Yao Chenggu was like an old mother hen protecting her chick, spreading his arms to shield Yao Shi behind him, his aged hands gripping his newly repaired brass-mouthed jade pipe and pointing it at Ma Shi.
“Don’t rely on your martial arts skills to lay hands on us whenever you please. This is your daughter—how can you turn your elbow outward with your heart set on outsiders!”
Ma Shi’s face flushed red with anger. She pointed at Yao Chenggu through gritted teeth, but in the end swallowed back all the words of beating and scolding after locking eyes with Yao Chenggu and Yao Shi.
“I can’t be bothered reasoning with you people with twisted hearts. I speak human words—can you understand human speech?”
Ma Shi turned and took Pang Xiao’s hand. “Dafu, let’s go. From now on, pay less attention to these two. They’re both heartless creatures with twisted minds. You must be more careful about Yi丫头’s food, clothing, and daily needs from now on. Don’t let these two near Siqing Garden.”
Seeing his grandmother so angry, Pang Xiao worried about the elderly woman’s health and nodded soothingly. “Alright, Grandmother, let’s go first.”
Yao Chenggu cherished his grandson Pang Xiao the most in his heart. Like Yao Shi, all his hopes rested on Pang Xiao. Now seeing that Pang Xiao wouldn’t say a single word in his defense, he was utterly disappointed. Recalling Ma Shi’s various tyrannical behaviors, he felt he had endured enough humiliation in his lifetime. Every time they encountered disagreements, Ma Shi would suppress him with violence, making him lose all dignity.
Today Pang Xiao came to their door, and Ma Shi, who should have been his wife and partner, stood on the side of outsiders. Yao Chenggu was furious and pointed at Ma Shi, shouting, “If you dare step out that door, I’ll strike you from the Yao family genealogy! We Yaos don’t have such a domineering and tyrannical wife!”
Hearing this, Ma Shi angrily turned around and sneered. “If you had the guts, you would have divorced me long ago, and I would have lived more freely in this lifetime! Now you’re fed up and want to divorce your wife? Fine! Write the divorce papers right now, then take your Yao family genealogy and your precious daughter and roll back to Yao territory! I’ll stay here and live with my eldest grandson!”
“You!” Yao Chenggu was so angry he nearly fell backward.
“If you have the guts, write it. If you don’t write it, you’re not a real man! I’ll be waiting for you to deliver those divorce papers!” Ma Shi pulled Pang Xiao’s hand and walked out without looking back.
Yao Chenggu stood in the courtyard center, staring helplessly at Ma Shi and Pang Xiao’s departing figures.
Only after Pang Xiao’s people had all left did Yao Shi and Yao Chenggu truly feel the quiet in the courtyard.
Now only the two of them remained in Pine Crane Hall.
Yao Chenggu stood with hands on his hips, breathing heavily, continuously muttering, “Outrageous, outrageous.”
Looking at Yao Shi, who was crying herself into convulsions, he said in frustration, “Look at the fine mess you’ve made!”
Hearing this, Yao Shi felt even more wronged and sobbed, “Father clearly told me to get rid of the Qin woman’s pregnancy, so why are you blaming me again!”
“I told you to do it, but who told you to go with just a bowl of medicine? Can’t you use your brain? You might as well have gone directly with a knife to kill her! Why did you act in a way that immediately revealed you were the culprit? Now we can’t even cover it up. What else can you accomplish!”
Yao Shi’s back still ached from Ma Shi’s punch. Being scolded by Yao Chenggu on top of that made her feel even more wronged. She wanted to argue with him, but felt a series of tightness in her chest and fainted with her eyes rolling back.
Pang Xiao was now standing at the door of the study in the outer courtyard when someone reported, “Old Madam has fainted.” Both helpless and irritated, he said, “Then go get a physician. Select some sensible elderly servants to go serve Old Master and Old Madam at Pine Crane Hall. Maintain their standard of living as before, but report all their movements to me.”
Hearing this, Huzi immediately went to inform the manor’s steward to make arrangements.
Pang Xiao then entered the study for a secret discussion with the six generals from the Huben Army.
Qin Yining had no idea what had happened at Pine Crane Hall. Under Pang Xiao’s orders, no one dared to trouble a pregnant woman with such matters. Ma Shi returned to Siqing Garden and acted as usual, instructing people to prepare black chicken soup for Qin Yining.
When Pang Xiao returned to the courtyard in the evening, the atmosphere was harmonious.
Qin Yining asked about the six men.
Pang Xiao held her as they lay on the soft couch, sitting behind her as her cushion. His low voice came from behind her ear, accompanied by warm breath that brushed against her ear and neck.
“All six of them are now civilians, but they’re devoted to our past camaraderie of fighting side by side. I’ve investigated and found them truly trustworthy. So I’ve arranged for two of them to go to the northern border. As for the other four, I’m thinking of sending them south.”
Qin Yining tilted her head slightly. Since her belly had grown large, lying down made her feel short of breath. Being held by Pang Xiao at this angle was most comfortable—the human cushion behind her was too comfortable, and his voice too gentle, making Qin Yining somewhat drowsy, her voice becoming lazy and soft.
“Going south, where to? Southern Yan?”
Pang Xiao’s large hand held one of hers, playing with it. “I remember you have many fertile fields and lands around the former capital of Great Yan.”
Qin Yining lazily responded, but her thoughts turned and she immediately became alert, asking in surprise, “You want to arrange for them to go south to recruit troops?”
Pang Xiao looked down at Qin Yining in his arms, surprised and approving as he kissed her cheek.
“So clever. How did you think of recruiting troops as soon as I mentioned southern fertile fields and lands?”
Hearing this, Qin Yining laughed softly. “I’m your pillow companion—how could I not know your nature?”
Shaking off her earlier drowsiness, Qin Yining squinted and thought carefully, then nodded. “I think this plan is feasible. Though we’re loyal to His Majesty, we can’t completely ignore preparing backup plans. Now His Majesty doesn’t trust you, and we don’t know when something big might happen. Making preparations on two fronts is correct.”
After thinking more, she added, “To avoid suspicion, I haven’t openly met with Manager Zhong for a long time. Later I’ll hand over all Manager Zhong’s account books to you. All the silver under my name is at your disposal—you can deal directly with Manager Zhong. Just be careful not to let His Majesty’s people find out.”
Pang Xiao was truly moved by Qin Yining’s unreserved trust.
The lands and properties Qin Yining owned were all obtained unintentionally when she wholeheartedly did good deeds for the people. Under her management, they had now snowballed into a significant force. It could be said that Qin Yining’s financial resources could match half the combined wealth of all the noble families in Great Zhou, not to mention Great Zhou’s treasury that was cleaner than a face.
With such great financial power, she had always kept it deeply hidden, only donating silver for the people’s benefit under the guise of dowry when he needed disaster relief.
Now she was giving him her greatest trump card without any reservation.
Moved, Pang Xiao kissed her cheek again, pulling her into his embrace and resting his chin on her forehead. “Yi Jie’er, rest assured, I won’t use your silver for evil. In the future, whenever I need to use silver to contact Manager Zhong, I’ll discuss it with you first.”
Hearing this, Qin Yining laughed. “I know you’re not that kind of person. Though in earlier years you had the reputation of a fierce god and some people exaggerated your ‘terrifying appearance,’ describing you like a man-eating demon, you have a heart that loves the people like your own children—I know this. You wouldn’t disregard ordinary people’s lives for your own benefit. So I know this silver will be used for the right path when given to you, not for evil. I believe everything you do is to make the people’s lives better.”
Though Pang Xiao held high position and had heard much praise from both outsiders and close advisors, no one’s praise could match what Qin Yining said.
She understood him, trusted him, and supported him. This made Pang Xiao feel that everything he did was meaningful and worthwhile. Even if everyone in the world misunderstood him and thought him a fierce god, at least Qin Yining would understand his heart.
Pang Xiao closed his eyes, his large hand gently patting Qin Yining’s back, suppressing the sudden stinging in his eyes as he said in a hoarse voice, “Having such a wife, what more could a husband ask for?”
Qin Yining laughed softly. “The feeling is mutual.”
The couple looked at each other and smiled.
At this moment, all the big and small matters of life seemed unimportant to Qin Yining.
No matter what Pang Xiao’s mother and grandfather thought or did, at least her man wholeheartedly trusted and protected her. Why should she care about irrelevant people? Why should she try to get close to people who didn’t like her?
None of this mattered. As long as the family was safe and sound, that was the greatest blessing.
Qin Yining’s mindset was peaceful. So this safflower incident didn’t harm her health. Instead, Ma Shi became even more caring and attentive toward Qin Yining, making her feel flattered and causing her to be even more open-hearted toward Ma Shi.
Qin Huaiyuan and Sun Shi both saw and felt happy about Ma Shi’s kindness to Qin Yining.
Though their daughter hadn’t lived well when she was with them, she was now treasured and protected like a precious jewel in Pang Xiao’s household. While Sun Shi felt some bitterness, she felt more guilt and relief.
The hot July days gradually passed, and by August, the heat in the capital reached an even higher level.
Qin Yining, six months pregnant but carrying twins, had a belly comparable to someone seven months along with a single child.
Supporting herself on Sun Shi and Ma Shi’s arms while walking under the thick shade of trees in Siqing Garden, Qin Yining still worked up fine sweat around her temples and neck from the heat.
Sun Shi said worriedly, “In such hot weather, being pregnant is truly exhausting. It’s a pity there’s no good place around the capital for you to escape the summer heat.”
Ma Shi also said, “I see Yi Jie’er’s belly is much larger than a normal six-month pregnancy. We usually have the Bingtang girl examine you—should we find an imperial physician skilled in women’s medicine to take a proper look?”
Realizing her words might cause Qin Yining to misunderstand, especially given what Yao Shi and Yao Chenggu had done, Ma Shi quickly added, “Yi丫头, don’t overthink it. I’m worried you might have some condition.”
Knowing Ma Shi genuinely cared for her, Qin Yining naturally wouldn’t deliberately misinterpret the elderly woman’s intentions. After thinking, she said, “Having an imperial physician examine me would be good.”