Qin Yining and Pang Xiao had lingered at the earth temple for some time, and by the time they returned to the manor, the sky had already darkened considerably. The rain had still not ceased these past few days, and the sky was so overcast it seemed as if it might collapse at any moment. By evening, it was already as dark as nighttime.

The two carefully avoided people and entered the manor through a side gate.

As soon as they returned to their room, Ji Yun excitedly said, “Princess Consort, someone just came! Guess who!”

Seeing Ji Yun’s excitement, Qin Yining couldn’t help but laugh. “Who could it be to make you so happy? Guard Tang didn’t even go out.”

Pang Xiao had gone to change into casual home clothes and was slowly walking out while adjusting his collar. Hearing this, he chuckled with amusement. “Tang Xiu is quite good. What do you think, Ji Yun?”

Ji Yun’s face turned bright red with embarrassment as she stamped her feet. “Princess Consort, you’re so mean! I’m talking about serious matters!”

“The Prince and I are also talking about serious matters.”

Seeing that Ji Yun’s face had turned completely red, Qin Yining worried that the young woman might be too thin-skinned and become truly angry if they continued teasing her, so she said, “Alright, alright, let’s not talk about that for now. Tell me, who came?”

Ji Yun had originally wanted to keep them in suspense, but fearing that Qin Yining would continue teasing her, she quickly said, “Hall Master Liao and Jingzhe have returned!”

“Really!” Qin Yining’s eyes widened with pleasant surprise as she clapped her hands together. “Does this mean everything in Xihua has stabilized?”

Pang Xiao also smiled. “It must be so. Where are they now? Please bring them here quickly.”

“Yes!” Ji Yun nodded with a smile and ran out hurriedly.

Qin Yining’s mood, which had been troubled by Bian Ruohan’s provocations, instantly brightened. She pulled on Pang Xiao’s hand, swaying as she looked up at him. “Zhixi, do you think Father and the others went smoothly? It must have gone smoothly, right? Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent Hall Master Liao and Jingzhe back.”

“They must be safe. First, we had already made the most proper preparations, and second, don’t you know your father’s capabilities? I think all those people in Xihua combined wouldn’t be enough to contend with father-in-law. With father-in-law in charge, I’m most at ease.”

Qin Yining nodded repeatedly with joy. “I am too. With Father protecting the whole family, I feel at ease. What’s more, there’s also Aunt Cao. Aunt Cao has excellent martial arts skills, and combined with the people you arranged, they’ll surely be able to protect everyone thoroughly!”

Pang Xiao also nodded emphatically.

As Qin Yining spoke, her eyes suddenly reddened, and tears began to well up in her eyes. “I wonder how much taller Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er have grown. When they see me next time, they might not even recognize me.”

Seeing Qin Yining’s tears, Pang Xiao’s heart nearly broke. He held her tightly in his arms, swaying her while continuously kissing her forehead and cheeks. “Be good, don’t cry. Think about it – father-in-law and grandmother are both there, and didn’t your maternal grandmother think of a way to have the children look at portraits before? Rest assured, the children won’t forget us. Even if their memories aren’t that clear, they’re still our children, connected to us by blood. When we spend more time together later, staying with them day and night, they’ll quickly become familiar with us again.”

Qin Yining nodded, wiping all her tears on Pang Xiao’s shoulder as she said with a choked voice, “Every time I think about why I had to separate from my flesh and blood, I wish I could bite that person to death!”

If not for Li Qitian’s coercion, how would they have reached such a state? She and Pang Xiao had compromised and retreated time and again, but none of it had brought them peaceful days. From now on, she would never compromise or yield again!

“Princess Consort.” Bingtang’s voice came from outside the door. “The guests have arrived at the flower hall.”

Qin Yining hurriedly wiped her tears with her sleeve.

Pang Xiao wrung out a warm cloth and bent down to carefully wipe away the tear traces on her face, then went to get the jasmine flower balm she commonly used.

Qin Yining scooped a tiny bit with her finger to apply to her face, then smiled at Pang Xiao with curved eyes.

Her eyes were slightly red and swollen from crying, making the aegyo sal under her eyes even more prominent when she smiled. That pitiful yet adorable appearance made Pang Xiao wish he could shrink her down and keep her in his embrace, never wanting to leave her side even for a step.

His large hand touched her cheek as Pang Xiao smiled. “Come, let’s go to the front.”

Qin Yining nodded and walked hand in hand with Pang Xiao through the covered walkway to the flower hall.

Upon entering, they saw all familiar faces: Liao Zhibing with two Azure Sky Alliance members, and Jingzhe, Xiaoman, Xiaoxue, and Dahan were also present.

Seeing Qin Yining and Pang Xiao, everyone stepped forward to pay their respects.

“Your Highness, Princess Consort.”

“Please, no need for formalities.” Qin Yining and Pang Xiao stepped forward to help them up, exchanging warm greetings.

Liao Zhibing smiled. “Alliance Leader, fortunately we didn’t fail our mission. Everything in Xihua has been properly arranged. You needn’t worry. Lord Qin is truly like Zhuge Liang reborn – all matters great and small in Xihua are now under Lord Qin’s control. The methods and routes for entering and leaving Xihua have also been thoroughly mapped out. You truly needn’t worry.”

“Yes, Princess Consort.” Jingzhe also smiled. “Before we left, Aunt Cao asked us to bring you a message – everything at home is well. Though the Old Madam fell slightly ill the day before yesterday, she’s recovered without incident. As for Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er, they’re the treasures of the entire family and are doing wonderfully everywhere.”

“That’s right, Princess Consort, please rest assured. Lady Zheng even had portraits of you and His Highness painted. Before Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er study each day, they first go to look at the portraits.”

Both Qin Yining and Pang Xiao laughed upon hearing this. “Maternal grandmother really knows how to think of solutions.”

“Exactly, Lord Qin also praised Lady Zheng’s thoughtfulness,” Xiaoman said. “Princess Consort and Your Highness haven’t seen it – Xihua is now governed in perfect order. When our family members arrived, they integrated into the environment very quickly. Even Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er – when common people hear they’re the children of the Goddess and the Prince, they show great respect. Even when the Old Madam takes the young masters for walks on the street, ordinary people stop to bow when they see them.”

Qin Yining found this amusing. The people of Xihua revered the Goddess, and she had been forced to accept that title initially. She never expected that this Goddess identity could now be used to protect her family. Wasn’t this Heaven’s favor toward her?

Qin Yining nodded repeatedly. “That’s good, it’s good that everything is going smoothly. Did you come out this time for some particular business?”

Jingzhe smiled. “Aunt Cao instructed us to come back out and stay with you to protect you. Lord Qin and the Old Madam also thought this was very good, saying that you and His Highness face more dangerous situations out here. Having us around means you won’t be constrained when you need people, and you can trust us.”

Liao Zhibing also smiled. “I share the same sentiment. Though the Alliance Leader has His Highness’s people around her, sometimes there still aren’t enough hands. With us here, Your Highness needn’t worry about the Princess Consort’s safety and can freely do what you need to do. When the Princess Consort has urgent matters, she won’t have to worry about not finding trustworthy people.”

Qin Yining smiled. “Aunt Cao is truly thoughtful. If there’s no longer any crisis in Xihua, having you come to my side is indeed like adding wings to a tiger.”

Pang Xiao also said, “This is good too. You know your Princess Consort’s temperament – when she encounters something, she’d rather risk danger herself than leave it undone. I worry about her taking risks, yet have no other solutions. With you here to accompany her, I can also feel at ease.”

Liao Zhibing, Jingzhe, and the others all burst into hearty laughter. “The Princess Consort has courage and spirit. She’s unwilling to miss opportunities and is willing to take risks for Your Highness. But Your Highness can rest assured – with us here, even if we must risk our lives, we absolutely won’t let the Princess Consort fall into danger.”

Pang Xiao nodded and solemnly stood to bow to everyone. “Then I must trouble you all greatly.”

Liao Zhibing, Jingzhe, and the others were greatly alarmed and hurriedly rose to avoid Pang Xiao’s bow, instead bowing themselves. “Your Highness, you overwhelm us. Serving the Princess Consort loyally is our duty.”

After they talked for a while longer, Liao Zhibing finally said, “Alliance Leader, there’s actually one more matter.”

“What is it?”

“When we left Xihua, we noticed that the Tatars in the desert were mobilizing troops. Because their defenses were too tight and the desert poses many dangers for travel, we couldn’t investigate closely to discover exactly what the Tatars intend to do. But judging by their appearance, it looked as if they were preparing for a major battle.”

Upon hearing this, both Qin Yining and Pang Xiao’s expressions immediately tensed.

The warfare between Da Zhou and the Tatars had continued for so long. They could imagine how much hardship Ji Zeyu had endured to finally quell the northern unrest and restore peace to the people.

Peace had come at great cost. Si Qin had also suffered bitterly. They all believed that the Tatars had lost their ability to continue harassing the north, and that both sides could develop peacefully without interference.

But if the Tatars were truly secretly deploying troops, the situation would be far from simple.

Even though Qin Yining and Pang Xiao disapproved of Li Qitian’s actions, they would never wish for war to break out again. Once the Tatars and Da Zhou went to war, Da Zhou’s strained treasury would drag down the entire war effort. To fight the war, the court might impose various additional taxes. With natural disasters already occurring continuously, adding military disasters on top – how were the common people supposed to survive?

“I understand. I’ll investigate this matter thoroughly,” Pang Xiao said seriously. “Thank you all for this information. Otherwise, if we were completely unprepared and the Tatars moved their troops, it would be the border people who would suffer.”

Liao Zhibing said, “Your Highness, please don’t be so polite. We’ve only done what we should do.”

Qin Yining smiled. “I’ve already had wine and food prepared. Today we must drink heartily and catch up properly after our separation.”

Liao Zhibing, Jingzhe, and the others naturally agreed gladly.

Qin Yining and Pang Xiao then called Huzi, Tang Xiu, and others, and the group gathered in the flower hall to drink wine and chat leisurely.

At the same time at the Lu residence, Lu Heng sat in the head seat, his face bearing a gentle smile as he looked warmly at Lu Xiong kneeling on the ground. His fingers lightly moved back and forth, clearly deep in thought.

Lu Xiong was extremely anxious, his entire body shaking like a sieve.

He had just told Lu Heng about the treasure hidden in the stone quarry, but this person’s reaction was completely different from what he had expected. He didn’t seem surprised at all, showed absolutely no interest in the treasure, and even seemed to suspect that his true purpose in coming was to harm someone.

Lu Xiong somewhat regretted his decision. He shouldn’t have volunteered for this – it would have been better to let Shi Fang handle this matter.

Lu Heng’s smile deepened considerably, the curve of his lips rising as he said with considerable amusement, “So you’re saying the treasure is in that pile of stones at the stone quarry, and you roughly know which stones contain the treasure?”