Qin Huaiyuan looked at Qin Yining quietly, as if he had only truly understood his daughter for the first time.
She was like a flower that had left its greenhouse prematurely, struggling to survive in the cracks of the rocks, accepting the devastation of the storm, but surviving with the most tenacious willpower, and even blooming the most beautiful flower.
She had always been a child who could surprise him. She was always learning and improving. Every time he was surprised to find that she had a new side to her, she would soon show him a brighter side.
Compared to those ordinary young ladies who had been raised in their boudoirs, her intelligence, courage, ability, and means had long surpassed ordinary people. Now, she even had a heart that many men couldn't compare with.
Qin Huaiyuan felt comforted, but more than that, he felt guilty.
How much pain did a girl who hadn't reached marriageable age have to go through to have the heart and courage to see through the storm? How much helplessness did she have to go through? How much was she destroyed by the cruel reality to learn to calmly accept her fate at such a young age?
How could this child be so sensible and so lovable?
Qin Huaiyuan stretched his arm across the square table and touched Qin Yining's head. He said in a hoarse voice, "Father has let you down."
"Father, what are you talking about?"
Qin Yining looked at Qin Huaiyuan with her misty eyes. "Father, you didn't let me down, not at all! I believe that if you had the slightest idea, you wouldn't have taken me there. But the imperial edict has been issued. Father can't be accused of disobeying the imperial edict just to protect me. Father is not only my father, but also the head of the Family. The tragedy of Ding General Manor can't happen to our family again. "
"I usually enjoy the convenience of being the Grand Preceptor's legitimate daughter. It doesn't make sense that I can't bear the danger together with you. If we can only enjoy happiness and can't share trials and tribulations, how can we be called a family? If that's really the case, I don't deserve to be father's daughter. "
"Good. Good. " Tears welled up in Qin Huaiyuan's eyes. After so many years in the imperial court, Qin Huaiyuan felt like he was about to be trained into a copper pea. Now, he couldn't help but feel his nose ache after hearing his daughter's words.
He raised his head and blinked hard. After a while, he returned to his usual appearance and sighed, "Sister Yi, no matter how open-minded you are, Father knows that I was wrong to you. Promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you will try your best to survive. "
What he was most worried about was that a pure and innocent girl like her would commit suicide because she couldn't bear the humiliation.
"Of course. I'm very 'greedy for life'. " Qin Yining knew what Qin Huaiyuan was worried about. He smiled and said, "It wasn't easy for me to survive until now. I've put in a lot of effort to keep my life. I don't want to waste all that effort."
"Good child." Qin Huaiyuan could finally relax when he saw how sincere his sister was. She was truly open-minded and not coaxing him just to comfort him.
Infected by Qin Yining's unhurried and positive attitude, Qin Huaiyuan finally released some of the foul air that had been suppressed in his chest all night.
Qin Yining sat for a while and then took his leave and returned to the Shuoren Study.
Qin Huaiyuan thought about what Liu Xiaojie and Qin Huining had said and done just now. Comparing it to Qin Yining's sensible and obedient behavior, he felt even more indignant for Qin Yining. He made up his mind to support Qin Yining and vent his anger. After thinking about it, he personally went to the Old Madam's Cixiao Garden.
Qin Yining returned to the Shuoren Study. He had endured Bing Tang and Song Lan the whole way. As soon as he entered the door, he began to wipe his tears.
They were waiting outside just now and heard the conversation between Qin Yining and Qin Huaiyuan clearly. They were moved by the affection between father and daughter and sighed at Qin Yining's steadiness. However, they were more angry and resentful.
"It's not enough that the fatuous ruler has harmed my family and so many innocent people. Now he wants to harm a young lady!" Bing Tang sobbed. She wiped her tears hard and rubbed her apple-like face red.
Qin Yining took a handkerchief and handed it to her. "Keep your voice down. Be careful. The walls have ears."
"I'm not the only one who cursed the fatuous ruler. That old bastard should have died long ago!"
Bing Tang remembered how well Qin Yining treated her. He wholeheartedly planned for her future. Qin Yining never coveted the money she earned from selling ointments and cosmetics. He even tried his best to help her open up new business opportunities. When the family members of the civil officials sent gifts, Qin Yining gave them to her without hiding anything. The care and concern he gave her in her daily life was not just a little bit.
Such an upright and kind-hearted person was now being molested by an old pervert because of the fatuous ruler's words.
Why didn't the fatuous ruler choke to death on food and water?
Song Lan, Qiu Lu, Liu Ya, and Zhu Mama also sobbed sadly.
Qin Yining saw them like this and felt bad in his heart.
It would be a lie to say that she didn't feel resentment or fear.
It was just that she had seen too much darkness and struggled at the bottom for too long. She learned how to accept her fate and how to fight according to fate's arrangements.
Since it was something that couldn't be changed, there was no point in worrying about it and being afraid. What she needed to think about now was how to survive the peace talks and how to live a good life in the future.
When the servants saw how calm Qin Yining was, it would be bad if they continued to cry, so they wiped their tears.
Bing Tang blew his nose and then remembered the important matter. He pulled Qin Yining to a corner and whispered, "Miss, the young master in the inn sent someone to send you a letter today. He said that you didn't visit him for so many days and that it was perfunctory. He asked if you have forgotten about his life-saving grace and don't want to care about him anymore."
Hearing this, Qin Yining was stunned and smiled awkwardly.
She didn't forget Yao Zhixi's life-saving grace, but her mother had been suppressed these days and was in a bad mood. She was so busy with the matters in the inner residence that her head was in a mess. Bing Tang went to treat Yao Zhixi with acupuncture every day and she would also ask about the progress of the treatment. However, she never thought of personally visiting him.
Qin Yining thought about it and said, "Forget it, I'll go take a look. I have to leave on the sixteenth of the first month and there are still nine days left. I don't know what arrangements the emperor has for me during this time. Why don't I take advantage of today's free time to go see him and say goodbye."
The word 'goodbye' made people feel uncomfortable.
Bing Tang nodded silently and went to order people to prepare the carriage.
Qin Yining took Bing Tang, Song Lan, and Qiu Lu back to Qin Huaiyuan and left. Old madam's heart was biased to the extreme and Qin Yining avoided interacting with her.
Pang Xiao had specially bathed and changed his clothes today and changed into a moon-white brocade robe. At this time, he was sitting on the arhat bed next to the window and reading a book.
He sat upright with a focused expression and was reading very seriously.
However, he hadn't flipped a single page of the book since he woke up this morning.
Huzi went back and forth to pour tea and water. Seeing Pang Xiao's seemingly refined but actually daydreaming appearance, his mouth was about to become crooked.
If Fourth Miss Qin didn't come today, master would probably go crazy!
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly saw his master stand up. Immediately, Huzi heard the sound of light footsteps and a woman's voice outside.
Huzi sighed and went out to greet them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wang Ye sit down again with an indifferent expression.
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