Chapter 42 – Speculation: There Must Be an Astonishing Background…
As soon as those words were spoken, Qin Qin nearly collapsed on the spot. For a girl like her, raised in such protected comfort, she really had no ability to handle setbacks—she hadn’t even seen anything with her own eyes yet, but just hearing the phrase “might not come back” had already terrified her to this extent. It was honestly a bit too fragile.
Mu Qing sighed and quickly reached out to steady her, gently helping her over to a stone bench nearby to sit down. Only then did she turn to the Fifth Brother and say, “I say, Fifth Brother, can you not be so suspenseful when speaking? Look how you’ve scared her! So what exactly happened?”
Wu Jing saw Qin Qin like that and felt a bit embarrassed too. Though clever, he was still young, and clearly hadn’t interacted much with girls before, so he didn’t really think things through when he spoke or acted. He hadn’t meant to frighten anyone, but he also hadn’t thought to consider a girl’s feelings—this kind of dramatic pause wasn’t a deliberate scheme, but more like a young prodigy unconsciously showing off.
Mu Qing’s own little brother had been showing signs of this exact same behavior just days ago. Thankfully, she had noticed it early and personally knocked the arrogance out of him with a few stern talks, forcefully correcting his ways.
Otherwise, her little brother would probably be acting just like this now.
Thinking about how close her brother and this Fifth Brother had become—how easily they had hit it off—Mu Qing suspected they were cut from the same cloth. The mold hadn’t been broken just yet.
But Mu Qing took it in stride. After all, the boy truly was bright. Prodigies often received more indulgence than others, and envy wouldn’t help. All she could do was choose to forgive—so long as they didn’t overdo it, she could turn a blind eye.
This Fifth Brother, while flawed, wasn’t a bad person. Seeing Qin Qin so distressed, he quickly stopped being mysterious and told the story in full.
It turned out that Qin Old Master really had entered the palace—summoned by the most exalted person there.
The current Emperor, while not particularly old, was not in good health… though he was far from death’s door, he occasionally had whimsical ideas—such as calling in old ministers to reminisce about the past.
He had summoned Qin Old Master before. Those times, it had mostly been to discuss the education of the princes. But this time, the matter was different.
What exactly it was, even Wu Jing didn’t know. Though, based on what he did know, Mu Qing was already impressed. But she also understood: no matter what she asked, this young man definitely wouldn’t reveal anything more.
He was an exceptionally clever youth. Though young, his knowledge and demeanor were well beyond his years—clearly no ordinary person.
Recalling that awe-inspiring woman she had once seen—their legitimate mother—and comparing the aura of her husband and this Fifth Brother, Mu Qing had already started to suspect that this was no regular household.
In fact, if they were this familiar with royal affairs, they were likely not just any aristocratic family.
Still, it had little to do with her—unfortunately, her husband had departed so quickly that she hadn’t even had a chance to raise the matter of terminating their agreement early.
Mu Qing was increasingly convinced that this was something she needed to handle as soon as possible, though given the current circumstances, seeing her husband again might be difficult.
Luckily, her husband had sent this Fifth Brother to serve as a liaison, so communication wouldn’t be completely severed… not that she had anything urgent to report right now anyway.
If she really had to identify something important, it would be helping Qin Qin keep an eye on the situation with her father. That could count as a meaningful task.
After all, she already regarded Qin Qin as a friend. And though she had once clashed head-on with Qin Old Master and disagreed with many of his views, she had also come to see that he possessed many admirable qualities.
As the saying goes, “None are perfect; gold is never pure.” Since she had accepted Qin Qin as a friend, she could afford to be a bit more tolerant toward her father.
Even if the matter at hand was quite tricky—since it now involved the imperial family. One had to say, Qin Old Master was really something… or perhaps, truly something?
Mu Qing marveled at how tangled this situation had become, but she adjusted her mindset quickly. She would be Qin Qin’s strong support through this storm.
It wasn’t like she had a choice—when the girl cried, even she felt a pang of pity. This must be what people meant by “pitiful enough to melt hearts”… definitely not because of all those days of custom-made treats from Xinghualou.
With Mu Qing’s silent reassurance, Qin Qin’s emotions gradually stabilized.
Wu Jing, having finished delivering his message, now stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
Seeing that he had no further information to provide, Mu Qing finally dismissed him.
Of course, before he left, she didn’t forget to assert her “Fourth Sister-in-law” authority and instructed, “If there’s any news, be sure to inform us immediately.”
The young man nodded with a sheepish smile—given his usual temperament, he might’ve tried to crack a joke or two. But one look at Qin Qin’s tear-streaked face and Mu Qing’s serious expression had him swallowing all that down.
He simply bowed politely, bid them farewell, and turned to leave.
He was so well-behaved, so different from the proud and polished young man he’d been earlier, that Mu Qing was quietly amazed.
Still, she knew this wasn’t the time for jokes. While she comforted Qin Qin, she also sorted through all the information she had just gathered, analyzing it carefully.
Qin Old Master had once served as a teacher to the imperial princes, and his previous trips to the palace had always been related to their studies.
If this time was different, there was only one explanation.
This summons likely wasn’t just about academics—it was probably to evaluate which prince was most suitable to inherit the throne.
Before she knew it, Mu Qing found herself mentally scripting a grand palace drama of “The Nine Princes Struggle for the Throne.”
But truth be told, how many children the current Emperor had—even how many princes—wasn’t something a merchant family from distant Jiangnan would be privy to.
Ten-some years ago, when her father still ran shipping routes between Jiangnan and the capital, maybe. But ever since he had stepped away from business, the capital had become off-limits to their entire household.
So this basic bit of imperial trivia was actually something Mu Qing didn’t know. She’d have to ask someone who did.
Like Qin Qin. Surely she would know.
And the more information they had now, the easier it would be to piece together the truth.
After a moment of thought, Mu Qing asked directly, “Qin Qin, do you know how many princes the current Emperor has?”
The question might have seemed sudden, but Qin Qin only blinked before answering calmly, “There are four in total. Originally, there were five, but the fourth prince passed away before reaching a month old… Since the late Fourth Prince was born of the Empress, His Majesty insisted he be counted among the line. Because of this, he never named a Crown Prince—for fear of further grieving Her Majesty.”
Even though Qin Qin’s eyes were still red and her voice hoarse from crying, she relayed this information clearly and logically. Mu Qing instantly understood.
So the Emperor truly hadn’t named an heir yet, choosing to wait until his sons matured and then appoint the most capable. No wonder there was room for competition among them.
Four princes—not quite nine, but still enough for a proper royal power struggle.
It now seemed highly likely that Qin Old Master’s summons was related to the selection of a Crown Prince.
Unfortunately, news of an Emperor’s critical illness was typically kept under the tightest secrecy. It wouldn’t just be hidden from womenfolk—even many officials and princes themselves would remain in the dark until the new Emperor ascended.
Given that, someone summoned to advise on the matter—like Qin Old Master—would almost certainly not be allowed to leave afterward.
After all, if he had met the ailing Emperor and been asked to evaluate each prince’s studies, then he had been exposed to state secrets of the highest order. It would be impossible to simply walk away afterward.
Frankly, being served “imperial wine” on the spot wasn’t out of the question. The imperial court had a reputation for using people and then discarding them—often ruthlessly.
And even if you died, you’d still have to thank His Majesty for the honor.
But since Wu Jing said Qin Old Master was still safe for now, perhaps things hadn’t reached that dire a point yet.
Qin Old Master might have been a bit rigid and idealistic, but he wasn’t stupid. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived all these years.
Even though she’d grown up in Jiangnan as a mere commoner, Mu Qing had still heard of that major case from over a decade ago.
Of course, it wasn’t from her parents—Master Mu and Lady Bai had no channels to know of such things.
She had dreamed it—part of the source material from the original story.
And strangely enough, it even had something to do with Liu Feng.
As the Dragon-AoTian protagonist of the original novel, there was no way he could really just be a poor orphan boy from a fishing village. He had to have an astonishing background.
