Chapter 70: These Are All Mine

Since crossing over, Qin He has always had smooth sailing.

The first time she was struck, Qin He felt a moment of daze and disbelief, then instinctively wanted to kill the person before her; a fierce look appeared in Qin He's eyes, and Cui Shi suddenly stood up.

"What?" Cui Shi said harshly, "Do you want to hit back?"

Qin He was startled, realizing she hadn't concealed her emotions well; she composed her expression, and her tone carried a hint of accusation: "Why did Mother hit me?"

"How dare you..." Cui Shi looked at the maids and servants.

The head maid signaled the other maids and nannies to withdraw, leaving only a wet nurse who had accompanied Cui Shi when she married; this wet nurse was Cui Shi's confidante, an old servant from her family.

"The heir of Rong Prefecture's offspring, and you dare to speculate rashly?" After the maids and servants had left, Cui Shi gritted her teeth and scolded: "These years you've had smooth sailing, becoming utterly confused; what should be said and what shouldn't, you have no memory of it at all."

Qin He was unconvinced; she didn't feel she was wrong at all. Rubbing her stinging cheek, Qin He felt resentment in her heart, though she dared not show it on her face; in fact, Cui Shi had already seen it.

A concubine-born child is still a concubine-born child; all that effort in raising her these years, and she hasn't improved a bit.

"I'm not guessing blindly," Qin He suppressed her hatred and retorted, "The heir is cursed with wives and no children; Qin Bi's pregnancy is very strange. Perhaps it's someone else's child; she just wants to steal favor."

Cui Shi had just sat down when she jumped up again and slapped Qin He hard once more.

"You..." Qin He glared in anger.

"What did I do?" Cui Shi, her face stern, pointed at Qin He: "If you've lived enough, go die; no one will stop you. Don't think that because He Prefecture's heir and Rong Prefecture's heir speak to you kindly, they can't easily kill you. Your death matters little, but don't drag the Marquis Manor down with you."

Qin He was startled, forgetting she had just been slapped twice. Cui Shi came from a prestigious noble family and knew court politics best; seeing how fearful Cui Shi was of Rong Prefecture's heir, Qin He felt a chill of apprehension.

However, since she knew both He Prefecture's heir and Rong Prefecture's heir, and since He Yan still favored her, Qin He didn't believe these two powerful heirs would harm her; she had this confidence.

"Qin Bi is restless," Qin He whispered in rebuttal.

"Qin Bi is more well-behaved than you," Cui Shi refused to sit, her face flushed with anger at Qin He: "You can say Qin Bi lacks your ability, you can say she lacks your scheming, but she is absolutely well-behaved. As for you, you have many admirers."

Qin He's face flushed red, feeling both ashamed and angry; being called restless by her legitimate mother would ruin her chances of going out in the future.

This fictional dynasty was strange; the legitimate mother held extremely high status and could easily crush any concubine-born child. Otherwise, with just those two slaps from Cui Shi, Qin He would have struck back.

"Legitimate Mother, don't be deceived by her," Qin He said with a petty mind, "Perhaps Qin Bi wouldn't have played schemes before, but now that she's tasted the sweetness of being a Prefecture's heir's wife, to secure her position, isn't it strange if the child isn't Rong Prefecture's heir's?"

Cui Shi raised her hand, but this time Qin He had learned her lesson and ran away in panic.

Cui Shi paused, then chuckled coldly: "Before, I only knew you liked everyone revolving around you; now I realize your thoughts are so vicious. Qin Bi is your half-sister from a different branch; even if she weren't well-behaved, it's not your place to accuse her. Prosperity is shared; apparently, you don't understand this principle. If Qin Bi fails, what benefit could you possibly gain?!"

Being called vicious by her legitimate mother made Qin He's eyelid twitch.

"I..." Qin He quickly tried to make excuses, whispering, "I didn't tell anyone else; I was just speaking to Legitimate Mother."

Qin He kept her head down, pretending to know she was wrong.

"Do you think Rong Prefecture's heir lacks means? There's no need for you to worry," Cui Shi returned to the table and sat, suppressing her anger. For the sake of the Marquis Manor and the Second Branch, she still had to plan for Qin He: "If you want to remain He Prefecture's heir's white moonlight forever, hide your malice well."

Qin He felt she had no malice, but her actions told a different story.

Maliciously slandering one's own sisters; just this alone would not be tolerated among noble families and aristocrats.

Qin He had arrived at Xue Wang Fu full of anger, only to be scolded by her legitimate mother Cui Shi and slapped twice. Though the matter was settled, Qin He dared not leave; in the dead of winter, a layer of sweat formed on her back.

She couldn't be seen as vicious; Qin He pretended to be obedient before Cui Shi, acting as if she were young and ignorant.

Cui Shi glanced at her, unsure whether to believe her, but didn't scold her again. The wet nurse brought warm water; Qin He applied a hot compress to her cheek, covered it with scented balm, and then left.

Qin He felt aggrieved; since the blow might harm the fetus, she felt somewhat unwell.

Xue Qing quickly summoned a physician. After feeling her pulse, the physician said, "Nothing serious. Think less and worry less; eat more good things. Consuming spirit rice, spirit vegetables, and spirit fruits regularly benefits the Prefecture's heir's wife."

Xue Qing nodded hurriedly, saw the physician off, and immediately began treating Qin He like a precious treasure.

Qin He needed spirit food and demon beast meat. He Yan had been fighting in the small space of the demon beast realm, so everything Qin He ate and used was the best; countless noble ladies in Jingcheng envied, jealous, and tore their handkerchiefs in frustration.

Qin Bi felt no envy; every day she brought Rong Yang to water the family's vegetable fields. After sleeping, she would condense a small cloud cluster; Rong Yang's little auspicious cloud was very diligent, carrying a small cloud cluster to the fiefdom to rain every day.

Rong Yang originally wanted to go to Yan Guogong Prefecture to play the pitiful child, but Lin Yao carried him to the fiefdom instead. There was no choice; this was the young heir's ten mu of fertile land, personally reclaimed by the Prefecture's heir's wife.

The child went to the fiefdom and, seeing the sea of green vegetable fields, his black eyes immediately lit up.

"These are all mine?" Rong Yang asked the strategist.

Lin Yao said, "Yes, they all belong to the young heir."

Rong Yang no longer cared about the things of that father from Yan Guogong Prefecture; the child had many tricks up his sleeve. The difference between his father's and his own was huge; since this land was all his, the child took it to heart.

His small hand took out the summoning magic treasure and commanded the auspicious cloud to form cloud clusters and rain.

Rong Juan felt a bit sorry for the child enduring the cold outside in winter, but if noble families' children weren't to be spoiled into uselessness, they couldn't be pampered. Rong Juan went to the fiefdom and gave the child a warmer hand warmer.

Rong Yang was extremely busy; upon returning from the fiefdom, he picked up a palm-sized small cloud cluster and sent it to the Great Yan Emperor in the palace. The large cabbages in the Imperial Garden grew visibly fast, delighting the Great Yan Emperor immensely.

"Good thing I didn't eat it," the Great Yan Emperor rubbed his hands and said, "If I had eaten it, where would such a huge vegetable come from?"

Wherever the small cloud cluster went, rain was never lacking, and vegetables grew rapidly.

Rong Yang lost all other thoughts and no longer cared to go to Yan Guogong Prefecture.

Qin He ate spirit food at every meal but remained deeply depressed; she pondered that in ancient times, noble families and aristocrats liked to take concubines when their wives were pregnant. Qin Bi was so calculating; she certainly couldn't let Qin Bi have her way. She summoned her confidante and gave instructions.