Chapter 74 — TVF Chapter 74

The Father Who Flips Tables 14

Qin Jingzhou mounted his horse and, along with his two unruffled disciples, circled around the overturned carriage and continued on toward home.

The people of the Dugu Clan had cleared out the area to make things more convenient for their young lady, which meant that when the crowd rushed over, they prioritized rescuing their own, leaving no one free to stop Master Si... Not that anyone dared grab a tiger by the tail at a moment like this anyway.

His confidant muttered under his breath, “No wonder he managed to rescue His Majesty in the Qianqing Palace back then... His reputation is truly well-deserved.”

Ever since the Consort had tasked him with an obviously impossible job, his mindset had shifted. Before, he took the Consort’s wishful thinking as only natural, but now he'd finally seen through it: the Consort wasn’t just wishful, she was delusional!

His Maj— no, His Highness—would never have let the Consort’s son, the Third Prince, move into the Crown Prince's Residence while consigning the Consort herself to little more than Xianfu Palace, unless he was deeply dissatisfied with her. He didn’t believe for a second that the Consort was truly oblivious, but she just refused to accept the truth, convinced that as long as Imperial Consort Yang was removed, His Highness wouldn’t cling to the grudge of a dead person.

The Old Master saw everything, yet let Dugu Consort act as she pleased...

Could it be that His Highness was in poor health and had other thoughts? If the Consort could truly win over Master Si for her own daughter, and persuade him to strike at Consort Yang... Judging by Master Si’s notorious temper, which he’d seen firsthand...

At this point, the confidant shivered in the late summer night: he needed to find himself a way out.

The Dugu girl was so frightened by the carriage accident that she’d fainted, leaving it to the confidant to take charge. With his own future in mind, he had no intention of offending Master Si, who had walked away without looking back.

He returned the still-dazed young lady to the Dugu Clan, then hurried back to the palace to report to the Consort.

After hearing his report, Dugu Consort dismissed her confidant and promptly had a meltdown in Xianfu Palace. She was furious at Si Jingzhou for not knowing what was good for him, and even angrier that her own girl was an utter disappointment!

Although she’d deliberately chosen a girl for Si Jingzhou who had a bad temper and a simple mind but was very easy to control, she hadn’t expected her to provoke Si Jingzhou at their very first meeting—her whole plan had been to have Si Jingzhou marry into the Dugu Clan, then strike directly at Yang Shi!

That confidant barely made it out of Xianfu Palace before he could still faintly hear the Consort’s shrieks. Returning to his own quarters, he accepted a cup of tea from a serving girl. Without any preamble he asked, “What does your master think?”

Trained by palace attendants, the young girl calmly set down the teacup and tray, curtsied, and looked up with a dazzling smile.

That night, the confidant used the serving girl as a go-between to establish contact with Yang Shi.

Upon returning home, Qin Jingzhou naturally gathered his children and disciples to hold a debriefing.

He gave a succinct account of his recent encounter. Once his disciples supplied the details, he looked at his expectant children and promised, “I won’t remarry.”

All the children and disciples finally breathed a collective sigh of relief.

After analyzing the Dugu Clan’s intentions, Qin Jingzhou reminded them, “You should start preparing. Yang Shi will definitely strike first.”

Dalang looked thrilled. “Yes, Father!” Then he asked, “Father, you think so highly of her? Well, it’s true—she’ll probably come to you for an alliance soon!”

Qin Jingzhou only smiled in reply.

His children and disciples could more or less foresee what would happen: after joining hands with Yang Shi, when the young Emperor ascended the throne and Empress Dowager Yang began her regency, their father and master would be a pillar of power second only to one man, if not the only one.

And as for how much benefit his children and disciples would gain, a casual glance at the history books gave a clear idea.

Naturally, they were all extremely enthusiastic.

Prince Haicheng commanded two hundred thousand elite troops, had his men train and practice according to the manuals Qin Jingzhou had written, and most of the students who completed Qin Jingzhou's crash courses had already become junior officers.

A very few, from prestigious backgrounds, had risen to fifth- or sixth-rank officialdom.

Qin Jingzhou was confident: when Prince Haicheng ascended the throne, once his students were tasked with "physically enlightening" or "physically educating" the feudal lords who had rebellious intentions, they would soon be promoted to mid- or high-level officers.

Therefore, when Prince Haicheng, nearing death, began paving the way for his own son—no matter which son it was—by eliminating any meritorious ministers who posed a threat, that would be Qin Jingzhou’s cue to rise up. During the next two or three years, aside from working with Yang Shi, he couldn’t really lay low and wait… He could write books, leave behind a legacy, and quietly start a few fast-track classes.

With such thoughts, he looked lovingly at his eager children and disciples and, at once, every one of them shivered.

As one, they remembered the pain of their earliest training sessions with their father (or Master). Sweat broke out on their foreheads and their excitement deflated, replaced by sobriety.

As his children took their leave, Qin Jingzhou asked the system, “Is there anything wrong with me wanting them to master riding, archery, and close combat in the shortest time possible?”

The system replied, “A father’s love is as deep as a mountain. They will understand.”

The next day, as usual, Qin Jingzhou went to the Zhan Shi Office in the Crown Prince’s Residence to report in. During lunch, his nephew Si Chenghui came over of his own accord.

When Si Chenghui had first transmigrated, he’d been full of himself. Since he “married” the Prince’ Daughter and was taught some harsh lessons, he’d become much more behaved. But lately, as he fell into step with Yang Shi, his ambition rekindled.

Now not only did he take orders from Yang Shi, but he managed to keep her in the dark while also keeping the Prince’ Daughter placated. The key point is just yesterday, he’d successfully hoodwinked the Dugu Clan’s daughter. His reason for seeking out his uncle today was not so pure: though he didn’t think much of the Dugu Clan, he couldn’t help worrying that his transmigrator uncle might someday lose his way…

Qin Jingzhou listened to his nephew volunteer to fend off the Dugu Clan on his behalf, then replied without hesitation, “I’ll leave it all to you, then.”

His uncle agreed so easily that Si Chenghui was caught off guard. “Really?”

Qin Jingzhou looked right through him. “The Dugu girls are all quite pretty.”

Si Chenghui’s eyes glinted with mischief. “In any case... I won’t be the loser here.”

Since both sides got what they wanted, Qin Jingzhou saw no need to meddle.

After Si Chenghui took his leave, he finally retrieved a small, tightly rolled message from the compartment in his lunch box.

Yang Shi informed him that she was planning her revenge.

Qin Jingzhou’s reply, as always, was simple: Got it.

To be fair, Yang Shi had a very clear understanding of her own current abilities—if she directly confronted the Dugu Clan, at best she might win, but it would be a Pyrrhic victory.

She needed to avoid her weaknesses and play to her strengths. After some careful preparation, she gathered her evidence and took it to Prince Haicheng.

By that point, over half a month had passed since the Dugu girl tried to block Qin Jingzhou's way.

No matter how much Consort Dugu hated Yang and Qin Jingzhou, the Old Master had sternly warned her, and then her own son came to urge her not to stir up trouble—advising a wait-and-see approach—so she had no choice but to keep a low profile for now. The two men she relied on had both made it clear: “No.” So those who served her only on account of these men would certainly no longer listen to her orders.

There were just too few people who were genuinely loyal to her!

Consort Dugu spent several days gnashing her teeth, left with nothing but to wait for next year when His Highness would ascend the throne, her son would be made crown prince, and she herself would be promoted—then she’d think about her next move... She forced herself to calm down, was burning incense and copying sutras in her quarters when the Chief Eunuch came with a message from His Highness.

At the sight of the Chief Eunuch’s insincere smile, Consort Dugu felt a premonition of doom. She took the excuse of needing to change clothes to quickly send her confidantes to the Crown Prince’s Residence and the Inner Cabinet Grand Secretary’s office for help.

Her confidantes hurried off to carry out her orders, but anxious as she was, Consort Dugu had no choice but to follow the Chief Eunuch to the Qianqing Palace.

Prince Haicheng knew full well what sort of person Consort Dugu was—she’d been by his side all these years.

He also knew that the reason he hadn’t made her his official Princess Consort was a constant source of grievance to her... But he was far more dissatisfied with her. If she hadn’t been the Third Prince’s birth mother, he’d have sent her to the grave along with the Princess Consort back then.

Now, upon receiving Yang Shi’s report that the Dugu Clan aspired to great things, frantically trying to plant their own women in the households of His Highness’s trusted ministers and generals—this was a way of appeasing His Highness: "You may refuse to make me the official princess, but I still have means to become Empress in all but name."

To be fair, Consort Dugu was somewhat wronged: sending her daughter to approach Qin Jingzhou and Si Chenghui was indeed her idea, but she honestly didn’t know that her own elder brother had, in her name, used her daughter to form connections with all the prominent young men and valued officials under His Highness.

Halfway through the Chief Eunuch's explanation, Consort Dugu’s knees gave out and she collapsed to the floor.

The devastated Consort was carried back to Xianfu Palace by Inner Attendants, and her elder half-brother—Old Master Dugu’s eldest legitimate son—who rushed home as soon as he learned that his younger brother had caused serious trouble, wound up falling from his horse and breaking his leg on the way in his anxiety.

It was a terrible fracture. The Imperial Physician said recovery was unlikely... In other words, Eldest Brother Dugu would be left crippled, and his official career was as good as over.

Madam Dugu, who had held silent resentment for years while Consort Dugu was in favor, finally erupted; before the assembled family, she slapped Consort Dugu’s birth mother twice across the face.

The senior concubine, who’d strutted about relying on her children’s favor and even lorded it over the old madam, was stunned by the force of the blow. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth but dared not utter a sound.

Old Master Dugu, exhausted, returned late that night to find his beloved concubine kneeling on the ground, claiming she knew she was wrong and wouldn’t rise unless he forgave her.

He laughed from anger. “Those children are really yours, all right.”

The Old Madam, gray-faced, stood nearby. “If you’d only managed your household better, we would not have ended up like this.” She had two beloved daughters—one, an old flame of Prince Haicheng now called his White Moonlight; the other, the late Empress. Now, her hope invested in her eldest son had ended in ruin, and she was sunk in despair. “I’m done meddling.”

Watching his wife’s lonely, desolate figure retreating, Old Master Dugu paused, a pain in his chest. He rapped his fist against his heart and ordered the head steward, “Don’t let her show her face again.”

The senior concubine, brazen for most of her life, was at once silenced. Even though she still tried to fight it, she was dragged away by the strong-armed attendants.

As she passed her son, who had watched everything unfold without ever speaking up, her eyes pleaded with him. But her son only wiped his tears, refusing to meet her gaze.

That same night, the Dugu Clan’s “family troubles” spread throughout the inner city among the many nobles and officials.

Qin Jingzhou, who also lived in the inner city, praised the disciple who had come to report in and asked, “Did that resolve your grudge?”

Indeed, it was his disciple’s handiwork that had led to Eldest Brother Dugu’s unfortunate accident.

The disciple kowtowed with sincere gratitude. “Had it not been for that corrupt official, my uncle’s whole family—who raised me—would not have met such a bitter end. From now on, my life is yours, Master!”

Qin Jingzhou had his eldest son help the disciple up. “I do have something for you to do... In a while, follow Yang Shi and make sure she stays alive.”