Hearing the sighs and heartache in Sun Shi’s words, Qin Yining simply smiled.

All hearts are made of flesh, and Qin Yining naturally knew that Sun Shi couldn’t possibly feel no pity for Qin Huining. After all, she was a child raised as her own daughter for over ten years. However angry or disappointed she felt, no matter how wrong the child might be, the mother-daughter bond they had once shared couldn’t be easily erased.

Regarding this matter, Qin Yining didn’t want to say much.

Now that Father had reached the limits of his patience with Qin Huining and dealt with her accordingly, there was no need for her to trouble the people of Zhaoyun Division anymore. If Qin Huining could behave herself properly from now on, she would treat her as a stranger. But if Qin Huining dared to provoke trouble again, she would absolutely show no mercy.

Seeing Qin Yining sitting quietly to the side with lowered eyes, letting Bingtang apply medicine and bandage the wounds on her hands without offering any opinion, Nanny Jin feared she might misunderstand Sun Shi and that their mother-daughter relationship might develop a rift. She quickly said:

“Madam, please don’t worry. My Lord naturally has his own principles in handling matters. Besides, Miss Huining truly went too far this time. Even sending her to the estate to reflect for a period isn’t particularly severe punishment.”

Sun Shi nodded, her expression filled with desolation: “I’m not worried about her. With her character, she’ll never let herself suffer at any time. I just feel that now, having seen so many people’s true nature, it seems like I’ve wasted the past few decades of my life. I never knew there were people in this world who would treat others this way. Even if not everyone approaches others with a kind heart, surely they wouldn’t harbor such malicious intentions.”

Seeing Sun Shi so contemplative, her eyes as confused as a child who couldn’t understand a problem, Qin Yining couldn’t help but sigh as well.

In truth, Mother wasn’t a bad person—she had simply lived in luxury for many years, been too well protected, and with her natal family’s former strength, hadn’t given the Old Grand Madam opportunities to reveal her true nature.

“Being able to see these people and situations clearly now isn’t really a bad thing, is it?” Qin Yining grasped Sun Shi’s hand with her uninjured left hand.

Thinking of how Qin Yining had protected her so fearlessly today, Sun Shi felt deeply moved. She smiled as she clasped Qin Yining’s hand in return, gently nodding.

“Miss, the medicine has been applied. Don’t let it touch water for the next few days. After the wounds scab over and heal, use this special scar-removing ointment I’ve specially prepared, and I guarantee your hands will recover completely.”

Bingtang smiled as she put away the small white porcelain medicine box.

Qin Yining smiled: “Thank you.”

“Miss, there’s no need to be polite.” Bingtang smiled sweetly as she stepped aside.

Previously, Sun Shi had found Qin Yining displeasing to the eye, so she had also found the people around her annoying.

Now that she understood Qin Yining better, combined with her hatred for the Cao family and the incompetent emperor, Sun Shi looked at Bingtang with a sense of shared fate. Moreover, since Bingtang had treated her illness several times, Sun Shi had become extremely gentle and courteous toward her.

“Having Miss Tang by Yi Jie’er’s side puts my mind at ease. I must thank you for taking such good care of our Yi Jie’er.”

“Madam, what are you saying? Serving the young miss is this servant’s duty.” Bingtang smiled and curtsied.

Hearing her refer to herself as a servant, Sun Shi sighed.

She considered herself lucky—though her family had been destroyed, at least her mother and sister-in-law were still alive, she had a husband to depend on, and a capable daughter. Bingtang was truly pitiful—she had lost everyone in her family, and despite being born a young lady of good family, she now had to serve others as a slave.

With this in mind, Sun Shi felt even more sympathy for Bingtang. She took her hand and said: “From now on, stay by Yi Jie’er’s side. You two can look after each other. If you want anything to eat or use, just speak up. If you’re lacking anything, you can come directly to Nanny Jin. In any case, just consider this your home.”

Bingtang was somewhat flattered. To be honest, privately she looked down on this madam who was full of nothing but straw, though she felt some sympathy for the Sun family’s fate. Now that Sun Shi had come to her senses and was being so kind to her, Bingtang immediately understood why. She smiled and politely agreed.

Just as the atmosphere in the room was becoming warm and harmonious, the sound of a little maid curtsying came from the corridor: “My Lord has returned.”

The door curtain lifted, and Qin Huaiyuan entered.

Sun Shi and Qin Yining both stood up, and everyone curtsied together.

Qin Huaiyuan waved his hand: “There’s no need for such formalities at home.”

Qin Yining calculated the time and knew that Qin Huaiyuan must have gone to find Cao Yuqing and returned only after settling the Tatar matter.

Having not slept the previous night and going through the morning’s events, Qin Yining felt tired. Qin Huaiyuan must be even more exhausted now, so she smiled and said: “Daughter will take her leave first.”

Sun Shi smiled and nodded, instructing Nanny Jin to escort her while she herself attended to Qin Huaiyuan’s change of clothes.

Qin Yining walked with Ji Yun and Bingtang along the blue brick pathway toward Shuoren Studio. As they passed the back garden, they heard commotion and crying from near the hanging flower gate not far away. Looking carefully, they saw it was Cao Yuqing and Qin Huining.

“Godmother, I beg you, I don’t want to go out. I’m not sick, I don’t have the epidemic! Please speak to Father for me. As long as you say something, Father will surely listen!”

Qin Huining knelt before Cao Yuqing, crying pitifully like a pear blossom in the rain.

Cao Yuqing’s voice was helpless: “Get up. You’ve done such wrong things, and My Lord has already spoken. How could there be room for others to plead on your behalf?”

“I, I was also doing it for Godmother!” Qin Huining hadn’t expected Cao Yuqing to refuse outright, so her tone became somewhat anxious.

Hearing this, Cao Yuqing’s pretty face turned cold, her willow brows standing on end: “Miss Huining, please watch your words. What do you mean ‘for me’? Did I tell you to harm the Old Grand Madam?”

Only then did Qin Huining realize what she had blurted out in haste, and she hurried to explain.

But Cao Yuqing’s patience was exhausted. She led her people past her, heading straight toward the second gate.

Qin Huining collapsed to the ground, watching Cao Yuqing’s retreating figure helplessly, covering her mouth as she sobbed uncontrollably.

She truly regretted this to the point where her intestines had nearly turned green. If only her plan had been more thorough, she wouldn’t have ended up in such a state!

Suddenly, Qin Huining felt a chill down her spine, as if someone was scraping the hair on her back with a knife.

She turned around abruptly and saw Qin Yining standing with Ji Yun and Bingtang at the fork in the path leading from the back garden to Shuoren Studio.

Qin Yining wore simple, light-colored clothing, but her radiant beauty made her hateful to look at. She gazed at her with a half-smile, her mockery almost transforming into sharp blades that would crush what little dignity she had left into dust.

Qin Huining’s face suddenly flushed red.

Just as she was about to speak, Qin Yining had already turned and left. Her cold glance was like a kind of charity bestowed upon her.

“Miss Huining, please proceed. Don’t make things difficult for us servants.” Nanny Qin, who had been waiting impatiently with her people, said.

Qin Huining was utterly humiliated and wanted to dash her head against something and die, but she forced herself to lift her chin proudly as she led her people away from the hanging flower gate.

The people from Xueli Courtyard who were being sent away with her all looked gloomy, spitting several times at Qin Huining’s back.

Qin Huining heard them but could only pretend not to know.

At the same time, in Fengyi Palace, the Empress dismissed the palace servants and asked Imperial Uncle Cao in a lowered voice: “Father, why have you come to the palace to see me out of the blue? Has something major happened at home?”

Imperial Uncle Cao said in a low voice: “It’s not something that would bring the sky crashing down, but it’s no small matter either. Our business with the Tatars might be exposed.”

The Empress turned pale with shock and asked anxiously: “Father, what exactly happened?”