Qin Yining seemed shocked by Pang Xiao’s fury, her watery eyes shimmering with tears. Under the night sky, reflecting the lantern light, she appeared pitiful and helpless.
Sensing the loosened pressure from Qin Yining’s foot, Rou Niang immediately scrambled up. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she didn’t dare retaliate against Qin Yining, but her mocking gaze toward Qin Yining was completely undisguised.
“Sister Rou Niang, are you alright?” Xinche limped over to support Rou Niang, then turned back to look at Pang Xiao with gratitude, as if he hadn’t come, they would have been killed by the “female demon” today.
Though Pang Xiao and Qin Yining were perfectly in sync and knew each other’s thoughts at this moment, seeing Qin Yining in such a state still caused him a pang of heartache. He forced himself to continue scolding: “What are you staring at! When this prince reprimands you, do you dare have objections!”
The tears in Qin Yining’s eyes fell like snow shaken from tree branches by his loud shout.
Lian Xiaozhou angrily shouted “Ah!” and charged at Pang Xiao, punching and kicking him.
She was small, her arms and legs even shorter compared to Pang Xiao. Though full of thoughts, her speech was unclear. In her rage, she wanted to curse but couldn’t get the words out. Anxiously crying, she could only intermittently shout: “Bullying sister! Bad person! Bad person!”
Seeing Lian Xiaozhou protecting her so fiercely, Qin Yining felt heartbroken. She quickly pulled Lian Xiaozhou away from Pang Xiao’s legs, crouched down to hold her in her arms, and apologetically comforted her.
After being harmlessly pummeled a few times by the little girl, and watching Qin Yining and the child crying together in an embrace, Pang Xiao’s heart ached despite knowing this was all performed for those watching eyes.
“Crying? You dare cause trouble in this prince’s residence and still have the face to cry? Do you think this prince will forgive you because of your tears!”
Qin Yining crouched on the ground holding Lian Xiaozhou, burying her face in the child’s shoulder, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Lian Xiaozhou wanted to curse Pang Xiao but couldn’t speak smoothly, wanted to hit him but knew she couldn’t win. Seeing Qin Yining like this, she also burst into loud sobs.
Ma Shi, who had been stunned, finally came to her senses. Seeing Pang Xiao “bullying” Qin Yining so pitifully, though puzzled by his sudden change in attitude, her genuine affection for Qin Yining made her angrily rush forward to defend her.
But Yao Shi and Yao Chenggu, who had somehow appeared beside Ma Shi, grabbed her arms from both sides just in time.
Yao Chenggu meaningfully pinched her arm.
Between old married couples, there was naturally understanding. Ma Shi looked back at Yao Chenggu’s expression and hesitantly refrained from acting.
Over there, Pang Xiao had already said in a deep voice: “Someone come! Take her back to Suxue Garden and lock her up! Without this prince’s orders, no one is allowed to release her or visit her!”
“Yes!” A maidservant immediately responded, coming forward to help Qin Yining up while also pulling Lian Xiaozhou, flanking them as if afraid they might run, and escorted them away.
Pang Xiao stood with furrowed brow and hands behind his back, coldly watching Qin Yining being taken away. Only after her figure disappeared around the corner did he turn back to look coldly at Rou Niang.
“Why were you here?”
Rou Niang’s hair was now disheveled, her face streaked with tears, looking truly pitiful. Hearing Pang Xiao’s question, she timidly looked up, only to meet Pang Xiao’s sharp, narrowed phoenix eyes. She immediately felt as if pierced by ice arrows, shuddering all over and lowering her head.
“Re-replying to Your Highness, this concubine was just taking a walk.”
“It’s already dark—you came out to enjoy night scenery?” Pang Xiao raised an eyebrow, his tone leisurely and voice very gentle.
Yet the oppressive atmosphere made all the servants fall silent as cicadas.
Facing Pang Xiao directly, Rou Niang was already trembling like chaff, unable to utter a single word.
Seeing this, Xinche could only steel herself to say: “Replying to Your Highness, indeed, Sister Rou Niang said after dinner she wanted to take a stroll, so we came out for a walk. We didn’t expect to encounter Miss Qin.”
“Did I ask you?”
Xinche was stunned: “What?”
“Did I ask you?” Pang Xiao glanced sideways at Xinche, his expression seeming to see through all her thoughts.
Xinche felt both afraid and ashamed, lowering her head in panic.
Pang Xiao said coldly: “Since you are people bestowed by the Emperor, you should think more before acting, so as not to lose face. Don’t think that because the Emperor granted you to this prince, you’re superior to anyone else in the residence. If this prince discovers you’re not keeping to your place and acting recklessly, this prince can very well send your corpses back to the Emperor. If you don’t believe it, you can try!”
“Yes, this concubine wouldn’t dare, this concubine wouldn’t dare anymore!” Rou Niang’s voice trembled inhuman.
Pang Xiao waved his hand.
Rou Niang and Xinche immediately felt pardoned, running away with their personal maidservants like smoke.
Only after the area returned to quiet did Pang Xiao turn back toward Songhé Hall.
Ma Shi wanted to ask questions but was pulled back by Yao Chenggu.
Everyone silently entered the room.
After ordering people to guard outside and ensuring no one could approach, Pang Xiao said: “I must have frightened Grandfather, Grandmother, and Mother just now. This is my fault.”
Ma Shi anxiously lowered her voice: “What were you doing just now? Acting so fierce toward Yining, bullying a woman—how impressive does that make you! Twenty-some years really have gone to the dogs! Have you forgotten all the principles your grandmother taught you! Seeing Yining cry like that, even if you don’t feel heartache, I do!”
“Mother, don’t get excited. Dafu did it on purpose.” Yao Shi held Ma Shi’s hand, somewhat helpless with her impulsive mother.
Ma Shi said: “Even if it was on purpose, you still made Yining cry!”
“Yes, Grandmother.” Pang Xiao recalled Qin Yining’s appearance and felt a wave of discomfort.
“I put on a thorough show of forcibly bringing Yining home to protect the Qin family’s future. Now that Yining has entered the residence, if my attitude toward her doesn’t match my previous performance, it might reach outsiders’ ears and cause much speculation.
“The ten women bestowed by the Emperor are usually well-behaved. Yining has lived here for so many days without coming out to pay respects, yet today they suddenly appeared. There must be something suspicious about it, so I deliberately performed a scene with Yining to fool those watching eyes in our residence.”
Ma Shi wasn’t stupid—she understood everything once Pang Xiao explained. After frowning and thinking for a moment, she finally pounded the kang table: “How frustrating! We can’t even live comfortably in our own home!”
Indeed, how frustrating. How could Pang Xiao not feel frustrated too?
But given the current circumstances, even if frustrated, life had to go on.
“Dafu, you should quietly go see Miss Qin later and offer some comfort. Don’t let the girl feel wronged—being involved with you is already unlucky enough for her.” Yao Chenggu took out his pipe, his rough hands picking tobacco to fill the pipe bowl.
Hearing this, Pang Xiao’s eyebrow twitched, retorting indignantly: “Grandfather, what do you mean by that? Am I not good enough to her?”
“Don’t get indignant! When I first followed your grandfather, what was I after? Wasn’t it because your grandfather was decent, law-abiding, and could give me a peaceful life? But look at you—never a moment’s peace, either out fighting wars and not coming home, or when you do come home, you’re living with your head hanging from your belt!
“Whoever becomes your wife will have to worry sick about you, and might get dragged down if not careful! You say you’re good enough to her, but doesn’t she also have to help you strategize and act? Even without blaming you, Yining is exhausted enough following you!”
Ma Shi’s scolding hit right at Pang Xiao’s heart—feelings he had even without others pointing them out.
His situation was indeed difficult, and Qin Yining indeed had to navigate ups and downs with him. He could only promise her an absolutely unchanging true heart, but couldn’t promise her absolute stability.
What did women want?
Even Grandmother, a “female knight” who wandered the jianghu in her youth, finally chose to marry a cook, seeking only stability.
Qin Yining had been lonely since childhood—surely she wouldn’t enjoy living a challenging life?
For the first time, Pang Xiao faced his own shortcomings after being scolded.
Though he had countless virtues, this single flaw was enough reason for Qin Yining not to be with him.
Seeing Pang Xiao’s dark expression, looking like he might bite someone, Ma Shi also flared up, glaring and starting to remove her shoe: “What? You’re still not convinced after being told off? Believe it or not, I’ll beat you to death with this shoe sole!”
“Oh, oh! Mother!” Seeing Ma Shi removing her shoe, Yao Shi quickly reached out to stop her.
Ma Shi had natural feet, not bound, with large feet. Her shoe soles were hand-sewn by the women, hard and thick—one blow could leave a red mark on someone. Yao Shi, after all, felt sorry for her son and couldn’t bear to see him beaten.
Meanwhile, Yao Chenggu had already lit his pipe, puffing contentedly with a smile, looking like he was staying out of it to watch the excitement.
Pang Xiao obediently let Ma Shi hit him twice with the shoe sole before helplessly saying: “Grandmother, calm down. I’ll sit here with you for a while, then quietly go see Yining later. Is that acceptable?”
“Hmm. That’s more like it.” Ma Shi’s temper came and went quickly. Seeing such a big fellow who was also a prince still obediently listening like when he was small brought her great comfort. Thinking carefully that the outside affairs weren’t his fault, she secretly cursed the treacherous emperor.
After the spy in black reported everything from Pang Xiao’s residence in detail, Li Qitian asked: “In your opinion, does Prince Zhongshun truly show no favor to that Qin family woman?”
The spy was dressed in black with a graceful figure, face wrapped in black cloth, speaking in a female voice.
“Replying to Your Majesty, in this subordinate’s view, Prince Zhongshun does have some affection for the Qin family woman. That woman possesses heavenly beauty of stunning proportions—it’s understandable that heroes have trouble with beauties. However, his father’s revenge should weigh more heavily in Prince Zhongshun’s heart, otherwise he wouldn’t have such love-hate feelings toward the Qin family woman.”
“Hmm.” Li Qitian paced with hands behind his back, carefully analyzing for a moment before finally smiling with relief: “I knew someone with his temperament couldn’t let go of his father’s revenge. You did very well.”
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s praise. This is this subordinate’s duty. There’s another matter—Princess Imperial Anyang has visited the prince’s residence two consecutive days. Prince Zhongshun wasn’t home the first time, and deliberately avoided her the second time. Today Princess Imperial Anyang returned disappointed and was already angry.”
Li Qitian nodded inscrutably: “I understand. Continue doing your job well.”
“Yes.” The spy bowed and melted back into the shadows.