Qin Yining’s beautiful eyes blinked, and it took her quite a while to digest the meaning of Yuchi Yan’s words.
She was somewhat moved.
But more than that, she felt surprise and deep contemplation.
She wasn’t familiar with Yuchi Yan. His actions made it seem as though she and he had already pledged eternal love to each other.
If such words were truly sincere, why did he need to say them in front of so many people? If he feared she might take her own life rather than endure humiliation, why didn’t he quietly tell her to give her hope for survival?
Now the accompanying Ministry of Rites officials, as well as the hundred soldiers and fifty guards arranged by the Emperor, were all watching. Among them, there were surely spies planted by different factions.
Yuchi Yan was publicly binding her to his ship, thereby completely pulling Qin Huaiyuan into his camp, no longer considering her reputation at all. He wanted everyone to misunderstand that she had secretly exchanged affections with the Crown Prince and privately pledged their lives to each other.
Qin Yining admitted she was too realistic.
But she was the legitimate daughter of the current Grand Secretary. She couldn’t be like an ordinary woman who only talked about feelings without analyzing the political situation.
If Yuchi Yan were merely the young master of an ordinary family, she would consider such actions a genuine expression of true feelings.
But Yuchi Yan was the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince’s position was currently precarious.
The Crown Prince also had close ties with Prince Ning.
Previously, when Prince Ning took away Bingtang and she went to his mansion to rescue her but fell into a trap, she was forced to drag Duke Dingguo’s household and her father into Prince Ning’s camp. Only then could Prince Ning successfully impeach Imperial Uncle Cao, thus offending the Cao family, leading to the wicked empress’s constant persecution, resulting in Sun Yuanming’s death, the Sun family’s destruction, leaving so many women without support, indirectly causing her mother’s difficult situation in the Qin mansion…
This entire chain reaction originated from Prince Ning and the Crown Prince’s faction’s calculations.
At the time, she naively thought she was saving someone.
But cruel reality taught her a lesson, with the Sun family’s blood serving as expensive tuition.
Having experienced all this, Qin Yining was no longer a young girl with her head full of romantic fantasies.
She smiled slightly, supported by Bingtang and Song Lan’s hands as she slowly descended from the carriage. Taking two steps back, she curtsied and said crisply, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, please conduct yourself with propriety. Since ancient times, marriage matters have always followed parental commands and matchmaker’s words. Your Highness’s actions are improper according to propriety.”
Upon hearing this, Yuchi Yan was stunned, then his fair face flushed bright red. He took two quick steps toward Qin Yining and reached out to grasp her hand.
“Fourth Miss, you misunderstand, I…”
With a crisp “slap,” he caught her hand but was immediately struck away by her other hand, leaving his hand red.
Qin Yining frowned and said coldly, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, men and women should not touch hands! Although this subject daughter obeys the imperial decree to participate in peace negotiations, and outsiders spread all manner of unsavory rumors about this subject daughter, that is because this subject daughter willingly sacrifices herself for the country! Today Your Highness actually acts so frivolously in public—this shows too little regard for this subject daughter’s chastity!”
Yuchi Yan stared blankly at his own hand, then looked around at the hundred-plus onlookers, then at the frowning Qin Huaiyuan.
His simple mental circuits finally connected in a few places!
Thinking of Prince Ning persuading Father Emperor to lift his house arrest last night, thinking of Prince Ning encouraging him to hurry and chase after her this morning, some vague thoughts gradually took shape in his mind.
He felt he had been used, but he still didn’t understand the specific details.
He only knew that his heartfelt confession hadn’t earned Qin Yining’s tears of joy, hadn’t earned her moved promise to marry him, but had instead become public frivolity, making him look down on her.
Yes! She wasn’t a brothel woman—she was a proper young lady from a noble family. Even between two people alone, mentioning such matters would be improper private contact, let alone him loudly proclaiming it before over a hundred people and even trying to grab her hand…
Yuchi Yan deeply regretted it! His face had long since turned purple.
“The weather is cold, and Your Highness has many official duties. Please return,” Qin Yining said as she curtsied and boarded the carriage again.
The Crown Prince stood frozen in place, staring blankly at her graceful retreating figure.
Qin Huaiyuan observed everything and naturally understood Qin Yining’s considerations, gaining an even deeper appreciation of his daughter’s intelligence.
Previously, when she schemed against people in the mansion, it only showed her cleverness and methods. Now her actions truly demonstrated her political acuity and broader perspective.
Her stern rejection wasn’t just to preserve her own reputation, but also to make people understand that he, Qin Huaiyuan, was loyal to the Emperor. Even serving as the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, he hadn’t become anyone’s weapon.
Moreover, as a sheltered young lady facing such public harassment, her rebuke was righteous and justified.
She also mentioned respecting parental commands in marriage matters, leaving room for maneuvering regarding the Qin family’s potential alliance with the Crown Prince through marriage.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, auspicious times cannot be delayed. We shall take our leave first.” Qin Huaiyuan smiled and bowed to the Crown Prince, his attitude no different from his usual humble courtesy, making it impossible to discern his inner thoughts.
Yuchi Yan was so anxious that his forehead broke out in sweat.
“Grand Secretary, this Prince…”
“Your Highness need not say more. I understand everything.”
What do you understand?! I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood!
Yuchi Yan was screaming internally, his lips moving without knowing what to say.
In the forest, Pang Xiao, sitting in the tree, once again relaxed against the trunk and closed his eyes to rest.
After Qin Huaiyuan and Yuchi Yan exchanged proper courtesies, he boarded his carriage and ordered departure.
The procession slowly moved forward. Yuchi Yan stood roadside with the eunuchs, only coming to his senses after a long while. He mounted his horse dejectedly, no longer showing his earlier high spirits.
An attending eunuch, observing the Crown Prince’s expression, ventured to say, “Your Highness, that Qin family girl is too ungrateful. Your Highness is such a distinguished and elegant figure—willing to take her, a wilted flower, and she still dares to be so arrogant! Your Highness, perhaps…”
“Get lost!” Yuchi Yan lashed out with his whip, angrily saying, “To Prince Ning’s mansion.”
The eunuch realized his flattery had backfired and dared not speak further, quickly bowing in acknowledgment as the group chased after the Crown Prince back toward the city.
The official road gradually returned to quiet.
Only then did Pang Xiao open his eyes, lightly leaping down from the tree.
Huzi followed closely behind. “Master, that Crown Prince has truly fallen for Miss Qin Fourth.”
“He likes her. But his actions are too reckless.” Pang Xiao walked toward the depths of the forest where they had tethered their horses.
Surprised that Pang Xiao actually answered him, Huzi quickly pressed, “Master, although the Crown Prince didn’t consider Fourth Miss’s reputation and acting like that in public was indeed inappropriate, he was expressing genuine feelings.”
“Those behind the scenes are exploiting precisely his genuine feelings. Being sold out while helping count the money—keeping such a Crown Prince around isn’t bad either.”
“Master, I don’t understand.”
“Didn’t he say he was going to find Prince Ning at the end?”
Pang Xiao had already walked to the horses and untied the reins. “The Crown Prince’s house arrest was only lifted last night. He was confined to the Eastern Palace reflecting on his mistakes throughout the New Year. Yesterday his confinement was lifted, and this morning he hurried over. After doing something foolish, he’s going back to find Prince Ning. Don’t you understand yet?”
Huzi blinked and let out a long “Ohhhh.”
“Prince Ning is scheming behind the scenes again! He wants to completely win over Qin Meng! Aiyo, last time he tried to win over Qin Meng, it resulted in not a single Sun family man surviving. This time, tsk tsk, fortunately Fourth Miss still knows self-respect and thus avoided disaster.”
While stroking his beloved horse with its glossy black coat, Pang Xiao said, “She is quite clever.” He had worried about her for nothing just now.
Hearing this, Huzi asked in surprise, “Master, you’re saying Fourth Miss did it on purpose?”
“Let’s depart.”
“Hey, Master, you haven’t answered me yet.”
Pang Xiao said nothing more.
Huzi pouted in frustration, following Pang Xiao as they led the horses to the official road, muttering, “Just the two of us—even if Tatars come, what can we two accomplish? Besides, the peace negotiation team has over one hundred fifty grown men. At most, the Tatars would send twenty or thirty people. They couldn’t possibly annihilate the entire negotiation team.”
Pang Xiao raised an eyebrow at Huzi, then pulled out a black leather cord from his collar with a small red jade whistle carved with a tiger head pattern.
Huzi asked in surprise, “You summoned the Elite Tiger Guards?”
Pang Xiao answered with the whistle sound.
A desolate, high-pitched eagle cry spread across the sky.
In moments, ten sturdy men rode along the official road from the direction of the capital. All in their early twenties, tall and powerfully built with prominent vital points, clearly skilled fighters.
Seeing Pang Xiao sitting gracefully on his black horse, the ten men dismounted in unison, knelt on one knee, and called out together with cupped hands, “Master!”
“Mm, all rise. You’ve worked hard on the journey. Depart with me.”
“Serving Master loyally is our honor—what hardship is there to speak of!”
The ten remounted and followed behind Pang Xiao.
Huzi was impressed.
The Elite Tiger Guards were carefully trained by Pang Xiao, selected from homeless people during wartime. On the surface, they were considered household troops of Prince Zhongshun’s mansion, with only one hundred in the official roster. But these hundred were outstanding individuals selected from over a thousand candidates. Those who weren’t selected were all assigned to the Huben Army.
It could be said that a large portion of the men in the Huben Army who worshipped the Prince were trained by the Prince himself. Everyone wanted to become an Elite Tiger Guard to serve the Prince personally.
Due to unstable court politics, before the Prince went on campaign, he left forty Elite Tiger Guards to protect the mansion, secretly stationed twenty Elite Tiger Guards around the capital with various assignments, and kept six disguised as servants and eunuchs to personally protect the Old Madam and others. He only brought thirty-four with him, each with their own tasks.
Now, hearing that Tatar spies had infiltrated Great Zhou, to protect his enemy’s daughter, the Prince had actually deployed ten at once.
Huzi didn’t know what to say anymore.
Pang Xiao and Huzi led the ten Elite Tiger Guards to follow the Great Zhou peace negotiation team at a distance—close enough to ensure the group’s safety but far enough to avoid detection.
By evening, they indeed discovered a group of Tatars disguised as bandits and effortlessly eliminated them all under Pang Xiao’s leadership.
For Qin Yining, the journey remained peaceful.
For Pang Xiao and Huzi, the journey provided exercise and wasn’t boring.
On the afternoon of the eighteenth, the procession finally arrived outside Xihua City.
Qin Yining lifted the warm curtain of her carriage window.
The fiery red sunset was half-hidden behind distant mountains. The ancient walls of Xihua City stood sentinel, gazing with compassionate eyes upon Great Yan’s turbulent realm. Across the wilderness, military camps stretched endlessly, and even the wild wind carried traces of gunpowder and blood.
This was the cruel battlefield.
Qin Yining’s expression grew solemn.