Qin Huining smiled and shook her head: “No, no, after surviving great disaster comes great fortune. Heaven couldn’t take your life when you were young, so you’ll be safe and sound in the future. You should still be the one to show filial piety to Father and Mother – I’m going to marry someday.”
Qin Yining couldn’t help but laugh at Qin Huining’s words, though tears continued falling like broken pearls.
Seeing Qin Yining and Qin Huining like this, Qin Huaiyuan felt greatly comforted. He wiped the tears from his face and said: “Though we’re facing difficulties again now, as long as our whole family can gather together and work with one heart, we’ll definitely get through it. Just like we did before.”
“I say all this today not for any other reason. After we go to Xiyu, we may very likely never set foot on this land again. By then we’ll only have each other left, so we must unite even more to survive better. Come, Old Master Yao, Madam, let’s raise our cups together and drink.”
Yao Chenggu and Ma Shi were moved to tears by this scene and naturally stood up.
After Yao Chenggu drank this cup with Qin Huaiyuan, his anxious heart finally settled completely.
With these words, Qin Huaiyuan had stirred everyone’s emotions, enabling the Qin family to unite as one rope, while also expressing his own philosophy.
Though what Yao Shi did displeased the Qin family, Qin Huaiyuan at least wanted to unite everyone. For Yao Chenggu, this was a safe signal that let him relax all his vigilance.
Today’s reunion banquet was also a farewell banquet. The family gathered together, toasting each other and sharing their hearts. Many old grudges were resolved today.
While Qin Yining and Pang Xiao were moved, they also had to admire Qin Huaiyuan’s methods. After this, the in-laws would have more cohesion. When they went to Xiyu, at least for several years there wouldn’t be a situation of scattered sand.
In the days after the banquet, the household was indeed unusually united. Only Sun Shi pulled Qin Yining aside to cry several times. She had always thought Qin Yining and Pang Xiao had business to handle and would come later, never expecting this might become a permanent farewell.
Qin Yining comforted Sun Shi for a long time, and Pang Xiao repeatedly promised to protect Qin Yining. Later when Zheng Shi arrived with the Sun family women, Sun Shi’s attention was finally diverted.
The twenty-eighth day of the eleventh month in the seventh year of Shengchang.
Under Pang Xiao’s arrangements, Qin Huaiyuan led all relatives and servants of the Qin, Sun, and Yao families in secretly leaving the Qin residence in batches. Under proper arrangements, they departed from the dock by boat, beginning the Qin family’s influential journey in Xiyu.
But Qin Yining couldn’t even go to the dock to see them off.
She and Pang Xiao were simply too conspicuous targets. Who knew how many eyes were watching them? Pang Xiao had used various methods to secretly send the family members out in batches. They couldn’t risk placing the family in danger again because of her momentary reluctance to part.
However, parting from family and children – even though Qin Yining hadn’t become so despondent as to think this separation would definitely be a final farewell – the pain of separation truly left her downcast for several days without a smile.
Knowing Qin Yining’s unhappiness, Pang Xiao could only accompany her attentively as there was nothing else he could do. So these days he would inspect the military camp during the day and try to return as quickly as possible in the afternoon, which did brighten Qin Yining’s mood considerably.
On the third day of the twelfth month, Shopkeeper Zhong came to the Qin residence early in the morning.
Qin Yining and Pang Xiao had just risen and hadn’t had time for breakfast when they hurried to the front hall.
Shopkeeper Zhong smiled: “Your Highness, there’s news from Huichuan County.”
Qin Yining said in pleasant surprise: “So soon?”
“Yes. Hall Master Liao and Hall Master Qiao found it inconvenient to return, so they arranged for a trusted subordinate to rush here with news.”
“Where is this person?”
“Your Highness, don’t worry. I brought him – he’s right outside.”
Qin Yining’s eyes sparkled as she quickly ordered: “Please bring him in.”
Ji Yun curtsied and quickly went out to invite the person.
Bingtang led Lian Xiaozhou to prepare tea and refreshments.
On the day Qin Huaiyuan departed, these three had knelt before Qin Yining and refused to go to Xiyu no matter what. Qiu Lu and Qian Yun had wanted to follow suit, but only left reluctantly when Qin Yining entrusted the two children to them.
Now that all the household servants had left, Bingtang, Ji Yun, and Lian Xiaozhou had much more work to do.
Soon Ji Yun led in a medium-built young man wearing a gray-blue cloth jacket and felt hat, dressed as a servant. Seeing Qin Yining and Pang Xiao, he respectfully bowed: “Greetings to Alliance Leader, greetings to Your Highness.”
Pang Xiao smiled and waved: “No need for such formality.”
Qin Yining also smiled: “Please sit. We’re all brothers here with no outsiders – no need for such empty courtesies.”
“Yes, thank you Alliance Leader.” The young man sat down next to Shopkeeper Zhong.
Qin Yining first let him have tea and refreshments. The young man wasn’t polite, quickly finishing two plates of snacks and gulping down a large pot of hot tea.
Perhaps noticing the room was too quiet and aware his behavior was somewhat crude, he scratched his head and smiled: “Alliance Leader, please excuse me.”
“Not at all. This brother looks familiar – how should I address you?”
“I’m called Meng Qin. I’ve been following Hall Master Qiao all along. I even helped protect His Majesty back to the palace with Alliance Leader before.”
“No wonder you look so familiar.” Qin Yining smiled: “Since we’re all brothers, I won’t beat around the bush. Meng Qin, what news did Hall Master Liao have you bring me?”
“Oh, right.” Meng Qin straightened up and said seriously: “It’s like this – a few days ago, Guan Dahu and Liu Baner suddenly began contacting Hall Master Liao. Hall Master Liao and Hall Master Qiao felt something was unusual and stayed alert. Both these men’s wives died in the desert following Hall Master Liao back then – how could they come back from the dead? We all found it very strange.
“Hall Master Liao didn’t trust them at all and directly refused their proposal to ‘plan great things together.’ But Hall Master Liao and Hall Master Qiao kept a backup plan, using many methods behind the scenes. Our Azure Heaven Alliance neither connected with these two nor failed to extract reliable information.
“Guess what? That sum of money the foolish emperor of Great Yan hid away is now in Huichuan County! No wonder that old bastard was so eager to buy the position of condemned magistrate of Huichuan County!”
Both Pang Xiao and Qin Yining’s hearts skipped a beat, though their faces remained calm without showing any abnormality.
Qin Yining smiled and asked: “How did the treasure end up so far away in Huichuan County?”
“Exactly! Hall Master Liao was puzzled too. Later he spent great effort investigating and learned that originally Mrs. Liao had hidden the treasure with Guan Dahu and Liu Baner. Guess how they hid it? Back then His Majesty wanted to build the imperial mausoleum and was quarrying stone from the south. The place where Mrs. Liao hid the treasure happened to be nearby, so she found a way to hide the treasure inside the stone blocks for the imperial mausoleum, secretly transporting it out without anyone knowing.
“Originally they planned that with the treasure hidden in the stone materials, as long as they found some way to buy, steal, or even rob the stones halfway, they could easily evade all checkpoints. But unexpectedly, Mrs. Liao and those two bastards were all captured with you.
“All three of them were thrown into the desert. Those two didn’t explain in detail to Hall Master Liao how they survived, but Mrs. Liao died. Hall Master Liao actually privately analyzed with Hall Master Qiao that in the desert, they might have used Mrs. Liao as rations…
“Later those two grandsons kept trying to find ways to go to Huichuan County to retrieve the stones. The problem was that Huichuan County had stopped construction, and the original magistrate had been executed. Moreover, all the stones looked the same on the outside, all piled together. Without using some methods, relying on eyes alone you’d never be able to tell which stones had problems.
“Recently they heard rumors that the war had stopped and His Majesty was thinking of continuing the imperial mausoleum construction. So they came up with this plan – as long as they bought the official position in Huichuan County, they’d have ways to find the stones with hidden treasure. Otherwise, if they were late and construction started, wouldn’t the treasure be easily exposed?”
Qin Yining and Pang Xiao listened in amazement.
Without inside information, who could have imagined that Mrs. Liao had previously used such a method to secretly transport the treasure from under Li Qitian’s nose?
“What did Hall Master Liao say?” Qin Yining didn’t voice her thoughts but patiently questioned Meng Qin.
Meng Qin smiled: “Hall Master Liao said this treasure can’t be allowed to fall into their hands. Those two aren’t good birds, but it also can’t be exposed for His Majesty to get. Hall Master Liao said His Majesty has no money yet can still cause so much trouble – if he had money, who knows what trouble he’d cause. His imperial mausoleum construction costs so much, yet he doesn’t think about what the common people below are eating.”
As Meng Qin spoke, his smile gradually faded.
He hadn’t forgotten the original purpose when the Azure Heaven Alliance was established. So seeing such an emperor who built his imperial mausoleum regardless of whether people were starving, he felt angry too. Only because important court officials were sitting before him did he not voice his complaints.
Qin Yining knew what most alliance members thought, so she didn’t say more. After thanking Meng Qin, she had Ji Yun arrange lodging for him and ordered food and necessities to be prepared.
“Rest for now. I need to think carefully about how to handle this matter. I may need to trouble you again if anything comes up.”
Meng Qin grinned, scratched the back of his head, and said bashfully: “Alliance Leader, just give any orders. Hall Master Qiao and Hall Master Liao both said to listen to you completely.”
Qin Yining nodded with a smile and had Ji Yun take this honest young man to rest.
After the person had gone far, Shopkeeper Zhong finally exhaled and murmured: “Who would have thought the treasure was transported to Huichuan County in such a way. That Mrs. Liao was quite a character.”
“Yes, but Mrs. Liao was ultimately just a woman. Thrown into the desert, she couldn’t match the strength of Guan Dahu and Liu Baner.” Qin Yining looked at Pang Xiao: “Your Highness, how do you think we should handle this matter?”