Chapter 324: Just Don't Scheme

Rong Juan boasted: "Father took me and my younger brother."

Qin Bi thought that Rong He Shizi, with his fine clothes and spirited horses, was a powerful minister in Great Yan, so taking children to the palace to eat for free was not strange; perhaps, for Rong He Shizi, this was not eating for free.

Qin Bi was not familiar with the Great Yan Emperor and had no thoughts, but Rong Juan was different.

Perhaps Rong He Shizi disapproved of the Great Yan Emperor's gifts to Xue Wang Fu, had long been dissatisfied, and was just waiting for an excuse to enter the palace for a meal; one should eat when one can, and a big meal would relieve his anger.

Qin Bi, born as a concubine's daughter in Hou Fu, had no such thoughts.

So, it was best not to act.

"Is it delicious?" Qin Bi asked the little dumpling.

"It is delicious," Rong Juan said, his eyebrows and eyes full of smiles; he was happy from eating. In a milky voice, he added, "Not even a chicken bone was left for Fu Bao."

Qin Bi looked at the child, unsure what to say; Rong Juan did not like Fu Bao at all. Since Fu Bao couldn't eat, the child enjoyed everything he ate. Actually, the family also had spirit-planted chickens exchanged for spirit ducks.

As soon as Rong Juan returned home, the young prince Yan Xun arrived at Rong Wang Fu.

Running into the Young Master's courtyard, the young prince immediately saw Rong Juan leaning against Qin Bi. The young prince's small prince robe fully displayed royal momentum, yet his running with short legs still revealed a child's liveliness.

"Rong Juan younger brother!" the young prince called out.

"Young prince older brother, why did you leave the palace?" Rong Juan asked, puzzled. He had just returned from the palace; Young Prince older brother hadn't said he was coming to Rong Wang Fu, and Young Prince older brother should have left the palace shortly after.

"I came to play with you," the young prince said, opening his storage bag to take out a bag of boiled melon seeds: "I brought you boiled melon seeds. I asked my mother to specially instruct the Imperial Kitchen to pickle them; they are very delicious."

Guards moved and set up small tables and chairs for the children. The young prince and Rong Juan sat on the small chairs.

Maidservants placed fruits and melons, along with small water cups. The young prince looked at the tables and chairs with fresh eyes; in the palace, no one specially prepared child-sized furniture for him. His maternal grandfather would give it to him, but he also worried the child would only focus on playing.

The young prince grabbed a handful of boiled melon seeds and gave the rest to Rong Juan: "You and Rong Chi younger brother can eat them."

Rong Juan did not stand on ceremony and accepted them. Qin Bi realized that regardless of how the court and palace fought, or how children calculated who received spirit food and spirit fruit gifts, Rong Juan did not stand on ceremony with the young prince, and the young prince also treated Rong Juan as a younger brother.

It made sense; the Great Yan Emperor treated Rong Juan and He Yan as brothers, so the younger generation did the same.

As for Fu Bao?

Xue He Shizi and the Great Yan Emperor were not brothers. What the emperor found difficult to handle was Qin He's title as the Chosen Daughter. If it were not true, it would be fine, but he feared Qin He truly was the Chosen Daughter.

As an emperor blessed with fortune, the Great Yan Emperor liked to happily pretend to be foolish, doing things a foolish ruler should do, but not too heavily or lightly, so court officials could find no fault, and he could still handle certain matters well.

One had to admit, the Great Yan Emperor was very capable.

While Qin Bi thought about these matters, Rong Juan held his youngest son and strolled leisurely. No question needed to be asked; he was helping the child digest. Qin Bi was speechless; entering the palace this time truly meant he had gone all out to eat a meal at the Great Yan Emperor's expense.

Seeing his older brothers eating boiled melon seeds, Rong Chi flapped his arms and cried, "Eat."

Rong Juan hesitated, but Qin Bi quickly stopped him: "Don't eat anymore."

The young prince turned around and told the little milk dumpling, "I saved some for you. I and Rong Juan won't eat yours."

Rong Juan took Qin Bi's hand, holding his youngest son Rong Chi, and walked away to stroll elsewhere. Seeing food made the little glutton throw a tantrum; this child was much more prone to tantrums than Rong Juan, but Rong Juan cherished him, for this was the child he had hoped for through several rebirths.

A smile curved Rong Juan's lips as he looked at the little milk dumpling, his heart melting.

"Who does this child take after?" Rong Juan looked at the little milk dumpling, thinking of Qin Lang's liveliness: "He should take after Qin Lang."

Qin Bi remembered Qin Lang as a child and said, "Qin Lang was not troublesome when he was young."

Rong Juan actually wanted Rong Chi to take after Qin Lang, as that boy was blessed.

Hearing this, Rong Juan examined the little milk dumpling: "Who does he take after?"

Qin Bi could only speak the truth: "He takes after me."

Rong Juan: "..."

The handsome, tall man looked at Qin Bi. Qin Bi was very quiet and gentle and weak. Rong Juan thought carefully and realized she did have a lively side, but only when he was not around.

Back then, when he did not like Qin Bi, she avoided him.

Whenever Rong Juan went to the courtyard of the fourth branch to see Qin Di and his wife, Qin Bi would leave immediately. Sometimes, if she could not avoid him, Qin Bi would speak with Jiang Shi and others, her eyebrows and eyes filled with happy smiles.

Afterwards, Qin Bi teased the little milk dumpling while Rong Juan's eyebrows and eyes were gentle.

These past two days, Qin Di and He Shi had both stewed a spirit duck to eat. Qin Bi had sent medicinal ginseng; cutting off a section and stewing it was beneficial for cultivation. Qin Tang and Qin Xun each had a small kitchen in their own courtyards and ate separately.

Qin Tang and Qin Xun also sent He Shi and Qin Di several hundred spirit ducks. He Shi did not say she didn't want them; Qin Bi had given them to her. Refusing the spirit ducks from Qin Tang and Qin Xun would make no sense.

Jiang Shi could not help but feel envious and said to Qin Tang: "In the entire Hou Fu, only Father and Mother are wealthy, with over ten thousand spirit ducks. How could Qin Bi be so generous to give them away?"

Qin Tang said nothing; he had not expected Qin Bi to be so good to He Shi.

"Do not be short-sighted and try to coax Mother's spirit ducks," Qin Tang warned: "Qin Bi is good to Mother; do not let her heart grow cold. Also, remind Lin Shi."

"What about Father?" Jiang Shi said impatiently: "If Lin Shi and I try to coax Mother's spirit ducks to eat, Father would not agree. Father is not confused, and Third Uncle is giving Father advice."

Whenever Qin Di had matters, he consulted Qin Tan, who was wholeheartedly assisting Rong Juan and Rong Chi.

Qin Tang nodded; it was fine for Jiang Shi to be merely envious, as long as she did not scheme.

However, while Jiang Shi and Lin Shi did not scheme, Qin Han was thinking about it at home. After looking around the shop, she returned to the courtyard behind the shop. Jiang Mo sat down and examined Qin Han's complexion.

"What is wrong?" Jiang Mo asked.

"I heard Mother received many spirit ducks," Qin Han said with a heavy heart: "The concubine's daughter said there were a full ten thousand spirit ducks. It is said some spirit ducks grew spirit crystals."

Jiang Mo's eyes lit up with excitement for a moment, but then he sighed thinking of something: "Your legitimate mother is not your birth mother; I fear she will not give you spirit ducks."

Qin Han pondered: "Among the several concubine's daughters, I have some face in front of Mother."

Jiang Mo became excited again: "Then go there. Even if she does not give you spirit ducks, it does not matter; let the children follow along. Eating a few meals of spirit duck is fine. Our two children are both ordinary people; spirit duck meat is beneficial to the body."

As for the spirit crystals?

Jiang Mo did not dare to hope. Qin Tang and Qin Xun both had children; Qin Han was a concubine's daughter. If He Shi did not deeply love Qin Han, she would not bring spirit crystals back from Qin Han to give to her own children.

However, Jiang Mo instructed: "When you return, coax your father-in-law and mother-in-law more."

Qin Han nodded; this was natural. She stood up and began looking for things to bring.