Chapter 12 : How She Plans to Repay His Highness

Those who arrived a little later, like Xue Chengdong, understood what was happening.

Xue Chengdong stepped forward, exchanged pleasantries with Old Madam Cui, and then greeted Princess Sheng’an.

Aunt Cui didn’t stay long, leaving once everything had been arranged.

Before leaving, she suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, Miss Xue, the princess has decided to gift you the cloak from that day.”

Princess Sheng’an had gifted Xue Qingyin a cloak?

He Songning instantly recalled the moon-white cloak from the poetry gathering.

With such evidence, no one would doubt its authenticity.

“Qingyin is actually acquainted with the princess…” This was the first time Xue Chengdong looked at his daughter with such a complex gaze.

“Yes,” Xue Qingyin answered confidently.

Prince Xuan really leaves no room for error.

She couldn’t help but recall her time at the Prince Xuan’s residence… there wasn’t much else in her memory, except that when he carried her out of the soft sedan, his hands were truly strong—steady and secure.

Even through her clothes, she could sense the faint muscle beneath.

“Enough with these thoughts, let’s go inside. Didn’t you hear what Aunt Cui just said? Qingyin’s old illness has flared up.” Madam Xue’s voice called out.

Xue Qingyin stopped her thoughts, obediently placing her hand in Madam Xue’s arm as they entered, comforting her, “Don’t worry about me, mother…”

In Xue Qinghe’s courtyard.

The maid vaguely heard lively voices outside and couldn’t help but feel curious, so she asked the old woman outside.

When she returned after asking, her expression immediately turned extremely ugly.

“The young lady is back,” she said.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“A good thing? She… she was brought back by Old Madam Cui, who’s from Princess Jinque’s side! She said the princess and she got along well and even invited a royal doctor to treat her old illness…” The maid gritted her teeth, “From now on, we truly have no way out!”

Xue Qinghe immediately gripped her handkerchief tightly.

Yes… it seems all the good things in the world are happening to Xue Qingyin. She has a loving mother, a father who caters to her every need, even an older brother who belongs to her, and now the princess is looking at her with special favor…

“The eldest son has arrived,” the old woman outside called.

The maid instantly stopped crying: “Young miss, when the eldest son comes in, you must get closer to him. The eldest lady is formidable, but we want to make sure she can’t even keep her own brother!”

Xue Qinghe frowned: “Stop talking!”

The maid quickly shut up and went to lift the curtain.

At that moment, He Songning stepped inside.

“Your face… what happened?” Xue Qinghe was startled as she raised her eyes.

He Songning casually replied, “It’s nothing.”

The maid anxiously asked, “Did the master hit you because the eldest lady didn’t return?”

Xue Qinghe instead said, “No, it must be the stepmother who hit you, right?”

She grew anxious: “How could she, how could she hit you? Doesn’t she know how willful and overbearing Xue Qingyin is? Xue Qingyin comes and goes as she pleases, and what can the eldest brother do about it?”

Meanwhile, just as Xue Qingyin entered the courtyard, she couldn’t help but sneeze.

Madam Xue quickly asked with concern, “Did you catch a cold?”

Xue Qingyin shook her head.

Madam Xue sighed with relief, took her hand, lowered her voice, and trembled, “Qingyin, I think your older brother… has changed.”

If you listened closely, there was a hint of sob in her voice.

Xue Qingyin’s eyes immediately brightened.

What change? He was always cold-blooded and ruthless!

Finally, you’re starting to notice something!

“I also think he’s changed. He’s not close to us at all. If you don’t believe me, send someone to check. He must have gone to see Xue Qinghe again.”

Madam Xue’s expression shifted, and she tightened her grip on Xue Qingyin’s hand.

Xue Qingyin seized the opportunity: “With a good mother like you who gave birth to such an obedient and good daughter, how could you give birth to such a heartless older brother! He doesn’t even seem like a member of our family!”

Madam Xue’s expression changed again.

She lowered her eyes, and her tone became a bit bleak: “He probably takes after your father; he’s naturally indifferent.”

“Maybe he was swapped at birth.” Xue Qingyin casually said.

Madam Xue rejected the idea: “You child, have you been reading too many novels? How could he have been swapped? When I was pregnant with your brother, I was not feeling well, so I went to my mother’s house. I gave birth there, surrounded by my relatives, so how could he have been swapped?”

Xue Qingyin opened her mouth and then closed it again.

She had no proof; exposing Xue Chengdong’s secret would take time.

But it was truly strange. Since Madam Xue had stayed at her family’s house for so long, how did Xue Chengdong manage to swap the children?

“Qingyin, tell me carefully, how did you get to know Princess Jinque, such a lofty person?”

“Oh, naturally, because I have a lofty opinion of myself too! With two eyes on my head, we just hit it off, didn’t we?”

“…” Madam Xue glared at her without saying a word.

“Mother, how many estates do we have in the outskirts of the city?” Xue Qingyin immediately asked.

“Two. Why? Want to go out to relax?”

“Give them to me,” Xue Qingyin said.

“Why this sudden idea? Those are under your brother’s control now.”

Xue Qingyin became curious: “What kind of assets does my elder brother have now?”

“In the capital, we have a silk shop, two pawnshops, two distilleries, a jewelry and gold shop, and outside the city, we also have a horse ranch right next to one of the estates…” Madam Xue counted them carefully.

The more Xue Qingyin listened, the more surprised she became.

Her mother was so rich!

No wonder He Songning was so generous during the competition for the throne!

This dynasty even allowed private horse ranches, which surprised her as well.

“Give them all to me!” Xue Qingyin said unceremoniously.

Madam Xue paused and then laughed: “You greedy little thing, I can barely get you up early, and now you want to manage all these estates? How will you manage them? We have estates in Jiannan and Huainan as well. You’re a young lady—can you go around handling them like your elder brother? Business is not easy now. Your brother was gone for so long to take care of these things. It’s not easy.”

Xue Qingyin pouted: “I must learn! If I get married one day, how can I run a household without knowing anything? Wouldn’t I be an empty mistress with no power in my hands?”

Madam Xue suddenly fell silent, her heart touched by her words.

Xue Qingyin pushed further: “Besides, my older brother is about to take the imperial exams and will be working for the government. How can he still deal with these things? People will laugh at him for being full of business stench.”

Madam Xue poked her on the forehead: “You, you… You just said your older brother was swapped at birth, and now you’re thinking about him again?”

Xue Qingyin thought to herself, this was about digging into his pocket, and she wondered if it would drive him mad.

“You have a point, I’ll give you two shops for now…”

“No, I want them all.”

“How will you handle them?”

“I have you to help me, mother!” Xue Qingyin said confidently.

Madam Xue rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips wouldn’t go away: “Fine, fine, I’ll give them to you.”

Madam Xue truly loved her child. After talking with Xue Qingyin for a while and checking on her health, making sure she was well after taking her medicine, she left at ease.

Xue Qingyin lay down comfortably.

Ah, with just a few words, she became a little rich lady! Having a good mother is so great! She must protect her mother well! Never let her go down the tragic path of the original story again!

In Prince Xuan’s residence.

“Did she leave?”

“Yes, Your Highness, she left.”

“Yeah.” Xuan Wang responded with a cold voice, making it impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

The servant hesitated, not knowing whether he should leave.

At this time, Xuan Wang put down the pen in his hand, and suddenly seemed to remember something, and asked again: “What did she say when she left?”

“Nothing…” The servant suddenly realized that what Xuan Wang wanted to hear was probably that…

The servant hurriedly said: “She only said how to repay Your Highness in the future.”

“How to repay?”

The servant raised his eyes and suddenly met Xuan Wang’s eyes as deep as a cold pond. He shuddered unconsciously.

His Highness Xuan Wang looked… like he was in a good mood.

The servant swallowed his saliva and said, “Miss Xue said that the flower you brought back before must have died, and she said she would give you a big one next time.”

As the servant spoke, a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

He thought, His Highness King Xuan, such a cold and majestic person, actually likes flowers?

King Xuan: “…”

The civil servant standing beside King Xuan laughed and gritted his teeth, saying, “This girl is really… How can a girl give flowers to a man? The flower she brought back a few days ago was a flower that would wither to perfunctory us…”