Qin Huaiyuan had become much thinner, and the hollows in his cheeks were visible on his bearded face. However, his overall presence was more steady and sharp than before. Even when he smiled, the keen edge in his expression could not be ignored.

Qin Yining knew that her father must have experienced many things during his time away.

Seeing Qin Yining running out with her skirts lifted, Qin Huaiyuan’s smile softened his sharp edges. He patted his beloved daughter’s shoulder with his large hand and smiled, “I knew you would be safe and sound.”

Qin Yining beamed at him: “Father, have you been well these days? Where is my mother?”

Qin Huaiyuan smiled, “Your mother is behind me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, they saw the Second Madam and Nanny Qin supporting the Old Madam on either side as she hurried over.

“Meng Ge’er, my Meng Ge’er! You’ve finally returned! How could you disappear without a word? You’re trying to kill your mother!”

The Old Madam cried out as she rushed forward, embracing Qin Huaiyuan and wailing uncontrollably, causing everyone present to feel their noses tingle with emotion.

Qin Huaiyuan immediately knelt before the Old Madam, his voice trembling, “Mother, it’s your son’s lack of filial piety that made you worry. You may beat me or scold me as you wish, but please don’t cry and harm your health.”

The Old Madam shook her head repeatedly, sobbing so hard she couldn’t speak a complete sentence as she held onto Qin Huaiyuan.

Qin Yining smiled as she watched this scene of mother and son reunion, then remembered Sun Shi and quickly turned to go outside.

Just as she left the courtyard, she saw Sun Shi wearing a thick cloak with a large fur collar, walking alongside Cao Yuqing. Behind them followed Nanny Jin and two unfamiliar maidservants, all carrying large bundles.

“Mother!”

Qin Yining called out loudly and rushed to Sun Shi’s side, embracing her tightly: “Mother! You’ve come back!”

Sun Shi also held Qin Yining tightly, choking back tears as she said, “We’re back, we’re back. I’ve been constantly worried about your situation. Your father said that with your intelligence, you would surely turn misfortune into good fortune. Indeed, your father didn’t deceive me—you’re truly safe and sound here.”

“Mother, what could possibly happen to me? I was worried about you!” Qin Yining held Sun Shi’s hands and looked her up and down carefully, as if checking whether she had lost even a single hair.

Nanny Jin beside them smiled at this sight: “Fourth Miss, don’t worry. Madam has been doing very well these days.”

Qin Yining nodded, then turned to Cao Yuqing with a radiant smile: “Aunt Cao, thank you so much!”

Cao Yuqing had been standing quietly to the side, watching this family reunion scene, feeling rather lonely and desolate in her heart. She hadn’t expected Qin Yining to actively thank her, and felt flattered and surprised.

“Fourth Miss, there’s no need to thank me. I was only doing my duty.” Cao Yuqing smiled gently, breathtakingly beautiful.

Qin Yining shook her head, “Regardless of the reasons, when we encountered danger that day, you spared no effort to save my father and mother. I saw it all. Without you, my father and mother would have been in danger.”

Cao Yuqing’s face flushed pink as she shook her head, “Fourth Miss, you’re giving me too much credit.”

Sun Shi then said, “You deserve this thanks. Without you and your subordinates during this time, how could we have remained safe?”

Cao Yuqing smiled, “Madam, saying that makes it seem too formal.”

Seeing that Sun Shi was no longer as hostile toward Cao Yuqing as before, and that Cao Yuqing was very respectful toward Sun Shi, Qin Yining breathed a sigh of relief.

Her father couldn’t possibly abandon Cao Yuqing. Setting aside Cao Yuqing’s feelings for her father, just considering how she had repeatedly saved them in times of crisis, this debt of gratitude could never be fully repaid. Moreover, the silver-masked scouts that Cao Yuqing now led were employed by her father, creating intricate relationships between them that couldn’t be severed with a single cut.

Since they were destined to be connected, it was better for everyone to get along harmoniously rather than constantly glaring at each other. Now in Great Zhou, unlike before in the Yan Dynasty, the family needed to stick together to prevent petty people from taking advantage.

It seemed that after going through hardships, her mother had changed considerably.

Qin Yining and Cao Yuqing flanked Sun Shi as they walked toward the Qin family’s courtyard. Just then, the gate on the right side opened, and Eunuch Lu poked his head out. Seeing Qin Yining, he excitedly lowered his voice: “Miss Qin, is there some good news in your family? Has Grand Tutor Qin been found?”

Qin Yining nodded with a smile, “Yes, my father and mother have finally returned.”

“Wonderful!” Eunuch Lu spun around several times in joy before running back dizzily, “This servant will go tell the Emper… the Prince right away!” His voice trailed off as he disappeared, and they could still faintly hear his excited, high-pitched voice from the neighboring courtyard.

Qin Yining couldn’t help but smile. Although their positions prevented them from being too close to Yuchi Yan, as fellow people of Great Yan, plus the teacher-student relationship between Yuchi Yan and her father, that care was still there.

Qin Yining returned to the courtyard with Sun Shi and Cao Yuqing to pay respects to the Old Madam, followed by another round of emotional reunions. Meanwhile, the Second Master, Third Master, Qin Yu, and Qin Han, having received the news, also rushed back from outside. They all gathered around Qin Huaiyuan asking questions, creating a very lively scene.

The Old Madam laughed heartily with joy, “It’s been so long since I’ve been this happy. Now it’s wonderful—the whole family is together, and we should celebrate properly.”

“Mother is right. I’ll go tell the kitchen to prepare extra dishes right away.” Even though the family’s finances were tight, they could afford this one meal. The Third Master happily went to give instructions.

The Old Madam pulled Qin Huaiyuan to sit beside her, constantly looking him over: “Meng Ge’er has gotten thinner. You’ve suffered hardships outside. Earlier, the bandits said that if I didn’t send Yining to participate in the imperial selection, they would kill you and your wife. Your second brother and your daughter both said that our family shouldn’t send girls to the palace at this time. I was torn between worrying about you, fearing that not sending Yining for selection would harm you, while also having to consider the family’s situation.”

The Old Madam’s tears began falling again at this point, though she wiped them away with her sleeve, “Now that you’ve returned, I can feel at ease. But tell me, how did they let you go?”

Qin Huaiyuan’s brows furrowed slightly as he said, “What kidnapping? We were never kidnapped. I’m afraid Mother was deceived!”

The room fell silent, everyone extremely surprised and confused.

The Second Master shook his head, “We were actually deceived?”

“If we had insisted on sending Yining for selection that day, we might have fallen into someone’s trap instead!” The Old Madam realized what had happened and angrily pounded the tea table repeatedly, “These people are simply inhuman!”

Qin Huaiyuan knew that many problems had occurred during his absence from home.

Qin Yining interjected with a question: “Father, where have you been all this time?” Why couldn’t Pang Xiao find any trace of him despite mobilizing so many people to search?

Qin Huaiyuan said, “After we escaped that day, we found a nearby village to stay in. I thought to observe the situation first, so we remained there. Only after we received news that Emperor Zhou had arranged for people to escort you back to the capital and everyone had left did we slowly begin our journey.

“We traveled and observed along the way. When we reached the capital, we didn’t enter the city but headed directly north to explore the terrain of several cities bordering Tatar territory. Time passed without us realizing it. Later, when I heard about some news from the Great Zhou court, I decided to stay outside a while longer and wait for everything to settle before returning. If not for the current internal strife in Tatar territory, I would have wanted to visit Tatar as well.”

So that’s what happened! Father had actually taken his wife and concubine traveling! No wonder Pang Xiao couldn’t find them—Father had already reached cities on the Tatar border, while Pang Xiao’s people were searching along their original route and nearby villages. How could they possibly have found them?

The Old Madam’s mouth twitched as she listened, and she pinched Qin Huaiyuan hard: “If that’s the case, why didn’t you send word to the family! Do you know how worried we were about you! You went traveling by yourself—do you know what kind of life the rest of us were living?”

Now it was Qin Huaiyuan’s turn to be surprised: “I already arranged for someone to deliver a letter. Didn’t they come?”

The Old Madam was also stunned: “We never saw any messenger! Who did you tell to deliver the letter?”

“A new servant we picked up along the way. Perhaps something happened to them on the road, or maybe they saw the money and ran away with the travel funds.”

Qin Huaiyuan smiled wryly, “I was enjoying myself outside, thinking that since everyone knew I was fine, there was no hurry to return a few days early. Who knew you never received the message?”

Everyone looked at each other, and finally they all burst out laughing.

Who would have thought that Qin Huaiyuan, always so meticulous in everything, would have such a mix-up.

“At least eldest brother has returned,” the Second Master said. “So many things have happened recently, and without eldest brother around, we all felt lost. Mother was so worried about you that she couldn’t eat. Fortunately, Yining heard about Great Zhou’s imperial evaluation and told us in advance, so we could live peacefully until now.”

“Yes, in the end Yining wasn’t wrong—you indeed returned during the imperial evaluation.” The Old Madam was happy to see her precious son, and even found Qin Yining’s actions pleasing.

Qin Huaiyuan was surprised when the Second Master mentioned the imperial evaluation, and looked at Qin Yining with approval and a smile.

She was indeed his daughter—her political sensitivity remained as sharp as before, and she wouldn’t become timid just because they were in a different country.

Feeling her face flush under her father’s approving gaze, Qin Yining smiled bashfully, “Having Father back is better than anything. From now on, our whole family will work together, and I don’t believe we can’t live well.”

“Exactly!” Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling more optimistic than ever since arriving in Great Zhou.

Qin Huaiyuan looked at his family members with deep emotion. They had endured so many hardships, and after crossing mountains and rivers, they could still reunite—this was already heaven’s blessing.

Just as Qin Huaiyuan was deeply moved and about to speak, a maidservant’s voice came from outside: “Prince Yan has arrived!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the door curtain lifted, and Yuchi Yan in a black sable cloak entered urgently. Standing by the door, he saw Qin Huaiyuan and quietly looked him up and down before letting out a long sigh of relief.

“Grand Tutor Qin, you’ve returned!” His gaze then inadvertently shifted to Qin Yining.