Chapter 5 — TVF Chapter 5

The Love-Brained Empress (5) After the father and his two daughters chatted for a while, Qin Jingzhou sent the girls back to their rooms to whisper among themselves—compared to a father they hadn’t seen for years and had grown distant from, the sisters were naturally closer to each other.

Qin Jingzhou didn’t ask for much. As long as, after he had transmigrated and immediately stood up for his second daughter, his words carried more weight in his daughters’ hearts than those of their love-brained eldest-sister-the-empress, he would be satisfied.

Judging from the current situation, that goal had already been achieved.

The two daughters spoke softly, expressing concern for their elderly father, before reluctantly leaving the outer study.

Qin Jingzhou watched them walk out through the courtyard gate, then sighed to the stewards and personal guards on duty, “Daughters really are considerate.”

The others immediately chimed in: who could say otherwise? Sons were basically born to collect debts!

Qin Jingzhou replied, “If sons don’t behave, they need to be disciplined—harshly.” He instructed the second steward, “Go drag those two unfilial brats over here!”

Most people present already had a sense of things: back in the day, the Duke Cheng’en had been peerlessly heroic and decisive. Even if age had softened him somewhat, there was no way he would easily let the two young masters off.

After all, what the two young masters had done wasn’t necessarily any lighter than what the Marquis of Antai’s eldest son had done.

The second steward accepted the order and left.

Before long, Second Young Master Xiao and Third Young Master Xiao were indeed dragged into the study by the household’s personal guards.

Qin Jingzhou was very satisfied and praised the second steward and guards. “Well done.”

After all, the original owner had shut himself away in a suburban daoist temple for years, ignoring worldly affairs and refining pills in seclusion. The loyalty of the old hands in the Duke’s household had inevitably been worn down.

Qin Jingzhou only hoped that not too many people in the household had already been bought off.

That was precisely why, upon transmigrating, he had immediately returned to the capital, made an example of the Marquis of Antai’s household at the first opportunity, and demonstrated that he was seriously disciplining his children. The morale of the stewards and guards changed almost instantly.

Qin Jingzhou noticed it—and so did the original owner’s two concubine-born sons. They both clearly felt it: my father is still my father, after all… So when they were dragged in, injuries piled on top of injuries, yet they voiced no complaints. Instead, they obediently knelt, confessed together, “Father, we know we were wrong.”

Qin Jingzhou asked with interest, “Oh? Then how did you learn of my ‘death’?”

Second Young Master Xiao and Third Young Master Xiao exchanged a glance. Second Young Master Xiao knocked his head to the floor first, then answered in a low voice, “It was a steward from the Qi family.”

Third Young Master Xiao added, “Father, you don’t concern yourself with mundane affairs, and the household silver is managed by Eldest Brother… Our days were pretty tight. The Qi family people would invite us out to drink and play from time to time. They kept asking us things—east and west. We mixed truth with lies when answering. Anything truly important, either we had no authority over it, or we really didn’t know. In any case, we didn’t lose out.”

Qin Jingzhou smiled. “Sounds fairly reasonable.”

Second Young Master Xiao kowtowed again. “If anything happened to you, Father, the Duke’s household would face catastrophe. When we heard that you had… we thought we should rush over, grab anything valuable around you, and escape as early as possible. Third Brother and I fought because what we found was far less than we’d expected…” He paused, then said, “This son knows he is unfilial, but I dare not utter a single lie.”

The man sitting before him was still his biological father. No matter how angry he was, he wouldn’t take his son’s life. But the Qi family… that was another matter entirely.

Third Young Master Xiao, just as much of a rogue as his second brother, nodded. “Yes.”

If his father had truly died, he would definitely have taken the money and run. But his father was alive and well, and increasingly overlapped with the vaguely remembered yet always awe-inspiring figure of his childhood. He didn’t even have the courage to lie—because any lie would be exposed, earning him another beating. Why bother?

After thinking for a moment, he added, “My personal attendant even hinted along the way that it would be best for the Duke to be laid to rest as soon as possible.”

These two brothers were textbook wastrels, but one couldn’t deny they had their own survival instincts.

That said, neither had thought to look upon their biological father’s body—both were filial in name only. Qin Jingzhou said to the head steward, “That attendant of Third Young Master’s, along with the ones who boxed me up and nailed the coffin shut—take my calling card and send them all to the authorities tomorrow.”

The head steward quickly acknowledged the order.

Third Young Master Xiao hesitated, then asked, “Father, even if we report this, it’ll be hard to implicate the Qi family.”

Qin Jingzhou smiled faintly. “Who said we have to get to the bottom of it? Who wanted to seal me into a coffin and bury me alive—I’ll judge that myself. I’m just reminding the nobles of the capital of one thing…” His tone was calm. “The emperor has six sons. The empress has not borne a single one.”

The subtext struck everyone present like a thunderclap.

Since the two sons had been honest, Qin Jingzhou was “deeply moved”—and rewarded each of them with twenty more strokes.

Only after personally watching the guards finish did he return to his quarters, satisfied.

Perhaps because the heavens deemed his performance that day acceptable, Qin Jingzhou dreamed all night—long, continuous sequences of memory filled with crucial information.

For example, when the original owner’s eldest daughter married the current emperor, the emperor’s father—the former emperor—had still been crown prince. At the time, the current emperor had merely been one of many sons: not outstanding, not incompetent.

It could be said that without the original owner’s full support, the emperor might not have ascended the throne at all. In that light, the emperor’s lifelong dislike of the empress suddenly made sense—how could a petty man tolerate facing the reality that his current status depended on his father-in-law?

Compared to the emperor in the novel, certain tycoons from Qin Jingzhou’s home world who rose through their fathers-in-law and merely abandoned their wives after the old men died almost seemed gentle and benevolent.

Another example: Qi Langhuan, the Noble Consort Qi, did not love the emperor. She loved Prince Jing, risked everything to give birth to Prince Jing’s son—yet this did nothing to hinder her ambition to become empress.

If Qi Langhuan wanted to be empress to a successfully rebelling Prince Jing, there would be no issue. The problem was that she wanted to be empress to the current emperor.

Qin Jingzhou found this quite easy to accept: the self-esteem of a Mary Sue. Swap the genders, and it’s no different from a harem novel’s male lead being unable to comprehend that there exists a woman who doesn’t love him.

After watching strange memory fragments play on loop all night, Qin Jingzhou woke up the next day in much better condition than when he had first transmigrated.

He washed up briefly, changed into a daoist robe, and went straight to the household training ground. Under the watchful eyes of the personal guards, he first practiced a set of taiji, felt good, and, on a whim, followed it with a sword form he had created in his early years.

Feeling his joints fully warmed, he prepared to return and have breakfast with his daughters. The captain of the guards cautiously stepped forward, face full of flattery. “Duke… that sword technique was incredible!”

The original owner’s guard captain had impeccable character and skill—his only flaw was an inability to flatter.

Qin Jingzhou raised an eyebrow. “You all want to learn?”

From the captain down to the young men watching, everyone nodded vigorously.

“Tomorrow,” Qin Jingzhou said.

As he walked out of the training ground, sword in hand, he heard the young men whispering behind him: the Duke must really have been cultivating all these years… just watching that sword form made their scalps tingle—it had to be an immortal legacy!

Qin Jingzhou hadn’t expected they’d rationalize it for him like that.

Still, considering the plot, once the rebel army reached the capital the emperor was almost certain to abandon the city and flee, becoming a fallen ruler. Qin Jingzhou had to prepare in advance.

On the way back, he calculated: the household had five hundred elite personal guards—loyal, but somewhat lax in training. He was confident he could make them capable of fighting ten-to-one within a few months.

The original owner, Xiao Jingzhou, was a native of the capital region. His clan lived in several villages only fifty or sixty li away. At a critical moment, one message would rally several thousand able-bodied clansmen with basic military training.

As for the Five City Military Offices responsible for capital security, according to the plot they were mostly aligned with the Qi family. About half of the Imperial Guard protecting the palace had already been bought by Prince Jing, and subtracting the ten- to twenty-thousand troops the emperor would take when fleeing… Qin Jingzhou estimated that at most twenty thousand men would answer his call.

Even counting everything, thirty thousand men facing Prince Jing’s forces, who enjoyed every advantage of timing and terrain—Qin Jingzhou wasn’t fully confident.

So he needed to gather popular support in advance, so that when Prince Jing’s so-called rebel army attacked the city, more people would be willing to stand with him.

When he returned to his courtyard, the servant on duty informed him that his two daughters had already been waiting for a short while.

Qin Jingzhou nodded, greeted his daughters, then went to wash and change clothes before heading to the western side room for breakfast. His daughters were already discussing the two “filial” brothers.

Having taken a total of thirty strokes in a single day, even with guards holding back, Second Young Master Xiao and Third Young Master Xiao would need to recuperate for quite some time.

Setting aside their character, their brains were indeed better than the Marquis of Antai’s eldest son. At least they sensed that their father beating them was partly punishment—and partly to keep them from going out recently.

Their relationship with Second Miss Xiao and Third Miss Xiao was average, but not openly hostile. When the sisters went hand-in-hand to visit them, the brothers voluntarily recounted the details of their beating the day before.

The sisters had laughed themselves silly then, and now, over breakfast with their father, they still spoke of it with relish.

After laughing at the brothers, Third Miss Xiao tugged her second sister’s hand. “Father really hit them well.”

Second Miss Xiao smiled, then shifted the topic. “The Qi family’s scheme against us failed. They won’t stop. Right now, the Qi family isn’t easy to deal with—relying on Noble Consort Qi, they’ve stuffed their pockets with everything they should and shouldn’t have. With silver in hand, they naturally go all out buying loyalty.”

This was clearly said with the intention that their father hear it.

The original Xiao Jingzhou had shut himself away for years, refusing to see anyone who came knocking, hurting the feelings of many old friends. Qin Jingzhou hadn’t intended to cover for him—but on second thought, he’d just had a highlight moment at the training ground, “proving” he hadn’t wasted those years. Dodging his daughters now would seem odd.

So he stepped inside, sat opposite his daughters, and told the senior maid, “Serve the meal.” While the maids bustled, he spoke gently. “Do you think the people who came looking for me over the years did so without reason? Every one of them dreamed of becoming the emperor’s maternal grandfather or uncle. The emperor already has six sons— one born to the Noble Consort. Your eldest sister has borne none. No matter who ascends in the future, would they dare not call me ‘Maternal Grandfather’?”

That logic… was airtight. Anyone who heard it would find it perfectly reasonable.

Of course, the two attendants who had served the original owner in the daoist temple knew the truth. But since they were also the ones who had sealed the coffin—and there was solid evidence tying them to the Qi family—whatever they said, no one in the Duke’s household would believe them.

Third Miss Xiao’s eyes spun. “Father, that reputation of yours—ignoring worldly affairs and focusing on cultivation… was that also spread intentionally by the Qi family?!”

Qin Jingzhou pinched his youngest daughter’s cheek. “No need to pin everything on the Qi family. Your father fought on battlefields half his life and still has a bit of a reputation in the army. Plenty of people envy me and want me dead.”

Third Miss Xiao smiled. “If no one envies you, you’re mediocre!”

Second Miss Xiao lightly patted her sister’s hand. “Watch your words.”

In truth, she herself was surprised at how easily she’d been “won over.” Though she still felt some resentment over her father’s years of absence and neglect, knowing that he had always held his children in his heart—and had his own difficulties, where a single misstep could collapse the entire family—she couldn’t help but become more understanding.

Second Miss Xiao’s change was striking: from lingering resentment to gentle warmth in less than a day. Qin Jingzhou naturally asked with concern, “How’s the injury on your face?”

She forced a smile. “It’s nothing.”

“I’ll find you an Imperial Physician,” Qin Jingzhou said.

The Marquis of Antai’s family were scoundrels, but before the couple had completely fallen out, it was unlikely they’d dared to be too careless about treating her. Even so, Qin Jingzhou wouldn’t skip finding a top physician.

Second Miss Xiao nodded. “Thank you, Father.”

“Eat,” Qin Jingzhou said, finally picking up his chopsticks.

After breakfast, the head steward took the Duke’s calling card and sent the treacherous servants to the capital magistrate with several guards.

On his way back, the head steward ran into the household’s eldest young master returning in haste and escorted him and his wife home.

Seeing him in person, Qin Jingzhou finally understood why, less than a year after the original owner’s death, this eldest son—once so highly regarded—had also passed away. He had caught a chill while presiding over his father’s funeral, which developed into a lung illness and gradually worsened beyond treatment.

Eldest Young Master Xiao had a scar running from his left temple to his jaw. From the front it wasn’t very noticeable and didn’t detract much from his looks, but his facial expressions were stiff when he spoke.

That wasn’t the real problem. The real issue was that he was carried in on something like a stretcher—his legs were severely twisted and deformed. Even slight movement caused excruciating pain; he couldn’t even sit in a wheelchair.

Despite moving as slowly as possible on the way back, he still needed painkillers constantly.

Qin Jingzhou reviewed the memories: Eldest Young Master Xiao had been ambushed while on patrol, thrown from his horse, and had his legs trampled repeatedly by passing cavalry. When rescued, his legs had already been mangled.

Looking at the exhausted yet delighted eyes of this eldest son, Qin Jingzhou thought: this one tugs at the heart even more than the second girl. The foolish son struggled to bow. Qin Jingzhou pressed a hand on his shoulder. “Stay put.”

The eldest son answered softly, “Mm.”

Seeing their elder brother again, Second Miss Xiao and Third Miss Xiao burst into tears of joy.

Eldest Young Master Xiao’s wife, Madam Wu, hadn’t seen her husband in such good spirits in a long time and wiped away tears as well.

While listening to the siblings catch up, Qin Jingzhou studied his eldest son’s legs.

He wasn’t confident about restoring vitality from the root—but treating external injuries, flesh and bone alike, was something he understood.

The original owner’s eldest son was clearly promising. Even if he didn’t recover fully, as long as he could manage basic self-care, Qin Jingzhou could rest easy delegating matters.

Besides, the original owner had accumulated plenty of top-grade medicinal herbs. Letting them sit unused would be a waste.

So Qin Jingzhou said, “Eldest Son, your legs will need to be broken again and the bones reset.”

Having already heard from his sisters that his father hadn’t wasted these years, Eldest Young Master Xiao answered without hesitation, “Alright.” At worst, it would be no worse than now.

Naturally, before resetting the bones, he’d need careful conditioning—his current skeletal frame couldn’t endure much.

That night, the family reunited at long last for dinner. Even Second and Third Young Masters Xiao, who could only lie prone after their beatings, were present.

Just as they were about to eat, an inner eunuch from the empress arrived.

Unlike the matron sent previously, this eunuch was arrogant and utterly tone-deaf.

After taking a sword-hilt to the face from a guard and swelling half-cheeked, he finally spoke properly: Empress Xiao was pleased that her natal family had managed to trip up the Qi family. She wanted her father and sisters to enter the palace to discuss delivering an even heavier blow.

Qin Jingzhou said in front of the eunuch, “Your empress has been like this for many years—always skilled at ruining the mood. That’s why I hid in a suburban daoist temple for a few years of peace.” He laughed self-mockingly. “But whether enemies or my own daughter, none of them intend to let me off.”

Eldest Young Master Xiao gathered himself and spoke frankly. “Father, please stop indulging Eldest Sister… Even back then, she was naive and ignorant of the world.”

Qin Jingzhou nodded, looking at his children’s varied expressions. “With the southern floods, bandits and water pirates have sprung up overnight like bamboo shoots. Yet your eldest sister is still obsessed with fighting for favor, determined to give the Noble Consort and the Qi family a lesson…” He smiled lightly. “It’s time to knock some sense into her. The Duke’s household isn’t hers to run—unless I’m dead.”

The implication was… delicate. No one could help but overthink it.

But as long as the Duke lived, even if you were the empress—perhaps even the emperor—you wouldn’t be able to make decisions for this household.

Because they were entering the palace in the morning, the promised sword instruction for the guards had to be postponed.

Qin Jingzhou brought his two daughters smoothly into Kunning Palace—and only then discovered the emperor was present as well.

According to the plot, the emperor already thoroughly disliked Empress Xiao at this point, yet the love-brained empress felt wonderful about herself.

Upon hearing that her father and sisters were coming, the emperor hurried over after court. Empress Xiao was radiant, unusually cordial toward Qin Jingzhou and his daughters.

Some things really had to be seen to be believed.

For instance, Empress Xiao strongly resembled the original owner. And the emperor’s appearance… Qin Jingzhou had to admit, as a man himself, that the emperor was exceptionally handsome.

Looking at Empress Xiao gazing at the emperor with undisguised infatuation, Qin Jingzhou still felt exasperated—but also faintly thought… perhaps her love-brain wasn’t entirely without reason.

That said, with the southern floods, the emperor looked unwell. Yet Empress Xiao clung to him, chattering endlessly about trivialities. Even though she was Qin Jingzhou’s mission target, imagining himself in the emperor’s shoes made his blood pressure spike.

His instincts told him that the emperor hadn’t flipped out not only because the Duke was present. The relationship between emperor and empress might not be that simple.

The emperor was clearly impatient—his expressions and body language screamed refusal—but out of courtesy to the Duke, he kept his face passable. After a few polite exchanges—mainly confirming that the Duke wouldn’t be “ascending” anytime soon—he excused himself on the grounds of state affairs and left early.

Empress Xiao was disappointed.

Once she calmed down, she finally looked her biological father in the eye. “As soon as I said you were coming, His Majesty came to see me… You should enter the palace more often. Even though you always inexplicably hold me back, you’re not entirely useless.”

Qin Jingzhou: …really wanted to grab her by the collar and wring the water out of her brain.

He looked at the matron standing beside the empress—the same one who had delivered the message days ago. “Empress, you became empress because of me. Over these years, you replaced the people I gave you—did someone tell you that shaking me off was a good thing, and you felt smug about it?”

Empress Xiao frowned. “What nonsense are you spouting? The emperor said you’re arrogant and overbearing. If not for me, he would’ve stripped your title long ago.”

Qin Jingzhou was incredulous. “He really said that?”

Second Miss Xiao and Third Miss Xiao fell into deep doubt: …is Empress Xiao really born of the same parents as us?

Empress Xiao finally exploded. “I won’t believe His Majesty, but I should believe you, who abandoned your family?!”

Qin Jingzhou pinched the bridge of his nose. After analyzing the plot, he deliberately said to his daughters, “Your eldest sister didn’t used to be like this… This level of stupidity is honestly abnormal.”

Empress Xiao sprang to her feet in fury. “You dare call me stupid! Get out! Get out now!”

Qin Jingzhou suddenly laughed.

In the original novel, it was always like this: call Empress Xiao stupid, and she would inevitably explode—then personally prove she deserved the word.

And the first person to publicly call the empress stupid had been Noble Consort Qi.

He already knew exactly how he would return that favor.