Chapter 107 A Deep Bond Between Husband and Wife: Is There a Secret...?
"Auntie? You arrived early?!"
Qin Qinian finally saw Qin Hongying in the house. After his initial surprise, he quickly composed himself and greeted Qin Hongying.
Shi Rongyue also curtsied to him, "Third cousin."
Qin Qinian smiled, completely unaware of the strange expression on his aunt's face, "Rongrong has grown taller than last year."
Shi Rongyue's eyes curved into crescent moons. "Third cousin, you too."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at the unfamiliar young man out of the corner of her eye. After the initial greeting, he remained silent, standing quietly beside the beautiful lady.
Seemingly noticing her gaze, he looked up at her. In that instant, Shi Rongyue felt as if she had fallen into a cold pool, the dark water enveloping and submerging her from all sides.
But only for a moment, he looked away, the pool receded and dried up, and everything returned to normal.
Shi Rongyue stood there, stunned.
Because of her loving parents and her mother's powerful family background, she lived a much more comfortable life in the Shi family than most young ladies. In her early years, her father would sometimes take her with him when he received guests. She had met many people, but none of them were as...calm as him.
Yes, it's peace.
It was cold and lifeless, like a block of ice, devoid of any obvious emotion. But even as a block of ice, it was the most beautiful piece.
I peeked at it again out of curiosity.
This time, the other party did not look back.
Over there, Qin Shaozong had already introduced Qin Yanzhou to Qin Hongying, only saying that he was Dai Li's son, had now become Nalan Zhi's apprentice, and that he held a position in the army.
Qin Hongying's gaze grew increasingly strange.
Just then, Nianxia returned, saying that the meal was ready.
Qin Hongying suppressed her doubts for the time being and simply said, "It's been a year since we last met, and my second brother is much kinder than before."
To call it kindness is an understatement; it's far too generous. If it were merely about collecting medicinal herbs, that would be one thing—such rare items can be measured in silver.
But Nalan Zhi?
How could a renowned scholar like him easily become a disciple? Not to mention that he had never accepted any disciples before.
In the Northern Army, every position, regardless of rank, is a valuable asset. With proper support, one can rise rapidly through the ranks.
This is incomparable to medicinal herbs that can be bought with money.
Qin Shaozong understood her implied meaning, but asked in return, "Oh? What was I like before? Tell me."
Qin Hongying: "..."
"I'm a little hungry, I'll go have a meal with Rongrong first." Qin Hongying changed the subject and prepared to leave with her daughter.
“Hongying, there’s one more thing,” Qin Shaozong said.
Qin Hongying stopped in her tracks, feeling quite surprised.
Given Dai Li's keen interest in medicinal herbs, she assumed that her second brother's message to her was only about collecting herbs.
It's not?
Qin Hongying: "Is there anything else?"
Qin Shaozong didn't care whether the younger generation was present or not. "A few days ago, Qin San's aunt was worried about him and came to visit. After she came last time, she casually made an appointment for the next time. If she comes again in a few days, you and your wife can receive her together."
Dai Li was surprised that her younger sister had come and that she would have to do all the chores, so she immediately looked at Qin Shaozong. But the latter was looking at Qin Hongying.
She and Qin Shaozong stood close, less than an arm's length apart, their hems barely touching. When no one could see, Qin Shaozong raised his hand and gently patted Dai Li's lower back.
For some reason, Dai Li inexplicably knew that he had told her not to speak.
I just got the Polygonum multiflorum and musk through him.
Fine, I won't say it then.
The brother and sister looked at each other with their similar long eyes. Qin Hongying raised her eyebrows slightly, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts.
It's understandable that Qinian's aunt was visiting, and she went to entertain her, since there was no mistress of the household, and she was a daughter of the Qin family and the younger sister of her second brother. But bringing Daili along...
Thinking about all the exceptions, Qin Hongying had a vague, absurd suspicion, but she readily agreed, "Okay, no problem."
After the two of them, there were five people left in the room.
Dai Li examined the two brocade boxes again and again. "Zhouzhou, we've found He Shou Wu and musk. The remaining medicinal materials are not as precious as these two. When Master Ding comes to give you acupuncture tomorrow, you can tell him this good news."
Ever since she learned that removing the Gu worms would require a whole string of medicines, Dai Li has never truly felt at ease.
She didn't deny that Qin Shaozong was powerful and influential, but some things couldn't be solved by power alone. Like time...
Qin Yanzhou was stunned, and he subconsciously looked at Qin Shaozong.
He recalled the day he stood by the main door and overheard the conversation between the two people inside.
The man said he wanted his mother to believe him.
believe?
These two seemingly light words are easy to say, but incredibly difficult to put into practice.
Qin Shaozong met his complex gaze and said calmly, "I have never broken my promise to your mother."
Then Qin Shaozong glanced at the three younger ones and asked, "Do you have something else important to say?"
The word "want" carries a hint of pushing someone away.
Qin Yunce did not come; he had heard that his aunt had brought his cousin to the main courtyard, so he came to pay his respects.
He didn't, but Qin Qinian excitedly said, "Yes, yes, yes, there's something important!"
Dai Li looked at the jubilant boy, then at her own son, remembering that the two had arrived together. Could this be...?
Qin Qinian said, as if seeking credit, "Father, Qin Yanzhou has found several strongholds of the Qinglian Sect in the county. He's amazing. He can just walk into a shop, say a few words to the shopkeeper, and sniff out clues like a hunting dog finding its prey."
Dai Li: "..." Thank you so much.
"Qinian, how can you speak like that?" Qin Yuance tried to salvage the situation. "That's not how you praise someone. If Mr. Mi finds out you can't even speak properly, he'll make you copy books again."
Qin Qinian immediately shrank back, "Brother, the point isn't that I don't know how to praise people, it's that he found the Qinglian Sect's stronghold!"
Because his father had an extreme aversion to religious sects, the Qinglian Sect had a weak presence in the North. However, this did not mean that Qin Qinian knew nothing about it. The Qinglian Sect was integrated into the lower and middle classes, and its whereabouts were extremely secretive, harder to find than ants.
However, upon hearing this, Qin Qinian belatedly realized, "Qin Yanzhou, how do you know so much about the Green Lotus Sect? Could it be that you...?"
"Pray for a good harvest." Qin Yuance, sensing the unfavorable situation, interrupted him. "Let's get back to business. Father, now that we know the Qinglian Sect's stronghold, why don't we send troops to arrest them?"
Qin Shaozong twirled the ring on his thumb, ignoring Qin Yunce's suggestion, and instead looked at Qin Qinian and Qin Yanzhou, "What do you two think?"
Qin Qinian replied without hesitation, "Of course, we should arrest them."
"Let's hold our positions for now. They dared to send a message to Mother, so they must be confident that she will come begging to them. We might as well go with the flow and fall into their trap, then play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," Qin Yanzhou said in a deep voice.
Dai Li stared at her son in astonishment.
To deliver a message?
After arriving in Yuyang, the Qinglian Sect only sent her one message. It was the silk cloth that Nianxia had presented earlier.
Only she and Qin Changgeng knew about that matter, how could Zhouzhou know...?
Qin Shaozong raised his long eyebrows slightly, the broken tail of his left eyebrow resembling a small section of a drawn sword. Under the gaze of the others, he said something completely unrelated: "So you're not bad at talking, kid. You can say so much at once. Why are you usually like a silent gourd, you can't get a word out of me even if you hit me three times."
Qin Yunce: "..."
Qin Yanzhou pursed his lips.
Dai Li was still standing very close to Qin Shaozong. Just now, he raised his hand and patted her lower back, but no one noticed.
Now, Dai Li also raised her hand from behind, touched a little bit of the belt at his lower back, and tugged at him through his clothes.
Qin Shaozong: "..."
Qin Shaozong coughed lightly: "Going with the flow is excellent. Your aunt has been obsessed with collecting medicinal herbs for many years, and ordinary people are not allowed into her treasure trove. I imagine the Qinglian Sect doesn't know how much she has. Now that she's come to Yuyang, the other side must already know her itinerary. Tomorrow I'll have people stop searching for He Shou Wu and only continue searching for musk. That way they'll think we've only obtained enough He Shou Wu."
The young man said "your aunt" to Qin Yanzhou, then lowered his eyes and said nothing more.
Qin Shaozong: "While your cousin is staying at the manor, you can take her around to see the sights."
The Qin brothers responded.
To stop the search for He Shou Wu, it was necessary not only to send a message to Jin Duole, but also to Qiao Wangfei, who was far away in the south.
Qin Shaozong went to his study, and after writing two letters, he put down his wolf-hair brush and picked up the tiger-shaped pen rest on his desk.
Dark, long fingers stroked the pen rest, caressing the tiger-shaped back with its yellow and black stripes. Perhaps because it had been frequently handled by its owner, the pen rest was now shinier than it had been originally.
Qin Shaozong looked at the small pen rest and suddenly clicked his tongue, "You are as precious as can be."
After being with her for so long, she gave him a small, worn-out pen pillow.
That's all.
"I'll get rid of this stingy nature of yours sooner or later." Qin Shaozong closed his large hand and called Hu Bao in from outside.
"My lord, what are your orders?"
Qin Shaozong handed over the two letters he had written earlier, saying, "Have someone send them by fast horse to Jin Duole and Qiao Wangfei respectively."
Hu Bao took the letter but did not turn around immediately, waiting for further instructions from his superiors.
Qin Shaozong: "Have Wei Qing come to the study. Go and do it."
"only."
*
"Wei Qing, the Marquis wants you to go to his study." Hu Bao found the man in another courtyard.
When he found the person, Wei Qing wasn't the only one in the courtyard; Feng Feng and others were also there, chatting together.
The man whose name was called was slightly taken aback. Before he could speak, Mo Yanyun asked, "Has Your Excellency said what it is?"
Hu Bao: "Never."
Not only Wei Qing, but everyone else was also filled with doubt.
"Old Wei, has your brother been bullying men and women again?" Feng Feng stroked his chin.
Among the four battalion commanders of the Xuanxiao Cavalry, Wei Qing was actually slightly more distant from his superiors compared to Bai Jianping, Feng Feng, and Qiao Wangfei.
The reason is simple: he comes from a prominent family, and is the best-born among the four village chiefs.
He was already a garrison commander; if he were to also become a trusted confidant of Marquis Wu'an in the eyes of others, the Wei family would likely become arrogant.
Even though those things had nothing to do with Wei Qing, and were not what he wanted, he couldn't stop some people from using his name to make a big deal out of it.
Wei Qing frowned upon hearing this. "After he committed the crime last time, I went back and broke his leg. He clearly promised me that he would turn over a new leaf and start anew."
"Does he not learn his lesson after recovering from his injury?"
"I'll go over there first," Wei Qing said.
On the way to the study, Wei Qing thought and thought, but he still couldn't figure it out by the time he arrived.
The study door was wide open, and he went straight in. After greeting Qin Shaozong, who was sitting behind the desk, he asked, "My lord, what brings you here?"
Qin Shaozong: "Go and close the door."
Wei Qing went back and closed the door.
Once the door closed, only the two of them were inside.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The man behind the table didn't speak immediately.
Wei Qing was already a little nervous, and now seeing his superior staring at him in silence, he broke out in a cold sweat.
What could be so urgent that the usually decisive and ruthless lord hesitated? Could it be that those scoundrels of the Wei family have really messed things up this time, and are now going to implicate him, the unfortunate village head?
Wei Qing was on edge, his fingers clenching incessantly. Given the past misdeeds of the Wei family, he was overwhelmed and simply knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
"Please, my lord, consider that I have worked hard over the years, even if I have not made any great contributions, and do not implicate innocent bystanders."
"What I ask you later, once you step out of this room, you must not mention it to any outsiders."
Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.
Wei Qing was stunned for a moment, then jumped up, wishing he could take back what he had just said.
This doesn't sound like something out of a mess with the Wei family!
Qin Shaozong didn't hold his subordinate's recklessness against him. "I remember your marriage to Lingzheng was quite tumultuous. She was unwilling to marry you, but later you two became a harmonious and loving couple. Jingsong, is there any secret to how things turned out?"
Author's note: Wei Qing, courtesy name "Jingsong".
Aunt Flo has arrived, and the lights have died! Please bear with the quality of this picture. [crying emoji]
Please, please provide nutrient solution. [Hands clasped in prayer]
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