“Could it be that you still harbor feelings for that girl from the Qin family?” Grand Secretary Lu put away his smile and looked gravely at Lu Heng.

Grand Secretary Lu still clearly remembered that day when Lu Heng returned from the Empress Dowager’s palace covered in grease, shutting himself in his room for an entire day. These elders were anxious watching him, and despite asking many times, he refused to reveal the reason.

It was only the next day when his emotions returned to normal that he told them what had happened.

However, it was already too late. The news of His Majesty bestowing marriage to Prince Zhongshun had already spread, and unless the Lu family wanted to steal the bride, there was no way to fulfill Lu Heng’s wishes.

But how could they possibly confront imperial power head-on over a woman?

Lu Heng could only accept this regret.

Lu Heng lowered his eyes and said calmly: “What a pity—the falling flowers have intention, but the flowing water is heartless. If she had even a bit of feeling for me, I would have fought for it with all my might. She’s about to marry now. Such a clever and beautiful woman, yet she must marry a brute! All of this is caused by that person’s selfishness! For the sake of consolidating his own power, he doesn’t hesitate to bind a good girl to a beast!”

“Heng’er!”

Grand Secretary Lu saw Lu Heng lose emotional control again over this woman. Even when his deceased first wife was alive, he had only seen the young couple treat each other with respectful courtesy.

He hadn’t expected that his grandson wasn’t cold-hearted, but simply hadn’t encountered someone who could truly move his heart before.

“Grandfather, you needn’t worry.” After that outburst, Lu Heng reined in his emotions and once again appeared as steady and gentle as usual.

But the more he acted this way, the more worried Grand Secretary Lu became.

“Heng’er, what kind of woman is this Miss Qin that she could make you so concerned? Have you had dealings with her? How far did things progress?”

Lu Heng looked up at Grand Secretary Lu and smiled bitterly: “Grandfather, if her heart belonged to me, or if we truly could have progressed to some point, would your grandson have handed her over to another so easily?”

“So you’re saying you had no connection with each other?”

“Only a few chance encounters. But each time made this grandson’s heart race. She has stunning beauty and extraordinary intelligence. Matching wits with her was truly a delightful experience. It was the first time this grandson found that kind of joy in meeting an equal opponent in a woman.”

Lu Heng told Grand Secretary Lu the truth about how Madam Lu had been sent away.

Grand Secretary Lu couldn’t help but be surprised by Qin Yining’s cleverness.

However, he still quietly breathed a sigh of relief. With no real connection, the harm Lu Heng suffered wouldn’t be too deep.

But he immediately began feeling indignant for his grandson. That blind woman—his grandson was so outstanding, yet she remained unmoved!

“Her failure to appreciate you is her loss. Heng’er, don’t be too heartbroken. There are plenty of fish in the sea. You’re so excellent—noble family daughters who admire you are everywhere. Sooner or later, you’ll meet someone even better than that Qin family girl.”

Looking at Grand Secretary Lu’s concerned gaze, Lu Heng truly couldn’t bear to make his elderly grandfather worry more about him, so he could only nod: “Grandfather, please rest assured. During this trip to search for treasure, I can also clear my mind. By the time I return to the capital, I believe I’ll have adjusted my emotions.”

“That’s good. The Jiangnan region has clear mountains and beautiful waters, though the former Great Yan territory is suffering from drought. Although it’s somewhat better compared to last year, you must still be careful. After long drought comes great flooding—His Majesty has been worrying about exactly this lately, fearing there will be floods. While traveling, you must pay attention.”

“Yes, Grandfather, please rest assured. This grandson will certainly be careful.”

Lu Heng smiled at Grand Secretary Lu.

That night he stayed at Grand Secretary Lu’s residence. The next morning at dawn, while it was still dark, Lu Heng left the Lu household with his men. When the city gates first opened, they disguised themselves as ordinary farmers, pushing wheelbarrows and mixing with a group of common people to slip out of the capital.

All of this was known only to Grand Secretary Lu and Lu Heng’s escort guards—everyone else was completely unaware.

In the study of the Qin family’s outer courtyard, Qin Yining had just finished breakfast with Qin Huaiyuan.

Last night when Qin Huaiyuan and the secret agents were released and returned, it was too late, so Qin Yining asked nothing. She only prepared hot water for them to wash, and after eating, they rested.

Thus, the discussion of what happened during their separation was postponed to the quiet morning.

“Father, how have these days been?” Qin Yining asked very casually, because Qin Huaiyuan looked well and didn’t seem like someone who had been imprisoned.

Qin Huaiyuan picked up his tea bowl, took a sip, and smiled: “Good food and lodging in the palace—I was just confined, that’s all. They asked me about the treasure, but what would I know? I suppose His Majesty saw that I truly knew nothing, so he stopped asking later.

“Those secret agents were questioned many times, but because of your plan, His Majesty didn’t dare use harsh methods on them, fearing it would alarm the ones still outside.

“Later, I heard from the young eunuch serving me that Elder Gu and Grand Secretary Lu were summoned to the palace one after another by His Majesty, and I felt something was suspicious.”

Qin Huaiyuan set down his tea bowl, the bottom of the covered bowl making a soft clink against the tea table.

Qin Huaiyuan pretended to be serious: “Yining, tell me—what did you do this time?”

Qin Yining blinked innocently: “Why does Father assume your daughter did something?”

“You little girl, whatever you’re thinking or doing—how could it escape your father’s eyes? Look at that expression of yours, just like a little mouse that stole honey.”

After saying this, Qin Huaiyuan was also amused by his own metaphor and lovingly patted Qin Yining’s head: “Come clean now!”

Qin Yining smiled: “Actually, it wasn’t that complicated. This matter was greatly helped by Elder Gu giving me an opportunity, otherwise I still wouldn’t have found a way to rescue you all.”

Qin Yining told Qin Huaiyuan the entire process—how Elder Gu came to negotiate with her, how she refused him, fabricated the treasure map, then used Elder Gu to attract Li Qitian’s attention, thereby diverting disaster and employing the strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao.

Qin Huaiyuan listened in silence for a while, thinking of Elder Gu’s aged appearance with white hair and beard. He wondered if that old man who always prided himself on cleverness would fly into a rage upon realizing he’d been tricked, and felt a moment of sympathy for him.

“Father?” Seeing Qin Huaiyuan’s silence, Qin Yining felt somewhat uneasy.

Qin Huaiyuan came back to his senses and smiled: “It’s nothing. Now that Lu Heng has already left on his own to search for the treasure, we can relax on our side. We should also properly prepare for your wedding.”

Qin Yining uncomfortably touched her nose and lowered her head: “What’s there to prepare?”

“That’s not for you to worry about. You just need to embroider your pillow covers properly. I heard from your mother that your pillow cover embroidery is progressing slowly?”

Qin Yining’s face reddened from the question: “Father, please don’t tease your daughter. I can manage rough mending—what I do is at least sturdy. But embroidery and needlework—although Mother had nannies teach me many times and I understand the principles, I just don’t have the patience. I always feel like it’s a waste of time.”

“You child. Haha!” Qin Huaiyuan burst into hearty laughter, patting Qin Yining’s shoulder: “You’re absolutely right—embroidery and needlework are just wasting time. With that spare time, you might as well read a few more books. I have some newly acquired travel journals here. Take them back to read later, and have the maids help you embroider the pillow covers.”

Qin Yining clasped her hands together as if granted amnesty: “Thank you, Father! You’ve truly saved me. If Mother asks, I’ll say you told me to read.”

“Haha, good. If your mother asks, just say I ordered it.” Qin Huaiyuan laughed heartily again.

“Master, you’re just spoiling Yining like this.”

Just as father and daughter were “conspiring” together, Sun Shi’s voice came from outside the door, seeming both reproachful and amused.

Qin Huaiyuan touched his nose with his index finger and stopped laughing.

Qin Yining stood up to greet her: “Mother, why did you come?”

“If I didn’t come, I wouldn’t know you two were secretly plotting to slack off behind my back.” Sun Shi looked at Qin Huaiyuan with smiling eyes.

It was because Qin Huaiyuan rarely laughed so heartily. Seeing father and daughter so harmonious, with their daughter able to be Qin Huaiyuan’s source of joy—even if they were conspiring about not embroidering pillow covers—Sun Shi couldn’t bring herself to be angry at all.

“My lady, please come sit.” Qin Huaiyuan pointed to the seat across from him.

Qin Yining helped Sun Shi sit down.

Sun Shi tapped her forehead: “You—don’t always listen to your father. Your father is a man; how would he understand these things? What daughter doesn’t embroider her own things? Those noble young ladies even embroider their own wedding clothes. You’re at least a minister’s daughter—if you don’t do any needlework at all, wouldn’t people look down on you?”

“Mother, you’re wrong about that. If people saw my embroidery, that would truly make them look down on me.”

Sun Shi was speechless and couldn’t help but tacitly agree with this statement.

Qin Yining’s embroidery wasn’t particularly terrible, but it certainly couldn’t be called good either.

What kind of place was the Prince’s mansion? Even the decorative embroidered pieces were exquisitely made. When compared, even mediocre embroidery would appear several degrees rougher.

“Fine.” Sun Shi sighed: “I’ll find embroiderers to do it for you. We’ll make everything as exquisite as possible.”

Qin Yining joyfully hugged Sun Shi: “Thank you, Mother!”

Qin Huaiyuan opportunely handed several newly acquired books to Qin Yining, earning a big eye roll from Sun Shi. Both father and daughter smiled like foxes whose schemes had succeeded.

While the Qin family was harmonious and joyful, in the study of Prince Zhongshun’s mansion’s outer courtyard, Pang Xiao’s face was filled with murderous aura.

The mansion’s advisors and strategists, represented by Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi, had gathered together. Each wore a serious expression—being summoned by the Prince early in the morning to discuss matters suggested some major problem had occurred that couldn’t be resolved.

Everyone felt as if a stone weighed on their hearts as they all looked toward Pang Xiao in the main seat.

Pang Xiao said gravely: “I’ve called you all here today because there’s an urgent matter to discuss.”

“Please speak, Your Highness.”

“This prince wants to discuss with you all the wedding on the eleventh of next month. The Qin family just went through a crisis—there shouldn’t be any more complications, right?”

All the strategists: “…”

Your Highness, you urgently gathered us all early in the morning—not for affairs of state, not for treasure matters, but for the already settled wedding?!

Everyone deflated like punctured balloons. Their taut nerves relaxed all at once, followed by amusement they had to suppress.

Because their usually imposing Prince’s expression was truly too serious right now.