Seeing Qiu Feishan so anxious to return home to welcome Mu Jinghu, Qin Yining was happy for them and naturally wouldn’t force her to stay. She ordered servants to prepare a carriage and sent Qiu Feishan home.

She herself left people waiting at the gate while she went inside to fetch the two children.

Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er had just finished their afternoon nap and were now in high spirits. As soon as they saw Qin Yining, the two little ones rushed over and hugged her legs, one on each side.

“Mother.”

“Mother, where did you go!”

Qin Yining smiled as she squatted down to pat the two children’s heads, using a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from their foreheads from running around.

“Mother just went to the front. Your father has returned and will be home soon. Do you still remember what Mother taught you before?”

“Remember!” Han Ge’er eagerly answered first.

Zhao Ge’er also nodded obediently.

Qin Yining smiled and said, “Good. In a moment, we three will go to the gate to welcome your father. You must behave well and make him happy too, alright?”

“Alright!”

Qin Yining hugged the two children and kissed each of them.

Madam Zheng, Ma Shi, and Sun Shi stood under the corridor watching this scene, all showing heartfelt smiles.

At this moment, Pang Xiao bid farewell to Mu Jinghu and rushed directly back to the Prince’s manor with several Elite Tiger Guards.

The gatekeepers had been peeking out, and seeing Pang Xiao return with his men, they quickly went inside to report: “Quick, tell the Grand Master and Grand Madam that the Prince has returned.”

Pang Xiao entered the manor gates and headed directly to the rear upper courtyard. Though the Prince’s manor was called a manor, it was merely a two-courtyard residence that Pang Xiao had prepared adjacent to the Qin Manor for convenience. With his tall stature and long legs, Pang Xiao crossed the entrance hall in a few large steps and passed through the moon gate to the inner residence.

Yao Shi and Yao Chenggu stood smiling under the corridor.

Pang Xiao smiled as he bowed to them, then asked somewhat strangely, “Where are Grandmother and Yi Jie’er? The two children should have been brought back too, right?”

Seeing Pang Xiao ask about Qin Yining first upon meeting, Yao Shi’s originally smiling face immediately lengthened. “What, you go away for a trip and come back with only that woman on your mind? Your mother and grandfather are standing right in front of you, and you won’t show more concern?”

Yao Chenggu knew that Yao Shi had been holding in her anger for days. He felt sorry for his daughter too, but now Yao Shi’s tone when speaking to Pang Xiao was so improper that it would obviously cause trouble.

Yao Chenggu immediately scolded, “How do you speak to the child? He just returned and asks about the household situation—what’s wrong with that? As his mother, don’t you have even this much magnanimity? Do you want to learn from those bad examples who just run away?”

Yao Shi’s face turned ashen. After a long moment, she understood the meaning of the last sentence and found it slightly more acceptable.

But Pang Xiao raised his eyebrows, understanding that something must have happened at home again.

“How have things been at home these past days?”

Yao Shi snorted, “You still ask? It’ll be difficult for you to take concubines in the future. You don’t know what good deeds your wife has done!”

Yao Shi recounted the incident at Changchun Garden when Qin Yining had ordered Pan Keyu to be slapped, adding oil and vinegar to her account.

“I’ve never seen such an unvirtuous, domineering, poisonous woman! She’s completely disgraced the Prince’s manor! Always seductive and arrogant, and in front of all the guests, she dared to publicly say she was jealous, clearly not putting me, her mother-in-law, in her eyes! In her eyes, I’m probably worth less than an ant on the ground!

“You’ve married such a fine wife—brought her back specifically to vex me. Your wife even told me to report to the Emperor, saying as long as the Emperor agrees, she can be divorced. Does she think I really don’t dare?”

Yao Shi had been holding in this anger for so many days, especially after Ma Shi had beaten her for privately accepting Pan Keyu’s gifts. She had been unhappy for a long time.

Seeing her son, she considered Pang Xiao her closest person and naturally wanted to voice all her dissatisfaction.

She completely ignored Pang Xiao’s increasingly grim expression.

Yao Chenggu lit a pipe and puffed on it while observing Pang Xiao. Seeing Pang Xiao’s displeased expression, Yao Chenggu coughed twice.

Yao Shi’s voice was interrupted, and only then did she notice her son’s face had darkened.

“What, when Mother says a few words about your wife, you don’t want to hear it? I’m only doing this for your own good!” Yao Shi stood up, pointed outside the door, and spat viciously. “That poisonous woman would rather be shameless than let you take concubines, but those two she’s raising clearly don’t look like you at all—who knows who their father is!

“If I weren’t afraid you’d be a cuckold without making a sound, would I keep being the villain? If you were raised by me, you’d divorce the Qin girl immediately. There are so many good girls with better families and character than her. Having another son wouldn’t be adulterated!”

Pang Xiao’s expression gradually became calm.

Seeing Pang Xiao remain silent, Yao Shi became even more convinced her words were correct. Just as she was about to continue speaking, Pang Xiao spoke first.

“It seems the Old Madam has been deceived by others and is quite ill. Already advanced in years with poor health, she’s always easily swayed emotionally and even has hallucinations—truly worrying. Someone come.”

Pang Xiao turned back, and immediately two Elite Tiger Guards from the doorway entered and bowed. “Prince.”

“The estate this Prince purchased in Nanyan is near the outskirts, with clear mountains and beautiful waters, fresh and elegant—perfect for the Old Madam to recuperate. Depart immediately and escort the Old Madam to the estate. I see that the servants around the Old Madam are all incompetent—they’ve served a perfectly good person into madness. Our household doesn’t practice violence, so dismiss and sell off all those people. Go find the Chief Administrator and have him handle it.”

“Yes, Prince.”

The Elite Tiger Guards were all from military backgrounds and greatly admired Pang Xiao. Even because of Pang Xiao’s regard for Qin Yining, in these Elite Tiger Guards’ hearts, Qin Yining was also an object of their trust and admiration. They had heard Yao Shi’s words clearly from outside the door, and now receiving these orders, they didn’t find anything improper about them.

Two Elite Tiger Guards stepped forward, making respectful gestures with one on each side, their voices booming in unison: “Old Madam, please!”

By this time, both Yao Shi and Yao Chenggu were already dumbstruck.

Yao Shi pointed at Pang Xiao: “You, you, how can you treat me like this!”

Pang Xiao looked at Yao Shi with gentle eyes: “Mother, you’ve been deceived by others. Your mind is having hallucinations—you’re taking all those unrealistic speculations as truth. You don’t even know what’s reality and what’s illusion anymore. Your son is truly worried about you.

“Rest assured, Nanyan is relatively safe. I’ll arrange for reliable people to protect you well and have trustworthy people serve you. Just recuperate well at the estate. When your hysteria is cured and you stop having wild thoughts, your son will bring you back for a reunion.”

As Pang Xiao spoke, he even reached out to embrace Yao Shi. Then he instructed the two Elite Tiger Guards: “Escort the Old Madam and depart immediately.”

“Unfilial son, you dare! For a seductress, you treat your own mother this way—how can you face your father, how can you face our ancestors!” The Elite Tiger Guards surrounded Yao Shi with their wall-like bodies and led her out.

They didn’t drag Yao Shi, but she could only passively walk outside, unwillingly turning back to shout.

Pang Xiao sighed: “Son is doing this to cure your illness. If you continue being mad and talking nonsense like this, not only will you suffer, but your son will be anxious watching, and the whole family will be disturbed by you with no peace. For everyone’s good, Mother should go recuperate properly. I’ll find time to visit you.”

Yao Shi cried loudly, turning back to look at Yao Chenggu for help: “Father, Father! You control him! Father!”

Yao Chenggu’s face was ashen: “Dafu, you…”

“Grandfather. Grand Master. I know my mother has some cleverness. But she lacks judgment in many matters, is easily influenced, and especially trusts and relies on you.”

Pang Xiao shook his head: “If I weren’t worried about Grandmother being lonely, I’d want to ask you to help with a trip to the farm estate too. Perhaps with your companionship, Mother would have a pillar of support in her heart and her illness might recover faster.”

Yao Chenggu was so angry his face turned the color of pig’s liver, pointing at Pang Xiao with his pipe: “Good, you’re excellent! Grandfather raised you this big, and now for an outsider you treat your grandfather and mother like this!”

“You’re a man after all—don’t focus your vision inward but look further ahead. Instead, you insist on staring at these trivial household matters! I grew up under your guidance—where did your former grace and wisdom go? Have you become an old woman in your old age?”

“You!”

“I’m doing this for the family’s peace!” Pang Xiao said sternly. “What’s the current situation? Hmm? Mother can’t see clearly—doesn’t Grandfather understand either?”

This one sentence choked back the words Yao Chenggu was about to curse.

“Yi Jie’er and I have encountered several life-and-death situations outside, and when we return home, we still have to deal with people stirring up trouble. Our Prince’s manor has just a few masters total, yet the Qin family with such a large household still lives harmoniously. And you? Hmm? This is how you help me manage the inner residence and give me no worries?”

Pang Xiao said to the Elite Tiger Guards who had stopped at the doorway: “Why aren’t you escorting the Old Madam to recuperate?”

“Yes.” The Elite Tiger Guards received their orders and immediately left.

Other Elite Tiger Guards had already prepared a carriage. Yao Shi was stuffed into the carriage without bringing any of her personal clothes or jewelry, escorted away from the Prince’s manor by two guards.

At this moment, Yao Chenggu felt a mixture of emotions, his lips moving but unable to say a single word.

“You needn’t worry about Mother. Always being so angry is indeed bad for her health. Resting quietly like this will also promote longevity. You rest well at home. Your grandson takes his leave first.”

Pang Xiao cupped his hands, turned, and left with his men.

Only Yao Chenggu remained standing under the corridor, staring blankly at his retreating figure.

He kept asking himself: Was what he did wrong?

When Pang Xiao arrived at the Qin Manor, Qin Yining had been waiting with the two children for a long time.

As soon as the gatekeeper saw Pang Xiao approaching outside, he immediately informed Qin Yining.

Qin Yining smiled, whispered a few words to the two children, and they immediately nodded, holding hands as they ran out of the gatehouse and rushed straight toward Pang Xiao, once again displaying their “leg-hugging divine skill.”

“Daddy!”

“Daddy! You’re back! Do you still recognize Han Ge’er?”

Pang Xiao was completely stunned. Originally, after sending Yao Shi away, his heart was very troubled—disappointed, sad, with a kind of helpless inevitability and guilt toward Qin Yining. But now seeing two soft, white “glutinous rice balls” clinging to his legs, two identical little faces looking up at him and speaking to him in sweet, childish voices…

For a moment, Pang Xiao didn’t know how to react, not even daring to touch the two children, afraid his rough hands might hurt them.