Pang Xiao smiled and, with no outsiders in the room, naturally touched Qin Yining’s face: “Good. Now that we know where the treasure is, we have a goal. This money cannot be allowed to fall into His Majesty’s hands. If we can’t get it, letting the Azure Heaven Alliance have it would be acceptable. If we can’t obtain it ourselves, we’ll give the Azure Heaven Alliance a push.”

“Your Highness is truly generous.” Qin Yining pouted: “I’m quite stingy – I’m reluctant to give the treasure to anyone. Though the Azure Heaven Alliance having the treasure wouldn’t lead to anything major, it would be better in your hands.”

Pang Xiao was amused by her coquettish expression and laughed again, pulling Qin Yining around the carved-leg tea table to sit on his muscular thighs.

The hairpins and ornaments in Qin Yining’s hair made light, crisp clinking sounds.

“Your Highness, this is the front hall – you’re being improper again.”

“What’s to fear? No one will come without my orders. Besides, there are no elders in the household now – just the two of us. We can do whatever we want.”

Pang Xiao held her slender waist that seemed like two hands could encircle completely, placing light kisses like dragonfly touches on her ear and neck.

Qin Yining giggled and dodged, laughing softly, but her mind never stopped working.

“Hey, Zhixi.”

“Mm?”

“You mentioned before that for imperial mausoleum construction, His Majesty would appoint an imperial envoy to oversee and supervise, with the local magistrate cooperating?”

“Yes, what about it?”

Qin Yining’s large eyes sparkled as she smiled: “Actually, I think if all else fails, we should focus our efforts on the imperial envoy overseeing the mausoleum construction.”

Hearing this, Pang Xiao chuckled: “You little girl, clever as a fox.”

“Just me? Didn’t you think of this too?”

“Alright, we have a meeting of minds – we thought of the same thing.”

“Exactly. Speaking of cleverness, our Da Fu is even cleverer.” Qin Yining twisted around to pat Pang Xiao’s cheek.

Pang Xiao burst out laughing at her antics.

Huzi walked to the courtyard gate and heard the laughter from inside, unable to help but smile himself. He grinned and winked at Bingtang, who was standing in the courtyard talking with Ji Yun: “Hey, Little Sugar.”

Hearing this nickname, Ji Yun covered her mouth and laughed, gently pushing Bingtang: “Go on, he’s looking for you.”

Bingtang blushed bright red, glared at Ji Yun, then trotted over to Huzi.

“I’ve told you so many times not to call me Little Sugar.”

“Then how about I call you Cutie?” Huzi grinned, nodding toward the house: “Are His Highness and Her Highness inside?”

“Yes. What do you want to do?” Bingtang looked at him warily. His Highness’s laughter had been so joyful that they could hear it clearly outside: “I’m warning you – if you dare say even half a teasing word about Her Highness, I’ll let you taste what it’s like to be pricked by needles!”

Huzi laughed heartily: “What’s to fear? His Highness has been in a bad mood these past days. Ever since the incident with the old madam, and then when the whole family departed, seeing Her Highness melancholy made His Highness dejected too. It’s been so long since I heard His Highness laugh like this. Now that he’s finally cheerful, I’m too happy to care about anything else.”

“Exactly.” Bingtang sighed: “Her Highness is truly pitiful. The family had just reunited for such a short time before being forced to separate again. The two young masters used to cling to Her Highness constantly, and suddenly neither is by her side. Not just Her Highness – even we attendants feel empty inside, as if something very important is suddenly missing. It’s rare that both His Highness and Her Highness are in good spirits now – this is wonderful news.”

“Hey, I have some good news to tell His Highness too.”

“What good news?”

Huzi made a face and ran toward the main room: “Not telling you.”

Bingtang stamped her foot: “You terrible rascal!”

Huzi laughed as he walked to the door, cleared his throat, and called: “Your Highness.”

“Come in.”

“Yes.”

Huzi waited a moment before lifting the warm curtain to enter.

Pang Xiao and Qin Yining were sitting properly on either side of the central seat, both holding tea bowls.

“Your Highness, just received news – Imperial Envoy Lu Tingzhong will arrive at the old capital soon, within these two or three days.”

Pang Xiao calculated: “The matter was settled in October, and now Lu Tingzhong arrives – two months’ time isn’t particularly fast.”

Qin Yining smiled: “Regardless, it’s good that he’s arriving. Should we also prepare to return to the capital? If we don’t leave soon, who knows what kind of edict His Majesty will issue next.”

“We should indeed start preparing.” Pang Xiao pondered for a moment: “Sister Yi should visit Boss Qiu often these days. She’s raising the child alone without any female elders around. Yan Ge’er’s full-month celebration should be coming up soon, right?”

“Mm, I understand your meaning. I’ll take good care of Feishan and Yan Ge’er.”

Pang Xiao looked at Qin Yining with a gentle smile and nodded tenderly.

Standing nearby, Huzi clearly felt his superfluity and quietly withdrew.

After Pang Xiao and Qin Yining talked a while longer, he left to return to the military camp to make arrangements.

Qin Yining called for Bingtang, Ji Yun, and Lian Xiaozhou, bringing prepared tonics, clothing, and little hats and clothes prepared for Yan Ge’er to the Mu household.

Yan Ge’er was still as adorable as jade and snow, lying in Qiu Feishan’s arms, looking at Qin Yining with his bright black eyes, even knowing to grin and wave his little hands in greeting.

Qiu Feishan had been well cared for during her confinement month and looked much more plump. Her long hair was casually pinned up, wearing a black headband inlaid with red jade. Seeing her son’s happiness, she couldn’t help laughing:

“So young yet already knows who’s beautiful and who’s ugly. When he sees the two old nannies, this little one absolutely refuses to let them hold him – only allows pretty people. When we originally hired wet nurses, we only selected young, healthy women who had recently given birth and had sufficient milk, not paying much attention to looks. But this little one is particular – there’s one wet nurse whose appearance is somewhat plain, and every time he sees her, he refuses to nurse from her. If the old nannies try to make him laugh, he keeps a straight face and doesn’t respond. But look how he’s laughing now that you’re here.”

Qin Yining found this very amusing and sat on the bed edge to look closer.

Yan Ge’er indeed stretched out his little hands, laughing happily as he tried to grab Qin Yining’s earrings, making her burst into laughter. Thinking of her own children, she felt somewhat melancholy.

“When Han Ge’er and Zhao Ge’er were this small, I also held and coaxed them all day. But later, with so many unavoidable circumstances, the children were often not by my side. I worried they wouldn’t recognize me. Now the children have left again, and sometimes I truly fear that when we meet next time, they’ll have grown up and forgotten their mother from their childhood memories, or even that I’ll never see them again.”

Qiu Feishan hadn’t understood this pain deeply before, but now as a mother herself, she could comprehend this agony of separation from one’s flesh and blood. Not to mention anything else – if her own son were taken away and didn’t even know she was his mother when they met again, after she had worked so hard and nearly lost her life giving birth to him, wouldn’t all her efforts be wasted?

Qiu Feishan sympathetically patted Qin Yining’s arm: “Don’t worry. I can see that Zhao Ge’er and Han Ge’er are exceptionally intelligent, smarter than ordinary children. Moreover, they have Master Qin’s guidance – there’s no way they could go wrong. Your family members are all learned people, and the female elders are gentle and understanding. Even without you saying anything, they’ll often mention you and won’t let the children forget you.”

Qin Yining smiled: “I hope so. But sometimes I think it might be better if they could forget me, to spare them worry if something happens to me…”

“Nonsense.” Qiu Feishan gently patted Yan Ge’er: “His Highness will protect you. And my blockhead will also protect you and His Highness well. No matter what, he won’t stand by and watch you lose your lives.”

Qin Yining sighed: “Young Master Mu has already saved us many times.”

“He values loyalty and friendship. Being His Highness’s good friend, he’ll definitely sacrifice everything for his friend. Moreover, his senior uncle is wholeheartedly devoted to assisting His Highness. Now my interests are also tied to His Highness’s, so whether for personal feelings or official business, your and His Highness’s safety has become Blockhead’s responsibility.”

Qin Yining nodded, then smiled: “How come you also call Young Master Mu ‘Blockhead’? Aren’t you afraid he’ll be unhappy hearing it?”

“Not at all. He’s quite pleased when I call him that, saying only close people would call him this way.”

Qiu Feishan smiled very gently: “I’ve figured this person out completely. He has no bad intentions. Recently he’s been telling me he wants to send me and the child back to Tianji Valley, saying that as the wife of Tianji Sect’s leader, I shouldn’t be in danger during these chaotic times. Hearing this, I really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

“He cares about you.”

“Yes, perhaps seeing His Highness send all his family away gave him some inspiration. He fears that future days might also implicate me and Yan Ge’er.”

“What do you think?” Qin Yining smiled at Yan Ge’er, who had already closed his eyes and was drowsily falling asleep.

Qiu Feishan lowered her voice while gently swaying and patting Yan Ge’er: “I naturally cannot leave. He doesn’t understand – my grandfather raised me so well. Though he looked down on women, he gave me everything he could. He was killed by that beast Qiu Yuanqing. If I cower and refuse even to avenge him, I’m not worthy of being part of the Qiu family.

“But I wanted to tease him, so I asked what Tianji Valley was like, whether there were many sect members in Tianji Sect, whether many people would serve me and the child. Guess what he said?”

Qin Yining asked curiously: “What did he say?”

“He said Tianji Sect has only three people total – him, his senior uncle, and a grandmaster who’s wandering somewhere unknown. Tianji Sect is very large – the entire mountain valley belongs to them, with plenty of land where they can plant as much as they want of whatever they want. But there are no servants. Hearing this absolutely shocked me. The famous Tianji Sect has fallen to such a state.”

For someone from a century-old prestigious family like the Qiu clan, who had even become rulers in Jianchuan City, Qiu Feishan was accustomed to being surrounded and respected wherever she went. Learning that the world-renowned Tianji Sect was so impoverished – how could she not be shocked?