Qiu Feishan had always suspected something had happened to her grandfather. After repeatedly failing to contact him, she became even more convinced of this idea.

Her father had been the legitimate eldest son, and his death back then had been very suspicious. Given the Qiu family’s vast network of connections in Sword River and even throughout the entire Shu region, she would never believe that no one coveted the position of family head.

As time passed and she continued to receive no news of her grandfather, she began doing everything possible to develop Sitong Trading Company, finally achieving today’s situation and seizing the opportunity presented by the Lu family’s transformation.

She just hadn’t expected that her grandfather was still alive.

This good news made Qiu Feishan so overjoyed that she forgot all about maintaining her composure, simply pulling at Qiu Guang and asking about the situation nonstop.

“Grandfather, how have you been these past two years? Did you really go into seclusion? Or did someone harm you? I haven’t received any news from you or seen you these past two years, I was nearly worried to death…”

Qin Yining could see that Qiu Feishan’s feelings for her grandfather were genuine, but Qiu Guang seemed to dislike Qiu Feishan’s closeness, appearing very cold.

Though Qiu Feishan pulled at him and spoke, Qiu Guang remained expressionless throughout, walking ahead with his hands behind his back surrounded by a group of people, completely ignoring Qiu Feishan’s words.

When Qin Yining saw Qiu Guang frown and look coldly at Qiu Feishan, she inexplicably felt troubled in her heart.

She had experienced this kind of situation herself – offering one’s sincere heart only to receive cold treatment from family members – so she could particularly empathize.

Seeing Qiu Guang approaching with Qiu Yuanqing, Qiu Feishan, and a crowd of subordinates behind them, Qin Yining couldn’t help but feel wary.

Not only her, but the Elite Tiger Guards and hidden guards all sensed Qiu Guang’s hostility, gripping their weapons tightly once again. Mu Jinghu and Ji Yun placed their hands on the soft swords at their waists, flanking Qin Yining closely on both sides.

Qiu Guang walked up close and stopped about three zhang away from Qin Yining, cupping his hands in greeting.

“Prince Consort Zhongshun’s Princess? This humble citizen has long admired your great reputation.”

The coldness and contempt in his words were very obvious, causing both Qiu Yuanqing and Qiu Feishan nearby to freeze momentarily.

Qiu Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought the old man would hold a grudge against him for placing him under house arrest and would first deal with him after escaping. He hadn’t expected the old man to contradict the views of his beloved eldest granddaughter.

The old man didn’t want to choose Prince Zhongshun for support – this was exactly what Qiu Yuanqing wanted. More importantly, this time perhaps the old man had chosen the same person he had, putting them on the same side. Maybe the old man would no longer hold his house arrest against him due to their similar stance and his “usefulness.”

Qiu Yuanqing’s thoughts raced, though it was all in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Qiu Guang’s obviously contemptuous attitude, Qin Yining chuckled lightly and raised her eyebrows, asking: “You must be the Qiu family head, Old Master Qiu?”

“Indeed, this old fool.” Qiu Guang’s face showed the particular polite smile of a merchant as he said, “Princess Consort, please forgive me. My granddaughter is young – the little girl has no experience and doesn’t understand propriety. What she said earlier was all childish nonsense. Please don’t take it seriously, Princess Consort.”

With one sentence, he negated all of Qiu Feishan’s previous decisions and crushed underfoot the overwhelming advantage she had worked so hard to achieve.

Qiu Feishan stared with wide, shocked eyes, tears glittering as they spun in her eyes. Her red lips opened and closed before she finally managed to say: “Grandfather, you…”

“Feishan, do you know what your status is?” Qiu Guang’s voice carried the particular hoarseness of old age, his tone serious.

“Grandfather, what do you mean by this?”

“How could you casually reveal family secrets to outsiders?”

“Grandfather, there are no outsiders here. Prince Zhongshun is the best candidate for our family to support. It’s fine for Prince Consort’s Princess to know the reasons behind this.”

“Impudent! Must the future direction of the family be dictated by a little woman like you? I, the family head, am still here! Would you have the men of the family listen to a mere woman?”

Qiu Yuanqing harshly flicked his sleeves, the wide sleeves making a sharp sound, but that gesture was like a slap across Qiu Feishan’s face.

Qiu Feishan staggered back two steps. Her originally tall, upright figure seemed to have had its bones suddenly removed, losing all strength as she collapsed to the ground. Two streams of clear tears rolled down her stunningly beautiful face.

Qiu Guang said angrily: “You’ve been wild enough and should properly restrain yourself. I’ve been too indulgent with you, which is why you’ve developed such bad habits. Guards!”

“Yes.”

“Take the young miss away!” Turning to Qiu Feishan, he said, “I will quickly find you a good family. From now on, you will serve your husband and educate children, properly study needlework and household management, and fulfill your proper duties!”

Qiu Feishan’s face was pale. Even as her arms were seized and bound behind her back, she didn’t struggle, heartbroken as she shed tears and was pushed toward the direction of the carriages.

Qiu Feishan’s personal maid Bi Ying covered her mouth, sobbing for her mistress’s injustice, but didn’t dare speak out. She only chased after and pushed at the men grabbing Qiu Feishan.

“Show some respect! You cannot be rude to the young miss!”

Watching Qiu Feishan’s stumbling figure, Qin Yining’s delicate eyebrows knitted tightly together.

Qiu Guang’s meaning was all too clear.

The original sin of all this wasn’t because Qiu Feishan had done poorly, nor because Qiu Feishan’s choices were wrong, but because Qiu Feishan was a woman! Because this woman had stolen the limelight from the family’s men, no matter how much Qiu Guang might appreciate Qiu Feishan’s abilities, he could never allow her to manage the Qiu family.

That is to say, no matter how hard Qiu Feishan worked or how excellently she performed, she could never escape the fate of being married off blindly.

This was the greatest malice this world showed toward women. No matter how well they performed, they would ultimately be suppressed and despised by men. Even the good parts of their performance that wounded male pride would make men angry from shame, leading them to brand women with accusations of not following feminine virtues.

Qin Yining pressed her lips together. Setting aside Qiu Feishan’s previous scheming against her and Pang Xiao, just looking at intelligence, she had to admire Qiu Feishan. Looking at capability, she was also very impressed by Qiu Feishan. If they weren’t on opposing sides but could discuss cooperation, Qin Yining even felt she and Qiu Feishan could be friends, because they belonged to the same type of woman.

But she was much luckier than Qiu Feishan. Because her father would never bury her efforts like Qiu Guang did, would never benefit from her position while saying she was unchaste.

Not to mention her husband, who treated her like a treasure of his heart. Even when he worried about her and didn’t want her to come out, it was only because he feared she might be in danger, never because of some ridiculous reason like women not being able to make decisions.

As Qin Yining watched Qiu Feishan being stuffed into the carriage, those around her – Bingtang, Ji Yun, and Mu Jinghu – all showed expressions of pity.

Especially Mu Jinghu, whose expression revealed some confusion, though his face clearly showed compassion. He covered his heart with one hand, staring blankly as if lost in thought.

Qin Yining said: “Since that’s the case, I naturally won’t force the matter. I shall take my leave now. Please have Old Master Qiu order your people to let us pass.”

Currently surrounding them were Qiu Yuanqing’s people, those Qiu Feishan had brought, and the dozens more that Qiu Guang had brought.

With such a large number of enemies, Qin Yining was even less willing to let the guards around her take risks.

After all, she had been lured here by Qiu Feishan. Since the family wouldn’t adopt Qiu Feishan’s opinions, they should let them leave safely.

But unexpectedly, Qiu Guang showed a meaningful, polite smile and cupped his hands, saying: “Letting you pass is certainly what we must do. However, Princess Consort has come from far away, and our humble residence has provided poor hospitality these past days. This old fool has failed to properly entertain you. Princess Consort should stay a few more days so that this old fool can at least fulfill his duties as host.”

Qiu Yuanqing was overjoyed to hear this.

Indeed, his thoughts aligned with Qiu Guang’s!

Qin Yining’s expression tensed instantly, and those around her immediately gripped their weapons nervously, ready for action.

“What does Old Master Qiu mean by this? Are you planning to place me under house arrest again?”

“Why speak so harshly?” Qiu Guang stroked his beard and smiled, “As the saying goes, ‘Is it not a pleasure to have friends come from afar?’ Princess Consort is a renowned extraordinary woman of the realm. Your visit to our small place is a blessing our Qiu family rarely receives in several generations. Please don’t be modest, Princess Consort.”

With that, he raised his hand and waved.

The people Qiu Guang had brought immediately stepped forward to “invite” Qin Yining back to the Qiu family.

These people were unlike Qiu Yuanqing’s group, whose abilities varied greatly. Looking carefully, though they were all robust men, these people had bright eyes and prominent vital points – clearly a group of experts no weaker than the Elite Tiger Guards. Among them, two were obviously light and agile, skilled in lightness techniques.

“Stop!”

“How dare you!”

“Are you really going to rebel!”

…

Qin Yining was protected behind Mu Jinghu, who pulled her back repeatedly while saying in a low voice: “These people are formidable – completely different from the previous group.”

“What are our chances of success?”

“If I were to escape alone with you, I’d have a ninety percent chance of success.”

“But we have so many people!” Qin Yining’s face turned deathly pale with shock.

Mu Jinghu said: “I can’t protect everyone, and I only promised that fox Pang Xiao to protect your safety.”

“No, if I escape, all these people will certainly die!”

As they spoke, they had already retreated several zhang and were about to board the carriage.

Qiu Yuanqing was greatly alarmed and pointed toward Qin Yining’s direction, shouting: “Don’t let her get in the carriage!”

With this command, Qiu Yuanqing’s subordinates surged forward like a tide. Though they were all mediocre in martial arts, there were so many of them!

The Elite Tiger Guards, Jingzhe, and others suddenly found themselves in the most difficult predicament. They stood with their backs to Qin Yining, protecting her within their circle. Each person had to face three or more enemies. They couldn’t retreat, couldn’t fall – they could only fight desperately.

At this point, they couldn’t worry about not killing anyone. In this life-or-death moment, it was either kill or be killed – how could they not fight with everything they had?

But the problem was that the opponents had superior numbers and continuously used rotating attacks to exhaust their stamina.

Except for Mu Jinghu, who remained by Qin Yining’s side, even Ji Yun had drawn her soft sword to join the battle. Bingtang had used up almost all her itching powder and anesthetic powder.

“Princess Consort, please let Young Master Mu take you and leave quickly! Our people can’t hold out much longer,” Bingtang retreated to Qin Yining’s side and said in a low voice.