Chapter 2: Will the Left Prime Minister Hit Her Child?

“You gave birth to a daughter?” Chen Qingrong nearly dropped the teacup in her hand. Shock rippled through her eyes as she stared deeply at her daughter, who was as cold and pure as ice and jade. “How old is your daughter?”

Yan Zhi’an had returned to the Prime Minister’s residence, temporarily placing Xunqi in her own courtyard, and had come immediately to explain the situation to her mother.

Facing her mother’s shock, Yan Zhi’an’s mouth tasted bitter. She pondered for a moment but before she could reply, the impatient Chen Qingrong tapped the table. “How old is your daughter?”

“Thirteen…” Yan Zhi’an covered her eyes, trying to avoid her mother’s probing gaze. She had her sorrows, but she couldn’t explain them in detail to her mother.

Xunqi was her daughter now. Only if her mother believed it would the world believe it.

If even her own mother couldn’t believe it, how could she make the world believe?

Outside, the heavy snow hadn’t stopped. In the warm study, Chen Qingrong counted on her fingers. “You’re twenty-seven, she’s thirteen. Counting the year of birth as one, that means at your coming-of-age…”

Chen Qingrong had married the fourth son of the Yan family and had only one daughter, who had been taken away from Jinling since childhood. Later, when her husband died and her daughter became the Head of the Family, she moved to the capital to live. So, she wasn’t very familiar with her own daughter.

By this calculation, someone had taken advantage of her at her coming-of-age.

Chen Qingrong felt a surge of anger in her chest. Yan Zhi’an calmly held her mother’s hand, a light shining in her eyes. “Mother, she is my daughter.”

No, no… Chen Qingrong sensed something was wrong. Her daughter had a cold temperament, brilliant talent, and was skilled at prospecting for mines. She wouldn’t casually ruin herself.

She gripped her daughter’s hand back, a mother’s strength rising within her. “Which family is she from? Why should you take the blame for her and be cursed at?”

But Yan Zhi’an pressed her mother’s hand down. “Mother, she will be the Young Heir of our Jinling Yan Clan.”

“Aren’t you going to get married?” Chen Qingrong couldn’t control her temper, her voice rising slightly. “You’re twenty-seven. You should be married. Other people’s daughters are already reading. Whose daughter is she? Send her back to her own family.”

Yan Zhi’an insisted, “She is a daughter of the Yan family.”

“Pah! Yan Zhi’an, don’t make me curse at you.” Chen Qingrong stood up. “You left my side as a child to study in the capital…”

“Mother, I’ve already acknowledged her. Don’t scare her.” Yan Zhi’an calmly soothed her mother, holding her hand, her expression gentle and her voice peaceful. “Mother, if you don’t treat her well, who in the Yan family will? She’s only thirteen, alone and helpless.”

“How old is she, how old am I? You’re willing to be a mother, but I’m not willing to be a grandmother.” Chen Qingrong was furious. “I boasted to everyone outside that I’d find you a good match, but you, you come back with a daughter instead of a husband.”

She was both angry and heartbroken.

She hadn’t been this sad even when her husband died.

Chen Qingrong was so angry she was about to cry. Yan Zhi’an said, “She’s very cute.”

“How cute?” Chen Qingrong instinctively suppressed her sadness. She liked looking at pretty girls. Back then, she had married into the Yan family because of Fourth Master Yan’s good looks. The daughter she raised was a famous beauty in Jinling, and she was very proud of that.

Yan Zhi’an stood up. After offering some comfort, she stopped talking. “Mother, come see her tomorrow. I suspect she should be awake by then. She’s currently recuperating in my courtyard. Once she’s better, I’ll move her out, and you can see which courtyard would be suitable for her.”

“Are you still going to get married?” Chen Qingrong was worried and wanted to cry again. Picking up a daughter from outside like this, how would she ever arrange a marriage for her in the future?

Yan Zhi’an frowned. She stood tall and graceful, her skin fairer than snow, her features bright yet not soft. Her cloud-like hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she wore no unnecessary ornaments. She was radiant and striking.

She sighed. “I am now in a high position. Tell me, who should I marry?”

“That’s true.” Chen Qingrong was speechless. This was why she didn’t pressure her daughter. No one was worthy of her. If she were to marry, it would certainly be a political alliance.

She murmured, “Then you could find someone you like.”

“Daughter has no one she likes. It’s getting late. I’ll be going back now.” Yan Zhi’an gently refused her mother’s words.

Outside, the heavy snow hadn’t stopped, but it had lessened. In the morning it had been like pear blossoms, but now it fell like scattered salt.

Chen Qingrong stomped her feet in frustration. After two stomps, her daughter had walked away. Not long after, someone delivered fresh ingredients, seemingly from the palace. She stopped stomping and decided to eat well tonight.

Xunqi woke up.

She opened her eyes. The dim prison cell had become a brocade canopy. She reached out and touched it; it was warm to the touch, of the finest quality. The madwoman had said that silk wasn’t something ordinary people could afford.

This was a wealthy household.

A warm censer in the corner gave off a pleasant incense, and the charcoal brazier dispelled the winter’s cold and damp. The whole room was warm and cozy.

Xunqi didn’t move after waking. She waited quietly. If the enemy didn’t move, she wouldn’t either.

After a moment, footsteps sounded, and a person approached.

Xunqi braced herself, but was surprised to see a woman. Her long hair was as black as ink, but it was tied up. According to the customs of this dynasty, women tied up their long hair after marriage, so this woman was married.

The woman gazed at her, her brows like distant mountains, neither too dark nor too light.

Xunqi sat up and looked again. The woman had a graceful figure, no step-restraining pendant at her waist, yet her skirt didn’t sway as she walked.

The two exchanged a glance, and the room fell silent for a moment. Yan Zhi’an looked calmly at the girl. As their gazes deepened, she curved her lips. Quite bold.

Yan Zhi’an said, “I am your mother.”

Xunqi narrowed her eyes. The next moment, she felt for her waist. Her clothes had been changed. Soft undergarments clung to her skin, but her waist was empty. The small knife was gone.

“What are you looking for?” Yan Zhi’an stood tall and graceful, lowering her gaze slightly, sensing the killing intent in her eyes.

She reached up, took the jade hairpin from her bun, and tossed it over. Her long hair cascaded down as she said with amusement, “Want to kill me? I’ll give you the chance. But you should know, killing me might vent your anger, but it won’t do you any good.”

“I am the Head of the Jinling Yan Clan and the Left Prime Minister of this dynasty.”

Xunqi trembled at her words. She reached out and grasped the jade hairpin. “You…”

“You want to say, with such a prominent status, why did I abandon you, right?” Yan Zhi’an’s expression was unreadable.

In truth, she didn’t know how to maintain this lie either, so she simply stopped explaining. “These things are all in the past. If you put down that jade hairpin, you will be the Young Heir of the Jinling Yan Clan. Power and wealth will all be yours. From now on, I will have only you as my daughter. Everything I have will be yours. Consider it yourself.”

“Xunqi, I won’t ask about your past, and you don’t ask about mine. You only need to know that even if you tear a hole in the sky in the future, I have the ability to clean it up for you. Because you will be the only daughter of the Head of the Yan Clan.”

The room suddenly fell silent.

Xunqi’s grip on the jade hairpin gradually loosened. Yan Zhi’an saw her relax and curved her lips into a helpless smile. “In a few days, I’ll take you back to Jinling to pay respects to our ancestors.”

Then, she reached out to Xunqi. “Return it.”

After a moment of daze, Xunqi’s gaze fell on her palm and fingers.

The five fingers were slender and well-proportioned, like jade.

Xunqi, as if possessed, returned the jade hairpin to her. She reached out and patted Xunqi’s head. Xunqi, as if seeing a ghost, quickly turned to glare at her.

A glint passed through Yan Zhi’an’s eyes. She couldn’t help but pat her head twice more. The girl reached out to push her away, but she said, “Your future honor and disgrace are tied to me.”

Xunqi’s outstretched hand froze. She puffed out her small face and said, “In the Ministry of Justice, they hit me.”

“I know.”

“The medicine shop owner sold fake medicine and killed the madwoman.”

Yan Zhi’an seemed to understand why she had beaten the physician to death. Her cold eyes deepened. “He’s dead. What do you want to do?”

“The medicine shop must close. His sons and grandsons are forbidden from practicing medicine.” Xunqi looked up. The woman before her carried an ethereal, otherworldly air in every gesture, as if one more hint of worldliness would make her ascend to immortality.

Yan Zhi’an nodded. “That’s only natural. Not just his descendants, but for the next ten generations, none shall practice medicine.”

“The people at the Ministry of Justice…” Xunqi spoke loudly, defiance in her eyes. “They used torture illegally.”

“You seem to know quite a bit.” Yan Zhi’an’s opinion of the girl before her began to change. She was green, fearless, and had a hint of hidden intelligence.

And, who was this madwoman she spoke of?

She cast a casual glance, which displeased Xunqi. “That look isn’t how you look at a daughter. It’s how you look at a prisoner.”

Yan Zhi’an couldn’t help but laugh. She withdrew her probing gaze and said, “Rest well. Once you’re healed, we’ll return to Jinling.”

She needed the Jinling Yan Clan to acknowledge Xunqi’s identity.

Yan Zhi’an left like a gust of wind. Xunqi tilted her head, her glass-like eyes fixed on the direction she had gone, her palm tightening slightly.

What the hell. She’d lived thirteen years, and suddenly her birth mother appeared, and with such a prominent status.

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon behind it.

Xunqi didn’t dwell on it. She lay back down, wrapped in the soft blanket. Whatever the case, she’d enjoy a few good days first.

The blanket was so soft, and the room was as warm as spring. No more freezing.

Xunqi closed her eyes in comfort, experiencing this absurd life of luxury.

The heavy snow stopped at dusk. Yan Zhi’an’s main room had been taken over by someone, so she had to move to the side room temporarily.

Braving the cold wind, Huo Si arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence with rewards.

Huo Si brushed the snow off her clothes and entered happily. Yan Zhi’an handed her a hand warmer. She took it and said, “Haven’t congratulated you yet, on gaining a daughter.”

The next moment, Yan Zhi’an snatched the hand warmer back. “No gift for you.”

“Left Prime Minister, Left Prime Minister.” Huo Si didn’t know what she’d done wrong. “Her Majesty ordered me to send some rewards to your Young Heir.”

“The Prime Minister’s residence doesn’t need them. Tell Her Majesty, this is my daughter. She doesn’t need a single thread or needle from her.”

Huo Si was baffled. It sounded like the Left Prime Minister and Her Majesty had a daughter together, and the Left Prime Minister had taken the child and left in a huff, refusing to take anything from Her Majesty.

“Left Prime Minister, why won’t you accept them? They’re all good things for nourishing the body.”

“Not needed!” Yan Zhi’an hugged the hand warmer and sat down behind the desk. “Tell Her Majesty, from now on, stop prying into the affairs of the Young Heir of the Yan Clan.”

Huo Si was kicked out of the Prime Minister’s residence.

She returned to the palace to report.

Upon hearing this, the Female Emperor propped her chin on her hand and looked at Huo Si. “She’s angry?”

Huo Si nodded.

The Female Emperor understood Yan Zhi’an’s temper. She seemed gentle, but was in truth extremely cold-hearted. She had single-handedly driven her own grandfather back to Jinling, showing no regard for family ties.

She asked worriedly, “Will the Left Prime Minister hit her child?”