Qin Yining forced a smile to comfort Manager Zhong, “Don’t worry, and don’t get angry. We’ve weathered great storms before—what kind of situation haven’t we seen? Discovering something amiss isn’t a big problem. We just need to solve the issue. It’s not that complicated.”

She was the master, and when faced with trouble, she couldn’t lose composure even if everyone else did. Pang Xiao wasn’t by her side now, and Xie Yue, Xu Weizhi, and the other advisors had all gone to the military camp with Pang Xiao. Only she was here to make decisions. She warned herself not to indulge in any negative emotions that would make her lose her calm. The best way to solve problems was to handle them coolly.

But Manager Zhong wasn’t as open-minded as Qin Yining.

“Master speaks reasonably. But Manager Xia’s behavior is truly outrageous. You gave clear instructions early on for them to relay messages promptly, yet they not only disobeyed but also failed to consult with us when problems arose. They’re truly treating us like outsiders!”

Manager Zhong grew more furious as he spoke. If not for fear of frightening the two children next door, he would have flown into a rage long ago.

Qin Yining smiled and said: “Since things have come to this, getting angry won’t help. We should find out exactly what happened to make Manager Xia behave so abnormally.”

Seeing Qin Yining remain so composed, Manager Zhong’s own furious emotions were also soothed. Recalling his earlier behavior, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

He was already advanced in years, yet not as steady as a young lady. Years ago, Qin Yining had effortlessly rescued Miss Tang from Prince Ning’s hands, saving him from the fate of being sacrificed. Now that she was a mother, she remained just as trustworthy as before, inspiring complete confidence.

“Princess… I was too agitated just now. Please don’t blame me, Princess.” Manager Zhong stood up and bowed apologetically.

Qin Yining smiled and waved her hand, “You were indignant on my behalf—how could I blame you?”

Manager Zhong smiled with emotion. Thinking of Manager Xia’s current behavior, he couldn’t help but worry: “I’m just afraid Manager Xia will unite with the locals against the Prince and Princess.”

Qin Yining nodded: “I’m somewhat concerned about this too.”

Pulling her cloak closer around her shoulders, Qin Yining said helplessly: “This is also inevitable. We were all once Yan people—we understand this best of all. Even though the former foolish ruler was particularly absurd, and everyone wished for his early demise to restore clarity to the realm, no one wanted to stop being Yan Dynasty people.

“The Prince was the one who received the imperial edict to pacify the Great Yan Dynasty at that time. He fought his way through every obstacle to the capital, defeated Prince Ning—the banner in Yan people’s hearts—and even besieged the city in confrontation. Even though he would never massacre cities or allow his subordinates to burn and plunder, everyone’s fear of him is deeply rooted. Add to that the famine in the capital when the city was under siege.”

“Exactly.” Manager Zhong smiled bitterly and shook his head: “I’ve also discovered this. The Prince is always forced to do things that make him the scapegoat. The same is true now with these eight cities.”

“Indeed.” Qin Yining sighed and said: “As long as we understand this principle. The Prince isn’t obtuse—he’ll handle his affairs himself. What you and I need to do is resolve all troubles on our own when the Prince has no time to deal with other matters, without disrupting his situation. That would be best.”

“Then next, I’ll make a trip to Manager Xia’s residence and question that old fellow thoroughly.”

Qin Yining shook her head: “That won’t do either. It’s better to observe secretly, then when the time comes…”

“Princess.” Qin Yining’s words were suddenly interrupted by Ji Yun returning to report, “A Manager Wang has come from outside, saying he’s one of Manager Xia’s subordinates, specifically here to report to you.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yining looked at Manager Zhong in surprise.

Manager Zhong sneered: “Didn’t expect he still had some sense. At least we won’t have to expend twice the effort.”

Qin Yining also nodded.

In her heart, she very much hoped Manager Xia hadn’t betrayed them, so her attitude toward the person coming to report was somewhat eager.

Footsteps could be heard from outside. Manager Zhong immediately stood up, lowering his posture before Qin Yining and standing with bowed head to respond.

Qin Yining knew this was Manager Zhong’s way of establishing her authority before outsiders, so she didn’t stop him.

Soon, the warm curtain was lifted and a young man not yet twenty entered.

He wore a narrow-sleeved cotton jacket with a black sheepskin vest over it. His clothes were brand new, and from his appearance, he obviously wasn’t yet accustomed to this style of dress.

Upon seeing Qin Yining, he didn’t dare raise his head, keeping it lowered as he knelt in salute.

“This humble one, Lu Dashun, pays respects to the Princess.”

“Please rise, no need for such excessive courtesy.” Qin Yining instructed someone to serve tea, then said to Manager Zhong: “You sit as well—let’s all sit and talk.”

“Yes, thank you, Princess.”

Manager Zhong cooperatively sat down sideways in his previous position, only daring to perch on the edge.

Seeing that even Manager Zhong, who was dressed in silk and appeared extremely dignified, was being so careful, Lu Dashun became even more nervous in his heart, also learning to sit sideways like Manager Zhong.

Qin Yining then asked: “Did you come here with something to report?”

“In response to your question, Manager Xia sent me here. Manager Xia is feeling unwell and inconvenient to come out, but he was worried that you, Princess, might not understand some matters. So he instructed me thoroughly, and I came. If you have any questions, Princess, please feel free to ask.”

“How ridiculous.” Manager Zhong sneered and scolded: “The Princess is of noble status and is our proprietress. What does it mean to only send you, a young lad? Could it be that this Xia fellow wants to betray his master?”

“No, no, no, Manager Xia hasn’t…” Lu Dashun was an honest man. After saying this much, he thought again and said: “Manager Xia hasn’t betrayed anyone, it’s just that perhaps he’s been too busy recently.”

Qin Yining studied Lu Dashun for a moment, thinking privately that this was an honest man, and honest men shouldn’t be bullied.

Having made up her mind, Qin Yining said: “Alright, I don’t want to make things difficult for you. I’ll ask a few questions—just answer truthfully, and then you can go back to report.”

“Yes!” Lu Dashun answered with his head down, his voice somewhat high-pitched.

Qin Yining smiled and asked: “Is the situation in the old capital still stable now?”

Unexpectedly, Qin Yining didn’t ask about business matters. Lu Dashun was stunned for a moment, then immediately replied: “The old capital was originally fine. Everyone had already accepted their fate. Natural disasters and man-made calamities are all unavoidable for common people. It’s just that since Prince Yan and Elder Gu returned, the people’s hearts have become restless.”

Having said this much, Lu Dashun suddenly remembered that Qin Yining was Pang Xiao’s wife, that Pang Xiao was a prince of the Zhou Dynasty, the one who had destroyed the Yan Dynasty. Qin Yining would certainly tell Pang Xiao these words.

Realizing this, Lu Dashun’s face immediately turned white, and he said nervously: “What I said just now wasn’t accurate. Actually, the people are still fine—they haven’t become restless at all.”

Qin Yining’s eyes narrowed.

The distinction between insiders and outsiders was already very clear.