How could Qin Yining not worry that things would develop in an uncontrollable direction?
However, her anxiety was useless now. She could only wait for Manager Zhong to investigate clearly before making the next plan.
Qin Yining vaguely sensed that Manager Xia’s actions might be related to the Duke Dingguo’s wife being arrested.
Qin Yining chatted with Bingtang to pass time. During this period, the two children woke up once, and Qin Yining went to nurse them again. By the time she had coaxed both children back to sleep, it was already lamp-lighting time.
The vast Qin Manor courtyard was shrouded in darkness. The desolate winter wind blowing through made sounds like weeping.
Qin Yining casually flipped through a copy of “Zuo Zhuan” while waiting.
In the adjacent room, several maids doing needlework chatted quietly, dispelling much of the melancholy in the air.
Actually, living here made Qin Yining feel somewhat uncomfortable.
In the past, when the Qin family was at its height of glory, the vast mansion housed not just the masters but hundreds of servants. When she had managed the household, she could still vividly remember how she held meetings and motivated the servants.
But how long had passed? The once-prosperous home had already become a gloomy old mansion. Even after renovation, it couldn’t hide the emptiness throughout.
Qin Yining hadn’t lived in this mansion long—even shorter than the time she’d lived alone in the mountain cave—but this mansion held memories she would never forget.
Here she had found parents and family. Though there were times of conflict with Qin Huining, times of sadness over mother’s dislike and the Old Madam’s unfairness, looking back now, those trivial matters truly weren’t worth mentioning.
As long as matters didn’t involve life and death, everything could actually be easily let go.
Qin Yining stared blankly at the lattice patterns on the carved window frame until Bingtang gently pushed her, bringing her back to her senses.
“What is it?”
“Princess, Manager Zhong has returned.”
“Please invite him in quickly.” Qin Yining collected her thoughts, instructing Bingtang to invite him in while having Ji Yun light more candles in the main hall.
Upon seeing Qin Yining, Manager Zhong first bowed, then said quietly: “Princess, I’ve lived up to your expectations. I’ve investigated that High Commissioner Gao’s background thoroughly. High Commissioner Gao is forty-nine years old and specifically manages the local yamen’s prison and courthouse. Though he’s just a low-ranking petty official, he wields considerable power. Any local person treats him with utmost politeness because he’s purely the type who makes sugar that’s never sweet and vinegar that’s inevitably sour. It was he who captured the Duke Dingguo’s wife, and she’s currently imprisoned in the jail.”
“Could you investigate any news about my grandmother? How is her condition now?”
“That couldn’t be discovered. Moreover, to avoid alerting them, I didn’t dare investigate too carefully.”
Qin Yining nodded understandingly: “I was too anxious.”
“No, Princess, it’s because you care about the old madam.”
The two sighed together again, then Qin Yining asked: “Did you investigate High Commissioner Gao’s family situation?”
“I did. High Commissioner Gao’s family has had single heirs for three generations, and his generation particularly struggled with offspring. He took many concubines, but only got a son when he was over thirty. He treasures him like a jewel—truly afraid the child would melt in his mouth or break if held in his hands.
“Perhaps because High Commissioner Gao spoiled his son too much, with no one in the house daring to offer opinions, Young Master Gao was pampered beyond measure. He spends his days chasing chickens and dogs, truly annoying to people and ghosts alike.”
With Manager Zhong’s description, the image of an arrogant, pampered wastrel appeared before them. Qin Yining understood exactly what kind of person this was without needing to think.
“Around the time High Commissioner Gao arrested people, did his household have any contact with anyone?”
“That wasn’t discovered. I suppose if someone wanted to secretly instruct High Commissioner Gao to act, it wouldn’t necessarily be detectable.”
Qin Yining nodded in agreement, falling into contemplation.
To rescue grandmother, she first had to find the reason for her arrest.
Now that it was no longer the Great Yan Dynasty’s rule, even grandmother’s most outrageous past action—becoming leader of the Azure Sky Alliance—couldn’t be classified as treason.
Moreover, this time she had helped Li Qitian reclaim the throne, and the Azure Sky Alliance’s power had to be utilized. Now it could be considered legitimized, with the Alliance’s existence temporarily recognized.
So being arrested for Azure Sky Alliance matters could be temporarily ruled out.
This was Yuchi Yan’s territory, and with Gu Shixiong, such a clever strategist, by his side, Qin Yining could basically determine that grandmother’s arrest was exactly as she had initially analyzed—it must be targeting Pang Xiao.
In that case, to make Yuchi Yan release her would require careful consideration of methods.
Manager Zhong had also thought of what Qin Yining analyzed. Unable to directly rescue the person, he found himself in a difficult position.
“Princess, shouldn’t we still ask the Prince? The Pingnan Army camp isn’t far from us anyway. If the Prince were willing to speak up, solving the problem would actually just be a matter of one sentence.”
Hearing this, Qin Yining’s brows gradually furrowed as the problem that had been unclear in her mind seemed to find an answer.
Perhaps this was exactly what Gu Shixiong was waiting for!
If she couldn’t think of a solution, she would inevitably ask Pang Xiao. As soon as Pang Xiao intervened, Gu Shixiong could fabricate any crime, and wouldn’t Pang Xiao be framed?
Li Qitian might seem to have a decent relationship with them on the surface, but actually he was worried about not being able to catch Pang Xiao’s weak points. If Gu Shixiong manufactured a “weak point” for Li Qitian to grasp, would Li Qitian refuse? While pacifying the south was indeed important, he could wait until Pang Xiao resolved southern affairs before eliminating this threat!
With this analysis, Qin Yining broke out in a cold sweat.
“It won’t work—we can’t involve the Prince.” Qin Yining’s expression became serious as she shared her analysis with Manager Zhong.
Manager Zhong also became anxious upon hearing this.
“What can we do then? If this won’t work, what other methods do we have?”
“Don’t panic. Solutions are thought up by people. We need to find a way to solve the problem ourselves—we can’t always depend on the Prince. Now that we know what Prince Yan and Gu Shixiong are after, we can know that grandmother won’t be in mortal danger until they achieve their goal. This time is enough for us to act.”
Thinking it through, this really made sense. Manager Zhong nodded: “The Princess is right. Then I’ll await your instructions.”
Qin Yining thought for a moment, then asked Manager Zhong: “What kind of person is High Commissioner Gao’s only son?”
“Princess, that one is truly someone who accepts anything, coarse or fine. Though not yet twenty, his figure appears everywhere in the pleasure quarters. Last year he had an affair with a male actor who played female roles, making vows of eternal love, but as soon as High Commissioner Gao cut off Young Master Gao’s allowance, he immediately abandoned that frail little actor. The next day the actor’s body was found in the river, reportedly with his manhood cut off… anyway, it was particularly gruesome. Yet Young Master Gao, who had sworn eternal love, didn’t care at all and found a new lover.
“Young Master Gao recently set his sights on a Miss Yu. When the girl looked down on him, he framed Miss Yu’s father for murder with fabricated evidence. When Old Yu refused to confess, he was beaten to death in court, and Old Yu’s wife also died from the shock.
“That wasn’t the end of it. Miss Yu and her eight-year-old sister were sold to the Yicui Pavilion. The madam there took Young Master Gao’s silver and used Miss Yu’s sister as a threat to force Miss Yu to receive clients. Young Master Gao then appeared at the right moment to play the hero rescuing the beauty, visiting her daily with high moral airs. But Miss Yu still looks down on Young Master Gao and continues to refuse. I think that Young Master Gao won’t be able to endure much longer.”
Qin Yining listened with her mouth agape: “Such scum actually still lives in this world—this is truly… However, I seem to have thought of a way to solve the problem.”
Manager Zhong was delighted upon hearing this and asked anxiously: “Princess, what method do you have?”