Qin Yining stared blankly at Nanny Sun for a long while without speaking.

The wooden comb in Bingtang’s hand clattered to the floor.

“Nanny Sun, are you saying my father was murdered?”

Nanny Sun couldn’t bear to look and turned away, nodding heavily. “His Majesty was just speaking with the Empress in Kunning Palace when someone came to report to His Majesty. The Empress overheard from the side. His Majesty hurriedly left immediately afterward. The Empress then ordered this servant to come inform you.”

After hesitating, Nanny Sun added, “Actually, the Empress said His Majesty might tell you about this matter, so there was no need for her to inform you beforehand, but she still thought of her feelings toward you.”

This last sentence held deep meaning.

His Majesty might tell her – which meant there was a high possibility he wouldn’t tell her.

If Li Qitian was determined to keep her in the palace, then not telling her about the Qin family’s misfortune would leave her without reason to take leave. As long as she remained in the palace, as long as Li Qitian wished it, she would have absolutely no channels to learn news from outside.

Qin Yining’s lips twitched slightly. Her dry eyes slowly moved, already completely red underneath. Her voice was hoarse: “Please thank the Empress for me. Tell Nanny to convey to the Empress that this subject’s wife will definitely be careful and cautious, and won’t let anyone suspect the Empress.”

Hearing Qin Yining say this, Nanny Sun breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but smile. “The Princess Consort is a reasonable person. Then this servant will take her leave.”

“Ji Yun, help me see Nanny off.”

“Yes.”

Ji Yun courteously escorted Nanny Sun out.

Qin Yining sat in her original position with her hands folded on her knees, looking at her own face in the vanity mirror.

Everyone said her appearance was seven parts similar to her father’s when he was young. It was just that her father was older now, had grown a beard, and the youthful handsomeness could no longer be found on his face marked with early wrinkles – it had transformed into the scholarly elegance and composure that came with years of experience.

Qin Yining’s fingers slowly traced her own cheek.

A teardrop slid from her reddened right eye, falling into her palm – it was very hot.

Father was dead?

She had tried every means to send messages out, seeking rescue from Xiyue’s people – had she still not made it in time?

Li Qitian had played dumb and lost all face in front of the nobles to deal with her, so he very likely moved against her father simultaneously. In these short twenty-plus days, Xiyue’s people might not have had time to cross the desert at all…

Her mind seemed frozen, completely losing the ability to think.

Qin Yining looked at herself in the mirror, but thought of her father.

When she had first returned home, her mother suspected she wasn’t her biological child and made things difficult for her in every way. Her grandmother and sisters didn’t like her either. Though her father initially didn’t show his emotions outwardly and, as a man, wouldn’t get involved in inner courtyard affairs, every time she encountered difficulties, every time she was drawn into court struggles, it had always been her father teaching and helping her.

She was her father’s only child. Her father didn’t mind that she was a girl and raised her like a son. The cherishing she couldn’t feel from others, her father was the first to give her.

Such a good father was really gone?

Qin Yining kept wiping the moisture from her face, but could never wipe it clean. Rationally she knew she should stay calm, couldn’t let anyone see through her facade – she had just promised Nanny Sun she wouldn’t cause trouble for the Empress…

“Princess Consort, you… please don’t be sad, you…” Bingtang and Ji Yun looked helplessly at Qin Yining, who had cried herself into a mess, only hating their own clumsy tongues for not knowing how to console and comfort her.

“I know, I know.” Qin Yining lowered her head, her hands tightly gripping her skirt, her voice hoarse and dark. “I can’t cry, can’t let people see my eyes red and swollen. I’m staying in the palace – am I being wronged? This would give people ammunition against me. But I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The tears just flow out by themselves. What’s happening to me…”

“Princess Consort.” Bingtang choked back a sob and embraced Qin Yining. “Princess Consort, don’t wrong yourself. If you want to cry, then cry. You were just falsely accused – what’s wrong with crying? Your heart is bitter, this servant knows it all.”

Ji Yun also opened her arms to embrace both Bingtang and Qin Yining, crying while cursing, “That murderous bastard, someday I’ll cut that dog emperor into a thousand pieces!”

Qin Yining closed her eyes, biting her teeth tightly to keep from making a sound. Her hatred had never been as intense as it was now.

This world couldn’t tolerate kindness and righteousness. She had already understood this during the blood calamity the Qin family experienced in Great Yan years ago. Yet she had still maintained a portion of naivety…

Qin Yining even regretted – if she had found a way to kill Li Qitian early on, would none of this have happened?

But she was just an ordinary woman, and there was no regret medicine to take in this world.

At this moment in Qingxin Hall, Li Qitian was glaring with a dark face at the black-clad man kneeling before him.

“How did I instruct you? Hmm? And how did you carry out the task?”

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This subject is incompetent. This subject dares guarantee that the bandits found were all extremely reliable. This subject also couldn’t imagine that Minister Qin and the grain supplies would suddenly disappear.”

“Suddenly disappear?” Li Qitian laughed in anger. “Though that’s outside Tianyu Pass, it’s not some ghostly underworld, is it? Without any warning, both people and goods just suddenly vanished? Could it be that the bandits you found reverted to old habits and pulled a double-cross on me?!”

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger.” The black-clad man pressed his forehead to the ground, trembling like chaff.

Li Qitian paced around the black-clad man with his hands behind his back. Though he wanted to eliminate Qin Huaiyuan, the supplies for rewarding troops were real gold and silver, cloth and grain!

“I told you to kill someone, and you tell me you don’t know if he’s dead or not. Not only was the mission not completed, but you lost all the goods too! What use do I have for such a good-for-nothing!” The angrier Li Qitian became, the harder he kicked the man’s shoulder.

The black-clad man was kicked into a roll, quickly crawling back to kneel properly and kowtowing: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”

“Useless!”

The black-clad man kowtowed repeatedly.

Li Qitian closed his eyes, raised his head sharply with his hands behind his back, took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and slowly exhaled, as if taking a drag from a pipe.

When he spoke again, Li Qitian was very calm.

“Get out and receive your punishment.”

“Yes, thank Your Majesty for the grace of not killing this subject!” The black-clad man felt as if granted amnesty, rolling and crawling as he withdrew.

Li Qitian’s hands clenched into fists. Standing with his hands behind his back in the hall, he slowly closed his eyes. His chaotic emotions gradually settled beneath his anger, and his thoughts gradually cleared.

Qin Huaiyuan and the goods had disappeared together, leaving behind the corpses of the accompanying guards at the original location. What could this explain?

It was possible that the people he arranged had problems, staging a double-cross and taking both people and goods, with more to follow.

It was also possible that the Tatars knew about Qin Huaiyuan’s mission to reward troops and sent people to raid and plunder in revenge for their defeat.

But there was another possibility – Qin Huaiyuan had taken that large sum of gold, silver, and grain supplies to defect to the Tatars, betraying the court!

As emperor, Li Qitian still had confidence in his position and authority.

The people he had commissioned were a group of notorious bandits. The purpose was to kill Qin Huaiyuan. After success, these people would all be brought into his service. For them, this was equivalent to having a recognized identity – small-time bandits could become subordinates of the current emperor. What tremendous fortune was this?

Li Qitian didn’t believe these bandits would give up the opportunity to walk in the light.

This being the case, Qin Huaiyuan fleeing with grain supplies and wealth had the greatest possibility.

Li Qitian gave a cold laugh, slowly walked back to the heated kang by the window with its bright yellow cushion, and sat down, picking up his tea bowl to sip the slightly cool tea.

After a moment he said, “Xiong Jinshui.”

The chief eunuch who had been standing in the corner with no presence immediately stepped forward and bowed: “This servant is here.”

“Go to the Prince’s residence. Tell the Qin family that old fool Qin Huaiyuan was intercepted and killed outside Tianyu Pass, his bones scattered and lost. Let them handle it themselves.”

“Yes.” Xiong Jinshui didn’t immediately leave.

According to convention, His Majesty should still have arrangements at this time, such as posthumous honors or rewards.

But with Xiong Jinshui’s experienced shrewdness, he immediately saw that Li Qitian had no intention of continuing to speak.

Xiong Jinshui immediately bowed and withdrew, lest staying too long incur His Majesty’s displeasure.

Outside, Xiong Jinshui quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed the Qin family had thoroughly enraged imperial wrath – the man died without even receiving posthumous honors. With His Majesty taking no stance like this, neither stating achievements nor assigning blame, how could Minister Qin’s funeral be handled? With Minister Qin dead, did it count as dying in service to the court, or losing his life due to his own mistakes?

Unable to figure it out, Xiong Jinshui simply didn’t think about it further, only following Li Qitian’s instructions to tell the Qin family what had been said.

The Second and Third Masters of the Qin family now had their eyes wide open in disbelief: “Eunuch, you mean to say our eldest brother died in service?”

Xiong Jinshui said, “Minister Qin was negligent in his duties, lost the gold, silver, and grain supplies being transported to reward troops, and died outside the pass with no remains. His Majesty ordered me to tell your family – after all, Minister Qin could be considered a veteran minister.”

Having finished speaking, Xiong Jinshui made no further stay at the Qin residence, cupping his hands and withdrawing.

The Second and Third Masters sat stunned like wooden chickens, unable to believe it, yet reality wouldn’t allow them not to believe.

“Eldest brother, he’s really… gone?”

“This… how can we tell Mother about this?”

How to tell her? In the Old Madam’s heart, Qin Huaiyuan was her precious flesh and blood. No matter how angry the Old Madam became or how big a mistake she made, as long as Qin Huaiyuan was there, he could quickly calm her anger and convince her to make the right choice.

But now, the Qin family’s pillar had suddenly vanished!

“Second Brother, isn’t His Majesty’s meaning too subtle? From Eunuch Xiong’s tone, it seems eldest brother’s death doesn’t even count as dying in service, and there’s a vague suggestion of blame?”

The Third Master’s face was ashen, already thinking there must be changes in court. “Someone must have spoken ill of him in secret. His Majesty must be waiting to charge eldest brother with crimes now!”

“Dying on official business, killed by bandits outside with no remains, and His Majesty didn’t have a single word of sympathy, even having the eunuch hint that our eldest brother was negligent in his duties. What His Majesty did…”

What kind of reasoning was this!