Chapter 40: They All Belong to Our Rongyang

Qin Bi's intuition was correct; as soon as the rain started falling here, Qin He at the Prince Xue Mansion found out.

Apologies, but the Prince Xue Mansion was far away, and not a single drop of rain fell there.

Nevertheless, Qin He was overjoyed. In front of everyone, she held the little girl and said, "My Fubao is truly remarkable. On this auspicious day, heaven has sent down sweet rain; your maternal family is basking in her glory."

Qin He was sincere, feeling a sense of shared pride.

"The Little County Princess is truly blessed," Qin Yan flattered.

"Should we report this to the Emperor?" Qin Jue looked toward He Yan.

He Yan thought for a moment, nodded, and headed into the palace to claim credit for Qin He's child.

Unfortunately, seeing that the child was asleep, Qin Bi grabbed a handful of soil from the ground, carried the child upstairs, and flung the clump of hardened earth outward. Whether the spirits responded or not, she didn't care; she wasn't going to let the rain stop. She wouldn't take the loss of not getting rain, so she decided to try throwing some dirt.

Qin Bi wasn't even particularly skilled in magic. After throwing the soil, she placed the child on the bed and pulled a sun-warmed quilt over the little one. The child stirred slightly; Qin Bi stayed by her side for a while before going to wash her hands.

Walking to the window and looking up at the sky, not a single drop of rain remained.

Lady Jiang walked upstairs with light steps. Knowing the child was asleep, she spoke to Qin Bi in a low voice, sounding somewhat regretful: "It looked like it was going to rain just now, but it only fell a little and then stopped."

Qin Bi didn't know if it had been a coincidence, so she could only say, "It will rain when it's meant to rain. If it doesn't, it's no big deal; we can just ask someone blessed to summon a rainstorm."

Lady Jiang was speechless and scolded her playfully, "You think summoning rain is as easy as drinking a glass of water?"

Inside the Imperial Palace, Qin He had entered the palace along with the others. He Yan recounted the incident of the rain, asking the Emperor for rewards for the Little County Princess. The Emperor of Great Yan sent men to scout the area near the Marquis Qin Yan Mansion, and soon, the guards returned to the palace.

"There was a light rain," the guard reported. "It didn't really start; the ground didn't even get wet."

Qin He didn't believe it. "The rain was clearly heavy."

The Emperor of Great Yan looked at He Yan. "Minister He, look... as for this reward... perhaps next time!"

What could He Yan say? He simply led Qin He and her mother out of the palace.

Qin Bi waited until Rong Yang woke up. She didn't wait for Qin Han to arrive from the Prince Xue Mansion. According to ancient social hierarchy, since Qin Han had married into a merchant family, Qin Bi, as the Consort of the Heir, felt no need to grant her face by waiting for her arrival.

If one were to speak of deep sisterly affection? There was none.

Just as Qin Bi left, Qin Han's family returned from the Prince Xue Mansion. They were accompanied by a group of the Qin family's juniors, all discussing the rain and regretting that it had stopped after only a little bit.

Otherwise, Qin He's child would certainly have received a reward.

Giving a reward just because the ground got slightly damp—even if the Emperor of Great Yan were willing to do so for He Yan's sake, the court officials would never agree. To avoid bringing trouble to Qin He, the reward was forfeited.

"Sister Qin Han, let's go to the front hall!" Qin Yan called out to Qin Han.

Qin Han held her child's hand, with her husband following behind. Qin Han smiled and said, "No, I'll go see Mother first. I heard Sister Qin Bi has arrived, so I'll go check on her."

Qin Han gave a meaningful look, and Qin Yan understood, curling her lip.

It was nothing more than a divorce from Heir He; Heir Rong had simply accepted a woman from the fourth branch as his primary wife. They were all just coveting Qin He's good fortune; what was so great about becoming a Consort of the Heir?

Qin Han felt she had some standing at her natal home and went to the fourth branch with a smile, only to find that Qin Bi had already left.

Qin Han expressed slight dissatisfaction: "I rushed back, why didn't she wait a moment?"

"Her child is still small," Lady He said. "Is she worth waiting for?"

There was a gap in their status and their relationship was merely average; if she didn't wait, she didn't wait. There was no need for Qin Han to pick a fight.

Qin Han was momentarily silenced. She mentioned it to her sisters-in-law, but they didn't take her side. Consequently, Qin Han had to go to the front hall, where she pulled Qin Yan and the others aside to gossip about how Qin Bi hadn't waited for her.

As expected, Qin Yan and the others sided with her.

The autumn weather was pleasant—neither cold nor hot, only warm for a bit during midday. Qin Bi returned to her natal home once, and thereafter, she would take Rong Yang to play whenever she had free time. If Rong Jun took the little one to court, Qin Bi would go to her natal home by herself.

The attitude of her sisters at home was mediocre; Qin Bi saw this clearly but merely smiled, unbothered.

Before winter arrived, Rong Yang began to speak. The little one spoke clearly and with a milky voice, which made Qin Bi absolutely adore her. Whenever Rong Jun had time, he would take spirit stones to teach the little one how to cultivate.

Qin Bi truly didn't understand how this world of cultivation worked. Children from ordinary families wouldn't speak at six months, yet Rong Yang was already able to crawl around unsteadily.

Thus, it wasn't strange that Qin He's child, Fubao, looked like a five or six-year-old after only six months.

Perhaps it was because cultivators had no time to raise children, so they used massive amounts of heavenly treasures and earthly delights to pile up their growth, causing children to walk and talk early, only for their growth to slow down later.

Qin He's child might truly be a "Fubao" (Lucky Treasure). She was pampered by both the Prince Xue Mansion and the Duke Yan Mansion, and He Yan had even secured a title for her from the Emperor, making her the youngest First-Rank Little County Princess in Great Yan.

Since Heir He of the Duke Yan Mansion had no children, all the benefits were given to Qin He's child.

Then there was the Marquis Qin Yan Mansion; the entire household doted on Qin He and her daughter, doubling the affection shown to the little girl.

Qin Bi played with Rong Yang at home. The little one was sprawled on the table, holding a brush and seriously reading and learning characters. Qin Bi was utterly speechless; she had no love for studying, so the child must have taken after Rong Jun.

When Rong Jun returned from the palace, he picked up Rong Yang, held the child's hand, and taught her stroke by stroke.

Previously, the child had only been doodling for fun. Under Rong Jun's teaching, the child nestled seriously in her father's arms. Qin Bi watched, speechless; she thought such a small child should just play—it was much more fun to just look at her being cute and milky.

A guard entered: "Heir, Heir He has sent one hundred acres of fertile land as a gift for Qin He's child."

Rong Jun's eyes narrowed slightly. As the guard withdrew, Qin Bi looked at Rong Jun's expression: "If he wants to give it, let him give it!"

Rong Jun was tall and imposing; sitting in his chair, he exuded a commanding aura. "That all belongs to our Rong Yang."

Qin Bi's heart skipped a beat as she stared at Rong Jun.

Once Rong Yang had run off to play, Qin Bi asked Rong Jun, "Whose child is it?"

Rong Jun glanced at her. "Mine."

Qin Bi stopped asking. She suspected that Rong Jun might be a reincarnated soul. Ordinarily, a man so decisive and ruthless wouldn't raise someone else's child. Furthermore, Rong Jun's love for the child was genuine, without a hint of pretense.

When Rong Jun married her, there wasn't much "love" involved; he married her, so it was done.

But having a child changed everything. Rong Jun treated her like a precious treasure. Qin Bi had seen his cautiousness at the time, and she could feel that in Rong Jun's eyes, there was only her and Rong Yang.

Rong Jun stepped out, picked up Rong Yang, and took her in a carriage out of the city to the manor to inspect their fertile lands.

Upon returning from the inspection, the child wobbled into Qin Bi's arms: "Mother, our family has so much land, Rong Yang's!"

"Are you that happy?" Qin Bi smiled tenderly.

Rong Yang giggled, and Qin Bi played with her.

It did not rain during the autumn. The Emperor of Great Yan gave a great deal of wealth to the immortal sects to summon a heavy rain, after which the crops were planted.

(End of Chapter)