This was clearly a banquet for the friendship between the two nations, yet the Tatar Khatun insisted on saying such things!

Bian Ruohan’s smile froze on her face as she secretly wondered why the Khatun would suddenly bring this up at such an occasion. She seemed to have inadvertently caused trouble!

Bian Ruohan looked helplessly at Lu Heng beside her.

Lu Heng pursed his lips in displeasure, not bothering to hide his annoyance as he looked at Bian Ruohan, making her hair stand on end.

For a moment, the atmosphere became so rigid it seemed as if the air itself had stopped flowing.

The Tatar Khatun’s sudden words, with Si Qin neither stopping her nor speaking to smooth things over—acting as if he hadn’t heard at all—was enough proof that this matter had Si Qin’s tacit approval.

Though the Tatars had been defeated and now submitted to Da Zhou, paying tribute year after year, they hadn’t abandoned the warlike nature and wildness in their blood!

Everyone present was intelligent and could naturally understand. Anyway, in such a situation, a woman’s words didn’t count for much. Even if the women quarreled or came to blows, pulling hair and kicking each other, as long as the two nations still needed peace, peace would continue.

So the Tatars were brazenly undermining Da Zhou’s dignity! If the Da Zhou men couldn’t speak up, then they could only wait for the women to respond!

The Da Zhou people looked expectantly at the two Da Zhou women present who had the most authority to speak.

Bian Ruohan was completely bewildered—how could she think of how to respond?

Qin Yining smiled gracefully. “I never expected the Khatun to be such a humorous woman. I wonder if this is your natural disposition? Or is it a case of being influenced by one’s company? Or perhaps seeing flowers daily makes everything look like flowers?”

At this point, Qin Yining stood up and spread her hands, turning in place. Her steps were light, her skirts flowing, every movement carrying endless charm and grace.

“Rumors are fiercer than tigers, and they say words can be frightening. I imagine that now the Khatun has seen me, she knows that a weak woman like me who couldn’t even tie up a chicken, wanting to kill your nation’s heroic Khan A’na Ri would be harder than ascending to heaven. Even if I spent a lifetime diligently practicing martial arts, I fear I still couldn’t accomplish it.”

Qin Yining’s words first delivered a rebuke, then were self-deprecating, directly clearing herself of the accusation while cleverly easing the awkward atmosphere.

The Khatun apparently hadn’t expected Qin Yining to be so eloquent. She was stunned for a while before understanding the meaning of her words.

“Seeing flowers daily makes everything look like flowers”—was she mocking how she saw so many rough and burly women in Tatarland daily that she would imagine her that way?

Wasn’t this ridiculing Tatar women for being coarse!

The Khatun snorted: “I’ve long heard that Prince Zhongshun’s consort is eloquent. Seeing you today, your reputation is indeed well-deserved.”

“The Khatun flatters me too much. This humble woman merely received proper family education. The Khatun’s reputation for being gentle, virtuous, dignified, and amiable has long spread throughout the court and countryside. Seeing you today, the rumors truly don’t deceive me.”

Looking at Qin Yining’s bright smiling face, the Khatun couldn’t even tell whether her words were genuine or false, sincere praise or deliberate mockery.

Seeing the Tatar Khatun rendered speechless by Qin Yining’s few words, all the Da Zhou people present breathed a collective sigh of relief, their spirits lifting.

Lu Heng didn’t want to appear too obvious, but his eyes were beyond his control, constantly glancing toward Qin Yining. He could even ignore the annoying Pang Xiao beside her.

Compared to Bian Ruohan who had caused trouble and didn’t know how to smooth things over, Qin Yining was dignified in her bearing and quick in her responses—even a hundred times better than men.

Seeing Pang Xiao’s smug expression as if he’d found a basin-sized gold ingot, Lu Heng felt nauseated again. He was just luckier than him—what did he have to be so proud of!

Bian Ruohan bit her lower lip. Her one sentence had prompted the Khatun’s earlier words, and before she could figure out how to smooth things over, Qin Yining had handled it with just a few sentences. So she was the one who specialized in causing trouble, while Qin Yining specialized in settling matters—how did this end up showcasing her abilities?

What Bian Ruohan couldn’t stand most now was seeing Qin Yining steal the spotlight.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Lu Heng’s gentle smile and tender gaze as he looked at Qin Yining with that infatuated expression.

Whether it was tenderness or approval, these were things she had never received from Lu Heng.

A fire burned in Bian Ruohan’s heart, with sourness surging through her blood and limbs. She could barely contain her anger, her brows furrowed in rage, her face flushed red, yet she couldn’t find any words suitable for this occasion to mock Qin Yining.

But everyone present was shrewd, all experts at reading expressions—how could they not see Bian Ruohan’s rejection and hostility toward Qin Yining?

Lu Heng quickly pressed down on Bian Ruohan’s arm and, taking advantage of her surprised turn toward him, gave her a warning pinch.

Bian Ruohan gasped in pain, nearly crying out, but immediately came to her senses and calmed down.

This was a welcoming banquet between two nations, not a family feast. She couldn’t start fighting with Qin Yining in front of the Tatars—that would be humiliating all the way to Tatarland!

Amid everyone’s silent confrontations, Pang Xiao raised his wine bowl to toast Si Qin.

Si Qin naturally wouldn’t refuse and drank with him.

Si Qin’s action seemed like a signal. The attitudes of the Tatar officials who had come with him immediately became clear. If there had been some veiled hostility and estrangement before, after this cup of wine, they immediately became warm and friendly, as if Tatarland and Da Zhou were truly brotherly nations that had never clashed in battle.

The atmosphere finally eased with great difficulty. After exchanging a few words with Qin Yining, the Khatun realized she probably couldn’t gain any verbal advantage over her, so she remained much quieter for the rest of the banquet.

Just as the banquet was ending, a servant suddenly hurried in from outside, quietly approaching Lu Heng to whisper a few words in his ear. Upon hearing this, Lu Heng’s expression changed dramatically.

Lu Heng’s reaction was too obvious, drawing everyone’s attention.

Si Qin also frowned, seemingly wondering if Da Zhou was plotting something.

Lu Heng stood up and bowed: “Khan, I just received news that there has been a landslide on the road to the capital. The route has been completely blocked. With the continuous rain these days, such a natural disaster has occurred, and I don’t know how many common people have suffered.”

Pang Xiao’s heart jumped, and he instinctively exchanged a glance with Qin Yining.

Seeing Pang Xiao’s expression, Qin Yining understood that this might be the method Lu Heng had devised to detain Si Qin and his party.

Natural disasters might occur, but this matter couldn’t be guaranteed not to be man-made.

For the treasure, Lu Heng had truly racked his brains and exhausted his efforts. She just wondered whether this landslide would cost innocent civilians their lives.

“Earl Lu, what is the situation of the people where the landslide occurred?” Pang Xiao timely asked what Qin Yining most wanted to know.

Lu Heng said worriedly: “This needs to be carefully investigated. Khan, what do you think?”

Si Qin’s expression returned to normal, and he said very reasonably: “This can’t be helped. Fortunately, your nation’s Empress Dowager’s birthday is still some time away, so there’s no rush to depart.”

“Yes. During this time, this subordinate will definitely make good arrangements to escort the Khan to the capital as soon as possible, without delaying the Khan’s important business.”

“That would be good.” Si Qin said magnanimously. “We’re away from home anyway, without vast grasslands and large flocks of sheep. Where we stay is all the same.”

Hearing this, the officials Si Qin had brought began speaking in Tatar about how the Khan cared for the people.

Seeing this scene, Pang Xiao and Qin Yining merely smiled without comment.

What Qin Yining was more concerned about was whether the landslide was real or fake, and if it was real, whether Lu Heng had caused it to detain the Tatar Khan’s party and slow their progress.

If so, would the local people be harmed? If they were, wouldn’t that mean more people had died as sacrifices for the treasure?

Until the banquet ended and Qin Yining got into the carriage returning to the mansion, she couldn’t stop thinking about this matter.

Pang Xiao held Qin Yining’s shoulder, one leg stretched out, one bent, his arm unceremoniously around Qin Yining’s slender waist. Seeing her remain silent the whole way, occasionally sighing, he knew she was worried about the landslide.

“Still thinking about it? Don’t worry. I’ll have someone go look and try to save people.”

Hearing this, Qin Yining felt comforted. She leaned against him, hugging his leg, her cheek against his knee.

“Do you think Si Qin will believe this?” Without waiting for Pang Xiao’s answer, Qin Yining continued: “He doesn’t know the details, so how could he think of the treasure? I suppose he won’t be suspicious.”

“He won’t be suspicious. The Loyalty Earl won’t leave any loopholes in such matters. We just need to wait patiently.”

Besides waiting for news, Qin Yining had no other options now.

However, the arrival of the Tatar Khan’s party in Huichuan County made all the local people nervous. Without any government requirements, everyone who could avoid going out tried to stay home.

The continuous heavy rain hadn’t cleared, and now with dark clouds pressing down, the people who couldn’t go out and were worried about food became increasingly panicked. If not for the government remaining here all along, with no signs of officials or clerks fleeing, they would probably have tried to leave long ago.

In the following days, the Khatun never again asked Qin Yining to keep her company. Bian Ruohan seemed to be somehow restrained as well and didn’t come to cause trouble. Qin Yining’s days became relatively peaceful.

Except for the Tatars’ ulterior motives and constantly sending jewels and beauties to the prince’s mansion, life was approaching peaceful perfection.

“Princess Consort, there are people here again! Our mansion has become like a marketplace now. I don’t know what those Tatar officials are thinking!” Bingtang ran in quickly, not caring that her clothes were dampened by rain, pulling on Qin Yining’s sleeve in rapid fire: “Huzi just said the Tatar officials personally sent two more beauties and are now in the study talking with His Highness. What do they mean by this! Do they see His Highness and you being loving and can’t stand it, so they’re deliberately interfering?”

Qin Yining was looking down, comparing patterns on an embroidery frame. Hearing this, she looked up and smiled: “Why are you so anxious? Sending treasures and beauties—these are old tricks in officialdom. If they’re given with genuine sincerity, that’s one thing, but if not sincere, then their ulterior motives are numerous.”

“Ulterior motives? Princess Consort, what ulterior motives could they have?”