Marquis Wu'an's, with an 'out of sight and out of mind' attitude, sent his useless son off to serve as county magistrate in an extremely remote place.
Yet in Qin Jingzhou’s view, while the original host’s post was certainly remote, the vast, sparsely populated region made it easier to manage. Besides, it was less than a hundred li from the Prefecture Capital. Both the Prefect and the local garrison commander had decent relations with Marquis Wu'an. Safety would never be an issue.
In other words, although the Marquis found the original host disagreeable, he hadn’t truly abandoned him.
So, if the Marquis didn’t visit, and the original host died from poisoning, once the truth was uncovered Marquis Wu'an would never let the original host’s children off the hook.
After all, there were several elderly attendants in the household sent by Marquis Wu'an to look after the original host. Of course, they often joined the eldest son in belittling their master and stood by as he was humiliated before his son, but if it came to “the eldest son conspiring with his sister to poison their own father”—such a grave crime—even they couldn’t keep silent to Marquis Wu'an.
Probably, the original host’s eldest son and eldest daughter firmly believed the Marquis would not trouble them siblings over a dead man. Qin Jingzhou thought their intelligence was sorely lacking—especially the eldest daughter. Even after a rebirth, her schemes were still so pathetic!
Putting himself in the original host’s shoes, Qin Jingzhou felt both exasperated and indignant: It’s one thing to be bad, but why be so stupid on top of it?
Xiao Xi looped her arms around her father’s neck to collect herself. After studying his expression, she whispered, “Daddy, you’ll be returning to the Capital soon to report on your duties. Er Yao doesn’t want to see you and poisoned you again because she doesn’t want you causing her trouble after you get back... Daddy, actually, I’m not a fan of mistress dramas, but from what I know about the plot, I sympathize more with the female lead. Er Yao is such a vicious supporting character—she ends up torn to pieces mostly by her own doing.”
Qin Jingzhou laughed. “Oh? Did you also get a rundown of previous events?”
Xiao Xi replied without hesitation, “I was an orphan in my last life. Just got an offer from a top university, and the next thing I knew, I woke up here as a four-year-old girl... The real Er Xia left behind a lengthy synopsis and a note not to hate her, saying she’d had no choice...” She tilted her head and gently rubbed her forehead against her father’s cheek, not minding his stubble at all. Her voice was soft and sweet. “Not only do I not hate her, I actually want to thank her properly! As long as I have you, nothing else matters! I don’t need anything else!”
Compared to his thirty-year-old, six-foot-one “good son” from his last life who still only knew how to hold out his arms for a cuddle, his daughter truly was the apple of his eye. Qin Jingzhou’s heart melted. He turned and kissed her on the forehead.
With Xiao Xi in his arms, father and daughter were chatting and laughing together, their joy filling the room. At that moment, the original host’s son, Er Xiao, believing it was about time to “inspect the results,” barged in with stewards and servants.
Seeing his father—no, the old bastard—alive and in even better spirits, Er Xiao froze on the spot. After a moment, he could not utter a complete sentence.
Meanwhile, the steward’s tense expression relaxed at once.
Qin Jingzhou waved his hand at his “cheap son” Er Xiao. “Idiot, get lost!” He then turned to the System and said, “That was the original host’s favorite insult for his son. Frankly, the original’s judgment wasn’t bad.”
The System responded, “The original host once thought he could stage a comeback relying on his outstanding children. But they turned out so dim-witted he couldn’t even bear to face them...”
“The original dreamed of having a self-awakened prodigy, a qilin son who’d make even Marquis Wu'an praise him. Then he could just coast along and enjoy the ride.” Qin Jingzhou chuckled. “But dreaming of unearned rewards is one thing. After all, I’ve had that dream too. But abusing your children just because they don’t meet your expectations—that’s truly despicable.”
The System chimed in, “Brother Zhou, you said you wanted to make it up to them.”
“The original’s eldest son and daughter aren’t even twenty yet. There’s still room for growth.” Qin Jingzhou patted Xiao Xi’s back. In his heart, he thought, With my precious girl here, I can save myself a lot of trouble.
The System spoke again. “There’s news from Miss Ling. She says this world has no spiritual energy, so sending messages is a bit difficult. She’ll keep it short.”
Qin Jingzhou had an inkling, but still smiled and asked, “What did she say?”
“Big boss! Save me! I’m about to lose my mind from this arranged marriage business!”
Qin Jingzhou burst out laughing. “Right away.”
Xiao Xi, of course, couldn’t hear the conversation between her father and the System, but she could sense his mood had brightened even more. The steward was still waiting, bowed respectfully before her father, so she gave a quiet reminder, “Daddy?”
Qin Jingzhou set his darling daughter on his lap. “Get ready to return to the Capital. Sell off the residence and manor here as soon as possible.”
The steward hesitated.
Qin Jingzhou searched the original host’s memories and recalled that, two months earlier, the original had asked the steward to send a message to Marquis Wu'an, saying that if the Marquis wouldn’t grant him a promotion, he’d never come back.
Even though this place was far from the Capital, the river connected them. Two months gave any experienced messenger more than enough time to make five round trips. Marquis Wu'an still hadn’t replied—clear proof he had no interest in this useless son.
The original couldn’t accomplish anything without his father’s help. But Qin Jingzhou was different... He could rely on Xiao Ling.
Thinking of this, he smiled again and instructed the steward, “Just follow orders. This doesn’t concern you at all.”
The steward thought so too. For all of Third Master’s willfulness, hadn’t the Marquis been cleaning up after him all these years, grumbling the whole time? Since the Marquis had assigned him to Third Master, and wasn’t asking him to do anything illegal, he may as well just do as he was told.
But before leaving, the steward dutifully reminded, “Third Master, the Young Master has been sending out a lot of messages lately…”
Judging by Er Xiao’s earlier conviction that his father was doomed, it was hard not to read into it. Qin Jingzhou waved a hand, indicating he understood. “Noted. I’ll have a word with him later.”
Catching the hint, the steward felt reassured and took his leave.
Meanwhile, Er Xiao was in his study, still reeling, his hands and feet cold as ice.
His eldest sister’s trusted aide had brought him some powder, claiming it would cause someone to die peacefully in their sleep without pain or illness. He’d seen with his own eyes the head maid by his father’s side add that powder to the old bastard’s teacup, though he hadn’t actually watched him drink it. He couldn’t help holding back a bit...
Now, completely free of the old bastard lording it over them at last… But as the rush faded, a tidal wave of terror set in. Only now did he feel fear, and wonder what would happen if things went wrong.
It was only at this moment that he realized something was off. Or rather, everything had been off from the start. The more he thought about it, the more he sensed there were layers of hidden schemes...
Frowning deeply, he muttered, “Did my sister and I fall into someone’s trap…? She’s just an ordinary Consort Jin in the Jin Wang Manor—how did she even get such deadly poison…”
Qin Jingzhou, holding Xiao Xi, stood by the window watching his “cheap son” for a while. Just by his expression, he felt this child might still be redeemable. When he saw him clutching at his chest, Qin Jingzhou finally spoke. “Are you finally coming to your senses?”
Er Xiao jumped in fright and slipped off his chair. In his panic, he caught himself on the floor, and an almost inaudible sound reached Qin Jingzhou’s ears: no bone fracture, but a crack for sure.
Qin Jingzhou took Xiao Xi’s hand and strolled inside, hoisted his foolish son—whose face was twisted in pain—back onto the chair with ease, then without a word took his uninjured wrist, probing his pulse for a moment. He understood immediately.
“What kind of medicine have you been taking these years?”
His son stammered, “The Consort’s imperial physician…” As soon as the words left his mouth, he fell silent. Realization slammed into him and he cried out, “So it was her!”
He looked up at his father. “My sister has changed so much, Father... and so have you. What’s going on? Please… don’t hide it from me…”
That last plea was desperate. Qin Jingzhou felt quietly pleased. “Growing up in the Marquis’s house, at least you’re not a complete idiot.”
Xiao Xi couldn’t resist adding her own jab. According to the memories she’d received, the real Er Xia’s relationship with her siblings was, to put it kindly, distant. “How could the Marquis, of all people, marry the Consort and then just… be like an old house catching fire?”
Er Xiao: …
Even his not-yet-five-year-old little sister had seen through their father’s… hidden depths…?
For a moment, the rush of emotions nearly split his skull. With his good hand, he slapped himself twice then dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice choked with sobs and regret. “Your son has committed a grave offense. Father, please punish me.”
Qin Jingzhou laughed. “A teachable child.”