“You too – I’ve told you so many times, whenever something happens you rush to speak. Dafu just returned and entered the door, feeling affectionate with Qin Shi along the way, and you had to say such things right when their relationship was good. How could he possibly listen?” Yao Chenggu was frustrated at her failure to meet expectations. Annoyed, he picked up his brass pipe and had just pinched some tobacco when he suddenly remembered what Qin Yining had just said.

That penetrating gaze and superior tone – he estimated that just thinking about it would make him uncomfortable for a while.

After Yao Chenggu’s reminder, Yao Shi also felt troubled. She indeed hadn’t chosen a good time. She had been too anxious, always wanting Pang Xiao to have a child of pure bloodline rather than foolishly not knowing whose son he was helping to raise.

While Yao Shi and Yao Chenggu were feeling dejected, Qin Yining had already met with Bingtang, Ji Yun, and the others.

“Amitabha, thank goodness you’re safe and sound.” Ji Yun joyfully bowed to the gods and Buddhas in all directions.

Qin Yining sat down, smiling as she accepted the tea Bingtang brought her: “This time I owe much to that packet of medicine Bingtang left me. Otherwise I might not have been able to return to see you all.”

“What happened?” Everyone’s faces became serious, and even Xiao Zhou twisted her handkerchief into a pretzel.

Qin Yining smiled: “Look at you all – it was just a false alarm. In any case, that packet of colorless, odorless sleeping drug helped me greatly.” She looked at Bingtang with a smile: “I must thank you properly later.”

Bingtang’s face looked troubled as she tugged at Qin Yining’s sleeve: “I told you before that Princess Consort must be extremely careful and shouldn’t take such risks, but Princess Consort wouldn’t listen. Even if you don’t say anything, we can all guess how tense the situation was then. Please don’t thank me – I don’t want your thanks. I only pray that you’ll be peaceful from now on and cherish yourself – that would be a blessing from heaven.”

Qin Yining couldn’t help but laugh at Bingtang’s nagging: “Don’t speak so early. What if I gave you Huzi as a thank-you gift and you didn’t want him?”

Ji Yun, Qian Yun, Qiu Lu, and Lian Xiao Zhou all burst into giggles. The originally tense atmosphere was lightened by Qin Yining’s single comment.

Bingtang’s face turned bright red with embarrassment as she complained: “I’m concerned about Princess Consort, but Princess Consort turns around to tease me. You’re getting worse and worse!”

“Oh my, she’s angry. You all help me coax her.” Qin Yining joined in the laughter.

Bingtang, Qian Yun, and Lian Xiao Zhou flanked Bingtang on both sides to tickle her. Bingtang was ticklish and was chased around the eight immortals table. The main hall was filled with laughter and joy, extremely lively.

Qin Yining watched the flower-bud-like maids with a smile on her face.

But as she smiled, she felt her eyes becoming sore and stinging. She forced herself to blink hard to hold back the tears.

Outside the door came the respectful sound of a maid greeting Pang Xiao.

Qin Yining came back to her senses and quickly took a deep breath to compose herself.

Bingtang and the others also stopped their playful noise and stood to the side.

The pearl curtain at the door rustled as it was lifted, and Pang Xiao strode in, standing firmly in place with both fists clenched, looking at Qin Yining without speaking.

Seeing that Pang Xiao’s expression was wrong, Ji Yun and the others put away their playful mood and looked toward Pang Xiao with some nervousness.

The masters’ atmosphere was off – could they be having a quarrel?

Qin Yining smiled and waved her hand: “You all go prepare hot water first. I want to bathe.”

“Yes.”

The maids bowed and then carefully and quickly withdrew.

The room returned to quiet. Pang Xiao slowly walked to sit in front of Qin Yining, his two clenched fists gripping tightly – one resting on his leg, the other gripping the red ruyi tablecloth tightly.

“Yi Jie’er, are you…” Pang Xiao’s throat tightened with nervousness, his voice hoarse. Speaking one sentence seemed more difficult than killing ten thousand enemies on the battlefield: “You, are you disappointed in me?”

In her earlier anger, Qin Yining hadn’t controlled her emotions and had offended both Yao Shi and Yao Chenggu. She wasn’t afraid, nor did she regret it, but she had wondered what attitude Pang Xiao would take in facing her.

She had thought of several possibilities. The best would be that he wouldn’t be angry with her and wouldn’t care that she had offended the elders. But she hadn’t expected that when he entered, his first question would be this.

Qin Yining’s long lashes trembled. Not wanting Pang Xiao to see her vulnerable side, she stubbornly refused to let the tears welling up fall.

“Don’t overthink it. I didn’t mean that. On the contrary, I didn’t control myself well today and was disrespectful to Grand Master and Old Madam. It was truly very unfilial.”

Pang Xiao shook his head, stood up and walked to crouch in front of her, grasping her hands and looking up directly into her eyes: “Yi Jie’er, it’s my fault. I know you’ve suffered many grievances and hardships. I know it’s because I didn’t handle the family matters well that you’ve been wronged.”

Qin Yining shook her head: “We’re family. What are you saying?”

“I didn’t handle external matters well and caused you to be implicated. I also didn’t manage the household clearly, letting mother treat you that way…”

He stretched out his arms to embrace her waist, crouching on the ground with his face pressed against her thighs.

“Making my wife suffer shows my incompetence as a husband. Yi Jie’er, please don’t be angry and don’t be disappointed in me, alright? I’ll handle these matters properly from now on.”

Qin Yining looked down at Pang Xiao, her hand gently stroking his hair. Tears swirled in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. Her voice carried a nasal tone: “I’m not angry with you, nor am I disappointed in you. I just… perhaps it’s a case of speaking out when things are unfair. I’ll try not to have direct conflicts with Old Madam and Grand Master from now on. I also know that speaking that way put you in a difficult position.”

“No. Yi Jie’er, it’s not like that. I have nothing to be troubled about. Initially, I implicated you and caused you to be captured by the Tatars, suffering so much. I never thought that after returning, I’d still drag you down to be misunderstood and suspected.”

“You risked your life to save our two children and suffered so much, yet she still doubts your chastity. Not only would you be angry hearing this, but I’m also furious seeing it. So this matter can’t be blamed on you at all.”

“I promise you – I won’t take concubines, I won’t be with any other women, and I don’t want that many children. Having Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er is enough for me. Yi Jie’er, let’s just live our own lives and not worry about what others say or think, alright?”

Qin Yining’s long lashes drooped, and the tears she’d been holding back for so long finally fell with a “plop.”

Pang Xiao was nervously at a loss. He quickly stood up to embrace her, holding her like a child in his arms, spinning around twice on the ground before setting her on the eight immortals table to sit properly. With his hands braced on either side of the table, his forehead pressed against hers: “Yi Jie’er, don’t cry anymore, don’t cry, okay.”

Qin Yining wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. She didn’t want to show weakness to anyone. If Pang Xiao hadn’t come to comfort her, she might have faced anyone with a strong attitude. But Pang Xiao had said these words to her at this moment.

Pang Xiao was truly panicked and confused. Leading troops into battle had never left him so helpless. His large hand patted her back as he coaxed her repeatedly, but he hated that his vocabulary was too poor – he could only keep saying “Be good, don’t cry.”

After a long while, Qin Yining finally composed herself and stopped crying.

Only then did Pang Xiao breathe a sigh of relief. He wrung out a wet cloth to wipe Qin Yining’s face, wiping while saying: “Don’t be angry, and don’t misunderstand. That woman just now is surnamed Pan. Her father is a chief steward under Mrs. Mu, managing much of Sitong Company’s business. During this time when you were in the capital, you didn’t know about the situation in the south with the Qiu family.”

It turned out that ever since Qiu Yuanqing assassinated his birth father and seized the position of family head, the Qiu main family had split into two factions – one supporting Qiu Yuanqing, and another supporting Qiu Feishan.

Qiu Yuanqing and Qiu Feishan’s subordinates each had their own trusted followers. And these trusted followers were themselves divided into two groups – one faction loyal to their masters, while another had some doubts about their masters’ abilities and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to rise up and replace them.

Those unreliable subordinates under Qiu Yuanqing had already been dealt with by him.

This Miss Pan’s father was a steward under Qiu Feishan who harbored considerable ambition. He looked down on Qiu Feishan’s status as a woman and wanted to replace her.

Qiu Feishan cooperated with Pang Xiao in a mutually beneficial relationship. Pang Xiao supported his army while the court didn’t provide provisions, requiring local self-funding. The governor couldn’t raise the silver, and the bandits had mostly been eliminated. Qiu Feishan brought Sitong Company to cooperate with Pang Xiao, supporting the army while gaining military backing.

Steward Pan had the same idea – he could offer the same terms as Qiu Feishan. Whether Pang Xiao chose to cooperate with either wouldn’t cost him anything, but whose side he took could determine that person’s success or failure.

To win over Pang Xiao, Steward Pan naturally used every means possible. Gold, silver, treasures, and rare antiques were one aspect. He also harbored thoughts of climbing higher – his daughter was quite beautiful, so he sent her to Pang Xiao. If she could become a concubine, pillow talk could be influential. Wouldn’t that give him confidence in future dealings? If Pan Keyu was capable enough to bear a child or two, or even directly become a side consort, the Pan family would rise to great heights.

“So her given name is Keyu? She lives up to her name – truly a beautiful girl.”

Pang Xiao glanced at her: “Stop joking. How could her looks compare to even a fraction of yours? She’s just an ordinary person. I forget what she looks like as soon as I turn my head.”

Qin Yining smiled and stopped dwelling on this topic, analyzing with Pang Xiao: “Qiu Yuanqing can no longer possibly support us. While we need support, we’re not as desperate as Qiu Feishan.”

“For her, if she wants to turn the tables, she must secure cooperation with you. But for us, there are many people like Steward Pan who hope to curry favor with you. Now that Qiu Feishan and her subordinates haven’t even determined a winner among themselves, it’s even more inconvenient for us to make a premature choice.”

“So this is why you can’t tear relations with Steward Pan and directly send Miss Pan back, right?”

Pang Xiao nodded: “Yi Jie’er is ice-smart, able to see the big picture from small details.”

Qin Yining said: “This is just inevitable cause and effect. Don’t worry – let Miss Pan stay temporarily in the guest quarters. It will be resolved when Qiu Feishan and her subordinates fight to a conclusion.”