“What countermeasures are there to think of? No matter what happens, what can the family do to me? Father and mother won’t change toward me, and as for the Old Dowager, hasn’t she disliked me even when nothing happened? Moreover, that Madam Lu has no other methods—she only dares to make such threats and be done with it.”
Qin Yining remained perfectly calm, not taking Madam Lu’s provocation seriously at all.
Because she understood clearly that for the Lu family lineage to prosper for a hundred years without decline, those in power absolutely wouldn’t be incompetent fools. Madam Lu’s ostentatious, domineering behavior without any restraint—this type of woman was the root of family chaos. She definitely wasn’t a core figure of the Lu family.
The Lu family’s intentions weren’t yet clear, so panicking now was too early.
Moreover, she was just a minor figure who couldn’t influence the Lu family’s actions—why should she take it to heart?
“You really think optimistically.” Bingtang sighed: “Originally I thought that leaving Great Yan and its foolish emperor and demon empress, we could live freely and comfortably in Great Zhou. Who knew that coming here, we’d discover that living freely and comfortably is simply impossible.”
Qin Yining couldn’t help but laugh: “Who says so? Aren’t we quite comfortable now?”
“Comfortable? I don’t feel it. You’re confined to the residence all day, at most paying morning and evening respects to the Old Dowager, who already has a bad impression of you and constantly makes sarcastic remarks. It’s truly stifling.”
Qin Yining waved her hand and smiled: “Silly girl, do I look like an ordinary sheltered young lady to you?”
Hearing this, Bingtang was stunned.
Qian Yun, who was helping Lian Xiaozhou comb her hair, laughed: “Miss isn’t an ordinary person, so naturally you needn’t care about what ordinary women do.”
Qin Yining smiled: “Whatever I do, as long as the main direction of matters follows my thinking, then it’s comfortable.”
Bingtang asked: “So you’re saying this matter is also developing according to your thinking?”
Qin Yining raised her eyebrows noncommittally: “Some things can only be handled well when they become big enough.”
Having said this, she stood up: “Let’s dress warmly and take a walk in the courtyard.”
Great Zhou’s weather was cold. Though it was already February, the cold wind outside was still bone-piercing.
Qin Yining wore thick winter clothes and carried a hand warmer, chatting and laughing with her maids as they walked in circles around the courtyard.
The current residence wasn’t like the former extensive garden grounds—now it was merely a two-courtyard compound with different households assigned to different rooms. So Qin Yining’s activities could be seen by the whole family if they wanted to look.
The Old Dowager put down her window prop, closed the back window, sat up straight, and snorted coldly.
“That girl certainly seems to be living quite merrily.”
Nanny Qin brought over a bowl of cheese with a smile: “Old Dowager, have some refreshments. The kitchen just sent this—it’s still warm.”
But the Old Dowager waved her hand: “You know, though this courtyard is fine in every way, it’s just a bit small. Opening a window, you can see those little hussies’ activities in the back garden, and if they speak a bit loudly, you can hear everything clearly. I don’t know what’s wrong with me now—whenever I see Fourth Girl’s crafty appearance, I get irritated. The more I look, the more I find her detestable.”
Nanny Qin silently thought: Fourth Miss resembles the Elder Master so much—she’s just a bit more fair in her actions, and you’ve come to hate her for it.
Though Nanny Qin also felt the Old Dowager did many things ungracefully, she was ultimately loyal to her master. Sighing, she said: “The Old Dowager is only thinking this way because you’re angry.”
“Tell me, how could that wretched girl go and offend the Lu family!” The Old Dowager had asked her three sons yesterday and finally understood how deep the Lu family lineage’s foundations ran.
She couldn’t understand how Qin Yining, merely attending a banquet, could have offended the Lu family lineage.
“That Loyal and Brave Marquis residence is definitely not an ordinary noble house. I heard that if General Mi hadn’t died, he would now at least be on par with Prince Consort Ji and Prince Zhongshun. Madam of Loyal and Brave Marquis is also from the Lu family—what high status! What was Fourth Girl thinking? Why couldn’t she get along well with them!”
Speaking of this, the Old Dowager angrily slapped the table, making the carp-playing-with-lotus blue and white porcelain covered bowl on the table ring with a tinkling sound.
“Tell me, if we’re really driven homeless, we won’t be able to show our faces in public!”
The more the Old Dowager thought about it, the angrier she became. In her fury, the clear, laughing voices of the girls in the courtyard seemed particularly vexing.
Just as the Old Dowager was about to push open the window and scold Qin Yining, a maid came outside to report.
“Reporting to the Old Dowager, a madam has come from outside requesting to see Fourth Miss.”
The Old Dowager was already worried about the family becoming homeless, so hearing the words “madam,” she immediately thought of Madam Lu.
She hurriedly urged Nanny Qin: “Quick, quick, call that wretched girl here so I can properly instruct her before letting her meet the guest. Otherwise, if she completely offends them, our family’s foundation is still shallow—how will we continue living!”
Nanny Qin advised: “Old Dowager, don’t be anxious. We don’t yet know who this visitor is.”
Though she said this, Nanny Qin still went to the back courtyard to request Qin Yining’s presence.
Qin Yining also heard that a young madam wanted to see her, so she instructed Ji Yun and Bingtang to go ahead and serve tea to the visitor, saying she was changing clothes and would be there immediately.
Entering the Old Dowager’s room, before she could walk close, the Old Dowager angrily said: “You scoundrel, look at the trouble you’ve caused!”
Qin Yining was baffled by the scolding: “What’s wrong with the Old Dowager? Why such a temper?”
The Old Dowager was so angry she grabbed the covered bowl to throw it, but thinking that the family wasn’t as prosperous as before and the blue and white porcelain tea set was a complete set—if one was broken, the others couldn’t be used either—she took a deep breath and put the tea bowl down.
“You still have the nerve to ask me? I tell you, today you must properly apologize and let Madam Lu calm down! If this truly affects our family, see if I don’t have your father string you up and whip you! You don’t follow rules or want good days for yourself, but don’t drag down the whole family!”
The Old Dowager’s words were extremely harsh. For an unmarried girl to truly be whipped by her father would ruin her reputation completely. Though knowing the Old Dowager was trying to frighten her, anger still rose in Qin Yining’s heart.
“Old Dowager, rest assured, I won’t burden the household. However, when the household borrowed my influence to gain wealth and status, I never saw you give me a kind look. Now with just this tiny matter, you begin showing me no mercy. If all grandmothers in the world were like you, indiscriminately scolding people without understanding the facts, ordinary young ladies would probably all hang themselves!”
“You!” The Old Dowager slammed the table hard: “You’ve done wrong yet still don’t know repentance! Growing up wild in the countryside without proper upbringing, you simply can’t compare to daughters raised in prestigious families!”
“Old Dowager, please think before speaking. I didn’t have the fortune to be raised in the residence—was it my choice to leave the Qin family?”
Past events were the greatest pain in Qin Huaiyuan and Sun Shi’s hearts, so everyone in the household deliberately avoided this topic. Though the Old Dowager also found it taboo, with Qin Huaiyuan and Sun Shi both absent now, needling her disobedient granddaughter actually made her feel better.
The Old Dowager’s unreasonable behavior was mainly to make Qin Yining submit to Madam Lu.
But Qin Yining could never lower her head first.
“Old Dowager.” Qin Yining straightened her expression and said very seriously: “I know the Old Dowager spoke those words just now in anger, and with the Old Dowager’s wisdom, some things become clear with just a hint. I’ll say just one thing now: my father is new to Great Zhou, unfamiliar with people and places, and court struggles are so complex. What do you think we should do for my father to make his life easier?”
Hearing Qin Yining’s tone of coaxing a child made the Old Dowager impatient again.
Since she now disliked this person, everything about her seemed disagreeable.
Qin Yining didn’t expect the Old Dowager to give any answer and continued on her own: “My father serves as an official at court and needs to establish a stable position in Great Zhou. What constitutes establishing oneself, the Old Dowager naturally understands—granddaughter needn’t elaborate. The Lu family is indeed powerful. But in this matter, can my father show weakness? If we retreat this time, next time someone will dare to shit on our heads!”
Hearing Qin Yining’s methodical analysis, the scales in the Old Dowager’s heart tilted somewhat.
Qin Yining continued: “My father wants to be an official, and dignity is of primary importance. Whatever the Lu family wants to do, they must consider the Emperor’s thoughts. Madam Lu isn’t from the Lu family’s main branch but from a collateral miss, and her behavior has always been openly licentious and arrogant—everyone knows this. She dares threaten that we can’t continue living here, but without waiting for us to act, someone will naturally deal with her. I absolutely will not submit and apologize to Madam Lu. My father still needs to serve as an official at court!”
Qin Yining very patiently broke down and explained everything to the Old Dowager, only hoping she could understand and not make private decisions that would drag down Qin Huaiyuan.
Qin Yining felt her own face was secondary—the family’s attitude was most important.
Originally, it was Madam Lu who did wrong. If the Qin family was willing to lower their heads, wouldn’t more people bully them in the future? Would they have to yield to each one then?
Better to clash with Madam Lu now and let people know that the faction of Great Yan surrendered ministers weren’t all cowards.
Qin Yining paid no more attention to the Old Dowager and quickly went to the front courtyard.
But just reaching the room entrance, Bingtang came up and whispered: “It’s the Yan Prince Consort’s wife who has come.”
Yan Prince Consort’s wife Li Yanyan?
The Old Dowager was probably needlessly nervous!
Qin Yining’s angry and helpless mood instantly improved, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
Lifting the padded warm curtain and entering the main hall, she immediately smelled a pleasant tea fragrance.
Li Yanyan wore a deep purple plain satin cotton cloak with a matching Guanyin hood, making her skin appear white as snow and her cherry lips even more lustrous.
Qin Yining smiled and curtsied: “I never expected Yan Prince Consort’s wife to grace our humble dwelling—it truly brings splendor to our modest home.”
This polite phrase dimmed Li Yanyan’s smile somewhat, and the words she originally wanted to say got stuck in her throat.