Chapter Twenty-One
The Prince of Qin's Mansion.
Today, the Qin region was unusually warm. Zhou Yanqing told Si Yanmo early in the morning not to go to the horse farm, but to return directly to the Marquis's residence, intending to teach her some martial arts. However, unexpectedly—
When Si Yanmo entered, this was the scene she saw: Zhou Yanqing was sitting in the pavilion in the courtyard, and a beautiful woman with elegant clothes and graceful figure was chatting with him.
So that's how the rumor of the King of Qin having a concubine got out!
Si Yanmo shook her head helplessly, just in time to see Sano walking towards her.
"What's going on?" she asked curiously.
"Sister Si, this woman is here to steal your position as Princess Qin." Sano was extremely anxious.
This afternoon, when he returned from school, he saw Wu Guan bringing this woman into the mansion, and he also heard Wu Guan say that he wanted to make this woman the Princess Consort of Qin.
This really worried him. This woman didn't seem as good as his sister Si. How could he let her drive Si Yanmo away?
He originally planned to ask Chen Wu to inform Sister Si, but unexpectedly Si Yanmo returned just in time, so he quickly reported the enemy situation.
Si Yanmo smiled knowingly, guessing that it was Consort Qin causing trouble again.
It's only been half a month, how come it's started again?
Seeing that she was still smiling, Sano became extremely anxious and tugged at her sleeve, saying urgently, "Sister Si, you can't give up! You can't let her steal your man away!"
Si Yanmo chuckled at his serious expression. The little boy didn't know that she and Zhou Yanqing were just allies, and he was still thinking about her "love"!
"It's okay, let her be if she wants to!" she teased the child.
"How can that be! My mother says that you should never give up the person you love in your life!"
Sano couldn't understand why she wasn't in a hurry at all. Did she really want to just watch her husband be all lovey-dovey with another woman?
Si Yanmo smiled, unable to fully explain to him, but she also felt that there was some truth to what he said.
Although she didn't like Zhou Yanqing, she was still nominally the Princess Consort of Qin. It would be very embarrassing if she were to be squeezed out so easily.
Then look at Zhou Yanqing, who has been giving her glances ever since she entered the room, almost shouting "Come save me!"
She patted Sano's head, then walked to Zhou Yanqing's side, sat directly on his lap, and asked in a high-pitched voice, "Husband, who is this?"
Zhou Yanqing felt embarrassed and whispered in her ear, "There's no need to be so pretentious!"
Unexpectedly, Si Yanmo rolled her eyes at him, giving him an expression that said, "I'm already being nice to you."
He had no choice but to turn to the girl and say, "Miss Ning, as I just said, my wife and I are very much in love, and you should be able to see that now! What my mother said doesn't count."
Upon hearing this, and seeing the two men's behavior so openly displayed, the young woman surnamed Ning immediately blushed crimson. "But, but what Madam Zhou said isn't... isn't..."
The Madam Zhou she mentioned was Consort Qin, who was Zhou Yanqing's mother.
After Consort Qin was brought to the Southern Palace, she was not allowed to recognize Zhou Yanqing. Therefore, the people of Qin only knew that the King of Qin had a mother who lived in the Southern Capital. Everyone called her Madam Zhou, and no one knew her surname or given name.
A few days ago, the Ning family received a sum of money from Madam Zhou, saying that Princess Qin was mentally unstable and wanted to ask Ning Qingzi, a concubine of the Ning family, to marry the Prince of Qin.
Old Master Ning was overjoyed. Ning Qingzi was the daughter of one of his unfavored concubines, and he had never cared about this illegitimate daughter. He never expected that she would be favored by the mother of the Prince of Qin.
If she were to marry into the Prince of Qin's household, even as a concubine, she would still be related to the Prince of Qin, and wouldn't she rise to prominence in the future?
He invited Wu Siguan to his residence that very night to inquire whether the matter was indeed true.
Wu Guan initially thought that it was because the letter Zhou Yanqing had asked him to send to Consort Qin hadn't arrived yet, which led Consort Qin to pull this stunt.
He wanted to explain, but then he remembered the princess's indifferent attitude towards the prince.
Thinking it better to be prepared, Wu Guan agreed to the matter with Old Master Ning.
Today, taking advantage of Zhou Yanqing's home, he brought Ning Qingzi over and subtly hinted to her that she might be able to become the Princess Consort of Qin.
He thought that even if Zhou Yanqing really divorced Si Yanmo, if she could take a fancy to Ning Qingzi, then the task that Consort Qin had arranged for him would be completed.
Seeing the woman's embarrassed expression, Si Yanmo softened her voice, "I know what Madam Zhou said. That was something that happened before. My husband has already sent a letter to my mother, but it may not have arrived in Nandu yet, which is why this misunderstanding has occurred. I hope Miss Ning will forgive me."
Her voice was gentle, but it only made Ning Qingzi's face turn even uglier. Not only was this woman eager to become someone else's concubine, but the couple was also living in harmony. She was acting like a vixen trying to steal someone else's husband.
She gripped her sleeves tightly with both hands, tearing the fabric at the cuffs.
Zhou Yanqing noticed her embarrassment and said somewhat awkwardly, "It was all a misunderstanding, Miss Ning. I'll go to the Ning residence with my wife tomorrow to apologize. I hope Miss Ning will forgive me."
Now that things had come to this, Ning Qingzi was naturally not shameless, so she hurriedly bowed and left.
Si Yanmo also left Zhou Yanqing's embrace and sat in the spot where she had just been sitting.
Finally, Zhou Yanqing still looked in the direction the woman had left with some worry.
I really don't know what my mother is thinking. It was already absurd enough that she brought some women from brothels before, but now she's even sending the betrothal gifts to the mansion of the Minister of Revenue in charge of Ning's affairs.
Southerners value a woman's chastity and reputation.
Although the Qin region is much more tolerant of women, such things will eventually affect a girl's reputation if they get out.
If this matter is brought up by the matchmaker when Ning Qingzi gets married, wouldn't she be criticized by her husband's family for the rest of her life?
He never wanted any woman in the Qin region under his rule to suffer the same fate as his mother, who was unable to tell others that her child was the Southern Emperor's and was condemned for her indiscretion for a lifetime.
But now he can't stop his mother from doing these absurd things.
Seeing Zhou Yanqing staring in the direction Ning Qingzi had left for a long time, unable to come back to her senses, Si Yanmo chuckled: "What? Do you like it?"
Zhou Yanqing was pulled back to her senses by her words and looked at her with a strange expression, as if asking, "Are you alright?"
Si Yanmo, however, thought she had hit the nail on the head and said with a grin, "If Your Majesty likes it, I can take the divorce papers and leave right away. It definitely won't affect Your Majesty's search for true love!"
Wu Guan in the corner: As expected, they're going to get a divorce!
He must write a letter to Consort Qin immediately!
Zhou Yanqing rolled her eyes in disdain. "You're overthinking it."
"I was worried for you because I saw the King of Qin looking at that girl's back with such lingering affection!" Si Yanmo gossiped. "The fact that the Qin concubine specifically offered betrothal gifts to this girl suggests that the King of Qin and she must have had a past connection, right?"
"You're overthinking it. I just happened to visit Ning Shi when I was a child and saw her being bullied by her brother. I just stood up for her."
"Hero saves the damsel in distress?"
"That's called helping someone in need! I was only nine years old back then, how could I have any past connections?" Zhou Yanqing was speechless.
He tilted his head and leaned closer to Si Yanmo, half threatening and half curious, "Princess Qin, it seems you really want me to like another woman!"
"It's just a nice wish for my master!" the girl chuckled.
"You should focus your energy on yourself, disciple!" He emphasized the last two words, stood up, and said, "Come and practice!"
When the two arrived at the front yard, Si Yanmo discovered that a weapon rack taller than a person had been placed there at some point.
Zhou Yanqing approached the weapon rack and gestured with his chin towards her, "Pick one that you think is suitable."
Si Yanmo walked to the shelf, feeling lost. Looking around, she saw that the guns in front of her were all taller than her.
She dared not take it, so she looked down and examined the swords of varying lengths. Finally, she found a dagger in the corner that was only slightly longer than her own hand.
She picked it up excitedly: "This is it!"
"A dagger?" Zhou Yanqing raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"OK, this is it!" Si Yanmo nodded.
Okay!
Zhou Yanqing shook his head, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. He turned around, kicked up a long spear, and stabbed it at Si Yanmo.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Si Yanmo was startled, her eyes widened as she turned to run, but he stopped her with his gun. "Use your dagger to stop me, don't run."
"How could you possibly stop him?" Si Yanmo felt he was playing a trick on her. The dagger in her hand wasn't even as long as the tip of his spear; using it to block was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
"Martial arts skill isn't about how good your weapon is, but about the person using it. I'll tell you to pick one that suits you, and you'll definitely be able to do it." Zhou Yanqing picked up a spear. "Come on, give it a try! What are you afraid of? I'm not really going to kill you."
You actually believed his nonsense!
Si Yanmo deeply regretted not choosing a longer weapon. It was too late to change her mind now; she had no choice but to grit her teeth and proceed.
Si Yanmo drew her dagger with her right hand and used it to deflect Zhou Yanqing's spear. Fortunately, she was strong enough; otherwise, it would have been much more difficult to use her strength to overcome the opponent's strength.
Zhou Yanqing, provoked by her thrust, turned his body with the spear and stabbed again. She could only block once more, dodging the attack by turning her body to the side...
The two practiced back and forth until dusk. During this time, Zhou Yanqing even brought Sano to be his sister Si's sparring partner. Si Yanmo was so tired that her body ached and she collapsed back onto the bed without even eating dinner.
"You can't lie down right after you finish practicing!" She hadn't been lying down for long when she heard Zhou Yanqing's voice.
The man came in with a food box and called her to get up and eat, but she didn't want to move at all. "I'm not eating, I can't get up!"
Her voice was languid, like that of a spoiled cat owner.
Zhou Yanqing couldn't help but smile, leaned close to the girl's ear, and chuckled, "If you don't get up now, you'll be even less likely to get up tomorrow morning."
"Why?"
“You’re not like Sano and me who practice every day. Today is your first time, so you’re bound to strain your muscles and bones. If you leave it untreated, you’ll probably be in so much pain that you won’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning.”
Zhou Yanqing walked to the bedside, hesitated for a moment, and reached out to touch her fluffy head. "Get up and eat. I'll give you a massage, and it won't hurt so much tomorrow morning."
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