was a dejected Qiu Huaixin.
He Nuan looked at Qiu Huaixin, who was riding ahead, through the curtain. "Miss, isn't Lord Qiu worried that the third young master will shirk his responsibility?"
After all, in front of Lord Qiu at the Qiu residence, the third young master of the Qiu family dared to talk back to Miss. To let him play the host? He Nuan felt that Qiu Huaixin would probably slip away upon reaching the別院.
"To prevent those who want to assassinate me from framing the Qiu family, and also to temper the third young master's personality," Zhan Feiyu had not forgotten that the third branch of the Qiu family being investigated was the trigger, and Lord Qiu was somewhat affected by this matter.
Now that Lord Qiu was showing goodwill, at least no one dared to assassinate her under the guise of the Qiu family. As for Qiu Huaixin's friendship with Jiao Lianyu, Lord Qiu was probably using her to help him regain his senses.