Chapter 76: Seizing Power Part 4

The child clutched his new wooden horse, ignoring, but Qin Jingyu’s face chilled at the steward’s words. “If she’s asleep, we’ll return to our courtyard. It’s not that we didn’t visit—she had no time for us.”

As soon as the words fell, she took the child and left directly, leaving the bewildered Second Madam Liao Xiang behind. She held her four-year-old daughter, unsure whether she should go visit at this time. After hesitating for a moment, she returned to her own courtyard.

By the time Xun Yibai returned to the mansion, it was already dusk. His daughter Xun Ji was standing in the courtyard, playing with her kite. The servant girl had flown the kite very high, and she clapped her little hands in delight. When she saw her father’s figure, she rushed over, hugged his leg, pointed at the kite in the sky, and happily told him, “Daddy, the kite is so high… high.”

Xun Yibai had only this one daughter under his knee, and she was his legitimate child, so he naturally cherished her. He bent down to pick her up, stroked the soft hair on her head, and strode toward the room. “Who gave this to you? Was it your brother?”

The brother referred to Xun Ximing. The wet nurse heard and casually replied, “It was bought today at the market. The Heir Apparent’s wife saw that the young miss liked it and bought it for her.”

Upon hearing this, Liao Xiang emerged from behind the beaded curtain. She signaled the wet nurse to take the child away, poured a cup of tea for Xun Yibai herself, told him about the day’s events, and finally asked, “By rights, I should go visit Princess Xiang’an, but I can’t very well go before Eldest Sister-in-Law, or wouldn’t that be undermining her?”

Xun Yibai took a sip of tea and looked at his frowning wife. He then consoled her, “You two weren’t in the mansion today, which was already like slapping Changqing across the face. That girl might not hold it against you, but she certainly won’t give you any face either. The Prince is likely to blame you somewhat for it, but everything is handled by Eldest Sister-in-Law, so it has nothing to do with us. If you want to see her, later when she’s awake, I’ll take you and Ji’er over.”

Liao Xiang had always avoided opposing Qin Jingyu. That morning, when she said they were going out, Liao Xiang had been reluctant but still followed. However, she understood what the steward had said—Xun Changqing was just a little girl, yes, but she was also a princess personally conferred by His Majesty. Publicly or privately, they shouldn’t have acted that way.

She had grievances in her heart but didn’t dare voice them, yet in front of her own husband, she poured them all out. “I just don’t know why Eldest Sister-in-Law has to go against a girl who hasn’t even reached marriageable age.”

Xun Yibai had his own unspeakable bitterness. His eldest brother’s tragic death was nothing more than because of the intelligence provided by Xun Changqing.

The intelligence was real, but it had brought disaster to his brother. If he hadn’t learned of the changes in Kang City, he wouldn’t have personally led troops to suppress the chaos. Xu Ke’s martial prowess was shockingly otherworldly—capture the thief by capturing the king first, so he naturally set his sights on his brother. Once he killed him, the rest were no longer a threat. But he hadn’t anticipated the people from Lingyun Mountain who followed, nor him who had gone along.

He had witnessed the entire process, but he was utterly powerless. The only thing he could do was bring back his brother’s corpse for burial. And so, Qin Jingyu’s resentment and hatred fell squarely on Xun Changqing.

Who wouldn’t rush to claim credit for meritorious deeds? Xun Changqing had singled out his brother with the opportunity, which proved she knew full well there was danger in the matter and it wasn’t worth doing herself.

Qin Jingyu had lost her husband at a young age, so her hatred was imaginable. But Xun Yibai himself had no room to intervene—after all, if this matter blew up, it would only make outsiders laugh. He also agreed with Qin Jingyu: Xun Changqing had provided the information, so her intentions must have been malicious.

Seeing that he wasn’t speaking, Liao Xiang swallowed her words and bit her lip lightly. She said, “With Eldest Brother’s sudden death, has the Prince mentioned anything about the Heir Apparent’s position?”

Xun Yibai unconsciously frowned, gently set down his teacup, and a smug expression appeared on his face. “What’s the rush? Fighting over the Heir Apparent position is pointless. Better to aim for the Crown Prince position in the future. Let Eldest Sister-in-Law protect her own Heir Apparent’s wife’s position for now. She quietly seized Xun Changqing’s authority over the household stewards without a word—that girl is no pushover. If it escalates to the Prince, she’s the youngest, so even without reason, she’ll have reason on her side.”

Liao Xiang nodded upon hearing this. Indeed, there was no need to worry about this. Xun Ximing was only five or six years old and truly had no ability to contend for power.