“Good, good.” Qin Huaiyuan had both hands pulled by his two little grandsons, bending down to match the children’s height as they went to the second carriage.

Qin Yining, along with Ji Yun and Bingtang, had already reached the carriage and instructed the wet nurses to bring the children down.

Xuan Ge’er and Yun Jie’er both wore little red jackets with gold collars around their necks and small silver bracelets on their wrists. Their little faces were white and tender, their eyes bright and dark, looking like two fortune babies. When they saw people, they weren’t shy at all, staring with big eyes at Qin Huaiyuan and grinning with open mouths.

Qin Huaiyuan’s eyes lit up with delight, but he only looked at them with restraint and nodded: “Very cute, they look very much like you.”

“I think so too.” Qin Yining also smiled.

Of Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er’s appearances, one resembled Pang Xiao and one resembled her, but Xuan Ge’er and Yun Jie’er both looked like her.

Pang Xiao leaned over, craning his neck to look, his eyes similarly overflowing with affection. But seeing Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er beside him, he only touched the two children’s little hands and turned to Qin Yining: “You’ve worked hard.”

This acknowledgment of hardship was truly weighty. The suffering Qin Yining had endured that day was double, and afterward she had experienced near-death situations before today’s reunion could happen. That Qin Yining herself could survive was already fortunate, let alone that she had taken such good care of the two children.

Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi had been chatting nearby for a while. Xie Yue was led by Xu Weizhi to come forward and pay respects to Qin Huaiyuan.

“Master Qin, may you be well.”

Qin Huaiyuan quickly returned the courtesy, supporting Xie Yue’s arms with both hands, then performed a bow: “These days, I truly thank you, sir, for looking after my daughter. Without your planning, my daughter’s life would have been in danger.”

Xie Yue was flattered and quickly returned the courtesy: “Master Qin speaks too highly. The Princess Consort is intelligent and good at planning. This old man merely followed the Princess Consort’s instructions. My humble insights are shallow—how would I dare mention the word ‘planning’? Master Qin must not shame this old man.”

Qin Huaiyuan quickly shook his head and thanked him again, making Xie Yue’s face flush red as he waved his hands repeatedly, though his heart felt extremely comforted.

What person wouldn’t want to receive recognition from their master’s family? Moreover, his treatment of Pang Xiao and Qin Yining had always been sincere and wholehearted.

After the group gathered briefly, they prepared to set off for the military camp. As soon as Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er saw Pang Xiao, they clung to him like monkeys climbing a tree, refusing to come down.

“Daddy, take me horseback riding.”

“I want Daddy to take me horseback riding too!”

Qin Yining smiled: “It’s dangerous on horseback. Why don’t you ride in the carriage with Mother?”

“No!” Han Ge’er twisted his little body to hug Pang Xiao’s neck, while Zhao Ge’er simply climbed up Pang Xiao’s arm toward his shoulder.

Pang Xiao held one and carried the other, smiling brilliantly: “It’s fine, don’t worry. With me carrying them, they won’t fall.”

Ji Zeyu, worried, rode his white horse closer: “Which of you wants to ride with me?”

Huzi also led over Pang Xiao’s Black Cloud.

Zhao Ge’er looked at White Cloud’s fur that gleamed with a faint silver light in the sunlight and hesitantly said: “Uncle Ji, I want to ride the white horse.”

Ji Zeyu smiled and rode closer, scooping up Zhao Ge’er with one arm to sit in front of him. Pang Xiao, carrying Han Ge’er, leaped gracefully onto horseback, making Han Ge’er shout with joy: “Flying high! Flying high!”

“Hya!”

One black and one white horse galloped toward the military camp, leaving dust in their wake.

Qin Yining smiled helplessly and got into the carriage with Qin Huaiyuan and the others, heading toward the military camp accompanied by Mu Jinghu, Huzi, and others.

Unlike Pang Xiao’s family reunion filled with laughter and joy, at this moment Li Qitian was pacing back and forth in the imperial study in frustration.

A spy said anxiously in a low voice: “Your Majesty, the spies sent to contact Duke Dingguo still haven’t sent back any news, and the two ministers Lei and Song have also defected to Pang Xiao’s side. What should we do next?”

Li Qitian’s expression was grave.

Three hundred thousand troops were pressing on the borders, yet without losing a single soldier, they had swept through all the towns like a knife thrust diagonally into the heart of Great Zhou.

He had limited troops. If he sent them out to meet the enemy, it would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The limited forces could only be kept to defend the city.

When Pang Xiao’s forces were still distant, that sense of panic wasn’t as intense as it was now. The closer Pang Xiao came, the more the three hundred thousand troops pressing on the borders felt like a thousand-pound boulder suspended overhead, ready to fall at any moment and crush him to pulp. This gradual approach toward a dead end, not knowing when destruction would come, was truly unbearable anxiety.

“What can be done…” Li Qitian murmured unconsciously.

He could no longer summon anger; his heart was filled only with panic.

The spy lowered his gaze and carefully chose his words: “Your Majesty, if we cannot kill Pang Xiao in one strike, it would be best to seek a way to reconcile.”

Reconcile? That sounded nice, but wasn’t it just asking him to seek peace with Pang Xiao?

In recent days, this wasn’t the first person to bring this up to him. From initial humiliation and anger to current confusion and despair, the change in mindset had taken only a few days. It turned out that admitting one’s failure and weakness wasn’t so difficult after all.

How pitiful. Truly laughable.

“He already has the strength to compete for the world. How could he easily accept reconciliation? Moreover, when I cannot offer conditions more tempting than ‘supreme ruler of the world,’ why would they reconcile with me?”

The spy fell silent for a while before carefully saying: “If that’s the case, there’s only one method left. Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat is the best.”

Li Qitian’s eyebrow twitched.

In normal times, he would have had the man dragged out and executed.

But now he had fewer and fewer usable people around him. These days, the court ministers hadn’t come up with a single decent solution, and Li Qitian could no longer casually order executions.

“I am the Son of Heaven. Even if the country falls, I cannot surrender. Otherwise, how will I face my ancestors in the future?” Li Qitian pressed his lips together, saying stubbornly.

The spy was speechless upon hearing this, thinking to himself: It’s not even the ancestors’ foundation—it was obtained through rebellion, yet you really treat it as if it was passed down by your forebears?

“At this time, preserving yourself is most important, Your Majesty. As long as the green mountains remain, there’s no fear of lacking firewood.”

Was Pang Xiao such a fearsome existence in these subjects’ eyes? So fearsome that they didn’t have the slightest thought of resistance?

On second thought, with three hundred thousand troops pressing on the borders, the numerical disparity in forces, plus the enemy having two war gods in command, how could anyone summon the will to resist?

This battle was already lost before it began.

If he truly fled, how could he hold his head up in the future?

But if he didn’t flee, when Pang Xiao’s great army arrived, wouldn’t he truly die at that bastard Pang Xiao’s hands?

Just then, sudden chaotic footsteps came from outside the imperial study, followed by a sharp cry: “Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Li Qitian was already in a state of worry, and hearing this cry suddenly made his heart skip a beat.

“What is it!” Li Qitian asked in a deep voice.

Xiong Jinshui and the little eunuchs pushed open the palace doors, and they saw the Empress rush in with disheveled hair and tears streaming down her face. Moving too hastily, she tripped over the high threshold, letting out an unexpected dull thud.

But the Empress couldn’t care about that.

“Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Hao Ge’er, Hao Ge’er is missing! Hao Ge’er is missing!”

Li Qitian’s eyes widened in disbelief: “How is that possible! Where are the people who were with him!”

“Hao Ge’er didn’t come to my palace for dinner after classes ended today. I waited and waited but didn’t see him, so I sent people to look for him. Soon they found the little eunuch who was with Hao Ge’er, who said, who said Hao Ge’er got lost in the imperial garden!” The Empress wept and kowtowed on her knees: “Please, Your Majesty, I only have this one Hao Ge’er! Please quickly order people to search! At such a critical time, if someone has captured Hao Ge’er, how can the child still have a life!”

Li Qitian immediately ordered: “Send people to investigate immediately!”

“Yes!” The spy couldn’t care about anything else and hurried off with people to search for the prince’s whereabouts.

The Empress collapsed to the ground, covering her face and weeping mournfully: “Your Majesty, who could it be, who could it be! Do you think Hao Ge’er might… If something happens to Hao Ge’er, how can I continue living!”

Li Qitian paced frantically around the room, saying through gritted teeth: “It must be Pang Zhixi!”

The Empress’s crying paused for a moment before she continued sobbing: “Could it be him? Usually, he doesn’t seem like someone who would harm young children.”

“He also seemed loyal and good! What was the result? He gathered one hundred thousand troops to besiege the city, intending rebellion! I think he captured Hao Ge’er simply to have one more condition to threaten me with!”

The Empress wiped her tears: “Your Majesty, if he wanted to attack, he could just march his great army in directly. Why would he need to harm my son? If his people can move freely in the palace and harm our Hao Ge’er, to speak bluntly, wouldn’t Your Majesty’s safety also be without guarantee? I’m afraid someone in the court has evil intentions and, seeing that bastard Pang Xiao approaching fiercely, wants to take Hao Ge’er to surrender to him!”

Li Qitian frowned slightly: “Why does the Empress speak for Pang Xiao?”

The Empress’s breathing caught, then she sobbed: “Why does Your Majesty say such things! It’s my son who’s missing! How could I speak for enemies? I just don’t want us to search in the wrong direction and miss the best opportunity to find Hao Ge’er!”

Clutching her chest, the Empress collapsed to the ground crying: “Hao Ge’er, my Hao Ge’er!”

A mother crying for her child—such mournful weeping was truly heartbreaking.

Li Qitian also realized he had been too suspicious just now and stepped forward to help the Empress up.

Although this woman was already past her prime and he could find no pleasure with her in normal times, in times of crisis, one could see who was truly reliable and would never abandon him.

Li Qitian rarely embraced the Empress, comfortingly patting her back: “I will definitely find Hao Ge’er!”

The Empress was somewhat surprised, her body stiffening for a moment before relaxing, leaning against Li Qitian’s shoulder and sobbing softly: “I know Hao Ge’er is also Your Majesty’s precious child. How could you abandon him? I’m just heartbroken—what kind of person could be so cruel as to harm such a young child?”

Li Qitian was also puzzled. If it wasn’t Pang Xiao, who else could it be?