Chapter 85: Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Of course, Qin Tingting didn’t know anything about the accounts and the workings of the Qin household. Did she think Li Ailing was interested in those boring tasks?
Just having to look at her numerous shop accounts across the capital made Ailing’s eyes ache. Who had the time to sit and check the Qin family’s accounts filled with embezzlement?
As for Yueqian, everything she did was to make herself the villainess as described in the novel. Her only mistake was that her personality made the general cling to her. The altered storyline meant that the ending could no longer be the same.
Returning to the present situation, when Qin Tingting heard the First Furen lecturing her daughter, desperately finding a way back to the capital, she immediately chimed in.
"T... this matter, Father hasn’t said anything about it. Please, First Mother, don’t blame Eldest Sister. She probably didn’t mean it. Maybe she was just afraid Aunt Qi Liang would harm Brother-in-law, so she..."
"Harm Brother-in-law?! Who is your brother-in-law?! Let me make it clear right now: I have only one son-in-law, and that is the Young General from the Great General of the East’s manor. I do not accept anyone else!" With that, she threw a wooden tray in front of Yueqian and her husband.
Mu Heng was faster. He pulled Yueqian’s small frame out of the way, even though it seemed unlikely that the tray would have hit her, since there was some distance. Nonetheless, their startled reactions made the overall situation appear more dramatic.
"Mother! How can you say such a thing? My husband..."
"You call him your husband? The only husband you have is the Young General. Do you still call this nobody your husband?" Ailing and Yueqian took turns in acting, their performance seamless and increasingly intense.
Qin Tingting watched with great amusement. Seeing the mother and daughter arguing so loudly made her happy. She felt happy to see the First Mother’s face turn red with anger and to witness Yueqian throwing another tantrum. This was the kind of drama she truly enjoyed.
After all, the First Mother, with her wealth and power as the principal wife, had always been partial to Yueqian. This wretched woman! Now she deserved to face the consequences of having such a despicable daughter.
Previously, she had heard that Ailing was confined, unable to go anywhere. Every day, she heard the rumors of her throwing food away or breaking vases. She hadn’t seen it with her own eyes back then, never thought that this day she would witness a truly entertaining scene.
Look at them—what good is it to be the principal wife or the eldest young miss? They too can fall from grace! Pretending to be superior just because of a proper marriage as a principal wife and the other just being born to the right mother, do they think they could trample on others or take advantage of them? As long as they were fools, they were just preys for others.
"You! Did you call my husband a nobody? Fine. Husband, let’s leave. Today, we came to pay our respects to my father and mother, considering we’ve followed the custom. Since we are not welcome, let’s return to our home," Yueqian said.
She cut the drama short, acting so self-centered as usual. She pulled up Mu Heng’s arm, turning her back on her mother so rudely.
Li Ailing clutched her chest, seemingly furious, and pointed after Yueqian.
"You ungrateful daughter! How dare you, how dare you." She then threw a decorative vase, unintentionally, causing it to be shattered.
The fragments of the vase accidentally(?) flew onto Qin Tingting’s arm, startling her. However, the First Furen’s condition was more critical. When the household servants saw that the First Furen was about to faint, they rushed to fetch a physician in a panic.
Of course, the physician was the one currently treating the "First Furen’s close servant." Despite not having finished brewing medicine for the sick, he was dragged along with his equipment by the other servants to attend to the First Furen of the Qin family.
And what about the Third Young Miss, who was injured unintentionally? She had somehow been pushed aside without herself noticing, finding herself bewildered at the front of the manor with fresh cuts from the vase.
It was unclear who the real victim of this scheme was...
While her mother’s manor filled with chaos, Yueqian, who was looking for an opportunity to run away with her husband because she was in the sulk, left the Qin family’s rented manor. The speed was much greater than the one on their arrival, even the Qin family’s guards, who had followed them from the capital, couldn’t catch up in time.
The guards realized this only when they reported to the master of the Qin family and were punished for not keeping the Eldest Young Miss in the manor. But that was their problem.
Yueqian was now sitting in her husband’s carriage, looking quite content. At the very least, she had completed one of her duties today, which meant they could criticize her for ignoring traditions.
As for her escape, it was known that the Qin family’s villainess had thrown a tantrum so fierce that the First Furen had fainted. In the end, it was she who dragged her husband away without a proper farewell. If there were any complaints, it would be about her spoiled nature
This nature of her was well-known. So, it was no surprise at all.
"Running away like this without saying goodbye to your mother, don’t you feel bad?" Mu Heng said. It was evident that the mother and daughter were caring towards each other, but they had to put on this act. Thus, Mu Heng held a favorable view of the young woman’s mother.
"No need for formal farewells. What’s too much is not my style," Yueqian said shortly. Her words were quite clear, even if others did not understand, Mu Heng surely did.
What she meant by "what’s too much is not my style" was her way of showing herself: an uneducated, self-centered woman who did not care for others’ feelings, even those of her own mother. This was the persona she wanted others to see.
After saying this, she immediately changed the subject. Having left the manor that the Qin family rented, the general’s men would likely start following them again. She could not discuss much with him until they were back in their own territory.
"It’s past lunchtime now. I wonder if the children have had enough to eat," Yueqian invited Mu Heng to talk about the children at home.
They had left Xiao Long and Huan’er with the village leader, where the children were helping care for the remaining ill. Although the illness had mostly subsided, they still needed to take medicine for recovery.
This time was used to familiarize the children with the practice before teaching them basic patient care. Besides, to be honest, they did not trust the general’s men. With soldiers still around, Mu Heng and Yueqian could no longer leave the younger ones alone. They needed adults to look after them.
"The children took food from home, so there’s nothing to worry about," Mu Heng understood his little wife’s intention.
During this period, they would need to be cautious. In the next three months, the foreign princess would visit. That would be the final period before they had to relocate to another kingdom due to their merits. They needed to stay safe and take good care of themselves.
Due to the arrival of the two princes, the Young General could not afford to waste any more time on other matters. He had to successfully suppress the bandits as soon as possible, to be able to meet them. With such important guests as witnesses, he needed to expedite the process.
As for the matter of Yueqian, the Young General was no longer afraid. Now that the Qin family had arrived, even if Mu Heng was not dead yet, under the pressure of the Qin family, Yueqian would inevitably become his wife.
Though the Young General focused on quelling the bandits, no one could guarantee that no one would dare to take action. Many people from the capital were now in a state of panic...
With the Third and Fifth Princes personally arriving, if they saw the condition of over a hundred soldiers who had not yet recovered and the ten who had died, not from fighting the evil bandits but from the food prepared by the women from the capital, no one could predict what might happen next.
Initially, if no one else had known, the women could still force the physicians who examined them to claim ignorance of the cause. However, if the two princes became suspicious and ordered an investigation, there was no telling what might be uncovered.
If it was revealed that the soldiers and villagers were seriously ill because of them, the punishment would likely start with flogging. Beyond that, their families would decide their fate!
Even if it was unintentional, they had caused many people to fall ill. Furthermore, these people were forces of the kingdom, important soldiers....
As Yueqian and Mu Heng were returning home, a group of delicate women from the capital sat together in fear in the village.
"Liu Sun, what should we do? I’ve heard that the princes and several families from the capital are here. Once they are rested, they will definitely come to inspect the bandit suppression," one woman asked anxiously.
The person they asked was, of course, Liu Sun, the smartest among them.
Even though the Young General had previously feigned kindness towards others, causing some of the women to believe they had a chance to win his love, they started to overlook Liu Sun. They forgot that this woman had long held the Young General’s heart, standing by his side as the woman he cared for, the position desired by many. Driven by their greed, some of the women began to dismiss Liu Sun and even had thoughts of competing with her.
However, when trouble arose, Liu Sun was the only one who had not been involved with the food prepared for the soldiers and villagers. Despite the physician stating that the cause was improper food preparation, the women still suspected Liu Sun, thinking she might have sabotaged them to prevent them from gaining favor. They couldn’t let go of the idea that Liu Sun must be involved. Thus, they could not let Liu Sun go.
Even if Liu Sun truly wasn’t involved, they needed to drag her into it.
If Liu Sun was involved, she would share the consequences. But if she wasn’t, her intelligence could help them a lot. At the very least, she could advise them on what to do next.
Thus, everyone gathered with Liu Sun here, not letting her roam freely as if she were uninvolved.
Of course, Liu Sun knew their foolish thoughts. She had never had any supporters. If not for the Young General’s kindness, would anyone even acknowledge her presence?
