Shi Ting said, “Qing’er was indeed taken away by Huantong. She still has accomplices in Shun Cheng.”

Madam Shi asked urgently, “Then what will it take for her to tell us where Qing’er is?”

“To save Qing’er, she and Qin Peipei must be released.” Shi Ting looked toward the Marshal. “That is the condition she has put forward.”

The plan was meticulous, and they had left themselves a way out — these two were truly no simple figures. But if they were to release the tiger back into the mountains…

The Marshal frowned, his gaze cast downward as though lost in thought.

“Marshal, I beg you — please save Qing’er.” Shi Yuan approached in tears. “Qing’er is my son. He absolutely cannot come to any harm.”

The Marshal was fretting under her weeping and waved his hand. “All of you step out. Xingzhi, stay.”

Shi Yuan was about to say something more, but Madam Shi quickly pulled her away and they withdrew.

“Xingzhi, tell me — can these two people be released?” The Marshal fixed him with a sharp, penetrating gaze.

“If I am not mistaken, Qin Peipei and Huantong are covert agents planted by the Xi Nan side in our Shun Cheng. They belong to a highly organized network — and there are certainly more than just these two.”

“I think so as well.” The Marshal’s expression grew grave. “This is a tightly disciplined organization. Qin Peipei and the others are merely members of it. How many more people from this organization are embedded in Bei Di, we simply do not know. And so…”

He let out a sigh. “These two cannot be released.”

Shi Ting had long anticipated the Marshal’s decision. In the face of power and dominion over the realm, sacrificing a child was of little consequence — all the more so since this child was merely his grandson by marriage and did not carry the Shi name.

“Xingzhi, without releasing anyone, do you have any way of finding Qing’er?” The Marshal could only place all his hopes on Shi Ting.

Shi Ting said, “At first, I considered feigning the release of Qin Peipei and Huantong. But based on how the other side operates, even if Qin Peipei and Huantong do not die at our hands, someone else will kill them the moment they step out of the Military Police Division’s doors. The other side will not allow people whose identities have been exposed to go on living.”

The Marshal nodded. “That makes sense. Even if we don’t kill them, someone else will.”

“Marshal, do you remember the eagle that Qin Peipei used to communicate with the outside world?”

“That eagle is not dead?” the Marshal asked in surprise.

Shi Ting said, “Bai Jin only shot through the eagle’s wing. The bird proved remarkably tenacious and survived.”

“Your meaning is that you wish to use this eagle to find their base of operations?”

“Even if we cannot locate their base, this eagle will inevitably take us to a place connected to Qin Peipei. Perhaps by finding that place, we can find Qing’er as well. And the severed heads of those three dancing girls have yet to be recovered — they could very likely be there too.”

“Then — let us proceed that way.”

“The trouble is, this eagle is badly injured and may not be able to take flight for some time.” A look of worry crossed Shi Ting’s face. “I fear Qing’er cannot wait that long.”

Qing’er was nothing more than a toddler barely over a year old. With someone by his side, he might manage well enough — but once left alone, the consequences would be unthinkable.

The Marshal let out a long sigh. “There is nothing else we can do about it. For the greater good, we must accept certain sacrifices. I can only hope your Eldest Sister will understand.”

Shi Yuan had been waiting outside the whole time. The moment she saw Shi Ting emerge, she rushed forward to meet him. “Seventh Brother, what happened? What did the Marshal say?”

Shi Ting looked at this woman whose face was etched with desperate worry. Some words stuck in his throat, and he did not know how to begin.

“Seventh Brother, say something.” Shi Yuan gave his arm a shake.

Left with no choice, Shi Ting conveyed the Marshal’s words to her exactly as they had been said. When he reached the last word, Shi Yuan’s vision suddenly went dark and she collapsed backward — the maid beside her caught her with quick hands.

Madam Shi cried, “Quickly, quickly — help the Eldest Miss inside.”

Then she turned to look at Shi Ting with fury in her voice. “Is this how useless your Military Police Division is? You cannot even find a single child — and Qing’er is not just anyone, he is your own nephew.”

Shi Ting said nothing, allowing Madam Shi to scold him without reply.

Madam Shi had her anger to vent, but she did not dare direct it at the Marshal, so she could only take it out on Shi Ting. The reason Shi Ting did not argue back was because he did genuinely feel a measure of guilt.

However complex the grievances among the adults might be, he cared nothing for them — but dragging a small child into it was altogether innocent and unfair.

Shi Ting walked back to his courtyard. From a distance, he could already see the courtyard bathed in lamplight beneath the canopy of trees. The light was not bright, yet it warmed the heart.

He entered the courtyard, pushed open the door, and found Yan Qing seated at a table. Before her sat an eagle, and she was carefully and gently bandaging its wounds.

“Can it still fly?” Shi Ting walked over and leaned down to look.

Yan Qing picked up a pair of scissors and cut a corner of the bandage. “The bullet broke through its wing. Recovery is not impossible, but it will take time.”

“Qing’er may not be able to wait that long.” Shi Ting sat down and reached for the teacup on the table.

Everything that had happened in the mansion had already reached Yan Qing’s ears. She thought of Qing’er — that soft, chubby little dumpling of a child. He loved eating the mango pudding she made, and after finishing it, he would always tug at her arm to ask for more.

Whatever Shi Yuan might have done in the past, Qing’er was innocent.

That the Marshal could make such a decision was both beyond her expectations and entirely within them.

“I have already had someone notify Liao Wenfa. Qing’er is Liao Wenfa’s son. I do not believe he will remain indifferent.”

“It seems we can only place our hopes in Qing’er’s father.” Yan Qing let out a quiet sigh. “The fear is that Liao Wenfa is the same as the Marshal — that he too can abandon his own child for the sake of his own interests.”

Hearing this, Shi Ting reached out and took Yan Qing’s hand. “Qingqing, there is something I would like to discuss with you.”

Seeing the gravity on his face, Yan Qing sat up straighter and quietly waited for him to speak.

“I do not want children right now.” Shi Ting tightened his grip on her hand. “I have no complete certainty about the future. I am afraid I do not have the ability to protect your safety — and theirs. I am even more afraid that if we were to fail one day, it would implicate them.”

In the past, when he had been entirely on his own, he had no such worries to burden him. Now that he had someone dear to him, he had to take up the weight of that responsibility.

Yan Qing held his hand in return, and her eyes grew warm. “In truth, I have been wanting to bring this up with you for a long time. I feel exactly the same as you do. This is not the right time for us to have children.”

“But seeing how much you adore little Nuo’er, I held myself back several times when I wanted to say something.” Shi Ting lifted his hand and gently stroked her smooth, delicate cheek. “Qingqing, are you truly certain you will not regret this?”

“I will not.” Yan Qing shook her head with conviction. “I am still young. We will have plenty of opportunities in the future.”

In this era, people could marry and have children at eighteen or nineteen, or even younger. But in the world she came from, having children at nearly forty was commonplace. Although she too longed to have a child with him, now was clearly not the best time. The greater situation was unresolved, and the path ahead was uncertain. She did not want their child to be born into boundless strife. She wanted their children to live peacefully and joyfully, to have a life of tranquility.

“I will explain things to Mother on my side.” Shi Ting drew her into his arms. Filled with heartfelt gratitude, he also felt a deep and heavy guilt. Bearing children was her right as a woman, and he should not simply take that away from her like this. “I am sorry, Qingqing.”

He buried his face in the curve of her neck. “I am sorry.”

“Foolish man.” Yan Qing held him close, gently stroking his back. Glistening warmth shimmered in her eyes. “I do not blame you. I never will. I have said before that I will live and die alongside you, advance and retreat together with you. Every decision you make, I will support unconditionally. Every word you speak, I am willing to believe without reservation. Shi Ting, there is something I have never said to you before — but now, listen well.”

She held him a little tighter, and the words that came out carried a trace of both shyness and resolve. “Shi Ting, I love you.”

A tremor passed through Shi Ting’s heart, and something warm and tingling rose up in waves, enveloping the very core of his heart in an instant.

The astonishment in his eyes gradually dissolved into a mist. The hand gripping her waist slowly drew her closer. A deep, overwhelming emotion swelled and swelled within his chest until the only release was to lower his head and press his lips to hers.

That night seemed to be particularly wild.

Before dawn, Yan Qing reached out to the side and found the covers cold. She turned over and saw that the place where he had slept was empty.

Yan Qing pulled his pillow into her arms and closed her eyes, drifting back to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the Liao residence in Shan Cheng, Liao Wenfa had paced back and forth in the hall dozens of times. Then a report came from outside — “The Young Marshal has arrived.”

A look of delight crossed Liao Wenfa’s face and he hurried out to welcome the visitor.

The man who entered was dressed in a smart, upright military uniform. Tall and striking in appearance, without the military uniform, his refined looks would have made him appear more like an ordinary young man with an artistic temperament.

“Young Marshal.” Liao Wenfa stepped forward to bow. “Please forgive my incompetence, Young Marshal. I have allowed things to fall through at the last moment. I await your punishment.”

Lei Li pulled him up with a slight tug. His long, slender brows carried an air of refined warmth. “Do not blame yourself. No one is forever victorious.”

Liao Wenfa was immediately overcome with gratitude. “Thank you, Young Marshal.”

Lei Li sat down in a nearby chair. “The other side had the upper hand this time — there was nothing to be done about it.”

He accepted the teacup Liao Wenfa offered him. “That Shi Xingzhi truly lives up to his reputation. He has some real ability.”

“I did not expect a small Military Police Division to be capable of such feats. I underestimated them.”

Lei Li shook his head. “Do not look down on Bei Di’s Military Police Division. The Shun Cheng Law it has enacted is something even we in Xi Nan are studying and emulating. If you want the people to be at peace, you must first ensure the nation is prosperous. A place that cannot even guarantee public order — how can ordinary people live and work in peace, and how can the economy develop? The Military Police Division may seem inconsequential at a glance, but it is in fact a vital pillar of governance.”

“The Young Marshal speaks most wisely.” Liao Wenfa stood to one side, his mouth opening slightly as though there were something he wished to say.

“Wenfa, if there is something on your mind, you need not stand on ceremony between us.”

Hearing this, Liao Wenfa suddenly walked before Lei Li and dropped to both knees. “I beg the Young Marshal to save my son.”

—