In that mont, Zhu Pingniang was at a loss for what to do. Anyway, her little Qin’Er was already stuck in her hand, and all she could do was endure and watch how things unfolded... she really had no other options left.
Zhu Pingniang was very clear about one thing. The attempt to arrange a marriage for Qinling back then was the direct reason why Qinling confronted her. It was her failure to handle the matter properly. And now... since Qinling had chosen to live alone all these years, without even a friend to accompany her on a boat trip, that was enough to show Qinling’s attitude.
Under the current suppression, Zhu Pingniang was uncertain about the extent of Qinling’s feelings for her, but she knew that it was almost impossible to change Qinling’s emotions now...
Even if Zhu Tongjun were struck down by a Celestial Tribulation now, Qin’Er’s feelings would still chase all the way down to the Abyss Sea.
So...
Zhu Pingniang could only give up, as she really had no solution... if there was anyone to bla, it was her own fault for not being able to harden her heart against Qinling.
"Miss Yun... is no use either." Zhu Pingniang slightly tightened her grip on the copper mirror.
Yun Qian clearly lived on Celestial Bright Peak, and her relationship with Qinling should have been quite good, yet... that beautiful face didn’t manage to divert any attention for her.
Alright.
Just kidding.
Zhu Pingniang put down the copper mirror, took a deep breath, and looked at the painting signed ’Lu’ on the wall of her boudoir.
With Qinling’s previous experience as a lesson, she now had experience dealing with her younger daughter, Miss Lu, and wasn’t as foolish as she once was.
Introducing a marriage to Qinling achieved nothing but to ignite the rebellion in the otherwise well-behaved Qinling, with no positive effect whatsoever.
Unfortunately, by the ti Zhu Pingniang realized this, everything was already set in stone.
But that’s how things are.
Now, she should cut off her feelings when Miss Lu’s emotions aren’t fully developed yet... But Miss Lu was much more obedient than Qinling, and Zhu Pingniang couldn’t bear to introduce her to any marriage prospects as she did with Qinling. So... the elder daughter was stuck in her hands passively, and she found herself unable to send the younger one away.
However, when it ca to Miss Lu, Zhu Pingniang believed she still had so room to maneuver.
Compared to Qinling, Miss Lu was much easier to handle; first, she wasn’t as stubborn as Qinling, and second, unlike Qinling, who grew up tagging along everywhere with her in the Immortal Sect, Miss Lu’s horizons weren’t that broad and she didn’t only have eyes for her.
Miss Lu still liked n.
Like Chang’an?
Oh, she wasn’t implying that liking Xu Chang’an was unsuccessful, just ntioning... compared to the hopeless case, Miss Lu was a bit of a ’philanderer.’
She liked Zhu Pingniang.
And also liked Xu Chang’an.
Even liked Yun Qian.
Very fickle, but it was precisely this fickleness that made Zhu Pingniang feel reassured.
Fickleness is good.
Liking beauty is good.
At least she didn’t have to worry about one day seeing that predatory gaze in Miss Lu’s eyes that was so akin to Qinling’s, because if she left, there would still be plenty of others worthy of Ni Zi’s affection.
From this view, the difference between the two girls becos clear.
Qinling was immovable even by external forces.
While Miss Lu didn’t need anyone’s help; she was easily distracted by handso young n and won...
Thus, in her fondness for Miss Lu, Zhu Pingniang believed that with so effort, she might not let Miss Lu end up like Qinling.
She believed she could achieve this—provided that...
Miss Lu must have as little contact with Qinling as possible; otherwise, if the younger daughter was assimilated...
Perhaps she should consider how to separate the two girls, as her ’duplicate’ had already been ruined by Xu Chang’an, and by that ti... Qinling might love Zhu Tongjun, and Miss Lu prefer Zhu Pingniang—how could she live through that?
Zhu Pingniang gritted her teeth.
So you see, Xu Chang’an was indeed her nesis, first shattering her Glazed Body, then destroying her duplicate.
As her brother, why couldn’t he help alleviate his elder sister’s worries...
What use did he have aside from causing trouble?
Fine.
He was still useful.
After all, his wife was really very beautiful, with an indescribable temperant that frequently caught her eye.
Thinking of Yun Qian, Zhu Pingniang suddenly fell silent, pressing her finger down on the mirror and leaving her fingerprint there, while squeezing until her knuckles turned white.
Because she suddenly realized sothing.
It was similar to how Qinling was raised by her.
Xu Chang’an was also raised with Yun Qian watching over him.
Zhu Tongjun, seeing Qinling’s emotions gradually beco strange, chose to resist, to guide, to evade, leading to the awkward situation they were in today.
And Yun Qian?
What had Yun Qian done?
Oh, she accepted it calmly.
No problems then.
Now Zhu Pingniang truly wanted to question that always calm-faced girl, asking how she could bring herself to act upon the boy she’d watched grow up, and how could she be so ’ruthless’?
Didn’t she find the familiarity too much?
Clearly confronted with the sa circumstance, Yun Qian never seed to consider diverting anything elsewhere, and Zhu Pingniang felt as though Yun Qian didn’t even think being liked by Xu Chang’an was troubleso, why bother making Xu Chang’an like soone else?
No reason.
Could it be, the problem wasn’t with herself, but rather with... Qinling?
If only Qinling were as appealing as Xu Chang’an, why would Zhu Tongjun’s first reaction be to avoid?
Zhu Pingniang thought, if she were Yun Qian, after living together for so many years, seeing his maturity and sensibility morph into affection, she would choose to accept it too.
Even if... it was hard to say who began to change their feelings first, Xu Chang’an or her...
So.
It had nothing to do with Miss Zhu.
If Qin’Er had half of Xu Chang’an’s character, had half his cooking skills and endearing qualities, she certainly wouldn’t have resisted.
So it wasn’t Miss Zhu’s fault; it was that Qinling wasn’t good enough.
Zhu Pingniang thought this way.
What does it an to be a bad woman?
She was just such a one.
She clearly didn’t handle the relationship with the girl well, yet could now righteously shift the bla to Qinling. But Zhu Pingniang had her reasons too, because besides this self-deception, she had no other way.
To never see Qinling in her lifeti was impossible; if she truly avoided her, should Qinling surprisingly shed tears for that event, Zhu Pingniang felt that would be a bigger problem. If in her softness she agreed, then the trouble would be enormous.
She took a deep breath.
Zhu Pingniang realized she indeed was a failure.
She was good at picking people up from the mountain, like Wen Li, like Xu Chang’an, like Liu Qingluo, proving her eye for people was excellent.
But though she could pick, she couldn’t raise children.
Qinling’s deep affection for her was a bother.
Liu Qingluo’s affection for soone else was also a bother...
Either way, it was her overconcern.
Had she not cared so much for the girls’ thoughts, she wouldn’t live so laboriously.
"This way, Yun Qian is very clever."
At least she made the correct choices, and took action early enough, quickly and decisively.
Perhaps.
She could share so child-raising insights with Yun Qian?
"Pah." Zhu Pingniang flushed, chiding herself.
Insights?
What to share?
Her daughter was still her daughter.
And Yun Qian?
Was she raising a steward or a Child Foster Husband?
Could she really find common ground with Yun Qian?
With these thoughts, Zhu Pingniang stretched lazily and smiled.
In fact, she now had found the solution—the Flower Moon Building.
Look at the Flower Moon Building, everyone here counted as her daughters.
Yet even if liked, it wouldn’t cause problems.
Because with enough ’daughters’, a delicate balance could be achieved and there wouldn’t be a ’bad woman’ like Qinling involved.
When all’s said and done, the Zhu Tongjun of those years belonged solely to Qinling; there wouldn’t have been so much trouble if she were placed in Flower Moon Building.
Zhu Pingniang just regretted deeply.
Why didn’t she discover the advantages of the brothel earlier?
If she had, she would have long been a brothel’s lady.
——
——
On the deck.
Li Zhibai thought about the letter that she just read from Wen Li and Zhu Pingniang, and about Qinling and the Profound Sword Bureau.
The Profound Sword Bureau chose to propose to Muyu Peak’s Wen Li for Sikong Jing.
She thought of this incident and rembered Sikong Lixu, that man.
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