Upon hearing Sun Shi’s words, Qin Huaiyuan frowned, crouched down, and gently patted her shoulder to comfort her.

Seeing that it was Qin Huaiyuan, Sun Shi leaned into his embrace and began sobbing.

Pang Xiao observed Qin Huaiyuan’s expression clearly, his confusion deepening further.

Qin Huaiyuan asked Bingtang with concern, “Miss Tang, how is Yi’er?”

“Master and Madam, please rest assured. Miss has suffered no serious harm—she merely fainted from a combination of acute anger attacking her heart and excessive fatigue. This servant has already administered acupuncture to Miss, so she should be fine.” Bingtang held Qin Yining’s hand, continuously massaging the acupuncture points on her fingers and at the tiger’s mouth.

The Five Cities Military Commissioner’s men had already dispersed the onlooking civilians from the surrounding area, leaving only Qin Huaiyuan’s family and the dozen or so Huben Army soldiers Pang Xiao had brought before the Meridian Gate.

With the crowd gone, the sudden fierce wind that arose made everyone’s faces feel ice-cold.

“The weather is still cold. Perhaps we should find a quiet nearby place to settle Miss Qin, lest she catch a chill.” Pang Xiao pondered and said, “I recall there’s a restaurant belonging to the Bureau of Music nearby.”

Bingtang nodded, “Miss stayed at Guilin Restaurant last night. Master and Madam, shall we temporarily settle her there?”

Pang Xiao, considering the Qin family’s temperament, guessed roughly eighty percent of what Qin Yining had experienced. His heart felt as if someone had grasped it, aching with a dull, twisting pain.

“This prince has truly learned something new today—the Qin family actually cannot tolerate even a single young lady!”

Only then did Sun Shi remember that the speaker was the murderous Prince Pang, and recalling how intimately he had treated Qin Yining just moments ago, she cried even harder.

Qin Huaiyuan frowned and glanced at Pang Xiao.

“Miss broke out on her own.” In front of Qin Huaiyuan, Bingtang couldn’t properly criticize the master’s household, so she merely said this one sentence before helping Song Lan lift Qin Yining to head toward the nearby carriage. Sun Shi also hurried to help.

How clever was Qin Huaiyuan? What could he not understand at this point?

When this child was brought back from the mountains, she had still possessed rosy cheeks and was full of vitality. Yet now she had been tormented into this state.

Watching Sun Shi, Song Lan, and Bingtang work together to settle Qin Yining in the carriage, Qin Huaiyuan sighed softly and turned to bow to Pang Xiao, “What arrangements does Prince Pang have at this time?”

“This prince will naturally accompany you all and speak of other matters once her condition improves.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaiyuan frowned.

Being a man, he naturally understood a man’s thoughts. His daughter was born with flower-like beauty and a pleasing disposition. If it were someone else who had taken a fancy to her now, even someone like the Crown Prince who was politically useless, Qin Huaiyuan would not feel repulsed.

But Pang Xiao was different.

Pang Xiao’s father, the former Northern Ji Kingdom’s Protector General Pang Zhongzheng, had ultimately died because of his alienation strategy!

“This official appreciates Prince Zhongshun’s kind intentions and thanks the Prince on Yi’er’s behalf. However, Yi’er is after all an unmarried young woman, and proper conduct between men and women should be observed. Moreover, His Majesty has already prepared a banquet to entertain the Prince. Why doesn’t the Prince attend to proper business?”

Pang Xiao sneered, “Her safety and well-being are this prince’s proper business right now. Grand Preceptor Qin need not say more. Or does Grand Preceptor Qin wish to resist the imperial edict?”

Pang Xiao stepped forward two paces, lifting one corner of his mouth with strong threatening intent, “This prince recalls that your nation’s Emperor just gave Grand Preceptor Qin some instructions? If Grand Preceptor Qin does not comply, this prince will have no choice but to inform your nation’s Emperor.”

The previously somewhat harmonious atmosphere now became tense as drawn swords, ready to explode at any moment!

Sun Shi, Bingtang, and Song Lan by the carriage all nervously gathered closer upon seeing this, yet dared not speak in persuasion.

Despite such a frightening atmosphere, Qin Huaiyuan remained calm-faced, and only after a long while did he slowly speak:

“Prince Pang is a peerless hero. What this official most admires are men like the Prince. Though the Prince’s hands are stained with blood, he never kills innocent people. Previously at Xihua City, when the Prince refused to massacre the city and was reprimanded by your nation’s Emperor, stripped of his position as Pingnan Marshal, the Prince’s willingness to resist imperial orders and risk his life for innocent souls—this official is deeply moved by such actions. On behalf of the common people of Xihua City, I thank the Prince for his mercy in not killing.”

As Qin Huaiyuan spoke, he bowed deeply to Pang Xiao.

His action diffused the explosive tension from moments before.

Everyone around was shocked by Qin Huaiyuan’s words. Sun Shi, Bingtang, and Song Lan could never have imagined that this murderous figure Pang Xiao had been stripped of his position as Grand Marshal of Pingnan precisely because he refused to slaughter the people of Xihua City!

Pang Xiao looked at Qin Huaiyuan, his expression becoming complex.

Not only had Qin Huaiyuan sincerely expressed his gratitude, but he had also revealed his own cards to him—he was telling him that he had spies in Great Zhou, and that these spies held considerable positions!

By revealing his trump cards so openly, what was Qin Huaiyuan plotting?

Qin Huaiyuan straightened up and continued, “We are both men, and grudges between men should not harm family members. When this Qin used strategy to calculate against your esteemed father, indirectly leading to his tragic death, it was truly due to unavoidable circumstances arising from different allegiances. If Prince Pang hates this Qin and wishes revenge, feel free to come directly for this Qin.

“But as a father, I once again earnestly beseech Prince Pang—please do not harm my daughter. She has wandered outside since childhood, suffering untold hardships, and is truly innocent.”

“On the battlefield, the Prince could risk danger to perform acts of righteousness for unrelated people. Now, please also spare innocent people and do not involve Yi’er in this matter.”

After speaking, Qin Huaiyuan bowed again.

Qin Huaiyuan’s sincere words moved Sun Shi to tears like rain, and Bingtang and Song Lan also had moist eyes. Even the hot-blooded men like Huzi behind Pang Xiao couldn’t help but be moved.

Though this Qin Huaiyuan was as cunning as a fox and had harmed the Prince’s father, he was ultimately a man of true character.

But after being moved, Pang Xiao accumulated a chest full of rage.

“So in Grand Preceptor Qin’s eyes, this prince is that sort of despicable person? If this prince sought revenge, you would have died countless times already. Do you really think your life is that resilient?”

“This Qin never thought so.”

Pang Xiao sneered coldly, stepped forward two more paces, and with hawk-like sharp eyes fixed on Qin Huaiyuan, said without yielding:

“Whom this prince favors is not for Grand Preceptor Qin to manage!”

Qin Huaiyuan neither avoided nor yielded as he met Pang Xiao’s gaze.

After a moment, he suddenly smiled and nodded, “If that’s the case, let us first depart for Guilin Restaurant.”

He then turned and strode toward the carriage with large steps, appearing anxious to settle his daughter.

Pang Xiao watched Qin Huaiyuan’s retreating figure and sneered.

He now understood where Qin Yining got that quality of making people’s hearts itch with anger while preventing them from striking her—her intelligence and wisdom were completely inherited from her father.

“Master, shall we go to Guilin Restaurant?” Huzi approached to ask.

Pang Xiao nodded and gracefully leaped onto his beloved horse.

The other Huben Army soldiers also mounted their horses and followed Pang Xiao, trailing behind the Qin family’s carriage.

Only then did Huzi urge his horse closer to Pang Xiao and ask in a low, worried voice, “Prince, we just received a secret report from the Elite Tiger Guards that His Majesty has dispatched Lian Shengjie as an envoy to Great Yan, and he should arrive in these next few days. By coming ahead like this, might the Yan people think you’re impersonating an envoy?”

Pang Xiao replied indifferently, “Let them think what they will—what can they do to me anyway?”

Huzi could only nod helplessly.

However calm his Prince usually was, he became equally abnormal when facing Miss Qin. It was as if all his impulsiveness was reserved for this one person.

This woman was destined to be his Prince’s calamity.