The True and False Heiresses 3

And besides, they invested a great deal of manpower and resources in Xu Zhen. It would be such a waste to give up on a well-bred young lady they had only just finished raising.

Shen Shixu stripped away the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence's facade. They kept the truth about the two heiresses secret because they wanted to marry Xu Zhen off and secure a reliable marriage alliance for the residence.

Although I really dislike Xu Zhen, I can't deny that if she puts on an act and reins in her sharp tongue and snide remarks, she can pass for a well-bred young lady.

Realization dawned on 011. So that's why! Doesn't that mean the people at the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence don't really love the false heiress either?

Shen Shixu cast a pitying glance at Xu Qing and answered 011 in his mind. Their affection may be mixed with self-interest, but Xu Zhen is still far more favored than Xu Qing.

011 continued with the rest of the gossip. Didn't Xu Qing save Yan Weixuan? He fell for her because of that, and after seeing her come and go from the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence, he sent someone to propose marriage.

Naturally, the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence wanted the Minister of War as a future in-law, so they agreed at once.

When Xu Zhen found out, she was terribly jealous. She thought Xu Qing was just a girl raised in the countryside, so why should she get such a good marriage?

She wanted to steal it for herself, and dropped roundabout hints to the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity and his wife, saying that Xu Qing had grown up in the countryside and wasn't close to the family.

If they gave her such a good match, she might not be able to secure it. Even if she did, she wouldn't necessarily help the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence.

What she really meant was that she should marry Yan Weixuan in Xu Qing's place. After giving it some thought, the earl tacitly allowed Xu Zhen to break Xu Qing and Yan Weixuan up.

Yan Weixuan actually rather liked the delicate, gentle Xu Zhen, who leaned on him. But he didn't want others to think he was a fickle womanizer, so he only said she was like a younger sister to him.

Whenever Xu Zhen and Xu Qing clashed, he always sided with Xu Zhen. He said Xu Qing was the older sister and should give way to the younger one, even though Xu Qing was actually the younger sister. Or rather, everything Xu Zhen had should have belonged to Xu Qing.

With her family neglecting her and playing favorites, and her supposed fiancé wavering between two women, Xu Qing grew fed up too. She wanted to sever all ties with the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence.

Little did she know that aside from blood, she had no ties to the residence at all. They hadn't even entered her name in the family genealogy.

Nor had they publicly announced her identity, so if she wanted to leave, she could simply walk away.

Xu Qing was overjoyed to hear this. She felt fortunate that the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence cared so little about her that they hadn't entered her name in the genealogy. Leaving would be easy now.

Jiang Bin truly had his eyes opened by the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence. They treated their own daughter like this, caring more for an adopted daughter than their flesh and blood. He wondered whether there was something wrong with their heads.

After hearing all the gossip about the true and false heiresses, Shen Shixu asked Xu Qing about herself. Jiang Bin had already warned her not to reveal that she could hear Shen Shixu's thoughts.

When Shen Shixu asked about her circumstances, she told him everything from beginning to end.

Though he already knew the answer, Shen Shixu asked, "Forgive me for asking, but is your name currently in the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence's family genealogy? Have they ever publicly announced your identity?"

Xu Qing answered honestly, "I'm not quite sure whether my name is in the genealogy, but they have never told anyone about my identity. Only Yan Weixuan's family knows I'm a daughter of the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence."

"If that's the case, leaving the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence will be much easier. Since you don't know whether your name is in the genealogy, it probably isn't.

"That means you can simply leave the residence. If you still have any belongings there that you haven't brought back, we'll go with you to fetch them after we eat."

Xu Qing said gratefully, "Thank you so much. If you ever need my help in the future, just come to me. I'll do whatever I can."

Seeing her brighten up, Jiang Bin couldn't help worrying for her. "Miss Xu, if you want to leave the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence, do you have somewhere to go? And how will you support yourself?

"If you leave, you'll surely fall out with them, and they'll never look after you again. How will a young woman all alone survive in this world?"

Xu Qing, however, wasn't worried in the slightest. "For me, the hardest part is finding a way to leave. As for everything else, I'll find a way when the time comes.

"Besides, it's not as though I have nowhere to go. I still have the house my grandmother left me.

"When that couple came to fetch me, I asked the village head to help me put on an act.

"We tricked them into thinking my grandmother's house had been sold to someone else. Actually, it was never sold at all. I hid the deed.

"Once I leave the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence, I can go back there. As for making a living?"

Xu Qing mimed stir-frying for them. "Speaking of that, I really ought to thank that scheming, lazy, greedy, slippery couple. They were terribly fussy, especially about food. They insisted I turn even ordinary dishes into exquisite delicacies.

"If my cooking wasn't good enough, they would beat me. To avoid getting beaten, I made a point of studying cooking, and I've become quite good at it.

"I can work as a cook for someone else, save up some money, and then set up a little food stall of my own. I don't intend to marry, so that will be enough to support myself.

"After everything I've been through, I've realized that neither parents nor a fiancé can truly be relied on. A woman has to rely on herself."

Watching Xu Qing come alive again, Shen Shixu couldn't help reflecting inwardly, Everyone thinks women are weak, but they don't realize women are like grass. Unassuming though they may be, they can push up a massive rock.

Xu Qing is like that, and so is Meng Jiyao.

Hearing Shen Shixu's opinion of women, Xu Qing felt as though she had glimpsed a light. At last, someone regarded women as individuals in their own right.

Not merely someone's daughter, or someone's wife.

They had barely fallen quiet when a commotion broke out outside. Xu Qing heard a familiar voice—her father in name only—and the voice of her younger sister, who was so adept at snide insinuations, fanning the flames.

"Father, don't be too angry when you see my sister. She doesn't know the people in the Capital well, so she doesn't know what sort of person Jiang Bin is.

"Just explain it to her properly. I'm sure she'll listen to you."

Shen Shixu gave Jiang Bin a look, signaling for him to bring them in. How were the other diners supposed to eat with all that racket?

Jiang Bin opened the private room's door and invited the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity inside. The earl was struggling to contain his anger.

But he didn't dare direct that anger at Jiang Bin. Jiang Xingbang might be gone, but Jiang Bin still had the Eldest Princess behind him. She was the one people truly feared crossing.

So when the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity saw Xu Qing, his anger erupted straight at her. He raised his hand to strike her.