Would You Be Good to Mother and Me?

The boatman poled the light skiff along the inner river, drifting and swaying until they reached the city.

The Capital City was the most prosperous place under heaven, yet north of the city, beneath its splendor, lay a patch of deep gloom.

Here, all the city's lowest trades and crafts were crowded together, like a heap of dung silently nourishing the Capital City, that grand and dazzling tree.

Qingtiao tugged her thin clothes tighter around herself and leaped ashore from the bow.

The boatman asked with a cheerful grin, "Miss Qingtiao, when should I come pick you up next time?"

Qingtiao shuddered. "You don't need to come for me again!"

With that, she lowered her head and ran off.

Though the place where she lived was remote, it was breakfast time, and the steam from the morning food stalls mingled with the mist. The foggy streets were already full of indistinct shadows.

Qingtiao's luxurious yet flimsy clothes were completely out of place in this neighborhood, naturally drawing plenty of strange looks.

Pity, contempt, lust—there was no shortage of any of them.

Those gazes pricked her like needles, leaving her in agony. She could only duck her head lower and quicken her pace, running straight toward the house at the end of the street.

Bang!

She shut the courtyard gate, hurriedly slid the bolt into place, then leaned against the door and sobbed silently.

At that moment, a man's voice came from inside the house. "Qingtiao, you're back?"

Qingtiao quickly wiped away her tears, forced a smile, and went inside. She pulled the pastries she had swiped from the Flower Boat out of her clothes. "Husband, you must be hungry, right?"

On the bed lay a plain-looking man.

His upper body was rather sturdy, but his legs were a little thin, and his ankles looked badly deformed.

Though the plain-looking man wore a smile, his expression was indescribably bitter and haggard.

He clearly hadn't slept all night.

He was Qingtiao's husband, Fu Gui.

"They... didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"

"No!"

Qingtiao stuffed a pastry into his mouth, then got up to pour him some cold tea. "They're young masters from a great family, after all. They were fairly courteous. Is it stuck in your throat? Drink some water if it is."

Fu Gui's eyes reddened. "You've suffered so much."

At those words, the smile on Qingtiao's face finally crumbled. Wiping away her tears, she collapsed into her husband's arms. "As long as you don't resent the two of us, that's all that matters! Once we've saved enough money to heal your leg, we'll leave the Capital City and never come back."

"Mm!"

Fu Gui answered, then fell silent. The couple simply held each other without a word.

After a long while, he finally asked quietly, "About how much longer?"

"Ten days!"

"Ten days!?"

Fu Gui was both surprised and delighted. "Didn't you say it would take a long time?"

Qingtiao hurriedly reached into her clothes. "On my way back by boat this morning, I ran into the Heir to the Marquis of Southern Suppression and his wife. They gave me this."

As she spoke, she opened the purse.

Inside were several little gold beans, enough for an ordinary family to settle down, buy a home, and live comfortably for many years.

Fu Gui's eyes grew hot. "The heir really is a good person. But is this... enough?"

A doctor had examined his leg and said that the Young Master had struck him too hard; it was beyond his ability to treat.

They would have to hire a renowned physician to break the bone and set it again, then use precious medicinal herbs to heal it. Only then could it recover as before. The gold beans were worth a lot, but they still weren't quite enough.

Qingtiao bit her lip. "That man introduced me to a new client. He'll come in ten days, and he can pay me five times as much."

Fu Gui fell silent once more, his face twisting as if his heart were being cut by a knife.

Qingtiao turned her back to him and asked in a trembling voice, "Husband, will you be good to the two of us from now on?"

"I will! Of course I will! Qingtiao, you..."

"I believe you!"

Qingtiao stroked her slightly rounded belly, tears streaming down her face.

The next few days passed without joy or sorrow, and everything carried on as usual.

The emotional loss of control on the boat that day seemed to have been only a brief interlude. It didn't affect the "young couple's" relationship afterward, and they acted as though nothing had happened.

But Bai Yuji was tormented. Every night, the moment she closed her eyes, she remembered the woman she had seen while boating that day.

The handprint on her face, the tears streaming down her cheeks, the way she shivered from the cold.

Yet she hadn't forgotten to gather her skirt and shield her belly with it.

No matter how wretched her circumstances, she must still have loved the child in her womb.

And yet it was precisely because of that child that those twisted, powerful nobles had taken an interest in her.

Bai Yuji was in turmoil. She didn't know what to think of the woman.

But whenever she remembered Qin Muye's words—"Our child is even more pitiful"—she felt as if the sky had come crashing down.

Before then, she had thought of all this as revenge. Carrying the Qin Family's child was merely a means to an end.

But now, she couldn't treat it so casually.

Because the child she had planned to conceive would not only have the Qin Family's blood in their veins, but half of her own as well.

That child could have grown into a lovely, adorable little one.

"Ah!"

Bai Yuji cried out and jolted awake, gasping for breath.

She wiped her forehead, her palm slick with cold sweat.

She shook her head and silently calculated the date. Her face suddenly stiffened.

The tenth day of the tenth month.

It was the appointed day.

Today, the boy and girl and the Fortune Bead would be delivered to the residence of Yayu's third son outside the city.

Their residence lay in Jing County, fewer than five hundred li north of the Capital City. A grand temple fair would be held there today. With the Ten Thousand Races Imperial Examination approaching, the fair couldn't be allowed to descend into chaos, so the court had sent several detachments of the Imperial Guard to patrol.

The Imperial Guard Qin Yanying trained with every day was among them.

And she had already laid all the groundwork. She had arranged a treatment regimen for Qin Muye in advance, and he was supposed to be resting at home these days, careful not to catch a chill. So there was no way he could go out.

All she had to do was mention that she wanted to go sightseeing, and Qin Yanying would surely take her along.

Once they reached the planned spot, just a few words would be enough to lead Qin Yanying to the demon's lair.

Everything was perfect.

And yet Bai Yuji couldn't shake her unease.

She pinched her thigh, forcing herself to dispel the feeling.

The Great Elder was right.

When it came to the hatred of a slaughtered race, no matter how extreme her actions were, they couldn't be considered too much.

Besides, the Qin Family held a sensitive position. No matter how grave Qin Yanying's mistake, at worst she would be imprisoned in isolation.

What did Bai Yuji have to feel guilty about?

"Phew..."

"Phew..."

"Phew..."

Bai Yuji took three deep breaths before she finally calmed down.

At that moment, footsteps approached from farther away. She hurriedly slipped back under the covers.

A while later, someone knocked on the door.

From the other side, Qin Yanying lowered her voice. "Yuji, are you awake?"

"I am! What is it, Auntie?"

Bai Yuji pretended she had just woken up.

Only then did Qin Yanying push the door open. She came inside carrying a steaming bowl of medicinal soup. "You've seemed listless these past few days. You must be exhausted from looking after Muye. Auntie got you some herbs to nourish your spirit. Drink them while they're hot!"

"Thank you, Auntie!"

Bai Yuji took the bowl with a smile and sipped the hot medicine. She felt a cool current flow into her mind and couldn't help pausing. "Auntie, is this Soul-Nurturing Saliva? Isn't it far too precious? Where did you get it?"

Soul-Nurturing Saliva was a miraculous medicine for cultivating the spirit. Whether for cultivators of the Dao, the demonic path, or the gu arts, it was a rare treasure.

A single drop was worth at least a hundred spirit stones, and it was something one could only chance upon, never seek.

Even though the Qin Family had come into quite a bit of spare money, they absolutely couldn't afford to buy something like this!

Qin Yanying chuckled. "Since the court is covering Muye's medicinal expenses, I understated some of them."

Bai Yuji immediately saw through her. "Soul-Nurturing Saliva has nothing to do with Muye's treatment! I've heard Muye say that although the court covers half the expenses, the Imperial Medical Bureau reviews them, so medicine like this could never get through. Auntie, tell me the truth. Where did the Soul-Nurturing Saliva come from?"

"You little rascal. Why are you so sharp?"

Qin Yanying smiled and chided her, then waved a hand. "I traded my stipend for it. My talent is average, and I probably won't break through to Grandmaster in this lifetime. Using cultivation resources would just be a waste, so I've been saving them for years. I thought I'd trade them for Soul-Nurturing Saliva to nourish your spirit."

"It's too precious!"

"What's so precious about it? Muye's recovery has been so quick because you've worked tirelessly for him. Besides, you'll be part of the Qin Family sooner or later. It's not as if I'm spending it on an outsider."

"But Muye doesn't seem to intend to marry me, and our families aren't of equal standing..."

"Let him try! Don't worry about it. If Muye dares say no, I'll break his legs! And even if he develops other ideas, Auntie will still claim you as her own. How about this? Tomorrow, I'll make you my goddaughter, and then you won't have to worry about that nonsense of family status."

"..."

"Drink up!"

"Mm!"

Bai Yuji's eyes stung a little. She lowered her head and took small sips of the medicinal soup.

After she finished it, Qin Yanying took the bowl with a beaming smile. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much better!"

"Then get some more sleep!"

Qin Yanying carried the bowl toward the door. Just as she was about to step outside, she suddenly turned and asked, "By the way, Yuji, there's a temple fair in Anjin County today. It'll probably be even livelier than the Capital City. Auntie has to go on patrol today. Would you like to come along and have a look?"

Bai Yuji's heart gave a painful tug.

After a moment's struggle, she smiled and nodded. "Sure!"