Prince Ning turned back and waved his hand to the heir apparent, signaling that he need not follow, then descended the marble steps and walked forward directly, casually asking the steward: “How many people know of his visit?”

“Your Highness, Marquis Anping disguised himself and came through the side gate. No one saw him, and currently only you, the heir apparent, and this old servant know. Even if others saw him, they wouldn’t recognize him. This old servant has arranged for him to wait in your small study in the outer courtyard, where he is currently having tea.”

“Very good.” Prince Ning’s and the steward’s figures disappeared around the corner.

The Prince Ning heir apparent understood that this matter was not something he could interfere with; he only needed to keep his mouth tightly shut.

Qin Huaiyuan’s relationship with Prince Ning had never been close in the past—they simply minded their own business. Therefore, this was actually Qin Huaiyuan’s first time taking the initiative to visit.

When Prince Ning arrived at the small study, Qin Huaiyuan was already sitting upright in a round-backed chair, having finished half a cup of tea.

Seeing Prince Ning arrive, Qin Huaiyuan stood up and bowed: “I pay my respects to Your Highness.”

“Rise.” Prince Ning’s gaze swept around and caught sight of an exquisite gift box on the table, as well as a colorful coral bonsai half a person’s height placed on the floor.

He casually lifted the lid of the gift box, and inside was actually a calligraphy manuscript by Yan Zhenqing!

Such authentic works were now worth thousands of gold and difficult to buy—yet Qin Huaiyuan was willing to give it away!

A flame suddenly rose in Prince Ning’s heart. He looked at Qin Huaiyuan with contemptuous disdain, sat down in the main seat, and said coldly: “Marquis Anping, these items are rather too precious.”

Qin Huaiyuan could see Prince Ning’s disdain for him, but he wasn’t angry. He simply smiled and said: “How do you find this Yan Zhenqing calligraphy manuscript? Is the coral sufficiently brilliant?”

Prince Ning’s contempt grew even stronger. He secretly thought that Qin Huaiyuan had brought such precious gifts to smooth things over for his daughter, likely not wanting to be associated with him or offend the Empress through such connections!

What kind of man was this?

Being bullied by the Cao family until his pants were nearly stripped off, yet this coward still dared not resist them!

Publicly, the Cao family were scoundrels who brought disaster to the country and people.

Privately, Imperial Uncle Cao persecuted the Qin family, and the demon empress had even wanted to eat the flesh of the Qin family’s daughter.

With such deep hatred and enmity, he could still endure it and even have the nerve to come bearing gifts to distance himself from any association?

The flame in Prince Ning’s heart seemed doused with hot oil, whooshing up in an instant. He slammed his large hand on the table, rose angrily, and roared:

“Marquis Anping is a pillar of the court! This prince previously thought you were also a heroic figure, but I never imagined you could be so cowardly, actually seeking to curry favor with the powerful for mere survival! What good are the Cao family? They’ve already trampled you underfoot, yet you still think of peaceful coexistence? What, are you afraid this prince will implicate you? Having a maid from your daughter’s side treat the princess consort frightened you into paralysis? Qin Meng, do you even count as a man? I think you’re nothing but a coward!”

Prince Ning had been holding back a bellyful of anger today. Seeing such precious gifts and watching Qin Huaiyuan’s elegant demeanor—still smiling gently even while being scolded—made him even angrier. After unleashing this tirade, he still felt unsatisfied and pointed at Qin Huaiyuan’s nose, giving him a thorough dressing-down, cursing the female elders of the Qin family and then the Qin ancestors, just short of physically throwing him out.

Qin Huaiyuan sat elegantly in his round-backed chair watching Prince Ning’s outburst, his expression like someone watching an impulsive child.

When Prince Ning had scolded himself dry-mouthed, Qin Huaiyuan even thoughtfully offered him a cup of tea.

Prince Ning nearly smashed the teacup in anger.

“Your Highness, please calm down.” Qin Huaiyuan smiled.

Prince Ning felt like he’d thrown a punch at cotton—how had he encountered such a slippery character!

Qin Huaiyuan said gently: “Please calm your anger, Your Highness. Rest a moment and listen to what I have to say. These two gifts I brought are not intended for you.”

Upon hearing this, Prince Ning’s hand shook and he nearly dropped the teacup. His face immediately reddened as he asked awkwardly: “Not for this prince? Aren’t you here to smooth things over for your daughter?”

“Your Highness misunderstands.” Qin Huaiyuan smiled and flipped a page of the precious manuscript. “Has Your Highness forgotten what Imperial Uncle Cao loves most?”

Prince Ning realized and murmured: “That old fellow loves calligraphy. His writing is actually quite decent.”

“Exactly.” Qin Huaiyuan smiled. “These two items are both chosen to suit his preferences. I brought them for Your Highness to take as gifts when apologizing to Imperial Uncle Cao.”

Upon hearing this, Prince Ning felt another surge of suppressed anger.

But he learned his lesson and didn’t immediately explode. Instead, he asked seriously: “What does Marquis Anping mean by this?”

“As Your Highness knows, currently three armies plus the Five Military Camps, Three Thousand Battalion, Divine Engine Battalion, and Capital Region Camp—totaling 350,000 troops—are gathered outside the city like dragons without a head, with the commander’s seal hanging empty. Pang Zhixi’s 100,000 Huben Army occupies Xihua City, forming a pincer formation with the capital. With so many troops, they naturally cannot fight separately. To defend the capital, there must be a supreme commander, but His Majesty has yet to decide on the candidate for this commander’s seal.”

Prince Ning sneered: “Isn’t Imperial Brother hoping for the Tatars to send troops?”

“The problem is that the Tatars can no longer be relied upon. From what I know, the Tatar princess has installed her younger brother as the new Khan while she and the prince consort serve as regents jointly ruling the Tatars. The original Tatar ministers refuse to submit, and the young Khan’s supporters also refuse to accept her rule. Their country is in chaos and cannot possibly send troops. Moreover, with the great distance and difficult terrain, what use would their troops be even if they came? His Majesty will see this clearly sooner or later.”

Prince Ning nodded, seeing that Qin Huaiyuan’s information about the Tatars matched what he had received.

Qin Huaiyuan continued: “His Majesty’s reluctance to decide on the commander is because he faces a dilemma. Now that Imperial Uncle Cao has become Grand Preceptor, although his attempts to contact the Tatars failed, His Majesty has no need to change the Grand Preceptor position again. After Imperial Uncle Cao’s restoration, he has participated extensively in court affairs, so His Majesty would never place military power in his hands as well.”

“And you’re currently not trusted by His Majesty either,” Prince Ning said.

“Indeed, so the commander’s seal won’t be given to me either. The candidate His Majesty chooses must be someone he can control, yet prestigious enough to command 350,000 troops. However, we must also note that while Imperial Uncle Cao lacks the power to select, he has the power to veto. If His Majesty chooses someone and Imperial Uncle Cao persistently opposes, His Majesty might have to compromise…”

Having spoken so clearly, even without Qin Huaiyuan continuing, Prince Ning understood.

“So you want me to curry favor with Imperial Uncle Cao?”

“It’s not exactly currying favor. Military strategy involves deception—Your Highness is a battlefield hero and needs no explanation from me. Besides, great men can bend and stretch. Right now it’s merely delivering gifts, apologizing, and showing goodwill to make Imperial Uncle Cao lower his guard against you and make him feel you can be controlled by him. Then the commander’s seal and tiger tally for 350,000 troops will be in your hands.”

Having said this, Qin Huaiyuan stood up and bowed deeply to Prince Ning, saying solemnly: “Your Highness, our Great Yan dynasty now faces national crisis. Looking throughout our dynasty, you are the only one capable of commanding troops to defend the capital and fight Pang Zhixi decisively. If the commander’s seal falls into the hands of those incompetents under Imperial Uncle Cao, the Great Yan dynasty will truly be finished. Therefore, both for public and private reasons, I request Your Highness to take action.”

Prince Ning looked at Qin Huaiyuan’s sincere face, and his earlier misunderstanding completely dissipated.

How was this man a coward or weakling?

He was a truly strong man!

Moreover, his calculations were flawless—he truly lived up to his reputation as “Clever Pan An”!

Thinking of how he had just pointed at the man’s nose and thoroughly berated him, even cursing his ancestors, Prince Ning’s face grew hot. Feeling quite embarrassed, he coughed and stood to return the bow: “This prince was rash just now. Marquis Anping must not take it to heart.”

“I understand Your Highness’s anger. If it were me, I would be angry too.” Qin Huaiyuan smiled.

Seeing that Qin Huaiyuan bore no grudge, Prince Ning felt relieved. He put away the manuscript, nodded, and said: “Good, this prince understands your meaning. However, this prince has one more question for you.”

“Please ask, Your Highness.” Qin Huaiyuan raised his eyebrows questioningly.

Prince Ning said: “Today’s events—you and your daughter set up a trap for this prince to fall into, didn’t you?”

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaiyuan chuckled and waved his hand: “Your Highness overthinks. I merely heard that you had invited Miss Tang, and since the princess consort was harmed by the Empress, I came with these items on a whim.”

Prince Ning smiled and nodded, no longer pursuing the matter.

Things had reached this point—whether it was a setup or coincidence no longer mattered to him.

Because Prince Ning saw hope.

As long as military power was in his hands, he need no longer remain idle and could do more things—at least he could do something for this country.

Qin Yining did not know that Qin Huaiyuan had gone to Prince Ning’s mansion, nor did Qin Huaiyuan come to ask Qin Yining about outside affairs.

Bingtang remained at Prince Ning’s mansion to treat the princess consort, so Qin Yining simply lived her quiet days with Ji Yun, Song Lan, and Qiu Lu.

On the surface, her days were calm and peaceful. But actually, Qin Yining felt this was the calm before the storm. Her heart remained suspended, not knowing exactly what the Cao family would do—whether they would continue persecuting the Qin family, nor certain whether the conflict between Prince Ning and the Cao family would lead Prince Ning to extend aid to the Qin family.

She had done all she could; now she could only leave things to fate.

But the next evening, when she heard the message brought by someone sent by Shopkeeper Zhong about Prince Ning actually going to the Cao residence to apologize and make amends, Qin Yining immediately felt half her heart turn cold.

It seemed that Prince Ning ultimately still feared imperial power and the Cao family’s influence.

At this critical juncture, confronting the Cao family head-on was indeed not a good choice—Prince Ning could be considered capable of bending and stretching.

But what about their family?

That night, Qin Yining was too worried to sleep. Lying in her mosquito netting, she fanned herself with a silk fan, not knowing whether it was due to her agitated mood or the summer heat. Qin Yining tossed and turned like a pancake, not falling into a drowsy sleep until after midnight.

Just as she had fallen asleep, she suddenly heard what sounded like gongs being struck outside.

Qin Yining jolted awake and heard someone shouting loudly: “Fire! Fire!”

Qin Yining’s heart leaped, and she quickly got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and headed for the balcony outside the tower room.

By this time, the young ladies and servants living in Shuoren Studio had also awakened and were all gathering on the balcony and at windows to look outside.

They could see that the direction of Xingning Garden was already ablaze with flames.

“Fourth Sister, what—what’s happening! Those courtyards have been unoccupied—how could there be a fire?!” Eighth Miss grabbed Qin Yining’s hand and asked in disbelief.