Chapter 69 Huan'er.
Qin Huan finally left the palace, but it would have been better if he hadn't left at all.
He followed Qin Lie into the Prince Duan's mansion, dejected, only to find the person he had been searching for there.
Lingyi was even more surprised than him. She knocked over the teacup beside her, stood up, and stared at him intently.
Qin Lie did not enter the room, leaving the two of them alone.
Huan'er asked with great interest, "That day, right after you left, it started raining heavily. I immediately wanted to look for you, but you were already gone. They all said you only went to the palace once, and I was sad about it for several days. I didn't expect to see you here. Hey? What are you doing in the Prince Duan's residence?"
Lingyi said, "I am the Princess Consort of Duan, so naturally I am in the Duan Prince's residence."
Huan'er was shocked. "You're so beautiful and smart, why would you marry that stinky rock?"
Lingyi was taken aback: "A stinky rock?"
Although it was just the two of them in the room, Huan'er still leaned close to Lingyi's ear and whispered, "That's exactly what Prince Duan is like. He always has a long face, he's unhappy with everyone, and he hardly ever speaks. Isn't he just like a rock in a latrine...? Well, actually, I've never been to a latrine, but I've heard the little eunuchs say that the rocks in latrines are smelly and hard. Look, isn't he exactly like Prince Duan?!" He looked at her with pity, "You're so pitiful, you actually became his princess. I can't save you."
Lingyi asked, "Then why are you here, and who are you to him?"
Huan'er's pretentious, mature face immediately fell. She didn't want to answer, but seeing the gentle look in front of her, she unconsciously hummed twice.
"What did you say?" Lingyi didn't hear clearly.
Huan'er repeated in a muffled voice, "He is my father."
Now it was Lingyi's turn to look at him with sympathy, "...that stinky rock you mentioned is standing outside, and it's about to come in now."
Huan'er turned her head and saw Qin Lie stepping over the threshold. Startled, she lunged forward and hid in Lingyi's arms.
Lingyi hugged him tightly. The child's bones were light and soft, and she felt a sudden pang of sadness, and tears immediately fell.
Huan'er, forgetting her fear, asked her curiously, "I was caught talking badly about someone behind their back, why are you crying?"
Lingyi didn't answer, but just hugged him and kept crying.
Huan'er kept asking her questions at first, but gradually stopped. He put his arm around her neck and patted her back gently, comforting her like a palace maid or nanny, saying in a precocious way, "It's alright, it's okay, don't cry."
Qin Lie resisted the urge to pull him away and said to Ling Yi, "Send a servant to inform Shuo'er and the others; they should be here soon."
Lingyi, being a princess, couldn't afford to lose her composure, so she had to let Huan'er go back to tidy herself up.
As soon as she entered the inner room, Qin Lie followed her in, silently waiting for her to question him.
Lingyi ignored him at first, but after sitting down at the dressing table, she asked him, "Is Huan'er my child?"
Qin Lie had already prepared his words: "He is indeed your son. The Empress Dowager is a Buddhist, and Huan'er was born with a Buddhist affinity, so he was taken to the Empress Dowager's side to be raised from a young age. You have often argued with me about this before. The Empress Dowager is getting old and can't be separated from him. I couldn't bring him back for the time being, so I kept it from you after you lost your memory, afraid that you would be sad if you found out."
Lingyi asked, "Then why are you telling me this now?"
Qin Lie paused for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid you'll blame me even more when you think about it later."
He half-knelt before her, looking her straight in the eye. "I've made many mistakes in the past, and it's only right that the princess is angry with me. It's only these days that I've learned how to truly love someone, and the princess has taught me all of this. I'm learning, perhaps slowly, but I've truly given it my all. Princess, I only ask for one thing..." His trembling hand touched her cheek, "Give me another chance. Don't leave me, stay by my side. If you resent me, scold me; if you hate me, hit me. Whatever you do, I'll accept it willingly, as long as you don't leave."
Lingyi sighed softly: "Why are you always afraid that I will leave? But where can I go if I leave here?"
Qin Lie grasped her hand, his dark eyes gazing intently at her: "You're right, you can't go anywhere without this. Besides, I'm here, and so is Huan'er. Although he has to return to the palace, he can still come out from time to time. In a few years, when he gets too old to stay in the palace, we can be together all the time. That's true family bliss, don't you think?"
His eyes were full of pleading, which made Lingyi look away as if stung, but Qin Lie wouldn't let her look away and waited for her answer.
Just then, a servant outside reported that Qin Shuo and his group had arrived at the outer hall.
Qin Lie had no choice but to leave first. Ling Yi sighed softly and had her maid redress her, covering her red, swollen eyes from crying.
When she went out, the people outside had already seen her.
Qin Shuo and the other two had known for a long time that they had a younger brother being raised by the Empress Dowager, but they had never met him. When they suddenly saw Qin Huan, they were still too young and couldn't hide their feelings in their surprise. Moreover, Qin Lie, being such a perceptive person, could see through their thoughts at a glance.
That night, Qin Lie summoned Qin Shuo to his study and said to him, "Huan'er is your younger brother, but he has been raised by the Empress Dowager all these years. He will eventually return to the Prince's Mansion. As the elder brother, you should have the demeanor of an elder brother. You should not only accept him, but also treat him well."
Qin Shuo's face turned ashen, and he replied, "Yes."
Qin Lie felt a slight disappointment, but still said to him, "Don't worry, even if he comes back, it won't affect your status in the slightest. You are my eldest son, and no one will compete with you for your status or position."
Qin Shuo's joy flashed for only a moment before it vanished. Recalling his sister's sharp words and Qin Can's gloating face, he couldn't help but question, "Father, if you say this now, will you continue to do so in the future? He is also the legitimate son, and the princess's child. Father dotes on the princess so much, but my mother has been dead for so long. Father, even your heart has changed. The heir is only a matter of your word. Do you think I can sit still?!"
Qin Lie was furious and picked up the inkstone to smash it, but when he saw Qin Shuo's face, which resembled Hui Niang's, he put it down in the end.
He sat quietly for a while and said, "Your mother died for your aunt, and even more so for me and the Qin family. I have never forgotten her for a moment. But the princess..." He sighed and didn't continue, then said, "You understand her status. I have given her the title of princess consort, and I will make proper arrangements for her and her son in the future, but I will never let Huan'er compete with you. You can rest assured. Besides, even if I wanted to, the imperial clan would never agree to let someone of the previous dynasty's bloodline inherit my position."
Qin Shuo never expected that his father would explain things to him and even reveal the identity of the princess.
And the loneliness and desolation he spoke made him realize for the first time that his father was a human being, not some god.
Qin Shuo was heartbroken and knelt down, crying, "Father, your son is unfilial!"
Qin Lie said slowly, "You have grown up and are now the heir apparent. You should be calm and composed, and remember not to be instigated or taken advantage of by others."
.
When Qin Lie returned to the inner courtyard, he was turned away at the door.
This wasn't the first time, so it wasn't difficult for him. But this time, when he climbed over the window, he was met with an awkward look from the little maid.
Although the maid was afraid of him, she knew who to listen to, and timidly relayed the princess's words to him: "The princess said that she was angry because of the prince's concealment, and for the next few days she will not allow the prince to stay here. Moreover, she wants to sleep with the young master tonight, and asks the prince not to disturb her."
Stealing a kiss or a jade pendant is a beautiful thing, but unfortunately, it involves a child.
Qin Lie had no choice but to leave dejectedly.
Inside the room, Lingyi and Huan'er were lying on the bed, chatting casually.
Huan'er lay on the soft pillow, looking at Lingyi with her big eyes: "Are you really my mother?"
Lingyi explained to him again, then asked with guilt, "All these years, I haven't taken care of you personally. Do you blame me?"
Huan'er thought for a moment and said, "I don't know either."
He spent his days in the Empress Dowager's palace and had no contact with the women in the harem, so he was unaware of the difference between having a mother and not having one.
He said that the Empress Dowager must have treated him very well, and he did not feel that he had been mistreated.
Because he had never seen how other children interacted with their mothers since he was a child, Lingyi felt both gratified and heartbroken, and her eyes welled up with tears again.
Huan'er suddenly turned and hugged her, saying happily and contentedly, "It's still good to have another mother. You smell so sweet and soft, unlike my great-grandmother. She only smelled of the Buddhist temple and never cuddled me to sleep."
Lingyi hugged him tightly, "Then come over more often in the future, and I'll hold you while I sleep every day."
.
On his birthday, not only was Huan'er there, but the Sixteenth Princess also came with her two children.
She had been instructed by Xie Yu to keep quiet about many things, so she simply held Lingyi's hand and, with tears in her eyes, recounted her past days in the palace.
After Huan'er's birthday celebration, she returned to the palace, and the Sixteenth Princess also returned to her residence.
Xie Yu's position was awkward; it was not appropriate for people in his household to associate with outsiders. Who knew when they would meet again?
The two sisters wiped away their tears and bid each other a long and reluctant farewell before the sixteenth princess finally boarded her carriage and left.
Before her tears had even dried, her carriage was stopped.
The guards, dressed in the uniform of the Prince Duan's residence, came up and took away all the things that Lingyi had given her. They searched the carriage several times, and two female guards even searched her and the two children inch by inch inside the carriage. In the end, they found nothing and then let them leave.
The sixteenth princess was so angry that she trembled all over. After returning to her residence, she told Xie Yu.
Xie Yu remained silent for a long time after hearing this, which made her swallow her anger and let the matter rest.
"This is for the good of the Xie family, and also for the good of Lingyi."
The sixteenth princess naturally asked why.
Xie Yu sighed, "Prince Duan doesn't believe you, he doesn't believe me, he doesn't believe the princess, and perhaps he doesn't even believe himself."
Xie Yu made this assumption, but in Ling Yi's view, Qin Lie was clearly even gentler than before.
He even brought Huan'er back to the manor before the New Year and took them to the estate together.
It was still the same manor with hot springs. This time, Lingyi was not unwell and spent the day riding and shooting with Qin Lie and the children.
Lingyi originally thought that although she could not compare with Qin Lie, she would not be inferior to the children. Unexpectedly, she was the worst among them, and even inferior to Huan'er.
—Although Huan'er was small, he could ride on a small pony, and Qin Lie made sure he could get within ten paces of the target.
Aside from his lack of strength, he was quite accurate. He was a horseman and could hit the bullseye every time he shot an arrow, and even hit the bullseye several times.
It seems that when he said he was good at archery in the palace that day, he wasn't just bragging.
Lingyi naturally felt honored, and Qin Lie couldn't help but look at him with a different eye.
Qin Shuo just watched with a smile, but Qin Can and Qin Yinrong's expressions grew increasingly grim.
Compared to Huan'er, Lingyi's archery skills are practically nonexistent.
She was weak and had poor eyesight. Even if she and the target didn't move, with Qin Lie, a famous teacher, she could still guess two or three times.
But while riding a horse, she was too busy to attend to everything, and she couldn't even draw her bow and nock an arrow, let alone hit the bullseye.
So the children had a competition, and Qin Lie rode his horse and took her to practice on the side.
She was studying diligently and didn't notice that he was leading her away from the horse farm to a secluded place.
He originally taught her riding and archery by hand, but gradually his hands moved from the bow and arrow to her waist.
The two men were on horseback, and she dared not struggle too much, only pushing them away, saying, "The children are all here..."
Qin Lie's voice was low and hoarse, "They won't come..."
He held her under his cloak, outwardly unnoticed, but his hand had already slipped inside her clothes. Lingyi could feel his heat and knew that he had worked tirelessly to complete his official duties ahead of schedule to come here. But since arriving, she had been inseparable from Huan'er, and he could not get close to her at all. His gaze towards her grew deeper each day.
He's going to return to Beijing the day after tomorrow; he's really going to disregard everything else.
His hands roamed beneath her cloak, his lips lingering on her neck, his breath growing increasingly hot.
If we don't stop him, he might really do something shameful in broad daylight on a horse.
Lingyi held his hand, "I'll come to see you tonight."
Qin Lie was already aroused and refused to stop until Ling Yi, enduring her shame, promised him this and that, and he finally agreed. However, he did not go back immediately. Instead, he held her in his arms for a while, rubbing and kissing her before finally stopping.
After he recovered and the fever subsided, the princess returned home.
The children had finished their competition. Qin Can came in first place. Although neither he nor Qin Shuo passed the imperial examination last time, Qin Can's ranking was much lower than Qin Shuo's. However, he was much better than Qin Shuo in the martial arts test.
The two brothers, one a scholar and the other a warrior, each had their own strengths.
Although Qin Shuo was slightly inferior to Qin Can, he was still second, and Huan'er was third.
As for Qin Yinrong, she realized she was the worst performer halfway through the competition, so she broke her bow and arrows and went off in a huff.
Despite the cold winter, the group worked up a sweat and felt exhausted. They all wanted to go back to the hot springs to soak and sleep, and even ate their dinner in the courtyard.
As Lingyi left with Huan'er, Qin Lie gave her a meaningful smile. Looking at her angry and reproachful face, he felt an even stronger itch in his heart.
He was originally staying with the princess, but because Huan'er was there, he had to stay elsewhere. However, for tonight, he had the servants specially change the room to the princess's preferred decor, and waited alone on the soft and fragrant bed for half the night, only to receive news that the princess and the young master had already gone to sleep.
The next morning, he went at the appointed time.
Huan'er was well-mannered by the Empress Dowager and would get up early to do her homework even without being urged. At this time, only the princess was left in bed.
She was fast asleep, her inner robe sleeves rolled up, revealing her snow-white arms, the marks on them clearly showing that Huan'er had slept in her arms last night.
A pang of sadness welled up in Qin Lie's heart, and the pressure on his hand unconsciously increased. She opened her eyes and saw him, somewhat surprised: "You...."
He demanded, "Why did the princess stand me up yesterday?"
Lingyi had intended to brush it off, but seeing the thick, unyielding desire in his eyes, she knew that talking was useless and that the most important thing now was to escape.
"I was planning to go last night, but I was so tired after soaking in the hot spring that I fell asleep." She answered with utmost sincerity as she quietly moved out.
He scoffed, "Liar."
He bent down and pressed her into the bedding.
Huan'er would get up before dawn every day, practice horse stance for half an hour, and memorize an article.
Even after leaving the palace, this was no exception.
When he finally finished his homework and was about to return to his room, he was stopped by someone who couldn't give a reason, but simply wouldn't let him in.
He was so angry that he shouted "Mother Consort" outside.
At this moment, Lingyi was already in a daze and confused. She was awakened by Huan'er's voice and began to push Qin Lie off her.
Qin Lie lifted her delicate chin, lowered his head to kiss her, and said in a muffled voice, "Make him wait!"
Lingyi was about to say something more when he suddenly intensified his movements. The consciousness that Lingyi had finally managed to gather was immediately shattered. When she came to her senses again, he had already carried her into the spring.
When they tried to find Huan'er again, the maid outside said that the young master had already gone out riding with the heir and the young prince, and had been gone for a while.
Qin Lie rested his chin on her shoulder and said meaningfully, "Children are unpredictable, only I am truly inseparable from the princess."
He really can't leave her; they just made love, and now his body still wants to be with her.
Sensing the change in his body, Lingyi politely declined, saying, "I'm tired..."
He chuckled softly behind her: "How could I let the princess suffer? I will take care of everything."
After he finished his service, Lingyi was too tired to even move a finger.
He held her in his arms and sat on the couch to dry her hair.
Lingyi looked uncomfortably at the spring water outside, which had finally calmed down. "How often should this water be changed?"
Qin Lie naturally understood what she meant, and suppressed his smile as he explained, "This is running water. Only we use this courtyard. The water will be changed every three to five days, so it won't delay us from coming back to use it next year."
"Next year?" She paused slightly.
Qin Lie stopped drying her hair: "What? You don't want to come next year?"
Lingyi lowered her eyes and said, "Coming here all the time is no fun. How about we go hunting next year?"
The princess knows nothing. What can she hunt in the freezing cold at the end of the year?
Qin Lie simply smiled and said, "Alright, let's go hunting next year."
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