Chapter 112 - 104: Imperial Sister-in-law Still Needs to Work Harder
Chapter 112: Chapter 104: Imperial Sister-in-law Still Needs to Work Harder
Qin Shiwei resisted the urge to tell him that what had left a deep impression on Xiao Juzi wasn’t her uncle himself, but the wings on his back.
Qin Songlin’s eyes grew a little misty, and his restrained voice still betrayed a hint of emotion. "My sister-in-law has really raised Xiao Juzi so well! You can tell she’s put a lot of effort into the child!"
’If Shu Yao’s way of raising her is fine, then I don’t mind postponing the time for Xiao Juzi to be formally acknowledged by the clan.’
Qin Songlin carefully put away Xiao Juzi’s drawing as if it were a priceless treasure.
He looked at Qin Shiwei, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "Your wife loves Xiao Juzi very much, but does she love you to the same degree?"
"Of course!" Qin Shiwei looked very confident. "Otherwise, why would she have married me and not some other man?"
Qin Songlin teased him, "Do you even believe what you’re saying?"
Qin Shiwei shot him a faintly annoyed glance.
"Oh, right..." Seeing the Empress appear with three service robots, Qin Songlin promptly stopped talking. He turned to Yudola with a brilliant smile. "Darling, you’re up so early."
’My brother and sister-in-law, putting on a show of affection first thing in the morning.’
Qin Shiwei closed his eyes, as if to say he didn’t want to watch their lovey-dovey display.
Yudola gracefully placed the breakfast in front of her husband and brother-in-law. "A new dish I learned! Fish noodle soup and crispy pan-fried fish bits!"
Her eyes urgently prompted Qin Songlin.
Qin Songlin took a sip of the fish broth and was pleasantly surprised. He then showered her with lavish praise, "The Empress’s cooking has improved so much! It can already rival the Imperial Chefs in the palace. When did you get so good so quickly? Were you secretly practicing all this time, just waiting for a chance to amaze us!"
Yudola blushed. "Didn’t I tell you last night? I found a hidden gem of a streamer on the Star Network!"
Qin Shiwei’s eyes snapped open, and as he looked over, his gaze met Qin Songlin’s steady one.
"Oh, so it’s *that* Mrs. Bao." Qin Songlin used a tone only the two brothers could understand, conveying to Qin Shiwei that he already knew Mrs. Bao’s identity.
"The Commander is a very important and busy man. I was afraid he’d be too busy and forget, so I mentioned it to you," Yudola said, looking at him expectantly. "Darling, did you manage to help me find out who that Mrs. Bao is?"
Qin Songlin felt an unspoken bitterness.
"I found her," Qin Shiwei spoke up suddenly. "But I won’t be telling you, Imperial Sister-in-law."
Yudola was taken aback. "Why?"
Qin Shiwei said, "I’ve decided to personally manage this new streamer."
Yudola was stunned again, not quite understanding. "...What?"
"Imperial Sister-in-law, I’m sure you’ve already seen the influence this new streamer has on the Star Network Platform. In just two days, with only two videos, she’s gained as many as ten million fans."
Yudola grew eager and couldn’t help but blurt out, "Of course! She could definitely surpass Lin Zhenxiang’s popularity and become the number one food streamer in the Federation!"
"But," Qin Shiwei’s gaze turned cold, "I don’t want her to become a failure like Lin Zhenxiang."
"Lin Zhenxiang... a failure!?" Yudola was incredulous. "Do you know how much revenue Lin Zhenxiang has brought to the Imperial Court Company!"
"Her commercial value doesn’t erase the mistakes she’s made." Qin Shiwei’s tone was stern and righteous. "Opening a restaurant and using substandard ingredients, using her influence to incite her fans to riot, colluding with a wanted interstellar hacker to frame an innocent person. If you hadn’t been secretly backing her, Imperial Sister-in-law, I could have sent her straight to an interstellar prison for her actions."
’As for the Empress’s part in covering for her, I’ll let His Majesty be the judge of that!’
Yudola fell silent, but her delicate fists were clenched tightly.
She reminded him in a low voice, "But... I’ve always been the one managing the Imperial Court Company and the Star Network streams."
"Imperial Sister-in-law, you don’t need to worry about my lack of familiarity with the business." Qin Shiwei was dead set on taking all matters concerning Mrs. Bao into his own hands. "It’s our family’s company. I know my way around."
Yudola suddenly looked to Qin Songlin, hoping her husband would speak up for her.
But Qin Songlin just smiled, a helpless yet gentle expression on his face.
"Darling, let’s just entrust this new streamer to the Commander. If she ends up being as willful and reckless as Lin Zhenxiang, it would be a dangerous thing for the Star Network and even the Federation. Let the Commander use his authority to keep her words and actions in line!"
After hesitating for a long moment, Yudola unclenched her fists and said frankly, "Although I’m not happy about it, I don’t want to damage the relationship between you two brothers. I won’t interfere in Mrs. Bao’s affairs."
Qin Songlin wasn’t surprised by this outcome and gave his sensible wife a playful wink.
Yudola’s mood improved considerably.
She looked at Qin Shiwei, her tone shifting. "But, if this Mrs. Bao still does something out of line while under the Commander’s supervision, I, the Empress, will not sit by and do nothing!"
Qin Shiwei nodded. "I’ll make sure she is careful."
Yudola paused, then studied him strangely and asked tentatively, "Have you eaten a meal cooked personally by Mrs. Bao?"
"Mhm," Qin Shiwei nodded. "It was delicious."
’Of course my wife’s cooking is delicious!’
Yudola let out an unladylike wail. "AHHHHH, why?! I haven’t even gotten to taste it! Then hurry up and try mine! How does my cooking compare to Mrs. Bao’s!"
She was eagerly waiting to hear a word of praise from her brother-in-law.
Qin Shiwei took a sip of the fish broth and offered a single comment: "You still have a ways to go, Imperial Sister-in-law."
Yudola looked completely crushed.
’But I’ve already worked so hard!’
’It took so many failed attempts to make this much progress for today’s breakfast!’
Qin Songlin chuckled lightly. "Darling, sit down and eat with us."
Yudola took a sip of broth and a bite of noodles, shot a resentful glance at Qin Shiwei, and defended her own cooking: "It’s obviously delicious!"
Qin Shiwei couldn’t help but say, "What she makes is the best."
Suddenly realizing something, Yudola’s eyes went wide, and she bit through her noodles in surprise.
"Commander, you... you haven’t fallen for Mrs. Bao, have you?!"
Qin Shiwei neither confirmed nor denied it.
But Qin Songlin spoke up for him. "Darling, what nonsense are you talking about! That Mrs. Bao is a mother; she’s clearly a married woman! How could the Commander possibly fall for a married woman! Does he not care about his reputation?!"
Qin Shiwei shot him a dark look.
’Suddenly, I feel like my brother the Emperor has a point.’
’Thanks for the cover, big bro.’
"Oh, right!" Yudola was clearly convinced, tapping her head foolishly. "What was I thinking!"
Seeing that she had been successfully fooled, Qin Songlin shot Qin Shiwei a look that begged for praise.
He looked exactly like Xiao Juzi asking for praise from her mother!
’For a second there, I almost suspected Xiao Juzi was actually my brother the Emperor’s biological child...’
During the meal, Qin Songlin asked discreetly, "Commander, Shu District Chief previously proposed an immigration plan for Zone 9 in the Parliament, but just a few days ago, he suddenly reversed his position. Do you know what’s going on?"
Before Qin Shiwei could speak, Yudola couldn’t help but say, "Could it have something to do with that niece of his who came back from the Lower Star District?"
The Empress had the innate superiority of someone from the Upper Star District, and when she mentioned Shu Yao, who had lived in the Lower Star District, her tone carried a hint of contempt.
"Since Shu District Chief has already planted this seed in Parliament, we might as well observe the attitudes of the various Star Districts on this matter." Qin Shiwei’s implication was that there was no need to rush the immigration issue.
Qin Songlin nodded in agreement.
Qin Shiwei added, "Alternatively, we could try to let word of the immigration proposal leak to Zone 9 and see what the attitude of the people there is."
Yudola was a little alarmed. "What if people from Zone 9 start coming up here on their own?"
Hearing this, Qin Songlin and Qin Shiwei exchanged a glance.
They shared a knowing smile.
If the situation the Empress described were to actually happen, then whichever Star District the people from Zone 9 appeared in, that district’s chief would be forced to clarify their stance on the immigration issue, rather than being so vague and ambiguous as they were in Parliament.