Chapter 8 Acting Out the Empress Dowager's Goodwill
When Qiu Shuzhi returned home, Qiu Qiushuang was sitting in the main hall waiting for her.
Seeing the blood on her body, he was frightened and pale, nervously running to her side to examine her up and down.
He was mute and couldn't speak words of concern, but that anxiety and worry were impossible to conceal.
Qiu Shuzhi held his hand: "Cousin, don't worry, this isn't my blood."
Qiu Qiushuang gestured: "If it's not your blood, whose is it?"
"It's the Crown Prince's. His wound reopened and I bandaged it for him. The blood just dripped onto me." She answered truthfully.
Qiu Qiushuang was stunned, a hint of inexplicable hatred flashed quickly across his eyes before everything returned to normal.
"Take off your outer garment, I'll wash it for you," he gestured.
"No need, it's just a little blood, I can wash it myself," Qiu Shuzhi said while taking off her clothes.
But Qiu Qiushuang was very forceful, not letting her touch any of the rough work, let alone cold water and the like. In his eyes, Qiu Shuzhi's task was to study and become an official to revitalize the Qiu family. All other dirty and tiring work was what he should do. This made her feel grateful yet guilty, only wanting to earn money quickly to buy him a big house in the capital to repay his kindness.
He took her dirty clothes and went to the backyard to fetch water and wash them. Seeing that Qiu Shuzhi didn't follow, he lightly sniffed at the collar of her clothes. A faint cold fragrance mixed with a trace of rich sandalwood, which wasn't Qiu Shuzhi's usual body scent.
The clothes in his hands were tightly clenched.
Crown Prince, Yue Guanyi, you really are a lingering ghost!
Third year of Zhengde, April 1st
The imperial edict demoted the top scholar Qin Shu to Baiyue, putting an end to this shocking case.
On the day Qin Shu was sent out of the city, the Qin family's all-powerful matriarch Qin Zheng personally saw her off.
Qin Zheng had a daughter in her old age and doted on Qin Shu extremely. If it weren't for Qin Shu's actions causing such a stir throughout the city this time, she wouldn't have agreed to send Qin Shu to such a remote and harsh place.
"Shu'er, don't worry. This trip to Baiyue is just to clear your name of this crime. When you return, your position in the cabinet will still be yours," Qin Zheng said.
"Mother, that broken place is too far," Qin Shu said with a bitter face. She had told her mother that she didn't kill anyone, but Qin Zheng simply didn't believe her. There was nothing she could do; who told her to be so unruly before, often abusing young male attendants. Qin Zheng only thought she was trying to evade responsibility this time.
"It is far, but only by going to Baiyue to receive the surrender ceremony can you rightfully return to the capital. By then, not to mention the cabinet, even the position of Prime Minister will be yours."
Qin Shu was startled: "Mother!"
Qin Zheng smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkling, white hair at her temples: "I'm old now, and lack the strength for court affairs. When you return from this experience, I'll let you officially take over."
Even though Qin Shu had been spoiled rotten, she still had some self-awareness: "Mother, I'm afraid I'm not up to the task."
Qin Zheng shook her head: "If you were alone in court fighting single-handedly, I naturally wouldn't be at ease. But with your uncle in control in the palace, and my disciples in the court advising you, they will all help you soar. You needn't worry."
Qin Shu immediately felt relieved. With her mother standing behind her, and Qin Qing and the Qin family's disciples protecting her left and right, what did she have to fear? By the time she returned next, the entire Great Qi empire would be in her grasp.
Qin Shu set off on her journey. Although nominally exiled, she traveled by carriage, with no shortage of servants and guards. She even carried countless gold and silver with her. The spectacle looked less like exile and more like a noble lady going out for leisure.
The spies monitoring their every move relayed the news back to the palace. Yue Shen coldly snorted in her heart.
This mother-daughter pair from the Qin family, just sent into exile, were already plotting how to seize her empire.
Did they really think she was still that young, ignorant orphan girl with no support?
A hint of viciousness flashed in her eyes. She was the emperor of Great Qi. If they treated her like a soft persimmon they could squeeze at will, then she would make sure Qin Shu had no way back, completely severing the roots of the Qin family.
In Qingning Palace, Qin Qing held a copy of "The Book of History", picking up a red cherry and putting it in his mouth. The full juice burst open in his mouth, sweet throughout.
"Has Qin Shu set off yet?" Qin Qing asked lazily.
Yu Ye replied: "In response to the Empress Dowager, she has already set off."
"Have guards been sent to accompany her?"
Psst...To early access to the full novel,
And for many other gripping stories where women rule (female-dominant, matriarchal novels), just Google '[novel title] + yuushil' or simply visit yuushil<.>com