Qin Yining couldn’t help but take a second look at that woman.

Her dress and appearance were like those of a young lady from a wealthy family, but her eager attitude in serving was like that of a maid, making it difficult to discern her actual status.

However, she was indeed an extremely lovely girl with beautiful eyes full of affection, smiling lips, and soft, devoted gazes that fell upon Pang Xiao without any attempt to hide her adoration. Any man being gazed at with such admiration by such a beautiful woman would have his heart of steel melted into tender softness.

Qin Yining raised the corner of her lips with amusement, glanced up at Pang Xiao, then walked forward on her own.

Pang Xiao’s face was black as the bottom of a pot. He strode forward to grab Qin Yining’s hand and whispered in her ear: “Yi Jie’er, I’ll explain what this is about later.”

Qin Yining raised an eyebrow, just about to speak, when that woman gracefully approached, raised her head to look at Pang Xiao, and said with tender affection: “Your Highness has worked hard on your duties. Look how travel-worn you are – I’ve already prepared hot water so Your Highness can bathe well and relieve your fatigue.”

She completely ignored Qin Yining’s presence, and her manner was as if she were the mistress of this place.

Qin Yining again released Pang Xiao’s hand and walked around the beauty toward the steps.

Pang Xiao’s palm felt empty, and his heart felt empty too. He couldn’t help but angrily say: “Can’t the guest quarters accommodate you? Then go back to your own home.”

The woman’s face instantly turned pale, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears: “Your Highness, please calm your anger. Old Madam gave me permission to move about, and I had no other intentions. If Your Highness is afraid the princess consort won’t like it, I’ll try not to appear before the princess consort. Today I only came because Old Madam instructed me to.”

Pang Xiao was furious beyond measure.

Just now he was thinking about not letting the wronged person continue to suffer grievances, and in the blink of an eye his own mother had stirred up such trouble. Yi Jie’er’s mood had just improved a little, and upon entering the house she had to see this thing swaying around before her eyes – what was the meaning of this!

Pang Xiao went around the woman and caught up with Qin Yining in two steps. This time he directly pulled her into his embrace, domineeringly encircling her shoulders so she couldn’t shake him off even if she wanted to.

Qin Yining twisted her body and said in a low voice: “Don’t make a scene – we’re about to go inside to pay our respects.”

Pang Xiao said with a stern face: “I never said we wouldn’t pay our respects.”

With one arm around Qin Yining, he raised his chin to signal the maid to lift the door curtain.

He looked just like a child throwing a tantrum.

The maid at the door kept her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, lowering her head to lift the dark green door curtain.

Upon entering the room, the first thing they saw was a screen depicting the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. In the corner, fresh flowers were arranged in a beauty vase on a small table with bone legs and a narrow waist. The air was filled with a faint fragrance that seemed to include the refreshing scent of mint incense.

A maid went around the screen to announce their arrival, then came forward to make a gesture of invitation.

Qin Yining stepped toward the inner room.

But Pang Xiao was a step ahead of her, striding with his long legs to quickly reach inside. Before Qin Yining could even enter, she heard Pang Xiao’s stern voice demanding: “What’s the deal with that woman outside? Didn’t I say to place her temporarily in the guest quarters without paying attention to her!”

“How dare you speak like this!” Yao Shi’s voice was full of displeasure.

Qin Yining hadn’t expected Pang Xiao to directly lose his temper at Yao Shi. For a moment, going in wasn’t right, but standing still wasn’t right either.

If she went in, Yao Shi would say she came to watch the spectacle.

If she didn’t go in, Yao Shi would say she didn’t know proper etiquette and didn’t know to pay respects upon returning.

Qin Yining helplessly shrugged her shoulders. Anyway, in the eyes of those who disliked her, even her breathing was wrong. She just needed to do her duty – she couldn’t demand anything else.

With this thought, Qin Yining walked into the inner room.

Yao Shi and Yao Chenggu sat in the seats of honor, while a maid serving fruit stood to the side holding a fruit plate, at a loss.

Ma Shi wasn’t there.

“Paying respects to Grand Master and Old Madam.” Qin Yining walked to the center and respectfully bowed.

Yao Shi gripped the small silver fork for eating fruit in her hand. Seeing Qin Yining enter, she gripped it even tighter.

She hadn’t forgotten who was responsible for her face being swollen for so long!

“I knew it was you.” Yao Shi snorted coldly: “Whenever he encounters you, Dafu treats me, his own mother, like I’m nothing but trouble. You’re also a mother who gave birth to two sons. When your sons marry wives and treat you this way, then you’ll know what it feels like!”

Qin Yining lowered her head to endure the scolding, too lazy to argue with Yao Shi.

But Pang Xiao was furious beyond measure and rebuked: “Mother, what are you saying!”

After all, he was someone who commanded troops. When he truly roared in anger, his voice was so loud that even the ceiling beams shook and dust fell.

Yao Shi was so frightened her heart pounded. She pointed at Pang Xiao angrily: “You, you – is this how you speak to your own mother!”

Pang Xiao said: “When you were living peacefully, Yi Jie’er was enduring hardships at the front. When you were safely sent back, Yi Jie’er nearly died on the road. She has never done anything to wrong the Pang family – on the contrary, I’ve been dragging her down all along. Mother, since you know you’re my biological mother, why can’t you show more tolerance toward the person I love? Don’t you feel ashamed when you recall your own actions in private?”

Yao Shi’s face turned red from being scolded, her trembling finger pointing at Pang Xiao: “Unfilial son! I hoped and prayed, finally waiting for your return, but what have you done since entering the door? Shouting at your mother, openly opposing your birth mother for such a woman who committed the seven grounds for divorce – aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you!”

“Committed the seven grounds? Tell me exactly which of the seven grounds Yi Jie’er has committed!”

“She spreads gossip and discord behind people’s backs, creating division between us mother and son, and between me and your grandmother! She’s also jealous, not allowing you to take concubines or chamber maids. Miss Pan only said a few words in front of her, and she could instigate you to shout at me. Isn’t this the crime of jealousy! Such a woman who brings chaos to the family should be sent back to her natal home!”

Pang Xiao trembled with rage, his knuckles making cracking sounds as he clenched his fists. This was the first time he directly faced such an unreasonable side of Yao Shi. Thinking of how, when he wasn’t home, Qin Yining didn’t yet know that Qin Huaiyuan was still alive and wholeheartedly believed her father was gone, yet still had to endure such torment from her mother-in-law – even being driven out of the prince’s manor with their whole family – Pang Xiao was so heartbroken he wanted to kill someone!

“Mother, you…”

“Old Madam is right.” Qin Yining smiled and straightened her posture.

Her voice was peaceful, gentle yet containing a smile as she slowly said: “According to the rules of the seven grounds for divorce and three grounds for not divorcing, I should indeed be divorced. Old Madam says I spread gossip and discord behind people’s backs – this I don’t admit. What I haven’t done, I haven’t done.”

“But if you say I’m jealous, I admit it. I cannot tolerate my husband having other women, let alone watching my husband love other women and have children with them, while I help other women raise their children and have the children born by women who stole my husband call me mother!”

“I used to think that if Your Highness wanted to take concubines or chamber maids, then let him – it would just be the difference between one hundred percent sincerity and one percent sincerity. But now I want to say that my eyes truly cannot tolerate sand. I’m jealous, and I admit it.”

Qin Yining turned to look at Pang Xiao and said calmly: “If you mind my jealousy, then so be it. I’m not the kind of person who can’t live without a man, and I won’t change this point about my jealousy! I have my own family business, I have the ability to support my children. You just need to give me a divorce letter and I’ll immediately take the children and leave. You can go ahead and marry a lady from a prestigious family who can help your career, and have children with her.”

“Now the Qin family has indeed fallen. I also know Old Madam is thinking of you. You shouldn’t be so furious and should understand Old Madam’s thoughts. Looking throughout the court, any young lady’s family situation is better than my family’s. It would be easy for you to remarry.”

“Yi Jie’er! Saying such words is like stabbing my heart!”

Qin Yining smiled coldly: “I’m not trying to stab your heart. I’m just making you see clearly. It’s not that I don’t want to be with you properly – I’ve experienced too many such heart-stabbing incidents. I’m someone who’s been wild since childhood. Although born into a prestigious family, I never received the education of a great family’s daughter. I can neither satisfy my mother-in-law nor have the magnanimity to tolerate others. I know exactly where my shortcomings lie.”

Qin Yining turned to look at Yao Chenggu, who had remained silent: “Grand Master, both assembling guns for others to use and stuffing tobacco for yourself to smoke are quite harmful to your health. Please take care of yourself.”

After completing all proper courtesies, Qin Yining maintained her dignified posture as she walked out of the main hall.

At the door, she happened to see Miss Pan poking her head around curiously.

She walked past the woman without looking sideways, casually called a servant woman at the door to guide her, and returned to her and Pang Xiao’s courtyard.

In Chunhui Hall, the atmosphere was heavy.

Pang Xiao looked at Yao Chenggu, then at Yao Shi whose face was flushed red with anger, before turning to sit down in a round-backed chair.

“First, I have only one mother and one maternal grandfather. I cannot be unfilial to you. So from now on, I will still take care of your clothing, food, housing, and all matters big and small.”

“Second, I will not divorce Yi Jie’er. She’s jealous – I spoiled her that way, and I like her jealousy. When she’s wronged, my heart aches. Whoever wrongs her, I’ll wrong them back.”

“Third, taking advantage of others’ misfortunes, standing by and watching, spreading gossip, being sycophantic, saying one thing to people’s faces and another behind their backs… such people, I look down upon.”

“Fourth, how I want to live my life is nobody else’s business. Whether I take concubines or not, how many children I want – these are all my own affairs, and no one else can interfere!”

“You! You!!” Yao Shi was so angry she was about to cry: “How can you be so ungrateful! Isn’t everything your mother does for your sake! Why can’t you take concubines? How did that vixen bewitch you! Look at other men – who among those who’ve achieved success and fame doesn’t have three wives and four concubines? What right does she have to forbid you from taking concubines!”

Pang Xiao stood up and said: “I’ll say it one more time. I live my own life, and no one should try to treat me like a puppet! I’ve said all I have to say. Let’s each live our own lives.”

Pang Xiao cupped his hands in salute and strode away.

Yao Shi clenched her fists tightly, momentarily unable even to curse.

Yao Chenggu shook his head: “Useless, useless. He’s completely bewitched. It’ll be difficult to change this.”

“Father, what should we do? Why should Dafu have to suffer! Did you hear what that vixen just said!”