The Supreme Immortal Lord had clearly adjusted Er Jingzhou’s appearance to suit his preferences—broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, not to mention that flawless muscle definition and proportions only a select few could achieve.
Even she found the sight to be intoxicating, desire hanging palpably in the air. For ordinary folks present, the scene’s impact was unimaginable.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ling Jing shot him a look: You are in big trouble, hahahaha.
The Supreme Immortal Lord gave her a quick smile, replying, Save me.
Ling Jing was briefly silent before retorting, “Seriously? You’re standing by the pond, one hand carrying your son, the other gripping a cloak, wet hair draped over your shoulders, and your figure on full display… with that ‘heroic posture,’ you’re smiling sweetly at me and asking me to save you. Have you considered how I might feel?”
Qin Jingzhou blinked and asked, “Want me to go change first and come back?”
Ling Jing’s mood suddenly became complicated.
Truth be told, the silent communication between Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing was on a level so high that anyone below the Nascent Soul stage wouldn’t be able to pick up on it.
So, once she snapped out of it, Xiao Xi bolted over to her father quickly. “Daddy!”
Qin Jingzhou agreed with handling business first, so he handed the key piece of evidence—the cloak—to his daughter. Then, supporting his foolish son with both hands, he pressed a few acupoints and channeled his skill to expel water—from the boy’s lungs, stomach, and even his head.
Er Xiao hung upside down and vomited up several mouthfuls of dirty water before regaining consciousness.
By now, the staff and maids of the Prince’s Household rushed forward with cotton quilts, quickly wrapping Er Xiao up and stuffing several hand warmers into his arms.
Qin Jingzhou took the cloak from his daughter and, in front of the assembled nobles, said, “When I jumped in to rescue my son, this idiot was gripping onto this as if his life depended on it. If I’m not mistaken, wasn’t the young miss of the Mi family wearing a cloak of this color today?” He handed the cloak to a nearby nursemaid, greeted Ling Jing with a nod, and, with one arm around his daughter and the other around his son, led the three of them off to change and warm themselves by the fire.
Yes, Er Xiao’s fiancée was also surnamed Mi, the grandniece of the previous three Consorts, still in mourning, not even three months out.
Er Xiao liked his fiancée—if not, he wouldn’t have jumped in the moment he saw the cloak floating. He’d plunged in, heedless of consequence. As for Miss Mi, not so much. At the very least, this proud young lady would never willingly marry someone like Er Xiao, even if he was Marquis Wu’an’s noble grandson.
For Qin Jingzhou, washing up and changing was no trouble, but for Er Xiao, things were more complicated. With a fractured left hand, he needed his bandages changed as he got dressed.
Soon after, the Heir Apparent of Prince Qiyang and Marquis Wu’an both arrived—after all, sorting out this small scandal should be quite easy.
The Heir Apparent fussed over them, confirming that neither Qin Jingzhou nor Er Xiao were worse for wear. Offering polite apologies, he left, yielding the stage to Marquis Wu’an.
Once seated, the Marquis instructed, “Xia girl, go check on your brother.”
Qin Jingzhou slipped an arm around his daughter’s shoulders. “Is there something you can’t say in front of my girl?”
His third son’s hair was half-dry, trailing over one shoulder… After gazing intently at the boy for a while, Marquis Wu’an finally nodded, “Fine.” He’d always known this son was good-looking, but he hadn’t realized just how striking until now. Looking straight into the child’s eyes, he… simply couldn’t refuse.
Only after the household girls poured tea and withdrew did the marquis continue, “That Mi girl has wanted to break off the engagement for some time.”
Qin Jingzhou chuckled, “Then break it off. But there’s no need to make herself a widow at the gate… This girl, she deserves a sentence.” Whether the Marquis understood the reference or not didn’t matter. It didn’t stop him from asking, “And which of the prince’s people is she involved with?”
If there wasn’t a heavyweight accomplice in the mansion, someone would have rescued the fool at the first sign of trouble, and some maid on Er Xiao’s side wouldn’t have been left crying for help until he himself had to fish his son out of the pond.
Marquis Wu’an answered candidly, “The Heir Apparent’s younger brother.” Worried his son might not be clear on the intricacies of the prince’s household, he added, “That younger brother is the son of one of the Prince’s Concubines.”
Cradled in her father’s arms, Xiao Xi looked up and whispered, “No wonder the Heir Apparent almost burst out laughing.”
Qin Jingzhou tousled his daughter’s hair, and, just as Er Xiao walked in, asked, “What do you think of this engagement?”
Er Xiao was taken aback, “Huh?”
Qin Jingzhou purposefully repeated himself, “You just heard your grandfather. So what do you think about this engagement?”
Er Xiao was distraught, “I… get a say in this?”
Xiao Xi cocked her head to the side and added for her father, “What else? Why would Daddy ask you?”
Er Xiao seemed to struggle, and finally, after a while, shook his head slowly. Previously, his fiancée was one of the rare comforts in his life, but now…
He pressed his right hand to his forehead in earnest, explaining, “Father, I really thought she’d fallen in the water… When I jumped in and realized something was wrong, I fought desperately just to grab onto that cloak. Otherwise I wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on… Even after swallowing several mouthfuls of water and sinking, I wasn’t scared at all. It was just my arm that hurt so much…”
Xiao Xi chimed in at just the right moment, “It’s because Daddy has saved you so many times, Brother, you’re just used to it.”
Er Xiao paused, then admitted, “Yeah.”
Qin Jingzhou turned to Marquis Wu’an, whose face was one of close scrutiny. “Call off the engagement.”
The Marquis didn’t object. The Prince’s son hardly had the standing to put a green hat on his grandson and expect him to tolerate it.
Seeing that his son was recovering, Qin Jingzhou soon left with his children.
Having pulled his son out of the water in front of everyone, he knew that in the days to come, he would be the talk of every circle in the Capital’s elite—he did not care. After all, he’d long lost count of how many times he’d been dubbed “the most beautiful person under Heaven.” His daughter, Xiao Xi, would grow used to it as well, but if his idiotic son heard such talk right away, he’d get worked up for sure. Better to hurry home and keep a low profile for a few days.
After the gathering, Marquis Wu’an dispatched people to negotiate with both Prince Qiyang’s Household and the Mi family. From the Heir Apparent he learned that, had it not been for the Lady of the Marquis making introductions, the Heir Apparent’s younger brother and Miss Mi could never have started their affair.
This infuriated the marquis, who’d hoped to play the victim for some gain. He didn’t think the Heir Apparent would deceive him, and besides… His wife had always been the type to pull off spiteful stunts that hurt others without any benefit to herself.
In front of the Old Madam, the marquis interrogated his wife without mercy.
The Marquis' Consort crumbled after just a few harsh words and confessed everything—how she’d conspired with the Prince’s younger son to harm Er Xiao, and even teamed up with Yao girl, who’d gone to Jin Wang Manor, all to take revenge on Qin Jingzhou.
The marquis was furious and banished his wife to the small prayer room, with strict orders that she was not to come out without his command. In the past, he had turned a blind eye to her attempts at assassinating his third son’s family, since that was mere “internal affairs” of the household. But this time, he wouldn’t tolerate her collusion with outsiders, putting the entire mansion at risk.
Even more importantly, he could no longer ignore his third son’s wishes…
The Marquis' Consort never imagined that her usual attempts on Qin Jingzhou’s life would incur such a heavy punishment. She couldn’t understand it, but no amount of weeping or begging worked. Even her two sons and daughter, kneeling outside the study nearly a whole day, couldn’t sway the marquis. In the end, still crying, she was dragged away by the nursemaids and locked into the small prayer room in the northwest corner of the mansion.
After dealing with his wife, Marquis Wu’an summoned his third son and immediately laid into him, “Is this how you raise your children? To the point your own daughter wants nothing more than to kill you!”
Qin Jingzhou instantly realized the marquis hadn’t uncovered everything. He thought Er Yao only wanted revenge against her father, without having taken action, and didn’t know she’d already incited her brother Er Xiao to make a move. Otherwise, the marquis wouldn’t have this attitude.
Qin Jingzhou couldn’t be bothered telling the truth to such an irresponsible father, so he replied lazily, “Inherited talent.”
Marquis Wu’an took a deep breath, having to admit that his third son’s words… had some merit. He really wasn’t much good at raising children, and out of so many sons, none could shoulder the future of the marquisate.
The only one with real brains, his third son, was always vacillating between sensible and unreliable.
Recalling the news he’d just heard, he knew that whether he liked it or not, the marquisate would have to rely on his third son in the future… The marquis made an effort to compose himself. “Princess Minhe has taken a liking to you… Who knows how you even caught her eye.”
Qin Jingzhou let out a soft laugh. “Oh? You really don’t know?”
Marquis Wu’an… had a strong feeling that this third son just might be able to raise the family title higher still…