Seeing the chaos in the mansion, Qin Yining’s heart felt as if it was being tightly grasped and twisted by a large hand. Finally out of the palace, finally able to disregard all rules and regulations, able to cry when she wanted without having to consider whether the palace masters would be angered by seeing it.

“Father!”

She thought her cry of “Father” was very loud, but in fact her throat made no sound at all – there was only a faint whisper of air.

On the road from the imperial palace to the prince’s mansion, her throat had already swollen so much she couldn’t speak.

“Yi Jie’er, you’ve finally returned!”

Seeing Qin Yining return travel-worn, Second Master and Third Master both hurried forward to greet her.

“Second Uncle, Third Uncle.” Looking at her relatives, Qin Yining’s eyes were filled with grief that seemed ready to drown everyone around her. There were no hoarse screams, no beating of chest or stamping of feet like the Old Dowager who had directly fainted. She only wept silently, yet seemed to pull everyone into a whirlpool of sorrow.

Second Master and Third Master couldn’t help but shed tears.

Qin Han and Qin Yu had already donned sackcloth and mourning bands. They ordered maids to bring hemp clothes and white cloth, and Bingtang and Ji Yun helped Qin Yining dress in them.

She stood motionless, letting the maids arrange everything, her red, swollen eyes looking around.

The maids and young servants busied themselves setting up mourning banners and erecting the mourning pavilion. Everyone was doing their tasks, yet not one person made a sound.

Seeing Qin Yining so emaciated, her face pale with a sickly tinge, her eyes red and swollen and lips deathly white, Qin Han couldn’t help but pat her shoulder gently with heartache: “Fourth Sister, don’t be like this. If you cry yourself to illness, Uncle would be heartbroken knowing this in the afterlife. You must take care of yourself.”

“I am unfilial.” Qin Yining smiled miserably.

It was she who had implicated Qin Huaiyuan.

If she hadn’t married Pang Xiao, Qin Huaiyuan wouldn’t have had an accident this time. But no one had the ability to foresee the future. When she married Pang Xiao, though she anticipated being drawn into court struggles and thought she might not live peacefully, she never imagined it would implicate her family.

“Nonsense.” Second Master said with a heavy nasal tone. “You’ve already done very well. Now that your father has passed, there are still so many mouths to feed in the family. We still depend on you and the Prince to grasp the direction of the court winds. The Prince isn’t home, so you must pull yourself together, understand?”

Qin Yining nodded slowly.

“I understand all these principles. It’s just… my heart aches. If not for me, Father wouldn’t have died.” Qin Yining’s hand clutched at her clothes. Her heart seemed to be missing a piece – some things, once lost, could never be found again.

“Silly child. How can you blame yourself for this?” Third Master sighed. “You’re a good child. Don’t blame yourself for such things. This is all fate – it’s not your fault.”

Qin Yining closed her eyes, forcibly pulling back her scattered thoughts. When she looked straight again, her gaze was bright like a sharp blade reflecting moonlight as it left its sheath.

“Second Uncle, Third Uncle, have you sent word to the south?”

Second Master sighed: “Not yet. Yi Jie’er, do you know exactly what the Emperor said?”

“What did he say?”

Second Master told Qin Yining exactly what Xiong Jinshui had said when he came. “It looks like the Emperor is preparing to prosecute elder brother! Elder brother lost his life, yet he still wants to prosecute him for failing in his duties – he won’t even give him a posthumous reputation.”

A cold smile appeared at the corners of Qin Yining’s lips. “In this matter, he’s perhaps more embarrassed and angry than anything else.”

“Embarrassed and angry? Why?”

Qin Yining looked left and right, but in the end just shook her head.

“Let’s set up the mourning hall first. I think we should observe forty-nine days of mourning and wait for the Emperor’s instructions. Whether it’s reward or punishment, I’ll accept it.”

Seeing that Qin Yining’s side had discussed setting up the mourning hall, Yao Chenggu, who had been standing not far away with his hands clasped behind his back, walked over.

“Qin Shi.”

Qin Yining turned around. Seeing it was Yao Chenggu, she bowed: “Old Master.”

“Mm. Your mother-in-law has gone to the inner residence to see your grandmother. Your grandmother’s health deteriorated when she learned the news. You should hurry and see her too.”

Qin Yining nodded: “Yes, this granddaughter-in-law understands.”

Yao Chenggu nodded and said no more.

Qin Yining spoke to Second Master and Third Master, then headed to the back first.

But when she reached the gate of the Old Dowager’s courtyard, she saw Yao Shi coming out, still wiping the corners of her eyes with a plain blue handkerchief.

Qin Yining stood still and bowed respectfully: “Old Madam.”

“Oh, you’ve returned. What happened to your voice?”

“It’s nothing serious.”

Yao Shi sighed and took Qin Yining’s hands, leading her to a corner. “With such a thing happening in the family, I know you’re heartbroken. Look how thin you’ve become – tsk tsk tsk. You must also take care of your health. After all, you’re still the mother of two children.”

Though it was meant as comfort, Qin Yining felt no consolation at all. Instead, she felt Yao Shi was reminding her that she wasn’t just the Qin family’s daughter, but more importantly the Pang family’s daughter-in-law.

Qin Yining was irritated and didn’t have her usual patience, but still suppressed her temper and said respectfully: “Yes, this daughter-in-law understands.”

“Good.” Seeing Qin Yining so obedient, Yao Shi felt much more satisfied. Thinking of the chaos in the mansion, she continued: “Qin Shi, you are the Pang family’s daughter-in-law. Though our prince’s mansion has taken in your entire maternal family to live here, now that this unfortunate event has occurred, it’s ultimately inauspicious. If we set up a mourning pavilion in front, wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”

Qin Yining suddenly raised her head, her clear, cold gaze looking directly at Yao Shi: “What does Old Madam mean?”

Being stared at by Qin Yining with such eyes, Yao Shi almost couldn’t help but look away. But then she thought – this was the prince’s mansion, her son was the prince. It was one thing for her son to take in his in-laws for a while, but how could the Qin family people still act like they were the masters of the prince’s mansion, wanting to hold funeral rites in her prince’s mansion too? What kind of propriety was this?

Thinking this way, Yao Shi felt much more confident.

“Qin Shi, you’re a smart child. Do you really not understand my meaning? This is the prince’s mansion – it’s not your Qin family home after all. Your father had an accident, everyone is very sad, and I’m also sorry. It’s just that your father’s mourning hall really shouldn’t be set up in the prince’s mansion, should it?

“Please understand – I’m also a mother. My son is guarding the south, and I don’t know how he’s doing. I’m also afraid of being tainted by bad luck that might affect my son. You’re also a mother now – you should be able to understand, right?”

Qin Yining smiled slightly. “I understand Old Madam’s meaning. In your eyes, I will always be a Qin family person, an outsider.”

“How could that be? Don’t twist my meaning. You are you, your family is your family – how can they be mentioned in the same breath? You married Dafu, so you’re the Pang family’s daughter-in-law. This point will never change.”

“But you are not the Pang family’s daughter-in-law. What right do you have to make decisions for the Pang family?”

Yao Shi’s expression suddenly changed, and she said sharply: “What did you say!”

“Old Madam, you’re also a smart person. Do you really not understand my meaning?” Qin Yining returned Yao Shi’s words exactly as they were, then continued: “I want to clarify one point – the Qin family is not without a house, nor did we come to the prince’s mansion for shelter because we had nowhere else to go. When the Prince and I discussed having both families live together before we left, have you forgotten why?

“The court situation is so tense. The Prince was afraid that if something happened suddenly – like assassination, fire, or enemies of the Prince suddenly coming to the door – with just you and Old Master staying in the mansion with a group of servants, you might be devoured alive! So the Prince begged my father to stay and take charge.

“If not for my father observing the court situation outside and shielding the family from wind and rain, do you think you and Old Master could peacefully crack sunflower seeds, drink tea, and gossip about people behind their backs?”

“You – what kind of manners is this! No wonder people say you’re a savage. I see you’re simply outrageous – completely unworthy of being my Pang family’s daughter-in-law!”

“Whether I’m worthy or not, it’s not your place to say. As I said before – as long as you get word to the Prince and have him give me a divorce letter, I’ll leave immediately.”

Qin Yining’s nerves were already stretched to the limit, right on the edge of collapse. Yao Shi’s unreasonable behavior – she could tolerate it when she was calm before, but she couldn’t tolerate it now.

“Ji Yun.”

“This servant is here.”

“Go find Shopkeeper Zhong and have the residence I purchased cleaned up. Also go to the front and tell my Second Uncle and Third Uncle that the Qin family will move immediately. Don’t set up the mourning hall for now – we can set it up after reaching the new home.”

“Yes.” Ji Yun responded loudly, her sharp gaze stabbing through Yao Shi like a knife, then turned to go outside.

“Bingtang.” Qin Yining continued looking at Yao Shi.

“This servant is here.” Bingtang stepped forward.

“Go see how the Old Dowager is doing. Whether she’s suitable to be moved. Come back and report to me afterward.”

“This servant will go right away.” Bingtang nodded, passed by Yao Shi toward the inner residence, muttering under her breath: “Pah! And she calls herself a relative – never seen anyone so selfish, forcing people to leave when the old lady is ill!”

Yao Shi suddenly turned to glare at Bingtang: “Come back here! Who gave you permission to gossip!”

Bingtang walked quickly, completely ignoring Yao Shi.

Yao Shi angrily pointed at Qin Yining: “You vicious daughter-in-law! Is this how you manage servants, having them oppose their mother-in-law!”

Qin Yining rubbed her throbbing temples.

Qian Yun and Qiu Lu immediately came to support Qin Yining on both sides, while Lian Xiaozhou took out a flat small porcelain box from her sleeve, scooped out a small amount of medicinal paste from inside and applied it to Qin Yining’s temples, saying with tears in her eyes: “Sister, let’s go. Don’t suffer this mistreatment here anymore.”

Qin Yining touched Lian Xiaozhou’s cheek, then said to Qian Yun: “Have the Elite Tiger Guards that the Prince left behind come see me.”

Qian Yun immediately nodded and went to handle it.

Before long, sixteen men with sturdy builds, wearing various short jackets and servant clothes, gathered before Qin Yining in rows of four.

Among them, six had been following by Qin Yining’s side. The other ten were left by Pang Xiao near the prince’s mansion.

Qin Yining pressed her brow, then pointed out the six who had been following her: “You all pack up and come with me shortly.”

“Yes!” The six responded in unison.

Qin Yining then turned to the other ten: “You ten will stay in the mansion. After our family moves out, I suggest you guard closely around Chunhui Hall and divide the household guards into several groups. I’ll have someone come tell you the location of the new home shortly. If there are any problems, you can come find me anytime.”

The ten men looked at each other, then the leader cupped his hands: “Princess Consort, the Prince’s orders were for us to protect the safety of both families.”