Chapter 59 Dispute.
This is a royal residence. How could someone barge in without cause and act so self-righteously?
The little girl pointed at her nose and cursed her, and all the maids in the courtyard knelt down, not one of them daring to say a word.
Even when Qin Xiaoshan came, he only tried to dissuade them and didn't dare to touch them.
She clearly sees things clearly and understands them perfectly, so what is she waiting for?
She still harbored a sliver of hope, waiting for him to deceive her.
On a sweltering summer afternoon, Qin Lie had already ordered the cicadas outside the window to be cleared away so as not to disturb her rest.
At this moment, the room seemed even more silent and suffocatingly oppressive.
Finally, she broke the silence and said softly, "I want to see Xie Yu."
Qin Lie was stunned, thinking he had misheard. "What did you say?"
“I want to see Xie Yu,” Lingyi repeated. “Didn’t you say that he and Sixteenth Sister are in the capital? I’d like to stay at their house for a few days.”
She had previously been reluctant to see them, partly because Yin Shuang Ao Xue had said that since they came from Zhuozhou, they were still considered criminals and did not associate with others. She feared that her sudden visit might cause them trouble.
It was also because she woke up one morning to find that Xie Yu had become her brother-in-law that she felt betrayed by the two people closest to her. Even when she was alone and filled with fear, she did not want to see them.
But at this moment, she couldn't wait to see them and to be by their side.
Qin Lie's gaze darkened as he carefully examined her face.
Sure enough, he saw her familiar calm expression, just like before she left him.
She is accustomed to acting on her mind; she may appear gentle on the surface, but in reality, she has already decided life and death for others.
Otherwise, how could he have been completely oblivious before she left? At that time, he even arrogantly thought that since she was his woman and so gentle and obedient to him, even if she wasn't completely sincere, she must have at least seven parts affection.
Who would have thought she could hide it so well?
Without mentioning it, without asking, without feeling wronged, without complaining, I will leave once I have the chance.
She would rather risk her life to drug him and abandon Huan'er than stay.
Without hesitation, and without looking back.
Faced with such a ruthless person, he had no choice but to admit defeat.
He lifted the person onto his lap and spoke softly, telling the truth.
"I lied to you before. The person who came today is my daughter."
She didn't say anything, but her body stiffened instantly; he knew she had heard him.
He placed her hand in his palm and held it gently. "Before we married, I had a wife who bore me a son and a daughter. I also had a concubine who also bore me a son. I kept it from you before because you had only recently woken up and I was afraid you would have a hard time accepting it."
Her body grew increasingly stiff, her face turned pale, and she was clearly struggling to cope.
Qin Lie explained, “I’m six years older than you. I got married when I was sixteen, and you were only ten. I’m not trying to excuse myself, but before your father arranged the marriage, I never imagined I would marry a princess. But the princess…” He took her hand and placed it against his chest, “Since our marriage, I’ve only had you. I’ve never been with anyone else. Heaven and earth can bear witness!”
Lingyi couldn't help but raise her eyelashes and glance at him.
Having witnessed the treacherous power struggles within the palace, she possessed an instinctive instinct that allowed her to discern the truth in his words. Qin Lie sensed her wavering, tightened his grip, and pleaded close to her ear, "I know I shouldn't have lied to you, but children are children, and we are us. I promise they will never appear before you again. Let's be like before, okay?"
She lowered her head again, her eyelashes trembling violently, revealing the inner turmoil she was going through.
Qin Lie waited quietly.
But in the end, she insisted, "I want to go to Sixteenth Sister's place."
Qin Lie's eyes turned cold; when he wasn't smiling, he naturally had a disdainful expression.
Even now, he was still suppressing his anger: "You don't believe me? If you want to see it, I can bring you the imperial genealogy. The youngest of those children is ten years old. You should remember that you were still in the palace back then. Those things happened before our marriage and have nothing to do with us now. Why are you so insistent on bringing it up?"
Lingyi said, "I believe you, and I understand everything you said. I just..." She pursed her lips and didn't continue.
Qin Lie finished speaking for her: "You still want to leave, you want to get rid of me, don't you?"
He indulged her in everything else, but when she said she wanted to leave, old and new grudges surged up in his heart, and he laughed angrily: "Liu Lingyi, you really are incorrigible!"
"Over the years, the women offered to me by others could have filled the entire palace! But no matter the circumstances, I've always only had you. And what about you? From the very beginning of our marriage, you never forgot Xie Yu, resorting to any means to get back to his side, even talking to me about 'a chance encounter in the golden autumn breeze and jade dew'! When have I ever held it against you? And then you... and even more..." He almost ground his teeth to powder, but ultimately didn't finish the sentence, instead saying, "Now that you've lost your memory, haven't I been good enough to you? Even if I had children, they were born before you, and I haven't wronged you in any way since. But what about Xie Yu? He pushed you into my life, married your sister, and even took a concubine, yet you still cling to him! Indeed, old habits die hard, I should have seen through you long ago!"
Lingyi was initially shocked and turned pale as she listened, but she became calmer and calmer. After he finished speaking, she looked at his reddened eyes and said softly, "So, all the love between husband and wife is fake. We were originally a pair of estranged lovers."
"The hatred will not end until the person dies, how can you not be a pair of vengeful lovers?!" Qin Lie sneered: "So what if you're a pair of vengeful lovers? You're still by my side now!"
Lingyi calmly said, "Since we are estranged lovers, and you now hold great power, why don't you divorce me and find another good match?"
Qin Lie scoffed, "You don't need to provoke me anymore. I advise you to accept your fate. If you live, you can't go anywhere. —And if you die, only I can collect your corpse!"
He uttered those harsh words, stormed out the door, and regretted it after only a few steps.
He had hated and resented her before, and said so much in the heat of the moment, almost wasting all his previous efforts. He was also worried that she might have lost her mind again, so he hurriedly asked Qin Xiaoshan to summon a doctor to be on standby. But he was still worried. After struggling for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said, "Go and tell her not to be angry. Let her calm down. In a few days, I will have the Sixteenth Princess and Xie Yu come to see her."
He gave many more instructions before turning and going to Qin Yinrong's courtyard.
Qin Yinrong was pampered in the Prince's Mansion since childhood and held a superior position in Jizhou.
Having been close to the Cheng family since childhood, and with the entire Cheng family's wealth and status entirely dependent on Qin Lie, the Cheng family, now without Cheng Hui, went to great lengths to win over Qin Shuo and Qin Yinrong. Later, after arriving in the capital, Qin Lie was often away fighting, so the Cheng family took the opportunity to bring Qin Yinrong into their household to care for her—initially, they planned to bring Qin Shuo, the heir of the Prince of Duan, along as well. However, Qin Shuo's studies were too demanding, so they settled for Qin Yinrong instead. Even so, because the Qin family had become the imperial family and Qin Lie had become the Prince of Duan, such a great fortune made the Cheng family treat Qin Yinrong even more like a little princess.
As a result, she developed an even more spoiled personality over the past three years.
Upon seeing Qin Lie, she immediately began to complain, "Father! Who is that wretched woman living in Luoying Courtyard?! Get her out of here!"
Compared to Qin Shuo and Qin Can, who spent their days in the sparsely populated Prince's mansion, Qin Yinrong had witnessed much of the inner workings of the Cheng family. Although she was already ten years old, she was already quite accustomed to men having multiple wives and concubines. Especially those newly rich men from Jizhou who came to the capital, the concubines sent by former officials and the noble ladies arranged for marriages were countless. Coupled with the Cheng family's deliberate and unintentional indoctrination, she came to believe that Qin Lie would eventually remarry, and that having multiple wives and concubines was commonplace.
She didn't mind Qin Lie having women, but seeing that man today was unacceptable.
The woman was so beautiful, and her overall presence overshadowed even the princess.
Qin Yinrong, who was constantly flattered by the Cheng family, felt superior and looked down on everyone. However, when a mere concubine compared her to dirt beneath her feet, she was immediately filled with jealousy and hatred. How could she tolerate it?!
Qin Lie ignored her and only had his maid recount what she had said and done after returning to the manor.
Qin Yinrong cried out, "Father, what do you mean by this?! Why don't you punish that vile woman, but instead interrogate my maid?!"
Qin Lie glanced at her indifferently.
Qin Yinrong had always been indulged by Qin Lie, and only now did she see the hint of coldness in his eyes. She couldn't help but shiver and dared not utter a sound.
The maids around her were all very clever; they added to and corrected each other's points, recounting the whole story in detail.
The events were almost exactly as Qin Xiaoshan had described, except that Qin Xiaoshan couldn't say those things aloud, and the maids repeated them one by one.
The Cheng family was, after all, a scholarly family, so Qin Yinrong's insults weren't too vulgar. She kept repeating words like "vixen," "bitch," "lowly maid," and "shameless," criticizing the princess for using low-class methods to seduce men, laughing at the princess's wishful thinking, and trying to make the princess back down.
If Qin Xiaoshan hadn't arrived in time, she would have almost ordered someone to drive the princess out of the palace.
Qin Lie was more concerned about the princess's reaction.
A maid said, "She didn't say a word the whole time, but her face grew paler and paler, and she could only stand by holding onto the doorframe..."
Another addition: "It looked like she was about to cry, but she didn't shed a tear..."
She cried, but quickly turned her head away so the princess wouldn't see...
Qin Yinrong secretly observed Qin Lie's expression, and seeing that his expression was growing colder, she begged for mercy before the maid could finish speaking, "Father, I didn't mean it, it's just that apart from Consort Sun, I haven't seen any other women in the house. I'm just afraid... afraid that someone will take Mother's place, I'm so scared, Father!"
She didn't actually remember what her mother looked like, but she knew that as long as she brought up her mother, her father would soften his heart.
Qin Lie looked at her face, which resembled Hui Niang's, and said calmly, "Your mother was an extremely virtuous and kind person, always benevolent and never speaking ill of others. I originally thought that if the Cheng family could raise a daughter like your mother, they should also raise you, their granddaughter, well. But I never expected that you would be so foul-mouthed and narrow-minded. From today onwards, you are not allowed to step out of your room. Tomorrow I will invite a palace maid to come and teach you manners. You may only come out when you have mastered them!"
Ignoring Qin Yinrong's tearful pleas, he went out the door, but unconsciously walked back to the princess's courtyard.
The courtyard gate, which is usually open all day, is now tightly locked.
Qin Xiaoshan, standing awkwardly behind, said, "It was the princess's order. She said the prince has many children and the doors need to be locked to avoid further disturbance..." He paused, his voice growing even softer, "She also said that she doesn't want to see anyone until Princess Xie Yuyu arrives..."
Qin Lie stopped, his face darkening, and turned back to his study in the outer courtyard.
.
Arranging for Xie Yu to meet the princess was no easy task.
Xie Yu was able to return to the capital after presenting the imperial seal. He continued to live in his former residence, but the emperor did not assign him any official position. His status was awkward, and he stayed in the residence all day. Apart from the servants going out to buy things, he did not interact with anyone.
Secondly, there's the question of how to get Xie Yu and the Sixteenth Princess to listen to them. If we can't guarantee they won't talk nonsense, it's better not to see them at all.
Before Qin Lie could make the arrangements, news came from the palace that the Empress had hosted a family banquet.
Qin Lie could not attend other banquets, but he could not offend the Empress.
Although it was called a family banquet, in addition to imperial relatives and nobles, there were also many ministers present.
He beat up an official of the imperial court, earning him a reputation as a brute. In addition, he was impeached by several censors, so his office became deserted.
The Crown Prince, on the other hand, had just welcomed a son yesterday, which provided an extra layer of protection for the Eastern Palace, which had been criticized for its lack of offspring. He was in high spirits, and all the ministers came to congratulate him, making the scene quite lively.
When the Emperor arrived and saw this scene, the smile on his face faded somewhat.
At the eunuch's signal, everyone hurriedly returned to their places, shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and bowed. Only then did he and the Empress sit down in front.
With the crowd no longer blocking his way, Qin Lie raised his teacup to toast the Crown Prince opposite him.
The Crown Prince raised his cup in return, and the Crown Princess sitting beside him also gracefully raised her cup. Qin Lie and she exchanged a glance, both showing polite smiles, and drank together, presenting a harmonious scene of brotherly love and respect within the imperial family.
Beside the Crown Princess, Princess Qin Ying of Anguo looked over with hidden resentment.
She was originally the pampered young lady of the Qin family, arrogant and haughty, and even the Crown Princess had to give her some leeway when she was in Jizhou.
But now that her father had become the emperor, although she was a princess, she had offended Qin Lie. Those colleagues who were once on equal footing with the prince consort, and even his subordinates, had risen through the ranks in recent years thanks to their military achievements. Only the prince consort had been repeatedly excluded from the ranks of generals on expeditions, and had not gained any military merit. She pleaded with her father and mother, and they did give her a civil official position, immediately appointing her as the Vice Minister of Revenue, which she was once proud of.
Unfortunately, the prince consort was a military man and not skilled in the verbal and legal matters of a civil official.
Not to mention being eloquent and worldly-wise, he couldn't even understand the unspoken meaning of his superiors' words.
There were several mishaps during that time, and if she hadn't gone to the palace to plead for mercy, she would have been demoted and punished at the very least.
Even now, although he is still a vice minister, he only does minor official duties and has little real power.
Moreover, the prince consort was not grateful. Seeing his former colleagues' outstanding military achievements, he felt frustrated and depressed about his official position.
In private, he couldn't help but complain that if Qin Ying hadn't secretly harmed the princess that day, just based on his position as Qin Lie's deputy general and his brother-in-law, he would now be at least a third-rank general, holding military power and with unlimited potential. Wouldn't that be much better than being a powerless vice minister?
Qin Ying also felt regret, but she was too proud to admit it.
The once arrogant Miss Qin now follows the Crown Princess almost blindly, attempting to solidify her position, and has ultimately left her mark.
As the banquet progressed, the atmosphere quickly became lively and convivial. With a glance from the Empress, a noble lady came forward to perform.
Flower arranging, tea tasting, playing the zither, composing poems—each has their own unique skills, and their appearances are like spring flowers and autumn moons, each with its own charm.
The Empress smiled and admired the scene, occasionally glancing over. Qin Lie understood everything. He sat for a while longer, then excused himself to change his clothes and left.
Once outside, they encountered Qin Hong, who had also come out to hide.
The Empress's arrangements today were not just for him; Qin Hong was also included.
Upon seeing him, Qin Hong felt as if he had seen a savior and urged, "Third Brother, your good fortune hasn't been settled yet. How can I, as your younger brother, be ahead of you? Third Brother, please go first."
Qin Lie laughed and scolded, "I already have three sons, while you are all alone. You are blind on the battlefield, aren't you afraid that you will have no one to take care of you in your old age?"
Qin Hong said nonchalantly, "The person is dead, why should I care about what happens after they die? I will rest in peace, and it is none of my business whether my grave is dug up and my ashes are scattered."
Qin Lie knew that he had always been open-minded since childhood, especially after his birth mother passed away, he became even more indifferent to many things. When he was made a king and held a high position of power, that unruly nature became even more obvious, as if he had come to the mortal world just to play a game, and cared about nothing else.
Qin Lie didn't like hearing this: "Nonsense! If even you, Prince Jing, are exhumed and your ashes scattered, our kingdom will surely fall into the wrong hands."
Qin Hong remained unconvinced: "The so-called empire is nothing more than this. We seized it from the Liu family, and sooner or later someone will take it from us. This has been true throughout history, so why be so attached?"
These words sounded very familiar. Qin Lie paused for a moment and said, "You've read quite a few books and learned a lot during this time."
His words were meaningful, and his gaze was sharp as he looked over.
Qin Hong couldn't hold back any longer: "I was wrong, Third Brother, those words were... said by her, I was just parroting her."
Qin Lie naturally knew who this "she" was, and warned, "Since you've protected her, you'd better keep a close eye on her."
Qin Hong smiled wryly: "She is currently practicing medicine in Jiangnan and has not set foot in the capital, so Third Brother can rest assured. However... before she left, she asked me to inquire whether the Seventeenth Princess is still well?"
Qin Lie's face was gloomy, and he remained silent.
Seeing this, Qin Hong guessed what was going on and advised, "Third Brother, you are different from me. I have decided to remain unmarried for life. You will eventually have to marry, and the royal palace needs a princess. The princess has only lost her memory; her nature will not change. She did not want to follow you without a name or status back then, and she would not be different if she had to do it all over again! Rather than repeating the same mistake, it is better to let go sooner rather than later. Since her information has not been leaked, why not let her go to avoid hesitation and being troubled by her in the future?"
Qin Lie said calmly, "You've never been good with words, but I didn't expect you to be so eloquent for a woman."
Qin Hong said urgently, "I'm not saying all this for the Fifteenth Princess, it's all for you! I've seen how you've been these past few years. I originally thought you would kill her once you found her. If you can't bring yourself to do it, I'll do it for you!"
Qin Lie said with his hands behind his back, "My affairs are none of your business."
"Third Brother!" Qin Hong blurted out in his anxiety, "Not to mention she's a princess from the previous dynasty, she's also Song Pingkou's concubine and the mother of the only bloodline of the Song family! A person as unfaithful and disloyal as her is not worth it at all! If you don't let go, do you really think you can abandon everything to marry her?!"
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