New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

"Mom, the baby is back."

Just as Qiu Linghua was worried about not being able to find the person in charge, Tang Qian, who had just finished talking about business with his three uncles, happened to walk into the courtyard. Zhao Yingluo sensed something was wrong and wanted to stand up to inform her husband, but she saw that her mother-in-law had already stood up first, grabbed a feather duster from the table, and rushed out.

"Mom, hey? What are you doing, Mom?"

Upon seeing Qiu Linghua's menacing approach, Tang Qian turned to leave, but instead received a solid blow to the buttocks. Qiu Linghua's strength was considerable, causing Tang Qian to grimace in pain for quite some time. He felt a surge of resentment; he had spent over a year in Youzhou without ever suffering any physical pain, and now that he had finally returned to Guangling, he was beaten up the moment he arrived home. What kind of treatment was this?

Helplessly, it was his own mother who was wielding the stick against him. No matter how disobedient he was, he dared not fight back. He could only dodge and weave around a cassia tree in the yard, saying, "Mother, please stop hitting me. You have to let me know what I did wrong."

In the end, time waits for no one. Even though Qiu Linghua was only in her early thirties, she still didn't have Tang Qian's stamina. Seeing that she really couldn't catch up, she could only sit on the stone bench in the courtyard, panting heavily, clutching her chest: "What's wrong with you? Yingluo has been married to you for more than a year, and you actually... You are the only heir of the Tang family. Now your father has also been kidnapped to the Jin Kingdom. If the Tang family's lineage is cut off, how can your mother face our ancestors?"

Tang Qian looked up and met Zhao Yingluo's gaze under the eaves. Although Zhao Yingluo's face was flushed, she showed no intention of looking away, clearly waiting for his explanation. Yan Xi'er, on the other hand, wore a mischievous smile, as if she was waiting to see a good show.

This is like the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law teaming up to force the issue. Tang Qian gave a bitter laugh: "At that time, we were in danger and we were all too busy taking care of ourselves. All I could think about was how to escape Youzhou with Yingluo and Xi'er. I didn't have the time to think about those romantic things."

“Mother-in-law, you are wise. My husband did not say that to me at the time.”

“Yes, back in Youzhou, Tang Qian had me…our Seventh Princess as his support, and he lived a very carefree life. It was clearly his own fault for not wanting to consummate his marriage with Yingluo.”

"Do you all want to see your husband get beaten up?" Seeing Qiu Linghua about to strike again, Tang Qian immediately snatched the feather duster from her hand. "We're back safely now, aren't we? Mother, if you want a grandson, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Why rush it?"

"If you had put in more effort when you were in Youzhou, I might be a grandmother by now." Qiu Linghua glared at Tang Qian. "To avoid any unforeseen complications, you two should consummate your marriage tonight."

Tang Qian looked troubled: "I'm afraid that won't work."

According to his estimation, the Jin army would soon march south, leaving him little time to set up defenses. Tang Qian still had a lot to do to keep Wanyan Xie at bay north of Guangling. Moreover, he was indeed confident in holding Guangling, but things were never so absolute. If things went wrong, and Zhao Yingluo and Yan Xier were pregnant, retreating would be inconvenient.

Hearing that the Jin army would continue its southward advance, which meant that Guangling City was not safe either, Qiu Linghua's face was full of worry: "Our family can travel light, but what about your uncle?"

"I have already discussed this with my three uncles. We will defend Guangling City against the Jin army. We will live as long as the city stands, or we will die if the city falls."

Qiu Linghua pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Zhao Yingluo and Yan Xier: "What do you two mean? If you feel it's not safe in the city, shall we go to Suzhou and wait for Tang Qian to come and meet us?"

Zhao Yingluo and Yan Xier exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with determination and resolve: "I am willing to live and die with my husband."

Looking at Zhao Yingluo and then at Yan Xier, Qiu Linghua's face was full of conflict. If something happened to these two in Guangling City, she would definitely not be able to bear the responsibility. But thinking that both of them were willing to follow her son, she felt at ease.

“Since none of you want to leave, then I will stay too. The family must stay together.” Then, she patted her head. “I almost forgot, there’s also Jing’er. Chun Tao, go and call Miss over to greet your two sisters-in-law.”

"I've been waiting outside for a while." A lively and clear voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention in the courtyard. A figure flashed out from outside the moon gate, followed by an exclamation, "Tang Qian, you got yourself into trouble, so deal with it yourself. I can't stop you."

Immediately afterward, another young woman walked in from outside the courtyard gate, her gaze filled with coldness: "What a fine pair, no, two pairs... no, that's not quite right either..."

Faced with Tang Qian, this heartless man, Ye Qingmiao wanted to say a few words, but she really couldn't describe the relationship between Tang Qian and these two women. Seeing her face gradually change from anger to confusion, Tang Qingmiao couldn't help but rub her forehead.

Based on this sheer naivety alone, Ye Qingmiao and Tang Qian are a match made in heaven.

"You're putting on this show of marital bliss here, shouldn't you ask what I, the legal wife, think?"

The principal wife? Whose principal wife? There's only Tang Qian, the only man in this courtyard right now...

Zhao Yingluo and Yan Xier exchanged glances again, then turned their gaze to Tang Qian, who looked completely bewildered. Tang Qian naturally understood the meaning behind the words of the unfamiliar girl who appeared with his sister Tang Jing, but he really couldn't understand why he had another legal wife.

Turning to look at her mother, Qiu Linghua trembled slightly. She was about to ask Chun Tao to help her back to rest when she realized she didn't dare to stay in such a chaotic situation for long.

Tang Qian could tell at a glance that his mother's actions were so obvious that it was probably not a misunderstanding. However, Qiu Linghua was still an elder, so he could only turn his attention to his sister who knew the truth: "Tang Jing, can you clear things up for your brother?"

"What? Tang Qian, are you trying to renege on your promise?" Before Tang Jing could answer, Ye Qingmiao directly took out her marriage certificate with Tang Qian. "This is the engagement agreement between the Tang and Ye families back then. I also have your birth date and time."

Then, she took out another letter. "This is the letter you wrote to me before. It clearly states that you will marry me after returning to Guangling. You can't deny it even if you want to."

The two pieces of evidence left Tang Qian completely petrified on the spot. He really didn't expect that he would have another wife inexplicably as soon as he arrived in Guangling City.

"Sorry, my head hurts a bit." Rubbing his throbbing temples, Tang Qian gave a helpless wry smile. "Can someone explain to me what's going on?"