Chapter 916: Sisters with the Same M@n

Gebi nodded. “Yes.”

“Was it Song Qingshu who accompanied me hunting in the suburbs that time?” Wanyan Ping was both embarrassed and furious, unsure how to explain to her sister. “That day, I thought he was my brother-in-law, and I… I…”

Gebi pressed her lips together, a faint smile inadvertently appearing at the corners. “You finally realized? Just now, you were laughing at me, but it turns out you were just as clueless—slept with another man without even knowing.”

Wanyan Ping’s expression shifted erratically before she suddenly looked up. “Sister, you knew about what happened that day?”

Gebi sighed. “I only found out afterward. At the time, seeing how blissful you looked, I couldn’t bear to ruin your happiness, so I just told Qingshu to stay away from you.”

“Song Qingshu is a scoundrel!” Wanyan Ping nearly fainted from rage at the thought of losing her v!rginity to him unwittingly. “The way he’s treated us sisters—how is he any different from that beast Wanyan Liang?”

Gebi chuckled teasingly. “Who told you, little fool, to harbor improper thoughts about your brother-in-law? This is heaven’s punishment for you.”

Wanyan Ping froze, then looked at her guiltily. “Sister, do you resent me for having those feelings toward brother-in-law?”

Gebi shook her head with a smile. “We’re blood sisters, and we’ve always been close. Over the years, I’ve seen how you felt about him—I was just waiting for you to talk to me about it. Did you really think I’d stop you from joining our family? But you were too sneaky about it, acting like a thief. I found it both exasperating and amusing. Since you liked being secretive, I let you be. Every time you came to take ‘brother-in-law’ out, I turned a blind eye. Who could’ve guessed that in the end, Qingshu would be the one to benefit?”

“Don’t mention that name—it irritates me.” Wanyan Ping tugged at her hair, feeling utterly frantic. In her mind, Song Qingshu had always been just a mysterious, incredibly skilled thief—someone she both feared and admired. But now, in the blink of an eye, he had become her man. The thought left her with a tumult of emotions.

“But we can’t avoid talking about him,” Gebi said, rubbing her temples, clearly troubled. “Because of the Prince Changsheng incident, he was thrown into the imperial prison. If I hadn’t begged him to spare Prince Changsheng, he wouldn’t be in this situation. How can I stand by and watch him die?”

“You begged him too?” Wanyan Ping gasped. “I also went to plead with him not to harm Brother Changsheng.”

Gebi was stunned for a moment before smiling faintly. “It seems our sisterly bond runs deep.”

Wanyan Ping huffed. “When I begged him, he was cold and indifferent. Later, when he declared Brother Changsheng innocent, I thought he was just stern on the outside but soft-hearted—that he’d taken such a risk for me. I was genuinely moved! Turns out he did it all for you!”

Gebi couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s wrong, Ping’er? Are you jealous of me?”

Wanyan Ping flushed. “Who’s jealous? My heart only ever belonged to brother-in-law. Why would I be jealous over him?”

Gebi sighed softly. “It seems our fates are intertwined with the same man—first your brother-in-law, and now Song Qingshu.”

Wanyan Ping waved her hands dismissively. “That’s what you think! I only acknowledge brother-in-law. If you want to remarry, go ahead. I’ll keep mourning him forever.”

“You little brat, are you mocking me?” Gebi scolded playfully. “You never married your brother-in-law, and you never had any real relationship with him. What ‘mourning’ are you even talking about? Your man is Song Qingshu, understand?”

Wanyan Ping pouted. “I don’t care. I’ll mourn brother-in-law anyway.”

“Stop being ridiculous,” Gebi said, exasperated. “Let me be the one to mourn him. You’re still young—don’t waste your life like this.”

Wanyan Ping eyed her suspiciously. “You’d mourn him? You look perfectly content living with Song Qingshu now.”

Gebi’s cheeks reddened as she retorted, “Qingshu and I have already discussed this. To ensure your brother-in-law remains alive in everyone’s hearts, he’ll continue living in Daxing Prefecture under your brother-in-law’s identity for a while, securing glory in his name. And when… when we have children, they’ll take your brother-in-law’s surname. That way, his reputation stays intact, and his lineage continues.”

Wanyan Ping was stunned. She hadn’t expected her sister to plan so thoroughly, and for a moment, she felt ashamed of her own pettiness.

“He… agreed to let the child take brother-in-law’s name?” Wanyan Ping asked incredulously. In this world, unless absolutely desperate, no man would willingly let his child inherit another’s family name—doing so meant severing all ties, with the child honoring only the new lineage in future generations.

For example, during the Five Dynasties period, Emperor Chai Rong of Later Zhou was adopted by the previous emperor, Guo Wei, and renamed Guo Rong. From then on, all official records referred to him as Guo, not Chai—even after ascending the throne, he never reverted. He showed no special favor to the Chai family either. The reason later generations knew him as Chai Rong was because the Song Dynasty, founded by Zhao Kuangyin (who usurped the throne), deliberately restored his birth name to legitimize their own rule—implying that if the Chai family could inherit the Guo Dynasty’s throne, then the Zhao family could take the Chai Dynasty’s.

Hearing her sister refer to Song Qingshu only as “he,” Gebi knew she hadn’t let go of her resentment. But given what had happened, forgiveness wouldn’t come easily. She didn’t push, instead gently defending him. “I didn’t expect him to agree so readily either. He really is a kind man…” As she spoke, memories of his tenderness surfaced, making her blush.

Wanyan Ping snorted. “Don’t make him sound so noble. If I were a man, I’d also agree to anything if it meant having a beautiful wife to enjoy without responsibility.”

Gebi’s face burned as she reached out to pinch her. “You little wretch! How dare you mock me like this!”

After their playful tussle subsided, Gebi tentatively asked, “You won’t refuse to save him just because you’re angry, will you?”

Wanyan Ping shook her head. “I repay kindness and grudges clearly. He did brother-in-law a favor, so I won’t stand by and watch him die. As for what he did to me… I’ll settle that with him later.”

“But what can we even do now?” Gebi’s expression darkened. “I already begged His Majesty, but not only did he refuse, he even forbade me from entering the palace again.”