Qin Yining shed tears and nodded, forcibly suppressing her sorrow.

She had returned to the Qin family five years ago and experienced countless storms. Though she spent more time apart from her parents than together, previous partings had always held hope for the future—she knew that no matter how much suffering she endured, she would ultimately have a chance to return home.

This time, however, the path ahead was uncertain.

Such a parting between life and death was truly heart-piercing pain. Her parents, relatives, and her child who wasn’t even two years old yet—these were all her most important people, yet she might be exiting their lives forever.

Qin Yining rarely showed such vulnerability. Her restrained way of shedding tears was even more heartbreaking to Pang Xiao than if she had wailed loudly. He truly wished Qin Yining could be a pampered and domineering person—if only she weren’t so sensible, why would she have to suffer so much?

“Father-in-law, all of this is son-in-law’s fault.” Pang Xiao kowtowed three times heavily. “Father-in-law, rest assured—this journey is not to seek death, but to ensure that important people can all survive. I won’t stake everything on a desperate gamble. Even if danger truly comes one day, as long as I’m there, no one can harm Yining. Even if we truly reach a life-or-death moment, I will protect her with my life and absolutely won’t leave before her. Father-in-law, please be at ease!”

Qin Huaiyuan nodded, holding back his tears as he helped both of them up.

“Enough, enough. Father understands your intentions. We’re not parting between life and death. Though things are difficult now, matters haven’t reached that point. This parting will surely lead to reunion someday—we needn’t be so pessimistic.”

“Yes.” Qin Yining and Pang Xiao spoke in unison.

Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi couldn’t help but feel compassion watching this scene, and they assured Qin Huaiyuan: “Lord Qin, rest assured. We two will definitely do our utmost to assist the prince without the slightest negligence!”

“I trust you two gentlemen. From now on, I must trouble you both greatly.”

“We dare not claim such merit. This is what we two should do.”

Once the family had settled on their strategy, Pang Xiao first arranged for people to escort Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi home.

Qin Yining followed Qin Huaiyuan back to the inner quarters.

With no one else on the road, Qin Yining took the opportunity to ask: “Father, will Aunt Cao accompany you all this time?”

Qin Yining wanted to show concern for her father, but as a married daughter, it wasn’t appropriate to directly ask about her father taking concubines, so she could only inquire in this roundabout way.

Qin Huaiyuan naturally understood Qin Yining’s meaning and said bitterly: “I wanted to ask her opinion, but she avoids seeing me. She’s been staying in the guest courtyard, unwilling to visit the main residence. I don’t feel comfortable bothering her either.”

Hearing Qin Huaiyuan voluntarily discuss the details, Qin Yining knew he was truly confused.

In such matters, even if Qin Huaiyuan had difficulties, he wouldn’t discuss them with Sun Shi, would he? It would be possible to talk about these things between brothers, but with Qin Huaiyuan’s personality, he absolutely wouldn’t lose face as the eldest brother in front of his second and third uncles—otherwise, how could he maintain authority in the family?

So when father encountered such troubling matters, he had nowhere to talk about them.

“Aunt Cao’s sincere feelings for you are beyond doubt—this can be seen from her years of devotion. Back in Great Yan’s capital, when Zhixi’s army approached the city and the capital suffered drought with water shortages and food cut off, with Aunt Cao’s skills, she actually could have abandoned us all and left on her own. But she willingly stayed by your side, taking the lead for you.

“Though mother and I are both principal wives, and we naturally don’t want our husbands to take concubines, we are moved by Aunt Cao’s sincerity and dedication. Mother even told me that seeing how she’s willing to risk her life to protect the important people around you out of her devotion, saving our family members’ lives multiple times, even she felt moved.

“Father, such a woman who’s willing to give her whole heart for you—I think accepting her wouldn’t disgrace you. If you can’t be more proactive, it would be somewhat unfair to her deep feelings.”

Qin Huaiyuan blushed and lowered his eyes. Logically, these matters shouldn’t be discussed with his daughter.

But he was truly confused.

“I understand everything you’ve said, and I’m not heartless—I am moved too. I also admire her. But when I brought up that matter with her, she refused. Previously, when I took concubines for the sake of heirs, I already hurt your mother’s heart. Your mother comes from a prestigious family and has suffered much following me in this life. Now that I have such an excellent daughter like you, I’m no longer obsessed with having a son, so naturally I won’t take concubines for heirs and make your mother sad again. But my feelings for Mrs. Cao aren’t for the sake of heirs…”

Qin Yining quietly listened to Qin Huaiyuan’s words. She knew that her father’s speech was usually logical and clear, but this time it was somewhat chaotic.

This was enough to prove that Cao Yuqing’s matter had disturbed her wise and thoughtful father’s peace of mind.

Since father was willing to analyze his feelings with her, she wouldn’t be restrained either and asked directly: “Daughter understands. You want to take Aunt Cao as a proper concubine because you truly admire her and are fond of her?”

Qin Huaiyuan nodded, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Qin Yining then asked the question hidden in her heart: “But father, Aunt Cao has expressed her feelings for you before. She’s someone who acts straightforwardly, never hiding or concealing anything. When she was so proactive then, why didn’t you accept her?

“She entered our household with the identity of a concubine bestowed by His Majesty, yet you’d rather accept four other concubines than be intimate with her, keeping her at arm’s length… If I were Aunt Cao, I would harbor resentment too. I wouldn’t nod the moment you spoke—wouldn’t that make it seem like coming when called and leaving when dismissed?”

Listening to Qin Yining’s analysis, Qin Huaiyuan’s steps gradually slowed to a stop.

The father and daughter were walking by the small lake in the back garden. To the right was Shuoren Studio where Qin Yining had lived, to the left was the Grand Dowager’s Cixiao Garden, and further in was Xingning Garden.

On this winter night, it was dark and windy with no stars or moon, relying only on the lights from Shuoren Studio to illuminate the path ahead. The lake surface was pitch black, as if filled with a lake of black ink.

Qin Huaiyuan pressed his lips together and stood in place, looking at the dark lake surface, momentarily not knowing what to say.

After a long while, he said somewhat hoarsely: “So that’s how it is. She must think this way. Yet I never meant to look down on her.”

Qin Yining nodded and sighed: “Father, you can also tell Aunt Cao directly what you’re thinking. Aunt Cao isn’t an unreasonable person.”

“I know. When she came by imperial decree, we had a colleague relationship, so naturally I could only maintain respectful distance. Later, I didn’t want to delay her. When she wanted to be my guard rather than a concubine, I naturally agreed—there was no reason to force someone to stay when they were unwilling.

“Even later, when Great Yan fell and our family went through so many tribulations before reaching Great Zhou with difficulty, I knew the future was uncertain and we might become sacrificial pawns in three-way struggles at any time. How could I drag her into the mire? As long as she wasn’t my concubine but only a guard, she could leave anytime.

“She could have been free and easy. Just because of my selfish desires, should I make her sacrifice herself with us? Only now, when I’m about to retire to Xi Yue and no longer want to be involved in worldly affairs, when life is becoming stable, did I think to bring up this matter with her. But now she’s unwilling.

“Forget it, forget it. Such things can’t be forced, and I have no right to compel someone to be a concubine. Moreover, your mother has followed me for a lifetime—I’ve indeed wronged her greatly.”

Qin Huaiyuan seemed to be talking to himself, and also seemed to be venting emotions with nowhere to go. He couldn’t find anyone to confide these intimate thoughts to, so he could only speak them before his daughter, who was like a confidant.

Qin Huaiyuan turned around somewhat embarrassedly: “Yining, you…”

But before finishing his words, he saw an unexpected person behind Qin Yining.

Seeing her father’s expression was wrong, Qin Yining quickly turned around and saw Cao Yuqing wearing a sapphire blue cloak with gray squirrel fur trim, standing about two zhang behind her. Her fair skin looked like fine porcelain in the night, though her expression couldn’t be seen clearly. It was unknown how long she had followed them or how much of their conversation she had heard.

Cao Yuqing silently looked at Qin Huaiyuan.

Qin Huaiyuan stood with his hands behind his back, slowly clenching the hands hidden behind him. For a moment, the two looked at each other wordlessly.

At this moment, Qin Yining truly felt a mix of emotions.

She knew she was facing a pair of lovers.

But thinking of her mother, she felt this was a kind of betrayal.

From Cao Yuqing’s perspective, she had been trained as a spy from childhood, becoming a killing machine, with her young heart devoted to one man. She had given her sincere feelings for him, given her waiting, even ready to give her life for him at any time. Now she had finally seen the clouds part to reveal the moon. She had no intention of seizing the principal wife’s position—all she sought was the status of a concubine. What wrong had she done?

From father’s perspective, it wasn’t wrong for a man to take concubines. With father’s status and talent, it would be proper for him to favor any number of women and bring them into the household—no one could find fault with this.

But from mother’s perspective—a husband she had devoted herself to wholeheartedly, whose heart held affection for her while also giving feelings to other women, she could only smile and nod, agreeing to let him simultaneously possess other women, agreeing to share her husband with others. If she didn’t nod, she would be unvirtuous, jealous, and guilty of one of the seven grounds for divorce. To maintain this family, to maintain the relationship between husband and wife, and to fulfill another unfortunate woman, she could only go against her heart and pretend to be magnanimous, nodding in agreement.

None of them were wrong, and each had their own difficulties and grievances.

But Qin Yining felt more heartache for her own mother.

Qin Yining knew her thoughts were difficult to accept in this current world, but she was full of emotion—this world had never been fair to women.

Qin Yining curtsied and quietly withdrew, leaving the space to the two of them.

She didn’t immediately return to Xueli Courtyard but went directly to Xingning Garden.

Sun Shi was leading Nanny Jin and the maids in the room to inventory luggage. Seeing Qin Yining arrive, Sun Shi smiled: “Yining is here. Have you finished discussing serious matters with your father?”

“We’ve finished.” Qin Yining smiled and took Sun Shi’s arm. “Mother, is your luggage all prepared?”