Chapter 47: What is given to Qin He's child belongs to Qin He

The little prince was indeed envious: "Your father truly dotes on you."

Rong Yang, a tiny little ball, munched on a sunflower seed: "He does."

The little prince felt his purse, took out a seed, and gave it to Rong Yang: "Here you go."

"A seed!" Rong Yang tucked it away. "My mother should like this."

Rong Jun glanced over; seeing that the children were playing well, he returned to continue reviewing memorials for the Emperor of Great Yan. The Emperor sipped his tea while a young eunuch brought a small plate of refreshments to the little prince and Rong Yang.

By the afternoon, the snow and rain had stopped—it had been a false alarm, leaving everyone feeling a bit foolish for their earlier excitement.

"Sigh!" The Emperor of Great Yan sighed. "The weather is poor. Hurry and take the child home."

"Rong Yang," Rong Jun stood up and called for the child.

"Coming!" The little ball wobbled back.

Rong Jun reported on the memorials to the Emperor and then took Rong Yang out of the palace.

Upon returning home, Rong Yang threw herself into Qin Bi's arms, unable to wait to chatter.

"Mother, Imperial Uncle gave that Fubao another two hundred acres of fertile land again." The child mimicked an adult in a milky voice: "I only got fifty acres, and they were only second-class fertile land."

Qin Bi froze, then shook her head with an amused smile, though she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

Could it be that a "favored child" truly existed in this world?!

Logically, the Emperor of Great Yan was not close to Qin He in the palace, yet for various reasons, he bestowed gifts upon Qin He and her daughter, let alone Fubao.

What was given to Qin He's child was effectively given to Qin He.

These gifts carried a certain amount of luck/destiny, and since they were given to Qin He and her daughter, Qin Bi couldn't say whether it was good or bad. Normally, it had nothing to do with her, and she wouldn't have cared, but who knew if the things in the Duke of Yan's manor held Rong Yang's destiny?

Qin Bi fell into thought. If it came to it, she would keep Rong Yang far away from the Duke of Yan's manor.

After the child finished her rambling, she followed Rong Jun to Prince Rong's courtyard.

After wandering around for a bit, he brought back several delicacies.

The next day, the weather turned cold, and a layer of ice formed on the ground. Qin He watched the sky repeatedly from inside the house, feeling an indescribable irritation. She desperately wanted to go find He Yan to ask him about it, but felt it would be inappropriate.

Xue Qing played with Fubao for a while. Seeing that Qin He was distracted, he asked, "What is wrong? You seem preoccupied."

Qin He gave a gentle smile, holding a handkerchief as she walked over to Xue Qing. "I want to visit my maiden home. The weather looks very cold; I'm worried Fubao might catch a chill."

Xue Qing rubbed his hands. "It is indeed very cold."

Qin He immediately instructed, "Put in more pearwood charcoal."

As the maids busied themselves, Qin He gazed out from the corridor, but ultimately, she did not take her child to the Marquis Qin Yan Manor.

By the time she arrived at the Marquis Qin Yan Manor, Qin He's eyes were red with anger and a sense of grievance. She hurried toward the courtyard of the second branch, where her legal mother, Lady Cui, had just returned from paying respects at the Old Madam's courtyard.

"What is the matter?" Lady Cui asked as she sat down.

"Mother..." Qin He glanced at the maids and elderly servants, hesitating to speak.

Lady Cui glanced at them, and the servants withdrew, leaving only two to attend. The first-class maids and elderly servants were quite perceptive, lowering their eyes as Qin He's younger half-sister entered from outside.

"Sister, you're back," the half-sister said warmly.

Qin He nodded. "Mhm."

"What's wrong?" The half-sister noticed Qin He's poor expression.

"Speak," Lady Cui took a sip of tea and added, "Returning in such a hurry in this weather, is there something happening?"

Only then did Qin He recount the matter of Qin Bi's child visiting the Duke of Yan's manor. When she had heard of it, her heart had felt bitter, angry, and hateful. How could Qin Bi's child go to see He Yan?

He Yan was destined to be a man who brought misfortune to his wives and had no children; if he were to dote on anyone, it could only be her child.

"What is wrong with the Heir of Rong visiting the Duke of Yan's manor?" The half-sister did not understand why Qin He was angry and frowned. "The Heir of Rong and the Heir of He have always been on good terms. It was only after the Heir of Rong married the concubine's daughter from the fourth branch that the two heirs stopped associating much."

Lady Cui was merely surprised but dismissed it: "What of it? It is quite common for children to visit one another."

"Mother," Qin He was full of rage, her heart feeling as if it were on fire. She said, "You know that I was originally meant to be betrothed to the Heir of He. Because he is destined to bring misfortune to his wives and have no children, he had no choice but to marry Qin Bi. It was clearly agreed that they would divorce immediately after the wedding. How could Qin Bi actually become the Heir of He's wife?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Lady Cui immediately understood Qin He's meaning.

No wonder Qin He was angry; it turned out she was calculating over Qin Bi and He Yan's marriage.

The half-sister blinked, not understanding.

Lady Cui told her, "Get out."

The half-sister did not want to leave, but after Lady Cui glared at her, she stomped her feet and exited.

"Qin He!" Lady Cui was furious.

Qin He shuddered, clearly intimidated by Lady Cui's harsh tone.

"You... you really are..." Lady Cui pointed at Qin He, abandoning her tea in anger. She stood up, walked a few steps, then turned back to scold, "If you dare go to the fourth branch to question them with these words, believe me, even if the Heir of Xue and the Heir of He protect you, your fourth uncle will still give you a few slaps across the face."

"He would dare?" Qin He's face hardened.

"What? Have you become so used to smooth sailing all these years that you no longer respect your elders?" Lady Cui gave Qin He a stern look.

"Why?" Qin He did not dare to be insolent in front of her legal mother.

"Why?" Lady Cui let out a cold laugh. "In the Great Yan Kingdom, why do you think a woman is betrothed through the formal three-mediators and nine-gifts process? With the Heir of He's family status, do you think he would marry Qin Bi just to have her as a decoration? To go through the motions of marriage and then divorce her to make room for you, while the Heir of He remains chaste for you? You dream far too beautifully. He Yan is destined to bring misfortune to his wives; only after Qin Bi is betrothed as his wife and his 'misfortune' is spent can you enter the door."

The more Lady Cui spoke, the angrier she became. She sat down to take a sip of tea, looking at Qin He with complex emotions. "You have taken all the advantages, yet you still harbor the delusion that the Heir of He's marriage to Qin Bi is just a formality. How dare you dream so grandly?"

Qin He felt a bit guilty under Lady Cui's scolding, but she still said angrily, "If I had known He Yan was truly marrying Qin Bi, I would never have agreed to be a co-wife. I only want one person for a lifetime."

Lady Cui suddenly stopped being angry. "Qin Bi is merely a concubine's daughter; she lacks your ability. She made a fuss about breaking the engagement, but it didn't happen. Why didn't you jump out back then to break the engagement for her? If you had, you and He Yan would have had only each other."

Qin He was speechless, unable to respond. She could not decide the matters of the Heir of He.

And besides, He Yan brought misfortune to his wives.

Lady Cui snorted; that was the end of it, as Qin Bi couldn't make the decisions either.

"Furthermore," Lady Cui began to lecture Qin He, picking up her teacup and using the lid to brush away the tea leaves, her voice cold, "In what capacity are you calculating these things now? As the Consort of the Heir of Xue? Or as the Heir of He's 'white moonlight'?"

In ancient times, given Qin He's status, she had no right to question such matters.

Lady Cui came from a prestigious family and valued rules. If this concubine's daughter were not capable, she would be unacceptable.

Qin He was already married to the Heir of Xue and had even given birth to Fubao, yet she still pined for He Yan.

How the Heir of He lived was none of your business!

(End of Chapter)