Qin Yining and Pang Xiao exchanged glances, both wearing very complex expressions.
They questioned Manager Liu in detail and confirmed that Qiu Feishan had indeed made preparations on two fronts—deceiving Pang Xiao into going to Bo’an Road while preparing to betray him if he failed. For a moment, both were somewhat speechless.
They had originally come to mediate between the young couple, and Pang Xiao had even complained about Qiu Feishan not caring for Mu Jinghu. Now it seemed the couple was doing just fine, and their intervention had truly been unnecessary…
Pang Xiao said helplessly: “Forget it. Let’s detain him for now.”
“Yes.”
Huzi bowed in acknowledgment, picked up the man, and walked toward the depths of the cave. Manager Liu’s painful gasping grew fainter and fainter.
Tianji Zi blinked her eyes: “Your Highness plans to let this person off so easily?”
Seeing Tianji Zi’s expression that seemed to fear the world wasn’t chaotic enough, Pang Xiao became alert. He coughed lightly and said: “The immortal lady need not trouble herself with this matter.”
Tianji Zi stopped dwelling on this issue and instead smiled at Qin Yining: “The Princess and I haven’t seen each other for a long time. Meeting again, everything has changed. I have a few words I’d like to say to the Princess. I wonder if the Princess would honor me by listening?”
Qin Yining had completely lost any good impression of Tianji Zi. Now that she wanted to talk, it was probably to say things Qin Yining wouldn’t want to hear.
Before Qin Yining could answer, Pang Xiao said first: “If the immortal lady has something to say, please speak freely.”
The meaning was for Tianji Zi to say whatever she had to say openly.
Looking up at Pang Xiao’s unfriendly face, Tianji Zi smiled: “If Your Highness wants to listen, that’s not impossible. However… this still depends on the Princess’s wishes.”
Qin Yining lowered her eyes in thought, then turned to persuade Pang Xiao: “We’ll talk outside and won’t go far.”
Pang Xiao was very uneasy. Tianji Zi was the type who couldn’t make sweet candy but could certainly make sour vinegar. He truly feared she would recklessly meddle with their marital relationship.
But he also respected Qin Yining’s decision. After all, this was in the Pingnan Army camp, and he would be watching nearby. He didn’t believe Tianji Zi could harm Qin Yining in any way.
“Then talk at the location I designate.” Pang Xiao took Qin Yining’s hand and walked out first.
Tianji Zi looked in bewilderment at Pang Xiao’s tall retreating figure, her gaze finally settling on their joined hands before she pursed her lips and followed.
On autumn nights, the wind in the suburban military camp was already quite cold. Pang Xiao removed his outer robe and draped it over Qin Yining’s shoulders, then pointed to a stone platform beside the training ground: “You can talk there.”
He said to Qin Yining: “Call me if anything happens.”
Qin Yining pulled the collar of the outer robe tighter and smiled as she nodded.
Tianji Zi said nothing more and quickly walked with Qin Yining to the stone platform.
Qin Yining said: “Immortal lady, please say what you have to say.”
Tianji Zi looked back at Pang Xiao, who kept staring intently at them, and chuckled softly: “It seems the rumors of Your Highness’s deep devotion to the Princess aren’t false. To be so careful and attentive shows that Your Highness truly holds you in his heart.”
Qin Yining smiled gracefully and said frankly: “That’s correct. The immortal lady wouldn’t have come here specifically to discuss His Highness’s kindness to me, would she?”
“Actually, that’s exactly it.” Tianji Zi sighed: “Seeing him treat you this way, I feel both gratified and worried. You know about those things I calculated in my early years, and the events that happened between us later—I believe you’ve kept them in mind. You should also remember that I once told you that your very existence is the greatest variable, right?”
How could she forget when Tianji Zi had tried to assassinate her while she was pregnant?
Qin Yining smiled: “What’s the immortal lady’s purpose in bringing up the past?”
Tianji Zi grinned and laughed: “When you gave me banknotes to impersonate Tianji Zi and deceive the demon empress, I already saw through you. Though I saw through your nature, I couldn’t calculate your fate. You’re the only person in my life whose destiny I cannot fathom, and you’re also the greatest variable in Your Highness’s path to supremacy.”
At this point, Tianji Zi’s expression gradually became serious: “Once, I was momentarily possessed and wanted to kill you. For this, I deeply apologize.” She then bowed to Qin Yining.
Qin Yining stepped aside to avoid receiving her bow.
Tianji Zi said with both emotion and admiration: “Truly worthy of being a young lady educated by Zhi Pan’an—so magnanimous. Have you stopped holding grudges about the past?”
“Of course not.” Qin Yining raised one corner of her mouth: “If I accepted your bow, wouldn’t that be misunderstood as forgiving you? You once tried to kill me, and you still haven’t abandoned that thought. I will not forgive you.”
Tianji Zi was momentarily speechless. After a long while, she said: “The Princess is a straightforward person.”
Qin Yining smiled: “Not bad. Conspiracies and schemes can be used, but there are things one should and shouldn’t do. Regarding you, I can only say it’s for Young Master Mu’s sake.”
Though she didn’t finish her words, the meaning was clear.
If not for Mu Jinghu’s sake, Qin Yining would probably have already found a way to take her life.
“So my master once said this boy would save my life someday.” Tianji Zi wasn’t angry and smiled: “Forget it, let’s not discuss this for now. But Princess, you should see the current situation in the realm more clearly than I do, right?
“His Majesty’s wariness toward Your Highness—I believe you experienced this deeply while in the capital. Now Your Highness has also become friendly with Nanyan, and who knows how things will develop in the future. The Princess is intelligent and should understand these situations better than I do.
“But what I want to say is that Your Highness’s destiny is actually that of the Purple Forbidden Star reincarnated—he should be the one to unify the world and ensure eternal peace for all people. I said before that if not for that incident back then, Your Highness should have been raised under Pang Zhongzheng’s guidance, starting directly as a young marshal, taking up the banner to overthrow Beiji’s tyrannical government, and naturally ascending to that position.
“But because your mother conceived you, because of various matters, your father used that stratagem to drive a wedge—all became the final catalyst that killed Pang Zhongzheng, causing Your Highness’s experiences to completely deviate from fate’s predetermined path.
“I’ve been trying to correct destiny’s course. In fact, Your Highness’s situation has improved greatly since then, but ever since you appeared, everything has been developing in an uncontrollable direction.
“A few days ago, I observed the stars at night and calculated that recently, because of you, Your Highness will face a calamity.”
At this point, Tianji Zi successfully saw Qin Yining become tense.
“Princess, I now know that I lack the ability and opportunity to eliminate you as a variable. I also don’t want to completely break with Your Highness, so I won’t consider killing you again.” Tianji Zi said sincerely: “But your presence beside him affects him too greatly and will only make him deviate further from destiny’s path.
“I’m not asking you to divorce. What I mean is, if you’re willing to leave his side for a while—give him three to five years—then afterward you can spend a lifetime together. By then, you’ll have the destiny to be the mother of the nation. Wouldn’t that be good? It’s better than you hindering him like this, making your future days constantly turbulent and dangerous, with the peril even affecting your sons?”
Qin Yining didn’t really believe in calculations or destinies—she believed that human effort could triumph over fate. But while she could ignore such things when they concerned herself, when Tianji Zi’s calculations involved Pang Xiao and the two children, she couldn’t help but consider them more seriously.
She didn’t know why her mother’s pregnancy with her back then had led to her father using the stratagem to frame Pang Zhongzheng. She also knew she wouldn’t get answers from Tianji Zi.
She didn’t know whether her presence beside Pang Xiao would truly affect his safety, but everyone knew Tianji Zi’s calculations were the most accurate. She said Pang Xiao would face a calamity and that their children would be implicated…
Qin Yining lowered her head, involuntarily wondering what had happened and whether Li Qitian had made some move.
Pang Xiao watched the two talking from afar. When he saw Tianji Zi respectfully bowing to Qin Yining, he felt something was wrong. Now seeing his wife with her head down as if she’d suffered a great grievance, how could Pang Xiao continue to observe from the sidelines?
He strode forward, pulled her to his side in one motion, and without even glancing at Tianji Zi, directly asked Qin Yining: “What’s wrong?”
Qin Yining shook her head: “Nothing.”
Pang Xiao’s face darkened: “If something’s wrong, you should tell me. What exactly happened?”
Qin Yining looked up at him, then involuntarily lowered her head again to think for a moment.
In this matter, what she most wanted to know was Pang Xiao’s opinion. If Pang Xiao also firmly believed in destiny, then going to Xiayue to accompany her father for a while wouldn’t be bad.
Qin Yining looked up at Pang Xiao: “It’s nothing much. The immortal lady calculated that you’ll recently face a calamity because I’m by your side, and that my presence will affect you, will harm you, and might even harm our children…”
“Oh.” Before Qin Yining could finish, Pang Xiao had already responded and turned to beckon to several Elite Tiger Guards nearby.
The Elite Tiger Guards immediately ran over with large strides.
Tianji Zi’s eyes shifted, sensing trouble. She turned and walked toward the building they’d just left, covering her mouth and yawning: “Ah, I wonder if that foolish boy will come back today. I’m already sleepy.”
Pang Xiao sneered: “Perfect. Clean out the most secure cell inside and invite the immortal lady to move in. It’s getting late, so the immortal lady can rest well.”
Tianji Zi spun around abruptly, her yawn cut short as she stared at Pang Xiao with her mouth comically half-open.
“What does Your Highness mean by this?”
“The meaning is that this prince is going to lock you up.” Pang Xiao’s face was stern as he waved his hand.
The Elite Tiger Guards immediately flanked Tianji Zi, grabbing her arms and heading toward the prison.
Tianji Zi was short, fat, and stocky, while the Elite Tiger Guards were tall and imposing. With them gripping her arms, her feet were practically off the ground as they carried her away. How could she be comfortable? She immediately began shouting.
“Your Highness, you can’t treat me like this! You’re bullying a defenseless weak woman!”
In a military camp full of grown men, having a female voice shouting like this late at night…
The veins on Pang Xiao’s forehead throbbed as he barked: “Shut up! Say another word and I’ll sew your mouth shut.”
Tianji Zi immediately fell silent. She knew Pang Xiao was a man of his word—if he said he’d sew her mouth shut, he’d definitely do it. She still wanted to keep her mouth for drinking and eating!
Qin Yining stood nearby, watching in stunned silence as the woman was carried away like a quail, and said hesitantly: “Um, this probably isn’t appropriate, is it?”