Seeing that her father was still angry, Qin Yining immediately knelt properly before Qin Huaiyuan and said quietly: “Your daughter was foolish and fell into Prince Ning’s trap.” After saying just this, she spoke no more.
Qin Huaiyuan had been waiting for Qin Yining to offer lengthy apologies, but she refused to say another word. So she felt her only mistake was falling into a trap, not making the private decision to rescue someone?
Qin Huaiyuan was both angry and amused. This girl was still being stubborn before him?
Just as he was about to scold her, another servant’s trembling voice reached his ears: “Master, word has come from inside that the lady is already about to leave through the second gate, asking for your instructions.” Are you going to persuade her or not? At least give us some word!
Qin Huaiyuan already felt the loneliness of having no one understand him. Hearing that Sun Shi was making a scene again, he finally snapped impatiently: “If she wants to leave, let her go! It would be best if she never came back!”
Hearing this, the servant finally realized how angry Qin Huaiyuan was. He hastily bowed and ran off in panic.
Qin Huaiyuan’s well-defined hands supported his forehead, half his body’s weight pressing on the rosewood square table beside him, looking utterly exhausted.
Seeing Qin Huaiyuan like this made Qin Yining feel even more guilty.
It was Father who had brought her back from Liang City.
It was Father who had spared her from being sent away to the estate.
It was Father who had established her status as a legitimate daughter with a single word.
Father was brilliant and exceptionally capable, becoming Prime Minister at just over forty.
All of this made Qin Yining’s admiration and affection for Qin Huaiyuan even deeper.
She could see that Mother had no talent and was arrogant in temperament, sharing no common language with Father, already greatly vexing him.
Yet she had brought Father even greater trouble due to her soft-heartedness in rescuing someone.
She didn’t regret saving the person, but she hated that she had fallen into a trap.
“Father, please calm your anger. Your daughter knows she was wrong. Father labors mentally and physically outside, then comes home to face chaos and must deal with the mess your daughter has caused. This is truly your daughter’s fault. Originally, your daughter only couldn’t bear to see two innocent families suffer, so she wanted to try her best to help. When Prince Ning readily gave me the person as a maid, I immediately realized I had fallen into a trap. From now on, your daughter will never be so rash again and will definitely think thrice before acting. Please don’t be angry anymore—what would happen if anger harmed your health?”
Qin Yining pressed her forehead to the ground, her attitude of admitting fault already very sincere.
Qin Huaiyuan sighed lightly.
From Qin Yining’s words, Qin Huaiyuan already understood her thinking.
It seemed this girl didn’t think rescuing someone was wrong—she was only annoyed at falling into a trap?
He wanted to teach his daughter to “sweep the snow from your own doorstep and don’t worry about the frost on others’ roofs,” but such calculating words, Qin Huaiyuan couldn’t bring himself to say before his daughter.
Moreover, Qin Huaiyuan had always felt like he was playing music to deaf ears. He hadn’t expected that words of understanding would come not from his mother’s mouth, nor from his wife’s mouth, but from his daughter—who had said exactly what he most liked to hear.
So be it.
He had always been someone who looked forward. Since it had already happened, he wouldn’t dwell on this one matter. Rather than having time to complain about heaven and earth, it was better to think about how to respond.
Thinking this, Qin Huaiyuan said: “Someone come.”
A servant immediately responded from outside.
Qin Huaiyuan looked down at Qin Yining kneeling on the ground and said methodically: “Take Fourth Miss to the ancestral hall to reflect. Until she has thoroughly read and memorized the ‘Admonitions for Women’ and ‘Instructions for the Inner Quarters,’ she is not permitted to come out. During this period, the maids serving Fourth Miss are all forbidden from attending her personally. All are confined to Snow Pear Courtyard for reflection!”
“Yes.”
“Your daughter thanks Father for his instruction.” Qin Yining kowtowed and respectfully withdrew.
The news that Qin Yining was confined to the ancestral hall to memorize texts quickly spread throughout the mansion.
When the news reached Sun Shi, who was still making trouble at the hanging flower gate, she was so angry she immediately smashed the brass hand warmer she was holding, denting it and scattering charcoal all over the ground.
“She’s truly a disaster star! There hasn’t been a single peaceful day since she returned!”
Nanny Jin sighed: “Madam, please calm down. Let’s not stay here—let’s return to Prosperity and Peace Garden first and plan from there.”
“No, nanny, don’t try to persuade me! I’m waiting for Qin Meng’s attitude right now. If he’s unwilling to keep me, what am I staying for!” Sun Shi stubbornly stuck out her neck.
Nanny Jin was getting a severe headache. Originally this had nothing to do with the First Lady, yet she was making such a scene—wasn’t this looking for trouble?
Just then, Sun Shi saw a servant from Qin Meng’s side peeking around the half-open hanging flower gate. Sun Shi scolded: “Little monkey, what are you dawdling for! What did your master say!”
How could the servant dare repeat Qin Huaiyuan’s words “If she wants to leave, let her go! It would be best if she never came back!” He smiled ingratiatingly: “Madam, the Prime Minister is busy right now, you…”
Before he could finish, Sun Shi was already wiping tears and striding outside: “Nanny, prepare the carriage. I’m going home! He won’t even ask me to stay—what’s the point of me remaining!”
Nanny Jin was utterly exhausted. She hurried to block Sun Shi from leaving while frantically signaling to Qin Huining nearby.
But Qin Huining had been hanging her head and wiping tears, completely oblivious to the scene.
As servants, even Cai Lan and Cai Ju, the senior maids, dared not physically restrain Sun Shi. They could only surround her with pleas, stamping their feet in anxiety.
Through all this commotion, Sun Shi finally got into the carriage.
Once seated, Sun Shi remembered that Qin Huining had just followed her to the hanging flower gate and asked: “Where is Huining?”
Nanny Jin sighed: “Miss Huining only escorted Madam to the second gate but didn’t follow along.”
Sun Shi’s tear-stained face showed surprise: “Didn’t she just say she would accompany me back?”
Nanny Jin didn’t respond.
She was now beginning to think Duke Dingguo’s wife’s criticism was correct. In this matter, though Qin Huining had been trying to persuade Sun Shi, not a single word had any effect. Instead, she had made Sun Shi even more agitated.
“Madam, in the future, don’t… don’t disregard your own health so much. Anger greatly harms the body.” Nanny Jin had wanted to say not to trust Qin Huining too much in the future, but swallowed the words.
As a servant, her words carried no weight. She needed to wait until returning to Duke Dingguo’s wife.
At this time in the Garden of Filial Kindness, the Old Madam was not flying into a rage as usual. Instead, she had dismissed everyone around her, keeping only Nanny Qin by her side to talk.
“Lu Juan, what do you think of Meng Ge’er’s behavior today? Was he really angry at Yining? I feel there’s something strange about it.”
A mother knows her son best. The Old Madam’s heart belonged first to her most accomplished eldest son. Her feelings for him were deepest, and her understanding greatest.
According to the Old Madam’s knowledge, having made such a great mistake, Qin Huaiyuan should only tell her about it and let her handle the instruction. Why would he feel sorry for Qin Yining being slapped by Sun Shi? And why would he take her away to personally teach and punish her?
Did this show he liked or disliked Qin Yining?
Nanny Qin said: “In this servant’s opinion, the Prime Minister should be treating Fourth Miss like a son when instructing her.”
The Old Madam had early suspicions but couldn’t quite grasp the key point. With Nanny Qin’s reminder, all her scattered thoughts immediately connected.
She nodded emphatically: “Yes, Meng Ge’er is indeed thinking this way. Otherwise, why would he pay such attention to Yining? Looking at it this way, though Yining caused great trouble, she has also won Meng Ge’er’s affection.”
“Fourth Miss is not only intelligent but has exceptional courage. Though she is a young lady from a respectable family, she has a chivalrous spirit not inferior to men’s. Doesn’t the Old Madam feel that Fourth Miss resembles the Prime Minister in his youth, not just in appearance but in temperament?”
“Yes.” The Old Madam nodded repeatedly. Recalling her eldest son’s appearance in youth seemed to transport her back to those beautiful years, filling her heart with joy. “Meng Ge’er still has no male heir, and encountering a daughter so similar to himself, he naturally loves her more. But Yining was indeed audacious beyond measure this time, making such a great mistake.”
“Oh, Old Madam, don’t worry.” Nanny Qin brought over a tea bowl and smiled: “This servant feels that when the Prime Minister solves problems for his daughter, he seems to take pleasure in it.”
“Takes pleasure in it?” The Old Madam accepted the tea bowl, thought about her son, then recalled the interesting incidents when her late husband had instructed their son. Understanding, she nodded, first chuckling, then tears filling her eyes. “Yingguang didn’t have the fortune to live long. If he could see his children and grandchildren so accomplished, how delighted he would be.”
Seeing the Old Madam remember the deceased old master, Nanny Qin quickly offered gentle comfort until the Old Madam’s heart was calm again, then said: “The Prime Minister has Fourth Miss recite the ‘Admonitions for Women’ and ‘Instructions for the Inner Quarters’ in the ancestral hall, and won’t allow anyone close to serve her.”
The Old Madam thought for a moment: “Since Meng Ge’er values her, she must have her merits. With no one around her, you should make more arrangements these days. Hoping for help from Yining’s mother is less reliable than hoping for red rain from heaven!”
“Old Madam, don’t be angry—your health is most important. As for the First Lady and the Prime Minister, it’s just a little spat between husband and wife—they quarrel at the head of the bed but make up at the foot. They’ll be fine again in a couple of days.”
Thinking of Sun Shi now made the Old Madam irritated. She couldn’t help scolding: “I most despise her arrogant manner. Just because she was born well—merely relying on ancestral achievements to coast along. Without talent or virtue, how could she be worthy of my Meng Ge’er?”
Seeing the Old Madam angry again, Nanny Qin offered more consolation.
After the Old Madam had washed and gone to sleep, Nanny Qin called over a matron and a little maid from the Garden of Filial Kindness: “The Old Madam instructs you two to serve Fourth Miss in the ancestral hall while she studies these next few days. Come with me now.”
The matron’s husband’s surname was Ge, so everyone called her Mrs. Ge. The little maid was named Xiao Ling, just ten years old, with a very clever appearance. Both curtsied to Nanny Qin and had rough servants carry bedding, charcoal braziers, and other miscellaneous necessities to the ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall was located in a quiet courtyard in the southeast corner of the outer courtyard, adjacent to the third-level ceremonial gate. The main hall housed the ancestral tablets of generations of the Qin family. The side rooms were regularly cleaned and organized, more than adequate for residence—even more complete and luxurious than Qin Yining’s Snow Pear Courtyard.
When Nanny Qin arrived, Qin Yining was already holding a copy of “Instructions for the Inner Quarters” and reading.
Hearing the commotion, Qin Yining quickly rose to greet her: “Nanny has come—how could I dare trouble you to make this trip personally?”