Qin Huaiyuan waved his hand: “I understand the emperor’s intentions, but guarantees based on emotion are the most unreliable guarantees in this world. I’m not doubting the emperor, but rather this is human nature. Under Heaven, all land belongs to the ruler – if in the future Sister Yi is hurt and doesn’t want to continue being a caged bird in the harem, too lazy to deal with all the warblers and swallows surrounding the emperor, she won’t even have a natal family where she can return with peace of mind.”

Hearing this, Qin Yining closed her eyes as tears stubbornly welled up.

Qin Huaiyuan continued: “It’s not that I don’t love this vast and abundant land, nor that I cannot appreciate the inconvenience and hardship of life in Yiyue. But I am a father, and my way of cherishing my daughter is to give her a natal family she can return to. Yiyue has treacherous terrain and vast resources that can be developed – it’s not impossible for it to become the hegemon of the desert in the future. If my daughter wants to return home, I will take her back. Even without you, I can still let my daughter live a good life. Even if you have a million soldiers, with the desert’s natural barriers and without guides, you may not necessarily gain advantage in Yiyue.”

“In-law…” Madam Ma heard the killing intent already present in Qin Huaiyuan’s words and couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Empress Dowager Yao spoke even more sharply: “Speaking like this is far too rude. Do you even regard the current Son of Heaven?”

Qin Huaiyuan’s smile remained, his dominance unchanged: “The etiquette between ruler and subject – this old man has observed it for a lifetime, how could I not understand? Right now I am speaking to my daughter and son-in-law in the capacity of a father.”

With that, Qin Huaiyuan walked before Qin Yining.

Qin Yining stood up and looked up at her father. Her father’s large hand fell on her temple, then pinched her cheek.

“Silly girl, you need not worry or panic. Just stay here and live peacefully with the emperor. If someday someone hurts your heart, making you feel love has reached its end, familial affection cannot be maintained, or even that the deep palace is hopeless, you need not despair or foolishly remain on a lonely island. Your father and mother will be in the desert – if you’re unhappy, just come home.”

Qin Yining closed her eyes, tears falling like rain: “Father!”

“Good child. Good child.” Qin Huaiyuan’s eyes also showed traces of tears.

Because of today’s parting, future meetings wouldn’t be achievable just by leaving one door and entering another. Even traveling non-stop, the days they could meet each year would be countable on one’s fingers.

How many years remained in this life? But the days of father and daughter reunion, added together, probably wouldn’t even amount to one year’s time.

This was the sorrow of every parent.

But he couldn’t ignore his child’s escape route just for the sake of reunion.

Sun Shi came forward, sobbing as she embraced Qin Yining: “Sister Yi, my child!”

“Mother, please don’t leave, alright? Father, I understand your meaning and know what you’re worried about, but I guarantee I’m not that weak. Please stay in the capital, alright?”

Qin Huaiyuan only smiled and shook his head.

Sun Shi choked back tears as she whispered in Qin Yining’s ear: “Your father is right. You must have an escape route.”

“I won’t! I returned home at fourteen, and we’ve only been reunited for eight years! During these eight years of wandering and displacement, how many days have I actually spent by your side? Now you want to leave, and with such distant travel ahead, how many days can we meet again in this lifetime? I gritted my teeth and persevered until now precisely because I wanted to be together with you all unrestrained from now on, with no one able to harm our family anymore. Why can’t I have something so simple?”

Qin Yining held Sun Shi while sobbing with a choked voice, her crying so distorted her words changed tone, stamping her feet in unwillingness.

Sun Shi closed her eyes and cried even louder.

Seeing their mother like this, both Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er also shed tears.

Pang Xiao had never seen Qin Yining so heartbroken. He patted her shoulder consolingly but didn’t know what to say or do, feeling completely helpless.

Even if he tore out his heart to guarantee, he still couldn’t stop Qin Huaiyuan.

Because from Qin Huaiyuan’s perspective, everything he considered was reasonable and well-founded. His wanting to part from Qin Yining wasn’t because he didn’t cherish his daughter, but because he cherished her too much – he’d rather struggle in the desert than not give Qin Yining a support to rely on.

Such paternal love made Pang Xiao both moved and envious, yet equally helpless.

Having taken this position, his father-in-law who had been like a teacher and father to him could no longer completely trust his feelings toward Qin Yining.

Madam Ma had long since shed tears. She rose and put her arm around Qin Yining’s shoulder: “Yi girl, don’t cry anymore. Your parents are doing this for you. Grandmother knows you’re sad, but if you act like this, your parents will only be sadder! As parents, all their thoughts are for their child. You’re a mother yourself – you should know your parents have made up their minds.”

Qin Yining’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. She lowered her head and only nodded after a long while.

Seeing Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er hugging her legs on either side, she tearfully touched the children’s heads.

Han Ge’er looked up at Qin Yining: “Mother, don’t cry anymore. In the future, whoever bullies you, I’ll beat them to death!”

Hearing such childish words, Qin Yining couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

But Zhao Ge’er seriously maintained his stern little face: “That’s not right. What if Grandmother bullies Mother? What if Father bullies Mother? Or what if Father’s future concubines bully Mother? Can you beat them all to death?”

Han Ge’er’s eyes widened, suddenly stumped by the question. Beating his own grandmother and father to death seemed somewhat inappropriate.

Zhao Ge’er stepped back two paces and properly performed a grand bow to Qin Yining and Pang Xiao with his small body.

“Father, Mother, Zhao Ge’er wants to follow Grandfather to Yiyue.”

Both Pang Xiao and Qin Yining were greatly alarmed.

“Zhao Ge’er, why would you say such a thing? Don’t you like being by your parents’ side?”

Qin Yining’s hands and feet turned cold. The children hadn’t been personally raised by her from childhood, and she always felt guilty, worried the children wouldn’t be close to her. Now Zhao Ge’er was saying he wanted to go to Yiyue – how could she bear it?

But Zhao Ge’er spoke in his childish voice yet with resounding force: “Mother, I’m already grown up. When Grandfather taught the ‘Strategies of the Warring States,’ he explained how the Left Minister advised Empress Dowager Zhao. Empress Dowager Zhao favored Prince Chang’an, giving him generous salary, fertile fiefdom, and endless treasures, but initially refused to give him opportunities to achieve merit. If a person has no achievements but possesses so many treasures, that is… that is what Grandfather calls ‘virtue not matching position.’ Even with all that land and jewels, in the future it will be difficult to convince others.

“I know I am Imperial Father’s son, and Imperial Father will have many sons in the future. I really like Yiyue, and I also really like Grandfather’s teachings. Although being by Father and Mother’s side is also good, I don’t want to be a useless person spoiled by indulgence. In the future, I want to be Yiyue’s emperor!”

Everyone was stunned.

No one had expected a child who had just turned five to say such words!

The little child tilted his head, seeming somewhat unaccustomed to saying so much in one breath, his face becoming a bit red, which made the small red mole between his brows appear even more vivid.

Yet he still maintained his proper kneeling posture. Though just a small body, he displayed the resilience of a tender shoot breaking through soil.

“Right now we’re so weak that if someone bullies Mother, we can only have someone beat them up. But what if I were Yiyue’s emperor?” Zhao Ge’er bared his teeth at Empress Dowager Yao: “Grandmother, your son is an emperor, and my mother’s son will also be an emperor in the future. No one is much weaker than anyone else!”

“You, you!” Empress Dowager Yao was so angry she nearly fainted, but couldn’t argue with a child and could only grind her teeth fiercely.

Zhao Ge’er was much more sensitive than Han Ge’er. He had always known their grandmother didn’t like them and often said unpleasant things in front of them – things like “unknown origins” and “mixed bloodlines.” Though he didn’t understand much, he knew those weren’t good words.

Now seeing his mother bullied like this, with even his grandfather and grandmother having no choice but to return to Yiyue, he too bared his sharp little milk teeth!

But while Empress Dowager Yao was angry, the others didn’t think the same way.

Pang Xiao first listened to the child’s grand declarations while suppressing laughter, but by the end, he actually burst out laughing and scooped the child up in one motion.

The child’s serious and stern demeanor immediately crumbled: “Father! Stop fooling around!”

“Hahaha!” Pang Xiao finally couldn’t help laughing heartily: “Good, good, you’re Father’s good son, so ambitious!”

Zhao Ge’er’s face flushed completely red, while Empress Dowager Yao’s face turned pale with anger.

Qin Yining stood helplessly in place, tightly grasping Sun Shi’s and Han Ge’er’s hands.

Rationally, it was remarkable that a child of only five could think so much. She felt there was some logic to it – as parents, they shouldn’t be too dictatorial and should respect the child. But emotionally she couldn’t bear it. The child was still so young – how could she bear the separation!

Qin Huaiyuan smiled as he came forward, his large hand ruffling Zhao Ge’er’s head: “Have you decided? Yiyue doesn’t have scenery as good as here, and perhaps the food and necessities aren’t as good either. Moreover, you’d have to part from Han Ge’er and from your parents. What would you do if you missed them?”

“I can write letters,” Zhao Ge’er said firmly. “There’s nothing bad about Yiyue either. It’s easy to defend and hard to attack. Even if someone wants to fight us, Grandfather can defend it.”

Pang Xiao almost adored this son to death. Wouldn’t it be a pity for such an excellent child not to inherit the throne?

But he also understood clearly that the reason this child could have such thoughts at such a young age was entirely due to Qin Huaiyuan’s good teaching.

This child’s talent was so high that keeping him by his side might actually delay him.

The originally sad atmosphere had been disrupted by Zhao Ge’er. Qin Yining now didn’t know whether to be sad about her parents returning to Yiyue or about her child refusing to stay.

However, whether Qin Huaiyuan or Zhao Ge’er, both were equally stubborn. Qin Yining couldn’t stop either of them. After the evening banquet ended, she returned to her bedchamber to grieve quietly by herself.

Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er held hands and hid in a corner to whisper secrets.

The two children showed no sorrow or reluctance about their impending separation, but rather both looked like little foxes whose schemes had succeeded.

“Mother is too easy to bully. I think even if Father doesn’t take concubines in the future, Grandmother will still bully Mother. I need to keep watch.”

“Aah!” Both children sighed in unison.

“I’ll stay with Father and learn more martial arts from Father, Uncle Ji, and Uncle Mu. You should also learn more from Grandfather and Aunt Cao. In the future I’ll teach you, and you must teach me too. We’ll exchange knowledge. I’ll write you lots of letters.”

“I’ll write you lots of letters too.” Zhao Ge’er nodded emphatically.

Han Ge’er extended his little finger: “Pinky promise.”

“Pinky promise – hang yourself for a hundred years if you change!”