Chapter 88: Favoring Girls over Boys

Xia Tong immediately closed her mouth. With her experience, she quickly guessed that the other person was definitely angry. She hurriedly wrapped her arms around him in a show of loyalty, saying, “It would be best if he died. I can’t stand people like that, and that old Grand Tutor too—despicable and shameless. There’s not a decent person among them.”

Her words lacked conviction because, after all, Gu Qin wasn’t exactly clean himself. But on second thought, although he indeed had a violent temperament, at least he acted openly, unlike some people who engaged in underhanded deeds.

“In your eyes, what kind of person am I?” Gu Qin cast a faint glance at her.

Xia Tong blinked, feeling her survival instincts kick in. She didn’t stay silent for long and said earnestly, “You’re a bad person, Your Highness.”

After saying this, she leaned in, flashing a sweet smile, “But I like bad people.”

The corners of the man’s mouth finally curved into a slight smile, his expression no longer as intimidating as before. He walked ahead, while Xia Tong felt a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. Since coming to the Regent’s residence, she realized her sweet talk had improved quite a bit—there was no helping it, life demanded it.

Once back in the residence, Gu Qin naturally went to his study, while Xia Tong continued to take her prenatal medicine day after day. However, perhaps the Imperial Guards outside truly angered him. In the following days, Gu Qin didn’t attend court again. It seemed he was genuinely staying in the residence to undergo an investigation, but Xia Tong knew he was definitely scheming something.

Meanwhile, Xia Ning remained undeterred and sought her out again, and this time, ignoring her was futile.

“The Duke heir’s consort has come with the Empress’s token. She is now waiting in the outer hall.”

Xia Tong frowned while leaning against a soft couch, feeling that this person was simply relentless. With no other choice, she had to let Fang Yu bring her in.

Before long, a woman dressed in a smoky-hued eight-panel skirt walked into the room. Her hair was styled in a common woman’s bun, and after not seeing her for a while, she appeared more composed and less scheming than before.

“Greetings, Princess,” Xia Ning suddenly bowed halfway in greeting.

“There’s no need for such formality.”

Xia Tong didn’t dismiss Fang Yu; it was wise to remain vigilant. There was nothing worth hiding at this point.

After Xia Ning took her seat on a round stool that Fang Yu quickly brought over, she scanned the woman who was half-reclining on the soft couch. Xia Tong still looked as beautiful and ethereal as ever, and her light green dress did little to hide the slight bulge of her abdomen. Having not seen her for a long time, it seemed she was living as well as the rumors suggested.

“May I ask why the heir’s consort insists on seeing me?”

Fang Yu stepped forward to hand a cup of hot tea to Xia Ning. After accepting it, Xia Ning casually glanced at the people behind her and finally spoke, “I didn’t expect that Tong’er and I have become so distant.”

Her tone revealed a hint of loneliness. Xia Tong fixed her gaze on her, remaining expressionless. “If cousin is only here to reminisce, you can come back another day. I’ve been feeling unwell lately and fear I won’t be able to entertain you properly.”

Xia Ning’s rosy complexion belied her claim of being unwell. She clenched her fists, unwilling to back down. “The Xia family caught fire. How can you act as if nothing happened?”

When she heard this news, she nearly fainted. If it weren’t for the heir advising her to weigh the pros and cons, she would have rushed to the capital to question her cousin. Her grandmother and the others had been harmed by that scoundrel—how could Xia Tong still be so unconcerned, living her life and raising children? Had her conscience been devoured by a dog?

Seeing that Xia Ning was finally getting to the point, Xia Tong didn’t waste words. She coldly replied, “That was merely an accident. The Shuntian Prefecture’s investigation found it to be an unintentional fire. What more do you want?”

“You know well whether it was an accident or not. Even if you have grievances against our grandmother, you are still a member of the Xia family. How can you be so…”

“So heartless?” Xia Tong interrupted, meeting her gaze with a cold smile as she slowly set down the book she had been reading. “You thought I wouldn’t mind you plotting for me to marry the Duke’s heir? I kept silent when your mothers bullied mine for their amusement. When the Xiahou family was in trouble, it was the prince who saved them. Yet, they immediately went to seek refuge with the Grand Tutor and even captured my mother to threaten me. Am I the heartless one here, or are they the ungrateful ones? My patience has its limits. No matter how kind a person may be, they cannot endure others’ deceit and schemes!”

As Xia Tong finished speaking, Xia Ning was momentarily taken aback. She was unaware of what had transpired afterward, but even so, she could not simply stand by and watch as the people in the residence were harmed by that traitor.

“Everyone makes mistakes; perhaps our grandmothers were simply confused for a moment. Why won’t you give them more time?” Xia Ning asked, frowning, still dissatisfied.

In response, Xia Tong scoffed, “When my mother was taken, did they give me any more time? If you came here today just to blame me, you can hate me all you want. I’ve never wronged our grandmothers and don’t need anyone to speak on their behalf.”

She believed she had already been more than forgiving to the people in the Xia family. It was their own demise for thinking Gu Qin would be so easy to deal with. Who else could she blame?

At this point, Xia Ning had nothing more to say. She knew that the regent was responsible for her parents’ deaths and was determined to take revenge.

“I’m here to help you understand a few things. Even if our grandmothers were at fault, the other members of our clan are innocent. You know the current situation. If you continue to aid the villain, all the clansmen will be implicated. Are you really going to be so stubborn?”

Seeing Xia Ning’s righteous demeanor, Xia Tong finally understood. This cousin was acting as a mediator; no wonder she had brought the Empress’s token. It must be Lin Qin’s idea. However, Lin Qin was just as foolish as the Empress Dowager, believing that she could win over Gu Qin this way. If it were that simple, why hadn’t Xiao Jing made a move by now?

“I don’t need anyone worrying about my affairs. Since you’ve said what you needed to, you can leave. I see that you don’t really have the Empress’s token; you simply want to tell me that I owe you nothing. There’s no need for you to come find me again; we have nothing more to discuss.”

With that, she turned to Fang Yu and commanded, “See her out.”

“You…” Xia Ning furrowed her brow, looking displeased.

Fang Yu took a step forward and gestured politely, “Please leave, Lady Xia.”

Xia Ning glanced at her very different cousin, feeling uneasy as she stared at her. “It’s my fault. If it weren’t for me, you would have married the Duke heir and lived well, and our grandmothers wouldn’t have met with misfortune.”

After speaking, she pressed her lips together and turned to leave. As the Duke heir’s consort, how could she not know who her husband cared for? The portraits in the study looked more and more like her cousin. Even now, her husband was still trying to persuade her, saying that her cousin must have her reasons for her actions and that she wasn’t the type to stand idly by.

It was truly ridiculous. What was so virtuous about her cousin? How could she possibly have no connection to the Xia family’s misfortune? Since that was the case, there was no need for any sentimentality.

After Xia Ning left, Xia Tong muttered in confusion and lost her desire to read. She grabbed a cloak and headed toward the study.

In the days that followed, she still hadn’t seen Xifeng. Xia Tong grew increasingly uneasy, but Gu Qin remained tight-lipped, unwilling to reveal Xifeng’s whereabouts. She couldn’t tell if he had really harmed him.

When she pushed the door open, she saw the man writing with great concentration. When Xia Tong approached, she noticed that the paper was filled with nonsensical words, like Xuan, Yi, and Xi.

“What are you writing?” she curiously leaned over to take a look.

He paused his pen and glanced at her noticeably rounded belly. With a gentle expression, he pulled her into his embrace and asked softly, “Which name do you think sounds better?”

Xia Tong was speechless.

She had intended to ask where Xifeng had gone, but now she couldn’t help but seriously scrutinize the words on the paper. She wasn’t well-versed in classical texts, but Gu Qin’s approval meant they had to be good. Still, something about the words felt odd to her.

“Why aren’t there any boy names?” She couldn’t help but turn back, looking at him with displeasure. “How can you favor daughters over sons?”

Didn’t people in ancient times always prefer sons over daughters? Why was this man always so different?

Ignoring her discontent, the man continued to write a character on the paper, his expression unchanged. “I don’t like boys.”

He preferred raising daughters. They would definitely be more obedient than their mothers.

Xia Tong stared at him in disbelief, unable to comprehend how he could have such gender bias. Didn’t he want to pass on the Gu family’s legacy?

Pouting, she picked up a wolf hairbrush, dipped it in ink, and wrote a boy’s name on the rice paper. But the next moment, her hand was suddenly grasped by someone, forcing her to draw a cross over that name.

“You women are always so conservative,” he said in a cold tone.

Xia Tong was nearly amused to the point of anger. Who was being conservative here? She knew very well that ever since she heard her mother mention how breastfeeding was best for children, this man had been acting strangely, even getting jealous over his own son. What kind of person was he?

“Fine, if it has to be a boy, then let it be a boy.”

He finally relented under her glare and, still holding her hand, slowly wrote down a name on the paper. He was usually magnanimous, so he would also be fine with hiring a wet nurse later on.

He wrote slowly, and soon a name appeared on the paper. Xia Tong murmured, “Gu Qiao?”

The study was silent, filled with a faint scent of ink. With one arm wrapped around her soft waist, he buried his face in her neck and took a deep breath, his large hand gently resting on her slightly protruding belly, both of them silent for a moment.

Xia Tong then wrote their names on the paper. Suddenly, a gentle smile appeared on her face as she said softly, “If you want a girl, I can have another one for you later, how about that?”

Having both a son and a daughter wouldn’t be too bad.

“No,” he immediately rejected without a second thought, his tone leaving no room for discussion. “One is enough.”

Xia Tong couldn’t help but turn to look at him, fully aware of his obvious thoughts. Couldn’t he prioritize the bigger picture?

Suddenly, thinking of something, her expression turned serious. She shook his arm and asked, “What have you done to Xifeng?”