Qin Yining was actually very fearful.

This sense of destiny was like the collapse of great mountains and the roar of fierce winds. As time progressed, it seemed as though it would crush everything in the world into powder.

This feeling made Qin Yining feel very powerless, as if she were standing on a leaf upon turbulent waves, liable to be swallowed at any moment.

“Bingtang, do you think Prince Ning has a good chance of being saved?”

When Qin Yining asked this question, Ji Yun and Qiu Lu also frowned and looked over.

Bingtang sniffled and shook her head dejectedly with a dejected expression.

“Prince Ning’s injuries are too severe, he’s lost too much blood, and he’s not young anymore. The wound inflammation and infection are very serious. Not everyone can be lucky enough to persevere through this kind of situation. When this servant returned, the Emperor had personally gone there, and all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy had gathered together to think of solutions, but the situation showed no signs of improvement.”

Some things are simply beyond human capability.

Qin Yining lowered her head sadly. After a long while, she took Bingtang’s hand and had her sit beside herself, saying quietly:

“Each person has their own fate. Some things will always happen, just as each of us experiences birth, aging, sickness and death, and all have a day when we must depart. Prince Ning is a good man. Everything he did came from his heart. In this lifetime, he followed his heart, purging treacherous ministers and resisting foreign enemies. Even if something truly unexpected happens, that would still be a glorious ending for a military general. Everything he has done does not diminish his integrity as a member of the imperial clan. He is a hero, not a coward.”

Bingtang nodded through her tears: “This servant knows. To tell the truth, having been born into a family of physicians and learning medicine from childhood, this servant understands somewhat more about what it means to be human, and has seen much of birth, aging, sickness and death. Most of the time when watching these things, my heart doesn’t feel much sadness. But this time, watching Prince Ning at death’s door, I discovered that I still can’t harden my heart… Although he did some things wrong, overall, he is a true man, and worthy of those two strokes that form the character for ‘person.'”

Qin Yining nodded sadly.

Qiu Lu and Ji Yun were also very sorrowful.

“I still cannot go out. You should go care for Prince Ning more often. He has shown you kindness, and one must not forget kindness as a person. Moreover, Prince Ning isn’t gone yet, is he? If you go and work hard to treat him, perhaps you might witness a miracle.” After a moment, Qin Yining gathered her spirits to encourage Bingtang. “You have genuine skills, so you can still try your utmost. If you give your full effort and it still doesn’t work, then you won’t have regrets.”

Bingtang nodded firmly, wiped away her tears, and her gaze became much more determined.

“Good. This servant will first examine Miss, and if there’s nothing seriously wrong, I’ll prescribe medicine and then go to Prince Ning’s mansion. Your body is still weak. This blood loss has injured your foundation—it won’t recover in just a short time. You must also pay attention to rest and recovery.”

“I know.”

Bingtang then carefully checked Qin Yining’s pulse, examined the wound on her shoulder, changed the medicine, and after confirming everything was fine, left the villa again to go to Prince Ning’s mansion.

By evening, Qin Yining had retired early to rest within the azure gauze curtains, leaning against a light blue soft large pillow, holding Er’Bai while lying on the couch in a daze, when Ji Yun approached hesitantly.

“Miss.”

Qin Yining turned back, and through a layer of light gauze, saw Ji Yun standing outside. She smiled and said: “Come in to talk, to avoid the mosquitoes.”

“Mm.” Ji Yun nodded, carefully entered and closed the gauze door properly, then stood beside Qin Yining.

Qin Yining asked: “What’s wrong? I can see you’ve been preoccupied all day.”

Ji Yun hesitated: “This servant indeed has some doubts. When I voice them, please don’t be angry, Miss.”

Seeing her like this, Qin Yining smiled and said: “Are you wanting to ask me about Pang Zhixi?”

Ji Yun looked at Qin Yining in surprise, and after a long moment nodded: “Yes, Miss guessed truly accurately.”

“It’s not that I guessed accurately—your thoughts are written all over your face.” Qin Yining sat up straight and said, “Actually, to tell you the truth, I’ve been thinking about matters concerning him these past two days as well. I also felt confused earlier, not knowing how I should act while caught in the middle. For instance, Prince Ning was injured by him. If I favor him, should I not have let Bingtang go treat Prince Ning? If he learns that I had Bingtang go save Prince Ning, will he be angry?”

With each sentence she spoke, Ji Yun nodded.

“Miss, this servant has no other meaning, just feels troubled on your behalf.”

“I was also troubled at first, but now I’ve thought it through.” Qin Yining stroked Er’Bai’s soft fur repeatedly. “He is a clever person. From the first day he approached me, he already knew we were in opposing positions. Even so, he still took the initiative to approach, which shows he had everything figured out in his heart. Moreover, he told me that I needn’t concern myself with these matters—he would handle everything well, and I should just focus on being a proper Miss of the Qin family. Therefore, I trust him.”

She trusted that he wouldn’t be angry, and also trusted that their hearts were in harmony.

“Miss, this servant doesn’t understand.” Ji Yun frowned.

Qin Yining said: “I only need to do what a daughter of the Qin family should do. I am a daughter of the Qin family, my father is a person of the Yan Dynasty, so the prerequisite for me being a Qin family daughter is being a person of the Yan Dynasty. I will not harm people of the Yan Dynasty for the sake of Pang Zhixi. In matters of war, each side relies on their own abilities.”

“But Miss, what if the Prince’s side wins? If you’re together with him, won’t you be scolded by people of the Yan Dynasty? Or what if the Prince is defeated? Won’t his side blame your father, or blame you?”

“All these situations could happen, but so what?” Qin Yining laughed lightly. “I am still myself. He is still himself. From the first day we met, we were already aware that this day would inevitably come. Since we were mentally prepared early on, what is there to worry about? National affairs are national affairs, emotions are emotions. I can distinguish clearly, and Pang Zhixi should also be able to distinguish clearly.”

Ji Yun carefully pondered Qin Yining’s words, and after a long while understood her meaning. She nodded and said: “Miss is a magnanimous person. This servant is far from comparable. To tell the truth, this servant truly envies Miss’s temperament.”

“Where am I magnanimous? I’m just broad-minded.” Qin Yining smiled helplessly. “Things have already happened, and I lack the ability to change reality. The only thing I can do is follow heaven’s will and do my utmost to follow my heart. Can’t you see through this yet? A person’s lifetime is just that—very quickly a whole life passes. What we can grasp now, we shouldn’t let go.

“Since Pang Zhixi and I have already reached this step, I won’t harbor grudges against him because of involvement in family and national grievances, deliberately plotting to frame him. If I truly harbored such thoughts, then from the beginning I would not have agreed to associate with him. As for positions, we are indeed opposed, and perhaps we will have times when we must confront each other directly, but I will only fight him honorably and openly.”

Ji Yun’s face felt somewhat flushed.

She had indeed been somewhat worried that Qin Yining might use her advantageous position to scheme against Pang Xiao. After all, Pang Xiao was unguarded against Qin Yining—if she were wholehearted for the country and had a mind to scheme, Pang Xiao would probably find it difficult to escape the trap.

She hadn’t asked directly, yet Qin Yining had sensitively answered her question.

Seeing her like this, Qin Yining only smiled faintly. “I have always believed that people can play with power tactics and schemes, but they cannot play with emotions. Especially the emotions of someone who treats them sincerely.”

“What Miss says is extremely right. I was thinking incorrectly.”

“What are you saying? Your loyalty is pure—it’s proper to ask questions.”

Hearing this, Ji Yun couldn’t help but smile, then said: “Now your hundred disciples have all moved in, and the main hall at the front has also been renovated. The Emperor’s intention is that tomorrow the front courtyard of the villa can be opened. With the rumors from outside, many pilgrims will surely come to pray for blessings.”

“Fortunately there are those hundred well-behaved disciples to deal with the people outside. I’m too lazy to go to the front to deal with them. Moreover, I’m not really some saint or Taoist nun—if I speak, I’ll probably expose myself.”

“Miss is so clever that even if you spoke nonsense on the spot, the common people would still believe it.”

Just as Ji Yun finished speaking, they heard footsteps from outside.

Qin Yining and Ji Yun exchanged glances, both looking through the gauze window toward downstairs.

They saw the guard on duty at the hanging flower gate walk to the bottom of the building and bow respectfully toward them: “Reporting to the True Person, a large number of common people have now gathered outside Xuansu Temple, all clamoring to see you. Because it’s already late, the gatekeepers don’t dare let them in. After trying to persuade them, they refuse to leave. Now more and more people are gathering, and they’ve almost blocked the villa entrance completely.”

Qin Yining asked curiously: “What are the common people doing here so late at night? Didn’t the Emperor’s order to open the villa start tomorrow?”

The guard said: “This subordinate went to inquire. The common people had particular difficulty purchasing grain in the city today—grain merchants have raised the price of grain to ten taels of silver per catty.”

“Ten taels of silver?” Qin Yining gasped in shock, and immediately understood!

She had truly underestimated the black hearts of the grain merchants. Earlier she thought the grain merchants would slightly raise prices to sell grain, but now it seemed they didn’t intend to sell grain at all—they planned to hoard it as a precious commodity!

“Ten taels of silver could buy an acre of good paddy field. Have the grain merchants gone mad! Doing this is no different from outright robbery!”

The guard was also indignant: “These profiteering merchants are indeed black-hearted. Ten taels of silver per catty of rice—who can afford to eat that? Now it’s being spread outside that the Grand Emperor sold the stored grain and tax grain, emptied the national treasury and inner treasury, and large sums of silver have disappeared without a trace. Both military and civilians are very panicked. The common people all feel that everyone will soon have no grain to eat, but they can’t afford the grain merchants’ rice at ten taels per catty. So they thought of the True Person. The True Person is the saint whom Tianji Zi calculated could protect the national fortune, personally enfeoffed by the Emperor as Xuansu True Person, and naturally can communicate with the heavenly gods. Therefore the common people want to come request that you ask the heavenly gods whether their crisis can be resolved.”

Qin Yining listened with deeply furrowed brows, feeling overwhelmed.

Where was she any kind of “saint”? Originally it was just being forced into helplessness that she gave herself a “protective talisman” divination. Who knew that things would develop to this point—not only was she forced to cultivate, she also had to be crowned with an exaggerated “saint” title, and she couldn’t resist or decline!

Have her ask the heavenly gods’ intentions?

If she could communicate with heavenly gods, would she need to be locked in this gilded cage?!

Having her become an eloquent charlatan was truly like forcing a duck onto a perch!

“Miss, what do you plan to do?” Ji Yun was somewhat worried. “This matter is very difficult to handle. Miss, you were personally enfeoffed as Xuansu True Person by the Emperor. If you refuse to appear, I’m afraid you’ll greatly offend the Emperor. If you do appear but speak poorly, it will also damage your own reputation.”