Though Princess Yongjia had been very good to Qin Shuying these past few months, Qin Shuying never dared forget Princess Yongjia’s status, her peculiar habits that differed from others, and never dared truly relax her guard.

“Your Highness jests. Your Highness has a magnanimous nature and doesn’t deign to argue with this subject’s wife’s petty cleverness.”

This was indeed something Qin Shuying admired about Princess Yongjia.

When Qin Shuying had embarrassed her so at the flower banquet, she could actually turn around and come to appreciate Qin Shuying.

When she liked someone, she liked them inexplicably, liked them unrestrained.

Princess Yongjia lived with true temperament, lived freely, couldn’t be measured by common reasoning, and had somewhat the flavor of Wei and Jin dynasty scholars’ romantic spirit.

“Alright, alright, since you’re not afraid and don’t need to use this princess as backing, this princess will continue waiting for you at the temple tomorrow.”

After settling the time and matters requiring attention, Qin Shuying accompanied Princess Yongjia for lunch, received a calligraphy painting as a gift from Princess Yongjia, then took the Pingxi Marquis Manor’s carriage back.

Liang Zhe hadn’t returned yet.

At Songtao Residence.

Nanny Fu came over and said: “Young Madam, my lord rested at Tinglan Pavilion last night.”

Hong Juan was taking apart the complex pearl hairpins from Qin Shuying’s hair, while Ziteng and Lu Ye stood by to assist. Qin Shuying looked at her calm-faced reflection in the bronze mirror and said: “How is Madam?”

“It’s said that Madam arranged this herself.”

Qin Shuying smiled slightly. How truly virtuous.

However, in a few more days, she’d have even better opportunities to display her virtue.

“Young Madam, this servant heard that Young Master Yuan is very clever with a photographic memory, and my lord is very fond of him. Miss Ning is also quite intelligent, writes beautifully, and can already compose poetry. Old Madam likes them very much and has been seeing them every day these past two days. There’s also that Concubine Yue—she personally made a pair of shoes for Old Madam, and somehow persuaded my lord to personally deliver the shoes to Old Madam.”

Qin Shuying lowered her eyes.

Concubine Yue was seeking her own death.

Qin Shuying had clearly seen the flash of disgust in Old Madam Liang’s eyes when she looked at the Yuan siblings.

Her calling the twins over these past two days—Qin Shuying didn’t believe it was out of affection, but rather because she had ulterior motives.

Did Concubine Yue think that by pleasing Old Madam Liang, Old Madam Liang’s scales would tip slightly toward the Yuan siblings?

How foolishly clever.

Liang Yunshan wasn’t Old Madam Liang’s biological son, but Luo Meixiang was Old Madam Liang’s biological niece.

Supposedly, Old Madam Liang was Minister Luo’s concubine-born sister, and Luo Meixiang was only born to Minister Luo’s concubine, so Old Madam Liang should have had better relations with Minister Luo’s legitimate son, Elder Master Luo’s family.

But Old Madam Liang wasn’t like this.

It was said that when she was still unmarried, she had good relations with Luo Meixiang’s birth mother—Minister Luo’s concubine, Concubine Zhou.

So after Old Madam Liang married the old Pingxi Marquis, she maintained good relations with Concubine Zhou. After Zhao Wanniang’s death, Old Madam Liang personally proposed the match to the Luo family, arranging Liang Yunshan’s remarriage to Luo Meixiang.

With this relationship in place, yet Concubine Yue foolishly tried to please Old Madam Liang—she really didn’t know how she’d survived all those years at the border.

However, speaking of it, Concubine Yue had no choice but to please Old Madam Liang. After all, her pair of children were now under the management of Luo Meixiang, their legitimate mother. How could she dare confront Luo Meixiang?

Pleasing Old Madam Liang could both make Liang Yunshan happy and warm Old Madam Liang’s heart. Many young wives did this—she was only a concubine, so doing this wasn’t unreasonable.

However, could Old Madam Liang’s heart be warmed?

Nanny Fu said: “This old servant originally thought that if this Concubine Yue were clever, she should curry favor with Young Madam. Only by allying with Young Madam could she stand firm in the inner quarters. Since she looks down on Young Madam, Young Madam needn’t worry about her.”

Though Nanny Fu didn’t know that Old Madam Liang wasn’t Liang Yunshan’s biological mother, she could deduce from other aspects.

After all, most people would consider that with Liang Zhe married, the management of the inner quarters would eventually return to Qin Shuying’s hands someday.

Now, with Old Madam Liang making no arrangements and Liang Yunshan playing deaf and dumb, Concubine Yue probably figured that this matter of managing the inner quarters would likely never reach Qin Shuying’s hands.

Qin Shuying smiled: “Nanny, I’m just a Young Madam with empty status. When Concubine Yue was at the border, she also managed a household and made decisions. It’s quite normal for her to look down on me.”

Nanny Fu nodded: “Since that’s the case, we’ll just wait and see.”

Lu Ye was somewhat indignant: “Young Madam, let her look down on people with her dog eyes—she’ll regret it eventually.”

Qin Shuying smiled without speaking.

Hong Juan asked: “Lu Ye, you’ve been to Ning Garden and Qianxi Garden—have you calculated everything clearly?”

Lu Ye said: “I figured it out long ago. Just wait and see—we’ll move into Qianxi Garden with great fanfare!”

Everyone laughed. Qin Shuying looked at her now-refreshed hair and listened to everyone’s laughter, her heavy mood since yesterday relaxing slightly.

After the others left, Qin Shuying kept Ziteng alone to talk: “Ziteng, pass word to Mi Luo to have people keep an eye on Concubine Zhou. Report anything immediately.”

“Young Madam, why is this?”

“Haven’t you noticed that this Concubine Zhou is truly quite remarkable?”

Ziteng thought about it: “Indeed so. Though she was originally just a concubine, she’s now more honored than a first-rank imperial lady. Not only is her biological son a third-rank official, but her daughter is also a super first-rank marquis’s wife. Who could have imagined that a concubine would have such glory today?”

As they spoke, Liang Zhe returned, and Ziteng lifted the curtain and went out.

Liang Zhe sat down, drank a mouthful of tea, his face showing joy: “Shuying, that diagram you gave me before—Fourth Prince and I made the actual item, and it’s truly a sharp weapon!”

Speaking thus, he took out something the size of a palm.

Qin Shuying looked and saw it was indeed the thing from the blueprint she’d given him.

This was a small crossbow.

Generally speaking, making a crossbow this small would compromise its range.

Liang Zhe loaded an arrow onto the crossbow, pressed gently at one spot on the bow body, and the toothpick-thin arrow shot out with a “whoosh” sound, embedding itself in a stool leg ten steps away.

When they went forward to look, that arrow had penetrated three inches into the wood—truly sharp.

What a killing weapon!

Liang Zhe placed the item in Qin Shuying’s hands: “Use this for self-defense.”

The palm-sized crossbow had the arrow within the bow and wouldn’t fire randomly.

Qin Shuying examined the crossbow for a while, then asked with a smile: “Ziyu, did you also try other models?”

Liang Zhe laughed heartily: “Shuying is clever—we made four different models in total. The largest is as tall as a person and can shoot across Qian Lake. Previous crossbows were all limited by range. This batch of crossbows—the person-tall type can shoot a full hundred steps further than previous models of the same size. Fourth Prince is overjoyed! Haha!”

Shooting a hundred steps further meant having one more advantage in killing enemies at the same distance. Just this one advantage could mean the lives of thousands of soldiers—how could he not be happy?

“It’s just a pity that though I hold this pearl, I can’t tell others about it. How frustrating! Haha!”

This referred to how the blueprint was clearly contributed by Qin Shuying, yet others couldn’t know.

Liang Zhe laughed heartily several times, looking at Qin Shuying with increasingly gentle eyes that carried some heat.

Qin Shuying felt somewhat overwhelmed and lowered her head under the pretense of organizing the crossbow.