Suddenly falling into Pang Xiao’s solid embrace, Zhao Ge’er was stunned for a moment. Before he had time to cry, his cheek was nuzzled. The unfamiliar scent and unfamiliar person made Zhao Ge’er kick his little short legs and grunt in dissatisfaction.

Pang Xiao suddenly felt something warm on his stomach. At first he didn’t notice, until the wet nurse exclaimed in surprise: “He peed, the young master peed!”

“Don’t shout!” Pang Xiao lowered his voice to scold. “If he peed, he peed. What’s all the fuss! I’m happy to let my son pee on me. Let him finish peeing, don’t frighten the child.”

Pang Xiao held Zhao Ge’er, standing in place to accept the blessing of child’s urine.

Qin Yining couldn’t help but giggle at the sight, quickly calling for someone to come in: “Hurry and prepare hot water for His Highness to bathe, and prepare clean clothes.”

Pang Xiao held the freshly relieved Zhao Ge’er, saying happily: “My son knows I’m cold and is warming me up. Isn’t that right, little Zhao Ge’er?”

Zhao Ge’er pursed his little mouth, the small red mole between his brows making him look as white and adorable as a porcelain doll. His big black grape-like eyes looked around everywhere, just refusing to look at Pang Xiao, though he was considerate enough not to cry.

Qin Yining took Zhao Ge’er and handed him to the wet nurse, looking helplessly at Pang Xiao who was wearing wet clothes that smelled of urine yet still went to tease Han Ge’er.

“Your Highness, go wash up quickly. Aren’t you afraid the children will dislike you?”

“Isn’t this their own doing?” Pang Xiao looked down at his front, where a large wet patch had turned cold and was still dripping.

“It’s fine, child’s urine is a good thing.”

“Your son is good all over. Go bathe quickly.” Qin Yining pushed Pang Xiao toward the washroom.

The wet nurse and Bingtang carefully wrapped the two children in swaddling clothes and took them to the warm side chamber across the way.

Qin Yining prepared Pang Xiao’s change of clothes, draping them all over the screen, smiling as she talked to Pang Xiao in the washroom.

“Young Master Mu said the silver matter has been resolved?”

“Yes. Manager Qiu came to see me yesterday. She gave me a box of banknotes. The previous three million taels in promissory notes were also written off.”

“It seems our strategy worked after all. It did affect Sitong Trading Company’s business, forcing even their manager to come out.”

Pang Xiao chuckled: “Didn’t she already tactfully express her intention to support the army when she was at Governor Yang’s residence? I think this time, she may not have lost out either. Maybe Sitong Trading Company is precisely trying to get a foot in the door with the army.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yining was stunned. Her movements organizing the clothes slowed as she carefully recalled the series of events they had encountered since arriving in the old capital.

Qiu Feishan used Governor Yang’s family banquet to deliberately make their acquaintance, tactfully proposing to supply the army with silver before revealing her identity.

Before that, Sitong Trading Company had planted people in the army, deliberately making the Pingnan Army owe silver, forcing Pang Xiao to take desperate measures to solve the problem.

Previously, she thought the other party was targeting Pang Xiao.

But after what Pang Xiao said, she suddenly felt enlightened. Perhaps the other party wasn’t simply trying to make things difficult for Pang Xiao, but someone behind the scenes wanted to get involved in military affairs!

Although Pang Xiao was now commander of the Pingnan Army, holding military power and gradually winning over the troops’ loyalty, his biggest weakness was that he really had no money.

The court wouldn’t allocate funds, the local area had no tax revenue—could they expect the soldiers to survive on northwest wind?

If they didn’t want to cause a mutiny and give Li Qitian grounds to deal with them, they had to keep the old capital stable and peaceful. Qin Yining wouldn’t forget that they came here to stabilize the southern situation and prevent Great Zhou from having fires in both north and south simultaneously.

To maintain stability, Pang Xiao had to get silver. To get silver, he had to get involved with Sitong Trading Company.

Looking at it now, if Sitong Trading Company’s goal was really to get involved with the army and inject capital, then they had already achieved it, and in a way that Pang Xiao had no choice but to willingly accept.

With this realization, Qin Yining felt even more stifled. Her curiosity about the person behind Sitong Trading Company grew even stronger.

She held Pang Xiao’s undergarment, lost in thought, completely unaware that Pang Xiao was already standing beside her. He had a hand towel around his waist, his hair still dripping water, his solid muscular lines flowing powerfully, water droplets sliding down his shoulder blades, winding across his firm chest, finally disappearing into the towel tied at his waist.

“Yining?” A large hand gripped her shoulder, turning her toward himself. “What are you thinking about?”

Only when her shoulder was grasped did Qin Yining suddenly come back to her senses. Looking up, she met Pang Xiao’s gentle, water-like gaze. She couldn’t help but become lost in his eyes, temporarily forgetting all her thoughts and concerns.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle these matters.” Pang Xiao looked at her clear, water-like eyes. This woman could make his heart race at any time. The way she looked at him was just like when they first got together—always so focused, with love almost overflowing from her gaze.

He extended his long arms, pulling Qin Yining into his embrace, dropping countless kisses on her long hair and temples, his voice low and husky: “Let me look at you properly.”

Qin Yining’s face blushed crimson, but since their marriage, they had been apart more than together. Now that he could finally come home, Qin Yining treasured their time together.

So even though it was broad daylight and she was very shy, she still let him have his way.

The servants all tactfully withdrew, each wearing knowing smiles, leaving the space to the couple.

When Qin Yining woke up again, it was already past noon. Opening her eyes, she met Pang Xiao’s smiling gaze. He wore a snow-white undergarment, lying on his side at the edge of the bed, one hand playing with her long hair. She didn’t know how long he had been watching her.

“When did you wake up?” Qin Yining lazily turned over, rolling into Pang Xiao’s embrace.

Pang Xiao smiled as he held her, kissing her smooth shoulder: “Not long ago. It’s still most comfortable at home. The bed boards in the Pingnan Army camp are hard as stone. Even when you fall asleep, it’s not really restful. Besides, the camp is so chaotic you can’t sleep soundly.”

Hearing this, Qin Yining couldn’t help but feel distressed. She propped herself up and touched his smooth, handsome face: “If I had known, I should have found a way to send you some bedding, or at least sent someone to take care of your daily needs.”

Pang Xiao knew Qin Yining would feel sorry for him.

Sometimes, even when he encountered huge troubles and suffered greatly, he wouldn’t tell her.

But other times, when nothing was really wrong, he liked to play the pitiful one in her eyes like today.

Feeling that he could have her compassion was the most satisfying thing in the world.

In fact, even if his body was stabbed with a knife, he might not make a sound.

“That wouldn’t do. That’s a military camp, not some other place. Creating such special treatment wouldn’t be good.” Pang Xiao deliberately put on a bitter face to tease her.

Qin Yining simply grabbed her undergarment to put on and sat up, her mind devising ways to help Pang Xiao eat and sleep better in the military camp.

Pang Xiao also sat up, watching her frown deeply as she racked her brains, looking as if she had encountered some enormous problem. His heart had already melted into a puddle of water as he held her and chuckled softly.

Qin Yining slapped his restless large hand, then realized what was happening. Pang Xiao was deliberately teasing her!

But she also knew that in the army, one had to eat communal meals and sleep on hard boards. Pang Xiao didn’t like special treatment—he charged to the front when killing enemies and treated soldiers equally. He wouldn’t hide away to eat special meals, making the soldiers under him think he was like a delicate woman who was picky about food.

Besides finding it amusing, Qin Yining also felt somewhat helpless.

“What are you thinking about?” Seeing her silent for so long, Pang Xiao thought she was angry.

Qin Yining shook her head, then said in a low voice: “I’m thinking, if we want to completely change your food, clothing, and lodging in the army, the fundamental solution would probably be to make the national treasury wealthy, at the very least…” She lowered her voice, leaning up to his ear: “Don’t let His Majesty act like a fighting cock over a treasure.”

Pang Xiao burst into laughter, holding her waist as they both rolled around on the canopy bed twice.

“Your description is too accurate. He’s exactly like that, that… haha!”

Laughing like this from just one sentence, like a child.

Qin Yining couldn’t help but laugh too, holding Pang Xiao’s waist, using his solid body as a mattress, her head pillowed on his chest that shook with laughter.

Outside, Qianyun and Ji Yun, who were serving, heard the laughter from the room and also smiled with pursed lips.

When His Highness returned home, the house seemed to gain more vitality. Even the Princess Consort returned to the appearance an innocent young girl should have, rather than the composed manner she had when racking her brains to protect this household.

The two exchanged glances and tactfully withdrew to prepare refreshments.

When Qin Yining and Pang Xiao had finished laughing, they simply held each other quietly. Being able to stay together peacefully like this was happiness for both of them.

Recent events flashed through Qin Yining’s mind like a lantern show. Remembering what Pang Xiao had said to her when he arrived with his troops at Chief Clerk Gao’s door—”You must tell me about everything in the future”—Qin Yining said: “Da Fu, there’s another matter I need to handle recently.”

Pang Xiao’s heart bloomed with joy from her soft call of “Da Fu.” His arms around her tightened: “Good, what do you need to handle?”

Qin Yining then told him everything: how Manager Xia had been neglectful toward her, disregarding her instructions, how she had overheard Manager Xia’s conversation with someone at Guilin Tower, and the results of Jingzhe’s investigation.

As Pang Xiao listened, his frown grew deeper and deeper. When he heard exactly what Manager Xia had said about Qin Yining, he gave a cold sneer: “That damned fool!”

His entire aura changed, having nothing to do with gentle tenderness. Qin Yining felt as if the surroundings had turned cold.

“Don’t get angry. It’s just people with different positions competing with each other. I’m keeping him because he’s still useful—don’t you go and kill him.”

“This kind of traitorous, ungrateful slave should die!” His precious Yining, whom he couldn’t bear to speak harshly to, was being talked about like this behind her back by an outsider. If he didn’t know about it, that would be one thing, but now that he knew, how could he possibly endure it?