Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Seeing that both Qin Yu and Qin Yue were speaking up for Pei Yun, Qin Chu realized that the letters from the manor saying Pei Yun had been taking meticulous care of the two children weren't just for show.

Though Qin Yu and Qin Yue were young, they were not so easily fooled.

"Alright, I understand."

Qin Chu's expression softened again, his dark eyes warm and his manner gentle.

Just then, a faint rustling came from just outside the partition door. Qin Chu's personal guard, Gao Yi, stood there with his hands at his sides, giving Qin Chu a slight nod.

"Get a little more sleep. Your father will come back to see you later."

Qin Chu withdrew his gaze and helped Qin Yue lie back down.

Qin Yue lay back on her pillow, her big round eyes fixed on Qin Chu. Her little hands clutching the brocade quilt, she asked timidly, "Father, did I cause trouble?"

"So Yue'er knows what 'causing trouble' means now? Looks like you've been studying hard these days." Qin Chu smiled and rubbed her soft, fluffy hair, asking gently, "Then can Yue'er tell Father what causing trouble means?"

"Causing trouble means doing something bad," Qin Yue said earnestly. "Doing something that makes people unhappy."

Qin Chu nodded and praised her. "Not bad. Very smart."

"Then is going out to play causing trouble?"

Qin Yue tilted her little head, thought for a long while, then shook her head.

Every time she went out to play, Father, Brother, and Mother were all happy, so it probably didn't count.

Qin Yu couldn't help smiling at his sister's innocent look, then heard Qin Chu laugh and gently prompt her further: "Then where does Yue'er think she went wrong?"

Qin Yue tilted her head and pondered for quite a while.

"I shouldn't have snuck out without telling Mother. I should have let Mother and Father know—I made you worry." She said each word carefully. "I need to apologize to Mother."

Qin Chu smiled, reached over to tuck in the corner of Qin Yue's quilt, and said, "The sages say a gentleman values loyalty and trustworthiness, doesn't befriend those unlike himself, and isn't afraid to correct his mistakes. Yue'er has truly put the sages' words into practice."

"Once you're feeling better, you can go see your mother."

Qin Yue obviously didn't understand any of that, blinking in confusion at Qin Chu. He naturally knew she didn't understand. Glancing at Qin Yu off to the side, he said with a smile, "Father still has things to take care of. How about having your brother explain it to you?"

Qin Yue nodded obediently. She'd also noticed Uncle Gao Yi waiting outside.

Qin Chu ruffled her hair once more, then got up to leave.

As soon as Qin Chu came out, Gao Yi fell into step behind him and said in a low voice, "My Lord, we've found something."

Qin Chu gave a grunt of acknowledgment. He was about to close the inner door when, after a moment's thought, he beckoned Qin Yu over. Qin Yu saw him and quietly slipped out a moment later.

"Don't ask Yue'er any more about today," Qin Chu said evenly. "She was frightened enough as it is. From now on, don't mention any of this to her."

Qin Yu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly understood what Qin Chu meant. What had actually happened at the Peony Terrace was secondary—if they wanted to find out who was behind this, they only needed to figure out who had lured Qin Yue there.

Qin Yue was still young; there was no need to press her further about the drowning, which must have felt like a nightmare to her.

"I understand." Qin Yu nodded. Watching Qin Chu about to leave, he hesitated for a long moment before speaking up. "Fourth Uncle, you and Mother..."

Qin Chu paused mid-step and turned to look at him.

"I know how to handle things between the Commandery Princess and myself. Go back and keep Yue'er company."

Qin Yu bit his lip, then nodded without saying anything more and went back into the inner chamber.

Qin Chu watched him go, then headed to the study with Gao Yi. Having been away from the manor for months, the servants hadn't dared touch anything in the study beyond their daily dusting, so the books he'd been reading before he left were still exactly where he'd left them on the desk.

He casually picked them up and set them on the shelf behind him, then said, "Speak."

"Yes." Gao Yi acknowledged. "The investigation is done. It was a maid named Cai Yun, who serves the Eighth Miss, who egged the young lady on to go to the Peony Terrace. She also talked the Eighth Miss out of telling the Commandery Princess by claiming that since the Princess had just recovered from illness, she'd have to drag herself along if the Eighth Miss told her. That's why the Eighth Miss went to the Peony Terrace by herself."

Qin Chu's expression stayed flat as his slender fingers ran across a row of history books on the shelf, finally stopping on the late Emperor Muwen's daily chronicles, which he pulled out.

"She talked?"

"Confessed—spilled everything." Gao Yi went on. "This Cai Yun was assigned to the Ink Fragrance Study half a year ago. She started as a rough-work maid doing cleaning outside, and only later got moved to inner-chamber duty because the Eighth Miss took a liking to her. She's a household-born servant—her mother is the sister of Nanny Liu, who serves Madam Zhou at the Azure Cloud Pavilion."

Qin Chu raised his eyes to glance at him, and Gao Yi quickly added: "Cai Yun also confessed that her mother only told her to coax the Eighth Miss over to the Peony Terrace. She claims she doesn't know anything else."

"Her mother, née Liu, currently works in the kitchen at the Hall of Glorious Longevity. I didn't dare grab her without your say-so for fear of disturbing the Grand Lady, so I came to ask for your orders."

"Also, the squad you assigned to guard the Eighth Miss has asked to be punished, feeling they failed in their duty for letting her fall into the water." Gao Yi added.

Without looking up, Qin Chu said flatly, "Replace them all. Send them to the Sharp Cavalry Camp. Pick the new men yourself—if there's another mistake, I'll hold you responsible."

Gao Yi's heart jumped, and he quickly nodded. He then asked what to do about Liu, who worked at the Hall of Glorious Longevity.

Qin Chu opened the imperial chronicles, lowered his eyes to read two pages, and said, "No need to bother with her."

Having served Qin Chu for years, Gao Yi understood right away that the Marquis had other plans. He acknowledged and was about to leave when he suddenly heard the Marquis ask, "The Commandery Princess is sick?"

"Seems she caught a chill a few days ago." Gao Yi was startled but quickly added, "Though she seems to have mostly recovered lately."

He looked up and noticed his master's hand, which had been turning the pages, pause briefly. Remembering that the Marquis and the Commandery Princess had just had a fight, he said carefully, "It's about time for lunch. Would you like to dine at the main hall, my Lord?"

"No rush." Qin Chu didn't look up, waving his hand. "You may go."

"Yes."

Gao Yi didn't dare comment further on the private matters between the Marquis and the Princess, but halfway out, he remembered that the Grand Lady at the Hall of Glorious Longevity had sent someone with a message earlier.

"My Lord, the Grand Lady sent over a dish of crispy fried quail, saying it's an addition to your and the Princess's meal. She also asked that you visit the Hall of Glorious Longevity after your midday rest."

Only then did Qin Chu look up. After a moment's deliberation, he rose and headed straight out.

"My Lord, where are you—" Gao Yi asked, puzzled, following behind.

"To the Hall of Glorious Longevity. No need to wait until after the midday rest."

The news that Qin Chu had gone to the Hall of Glorious Longevity without even taking his midday meal quickly reached Pei Yun's ears.

She looked at the crispy fried quail set on the table, recalling how Nanny You had come by earlier with a meaningful smile, saying the dish had an auspicious name—"Mandarin Duck Pair"—and couldn't help but want to laugh.

Whether it was a mandarin duck pair or not, she didn't know, but she and Qin Chu certainly clashed. She even suspected the matchmaker had miscalculated their compatibility before the wedding.

And they called this a supremely auspicious union?

But whether Qin Chu came to dine or not, she didn't care. If he didn't come, she'd be even more at ease. She began eating with leisurely grace, even complimenting that today's dishes were quite good and she could manage an extra bowl of millet rice.

Nanny Xu, standing nearby, had initially expected the Princess to be angry again, but seeing that she truly hadn't taken it to heart, she relaxed and smiled while adding more food to her bowl.

"A messenger came from Mo Xiang Zhai," Nanny Xu said. "The Eighth Miss has woken up, but she's still not well enough to get out of bed. Yu Ge is staying by her side, so he won't be able to join you for dinner."

Pei Yun nodded and took a sip of soup. "Then send the meal over, especially for Yue Jie—make sure it's something light."

Nanny Xu smiled. "Don't worry, Your Highness. I've already sent someone to take care of it."

After a moment, Nanny Xu tried to lift Pei Yun's spirits with some small talk. "Now that the Marquis has returned, the postponed visit to your family, which should have happened in the first three days of marriage, should be made up soon. I expect you'll be able to visit the Prince, Princess, and the heir soon."

At that, Pei Yun was genuinely pleased. She smiled and nodded, thinking that whether Qin Chu wanted to see her or not, she'd have to tell him about this when he got back.

Just then, Bixiao came in carrying a sandalwood tray with a dazzling set of ruby and kingfisher feather hair ornaments.

"Madam, I've fetched them."

Nanny Xu nodded. Pei Yun looked over, confused, and asked what they were for.

"Your Highness, today is Miss Ying's birthday, and you haven't sent your gift yet," Nanny Xu reminded her. "And after what happened, her birthday banquet ended in a mess. It's only right that we send something generous."

Nanny Xu always thought things through, and Pei Yun agreed it made sense, so she told Bixiao to deliver the ruby hair ornaments to Ming De Yuan.

Over at Ming De Yuan in the Western Manor, Ming Shi had just put her daughter down for a nap. The girl had been quite frightened today, and her birthday banquet had ended in disarray. She then took two maids and headed to the study of her husband, Qin Ding, the eldest son of Duke Su.

As she stepped into the study, Ming Shi saw Qin Ding practicing calligraphy at his desk, with his beloved concubine, Lady Su, grinding ink beside him. She wore a flowing crimson brocade gown with subtle floral patterns, her belly slightly rounded yet still graceful.

What a picture of tender conjugal bliss.

Ming Shi paused for a moment, then walked closer.

"Husband."

Lady Su, seeing Ming Shi arrive, bowed gracefully and said, "Madam."

"Lady Su, you're pregnant now. Why are you doing such work? You need to take care of yourself," Ming Shi said with a gentle smile, showing concern. "It's almost lunchtime, and you shouldn't go hungry in your condition. Go eat first."

Lady Su naturally didn't want to leave. She bit her lip and looked at Qin Ding, but he just smiled slightly and patted her arm. "The Madam is right. Go rest."

Lady Su bowed once more and left, clearly reluctant.

"What's that you've got there?" Qin Ding asked as he rose to wash his hands, noticing the maids behind him carrying a set of bright red gemstone hair ornaments.

"Princess Zhaoyang just sent these over," Ming Shi said, stepping forward to personally attend to Qin Ding's handwashing. Her fair, delicate hands carefully lathered soap to wash away a spot of ink on the back of his hand, and she said softly, "They're a birthday gift for Ying Jie."

Qin Ding nodded. "Quite valuable. I heard the Fourth Brother had a big quarrel with the Princess. I didn't expect her to still have the presence of mind to remember Ying Jie."

Ming Shi smiled faintly without responding.

"What's the Fourth Brother doing now?" Qin Ding asked.

Ming Shi replied, "The Grand Lady just sent over a dish called 'Mandarin Ducks' Pair' to add to their meal, but the Fourth Brother didn't stay to eat—he went straight to Rong He Tang."

Qin Ding raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like quite a fight."

"In that case, go check on the Princess. She's the new bride, and with what happened at Ying Jie's birthday banquet, as the eldest sister-in-law, you should pay her a visit."

Ming Shi smiled and nodded.

Author's note:

None.