“I naturally know she won’t let this matter rest. It’s all because someone’s charm is truly too overwhelming.” Qin Yining hugged her shoulders and looked at Pang Xiao helplessly. “This is truly a case of sitting at home minding my own business when disaster falls from the sky. I haven’t provoked anyone, yet I’ve suddenly gained two enemies of considerable status who are determined to scheme against me.”
Pang Xiao couldn’t help but laugh as he playfully scraped her nose. “I’ll take that as you being jealous.”
Qin Yining replied earnestly, “I am being jealous.”
Meeting her watery eyes, Pang Xiao’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that this statement was completely serious.
“I thought you…”
“Thought what? That I wouldn’t be jealous?” Qin Yining was quite surprised, unable to imagine that such an intelligent person as Pang Xiao would actually think she was someone who wouldn’t feel jealous.
“Is this how magnanimous I am in your mind?”
Pang Xiao shook his head, pulled her into his embrace, and rubbed her head with his chin while sighing. “It’s my oversight. Because you’ve always been so composed and steady, and so resourceful, I often feel that no matter what happens, you can see through it all. I forgot that you’re just a young lady. This is my fault.”
He really was confused—no matter how strong Qin Yining was, she was still only a sixteen-year-old girl.
Yet he had been so careless, overlooking her feelings and taking her understanding and tolerance for granted.
By doing this, what difference was there between him and those who didn’t care about Qin Yining and only thought of themselves?
Sensing Pang Xiao’s low mood, Qin Yining smiled and lifted her head, actively placing a kiss on his chin. “What’s there to be right or wrong about? Though I am a woman, I’ve never been more fragile than anyone else. You’re a grown man, yet you’re thinking so much about this. You’re not even as broad-minded as I am.”
Pang Xiao replied with both laughter and tears, “You call this not being broad-minded? I’m feeling sorry for you.”
With warm breath right by her ear, Qin Yining quickly turned away and pushed his shoulder once. “Let’s just chat for a while and leave it at that. Don’t let others see and start wild speculation.”
Pang Xiao laughed. “I understand. In the future, I’ll just quietly visit you. However, with several experts added around you, it won’t be easy to silently climb through your window anymore. When your guards find out, won’t they overthink things too?”
Qin Yining blushed at his teasing and snorted lightly. “Those were arranged by my father specifically to guard against you.”
“Is father-in-law still holding a grudge over last time?” Pang Xiao joked.
Qin Yining glared at him, remembering how he had deliberately let Qin Huaiyuan see his shadow, which made her angry. She pushed his shoulder. “Go quickly, go back and rest to heal your injuries properly.”
Pang Xiao stopped teasing her, pulled over her soft, fair hand to kiss it, then jumped down from the carriage.
Seeing Pang Xiao emerge, Qianyun approached and bowed.
Pang Xiao said, “Take good care of your young miss.”
“Yes. This servant will certainly do her utmost.”
Pang Xiao nodded, then turned and walked quickly in the direction opposite to the prince’s mansion gates.
Qin Yining lifted the curtain with her delicate hand, watching him walk away before instructing them to depart for home.
With the weight on her heart lifted, having watched a good show, and most importantly having met and chatted with Pang Xiao for a while, Qin Yining felt quite pleased. Throughout the journey home, she couldn’t help but smile.
Knowing her master had a thin face, Qianyun didn’t say much, but couldn’t help smiling throughout the journey either.
The capital had been quite lively recently. First came news that Madam Lu had deliberately targeted the daughter of Minister Qin and was publicly scolded by her own elder brother. Then people gossiped daily, three times a day, about the relationships between Prince Consort Ji, Prince Zhongshun, and Princess Anyang, until news spread of the two war gods of the Huben Army and Longxiang Army coming to blows, bringing the entire affair to a boiling point and making it known to practically everyone.
Usually people had little entertainment, and throughout the cold winter they didn’t like moving around outside. Now that the weather was warming up, more people were strolling about outside, and naturally they heard all sorts of news.
Seeing that public opinion continued developing in the direction Li Qitian hoped for, Qin Yining knew there must be Pang Xiao’s influence behind it.
The longer they spent together, the more Qin Yining realized that Pang Xiao was actually someone with meticulous thoughts and cunning methods—at least he wasn’t as rough and straightforward as he appeared on the surface.
Since Pang Xiao was willing to use his brain, she could rest assured.
However, watching as the brawl incident between the two great war gods suppressed even Madam Lu’s affair, and after several days of waiting without any counterattack from Madam Lu, Qin Yining thought that day’s incident had already passed.
Who would have thought that today Lu Dehan would suddenly come to see her in great haste.
“Benefactor, today people from Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion came looking for me, saying they want to buy your residence at a high price. If I refuse to sell, they’ll kill me!”
Qin Yining asked in great surprise, “Madam Lu from Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion sent people to find you?”
“Yes.” Lu Dehan said, “I, Old Lu, am not afraid of death, but I’m afraid of doing something wrong and implicating my benefactor. Weren’t there people just days ago saying that you and that woman from Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion don’t get along? Perhaps she’s deliberately looking for trouble with you.”
Qin Yining frowned in deep thought. The residence they currently lived in was just reaching the stage of transfer between the two families. She had previously put the house under Lu Dehan’s name, then had Lu Dehan handle the transfer with Qin Huaiyuan—no silver needed, just going through the property transfer process.
Who knew that after suffering so many setbacks, Madam Lu still wouldn’t give up and wanted to continue opposing her.
“Benefactor, what do you say we should do now?”
Qin Yining said, “You don’t need to be afraid. She won’t really do anything to you.”
“Even if she were serious, I wouldn’t be afraid. But can we really keep this standoff with Madam Lu going forever? If she wants to buy it and I just refuse to sell, even if she won’t kill me outright, she won’t let us have peace either. Rather than that, why don’t we sell the house to her at a high price? That way we’ll have silver and can buy something better. Let her take this loss!”
Hearing this, Qin Yining shook her head with amusement.
Lu Dehan was simple-minded. If they bought another residence, wouldn’t Madam Lu just acquire it again?
The Lu family was a hundred-year-old established family with considerable background. Perhaps for Madam Lu, silver was just a number, and buying any place at a high price would be an effortless matter.
Moreover, if she took this opportunity to demand money from Madam Lu, wouldn’t that mean lowering her head first?
Qin Yining had never been someone who yielded easily.
She would rather be enemies with the Lu family than do anything that would damage the Qin family’s reputation. If the inner residence’s affairs weren’t conducted properly, wouldn’t her father be laughed at as an official in court?
“Miss.”
Just then, Qiu Lu came to the door to bow and said, “Miss, a letter has arrived from the Lu family. They said all three masters are not at home and there’s no one in charge of household affairs, so the madam instructed us to deliver the letter to you.”
“Bring it here for me to see.”
Qiu Lu handed the gold-embossed letter to Qin Yining.
After carefully reading it, Qin Yining couldn’t help being surprised.
The letter was from Lu Heng, inviting Qin Huaiyuan out for a small gathering.
Qin Yining closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled. She had found a way to deal with Madam Lu.