Chapter 101

Ever since the fire stick incident, Dai Li's position in Qin Qinian's heart had skyrocketed.

Not to mention she was the first woman he knew who dared to call his father by his given name and even kicked him.

What did Lady Dai take seriously?

Itching with curiosity, Qin Qinian immediately lightened his footsteps, quietly approached the courtyard entrance, and crouched there to eavesdrop.

As a result, he listened for quite a while, but Uncle Mo just kept repeating the same two sentences like a broken record: something about Lady Dai taking it seriously, and something about regretting his thoughtless words at the time.

Then the others offered comfort one after another, saying things like nothing happened now, so it didn't matter.

It made Qin Qinian feel terrible just listening to it.

What on earth was going on!

Could they explain the cause and effect clearly! Speaking in riddles like this was truly maddening.

Seeing that they seemed about to change the subject, Qin Qinian got anxious and simply jumped out, "Uncle Mo, what guilty conscience do you have? What did Lady Dai take seriously?"

In the courtyard, several people were all startled.

There were patrols in the mansion day and night, and anyone slightly suspicious would be caught. But apparently, this did not include the well-known restless Third Young Master. As long as he didn't climb over the wall, the patrols wouldn't bother him at all.

Mo Yanyun looked at the suddenly appearing youth, his pupils shaking with shock, directly freezing in place.

The others also had faces full of astonishment, secretly thinking "oh no" in unison.

The courtyard was dead silent, the few people frozen in place like stone statues, with only two withered yellow leaves blowing and rolling on the ground by the autumn wind.

Qin Qinian tilted his head, "Why aren't any of you talking?"

The mountains and rivers in Mo Yanyun's heart collapsed, the sound of the crash deafening.

"Ahem, it's because Lao Mo previously recommended a delicacy to Lady Dai, and Lady Dai took it seriously, but it turned out there was a difference in taste between the north and south, so it didn't suit her appetite," Feng Feng coughed to cover up.

Qin Qinian was dissatisfied, "Do you still think I'm a child? I'm not that easy to fool. Lady Dai is very gentle, she wouldn't mind such a trivial matter. And it wouldn't cause Uncle Mo to not get a good night's sleep since entering the mansion?"

Mo Yanyun: "..."

Seeing them not speaking, Qin Qinian turned to leave, "If you won't tell me, I'll go ask her. She even taught me how to make fire sticks today. She's willing to teach me such secrets, so she must be willing to tell me other things."

His leaving scared Mo Yanyun out of his wits.

Mo Yanyun was still standing in place, but the person had already been gone for a while.

Seeing this, Bai Jianping and Feng Feng quickly rushed forward together, each grabbing one of Qin Qinian's arms, forcefully dragging him back.

"Third Young Master, you absolutely must not mention this matter to Lady Dai," Bai Jianping said in a low voice.

"Why?" Qin Qinian pouted, "You won't tell me, and you won't let me ask anyone else?"

Feng Feng drew a sharp breath, "Do you know Lady Dai's background?"

Qin Qinian paused, feeling there was a hidden meaning in his words, "I don't know. What is her background?"

In the early years, his eldest uncle died in battle, and his father became the heir of the clan. Later, his grandfather and grandmother passed away one after another, and his father took on the entire Qin clan by himself.

Since then, he had fought in the north and south, suppressing bandits in Mount Bolei in the south, fiercely attacking the northern tribes in the north, and dealing with the difficulties of Bingzhou and Jizhou.

Compared to other clan leaders or powerful figures, his father's offspring and concubines were pitifully few. He only had one biological son, and the concubines in the backyard could be counted on one hand.

And in this world, there were only a few ways for concubines to enter the backyard: buying them with gold and silver, being given as gifts by friends, or being rewarded by elders in the clan or superiors.

Oh, and there was also when a daughter of a humble family caught someone's eye and was taken away with a promise of money. This could barely be classified under buying with gold and silver.

Qin Qinian asked, "Was she given to my father by officials from other provinces?"

Several people shook their heads in unison.

"If she wasn't a gift from a friend, could she have been bought?" Qin Qinian said.

After speaking, he felt it was impossible. Lady Dai was more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen. Such a great beauty had no reason to be without a husband, and her son was already so old.

Even if his father really bought her, there was no reason to bring her son back as well.

"I know!" Qin Qinian made a fist with his right hand and struck his left palm.

"It must be that Lady Dai's family encountered bandits on the road, and in the midst of danger, when her life was hanging by a thread, my father appeared out of nowhere and played the hero saving the beauty! Lady Dai fell in love with my father at first sight, was deeply grateful, and offered herself to him. Plus, her husband happened to perish, so she and her son followed my father," Qin Qinian said with certainty.

Mo Yanyun: "..."

Bai Jianping: "..."

Feng Feng: "..."

Kuang Ye: "..."

The surroundings were dead silent. Qin Qinian looked at this one, then at that one, "What are these expressions on your faces? Am I wrong?"

"Your imagination is quite good, but next time, don't guess," Bai Jianping wiped his face.

Qin Qinian frowned, unhappy, "You won't tell me, and you won't let me guess. Isn't it a hero saving a beauty? That doesn't make sense! My father has unparalleled martial arts and illustrious military merits. Isn't it normal for a woman to be infatuated with him in times of danger?"

Seeing them not speaking again, Qin Qinian was extremely confused, "So what exactly is her background?"

Seeing that he wouldn't give up until he reached the Yellow River, Feng Feng knew that the Third Young Master wouldn't get an answer from them and would definitely go ask Lady Dai.

But was that something he could ask?!

Feng Feng sighed heavily, "Then I'll make a long story short. Third Young Master, just listen to it as a story, and let it go after you hear it."

Actually, Lady Dai's background was previously a mystery in the eyes of Feng Feng and the others, as well as Mo Yanyun, who had stayed in the Jiang Mansion with Qin Shaozong.

But after the dragon bone waterwheel was introduced, they all unanimously believed that Lady Dai was a woman from a hidden village, who came out to find her son and offer treasures along the way, only to happen upon their Lord.

As a result, the Lord immediately grabbed her and wouldn't let go.

Qin Qinian urged, "Alright, then hurry up and tell me."

"Lady Dai is the descendant of a great hermit. She came out to find her son and offer treasures. The world-renowned Xian stone was created by her hands, and the previous dragon bone waterwheel was also presented by her to the Lord," Feng Feng said.

Qin Qinian drew a sharp breath.

Feng Feng looked away, not daring to look at Qin Qinian, "After seeing Lady Dai, the Lord forced her to stay. She left twice, but both times the Lord led troops to chase her back."

Qin Qinian froze for a few breaths, then jumped up as if pricked by a needle, sharply rebutting, "Impossible! You must be talking nonsense. How could my father do such a shameless thing as forcibly taking another man's wife!"

Everyone: "..."

How should they respond to this? It seemed inappropriate no matter how they responded.

"Ancestor, I beg you to keep your voice down," Mo Yanyun almost knelt before him.

Kuang Ye's gentle puppy eyes darted around, directly skipping the middle and leaving a conclusion, "Anyway, Lady Dai didn't want to move into the Lord's mansion, so the Lord chose a residence not far from the Ding Mansion, which also made it convenient to treat Young Master Qin's illness."

Normally, at this point, the Third Young Master's attention should have shifted elsewhere.

For example, asking about Young Master Qin's illness, or asking about the various past events between Lady Dai and the Lord. Asking anything was fine, as long as he didn't focus on the matters of "Lao Mo" and "Lady Dai taking it seriously" anymore.

However, today the Third Young Master, perhaps overwhelmed by the massive amount of information, simply threw it all to the back of his mind and went straight back to the beginning.

He muttered, "So what does it have to do with Uncle Mo, and what did Lady Dai take 'seriously'?"

Kuang Ye: "..."

Qin Qinian muttered to himself, "Could it be that Uncle Mo told her that the people in my father's manor are hard to get along with?"

The others jumped in fright; this was not something to be spoken blindly.

"Of course not," Feng Feng said hastily.

Seeing that Qin Qinian wanted to get to the bottom of it, Kuang Ye simply said, "It's because Lady Dai was reluctant to come back at first, and Lao Mo, at his wits' end, casually said that living outside was freer and she wouldn't have to abide by the rules of the Marquis's Manor."

Qin Qinian suddenly understood; so that was it.

"So in the end, the reason Lady Dai is here now is partly due to Lao Mo, which is why he's been losing sleep and appetite over it," Kuang Ye said.

Finally, they begged him not to tell anyone else about this, saying that after all, this was a private matter between the Marquis and Lady Dai, and it wouldn't be appropriate for others to hear.

Qin Qinian nodded repeatedly and then left.

Mo Yanyun and the others breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like they had survived.

But they never expected that while Qin Qinian indeed didn't tell "others," he went straight back to find Dai Li.

Lady Dai was the person involved, so she didn't count as an "other," right?

...

"...So, you were really forced to stay by my father?" Qin Qinian sat upright and still.

Compared to the previous time when Qin Shaozong had practically forced his head down to bow, Qin Qinian was much more restrained now, even carrying an indescribable sense of caution.

Dai Li could see that he was sitting on pins and needles, and connecting it to how he had rushed over just now and couldn't hold back from asking about her and Qin Shaozong right away.

She guessed this child had heard something from elsewhere.

Dai Li picked up the cup on the table and took a sip, speaking under the other's nervous gaze, "At first, yes, but later the Marquis and I reached another agreement, so it's a different matter."

The poison in Zhou Zhou's body was something she hadn't anticipated, and the way things had spiraled out of control to this day was completely outside her plans.

As for the future...

The current Dai Li hadn't thought about the future; her mind was entirely focused on quickly curing her son's Gu poison so he could live the rest of his life in peace.

Qin Qinian's face burned hot.

Recalling the words he had said before, he felt as if ants were crawling all over him, not just crawling, but biting him hard.

Previously, he had boasted shamelessly, saying his father would kick her out of the manor and that she wouldn't even have a place to cry. But it wasn't that she wanted to stay here; it was clearly his father who wouldn't let her leave.

They say a son paying his father's debts is perfectly justified. Not only did he not pay his father's debts, but he actually spoke wildly to her. No wonder his father had even said he wouldn't let him go to the military camp in the future.

"I, I didn't mean to say those things that day..." Qin Qinian lowered his head.

He didn't specify which day, but Dai Li understood immediately. Because it wasn't hard to guess; apart from the first day when this young man had "spouted nonsense," he had been quite well-behaved around her for the past few days.

Dai Li wouldn't hold a grudge against a child, "It's fine."

"Could I ask you some other questions?" Qin Qinian asked softly.

Dai Li glanced at the sky outside.

Her son's treatment took four hours at a time, and there was still a bit of time left before it ended, so she could chat with this kid for a bit longer, "Ask away, but I might not answer you."

*

In the study.

"Marquis, the Commandery Chief Clerk, Wei Congmu, requests an audience," Hu Bao reported.

Qin Shaozong, holding a brush, didn't stop his movements.

Qin Yunce turned to look at Qin Shaozong, "Father, it seems Cai Yuan leaked a little information when he left, otherwise why would the Wei family come so quickly?"

When Cai Yuan entered the room, Qin Yunce had been standing at the door and heard the conversation inside clearly. Cai Yuan wasn't a fool; he would never leak the matter of reorganizing the military farms, but he probably revealed some peripheral information.

For example, that he had met the Marquis of Wu'an.

Other people who came to visit were all received by Qin Yunce; none of them got to see Qin Shaozong.

"It's entirely possible, and probably all sides are competing now," Qin Shaozong put down his wolf-hair brush and called his subordinate, "Hu Bao, have someone deliver this stack of letters on the left to Qing Province by fast horse, the middle ones to Si Province, and the right ones to Ji Province."

Recently, the Xuan Cavalry had split into many small teams and, based on the information provided by Qin Yanzhou, headed straight for the various strongholds of the Green Lotus Sect.

They searched what needed to be searched and arrested who needed to be arrested.

Although they hadn't found that holy hand skilled in making medicine, it wasn't entirely fruitless. At the very least, during this search, they caught some people secretly forging armor.

Great Yan allowed private individuals to forge some short weapons, such as swords and bows, which were fine for self-defense or hunting. But it strictly forbade commoners from manufacturing defensive military weapons like leather armor.

Although Qin Shaozong had returned to Yuyang, his control over the other provinces hadn't relaxed at all. He had a cavalry unit dedicated to transmitting messages and kept a very tight grip on this aspect.

Anyone found privately forging armor was thrown into prison.

He wasn't in a hurry to chop off their heads, but he used heavy torture to make them spit out more information.

Since the Green Lotus Sect dared to target the Ding Manor, repeatedly poisoning and assassinating, he could also make them restless.

Hu Bao cupped his hands in obedience.

After giving the orders, Qin Shaozong stood up from his seat, "Yunce, you receive Wei Congmu. Just say a few words and dismiss him."

"Yes, Father," Qin Yunce watched the tall back leave, taking a long time to look away.

He never doubted his uncle's methods; as long as his uncle wanted something, those things would eventually go his way, even if there were heavy obstacles.

He felt that the Marquis's Manor might soon have a mistress.

Qin Yunce covered his lips and coughed twice, then got up and went to the main hall, "Go invite the Commandery Chief Clerk in."

"Yes."

...

Qin Shaozong left the main hall, estimating that the brat Qin Yanzhou's acupuncture session was about to end. She would definitely go to pick him up, and if he went back to the main courtyard now, he would probably be a step late, so he might as well go straight there.

The pavilion where the acupuncture was taking place was on the other side. After leaving the study, Qin Shaozong didn't follow the corridor properly but cut straight through the other pavilions.

Pavilions didn't just have one entrance; they often had small back doors. Qin Shaozong walked through the pavilions.

Just as he reached the middle section, the man vaguely heard voices coming from next door. His five senses were much sharper than an ordinary person's, so he immediately recognized Mo Yanyun's voice.

The sound reaching here wasn't very clear, and at first, Qin Shaozong didn't intend to pay attention to it.

Conversations between military generals were too common. Those with good relationships often gathered together to chat about everything under the sun.

But right at that moment, Qin Shaozong heard the words "Lady Dai." Thinking of Mo Yanyun's past behavior regarding women, the man's footsteps paused, and his gaze darkened.

He didn't continue walking towards the entrance but leaned against the wall to listen quietly.

"Fortunately, the Third Young Master believed what you said just now, Kuang Ye. If the Marquis had been present... heh, you wouldn't have been able to hide anything; he would have seen right through to see if there was a hidden story."

"Lao Mo, be more careful in the future. Don't let your mouth run loose and say whatever comes to mind. Daring to make things up about the Marquis, I think you really have a death wish. You're lucky this time, otherwise, you really couldn't be saved."

They deliberately skirted around the main point in their conversation. Qin Shaozong listened for a while but couldn't glean any specific details.

The man raised a long eyebrow and pushed himself off the wall.

...

In the adjacent courtyard.

Bai Jianping patted Mo Yanyun on the shoulder. "Fools have their own kind of luck. Anyway, this matter is in the past now. None of us should ever bring it up again."

"How exactly is it in the past? Why don't you enlighten me." A deep male voice drifted in from the courtyard entrance.

In that instant, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck. The few men in the courtyard felt their hair stand on end as they froze dead in their tracks.

One breath, two breaths...

Bai Jianping swiftly retracted the hand still resting on Mo Yanyun's shoulder, simultaneously taking a step to the side to put some distance between them.

The others moved in unison with him, everyone darting away in a flash. An empty circle instantly formed around Mo Yanyun.

Mo Yanyun himself was still completely bewildered.

Qin Shaozong's gaze swept over the group. One by one, they hastily bowed their heads, staring at the dirt as if there were silver coins to be found.

"Mo Yanyun, you are the one involved. You tell me."

Qin Shaozong called him out directly. "Tell me the truth, and don't bother spinning lies. If there is even a single false word, you can kiss your Commandant title goodbye and go back to plowing the fields."

Mo Yanyun's face turned pale, then green, then pale again.

For a moment, he genuinely didn't know if it would be better to go back to farming or to confess everything. With the former, he might lose his military post, but at least he would keep his life. As for the latter... that was hard to say.