The look in Qin Yining’s eyes frosted over. Xiaoman and Xiaoxue were already posturing in front of her, Jiyun and Bingtang glaring ferociously from behind as well. Her servants were ready to feed Madame Lu to the dogs if Qin Yining gave the word.
* * *
1. The Chinese character used here means on the father’s side.
Chapter 365.2: Lu Heng
As tension stretched on, the man standing next to Madame Lu unexpectedly spoke up.
“Younger cousin Huan, you go too far. Apologize to this miss immediately!”
Madame Lu started, then whipped her head around incredulously at the man. “Second brother Heng! How can you help outsiders like this!?”
Lu Heng rose, casting but a single glance with his lanky form. Despite a lack of visible wrath, it was readily apparent that he was in fiery rage. An aura of dominance kept Madame Lu down so low that she didn’t dare voice another word of objection.
How could she forget that Lu Heng wasn’t her blood brother, but instead an older cousin in the clan? When it came down to it, her own family was just a minor Lu offshoot, but Lu Heng was the official second-born of the eldest main branch! He was someone that her own big brother had to greet respectfully and curry favor with.
Just what had gotten into her that she’d dared raise her voice at Lu Heng??
The madame glared at the Qin fourth miss standing off to the side. How would she have lost her temper if not for that girl purposefully acting this way?!
Madame Lu grew even more irate.
Meanwhile, Lu Heng declared with a frown, “To think that you’re this ridiculous and out of control outside of the house! The miss spoke rightly just now, the foundations of aristocracy are never built off of suppressing others. With your behavior, the family’s good reputation of several hundred years will be ruined in your hands. Don’t your father and brothers know to keep you in line? They allow you to atrociously throw your weight around like this, even turning right into wrong and black into white!”
Lu Heng’s tones were gentle and urbane, even when scolding others. He neither raised his voice nor quickened his speaking pace. Those further away might not even hear him clearly, but the self-possessed, seething undertones sent cold sweat pouring down Madame Lu’s back.
“Don’t be angry, second brother Heng. I was too brash.” It was a rare moment of submission from the older woman.
Lu Heng turned his gaze onto Qin Yining, smoothly meeting the girl’s limpid eyes. The man’s eyelashes half-fluttered and he looked down, but then seemed to think better of his actions and swiftly raised his eyes again. He smiled faintly at the Qin fourth miss and looked back at his cousin.
“You shouldn’t be be apologizing to me, but to the lady whom you insulted.”
Madame Lu turned purple with umbrage and she questioned disbelievingly, “Second brother Heng, you, you want me to apologize to this bitch? Do you know who she is? She’s the née Qin who seduced the Faithful Prince of the First Rank as soon as she entered the capital. She was carried off for days of pleasure at the Pang Manor!”
Qin Yining really wanted to inquire after the ‘good health’ of Madame Lu’s entire family. If she’d still possessed her temper of old, slaps would’ve been flying long ago.
But she wasn’t at home and she’d only make trouble for her father if she acted on her thoughts now. The Qins weren’t on solid voting yet. She had to keep it in and not lose her temper.
It turned out that Lu Heng was even more furious than her. “Your manner of speech…” he intoned. “Forget it, apologize to Miss Qin first. I’ll pay a visit to your father and brothers later.”
That was an unequivocal order, and he was going to have words with her father and brothers!
Madame Lu’s face ballooned, and she glare at Qin Yining with fury and humiliation. Her lips twitched, finally squeezing a few words after a long moment. “I’m sorry.”
Qin Yining smiled faintly. “I wouldn’t dare.” She turned and dipped a curtsey to Lu Heng, then turned to depart with her people.
Lu Heng didn’t retract his gaze from her body until the Qin fourth miss’ delicate figure slowly disappeared around the turn of the stairs. His own lack of composure just now was rather astonishing!
That he would form good feelings at first sight and not dare to meet a girl’s eyes! And he even tracked her form…
Man, Lu Heng, the older I get, the more like a kid I am!
Lu Heng turned and headed outside. When he saw that Madame Lu wasn’t trailing in his wake, he questioned lowly, “What, not leaving yet?”
The madame didn’t dare disobey. She left with a petulant stomp. She’d thought that a fearsome loss of dignity for Qin Yining was at hand today, given Lu Heng’s backing. But she’d been the one to emerge worse for the wear!
From their vantage point on the third floor, Qin Yining and Missus Liao could clearly see the Lu family carriage slowly drive off.
“In case you didn’t know, Alliance Head, that Second Master Heng is very prominent character. Born of the eldest main family branch, he’s the second official son in his family. Even though he’s only 26 this year, he’s been famous in the business circles for more than ten years. He didn’t do that with help from his family, but did so anonymously on his own. He didn’t tell the public he was a Lu until he made it big.”
Qin Yining nodded. “He looks like a highly shrewd and crafty individual. A noble house such as the Lus would naturally be able to cultivate such a stunning talent.”
“Absolutely. That Madame Lu wasn’t like this at first, either. Although she’s born of a Lu side branch, she’s still a proper, official daughter. In the early days of the revolution, the farmer army worked with the Lus for a time. In order to solidify relations, His Majesty had one of his generals marry one of the side branch misses. That was how General Mi wed Miss Lu Cuihuan.
“Miss Lu has extraordinary looks and a high sense of self. Naturally, she didn’t think much of a common-born, average looking bumpkin. As time passed, she started keeping her own harem. But since the marriage had been dictated by the Lu elders and the general rather liked Miss Lu, there was nothing to be done. As we all know, he died in the end anyways.”
Qin Yining listened to Missus Liao’s explanation with a smile and nods. “It looks like our alliance’s intelligence network is still in good working order.”
The older woman blushed. The alliance head really does hold a grudge! She smiled obsequiously, “Just give your orders if you’d like to know anything in the future.”
“Then I thank you for your troubles.”
Chapter 366: A Request
Thanks to Madame Lu’s nonsense, Qin Yining was no longer of a mind to spend her day out and about. She exchanged a few more words with Missus Liao before the two parted. Though the Qin fourth miss hesitated before they went their separate ways, she didn’t end up requesting that Azure Alliance keep an eye out for the whereabouts of her maternal grandmother.
Perhaps grandmother had given the alliance to her because the older lady didn’t want to have anything more to do with these wanderers of the jianghu.
Her grandmother likely cared more about how the Sun womenfolk would rest and recover, and how they’d live the rest of their lives. Though they didn’t have any men at the moment, they still had daughters who could wed outside males and have their new husbands take on the family name.
As long as they grounded themselves to focus on rebuilding the family, the Suns would flourish again in a few short years.
Qin Yining’s heart lightened when her thoughts travelled year. In conclusion, life would only get better.
……
At the same time on a western main venue, a spacious carriage with red wheels and a silk brocade covering trundled smoothly to the Yan Manor.
Yuchi Yan sat cross-legged inside, inspecting the exquisite embroidery on his robes with a lowered head. This outer robe had been bestowed by the emperor himself in the early days. Apparently, it’d been specially ma
de by the best seamstresses in town.
However, the manifold resplendent and complex patterns of a commandery prince were no source of joy to him. The more dazzling his accoutrements were, the more they highlighted how good-for-nothing he was as the ruler of a conquered nation.
He was someone who’d once been emperor! But now he walked the streets of Great Zhou with the title of a commandery prince of another nation. Yuchi Yan swore that the looks he received from passersby on the streets were equally off-kilter.
Not to mention, he’d just witnessed Qin Yining being ambushed and humiliated in a tavern lobby.
Ever since the fall of Great Yan, a baffling pressure finally lifted from his shoulders. He even privately heaved sighs of relief.
He’d taken the dragon throne only for purposes of handing over surrender papers. Once the dust settled and they were all in Great Zhou, he often reminded himself that happiness existed in contentment, that it wasn’t a bad thing to live out the rest of his days in peace and quiet.
But heretofore unfelt shame descended when the outwardly polite, in reality scathing looks from the Great Zhou officials swept him. Only then did he realize he’d been much too naive.
He now existed to prove how kind and merciful Great Zhou’s emperor was. He was living, breathing propaganda of the imperial majesty’s might in the four corners of the world. The only point of his life now was to amuse others. His Majesty would be reminded of his own brilliance and power whenever he saw Yuchi Yan.
What right did someone as humble as him, boasting of only a glamorous facade, have to pursue Qin Yining?
Though she’d been once carried off by others, her father was now a second rank principal minister, someone slated to enter the council.
As for him?
The identity he had now wouldn’t bring her joy and happiness at all!
He didn’t even have the courage to step up for her when she was being bullied earlier. He’d allowed himself to be tugged away by Li Yanyan because he knew that he had no right to say anything. Even if he had, no one would’ve listened to a word.
With his current awkward position, he couldn’t afford to offend the Lus at all.
His hands unconsciously tightening into fists, Yuchi Yan sank into a deep pool of self-loathing. Was there any other man in this world as useless and spineless as him?
He didn’t even dare protect his beloved. How could he possibly ask Qin Yining to be his concubine?
How would he look her in the eye and say, “Come with me, I’ll protect you”?
He couldn’t follow through on his promises in the here and now, much less in the future!
“Your Highness…” Li Yanyan noted the extremely ugly expression on her husband’s face and the vein throbbing in his forehead. She clasped Yuchi Yan’s hand and shook it lightly. “Don’t be too harsh on yourself, Your Highness. The days ahead are long. Now that everything’s settled down, all will be good.”
Her eyes reddened at this point, but she kept her tone very gentle. “I know that you like née Qin. Don’t worry, I will continue to try to convince her. Your Highness is so exceptionally talented, genteel, and mild-mannered. What girl wouldn’t admire you? Perhaps née Qin was too embarrassed and felt that it wouldn’t do to accept after she’d suffered such a disgrace. She might agree with a few more visits."
“No need.” Like a puppet with slow reaction time, Yuchi Yan slowly turned his head to Li Yanyan and shook it. “There’s no need. I’m… not worthy of her.”
The princess consort blinked, tears finally flooding out of her eyes. She grabbed the prince in a fierce hug and choked out, “Your Highness, Your Highness, why be this way? How can it be you who is unworthy? In my eyes, you are a man of great heroism and valor, a man as gifted and refined as the immortals! Anyone who thinks less of you is blind! That you are so sad for née Qin… what should, what should I do?”
Li Yanyan buried her face in Yuchi Yan’s shoulder and sobbed quietly.
His mood also taking a downturn with his wife’s tears, Yuchi Yan felt his nose twinge and his eyes warm. He almost burst out crying as well.
He put his arm around Li Yanyan’s shoulders after a while and patted her. “Don’t cry. Let’s live well our days ahead.”
Chapter 366.2: A Request
Li Yanyan ponderously lifted her tear-stained face to look at Yuchi Yan.
“Alright, Your Highness. As long as you don’t mind me, I’ll stay forever by your side. We can live out our days well and I’ll bear several children for you. Our family will live happily ever after to live out this life in full.”
The commandery prince looked down at his wife’s eyes, all the brighter after their recent bath of tears. His heart suddenly melted into a puddle.
He may not be able to have Qin Yining, but Li Yanyan had weathered all of his hardships and victories by his side since being wed. She’d never once breathed a word of complaint or showed the desire to leave. A human heart was an emotional thing; Yuchi Yan was immensely touched to see his wife treat him so wholeheartedly.
“Well then.” Yuchi Yan brought her shoulders closer to him so that he could embrace her. He touched his chin to her forehead. “Let’s live out our days well. This prince will also do my best to vie for power and status so that we won’t always be like this.”
Li Yanyan’s heart pounded painfully and she hastily responded, “Your Highness, I don’t care about power or status. I don’t care about any of those empty honors or profits, as long as I can be with you!”
Yuchi Yan smiled. “You might not care about them, but I do.”
A response rose in her throat, but the commandery princess didn’t voice it.
She really wanted to ask: Do you suddenly want power so much so that our family can live out the rest of our days peacefully, or do you want it for Qin Yining?
But she was no fool. Though she was jealous, she couldn’t display such an envious side to her husband. She’d draw dislike for no reason at all.
In her heart of hearts, however, she hated Qin Yining with a burning passion. She could tolerate Yuchi Yan taking a hundred ordinary concubines, but couldn’t abide her husband bringing in one that he truly liked.
What was she steadfastly keeping Yuchi Yan company for? For stability, of course!
If the Qin fourth miss darkened their doorstep, there would be no more stability in Li Yanyan’s life.
Don’t blame me for being vicious then!
……
In contrast to Yuchi Yan’s low spirits, a buoyant Li Qitian was currently partaking tea in the empress dowager’s palace. Li Helan sat demurely off to the side, refilling her brother’s cup at appropriate times and contributing amusing tidbits to the conversation.
“Royal brother’s plan this time is so ingenious! Using the strength of others this way, the Qins will quickly realize that the only one they can rely on in the capital is royal brother.”
The empress dowager also smiled. “The emperor’s idea is masterful. Watching the fires from the opposite bank of a river prevents us from getting embroiled as well.”
The older woman had a very keen sense of where the proper limits lay in speech. She never voiced her true thoughts in front of the emperor, because she deeply understood that her son disliked the imperial harem becoming involved in politics. All she had to do as his birth mother was to happily live out her remaining days. To say too much might even drag her own family into trouble.
Though the emperor didn’t like the imperial harem becoming overly involved, there were some times when he needed help from the womenfolk. Such occasions became unshirkable duties whenever they arose.
Such as what had been required from Li Helan this time.
Imperial favor was capricious. Whether or not a woman could participate in politics was all a matter of the emperor’s whims. Since he wished Li Helan to help, then help she did, and with her heart and soul at that.
Li Qitian smiled easily. “Royal mother makes sense. We just don’t want power at court to
be concentrated in the hands of one faction.” When it came to the womenfolk, he never had the patience to explain politics in full.
Li Helan could observe her brother’s impatience and flung her mother a glance. “Royal brother, does Lan’er still have to maintain contact with née Lu? Lan’er really doesn’t like her style and habits. If I’m too close with her, others might think I’m just like her.”
Li Qitian broke out laughing. “Are you afraid of outsiders misunderstanding you or the prince consort misunderstanding you?”
“Royal brother!” Li Helan blushed furiously and stamped her foot with mortification, sending her mother and brother into further gales of laughter.
“Royal mother, your son has further business with Lan’er and must take leave now.” Having laughed his fill, Li Qitian stood up with a cupped hand salute.
The empress dowager didn’t keep him, instructing her mamas to send the two out. They were both her children, it didn’t matter if they relied on each other or used one another. It was enough that they propped each other up and weren’t at each other’s throats.
Li Helan followed Li Qitian to the imperial study. Head eunuch Li Guanwen noted his master’s signal and dismissed himself after serving tea.
It was only then that Li Helan asked cutely, “Royal brother, what business might you have with Lan’er?”
“How is the prince consort treating you?”
Thinking of Ji Zeyu’s handsome looks and how he’d turned to leave without another word at the Lus, Li Helan first turned bright crimson, then pale as a sheet.
She deeply regretted accepting née Lu’s proposal. It had been a foolish move to have the two men she liked bump into her dallying with someone else.
“The prince consort is very good to Lan’er,” responded a bashful princess. She snuck a glance at her brother and asked gently, “Royal brother, Lan’er has a presumptuous request and would like to beg you to permit it.”
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