Chapter 440 - Chapter 440 Your Daughter Stole Little Yue’s Marriage Back Then

Chapter 440 Your Daughter Stole Little Yue’s Marriage Back Then

“What? Blaming everything on the Qu Mansion?” Duke Qi angrily kicked the table in front of him, his face turning pale.

Duchess Qi was taken aback, her eyes welling up with tears. In all these years, Duke Qi had never shouted at her like this. Although he had a volatile temper, it was always directed at others. Duchess Qi had been living a good life all these years, except for the early days when there was another concubine, there were no other concubines in the mansion.

She never expected Duke Qi to yell at her like this now.

“I… What can I do? Jingyu is about to marry into the Eastern Palace. We can’t afford any flaws at this time. Besides, she brought up this matter to me herself. She truly dislikes that Third Lady Qu, so she wanted to see what kind of tricks she’s up to. She never expected her to be so malicious. It’s all because of Third Lady Qu’s bad character. Others shouldn’t be blamed.”

Duchess Qi said, wiping away her tears.

“But you can’t solely blame the Qu Mansion. This matter has nothing to do with Forth Lady Qu, does it? She is innocent. Why should she be implicated? If this continues, it might even bring up her broken engagement from before.”

Duke Qi angrily interjected.

“Forth Lady Qu is a good person. I mentioned it before. But we need to clarify the matter involving Third Lady Qu. We must ensure Jingyu’s innocence. If it means temporarily mistreating Forth Lady Qu, I will apologize to her later. In fact, it was their sisters’ feud. Their family matters shouldn’t have been brought to our mansion, causing harm to Jingyu.”

Duchess Qi responded unhappily.

Although she felt a connection with Qu Moying, it was only a connection. Compared to her beloved granddaughter, Qu Moying was still a outsider.

Even if it meant slightly mistreating Forth Lady Qu, Duchess Qi didn’t think it was a big issue.

Her granddaughter was about to become the Crown Princess. Whether it was her or her granddaughter compensating Forth Lady Qu, arranging a good marriage for her, it could be resolved easily. Even if her reputation was slightly tarnished now, what difference would it make?

“You… How dare you…” Duke Qi was speechless with anger, pointing his finger at Duchess Qi.

“My lord, I understand that this situation is inappropriate, but what can we do now? We have to acknowledge Third Lady Qu’s involvement. Jingyu cannot have any blemishes on her reputation.” Duchess Qi continued to explain.

But Duke Qi couldn’t bear to listen any longer. His voice trembled with an indescribable emotion. “In the past, your daughter stole Little Yue’s marriage, and now, your granddaughter is causing harm to her daughter. Don’t you feel any guilt?”

“My lord, I indeed have a connection with Little Yue, but no matter how wonderful she may be, she is still someone else’s daughter. I cannot disregard my own flesh and blood to prioritize someone else’s daughter, can I? Besides, I was unaware of the truth initially. Wasn’t it upon your daughter’s request that I sought this marriage alliance for her? It was only later that I discovered it was the Yue Family from the South that was originally intended for her.”

The Duchess Qi retorted with dissatisfaction.

Even she learned about this matter much later. She was actually unwilling to have her daughter marry a man without a strong background. However, by the time she found out, the marriage had already been arranged. She couldn’t oppose it even if she wanted to. As a result, the Duchess Qi had harbored resentment towards her daughter for many years. Whenever the matter was brought up over the years, it filled her with anger.

As for the marriage alliance between the Liu family and the Yue family, she also came to know of it later. This further fueled her resentment towards Duke Qi, as she couldn’t fathom why her daughter couldn’t find a suitable husband without resorting to competing for the affection of someone favored by the Yue family.

Although the Yue family held significant status in the South, they were relatively lacking in influence within the capital.

Duke Qi’s face turned red as he was refuted by Duchess Qi. He was unable to utter a single word, feeling as if something inside him had shattered, leaving him with mixed emotions.

This feeling of irreparable regret would occasionally resurface over the years. However, it was never as clear and profound as it was this time.

He regretted it!

He genuinely regretted it!

If he had the chance to start over, would he still have the audacity to commit such actions? Would he dare to deceive others? He didn’t know. But what he did know was that even if such a situation were to arise again, he wouldn’t act so decisively, so resolutely.

“This time, I absolutely cannot let down the daughter born to the Yue.” Duke Qi finally exclaimed in anger.

“What should we do then? Should we let your granddaughter bear the blame?” Duchess Qi challenged him, finding it hard to believe that Duke Qi was truly willing to do so.

Compared to her daughter, Duchess Qi now held a stronger affection for his granddaughter. She was convinced that her granddaughter was superior to her own daughter in every aspect. Just by looking at her marriage to the Crown Prince, it was evident that she was different from her mother. She hadn’t settled for a scholar like her daughter did. Although she now found her son-in-law, Minister Liu, acceptable, she had been dissatisfied years ago. She always felt that her daughter lacked good judgment.

But her granddaughter was different; she was nothing like her daughter at all.

“In that case, let her take the fall!” Duke Qi gritted his teeth.

“What… What? My lord, have you lost your senses? How… how can you say such things?” Duchess Qi stood up in shock, staring at Duke Qi in disbelief. Were these really the words spoken by the Duke?

“Don’t you understand? If someone must suffer harm and damage their reputation in this matter, I don’t want it to be Forth Lady Qu from the Qu Mansion. Let it be Jingyu!” Duke Qi suddenly regained his composure and spoke sternly.

Having said that, he turned around and strode out. If someone had to bear the consequences of this matter, he would let Liu Jingyu bear them. This was the debt owed by Liu Jingyu and her mother to Yue.

The memories of the past tormented Duke Qi, causing a burning pain in his chest. It was an excruciating and heart-wrenching feeling!

Were they innocent? The true innocents were always the Yue and her daughter, not the two individuals from his own mansion. He had already inquired about it. He knew that Liu Jingyu had visited the study, which had a separate courtyard in the Duke Qi’s Mansion. Besides her, no one else could leave notes there.

Could it be that it was another incident from the past?

If he had known about the engagement between Liu Borui and the Yue family back then, even if his daughter had cried and fainted before him, he would not have relented.

He is a military general who has never been soft-hearted, except for that one time when he let his guard down. However, the final outcome proved to be unbearable for him.

He shut off his senses and paid no attention to the affairs of the Qu Mansion. But in the end, it led to the unfortunate fate of the mother and daughter. Whenever he thought about it, he regretted it so much that he wished to strike himself with a sword.

Liu Jinyu owed a debt not only to Qu Moying. Himself, and the entire Duke Qi’s mansion, all owed a debt to Qu Moying.

That child was the one with the power to defy them.

Upon hearing the Duke Qi’s final words, Duchess Qi stood there in shock, staring at his departure. Her legs weakened, and she steadied herself by gripping the nearby chair. She could hardly believe what she had heard. Why did Duke Qi care so much about the Forth Lady Qu?

What kind of secrets were hidden here that she was unaware of?

She sank into the chair, physically and mentally exhausted, pondering over the matter of the Forth Lady Qu.

Outside the rear window, Liu Jingyu’s grip on the handkerchief tightened almost to the point of tearing. She, too, could hardly believe what she had heard. What was going on with her grandfather? Why was he so determined to protect Qu Moying?

Had her grandfather lost his mind? Couldn’t he differentiate between family and strangers?

Qu Moying, once again Qu Moying. It seemed that whenever she faced Qu Moying, she could never gain the upper hand.

No, she wouldn’t let Qu Moying step on her this time. She would cling to the matter of Qu Qiuyan and speak to her grandmother. Her grandmother would surely support her.

A maid rushed over anxiously and whispered in Liu Jingyu’s ear.

“What? Lord Jing is here?” Liu Jingyu exclaimed in shock.

“Yes, Lord Jing has arrived. He is outside. It seems he came because of Third Lady Qu. They say something happened to her at the Duke’s Mansion and he is looking for the Duke to discuss the matter.” the maid whispered.

Liu Jingyu’s face turned pale, realizing that the situation was taking a turn for the worse. How could Lord Jing intervene in this matter? She stomped her foot forcefully, disregarding Duchess Qi inside the room, and hurriedly left with her people.

“Duke Qi, this matter originally had nothing to do with me. However, Lady Qu is now my concubine. We have already discussed and decided on this matter. Now that something like this has happened, I must investigate to find out the cause for Lady Qu’s current unconsciousness.”

Lord Jing said, putting down his teacup and his smile fading.

The matter of a concubine was easily explained to father emperor. Although she carried the title of a concubine, in reality, it wasn’t much. It was just a name. However, compared to other side concubines, it held a bit more dignity.

It occupied a position that was neither too high nor too low.

Qu Qiuyan was the legitimate third daughter of Qu Zhizhen. Initially, she barely qualified as the consort, but she was suitable as a side concubine. Now, as a concubine, her status had dropped significantly. It was almost unbelievable that Qu Zhizhen had agreed to send his daughter to Lord Jing Mansion as a concubine.

Duke Qi pondered for a moment and looked at Lord Jing, asking, “What does Your Highness suggest we do?”

“This matter has something to do with County Lady Jingyu. I hope that County Lady Jingyu will pay a visit to Third Lady Qu to apologize. After all, Third Lady Qu is still unconscious because of her.” said Pei Yucheng with a stern expression. “Then, let’s end this matter here. If we continue to investigate, it won’t be good for Third Lady Qu, but it won’t be good for County Lady Jingyu either!”

Duke Qi lowered his head and thought for a moment before asking, “What did the Fourth Lady of Qu say?”

“Minister Qu mentioned that the fourth Lady Qu also agreed to this plan. Moreover, Third Lady Qu has also been involved, and with the presence of County Lady Jingyu, it would be beneficial for everyone to avoid further complications. The root cause of this matter lies with County Lady Jingyu, so it is necessary for her to take a stance.”

Pei Yusheng explained.

Once again, Duke Qi fell into silence. After a moment of obscure and uncertain expression on his face, he nodded and said, “Then let’s follow Your Highness’s suggestion.”

“That would be best!” A hint of satisfaction appeared on Pei Yusheng’s face as he nodded. He was pleased to see that things were going so smoothly.

“No, I disagree!” Suddenly, a voice came from outside the courtyard door…