Although Second Cousin Sister-in-law meant well, upon hearing her words, everyone in the family still looked at her with disapproval and displeasure.
Qin Han had always known that while his wife wasn’t bad-hearted, she couldn’t grasp the subtleties of some situations. He couldn’t help but tug at her sleeve.
Only then did Second Cousin Sister-in-law belatedly realize what she’d done. Qin Huining’s position was awkward, and she didn’t get along with Qin Yining. No one in the family had introduced her, so why had she meddled in this matter?
Second Cousin Sister-in-law smiled awkwardly and stepped back two paces without saying another word.
But Qin Huining smiled gratefully at Second Cousin Sister-in-law. Finally having an opportunity to speak, she curtsied to Pang Xiao and said, “Greetings, brother-in-law.”
“Brother-in-law?” Pang Xiao looked her over with a half-smile, saying coolly, “No need for such formalities.”
Out of courtesy to Qin Huaiyuan, Pang Xiao gave Qin Huining a greeting gift comparable to what he’d given the other brothers and sisters in the family. Although Qin Huining called him brother-in-law, Pang Xiao’s high position and great authority meant his status was clear – his approach was quite appropriate.
Seeing Pang Xiao handle things this way, Qin Huaiyuan was very satisfied in his heart, thinking that Pang Xiao was truly devoted to Qin Yining.
The old matriarch, now having gained such a high-ranking and powerful grandson-in-law, was increasingly satisfied the more she looked at him. Though she still didn’t dare meet Pang Xiao’s gaze directly, feeling his eyes were too sharp and made one feel chilled when meeting them.
After talking a while longer, Qin Huaiyuan, Second Master, and Third Master invited Pang Xiao to go outside to talk, wanting to leave space for the womenfolk.
As soon as Pang Xiao and the others left, Sun Shi immediately took Qin Yining’s hand to go inside for private conversation, completely ignoring whatever expression the old matriarch might have.
In Sun Shi’s bedroom, Qin Yining sat side by side with her mother.
Sun Shi asked in a low voice, “How does the Prince treat you?”
Qin Yining’s ears turned red upon hearing this. She coughed once before saying, “Very well.”
Sun Shi carefully observed Qin Yining, seeing her smile was both shy and unable to hide her happiness. Satisfied, she said, “Excellent. From what I can see, although the Prince has a bad temper, he’s not someone who would mistreat his wife. Those men who fight on battlefields are all somewhat domineering. As long as you go along with his wishes and follow his arrangements, I believe the Prince won’t mistreat you.”
“Mother is right. I follow your method, and the Prince treats me very well.”
“What about your mother-in-law? And the two elderly people in the mansion?” Sun Shi asked worriedly.
Thinking of Ma Shi’s protection of her, Qin Yining’s heart warmed. She smiled softly, “The Prince’s maternal grandparents are both very gentle and kind people. Grandmother was a female knight-errant in her youth, so her nature is very forthright, and she dotes on me greatly. Grandfather has a gentle temperament, but he’s a wise and resourceful old man who truly likes me too.”
“What about your mother-in-law?” Sun Shi grasped Qin Yining’s hand and pressed, “Has she made you stand attendance in her room to establish rules?”
Qin Yining knew that Sun Shi was someone who had suffered under her mother-in-law, having personally witnessed how Sun Shi had to stand attendance before the old matriarch, and how the old matriarch had made things difficult for Sun Shi after the Sun family’s troubles. As a mother, having suffered such bitterness herself, how could she bear to let her child suffer the same?
Qin Yining linked arms with Sun Shi and shook gently, “Mother, please rest assured. Both my mother-in-law and great-mother-in-law are very proper people. As you said, although the Prince is domineering, he wouldn’t bully your daughter without cause and would support me. My mother-in-law may have some small concerns, but which mother wouldn’t worry that her son would forget her after marrying a wife? These things are all understandable. A good life isn’t built in a day – the future days are long, and they’ll surely get better and better.”
Hearing Qin Yining say this, Sun Shi’s heart filled with joy and hope for the future.
Sun Shi was clear-minded about herself – her talents were always quite ordinary, and she had some of the temperament of a young lady raised in a ducal mansion. The old matriarch was also a snob, so she no longer expected a harmonious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship.
Qin Yining was different. Qin Yining’s life was still very long, and living in the prince’s mansion would be her main theme going forward. The prince’s mansion was already sparse in family members – just those few people in total. If someone didn’t like Qin Yining, the future days would be difficult.
Since Qin Yining married out, Sun Shi hadn’t slept well for several days. Her mind kept turning things over, always feeling that once her daughter went to another family, she changed from a treasure in the palm of her hand to rubble that could be discarded on the ground.
She had treated Qin Yining poorly before, and they had only recently reconciled when her daughter married.
The opportunities for her daughter to provide filial companionship were already few, and she hadn’t had time to properly compensate Qin Yining. Sun Shi was truly worried that Qin Yining’s days in her in-laws’ home wouldn’t go well.
Although Qin Yining couldn’t fully understand Sun Shi’s compensatory psychology, she was somewhat aware of it.
Afraid that Sun Shi would continue to worry after they returned, she decided to select the good things about the mansion to tell Sun Shi.
“The Prince is busy with official duties, but he always finds time to accompany me.
“Mother-in-law is kind-hearted. Seeing that I was about to start learning household management, she arranged for the capable women by her side to serve me, afraid I wouldn’t have sufficient authority in the mansion.
“Great-mother-in-law treats me like her own granddaughter, always holding my hand to talk with me. She’s much more affectionate than our family’s old matriarch.
“The prince’s mansion is very large, but with few family members, so everyone lives spaciously and peacefully. The servants don’t have to crowd together.”
…
Sun Shi listened earnestly to Qin Yining talk about the prince’s mansion. The more she heard, the more relaxed she became. Finally, she nodded repeatedly, “Your father has always been capable in his affairs. A marriage he approved of certainly wouldn’t be wrong.”
Hearing this, Qin Yining laughed, “Mother defends father so well. I must tell father about this later, so as not to disappoint mother’s sincere feelings.”
Sun Shi’s old face reddened upon hearing this, and she couldn’t help pushing Qin Yining, “You girl.”
While the mother and daughter were having their private conversation in the room, Pang Xiao and Qin Huaiyuan had gone alone to the study in the outer courtyard.
Qin Huaiyuan sat down on the heated kang by the window.
Pang Xiao respectfully bowed to Qin Huaiyuan again, “Father-in-law, your son-in-law kowtows to you.”
Qin Huaiyuan smiled as he helped him up, “Rise quickly. We’re all family – why be so formal?”
“No, father-in-law must accept my courtesy. Actually, I’ve long wanted to thank you for blessing the union between Yining and myself, but it wasn’t convenient to speak outside, so I never found the opportunity.”
“Rise quickly,” Qin Huaiyuan helped Pang Xiao up, smiling, “You’re a magnanimous person. Regarding past events, it’s I who should apologize to you.”
Hearing this, Pang Xiao quickly shook his head, “Father-in-law, regardless of what outsiders say or discuss, please listen to my words. Regarding past events, you were a Great Yan person and my father was a Northern Ji person. You were naturally on opposing sides, so each did what they could according to their abilities.
“Moreover, although your stratagem of discord was brilliant, that foolish ruler of Northern Ji had already looked unfavorably upon my father, fearing he would rebel with his troops. He was just looking for an excuse to eliminate him. So this matter was the result of many factors coming together over time – it had little real connection to your stratagem of discord.
“And even if it was all because of the stratagem of discord, that was unavoidable.
“From the very beginning, I never harbored resentment against you. If I had harbored resentment, why would I have sought out Yining in earlier years?”
“Earlier years?” Qin Huaiyuan keenly caught the key point.
Pang Xiao nodded, “I heard about it from the advisors my father left behind. They arranged to switch away Yining, and my father’s guards said they brought back an orphan from a foundling home. But the advisors said it actually wasn’t an orphan – they bought the child with silver.
“In any case, after they switched away Yining, they abandoned the swaddling clothes. It was only when they went back to investigate thoroughly that they discovered Yining had been taken home by Liu Shi.
“I was fourteen or fifteen at the time, I suppose. When I heard my father’s people mention Yining, I felt she was very innocent, so I went to Liang City to find her.”
Pang Xiao told Qin Huaiyuan about how he had initially seen Qin Yining in Liang City being pushed down by a pharmacy apprentice who chased her away, yet she stubbornly didn’t cry. He had followed behind her, watching her buy steamed buns to take home for her adoptive mother, watching her be strong in a way that didn’t seem like a seven-year-old child.
Pang Xiao carefully recalled these memories, finally mentioning how he had deliberately left money, then said regretfully, “Unfortunately, when I went back the following year, Yining’s adoptive mother had already passed away. I never found her again. When I first gave her silver, I actually wasn’t well-off myself. I had just joined the army, most of my father’s advisors were just placating and using me, and I had neither money nor real power.
“If I had even thirty percent of my current abilities then, Yining wouldn’t have had to suffer so many years of hardship in the mountains.”
Qin Huaiyuan didn’t speak, maintaining a calm expression as he listened to Pang Xiao recount past events. Finally he said, “So you two had already established this connection long ago. It seems this was all heaven’s will. The silver you gave back then was equivalent to saving Yining’s life, which is why you’ve now become husband and wife.”
Pang Xiao’s ears turned red at these words, and he murmured, “Perhaps it was indeed this connection.”
Qin Huaiyuan smiled, “I have no demands of you, only hope that you’ll treat Yining well. She’s a child who’s suffered much hardship. She’s never enjoyed any real blessings, and after returning home, she suffered so much because of the troubles I brought upon her. I cannot accompany her for a lifetime, but you can. From now on, I entrust Yining to you.”
By the end of his words, Qin Huaiyuan had become very serious.
Pang Xiao rose and bowed, “Yes, father-in-law, please rest assured. I will certainly treat Yining well.”
Both men were pleased with this conversation. After discussing private matters, Qin Huaiyuan brought up official business.
“The earthquake damage must be quite severe.”
Qin Huaiyuan directly told his son-in-law his analysis, “The Emperor’s treasury is empty, and when he urgently needs money, he’ll certainly accelerate his search for that treasure. Moreover, I suspect that to raise funds, the Emperor might even assign tasks to court ministers one by one. The small gold ingots you gave Yining that day were too conspicuous. If the Emperor takes notice and asks to borrow money from you, what will you do?”
Hearing this, Pang Xiao laughed, “Father-in-law, please don’t worry. If he asks, I have a solution. The Emperor still owes the Huben Army a year’s worth of military pay.”