Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Qin Ding fell silent. He paced the room for a moment, then looked at his wife who was silently shedding tears and sighed, "Alright, this matter was thoughtless of Mother and me. Don't be angry anymore. We kept it from you because we didn't want to put you in a tough spot. We planned to let you know once it was done."

Qin Ding poured a cup of tea for Ming Shi and softened his voice, saying, "You know Grandmother better than anyone. Even though she does favor our branch a bit, if this matter reached her, we would surely be reprimanded as well."

Fingers aren't all the same length, and it's no secret that parents play favorites. Old Madam Ming did have a soft spot for her younger son, but that didn't mean our branch could just go off the rails like this.

Ming Shi didn't touch the tea, her brow furrowed in displeasure. "You know Grandmother wouldn't agree. This plan is too risky. Fourth Brother and Princess Zhaoyang aren't as easy to pull one over on as Eldest Aunt. How could they possibly take the bait that easily?"

Qin Ding chuckled and didn't answer, just nudged the teacup toward Ming Shi. "Have a sip of tea first. Let's talk slowly."

Ming Shi was in no mood to drink tea. Though nothing had come out into the open yet, it was like a window paper about to be poked through—everyone already knew. Who knew what Qin Chu and Princess Zhaoyang would do to make their lives difficult.

"And Princess Qinghe—how could you think to use her? Everyone in the capital knows about her temper—"

Ming Shi suddenly stopped mid-sentence. She looked at her husband, who was wearing a faint smile, and lowered her voice. "Was this His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's doing?"

Though Princess Qinghe wasn't as influential as she used to be, she was still an imperial princess, and she'd always been haughty by nature. How could Qin Ding and Mrs. Sun possibly have the standing to get her to use her most beloved granddaughter as a pawn in this scheme? There had to be someone more powerful pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Seeing that his wife had figured it out, Qin Ding slowly picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite, smiling as he said, "This was exactly Prince Zhao's doing. Moreover, Prince Zhao has already petitioned His Majesty today to have Father succeed to the title of Duke Su."

Ming Shi naturally hoped the Duke Su title would land on their branch. Currently, Qin Ding only held a fourth-rank post as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, obtained through family privilege. If the family were to split up in the future, she would only be the wife of a fourth-rank official—let alone her own status, her children's futures would be set in stone, with no room to grow.

But if her father-in-law could inherit the title, then the Duke Su title would naturally pass to Qin Ding in the future, and she would become the Duchess.

The difference between the two was like night and day.

So Ming Shi hurriedly asked, "And what did His Majesty say?"

At this, Qin Ding's brow darkened a bit. He set down his teacup and sighed, shaking his head. "His Majesty said he would make his own decision and sent Prince Zhao packing."

"Then this..." Ming Shi's brows furrowed with worry. "Could His Majesty truly intend to leave the title to Fourth Brother?"

Qin Chu smiled at this and shook his head with an air of confidence.

"Eldest Aunt and Third Brother and his wife have been speculating that Fourth Brother adopted Yu Ge to win the title for him and then pass the Duke Su title down through his own branch. It's all baseless speculation."

"If Yu Ge hadn't been adopted out, he might have had a shot at inheriting the title. But now that he's Fourth Brother's son, what's there to talk about inheriting the title? Isn't that just overkill?"

Ming Shi nodded at this and said, "Yes, I never believed that rumor either. Besides, Fourth Brother has already been granted the title of Marquis of Huai'an—how could his son possibly also become Duke Su?"

Anyone with half a brain knew that Qin Chu had adopted Qin Yu and Qin Yue because the Duke Su title remained unsettled, with undercurrents running beneath the surface. As the legitimate son of the late Duke Su's heir apparent, Qin Yu was naturally one of the strongest candidates for the title. And in recent years, with things in chaos and Qin Chu away from the capital the whole time, he couldn't protect Qin Yu from such a distance. So he just went ahead and adopted him—first, since Qin Yu could no longer inherit the title, no one in the household would have any reason to harm a child; second, with Qin Chu's protection, anyone wishing to harm the siblings would have to think twice.

After all, preserving the lives of these two children was far more important than any title.

"Come to think of it, if Fourth Brother hadn't been away from the capital these past two years, he truly wouldn't have adopted Yu Ge. And in that case, Yu Ge might well have inherited the title by now." Ming Shi took a sip of tea and remarked with feeling, "Truly, life is unpredictable. But you can't have your cake and eat it too. If anyone is to blame, it's that Qin Mu and Lady Fan were both short-lived, leaving behind only these two young children. Even if the Fan family has been vindicated, their clan has long since scattered like a fallen tree's monkeys. Aren't they just lambs to the slaughter?"

Ming Shi then leaned in to whisper to her husband, "Do you think Fourth Brother might try to adopt Yu Ge back?"

"Adopting out is easy; taking back is difficult." Qin Ding waved his hand dismissively. "Enough, let's not discuss this for now. With the Noble Consort and Prince Zhao pulling strings for us, the title should be ours sooner or later."

Ming Shi nodded as well. It was simply fate favoring their western branch—after all, her mother-in-law's younger sister had risen to become a Noble Consort and had borne the Emperor's eldest son.

Her husband had naturally become the eldest prince's cousin by blood, and blood ties had always been the strongest bond since ancient times.

"Moreover, Aunt in the palace intends to betroth Shun Jie'er to Prince Zhao as his consort." Qin Ding's smile widened as he spoke of this, though he cautioned, "But this hasn't been settled yet, so don't spread it around."

Ming Shi was naturally delighted to hear this. It would make their connection to the Noble Consort and Prince Zhao all the more unbreakable.

"I know. Betrothals are never announced prematurely, let alone a marriage alliance with the imperial family." Ming Shi smiled, then recalled that Old Madam Ming had also brought up Qin Pan's marriage prospects in the eastern branch, and added, "Pan Jie'er is the same age as Shun Jie'er. When the time comes to arrange matches, we might need to coordinate with the eldest branch."

"What's there to coordinate?" Qin Ding said dismissively. "We'll marry off our own daughters as we see fit. Each relies on their own abilities."

Ming Shi pondered for a moment and nodded. If Shun Jie'er truly could marry into Prince Zhao's household, then there was indeed no need to inform the eldest branch.

But even with Prince Zhao backing them, Ming Shi still worried about Qin Chu.

"But now that Fourth Brother knows, we'll have a hard time explaining ourselves."

Qin Ding had been flustered for a moment earlier at Ronghe Hall, but now he had regained his composure. He reassured Ming Shi, "Don't worry. Even if Fourth Brother currently enjoys great imperial favor, he can't afford to disregard Prince Zhao's standing. With Prince Zhao behind us, he won't do anything to us."

"As for Grandmother—you'll need to speak with her." Qin Ding then instructed Ming Shi. "Don't let her truly become disheartened with us."

Ming Shi nodded and chided him, "If you had told me earlier, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

Qin Ding knew Ming Shi was no longer angry, so he quickly smiled and coaxed her with a few sweet words. The atmosphere between the couple warmed considerably. Ming Shi hadn't shared a bed with Qin Ding in some time due to their daughter's birthday festivities. With the red candles burning and the mood intimate, she felt a stirring of desire and coyly tugged at Qin Ding's sleeve. "It's getting late. Why don't we retire for the night?"

Ming Shi was dignified in bearing but strikingly beautiful in appearance. Qin Ding looked at his wife and unconsciously swallowed. He was just about to nod and draw the beauty into his arms when a servant suddenly called from outside, "My lord, Concubine Su has had a disturbance in her pregnancy—she's in great pain in her belly. She asks that you come and take a look."

The couple's movements froze. Ming Shi was silent for a moment, then stood and smiled as she straightened Qin Ding's robes, resuming her dignified and virtuous demeanor. "Sister Su is expecting her first child. You should go and see her."

Qin Ding had indeed been quite fond of Concubine Su lately. Upon hearing that she had a disturbance in her pregnancy, his earlier amorous thoughts vanished. He told Ming Shi to rest early and hurriedly left.

Ming Shi's senior maid, Daichun, entered from outside a moment later and saw Ming Shi standing quietly by the window, as if she had just watched Qin Ding leave.

"Madam—"

She stepped forward and said in a low voice, "That Su Shi is truly beyond herself, clinging to the master day and night just because she's with child."

Ming Shi withdrew her gaze and let Daichun support her as she walked toward the inner chambers.

"She's in her moment of glory—let her be happy while she can." Ming Shi said flatly, then asked, "Where are Wei Geer and Ying Jie'er? Have they eaten?"

"Not yet," Daichun replied. "The young master and young miss have been worried about you. I had Huamei keep them company in the young miss's room."

Ming Shi nodded and headed toward her daughter's room, instructing as she went, "Wei Geer is six now—it's time to discipline his temperament and focus on his studies. The other day, Tutor Zhuang at the academy told me that Wei Geer can't sit still as well as Yu Geer. From now on, take him out to play less and have him read more."

"The young master is a year older than our young master, after all. By next year, he'll surely improve."

Daichun smiled as she helped Ming Shi into Qin Ying's bedchamber. Just as they rounded the folding screen in the outer room, Ming Shi heard the laughter of the two siblings. She couldn't help but smile herself, and finally said in a gentle voice, "Never mind. Have them set the meal."

Daichun acknowledged the order. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she remembered something and said, "Madam, the Old Master returned to the residence earlier and went to Ronghe Hall together with the Madam."

Ming Shi nodded and said she understood. This was to be expected.

Daichun had merely been reporting as usual, and then went to the kitchen to arrange the meal.

Within Jinxiu Court, Pei Yun and Qin Chu had finished their meal with Qin Yu and his sister and chatted for a while longer. Qin Yue, having fallen into the water and suffered a fright today, needed proper rest, and Qin Yu had to attend his studies the next day. By the hour of Xu, Pei Yun urged the siblings to go to bed.

Both Qin Yu and Qin Yue were extremely well-behaved children—especially Qin Yu. The moment Pei Yun spoke, he properly took his leave of the two adults and returned to his own room to rest. Qin Yue, however, was unaccustomed to having both Qin Chu and Pei Yun present, and she coquettishly begged to sleep with them.

"Mother, can Yue'er sleep with you and Father tonight? Please?" Qin Yue wrapped her arms around Pei Yun's neck, nuzzling her little head against Pei Yun's chin.

Pei Yun laughed at the ticklish sensation but still patted her little head and refused with righteous firmness.

"Not tonight."

Qin Yue tilted her head, blinked her big eyes, and looked at her with eager curiosity, asking why.

Qin Chu had just stood up to take a sip of tea when he overheard Pei Yun telling Qin Yue very seriously, "Because Daddy is going to be very busy tonight."

"..."

Qin Yue didn't understand and was about to ask further when Qin Chu, with a silent sigh, stepped forward and pulled Pei Yun, who was still ready to "spout nonsense," away.

"Yue'er, be a good girl and go to sleep. Tomorrow Daddy and Mommy will take you out to play, alright?"

Clearly, going out to play appealed to Qin Yue far more than sleeping with Qin Chu and Pei Yun. She agreed immediately, then lay down obediently and had the servants draw the bed curtains.

Seeing Qin Yue settled, Qin Chu tugged Pei Yun by the wrist out of Moxiang Studio and toward the main courtyard.

Qin Chu's hands, calloused from years of leading troops, grazed Pei Yun's skin, leaving her feeling itchy and tingly from the rough texture.

Bixiao and Hongliu followed behind, couldn't help but smile, until they reached the main chamber, where they closed the door and stood guard outside.

"What are you doing?" Pei Yun wrenched her wrist free from his grip and glared at him.

Qin Chu looked down at her, feeling rather helpless with her.

"Why do you have to blurt out everything?"

Pei Yun wasn't the least bit intimidated. She asked with a smile, "What things?"

"If you didn't want me to say them, why did you bring me back to the main chamber?"

Pei Yun looked at him like a cat that swallowed the canary.

Qin Chu gave her a sidelong glance, then suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Pei Yun let out a startled gasp, and before she knew it, she was caught in his arms. He lowered his head and murmured by her ear, "Words you can only say to me."

Then the world spun as Pei Yun was scooped up and tossed onto the bed.

She knew it—this man was a fake, or rather, not proper in the least.

Well, she wasn't exactly a saint herself.

The only time they really felt like a married couple was in bed.

Outside, Bixiao and Hongliu had just started talking about the trip to Prince Ying's residence the next day when they heard the ruckus coming from the main chamber. Both of them smiled sheepishly, then moved further away and told the servants to heat water.

The next morning when Pei Yun woke, the person beside her was already gone. She stirred, and Bixiao drew back the bed curtains, helped her sit up, and then announced, "The Commandery Princess is awake."

Several maids then entered, carrying bronze basins, clear water, rose dew, and silk towels to help Pei Yun wash up. After washing up, Bixiao and Hongliu helped style her hair.

"Where's the Marquis?"

Pei Yun's voice was still hoarse, and she coughed lightly because her throat hurt when she spoke.

Bixiao said with a smile, "The Marquis is going over some paperwork in the study. He said he'll come join you for breakfast, then accompany you to Prince Ying's residence."

Pei Yun nodded, and just then Nanny Xu entered from outside.

"Commandery Princess, the Grand Lady sent over a bunch of gifts for the Prince and Princess. I've had them all loaded into the carriage."

Old Madam Ming had already mentioned this last night, so Pei Yun didn't ask further. After washing up, she had breakfast with Qin Chu and the kids, Qin Yu and Qin Yue, before getting ready to head to Prince Ying's residence.

At first, Pei Yun and Qin Chu planned to bring Qin Yue but not Qin Yu, since he had homework. However, after breakfast, Pei Yun changed her mind, saying that skipping one day wouldn't hurt and that they should bring both children.

It wouldn't be fair to play favorites, especially on the first official visit back home.

Even though Qin Yu had never once said he wanted to go to Prince Ying's residence, his eyes clearly lit up when Pei Yun said this.

Qin Chu obviously noticed too and nodded in agreement, sending Gao Yi to the school to ask for a day off for Qin Yu. Then the family of four got into the carriage and headed to Prince Ying's residence.

Author's note:

None.