After Qin Huaiyuan finished speaking, he raised his voice to call for someone: “Go and invite Miss Tang over.”

Qi Tai, who was waiting outside, immediately responded.

Before long, Bingtang entered and paid her respects.

“Ten thousand blessings to the Marquis.”

“Miss Tang, no need for excessive courtesy. I must trouble you to go to the inner residence to fetch a set of clothes for Yi’er, and then quietly bring medicine to treat Yi’er’s wounds.”

Bingtang, understanding the underlying meaning, immediately comprehended that Qin Huaiyuan was hinting that today’s events must not be leaked out. She nodded seriously and said: “Yes, this servant will go at once.”

“Thank you for the trouble, Miss Tang.” Seeing that she understood immediately, Qin Huaiyuan smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

“This servant dare not accept such thanks. Serving the young miss is this servant’s duty.” Bingtang curtsied with lowered head and withdrew.

Qin Huaiyuan then instructed Qi Tai to stand guard outside, allowing no one to approach the study by even a single step. After arranging everything properly, he turned his inquiring gaze toward Qin Yining.

Qin Yining then carefully recounted today’s events to Qin Huaiyuan in complete detail, without hiding anything.

After hearing this, Qin Huaiyuan remained silent for a long time, lowering his gaze to look at the azure and white porcelain covered bowl on the table, with its pattern of carp playing among lotus flowers. He didn’t seem to be in a daze, nor did he appear to be thinking—he simply sat there quietly.

But Qin Yining knew that Qin Huaiyuan’s heart must be churning like stormy seas, with many things connecting together, and many difficult decisions to make.

After a full incense stick’s worth of time had passed, Qin Huaiyuan finally said: “That day when we returned to the capital, you went back to the residence first, while I camped outside the city. The next day, the Emperor arranged a welcoming ceremony, but assassins suddenly attempted an attack.”

Qin Yining straightened her back and gazed seriously at Qin Huaiyuan.

Qin Huaiyuan smiled slightly and continued: “That day, not long after I entered the palace with the Emperor, the Emperor’s silver-masked secret agents delivered an investigation report to the Emperor’s hands. The Emperor threw that secret report to me to read. It stated that the assassins were two groups of people. One group that committed suicide has yet to be identified, while the other group that was captured alive confessed under severe torture that they were all members of the Azure Sky Alliance. And the silver-masked secret agents had already discovered that the leader of the Azure Sky Alliance was your maternal grandmother.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yining was immediately stunned. Many disconnected clues were being linked together one by one, and all the recent events now had their reasons.

“So the Emperor’s sudden decision to have my mother beheaded in public was to lure my maternal grandmother into attempting a rescue?”

Qin Huaiyuan nodded heavily: “That day the Emperor was thunderously furious, and I could only compromise, being confined by the Emperor to a separate room. I had no way to interfere with subsequent events, nor could I send out any messages. It was fortunate that Young Prince Pang disrupted the situation, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

Qin Yining’s forehead broke out in sweat as she murmured: “Actually, that day I also arranged for people to storm the execution ground. It was truly thanks to Pang Zhixi, otherwise not only the Azure Sky Alliance, but our family would likely have been branded as rebels.”

Qin Huaiyuan seemed not at all surprised to hear that Qin Yining had also made arrangements. He simply nodded silently.

“Father, today’s events were definitely pre-arranged by the Cao clan. I can see that Cao Shi holds no low position among the silver-masked people. She deliberately brought me out, then pretended to be captured—clearly intending to test me while simultaneously conducting a sweep of the Azure Sky Alliance.”

“Exactly.” Qin Huaiyuan nodded. “Though the Emperor fears external enemies, he has, after all, been in that position for over thirty years. Someone who could emerge victorious in the struggle for succession—how could his mind be inadequate? That day he devised a plan using your mother’s situation, and since it failed, there must certainly be follow-up schemes in store.”

Qin Yining nodded, feeling a wave of retrospective fear.

If today she had agreed to Duke Dingguo’s wife’s request to kill Cao Yuqing, she feared that not only would her own life be difficult to preserve, but the very heavens above the Qin family might have changed.

The silk lamp shone brightly, illuminating Qin Yining’s pale complexion. Seeing sweat beading on her forehead and temples, how could Qin Huaiyuan not understand her thoughts? When encountering such matters of life and death, being confused and unafraid when ignorant of the truth was natural, but now with the truth of everything laid bare before her eyes, suddenly realizing how close she had once come to death—let alone a young girl, even he felt deeply shaken when thinking carefully about it.

“It has been hard on you, being dragged into such matters.” Qin Huaiyuan sighed and patted Qin Yining’s head.

Qin Yining smiled bitterly: “Father, please don’t say that. As I’ve said before, since I enjoy the benefits that come with being a daughter of the Qin family, I will bear the corresponding pressures and responsibilities. I just feel that I was truly fortunate not to have chosen the wrong path and thereby implicated my family.”

Qin Huaiyuan felt much the same way and nodded.

Qin Yining asked again: “Father, did you know Concubine Cao’s identity all along?”

“Yes.” Qin Huaiyuan hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Qin Yining everything: “The most capable force in the Emperor’s hands is the silver-masked secret agents. These people specialize in assassination, intelligence gathering, investigation, and protection work. And Cao Shi is secretly the leader among the silver-masked secret agents. After the peace negotiations, the national crisis could be resolved, but domestic court disputes became apparent. The Emperor was wary of the Cao family’s deeply entrenched power in the court, and wanting to place a trump card in my hands to balance against the Cao family, he had me take Cao Shi as a concubine.”

Qin Yining listened in complete astonishment, asking in amazement: “Does Imperial Uncle Cao not know Concubine Cao’s identity?”

Qin Huaiyuan shook his head: “This is precisely the brilliance of the silver-masked secret agents. Each member of the silver-masked secret agents lurks in the shadows with unexpected identities. They are absolutely loyal to imperial power and maintain absolute secrecy to the outside world. Imperial Uncle Cao has no idea about Cao Shi’s activities and only considers her an ordinary woman. According to what I know, Cao Shi’s previous marriage was also because she was ordered to assassinate her former husband and steal intelligence, which led to that marriage.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yining thought of everything she had witnessed today—such a beautiful woman with such formidable martial arts skills, yet she had become a tool to be manipulated by others. Even her marriage was not her own choice but was all assignments. Her previous marriage was an assignment, becoming a widow was the result of an assignment, and now becoming Qin Huaiyuan’s noble concubine was also an assignment…

“She is also a pitiable person.” Qin Yining couldn’t help but sigh wistfully.

Qin Huaiyuan only smiled slightly and said nothing.

Qin Yining sighed and stood up: “Father, I won’t tell Mother about today’s events. If Mother asks about my maternal grandmother and the others, I’ll say they are doing well. Later I’ll find an opportunity to tell Mother that grandmother and the others didn’t want to live at the Immortal Maiden Temple and found their own lodging. As for my injuries, if anyone asks, I’ll say I carelessly took a fall.”

“Your thinking is very thorough.” Qin Huaiyuan said approvingly: “Regarding Cao Shi, remember not to change your attitude in any way. Cao Shi is in our family to cooperate with me in certain matters, and it’s not impossible that the Emperor also arranged for her to monitor me. In any case, I will handle these matters—you just need to be yourself.”

Hearing this, Qin Yining understood Qin Huaiyuan’s meaning and smiled as she nodded.

Qin Yining called for Bingtang to enter. After changing clothes in the washroom and re-bandaging her wounds, she concealed the wound on her neck, then returned to Xingning Garden as if nothing had happened to pay her respects to Sun Shi.

Sun Shi held Qin Yining’s hand and carefully inquired about the situation of the women in Duke Dingguo’s household. Qin Yining simply smiled and said everything was fine, appeasing her and making Sun Shi beam with joy before returning to Shuoren Studio to rest.

From then on, peaceful days passed for over a month. The capital had already entered the warm spring season, and new batches of spring garments had been delivered to each residence.

As Song Lan helped Qin Yining try on new clothes, she casually asked Bingtang behind her: “What was that just mentioned? What did the Old Madam say about spring outings?”