Returning to the boat, Qin Yining’s nerves, which had been tense for over a month, could finally relax. She no longer needed to constantly and carefully watch for surveillance, nor did she need to deliberately act frivolous. She could comfortably be herself.

Qin Yining felt at ease, but Pang Xiao felt somewhat regretful.

“Sigh! These past days have been like living as an immortal. The beauty threw herself into my arms all day long, spoiling my appetite. But now that we’ve returned to our own territory, all the good treatment is gone, and I have to go back to plain porridge and simple dishes.” Pang Xiao shook his head with regret, looking like he had suffered a great loss.

Qin Yining leaned against the soft couch, holding a brass hand warmer and smiling with pursed lips.

“You should be content. At least you had the chance to enjoy yourself. I was afraid that once habits in speech and behavior are formed, they’d be hard to change. What if I corrupted the children after returning home?”

Pang Xiao pursed his lips, his jealousy flaring: “Now your heart only has room for the children, there’s no place for me. You consider the children first in everything and only think of me last.”

“You’re even jealous of your own sons?”

“Even if they’re my biological sons, they can’t steal away your concern.”

Pang Xiao sat in his chair, sulking.

Qin Yining couldn’t tell whether what he said was true or false, so she couldn’t help but lean closer to examine him carefully.

When she moved closer, he turned his face away. When she moved closer again, he looked in another direction.

“Hey, are you really jealous?” Qin Yining kicked his shin with her foot clad in soft embroidered shoes.

Pang Xiao immediately looked over with a “furious glare.” But when he met her gentle eyes, he immediately broke character and burst out laughing.

“Alright, alright, I’m not a child. How could I really be angry? It’s just that we have to go back to work. Our carefree days are coming to an end, so I feel a bit melancholy.”

Qin Yining nodded understandingly. Comparatively speaking, Pang Xiao’s life had much greater pressure. After all, he was the one truly navigating the imperial court. She stayed home all day and still felt suffocated by court affairs – how much more so for Pang Xiao, who was in the thick of it?

Qin Yining put down the hand warmer and stood up to embrace Pang Xiao.

“Our days will get better in the future. For instance, when I was captured by the Tatars, I never thought we could have a family reunion again.”

Pang Xiao also embraced her slender waist, burying his face in her bosom: “If we’re going by what you’re saying, even earlier, I thought our desire to marry was already an enormous challenge. Now we’re not only married, but we even have two children.”

“That’s exactly what I mean. Living life requires having something to strive for. As long as we don’t give up, there will always be a day when everything improves.”

Pang Xiao truly admired Qin Yining’s resilience at times, and was grateful she possessed such tenacity. If she weren’t of such character, she probably would have perished when she lost her father in her early years. How could there have been their later mutual pledge?

“My lord.”

At this moment, Huzi’s voice came from outside the cabin door.

Qin Yining quickly let go, and both straightened their posture.

Huzi entered and bowed: “My lord, Chief Manager Yuan has arrived.”

Pang Xiao raised his eyebrows: “He’s here? Is he the accounting manager arranged by Young Master Lu to accompany us?”

“Exactly.” Huzi smiled with ill intent: “He actually has the guts to go with us?”

Yuan Yujiang’s ulterior motives were obvious to everyone. On Lu family territory they still had to endure, but once back in the old capital, even without the Prince speaking, he would make this old lecher pay!

Pang Xiao said: “Since he’s here, arrange him directly in an appropriate cabin and have someone watch him.”

“He even had the audacity to say he wanted to see you and ‘Lady Ning.'”

Pang Xiao curled his lips in a cold smile: “He still hasn’t given up. Let’s keep him for now and deal with him when we return to the old capital.”

“Yes.”

Huzi went back and politely led Chief Manager Yuan to a cabin.

This was the most remote corner location on the boat. The neighboring and opposite cabins were all occupied by Tiger Guards. The room didn’t even have a window, and to leave, one had to pass through a corridor and walk past several Tiger Guards’ rooms.

Yuan Yujiang didn’t notice anything amiss and looked around the cabin with his hands behind his back, somewhat disdainfully: “Don’t you have any other rooms on this boat for guests?”

“I’m truly sorry, this is already one of the better guest rooms. The quarters where the servants live are even worse.” Huzi’s face was full of smiles, but his eyes showed only contempt.

Yuan Yujiang thought that the boat wasn’t very large to begin with, and he wouldn’t be living on the boat permanently anyway – at the latest they’d arrive in four days. So he snorted coldly and magnanimously didn’t fuss about it.

“Where are your young master and Lady Ning?”

“The young master and Lady Ning still have matters to attend to. Please rest for a while, Chief Manager. We’ll gather later.”

Yuan Yujiang nodded and entered the cabin.

Huzi introduced two tall, sturdy Tiger Guards to Yuan Yujiang: “These are the servants assigned to you. If you have any instructions, just call them.”

Yuan Yujiang originally had attendants arranged by Young Master Lu, but on this trip, he harbored intentions toward Qin Yining and wanted to do some secret things, so naturally it wouldn’t be good to bring along a pair of “eyes.” He left his servant behind, thinking that someone like Young Master Wan who knew how to enjoy life and hoped for good record-keeping in the account books would naturally not mistreat him and would arrange proper people for him.

Seeing this now, Young Master Wan was indeed a sensible person.

“Mm. All of you come in.”

Yuan Yujiang ordered the two to work.

The two men obediently helped organize his luggage.

Huzi turned and left the cabin. When closing the door, he glanced inside. Yuan Yujiang, completely unaware of his fate, was asking the two Tiger Guards: “When did your Lady Ning and Young Master Wan first meet…”

Gently closing the cabin door, Huzi silently spat. What a shameless old lecher! Although concubines could be bought and sold, the Princess had already sternly refused when they were in prison. If he were a decent person with any face, he should have given up such thoughts then and there. But he was still harboring designs!

“Just wait until we reach the old capital to deal with you.” Huzi muttered to himself.

The following four days were very unexpected for Yuan Yujiang.

He had originally thought he would soon see the beauty again, but who would have expected that after the boat left the dock, when he ordered his attendants to invite people over, the attendants stood there like wooden stakes, completely unwilling to move.

When he made a commotion in the cabin, no one came to manage the situation. The cabin had no windows, so he couldn’t even tell day from night. When he felt hungry, no one brought food.

Yuan Yujiang had a bad premonition but was unwilling to believe that Young Master Wan would actually go this far. Didn’t this man care about him tampering with the account books?

“Have your Young Master Wan come see me!” Yuan Yujiang furiously pounded the wooden bed.

The two Tiger Guards treated him like a buzzing mosquito, completely ignoring him.

In the corridor outside, Huzi asked Pang Xiao in a low voice: “My lord, isn’t confining him like this too lenient? He was just asking us about the Princess’s affairs.”

Pang Xiao smiled and said: “It’s not exactly lenient, considering he’ll be confined for three to five years. That’s not a short time.”

“My lord plans to spare his life?” Huzi was surprised.