“What snuff bottle? I didn’t see anything like that. I don’t know what you're talking about.” The old dowager snorted, regaining her calm in all of a moment as she turned to leave. When she passed through the pearl curtain, she lifted it aside with extreme caution. It wasn’t until the old woman had cleared the curtain that Qin-mama, Jixiang, and Ruyi realized what was going on and quickly curtsied, going after their mistress in panicked pursuit.
A deathly silence reigned inside, the shards of the snuff bottle on the ground and mint tobacco smell hanging in the air the only silent witnesses to the farce that had just occurred. Songlan and Bingtang looked at each other, then tiptoed over to the yard for a look. As soon as they confirmed that the old dowager’s group was far in the distance, they burst out in laughter.
Jin-mama helped née Sun sit down and had Caiju and Cailan grab dust pans to clean up the mess. “The miss must’ve already thought of this possibility when you had Bingtang go find a similar snuff bottle, right?” The old servant smiled.
“That’s right.” Qin Yining smiled delightfully. “Although, I hadn’t thought that she’d be even more cowardly than I’d imagined.”
Née Sun also enjoyed a chuckle when she thought of how the old dowager had run away with her tail tucked between her legs. Much of the anger and resentment she’d felt from earlier dissipated with this burst of levity. However, soon, bewilderment and anxiety settled in.
“Daughter Yi, your father probably won’t like it if he finds out how you’ve pranked the old dowager. Even though he’s tacitly agreed to us living here, he’s still a very filial person. Since the old dowager believes that she’s broken an imperial gift, and something that the dowager empress once used, she might be very frightened. She might even fall gravely ill when she gets back.” Née Sun frowned at this point. “If your father asks, say that it was my idea. I don’t have much of a good image with the Qins anyway, but you’re different. You still have to marry in the future.”
Qin Yining was quite touched and she hugged her mother’s waist in a display of cute affection. “Mother dotes on me, but aren’t you worried about father lecturing you?”
“I’m not afraid. Your father and I are an old couple. It’s not like we haven’t had our share of nasty fights. This is simply how life will be in the future since my family has gone.” Née Sun was used to Qin Yining’s affectionate behavior now and put her arm around her daughter for a good cuddle. “You’re different though. You’re still an unmarried child.”
“Mother, you’re so good to me.” Qin Yining hugged née Sun with a merry chuckle. This made née Sun feel extremely guilty. She wasn’t actually that good to Qin Yining, and even though she’d tried her best to grow closer to the girl and be better to her, the truth was that they’d only known each other for a short time. The amount of effort and attention she’d spent on Qin Yining was far less than she’d spent on Qin Huining.
Also, comparing Qin Huining’s behavior to Qin Yining, the latter’s filial nature and loyalty stood in marked contrast. The easier Qin Yining was to satisfy, theguiltier née Sun felt. She rocked Qin Yining lightly, like she was soothing a baby in her swaddling cloths. “Mother will treat you well in the future.”
“Mother taking care of herself well is the greatest treatment you can give me.” Qin Yining’s tone was lighthearted and content.
The loving scene caused the eyes of Jin-mama and all the other servants to glisten. Trials and hardships were the truest test of relationships. Mother and daughter had finally established a connection after all, and now, sunny days were definitely ahead after a tumultuous start.
Qin Yining lazily made herself comfortable in née Sun’s embrace, but quickly thought that her mother might get tired and sat up straight after a short while. She thought for a moment and summoned Songlan.
“Let’s pack our belongings.” The fourth miss then turned to Jin-mama. “I’ll have to trouble you to pack all of my mother’s things as well. We’ll return to the manor shortly.”
“Why are we suddenly going back?” Née Sun was quite taken aback at this abrupt change of pace. She’d thought Qin Yining had made up her mind not to return. It wasn’t just her, everyone else in the house had the same question as well.
Qin Yining smiled. “Mother, we didn’t immediately return to the manor and lived for a while outside because we wanted an explanation. That way, no one would look down on you when we returned. I wanted to ensure that your days would be as smooth as before. Now that the old dowager herself has come to request our return, this much face is more than enough to cancel her previous jeering. She’s slapped her own face and we’ve reached our goal. We can look upon a fascinating array of expressions now if we return, but the fault will become ours if we still hold out.”
It was to their credit that they’d forced the old dowager far enough to make a personal visit and invite them back. But if they still refused to return, they would be seen as the unfilial ones. Reason would no longer be on their side, even though they were in the right. Jin-mama and née Sun both nodded in agreement.
“Since this is the case, why did you set this up to trick her?” Née Sun followed up.
“She’d take us for dead cats if we always keep our claws retracted.” Qin Yining dimpled. “This incident will be enough to demand her good behavior for a few days.”
“But it wasn’t really an imperial gift that was broken. If she goes back and spreads word of this, wouldn’t you have committed the crime of lying to your liege?” Née Sun’s expression twisted a little as the thought crossed her mind.
“She won’t mention this to anyone at all if she has any brains at all,” Qin Yining soothed. “Breaking an imperial gift is a crime in itself. There’s nothing she’d rather do than absolve herself of all responsibility. How would she possibly spread word of this? If she doesn’t have enough brains, then she’ll definitely mention it to father, but father is smart. He’ll definitely keep this under wraps and come ask me about it.”
Née Sun thought for a moment and nodded slowly. Another question instantly occurred to her. “How will you respond if your father asks you? He’s very sharp and won’t be hoodwinked by any lies.”
“Don’t worry, mother. I’ll have my ways.” Qin Yining smiled affectionately at her. “We should get ready now so we can be on our way soon. We can return before dinner and make our greetings to the old dowager as well.”
Née Sun lightly pinched her daughter’s cheek. “Naughty girl, you have so much mischief hidden up your sleeves.”
Jin-mama smiled warmly. “Thank goodness for the miss’ mischief, or we’d be long bullied and ground into the dust.”
Née Sun recalled how her days had been after the Ding Manor had been raided and exterminated. If it hadn’t been for Qin Yining constantly by her side and shielding her from all worries, she might’ve been driven crazy by now. The madame subconsciously tightened her grip on her daughter’s hand.
Everything was packed in less than half an hour. Qin Yining headed to the front desk to have the shopkeeper run a message to Steward Zhong that she was returning to the manor.
The group availed themselves of a carriage to return to the Qin Manor. Soon enough, when they rounded the far corner of the manor, they could see craftsman hard at work with their crew. The workers were busy erecting the tablet in honor of née Sun.
When they arrived at the main doors, the original ‘Qin Manor’ signboard over the doors had already been swapped out for the gold-trimmed ‘Marquis of Anping Manor’ board, penned by His Majesty himself. The walls had been repainted and the clay tiles cleaned and re-organized. The manor exuded a vibrant aura of prosperity when one stood in front of the main doors.
Although the emperor was a fool, having an imperially penned signboard over one’s doors was still an utmost honor. Pride grew from the bottom of née Sun’s heart when she looked at the words ‘Marquis of Anping Manor’. She even held herself straighter.
Qin Yining had a few runners enter the manor b
efore helping née Sun down from the carriage. She murmured in her mother’s ear, “You’ve been resting outside, mother, but you still haven’t fully recovered. We could only do our filial duty today after the old dowager personally requested our return. But please avoid becoming angry no matter what happens. Just take care of yourself and leave the rest to me.”
Née Sun suppressed her mirth and nodded. “I know.” She put most of her weight on Qin Yining, actually looking a bit sickly and fragile.
Meanwhile, inside the manor, the old dowager was acting like ants in a hot pan. She was tugging anxiously on Qin Huaiyuan’s hand. “Meng’er, I have something important to tell you!”
“Please speak, mother.”
The old dowager peered left and right for a second, only speaking when she saw that only Qin-mama was by their side.
“Today, granddaughter Yi broke the snuff bottle that the emperor bestowed upon her! I saw it with my own eyes! This was something that the dowager empress once used, a treasure that even the empress kneels down to! That flighty girl didn’t know to put away the imperial gifts properly and actually took them out to use however she would! Now that it’s been broken, what do we do if the emperor finds out?! It’ll drag the entire family down if the emperor finds fault with us!”
* * *
Chapter 134: Touching
Chapter 134: Touching
Qin-mama lowered her head and frowned ferociously at the old dowager’s words. Looking to your son to clean up your messes at your age, and lying about it?!
“Daughter Yi isn’t the arrogant and willful sort, and she knows the boundaries of appropriateness.” Qin Huaiyuan found this odd. “Why would she purposefully break an imperially gifted snuff bottle?”
The old dowager’s expression stiffened awkwardly as she answered sourly, “I personally went to invite your dearest wife and daughter home today, but not only did I fail, I even got yelled at! Then, granddaughter Yi threw a temper tantrum and broke the snuff bottle, and now she wants to blame it on me! Oh, why is my life so hard?! Why is there such a home-wrecking, chaotic element in my life?!”
The old dowager covered her hands and sniffled loudly. Qin-mama quickly offered a handkerchief and softly tried to placate the old dowager.
Qin Huaiyuan was well acquainted with the old dowager’s nature. This story of hers had gaping holes, making it altogether too suspect. He looked questioningly at the old servant, but the latter averted her gaze in front of Qin Huaiyuan’s assessing look.
She couldn’t refute her own mistress, but it wasn’t right to keep the truth from the lord either. When Qin Huaiyuan saw the mama thus, it only served to confirm his suspicions.
At that moment, a servant called in from the outside. “Reporting to Old Dowager and milord, the senior madame and Fourth Miss have returned and are making their way to the Garden of Loving Piety to greet the old dowager.”
The old dowager was so startled that she burped. That bitch schemed against me! She’d just proclaimed that they’d roundly insulted her and refused to come back, but not even a heartbeat later, here they were! Didn’t that just make her the carrier of tall tales?!
When the old dowager met Qin Huaiyuan’s skeptical eyes, a chill gripped her heart. “That bitch, how dare she saunter back like this to make a greeting!” she spat out.
“But she returned out of respect for your wishes.” Qin Huaiyuan smiled.
His mother looked incredulously back at him. She actually hadn’t generated many tears from her brief spat of crying, but newfound indignation made them swiftly gather in her eyes now.
“You unfilial son! You’ve got your heart set on helping your wife bully your mother! Didn’t you tell me to ask that they return? I did as you said! If you’d been willing to order them home, I bet you they would’ve listened since one’s your wife and the other your daughter! You only treat outsiders well, and now you’re saying all this to hurt me! Sons really do forget their mothers after taking a wife. Oh, what have I done to deserve this?!”
A resigned frown crossed Qin Huaiyuan’s brow. He was most familiar with his mother’s temper. If reason didn’t somehow find a place at her side, she’d just throw a tantrum. Since she’d only do this to family, they’d always give way in the end because of a multitude of reasons. Him in particular, as he could never bear to see the old dowager cry herself sick.
“Mother, you’re speaking too harshly.” Qin Huaiyuan could only adopt a gentle tone in response to her wails. “I’m just summarizing the truth. You gave your orders and they returned. Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Good thing? I’m almost dying from anger because of your wife, is that a good thing?!”
“Don’t forget that you were the one who originally decided upon my marriage,” Qin Huaiyuan could only try and prevaricate. “Née Sun hasn’t done anything wrong since joining our family.”
“Nothing wrong?! She still hasn’t given birth to a son, how is that doing no wrong?”
“She’s already given birth to a daughter, proving that the problem doesn’t lie with her.” Qin Huaiyuan’s patience quickly eroded when they touched upon a sore point.
When she saw her son’s expression darken, the old dowager realized that she’d said something she shouldn’t have in her haste. She actually had her own speculations whether the problem laid with Qin Huaiyuan, but her son was an exceedingly proud person, and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings with extraneous questions.
Before the silence could grow more awkward, a maid called in from the covered hallway from one of the side wings. “Old Dowager, the senior madame and Fourth Miss have returned.”
The ink-green curtains lifted to allow Qin Yining to enter with née Sun. The madame had changed into a plain, ink-green outer robe and dress ensemble that was cinched at the waist. Her hair was done up, with a silver hairpin keeping it in place. On the other hand, Qin Yining was wearing an ivory jacket and skirt outfit, her hair was swept up into twin buns with hair trailing out of them, secured by ribbons. Mother and daughter hadn’t put on any powder, but the charmingly elegant fragrance of pure jasmine charmingly wove around them.
It was the same jasmine perfume from Beauty Works, making the old dowager both envious and vexed. She was also feeling out of sorts from her good cry moments ago, so she settled for glaring fiercely at née Sun and turning away.
This act of pique elicited a corresponding anger from née Sun, but Qin Yining softly pinched her arm right as she opened her mouth. The madame immediately understood and took a deep, calming breath before walking up to curtsey with her daughter.
“Daughter-in-law greets Old Dowager.”
“Granddaughter greets Old Dowager. Mother’s given no thought to her own health and come rushing back after one word from the old dowager.”
“Didn’t you say you were refusing to come back?” The matriarch snorted coldly as her heart pounded fiercely from the thrum of anger. “First lying to me by saying you weren’t coming back, but showing up like this, you were obviously playing this old woman!”
Née Sun bit her lip and lowered her head. Her face was flushed red with indignation. Qin Yining bent her knee.
“Don’t be angry, Old Dowager. You’ve simply overthought things. Mother spent her days recovering outside also because she wanted to avoid the spread of sickness at home. Since the old dowager loves mother so much, how can we ignore your wishes?”
“With such a slippery way with words, I can’t win verbally against you!” The old dowager slammed her hand on the table. Qin Yining pursed her lips and lowered her head, aggrieved by the treatment.
Qin Huaiyuan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Go back first; don’t disturb mother’s peace and quiet.”
“Understood.” Née Sun and Qin Yining swiftly changed their attitudes and took their leave.
“Rest well, mother. I also have official matters to attend to.” Qin Huaiyuan bowed as well.
The old dowager forgot to be angry when she saw that her son was also about to leave. �
�What about the broken snuff bottle…”
“Mother.” Qin Huaiyuan clapped his hand over his mother’s mouth and muttered, “How can you speak so loudly about something like this? It never happened!”
The old dowager’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. She’d only been thinking of washing the blame from her hands, but had forgotten that this would be a matter of life-or-death to all the Qins if it spread! Her face white as a sheet; she no longer dared continue raising a fuss.
Qin Huaiyuan sighed. “The emperor gives out many presents, and the dowager empress has a great deal of belongings as well. The imperial family doesn’t pay attention to whether things are being kept well and no one will come ask about previous gifts. Just pretend that you don’t know anything, mother.”
The old dowager nodded repeatedly, as docile as a child. Qin Huaiyuan bowed again before taking his leave.
When she saw Qin Huaiyuan had walked off into the distance, the old dowager asked pensively, “Lujuan, do you think I’ve done something wrong?”
Qin-mama inwardly nodded a thousand times, but responded out loud, “You were doing all this because of the new in-laws, so how could any of it be wrong?”
The old dowager shook her head and sighed, the ruby dangling from the gold hairpin tucked in her high coif glinting from the light of the candles.
“I should’ve pretended to know nothing about the snuff bottle at all, and shouldn’t have asked Meng’er. Meng’er is so very smart, he’s probably already guessed at something. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have talked to me that way.”
So the mistress only regrets this matter?! Qin-mama was utterly speechless, but she could only mouth the comforting words that the old dowager liked to hear.
Qin Huaiyuan didn’t immediately head to the outer residence when he left the Garden of Loving Piety. Instead, he made his way to the Garden of Tranquility, where his hunch was confirmed. Qin Yining was keeping née Sun company instead of heading to her residence.
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