Seeing Qiu Shuang sleeping alone on the bed, Qiu Xue secretly let out a sigh of relief, thankful she had arrived in time.
She quickly took out the pill Su Fu had given her and fed it to Qiu Shuang.
After a short while, Qiu Shuang slowly regained consciousness.
When she saw Qiu Xue in her room, she looked confused. “Aren’t you on night duty for Miss tonight? Why are you here?”
Qiu Xue didn’t answer. Instead, she hurriedly searched around the room as if looking for something. Finally, she found a large trunk in the corner. Carefully lifting the lid, she saw exactly what she expected—Qi Chuan lay inside, drugged and unconscious.
At that sight, Qiu Shuang immediately understood. Cold sweat broke out down her back.
Just then, Su Fu staggered in, carrying Xiao Chun on her back.
“Come help me—put her on the bed.”
At that moment, Su Fu was grateful that she had some strength of her own.
Qiu Shuang and Qiu Xue quickly helped lift Xiao Chun from Su Fu’s back and placed her on the bed. Then the two of them worked together to drag Qi Chuan onto the bed as well.
Afterward, Su Fu fed each of them another pill.
Once everything was done, she turned to the two maids. “All right. We need to leave quickly. Someone is coming.”
The three had just returned to Su Fu’s room when shouting erupted outside.
“Not good! Lanxiang Pavilion is on fire! Quick—put it out!”
That night, Su Zhe was staying in Madam Zhou’s quarters. The commotion outside woke him.
“What’s going on out there? Why is it so noisy?”
Madam Zhou had been waiting for this very moment.
Hearing the shouting, she frowned anxiously. “My lord, it sounds like Lanxiang Pavilion has caught fire! We must hurry and check—Fu’er is still inside!”
As she spoke, she quickly put on an outer robe and helped Su Zhe into his. The two of them hurried toward Lanxiang Pavilion with a group of servants.
When they arrived, Su Qing was already there.
“Father, Mother—you’ve come!” she greeted them, bowing slightly.
She seemed to let out a relieved breath. “Fortunately, the fire wasn’t large. Only one of the maids’ side rooms was burned. It’s already been extinguished.”
Seeing that the fire was out, Su Zhe intended to leave.
But just then, sounds came from the burned side chamber—sounds that any adult would immediately recognize.
Su Zhe’s face darkened, anger flashing across it.
“How does Su Fu manage her servants? To allow such filthy behavior within her own courtyard!”
Madam Zhou hid her satisfaction and gently soothed him. “My lord, do not be angry. It cannot entirely be Fu’er’s fault. She is still young and may not understand such matters. If she failed in discipline, it may not be wholly her responsibility.”
Su Qing suddenly looked around as if just noticing something.
“Strange… with such a commotion, why hasn’t Elder Sister come out?”
Only then did everyone realize they had not seen Su Fu at all.
“With her maid committing such shameless acts in her own courtyard, how could she dare show her face?” Su Zhe roared.
“I want to see who dares behave so disgracefully in the Su residence!”
With a furious sweep of his sleeve, he strode toward the room from which the sounds were coming.
Behind him, the steward followed anxiously, worried about his son.
Madam Zhou noticed and gave him a subtle reassuring nod.
At the door, Su Zhe ordered the servants to kick it open. Just as they did—
A voice came from behind.
“Father? Mother?”
Su Fu appeared as though she had just woken and hurried over. Her hair was slightly disheveled.
She stepped forward and bowed. “Father, Mother.”
“I had just fallen asleep when I heard from a maid that there had been a fire here, so I rushed over. I never expected to disturb Father and Mother as well.”
Madam Zhou, Su Qing, and the steward all stared in shock when they saw Qiu Shuang standing safely behind Su Fu.
Madam Zhou’s heart sank.
She had arranged everything perfectly—how could this be? If it wasn’t Qiu Shuang inside… then who was?
Su Fu leisurely took in their varied expressions, suppressing the upward curl of her lips with a handkerchief.
Su Zhe, already furious, turned his anger on Su Fu.
“Hmph! You only come now. Is it because you knew your maid committed such indecency and had no face to appear?”
Su Fu looked bewildered and innocent.
“Father wrongs me. After returning from Chengsong Courtyard, I went straight to bed. I don’t know why, but I slept unusually deeply tonight. If not for a maid waking me just now, I would still be asleep.”
She blinked in confusion. “What indecency is Father speaking of?”
At that moment, a shrill scream came from inside.
“Ah—!”
Everyone craned their necks to look.
On the bed sat a woman with disheveled hair and rumpled clothing. Beside her lay a naked man, his head buried beneath a blanket.
The floor was strewn with torn garments. The intensity of what had transpired was unmistakable.
“Steward!” Su Zhe thundered. “Pull that blanket off! I want to see who is so bold!”
The steward trembled and hesitated, glancing helplessly at Madam Zhou.
She avoided his gaze and tugged at Su Zhe’s sleeve. “My lord, it is late and you are weary. Why not leave this to me? Such matters need not dirty your eyes.”
Su Qing quickly chimed in, “Yes, Father. Leave inner-court matters to Mother. She will handle it.”
Su Zhe shook off Madam Zhou’s hand angrily.
“This is what comes of entrusting you with the inner household? This is what your daughter calls ‘handling things well’?”
Madam Zhou lowered her head, too guilty to respond.
“Steward!” Su Zhe roared again. “Are you deaf? Or too old to move?”
The steward dared not delay further. He stepped forward, braced himself, and yanked the blanket away.
The man beneath was none other than his own son—Qi Chuan.
As the blanket fell, Qi Chuan panicked and grabbed a sheet to cover himself.
Su Fu and Su Qing both turned their backs at once, feigning modesty.
Seeing his son exposed, the steward slapped him hard across the face.
“You unfilial wretch! How dare you disgrace me like this!”
Though flustered, Qi Chuan forced himself to follow the prearranged excuse.
“Father! Qiu Shuang and I have long pledged ourselves to each other. She was the one who called me here tonight!”
Madam Zhou cursed inwardly. Fool!
Su Fu’s eyes turned icy.
“You and Qiu Shuang pledged yourselves to each other?”
She spoke calmly.
“Qiu Shuang has been on night duty in my room this entire evening. She has not left my side.”
She looked at him coolly.
“Are you perhaps hallucinating?”