Qin Jijiu was furious and wouldn't admit defeat: "This is the man she went to great lengths to marry. Having lived this long, I really can't understand what you mother and daughter were after. Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!"

Madam Cui also got angry and said, "Isn't your daughter planning for your son-in-law's future? If Ziqi can pass the imperial examination, it would be good if he could help your younger son who can't study."

Caught in the crossfire, Qin Heng glared at his second sister with displeasure and found a corner to sit down.

Qin Wan sobbed, "This has nothing to do with Ziqi. I just saw that my cousin Siyuan and Master Gu have both had great luck and caught the Emperor's eye, so I was itching to know who was behind it. It's only natural for me to want to know. Why are you so angry, Father?"

Qin Jijiu glared angrily and said, "I'm not saying this to be mean, but people shouldn't be too greedy and want everything. Who is Lin Ziqi? He's incredibly lucky to be able to marry my eldest daughter, and he's even envious of Siyuan! Siyuan is a member of the Qin family. And who is Sixth Master Gu? He's Marquis Gu's only living brother!"

Qin Heng frowned and remained silent.

Qin Wan cried, "Father, just pretend I didn't say anything, please don't say it anymore. I just thought that giving guidance to one person is the same as giving guidance to two people, so how much trouble would it cause if there was one more Ziqi? Even if he did it for the sake of the Marquis's family, we are still relatives of the Marquis's family, aren't we?"

Qin Jijiu was both amused and annoyed, but he couldn't explain the reason. He looked at his second daughter, hesitated several times, and finally said, "You should give up on this idea. If you're going to waste your time thinking about these things, you might as well have Lin Ziqi write a few good poems. I can even swallow my pride and ask your sister for help. Don't think about anything else. Siyuan isn't that stingy. If I can introduce him to Ziqi, he will definitely not refuse."

Who's behind this?

Sigh!

If I told you, I'd scare you two to death.

His eldest daughter is right behind him!

The eldest daughter can help Master Gu and Qin Siyuan, but she will never help Lin Ziqi.

Upon receiving Lin Ziqi's letter from Qin Yuan, Qin Jijiu was so angry she wanted to tear the boy apart, but she held back until now, partly to save face for Lin Ziqi and partly for the sake of the sisterly bond between Qin Wan and Qin Yuan.

Seeing that her father was unmoved by reason, Qin Wan felt a surge of anger and her vision went black, causing her to fall to the ground. Qin Heng, who had been silent all along, rushed over and caught her.

"Wan'er, Wan'er..."

Cui cried in distress and scolded Qin Jijiu: "Can't you talk things out properly? Look how upset you've made your daughter."

Qin Jijiu was also a little flustered and hurriedly sent someone to fetch a doctor.

After taking her pulse, the doctor smiled broadly and said, "Congratulations! Your daughter is pregnant. Your Excellency is going to be a grandfather."

Only then did Madam Cui feel relieved, but then another thought arose: "Is this pregnancy still stable?"

"It's alright, it's just that your daughter has some liver qi stagnation. In the future, she should try to avoid getting angry and worrying too much."

After seeing the doctor off, Madam Cui asked Qin Jijiu, "Who exactly is that person? Why can't we introduce our son-in-law Lin to him? Can't you talk to your daughter properly? No matter how bad Lin Ziqi is, he's still our son-in-law, and Wan'er is still our daughter."

Qin Jijiu was starting to regret his words, so he said, "Alright, tell her properly. When your daughter wakes up, tell her that this person is Young Master Nantang, a good friend of Master Songshan. Master Songshan is currently being treated as a distinguished guest by Lord Gu, and even though Sixth Master Gu wants to become his apprentice, Master Songshan is unwilling. He only agrees to give some pointers because of Young Master Nantang. As for this Young Master Nantang, he's extremely elusive. If I could, would I refuse? Would he even consider your precious son-in-law?"

Cui sighed.

Qin Heng, who was sitting to the side, sat up straight. Just as he was about to say something, Qin Jijiu stared at him and said, "Heng-ge'er, come here and come with your father to the study."

Qin Heng had no choice but to obediently follow his father.

Qin Wan woke up an hour later and saw Cui sitting by the bed in a daze.

"mother."

Madam Cui turned her head and saw that she was awake. She laughed and cried at the same time: "Good child, you didn't even know you were pregnant. Don't get angry so easily in the future, okay?"

Qin Wan was taken aback: "...I, I, I'm pregnant?"

Madam Cui nodded: "You must take good care of yourself. The doctor said that you have liver qi stagnation, so try not to get angry in the future and be careful to protect the child."

Qin Wan was in a daze.

In her past life, she had no children; in this life, she has her own child.

"...Mother...your daughter is pregnant...Mother is going to be a grandmother..."

Qin Wan suddenly burst into tears, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

Madam Cui quickly pulled her into her arms and patted her gently, comforting her, "Yes, yes, our Wan'er is going to be a mother, and I'm going to be a grandmother."

The mother and daughter talked for a long time.

Madam Cui gave several instructions on things to be careful about, and finally said, "While you were asleep just now, I asked Yan Hong about what had happened to you these past few days. If you are worried about that Madam Yu, once the child is settled, help Yan Hong become a concubine, and you will have more helpers."

"mother!"

Qin Wan's expression darkened.

Madam Cui sighed, "I told you long ago that Lin's mother was difficult to get along with, and that Lin's son-in-law's cousin was not right. You didn't believe me, but now you should, right? I've been through this before, would I harm you? Yan Hong's indenture is in your hands, so naturally she'll side with you. You're pregnant, and your son-in-law needs someone to serve him. If you don't make arrangements for Yan Hong, wouldn't you be giving that Madam Yu an opportunity?"

Qin Wan shook her head and said, "My mother-in-law calls Ziqi out whenever she sees him with me, afraid that it will interfere with Ziqi's imperial examination. Besides, Ziqi's headache is not getting better, and my mother-in-law is watching him very closely. If I worry about this, I don't know what she will say about me."

Seeing that she was reluctant, Cui knew that she was unwilling. If she continued to persuade her, she was afraid that she would get angry again, so she sighed and gave up.

Qin Wan asked, "Where are Father and my younger brother?"

Madam Cui said, "Your father saw that you had fainted and that I had said a few words to him. He was too ashamed to face you, so he took your younger brother to the study. He left you a message, telling you not to waste your efforts."

After listening, Qin Wan lowered her eyes and pondered for a long time before asking, "Mother, what do you think of my eldest sister's scholarship? What about her poetic talent?"

"Your older sister?"

Madam Cui frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "When you two were young, the teacher praised her a few times, but you got upset. It's probably because Aunt Chen taught her something, and she hasn't been as outstanding since. However, your cousin mentioned her at a family banquet once, saying that she was quite learned. What kind of learning can a girl have? Your father also praised her in front of the Marquis, elevating her status. Why did you suddenly ask about this?"

"It's nothing," Qin Wan chuckled inwardly at her own suspicion. She and Qin Yuan studied together with the teacher; if Qin Yuan was so knowledgeable, how could she not know?

This mysterious young master from Nantang could not possibly be Qin Yuan.