Upon hearing this, Li Qitian nodded with an expressionless face, but his hands under the table gripped his robe tightly.

This Pang Zhixi really wouldn’t let him have peace in any aspect!

When he had no sons, Pang Zhixi already had twin boys first. With great difficulty heaven opened its eyes and Pang Zhixi lost his sons, but now his wife was pregnant again? Pang Zhixi had no concubines by his side—only this one woman. He possessed three palaces and six courts, yet still only had that one imperial eldest son.

He wasn’t that much older than Pang Zhixi either—why was he inadequate in this regard?

“Command people to secretly protect Princess Zhongshun,” Li Qitian ordered in a deep voice.

The scout naturally understood Li Qitian’s meaning. Having followed by the Emperor’s side for so long and having seen many covert affairs, how could he not know the Emperor’s wariness and jealous hatred toward Prince Zhongshun? He said “protect,” but they all understood what this “protection” meant—just don’t let her slip away.

“By your edict.” The scout cupped his hands in salute and quickly withdrew.

Li Qitian wearily rubbed his brow, looking at the memorials covering his desk, feeling nothing but irritation.

He simply stood up and walked outside.

“To Kunning Palace.”

“Yes, His Majesty proceeds to Kunning Palace!” Xiong Jinshui called out loudly, hurrying to follow behind Li Qitian.

It was nearly lunchtime, and the Empress was playing with the imperial eldest son.

“Hao Ge’er, come, come to Mother Empress.” The Empress wore a kind smile on her face, shaking a rattle drum in her hands. Red coral beads on either side of the small red drum knocked against the lotus-painted drum surface with thumping sounds, making the child in his little red jacket giggle and toddle forward.

When Li Qitian entered, he saw exactly this scene, and the jealousy in his heart from learning that Pang Xiao’s woman was pregnant again reached its peak.

“Your Majesty.” Seeing Li Qitian, the Empress quickly curtsied.

The wet nurse also hurried forward to support Hao Ge’er. The adorable child squatted down to bow to Li Qitian, calling in his sweet childish voice: “Papa!”

Only then did Li Qitian show a slight smile.

The Empress quickly embraced her son: “Hao Ge’er, you must call Imperial Father. Come, say ‘Your son greets Imperial Father.'”

The child blinked his big eyes looking up at Li Qitian and obediently squatted once more: “Your son gweets Impewal Father.”

The child’s voice was soft and sweet, plus his unclear pronunciation made Li Qitian laugh with a snort. He bent down, pinching Hao Ge’er under his arms to lift him up.

“Rise.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” The Empress secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself that even tigers don’t eat their cubs. The way His Majesty looked when he first entered had frightened her so much she almost wanted the wet nurse to quickly take her son away to avoid scaring him. Fortunately, she hadn’t done so.

Qin Yining’s journey to Jingang went very smoothly throughout. Having come to this place more than once, she was familiar with the road, and this trip to Jingang followed the same route as the previous disaster relief effort. Therefore, whenever Qin Yining showed her face along the way, the common people she encountered all treated her with great respect and gratitude.

It was now the time when spring flowers bloomed. Aside from the men who had followed Pang Xiao to war, people everywhere had begun intensive farming, along with rebuilding their homes. The scenes encountered along the way all revealed a thriving vitality.

The further Qin Yining traveled, the more relaxed her mood became. Even handling grain distribution matters seemed more effortless. With Xie Yue there, she often only needed to give a general idea and Xie Yue could already arrange everything properly. It truly didn’t require much effort from Qin Yining.

“Princess, Jingang City is just ahead.” Bingtang lifted the carriage curtain, smiling as she looked out the window. Everywhere in sight was fresh green. “Along this whole journey, everything looks full of vitality. The Prince’s disaster relief efforts really weren’t in vain.”

Qin Yining was eating a sour plum preserve, her cheek bulging with a small bump. Hearing this, she smiled with her eyes curved: “Yes. Along this journey we’ve encountered quite a few familiar faces. Back then they were so hungry they were just skin and bones, but now they’re much better. If heaven is kind and gives stable weather, it won’t take three years for everyone to recover.”

“Yes, all of this is thanks to the Prince.” Ji Yun also smiled.

They arrived smoothly at the city gate, where they could see from afar a small group of people standing not far away. The leader wore a dark green narrow-sleeved outer robe, with a white jade belt clasp at the waist and hair neatly arranged at the crown. His handsome features carried some weariness and fatigue, yet this didn’t diminish his elegance at all.

“It’s Boss Qiu.” Bingtang frowned. “Waiting here—could it be she knew our group would arrive at this time?”

Ji Yun’s expression grew serious, looking inquiringly at Qin Yining: “Princess, do you want to see her? I always feel she has no good intentions.”

Qin Yining hesitated slightly, then nodded: “People have different positions—seeking benefit and avoiding harm is human instinct. Though she calculates deeply, she hasn’t actually harmed us in any way. Moreover, whether or not to avenge her grandfather is her own choice and doesn’t concern us. She’s Young Master Mu’s wife, so it’s better not to make things too tense.”

“Then you must be extra careful. We’re now away from the Prince’s protection, and Sitong Firm branches are everywhere. I’m afraid if she has ill intentions, we won’t be able to handle it well.” Ji Yun unconsciously touched the soft sword wrapped around her waist, as if thinking about which angle she should choose to strike if Qiu Feishan meant to harm Qin Yining.

Qin Yining was amused by her battle-ready appearance and couldn’t help but laugh: “She won’t. Right now she shares common interests with the Prince. She’s still counting on the Prince to defeat Lu Heng so the Qiu family can become completely stable. Even if there are calculations, those are for later.”

As they spoke, the carriage stopped in front of Qiu Feishan.

Qin Yining lifted the window curtain, meeting Qiu Feishan’s gaze, and smiled slightly: “Boss Qiu is specially waiting here—is there some matter?”

Seeing Qin Yining’s pleasant expression and that she hadn’t directly snubbed her like Pang Xiao had, Qiu Feishan quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Princess.” Qiu Feishan cupped her hands in salute and smiled: “Hearing that you came here, I’ve been waiting here all this time.”

“Heard?” Qin Yining raised her eyebrows questioningly.

Qiu Feishan smiled gracefully: “The Princess is such an intelligent person—naturally you understand where I heard this.”

“Naturally, I still know the Qiu family’s capabilities.”

Qin Yining knew Qiu Feishan was inadvertently showing her the Qiu family’s strength, thereby making their cooperation appear more attractive.

After all, the Qiu family also possessed complex relationships in court. When the Lu family hadn’t made mistakes before, the reclusive families should have kept a low profile according to ancestral teachings, so the people the Qiu family had cultivated only emerged when the Lu family completely fell.

And now, many court officials had countless connections with the Qiu family. She was indirectly telling herself that now when Pang Xiao was fighting at the front, there were actually times when the Qiu family’s help was needed.

Qiu Feishan lifted the corners of her mouth: “Talking with such an intelligent person as the Princess is refreshing—no need to waste effort explaining. The Princess has just arrived and certainly hasn’t purchased housing or farmland yet. I’ve already prepared a two-courtyard residence in an excellent location—not too remote, not too noisy, most suitable for someone of the Princess’s elegant nature. I wonder if the Princess would be willing to go there?”

Qin Yining smiled: “To be honest, I already had people prepare a residence first, but I still thank Boss Qiu for her kind intentions.”

Qiu Feishan felt somewhat disappointed: “It seems the Princess, like the Prince, is still angry.”

“No, Boss Qiu has misunderstood. It’s just that since I purchased a residence, there’s no need to let Boss Qiu spend money. As for the Prince, he’s not necessarily angry either—the one who’s truly angry is Young Master Mu. After all, we’re all outsiders, everyone has their own position, and you haven’t directly harmed the Prince and me in any way—why should we be angry?”

Though these were true words, for Qiu Feishan they were the most heart-piercing. She did want to cooperate with Pang Xiao, but whether Pang Xiao and Qin Yining were angry or not, she emotionally didn’t care about at all. What she had always cared about was Mu Jinghu.

Had she known Mu Jinghu would react so strongly, she would have thought of a more thorough method to prevent him from discovering it.

Qiu Feishan sighed: “With the Princess saying this, my heart feels even more unsettled.”

Qin Yining looked around, then smiled: “This isn’t a place for talking. If Boss Qiu doesn’t mind, you can get in the carriage and come with me to see my new home.”

Hearing this, Qiu Feishan was quite delighted, not expecting Qin Yining to actively invite her. She quickly approached.

Bingtang and Ji Yun exchanged glances, looking questioningly at Qin Yining.

After all, the carriage space was limited, and if their mistress wanted to discuss matters, it really wouldn’t be proper for them not to move away. But they also weren’t comfortable entrusting Qin Yining’s safety to Qiu Feishan.

Bingtang got off the carriage. Ji Yun ignored Qin Yining’s signals and refused to get off no matter what, only sitting as close to the carriage door as possible, making room for Qiu Feishan who had just boarded.

Seeing that the head maid beside Qin Yining refused to leave, Qiu Feishan smiled knowingly and didn’t mind. However, when her gaze touched Qin Yining’s slightly protruding abdomen, she couldn’t help but look at her in surprise.

“The Princess is with child again?”

Qin Yining wore a bean-green vest that had been made after she gave birth to Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er. At that time her figure was more full-bodied, so now wearing it, other areas were much looser while only the abdomen fit just right. She spent the whole day sitting in carriages and liked wearing such loose, soft fabrics. Her hair was also simply tied with silk ribbons, appearing very casual.

Thus her pregnant state was quite obvious.

“Yes, over four months now. Otherwise I would have followed the Prince to the battlefield, but the Prince wouldn’t allow it and insisted I come to Jingang for prenatal care.”

Qiu Feishan couldn’t help but sigh enviously: “The Princess is truly blessed.”

She originally had no feelings about children, but now that she had Yan Ge’er, though she still had to manage Sitong Firm, her thoughts were largely devoted to the child. She also wanted more children, but unfortunately Mu Jinghu had resolutely refused to accept her anymore.

Seeing Qiu Feishan’s expression so desolate, Qin Yining said gently: “Boss Qiu, I have something to say—both from a friend’s perspective and as a fellow woman. I don’t know if you’re willing to hear me out.”

Qiu Feishan nodded: “Please speak, Princess. I’m all ears.”

Qin Yining smiled: “Boss Qiu is an intelligent woman with exceptional abilities—many men can’t compare to you. You command the business world with supreme status, which has also developed much pride and principles in you. All of this is understandable. But Boss Qiu seems to have misjudged human hearts, especially those of an equally excellent man full of pride.”

Qiu Feishan’s long eyebrows furrowed slightly. Qin Yining could already see she was somewhat resistant to this topic.