Chapter 81 Returning to Beijing after Failure
"Why is that?"
Madam Qin and Mrs. Liu asked at the same time. They thought of the Seventh Prince almost at the same time. Mrs. Liu said tentatively, "But Nuannuan hasn't let go of the person in her heart yet?" Qin Xiangnuan was extremely helpless. She lifted up her skirt and sat on the ground, rubbing her temples with a headache, thinking about how to express her inner thoughts in words that the woman at this time could understand. After thinking about it, Qin Xiangnuan decided to be honest.
She raised her sparkling eyes and said firmly, "My daughter has no one else in her heart. She only feels that life is short, and everything depends on herself. If I cling to a man like duckweed, wouldn't I be miserable if his mind changes? When time and space are happy, the sweetness of the past will be completely worn away by resentment, just like Third Uncle and Third Aunt, who eventually become a pair of resentful lovers."
"Father and Mother created a favorable environment for me. I've been exposed to many things in the outside world since I was a child. These hands can heal the sick, ride horses, and shoot arrows. Even if they asked me to fight in battle, I wouldn't blink an eye in fear. Countless possibilities await me in the future. The sky is high and the sea is vast, the scenery is beautiful. I have all kinds of freedom. Even if they are high and mighty, what does it matter? Can they buy my happiness?"
Qin Xiangnuan spoke each word in a sonorous voice, and both Old Lady Qin and Lady Liu were stunned.
In their minds, women were supposed to take care of their husbands and children, and were born to spend their lives in the backyard. Old Madam Qin, nearing death, heard Qin Xiangnuan's words, and her eyes welled up. She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and said, "If I had had Nuannuan's insight back then, I wouldn't be like this now. It's just that, although Nuannuan is young, she sees things more clearly than we do."
"If you don't like it, the General's Mansion can still support you for the rest of your life. Just let them do whatever they want with their small favors."
Old Madam Qin made the final decision. Qin Xiangnuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and raised her eyebrows. She held Liu with one hand and Old Madam Qin with the other, rubbing her head back and forth on their shoulders, saying like a coquettish kitten, "That's right! I will always stay by your side until you get tired of me." Seeing that she was acting coquettishly, Qin Feng also felt a little eager, and ran over with Beibei. The two of them twisted their bodies and squeezed next to Qin Xiangnuan.
"Grandma, aunt, please love me too."
Qin Feng pinched his throat and pretended to be shy, imitating Qin Xiangnuan's behavior. This made Old Madam Qin particularly disgusted, and she wanted to pick up her cane and hit him twice. Qin Feng was so scared that he stood up with his head in his hands. Seeing Qin Xiangning sitting obediently in Liu's arms, eating the candy cake Liu had given her, he shook his head in disappointment, "Grandma, you are too partial! I am your eldest grandson, and the burden of the Qin family in the future will be on me!"
"My friends used to have the final say at home, but when it comes to me, they live like..."
Qin Feng lowered his head, his voice trailing off. He'd heard that wealthy families valued offspring, with the eldest grandson being the most favored. But the Qin family was the complete opposite, favoring daughters over sons to an extreme. Seeing he was still complaining, Qin Yi slapped him on the back of the head without a word. Qin Feng jumped up in pain, clutching his head and running away. Qin Yi shook his head in disappointment, "This kid is truly hopeless!"
"Second uncle is in serious condition. My cousin has a pure heart that no one else can compare to."
Qin Xiangnuan spoke well of Qin Feng behind his back, and the family lived in harmony.
As the carriage from the Marquis of Xiaoyao's mansion wobbled away from the capital, Gu Mingqi, in the elegant room of the capital's most prestigious teahouse, drank happily, clutching the courtesan singing from the brothel. He looked at the carriage's shadow and said drunkenly, "How foolish! We had to run off to the border, a place where no one lives. What could we possibly accomplish? The barbarians from foreign lands have been causing chaos every winter for decades, even centuries."
"Tell the Emperor to find a few corrupt officials, search their homes, and gather some gold, silver, and valuables. When the foreign envoys arrive in the capital, we can take them back." Gu Mingqi waved his hand nonchalantly, lifted the beauty's chin, and said with disdain and sarcasm in his eyes, "Why do we have to go through so much hardship in the war? Countless of our own people have died. What's the point? They are all stupid guys with no brains."
The courtesan delicately half-exposed her shoulders, picked up the wine glass, and fed it to Gu Mingqi's mouth, "Sir, drink."
"Very good! You are very pretty. Come back with me tonight. If you can give birth to a son for me, I will let you come in as my concubine. How about that?" Gu Mingqi acted condescendingly, coaxing the beauty in his arms. The guard beside him secretly glanced at him, his heart calm and without a ripple.
The Seventh Prince deceived countless girls with such lies, but only a few of them were finally married.
Now, everyone in the mansion was a daughter of a wealthy family, capable of helping Gu Mingqi win over important officials at court and providing him with gold and silver. Those who proved of no use to him were nothing more than playthings in Gu Mingqi's eyes, ready to be dismissed as soon as they woke up, leaving behind a few taels of silver. Despite this style of behavior, no one in the capital dared to criticize Gu Mingqi, as those who tried to complain about him all died unexpectedly.
Everyone knows that in the capital, you can’t mess with the Seventh Prince even if you mess with the King of Hell.
Rumors like these could have reached the Qinzheng Hall of the Imperial Palace, but the Emperor turned a blind eye, as if he had never heard of them. This allowed Gu Mingqi to become even more unscrupulous. The night was short, and Gu Mingqi was about to take the courtesan to the next room for a moment of passion when his staff suddenly ran in with a serious expression, knelt on the ground, and said, "Kong Wu is back."
"Oh? It's done?" Gu Mingqi pushed the courtesan aside with interest, leaning forward slightly and saying, "Call him in!"
Kong Wu, wearing a silver mask, walked in, knelt on the ground, and said in a crisp voice, "Please hold me accountable, Seventh Prince. I am willing to accept the punishment."
"Penalty? What happened?"
Gu Mingqi narrowed his eyes, gripped his wine glass, and asked in a cold voice, "Is Qin Xiangnuan still alive?"
"Yes, they were protected by experts. We fought for a whole day and night, but ten of the warriors we brought with us died. Only my junior brother and I made it back alive." Kong Wu's left arm drooped, as if unable to lift it. Gu Mingqi heard this, frowned, and kicked him hard. Kong Wu fell to the ground, but quickly got up, kneeling with his back straight. "It was our carelessness."
Someone is protecting me? Someone who is even more powerful!
In the past, Gu Mingqi only thought that he was Qin Guang's friend, but he could kill Kong Wu and his men. He must be no ordinary person. Who is he? The one who secretly helped the General's Mansion! This news made Gu Mingqi afraid and apprehensive. He became uneasy, "Get out!"
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