The urgent message that Qin Huaiyuan had sent by eight-hundred-li express to the old capital arrived almost simultaneously with Mu Jinghu and Qiu Feishan.

Mu Jinghu and Qiu Feishan had mostly traveled by waterways. Combined with Qiu Feishan’s abundant wealth, the carriage they rode was both stable and fast. If not for the delays caused by her pregnancy, they probably could have reached the old capital even sooner.

The two didn’t go directly to the Pingnan Army camp to find Pang Xiao. Instead, they disguised themselves, avoided crowds, and went to the Qin mansion through the back corner gate used specifically for delivering vegetables.

“Shanshan, there’s really no need for such trouble. I could easily carry you over the wall without letting you lose a single hair,” Mu Jinghu said, supporting Qiu Feishan as they walked toward the inner residence under the guidance of elite Tiger Guards left to guard the Qin mansion.

Qiu Feishan smiled, “This way is more secure. Though the Qin mansion currently has no masters at home, servants were left to watch the house, and they need to eat too. This way is less suspicious. Even if someone asks, His Highness and the Qin family servants have an easier explanation. But if we climbed walls, going in and out, once spotted by someone, the subsequent troubles would be greater.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

Mu Jinghu helped Qiu Feishan carefully up the steps, supporting her along the covered walkway like a mother hen protecting her chick, afraid she might bump into something.

Qiu Feishan couldn’t help but smile again.

Mu Jinghu and Qiu Feishan didn’t wait long before Pang Xiao returned from the military camp.

He only brought Huzi, and the two rode swiftly, openly entering through the corner gate.

Arriving at the flower hall, Pang Xiao naturally exchanged warm greetings upon seeing Mu Jinghu and Qiu Feishan.

Qiu Feishan had already exchanged letters with Pang Xiao before coming, so Pang Xiao had long known about Mu Jinghu and Qiu Feishan’s marriage. Still, seeing them in person inevitably led to some teasing.

After a moment, Qiu Feishan got to the point: “I received intelligence on the road that the Tatar people have joined forces with Qiu Yuanqing’s faction.”

Pang Xiao didn’t immediately respond, only smiled and said, “Oh?”

Qiu Feishan continued, “Qiu Yuanqing has already chosen Yuchi Yan. This way, whether it’s you, Ji Lan, or the current Emperor, you’re all Yuchi Yan’s opponents and all targets for Qiu Yuanqing to deal with.

“Qiu Yuanqing has some cunning. Cooperating with the Tatars, they plan to first jointly eliminate you, then work together to kill Ji Lan.”

Pang Xiao smiled again, showing no sign of the gravity one might expect upon learning someone wanted to kill him.

“Isn’t His Highness afraid?” Qiu Feishan asked with a smile.

“Afraid of what? Haven’t I encountered enough such situations? On the battlefield, if I had retreated even once out of fear, enemy blades would have severed my head long ago. People wanting my life—that’s a common occurrence.”

His tone paused slightly, and Pang Xiao’s expression grew colder: “I just didn’t expect it would be this kind of situation this time. Qiu Yuanqing has quite good ideas, and some people have designed things quite well.”

The “some people” Pang Xiao referred to was crystal clear to both Qiu Feishan and Mu Jinghu.

Pang Xiao took out the letter sent by Qin Huaiyuan from his sleeve, his expression grave as he handed it directly to Mu Jinghu.

Mu Jinghu unfolded the letter and read it together with Qiu Feishan.

“What does this Tatar princess want to do? Is she trying to avenge Khan A’na Ri?”

Qiu Feishan shook her head thoughtfully: “In my opinion, it won’t be that simple. The current Emperor isn’t someone who would indulge a woman just because she makes him happy. Rather than saying the Emperor agreed to Princess Tana’s request, it’s more accurate to say he already had such intentions himself.”

Pang Xiao’s voice was heavy: “You’re right.”

Mu Jinghu scratched his hair. These matters of reading people’s hearts—he really wasn’t good at them.

Pang Xiao lowered his eyes, still wearing a smile but with ice-cold eyes. His slender fingers clenched into fists, knuckles turning white, yet only grasping empty air.

He wasn’t as calm as Li Qitian.

Li Qitian wasn’t the type to indulge a woman just because she made him happy, but he was.

No matter what, as long as it went against Qin Yining’s wishes, as long as it threatened Qin Yining’s safety, he would absolutely prioritize Qin Yining’s feelings above all else.

He could remain composed before opposing armies. Even when facing enemy forces ten times larger than his own, he had never feared.

Yet just a short letter, a message from afar, had already stirred his heart into chaos, making even his fingertips cold.

Pang Xiao knew he was afraid.

He even wished he could immediately ride swiftly back to the capital, snatch Qin Yining from the palace, and not let anyone have a chance to harm her.

But he couldn’t leave!

Not to mention that leaving would mean abandoning his post and handing over the Pingnan Army’s military authority to others. Even if he brought the elite Tiger Guards back, what could he do? Being isolated and outnumbered would only give Li Qitian a pretext to punish him.

Then wouldn’t he be even less capable of protecting his Yining?

Pang Xiao’s eyes were dark and heavy. The smile remained at the corners of his mouth, but when he lowered his eyes, the anxiety and vulnerability he revealed still evoked sympathy from Mu Jinghu and Qiu Feishan.

“Pang Fox, don’t worry. Your wife is just as clever as you are. She’ll definitely be fine in the palace. If someone wants to scheme against her, they’d better first weigh their own capabilities. Even my master’s uncle said that she could calculate everything under heaven, but Lady Qin alone is a variable—she can’t predict her affairs accurately. See, my master’s uncle said this, so isn’t this proof of your wife’s formidability?”

Pang Xiao smiled, his voice slightly hoarse when he spoke: “I know, but no matter how capable she is, she’s still a weak woman. In a place like the imperial palace, if it’s just competition among women, I believe she won’t suffer losses, but if someone forcibly intervenes…”

“You also know my father-in-law is extremely clever. Having weathered political storms for half his life, he’s the most steady person. If he didn’t feel something was wrong, he wouldn’t risk being discovered by sending such an urgent message.”

Qiu Feishan lowered her eyes and bit her lip, then after a moment said, “Your Highness worrying alone is useless. You should think about how to respond.”

“Indeed.”

Pang Xiao leaned back in his chair, for the first time bending his spine that stood straight as a flagpole. His posture was casual but also revealed exhaustion. He rested the back of his head against the top of the chair back, his skull pressed against it, staring somewhat absently at the ceiling canopy above.

Mu Jinghu and Qiu Feishan temporarily remained silent, leaving space for Pang Xiao to think.

After a while, Pang Xiao maintained that same posture, his voice squeezed from his throat: “He wants to kill her.”

Mu Jinghu’s eyes widened as he stared at Pang Xiao in shock.

Qiu Feishan lowered her long eyelashes without speaking. She had obviously thought of this already. It was just that, being certain Pang Xiao would figure it out himself and that his earlier state was merely confusion from excessive concern, she hadn’t spoken up.

Pang Xiao narrowed his eyes: “Kill her to test my reaction. If I make any unusual moves, it’s the perfect justification to eliminate me. If I don’t react, it’s still a blow against me.”

Pang Xiao suddenly leaped up, standing in place, clenching his teeth, his molars straining so hard that his jawbone’s contours were tense.

Qiu Feishan sat beside Mu Jinghu, looking up at Pang Xiao: “What does Your Highness plan to do?”

Pang Xiao seemed to have made some decision, turning around: “Please fetch Scholar Xu.”

Huzi immediately nodded and ran out to find the person.

Soon, Xu Weizhi arrived quickly, bowing at the door: “Your Highness.”

Pang Xiao said, “No need for ceremony. There’s something I need you to handle now.”

Xu Weizhi understood Pang Xiao. Even during battles when everyone thought defeat was certain, Pang Xiao would still smile relaxedly, maintaining clear thinking. But now Pang Xiao’s expression was extremely grim, as if every muscle and bone in his body was tense, even stiff from tension.

Something must have happened!

“Please speak, Your Highness. This old man will go through fire and water, spare no effort.”

“Good. I cannot leave here, so this matter must be handled properly by you. Set out immediately for Southern Yan to meet Yuchi Xuye. I’ll arrange protection and prepare proper calling cards.”

Xu Weizhi asked, “To find Yuchi Xuye? To discuss what?”

“Tell Yuchi Xuye that the current Emperor has broken faith with him. Having already acknowledged Southern Yan’s independence, he then gave Yuchi Xuye a royal title. Such duplicitous behavior must be because the current Emperor wants to use Yuchi Yan’s legitimate status to annex Southern Yan.”

Xu Weizhi frowned: “Your Highness, doing this…”

“You needn’t advise me, Scholar Xu. This matter depends entirely on you. I believe that once you tell Yuchi Xuye this, that petty man who only gossips behind people’s backs will definitely be frightened.

“As long as he shows signs of being moved, tell him that I will drive Yuchi Yan toward Southern Yan. As long as Yuchi Xuye can kill Yuchi Yan, then the legitimate succession of Great Yan will belong to Yuchi Xuye.”

“But Your Highness, Yuchi Xuye is someone who particularly values reputation and legitimacy. He’s had several opportunities to eliminate Yuchi Yan before, but for the sake of his good reputation and that legitimate Great Yan succession status, he’s never acted. Even as a sovereign, when meeting Yuchi Yan, he still observes sovereign-subject protocols. Your arrangement probably won’t work.”

Pang Xiao raised an eyebrow and smiled: “Does Scholar Xu think I really want Yuchi Xuye to kill Yuchi Yan?”

Hearing this, Xu Weizhi lowered his head in thought and understood within a breath.

“Your Highness means?”

“What I want isn’t Yuchi Yan’s life, but Yuchi Xuye’s life. I want Southern Yan.”

Pang Xiao turned around, sitting upright in his original position, his eyes sharp and brilliant, his entire aura of determination completely unconcealed.

“Yuchi Xuye will definitely agree falsely, then protect Yuchi Yan for the sake of that ridiculous legitimacy and reputation. But think about it—what kind of temperament does Yuchi Yan have? Weak, suspicious. His past experiences have turned him into a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

“The current Emperor’s secret decree orders me to deal with Yuchi Yan. I need only follow the decree and mobilize troops for ‘bandit suppression,’ driving Yuchi Yan from the old capital and chasing him to Southern Yan. I needn’t kill him—the hardships of that journey alone will completely wear away what little humanity he has left.

“As a fallen sovereign, his obsession with the throne is naturally much greater than other emperors. Will Yuchi Yan believe in Yuchi Xuye’s protection?”