Chapter 66: Personality Explosion

  Qin Chengwen, who has been rolling in the business world for many years, how could he not hear the sarcastic tone in his daughter's words? In the past, he would have taken out the dignity of a family leader to scold her a few words, making her understand what filial piety is. But now it's different from before, Gong Sunjin's affairs have made him aware of this daughter's difference, she has been through many hardships and dangers, but all have turned into opportunities, and later met such a person, I don't know if her luck was too good or something else.

  Thinking of this, he couldn't help but carefully examine his daughter.

  Qin Dai Xin's appearance is about 40% to 50% similar to Su Shi's when she was young, born with a beautiful and elegant appearance like a flower, with a pair of eyes that shine brightly. In the past, he always thought his daughter didn't have much charm, but now looking at her, it's different.

  At this moment, Qin Dai's heart was sitting there with a dignified and quiet demeanor, a typical noble lady's appearance. However, for some reason, the image of her questioning herself and her mother with an overbearing attitude, and the scene where she stabbed someone with a knife, still shocked him to this day.

  Qin Chongwen blinked his eyes, and the daughter sitting in front of him was still gentle and quiet, with no trace of the fierce appearance she had last night. Only a slightly raised corner of her mouth, full of sarcasm, seemed to prove that everything was not his illusion and fantasy, but the reality he least wanted to face.

  "Father, father?"

  Qin Chongwen was interrupted by Qin Dai's call, he awkwardly hummed a sound to cover up his own loss of composure.

  "There's nothing, I just suddenly thought of it, the position of the housekeeper in your courtyard seems to have been vacant for a long time, so I came over to take a look. Why don't I talk to your mother about it and we'll send someone over soon?" The tone was surprisingly negotiable.

  Qin Dai's small face, the size of a palm, showed no change in expression, but her eyes flashed with a few threads of inquiry, and she smiled: "Father and mother are really heart-to-heart, this morning my mother just remembered that I still owe four sets of winter clothes, and now father thinks I'm missing a reliable mother." This remark exposed the small thoughts of Qin Zongwen and Fang Wanru, it was indeed "not burning incense in daily life, but holding Buddha's feet at critical moments" these two must have something to ask for her help, but they didn't dare to say it clearly, so they thought of offering some small favors to win her over.

  "I see that the arrangement of the courtyard and the outside is quite neat, I suppose the girls can also do it. If there's no hurry, we can send someone over after the New Year, and let your mother help you choose a capable one, would that be good?" Qin Zhongwen pretended not to understand the meaning behind his daughter's words and asked instead.

  Pretending not to hear, with a thick enough face.

  "My daughter's affairs are for her father to worry about, just listen to your father." Qin Dai said this and then lowered her head, not even looking at Qin Zongwen.

  Qin Congwen only felt at this time that Qin Dai's attitude towards him was not just being reserved, but rather she didn't want to pay attention to him.

  "A Li, I know you're very dissatisfied with your father's behavior. Your aunt has gone too far this time, and your grandmother is also protecting her. It's normal for you to have grievances."

  Qin Dai's heart didn't expect him to say such things, and she was a little surprised in her heart. However, based on her understanding of this cheap old man, this confession is just a symbolic comfort, and there must be something else behind it, which is Qin Zhenwen's true purpose for looking at her.

  She quietly listened to Qin Zongwen telling stories, wanting to see what he was up to.

  "Your aunt is the apple of your grandmother's eye, and she has only one daughter like your aunt. She was spoiled from a young age and raised with great care. Now that your grandmother is getting old, it's inevitable that she would listen to her nonsense and do something foolish. Your cousin has already been punished, and your aunt knows she was wrong too. So stop blaming them."

  Qin Daiying scolds Qin Chengwen for playing the family card, you say punish and then punish, who saw it?

  Qin Congwen saw that she didn't say a word, knowing that his words had no effect, and said: "Although your grandmother is fond of your cousin, in fact, she also loves you very much. This time you came back secretly, but she didn't ask more questions, and even covered up for you, telling the people in the mansion that you were praying for Yilan in the temple, it can be seen that she doesn't want to make things difficult for you."

  Qin Dai's heart couldn't take it anymore, who didn't know that she was kidnapped by bandits? Those few servants rushed back to the Qin mansion to report the news, and everyone knew about it. How could they not spread the word? Qin Fengge was determined to make herself a concubine for her son, and wouldn't she have to publicize this matter so that everyone would know?

  If Miss Fang wasn't trying to make excuses for Gong Sun Jin or thinking about the reputation of the Qin Manor, would she be covering up for herself?

  What a joke.

  Everyone dare not discuss in front of others, fearing the rules of the Qin Mansion are there, and privately, they may have guessed the beginning and end of things, and unpleasant words may have been said several times.

  But she doesn't care about these things at all!

  Qin Dai's voice was crisp as she asked, "Father, do you want me to forgive my aunt and cousin, or are you asking how I came back? Or is there another meaning?"

  What's the big deal about coming back? Is it only not awkward if someone from the Gong Sun family comes to pick you up from the mountain? If Qin Feng didn't come up with that stupid idea, would they still need that old guy to cover for themselves? What a joke.

  Qin Chuwen's face turned red, he indeed had other intentions.

  Qin Dai Xin was kidnapped and returned, not only unscathed but also uncovered the truth behind the events, bringing the real culprit to her face. Was all this achieved by her alone? That night, a man followed her, unknown where he came from or if he had any connection with the Li family. Could it be that someone from the Li family saved her?

  "A Li, I'm your father, would I harm you? I just want to ask, who exactly saved you and brought you back? Is it that man who was with you? Is he from the Li family?" Qin Zongwen didn't realize how urgent his tone sounded.

  What's going on with the Li family? What happened?

  Qin Dai thought: "I don't know who he is." This was the truth! She really didn't know what Duan Rui did.

  Qin Congwen furrowed his brow, if it wasn't someone from the Li family, then who could it be?

  Qin Congwen has already found someone to verify it, the people from Li's family in Jiangdong did come to Taizhou, and the young man he met was indeed young and handsome, with an extraordinary demeanor, so there should be no mistake.

  As he thought of this, his hanging heart returned, and he changed his tone to probe: "How did you come back after all?"

  Qin Dai Xin's eyes didn't even blink, "Father has met that person before, he is a chivalrous guest, just standing up for justice."

  Qin Congwen was a bit convinced, his mother had talked to him early in the morning, the people sent by Gong Sunjin to the mountain hadn't seen that group of bandits at all, could it be that those people were all taken care of halfway?

  Qin Congwen felt a chill run down his spine, having heard that people in the jianghu didn't consider killing to be a big deal, it was just a matter of lifting one's hand and solving the problem, he only hoped that this person would not appear again in the future, and especially not have any dealings with his daughter, so that everyone in the household could live in peace.

  "You're a girl from a good family, you have to take care of your own reputation. This time it was an accident, let's just forget about it, but don't do such things in the future, with knives and bloodshed, what will people think? Qin Zhongwen didn't want to say more about this matter, so he changed the subject: "Your older brother will marry Miss Qi after the new year, you'll have another sister-in-law then, be sure to visit her often."

  Qin Dai Xin didn't expect Qin Cong Wen to bring up the matter of Qi Jia on his own initiative, so she pretended to be surprised and asked: "Is it settled then? Does Big Sister know?"

  Qin Chuwen said displeased: "Does she know or not what's important, you just need to get along well with this new sister-in-law."

  Lin was a respectable family name, and she had an extraordinary temperament. Now, she was actually being spoken to in such a manner by him. She had lost to the interests of the Qin family after all.

  "Father said that even if Eldest Sister is not important, her natal family holds a seventh-rank official position! Are you not afraid of offending the Lin family by doing this?"

  He had considered this matter, but the Lin family couldn't compare to the Qi family. The former was just one of many inconspicuous officials in the capital; the latter was one of the people in power who controlled the economic lifeline of Da Yong. The difference between them was huge.

  "Don't worry about this, I have my reasons." A hint of impatience flashed across his face, but thinking of Qin Dai's changed demeanor, Qin Congwen sobered up a bit and didn't put on his usual airs.

  Qin Dai Xin stood up and said to Qin Cong Wen, "I have something to say, I don't know if it's right or not." This person is also her own father after all, as long as he doesn't overstep his bounds, she will still respect him like a father.

  Qin Congwen saw her courtesy and felt relieved, waved his hand and said: "Speak!"

  The daughter heard that her father was going to form an alliance with the Qi family and felt deeply frightened.

  "Oh?" Qin looked at his third daughter and asked: "Why?"

  "The Qi family is a royal merchant, controlling a significant portion of the economy in the entire Dayong country. The rise of the royal merchant is not something they can achieve on their own; behind every powerful royal merchant, there must be several supporters. And those who stand behind the royal merchant, you can imagine their identity and status." She saw that Qin Zhen did not show any impatience and continued: "How could someone like him not care about gains and losses and help a family without ulterior motives? He must have something to gain from it. Although the Qi family appears to be prosperous on the surface, are they not being suppressed behind the scenes? When the winds are calm, the Qi family is invincible; but when the storms rage, how will they fare? If something happens, I'm afraid the Qi family would have to stake their entire family's reputation to gamble. If they lose, it would be like a great tree being uprooted; if they win, they might be able to rise to the top in one step. But, how do you know that those people won't burn the bridge after crossing the river?"

  How could Qin Congwen not hear the implicit meaning in Qindai's words?

  "Qiji is just a businessman, he won't get involved in court affairs, how can there be such a big entanglement." He's a businessman, rarely thinks about official matters, but now listening to his daughter's words, he's also worried, it's just that in front of his juniors, it's not good to lower his head.

  "Father, you understand the affairs of this world better than I do, and you must have your own judgment. I just want to advise you on one thing: our Qin family is based on commerce, for the prosperity and wealth of our descendants. But once we form an alliance with the Qi family, we will be inseparable from their rise and fall, sharing their honor and shame. If the Qi family suffers a loss, they may still have some room to maneuver, but if it were our Qin family, I fear we would not even have half a chance to turn things around."

  These words left Qin Chongwen speechless, and the unease that had been buried in his heart sprouted like a seed and burst out wildly.

  "This idea is probably not Father's, but someone must have instigated it?" Qin Dai's heart didn't know why, but she thought of Fang Shi, the legendary Mrs. Qin who only had her natal family in mind.

  Qin Chuwen felt a chill run down his spine and cold sweat dripping down, this daughter of his was by no means simple.

  "Forming an alliance with the Qis is nothing but a mutually beneficial arrangement. On the surface, it seems that we're taking advantage of the Qi family's reputation to expand our business into the capital, but in reality, perhaps what the Qis value is the connections behind our Qin family."

  What's behind the Qin family?

  No one knows better than Qin Chongwen the relationships behind the Qin family. As a businessman who constantly weaves relationships, no one is clearer than himself about how much the Qin family has done to stand firm in the business world over the years and how many people have been involved. Thinking of these complicated events that cannot be cut off or straightened out, and thinking of the marriage with the Jia family afterwards, I'm afraid things will become even more complicated and no longer under my control. At that time, I'm afraid it will be a case of "man as the chopping board, me as the fish to be sliced".

  With this in mind, he couldn't sit still anymore, and even less had the mood to chat with his daughter about family matters. This matter was related to the fate of the entire Qin family, more important than anything else.

  "Something's come up at home, I'll be off first." Qin Zongwen hastily walked away with a dark face.

  It was past noon, and as instructed by Yiniang, Xiaoyutou laid out the meal. Seeing Qin Daiyu's face looking somewhat unpleasant, she assumed that her conversation with Master had not gone well, so she didn't dare to make a sound.

  "As you haven't eaten much, I'm afraid you're worried about the rumors in the mansion. Let me reassure you: although everyone is discussing your recent incident, the old lady has already spread the word that you've been away for three days to copy scriptures at the temple and pray for the Qin family's blessings. You can rest assured."

  Although many people did not believe this statement, Fang's authority in the Qin family was unquestionable. Since she said so, no one would dare to say anything else.

  "Was it she who gave the order herself?" It was really unexpected.

  "That's right!"

  Even Fang Shi, who had always been jealous and protective of her own interests, began to speak up for her. This was really strange - just last night she had suffered a great loss at her own hands, so how could she suddenly change her ways?

  Has her character exploded?

  P.S. I'm glad to see people leaving comments, and I want to say that I'm not a professional writer, my time is limited, so some things might be rough around the edges, can't compare with the greats, hope you all enjoy reading it, ignore some of the imperfections, some plot threads will be explained in later chapters, from now on I'll listen more to your opinions and try to improve the quality of each chapter, thanks everyone!