Chapter Seventy-Three: Collective Surrender

"That's not fierce at all! My brother-in-law said that's called dignified and capable—a unique charm!"

"Yes, yes! Sister, you're even prettier than Sister Peach!"

The six little ones spoke without restraint. Zhao Hengyi, who had been quietly observing from the side, caught Wei Linglan's half-amused, half-mocking glance and felt utterly mortified!

This was the Great Yan Kingdom, a feudal era! To comment on other women so casually was a thoroughly disrespectful act, akin to hooliganism in modern society!

Zhao Hengyi meant no harm; he had simply wanted to educate these uniquely independent women of Yan so that his six younger sisters wouldn’t grow up knowing only the traditional virtues. Who could have guessed they’d repeat his words—and to the very person involved!

And right in front of her!

Peach’s brows shot up instantly; someone had dared to disrespect her lady! But Wei Linglan waved her hand to stop Peach, smiling as she teased the six little ones, "Your brother-in-law likes to gossip; he’s no good, surely a rogue."

Had Wei Linglan said anything else, the little ones might not have understood. But the word "rogue" was something their eldest sister had just taught them a few days ago.

"No, brother-in-law is a good man!"

"He’s devoted! Eldest sister wanted Sister Xiuying to be his concubine, but he refused!"

"Sister, you may be pretty, but if you speak ill of brother-in-law, I won’t be close to you!"

"Yes! No more closeness—and give us back the roast mountain chicken!"

The older two, Ruo Chang and Ruo Yi, understood propriety and knew such words shouldn’t be spoken in front of outsiders, but the younger sisters, flustered, failed to stop the other four!

Miao Xiaoyu was even more panicked; even though she didn’t know Wei Linglan’s status, she could tell these women were certainly not ordinary. Her sisters were offending them!

"How amusing!" Wei Linglan was thoroughly entertained, mischievously continuing to tease them, "Which one is Sister Xiuying? Point her out to me. Maybe your brother-in-law dislikes her simply for her looks."

"Sister Xiuying isn’t ugly!"

"Sister Xiuying may be a bit tough, but brother-in-law said women should be strong like her!"

Four little hands, pale as scallion stalks, pointed at Sun Xiuying, who was mortified, covering her face and crouching down like an ostrich!

Even the female warriors and Zhao Hengyi’s guards couldn’t help but smile, holding back their laughter.

Wei Linglan finally couldn’t contain herself, covering her mouth as she laughed, feeling all the fatigue of her fruitless day melt away.

She glanced at the so-called rogue in the crowd; their brother-in-law was bowing to her, clearly begging for mercy.

"Hmm, it seems Sister Xiuying truly isn’t ugly! So your brother-in-law is a gentleman after all—not bad, not bad."

Her gaze, cool as autumn water, shot Zhao Hengyi a fierce look before she let him off the hook. "But your roast mountain chicken smells so delicious! How about I trade you some pastries for it? The osmanthus cakes from my house are fragrant as well!"

Wei Linglan had never met such delightful children. Sleeping in a mountain cave at night was dull, so she pulled the six little ones over to amuse herself.

"If you don’t speak ill of brother-in-law, the roast mountain chicken is yours," they said.

"Yes, yes, it’s not a trade—it’s a gift!"

"If you say brother-in-law is a gentleman, Xiaofang will be close to you again!"

The six little ones were clever and endearing—even the maids arranging things couldn’t help but steal glances, thinking how entertaining these children were.

"Alright, I’ll accept this roast mountain chicken, but as courtesy demands, I’ll give you some osmanthus cake. Would you like that? Come, over there, let’s sit on the carpet together and eat. I even have honey water to share!"

Wei Linglan coaxed the six little ones and stood, inviting the stunned Miao Xiaoyu, "Sister, come join us—let’s chat. Sleeping here for the night is tedious."

With that, she took Miao Xiaoyu’s hand and led the six little ones to the carpet laid by the maids.

A cluster of women gathered, instantly buzzing with chatter and laughter. Even shy Sun Xiuying was pulled over by Peach, leaving the men in the cave to behave themselves, hardly daring to breathe.

The six little ones, deeply influenced by Zhao Hengyi, idolized their brother-in-law. Now, being teased by Wei Linglan, their candid answers seemed extra mischievous, making the female knights adore them even more!

After all, Zhao Hengyi, with his modern mindset, rejected the Yan Kingdom’s belief in male superiority and was worried his sisters would become women who worshiped men. So he often shared ideas that others considered rebellious.

Yet, to Wei Linglan and the female warriors, these notions were novel and fascinating. That brother-in-law didn’t belittle women—could he really be a rare good man?

Not just the little ones—even Miao Xiaoyu and Sun Xiuying, under Wei Linglan’s expert conversational skills, unwittingly revealed much about themselves, never realizing anything amiss. Only when Wei Linglan herself changed the topic did she keep the two adults from embarrassing themselves.

Leaning against the cave wall, Zhao Hengyi listened in on the women’s muffled conversation and sighed inwardly; this Lady of Xiang County was certainly not an ordinary woman!

Wei Linglan’s mastery of conversation was evident in her ability to control the flow and content around her, clearly learned with intent.

His silly wife and the honest Sun Xiuying, faced with the Lady of Xiang County, were like lambs before a tiger!

If Wei Linglan hadn’t consciously avoided probing, she might have already extracted the secrets of the loom and the Nine-Flower Jade Dew!

"So the Nine-Flower Jade Dew is made by your family, sister? Remarkable! I’ve used it before, but could never find the bamboo fragrance variant."

"Hand crossbow? I’ve heard of sleeve arrows, but what’s the difference?"

"Weaving? I can do that too! At home, I often weave my own cloth during leisure."

You, a dignified Lady of Xiang County, weaving at home?

What nonsense!

She’s just fooling my silly wife!

Zhao Hengyi could barely take it. Wang Erhu, at Miao Xiaoyu’s invitation, brought out a set of Nine-Flower Jade Dew as a gift, and both the set and Wang Erhu’s hand crossbow soon found their way to Wei Linglan...

Unlike her husband, Miao Xiaoyu only felt that tonight’s chance encounter with this "sister" was truly intimate; a few words in, it felt as though they’d been friends for years. Perhaps, she thought, this was what her husband meant by a soulmate.

Through laughter and chatter, Wei Linglan realized that the brother-in-law really wasn’t a bad man—just someone who thought differently from most.

What was rare was that her newly recognized sister Xiaoyu was well protected by him, so much so that she hadn’t noticed how unconventional her husband’s ideas were. Silly, perhaps, but truly fortunate.

As for Sun Xiuying, after hearing about the honest girl’s situation, Wei Linglan thought that, following the quirky brother-in-law, even without a title or status, she’d found a good home.

As night deepened, Wei Linglan gathered Miao Xiaoyu and the others to sleep on her side, with cloth screens carefully shielding them. Zhao Hengyi could only make out the murmur of conversation, unsure just how many family secrets had been revealed...