novelraw Chapter 125 : The Scheming Yan Chi
Chapter 125 : The Scheming Yan Chi
125: The Scheming Yan Chi
The moment the Grand Princess’s slightly stern words fell, Qin Wan herself was first taken aback, her eyes widening in surprise.
Beside her, Yue Qing widened his eyes in disbelief. "What?! Adopt Ninth Miss as an adopted daughter?!"
Yue Qing felt a rush of hot blood to his head. He wanted to say something, but his mind was a chaotic mess. If it were anyone else, it would be one thing, but he was facing his own paternal grandmother. He clearly heard that his grandmother, along with his father and mother, had made this decision together. Yue Qing knew that once a decision was made by the three of them, it could not be changed.
The Grand Princess glanced at Yue Qing, a hint of pity, but more an unshakable resolve, in her look. Meanwhile, Qin Wan, after the initial shock, came back to herself. "Your Highness… this… how can I…"
The Grand Princess grasped Qin Wan’s hand tightly. "You are leaving for the capital soon. Once you go, who knows when we will meet again. Jinzhou is a thousand miles from the capital. We cannot help you, nor do we have the right to. This is what I have discussed with the two of them. Do not refuse. We will ask Prefect Huo to witness this. We will finalize it within these two days."
Qin Wan tried to speak but held back. "Your Highness, this… this isn’t proper…"
The Grand Princess gave a light hum. "What isn’t proper? The decisions I make, even in front of the current Emperor, are proper. By rights, when a Marquis’s residence adopts a daughter, there should be a grand feast. However, you dislike ostentation, and time is short. We will skip the grand feast. We will just have Prefect Huo inform the Qin family’s Mistress and then invite the Qin Mistress and your Second Brother to a banquet at the Marquis’s residence. Although your parents are gone, you still have kin. While we are adopting you, it is not to make you take our surname. You remain the Qin family’s Ninth Young Miss. The Yao family simply gains a Fourth Young Miss. How about that?"
A tumult of emotions surged in Qin Wan’s heart. She understood perfectly well what the Grand Princess meant. It was not about changing her surname, nor was it about registering her with the authorities into the Yao family register. It was only to give her an identity, the status of the Anyang Marquis’s adopted daughter, so that she would have backing.
Qin Wan pressed her lips tightly together. "Your Highness, you, the Marquis, and Madam have already shown me enough care and concern. I cannot be too greedy…"
Qin Wan’s mind was in a bit of disarray. She hadn’t expected the Grand Princess and the Marquis and his wife to make such a decision so quickly. Indeed, she needed backing, but thinking of her purpose in returning to the capital, she immediately grew uneasy. If anything went wrong later, she didn’t know if it would implicate the Marquis’s residence. After all, it was an "ironclad case" personally concluded by the Son of Heaven.
The Grand Princess shook her head. "This isn’t about your greed. The matter is settled."
Qin Wan wanted to say more, but the Grand Princess looked at her with a stern expression, "Do you look down on the Marquis’s residence?"
Qin Wan gave a bitter smile. "Of course not, it’s just…"
"No ‘it’s just.’ This matter is my decision. No one can question it, including you." With that, the Grand Princess looked at Yue Qiong. "Set it for the day after tomorrow. Have Jia’er return from the military. Prefect Huo will also attend then."
Huo Huaixin hurriedly smiled and said, "Good, good, good. As Your Highness commands."
The Grand Princess nodded. "Later, have Qiong’er prepare gifts. Tomorrow morning, you go to the Qin residence."
"This official understands. Please rest assured, Your Highness."
Huo Huaixin gave his guarantee. The Grand Princess glanced around at the people at the table. "Good, everyone, let’s eat."
As her words fell, Madam Jiang quickly served dishes for the Grand Princess. Qin Wan was still in a daze. The Grand Princess patted the back of her hand and said no more. Beside her, Yue Ning tugged at Qin Wan. "Now you have to call me Sister."
Hearing this, Qin Wan gave a wry smile, not knowing what to say for a moment. Yue Ning served Qin Wan some food while saying, "Alright, don’t give a bitter smile. Father and Mother already treated you like a daughter. Now it’s just more proper. This way, when I go to find you in the future, it’s only right."
A slight ache rose in Qin Wan’s heart. She wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start. Seeing this, the Grand Princess also served her food. Only then did Qin Wan hurriedly pick up her chopsticks. The Grand Princess finally gave a slight smile.
For everyone present, this was ultimately a joyous occasion. Moreover, with Huo Huaixin present, the sweet words and compliments flowed one after another. Soon, the atmosphere at the table warmed up. Yue Qing was also eating, but his expression had already stiffened. For him, this meal was even more tasteless than for Qin Wan.
After the meal, the Grand Princess took Qin Wan back to her courtyard. Madam Jiang and Yue Qiong took Huo Huaixin to discuss the details of gifts and the banquet. Yan Chi left the Marquis’s residence on business. Yue Qing, dejected, returned to his own courtyard.
Qin Wan and Yue Ning, one on each side, supported the Grand Princess. Qin Wan’s heart was still uneasy. "Your Highness, I know you and the Marquis and Madam are afraid I’ll have no backing and will be bullied, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Such a favor is too great."
The Grand Princess gave a light hum. "This is not a favor. You are one of us. How can you call it a favor?"
Qin Wan was moved, but her smile held a touch of bitterness. The Grand Princess saw it and patted the back of her hand. "You are a good child. Though you are benevolent and kind-hearted, I can see you are still a bit reserved in your dealings with others. You lost your parents early and have no brothers. You’ve also suffered some hardship at the hands of your uncle’s family. I’m afraid you think there’s no one left to be close to? Don’t worry, even if we adopt you, it’s not to make you think of me as your grandmother. We remain as we were before. What we desire is simply to help you a little…"
Hearing this, how could Qin Wan continue to show reluctance? She quickly said, "No, no. Being adopted by the Marquis and Madam is a blessing to me. I never dreamed of such a blessing. Now that it’s happened to me, I feel a bit apprehensive. I remember every kindness you, the Marquis, and Madam have shown me. It’s even greater than what my own clan has shown."
As Qin Wan spoke, she could not deny that the Grand Princess had hit the mark. She was not the original Ninth Young Miss, so her reluctance for closeness did not stem from being bullied by her uncle and his family. In her mind, her closest were her father and mother, and they were both dead. In just two months, psychologically, she truly hadn’t intended to treat anyone as her closest kin.
Yet the Grand Princess’s words made her feel a twinge of guilt, followed by acceptance of the matter. The Grand Princess then held her hand and said, "Good child, you must know, all this comes naturally to us after seeing your character and receiving your kindness. It’s not something you’ve gained that you do not deserve."
Hearing this, Qin Wan’s heart eased again. To receive such great favor without cause indeed made her uneasy. But then she thought, from now on, she wouldn’t be alone. There were people she could truly respect and honor. For someone who had lost both parents, this was simply a blessing.
Qin Wan nodded. "Yes, what you say is right."
Seeing that Qin Wan’s expression had relaxed as usual, the Grand Princess knew she had accepted the matter in her heart and finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. She looked at Qin Wan, then at Yue Ning, and gave a satisfied sigh. "I only have Qiong’er, one child. But among the grandchildren, I have both grandsons and granddaughters. Good, very good. I must live at least another ten years!"
Yue Ning laughed. "Ten years is not enough. With Fourth Sister here, you must live another twenty or thirty years."
Yue Ning’s "Fourth Sister" call sent a shiver through Qin Wan’s heart. After all, her original age was the same as Yue Ning’s. And in her eyes, Yue Ning, though outwardly a bit taciturn, was still a young girl who hadn’t grown up or experienced much. To suddenly be called "Sister" by her was truly unsettling.
Yue Ning seemed to find the address very smooth and turned to say again, "Isn’t that right, Fourth Sister!"
Her tone was bold, pretending to be an elder. The corners of Qin Wan’s lips twitched, and she could only smile inwardly. She simply nodded along with her. "Exactly. Your Highness will certainly live a hundred years."
Seeing them like this, the Grand Princess also laughed. "I don’t seek a hundred years. I just wish we could have four generations under one roof."
They were still talking when Huo Huaixin had finished discussing with Yue Qiong and his wife. He had taken Yan Chi’s hint to advise Yue Qiong, and this matter had succeeded so quickly! Huo Huaixin felt even more deeply Qin Wan’s importance to the Marquis’s family and was somewhat grateful to Yan Chi. Once this matter was settled, as a witness, he could naturally forge closer ties with the Marquis’s residence.
Huo Huaixin left the Marquis’s residence happily and headed toward his own residence. Along the way, his mood was extremely cheerful. As he walked, he thought about what to say when he went to the Qin residence tomorrow. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. Never mind the Qin residence’s current decline, even in its former state, they would not refuse the Marquis’s residence adopting Qin Wan as a daughter. Huo Huaixin pulled back his thoughts and simply stopped thinking about it. He knew the Qin family’s Mistress Madam Lin and Second Young Master Qin Li, and neither were difficult to deal with. When he went tomorrow, they would even have to thank him!
Thinking this, Huo Huaixin strode through his residence gate. Before he had walked many steps, he ran into Huo Ning, who was about to go out. Huo Huaixin frowned. "Where are you going?"
Huo Ning, accompanied by Fei Quan and Nan Feng, looked slightly uneasy. He coughed lightly. "Just going out for a stroll."
Huo Huaixin gave a light hum. In his good mood, he didn’t want to give Huo Ning a hard time. "Come back early."
Hearing this, Huo Ning was immediately surprised. He had thought that no matter what, Huo Huaixin wouldn’t let him out. He looked at Huo Huaixin for a moment and suddenly noticed his father was in a very good mood. He stepped forward and asked, "Father, what happened that makes you so happy?"
Huo Huaixin raised his chin proudly. "The Marquis’s residence is going to adopt Ninth Miss as an adopted daughter. They want me, your father, to be the witness."
Hearing this, Huo Ning was first stunned, then his eyes lit up with laughter.
"Hahahaha! This time, Yue Qing is going to cry…"
Huo Huaixin’s steps halted. "What? The Marquis’s residence’s Second Young Master? What does this have to do with him?"
Huo Ning continued laughing. "Yue Qing has feelings for Qin Wan. Now she’s being adopted, they’ve become siblings. Isn’t Yue Qing’s fondness going to be dashed?!"
Hearing this, Huo Huaixin was momentarily stunned. Remembering it was Yan Chi who had suggested this to him, a cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back.