Even though it was already late, Qin Yining didn't dare to stay outside. He could only rush back to the capital. When he arrived at the city gates, it was already past xu shi. He used some silver and showed his identity before he could successfully enter the city.
Because it was already curfew time, Qin Yining didn't dare to walk around the streets for fear of attracting trouble. He found a nearby inn and stayed for the night. He also arranged for Ji Yun to quietly return to Qin Huaiyuan's manor and secretly tell Qin Huaiyuan about her schedule today. He didn't want old madam and others to cause trouble when they saw that she didn't return home at night.
She slept peacefully for the night. When she returned to the manor early the next morning, she saw Qin Huaiyuan's personal servant, Qi Tai, looking around at the door. When he saw Qin Yining's carriage, he hurriedly came forward to salute.
"Fourth Young Lady, the Marquis ordered this lowly one to wait for you here. He asked you to go to the study as soon as you return home."
Qin Yining said in surprise, "Why didn't father go to court today?"
Qi Tai smiled and said, "The Marquis originally went, but the Empress wasn't feeling well. His Majesty had to stay in Feng Yi Palace to take care of her, so he didn't go to court."
Qin Yining smiled and nodded.
Was the Empress' "not feeling well" because she wanted to find an excuse to eat her flesh? Or was it because she couldn't eat her flesh?
When they arrived at the study in the outer courtyard, they saw Qin Huaiyuan holding a wooden ladle with a long handle. He was scooping water from a wooden bucket and watering the flowers in the corridor. He was wearing a loose cotton robe that was neither new nor old. Because he was afraid of getting his sleeves wet, a large portion of his right sleeve was rolled up.
"The Marquis, Fourth Young Lady has returned." Qi Tai saluted in front of the courtyard door.
"En. You can all withdraw first. " Qin Huaiyuan put down the wooden ladle and took a handkerchief from a maidservant to wipe his hands. Then, he straightened out his sleeves.
Qi Tai and the maidservants all withdrew.
Qin Yining smiled and said, "It's good that father can rest at home today. You usually work too hard."
"That's right. I still have to thank the Empress. "Qin Huaiyuan laughed and said," Why don't you accompany your father for a stroll in the garden? "
Qin Yining nodded happily. "Sure."
Qin Yining asked Bing Tang to go back to the Shuoren House to rest first. He only asked Song Lan to wait in front of the garden gate. After making the necessary arrangements, he and Qin Huaiyuan walked through the Chuihua Gate and went all the way to the back garden.
It was the season when the grass was long and the orioles were flying. The back garden was full of vitality. The white stone arch bridge above the lotus pond cast a reflection on the surface of the lake. The shore was covered with greenery, covering the rippling light. Taking a deep breath, one could smell the fragrance of the flowers and plants, and one's tense mood would relax.
The father and daughter pair walked all the way to an open lawn. After making sure there was no one around to hide, Qin Huaiyuan finally spoke.
"Last night, Ji Yun, who was by your side, rushed back and explained the situation to me. Sister Yi, why didn't you tell me yesterday? Is it because in your heart, father would sacrifice you to protect the safety of the family? "
Qin Huaiyuan's straightforward words surprised Qin Yining.
In her impression, Qin Huaiyuan was someone who liked to only say half of what he was saying. This left room for others to think, and also left room for himself to explain. She had always admired this way of speaking, and felt that this was the way of a smart person.
For him to speak so bluntly today, it was clear that her actions had angered Qin Huaiyuan. Or, it could be said that this matter had stimulated Qin Huaiyuan.
"Father, why do you say that?" Qin Yining said seriously, "I never thought that father would sacrifice me for the benefit of the family. It's just that this matter happened so suddenly, and father wasn't in the fu at the time. If I waited for you to come back, I'm afraid that the Empress and Emperor's edict would have already been sent down. At that time, wouldn't I have no choice but to stretch out my neck and wait to be executed? "
"Moreover, with father's status, there are hundreds of pairs of eyes watching whatever he does. If you were to get involved, it would be easy to alert the enemy. Unlike me, a little girl, many people look down on me. The Empress might also think that even if I knew something, I wouldn't be able to do anything. That's why no one was on guard. "
Qin Huaiyuan looked seriously into Qin Yining's eyes.
Seeing that her tone was sincere and her eyes were clear, he knew that she wasn't being perfunctory. He nodded and said, "It's good that you don't think too much. To tell you the truth, if I suddenly received the imperial edict without knowing beforehand, I could only let you escape. If I received the news first, I'm afraid that I would have done the same thing as you. "
"I'm father's daughter, so I naturally think the same way as father." Qin Yining laughed lightly.
Qin Huaiyuan saw that Qin Yining didn't seem to care that the Empress was going to eat her. She was still as steady as ever, without the slightest trace of panic. He loved and cherished her even more.
"Your method is very good. After I received the news last night, I've been paying attention to the situation in the palace. Although I didn't receive any accurate information, the Emperor didn't attend court today. It wasn't because the Empress was unwell, but because the Empress was angry and the Emperor wanted to stay behind to coax her. Connecting this to the situation in the past two days, it's clear why the Empress was angry. No matter what method His Majesty uses to take your life, your safety can be guaranteed for the time being. "
Qin Huaiyuan stopped walking and broke off a thin willow branch to play with in his hand.
Qin Yining copied Qin Huaiyuan and plucked a willow leaf. She put it to her lips and blew it like a whistle.
The sound of the leaf shaking startled the birds and caused Qin Yining to laugh.
Qin Huaiyuan saw that she didn't have any hazy expression and relaxed a lot. His tightly knitted brows also relaxed a bit.
Father and daughter were silent for a moment. Qin Yining threw away the leaf and said, "Father doesn't need to take this matter to heart. You have a clear conscience. But now that you've seen the Emperor clearly, you need to make some plans for yourself in the future. If he's a wise ruler, if he's willing to work hard to govern, even if he's incompetent, it's worth it for us to serve him until we die. But he's a fatuous ruler. "
Qin Yining raised her head and looked Qin Huaiyuan in the eyes, "To say something disrespectful, father is burying father by following such a fatuous ruler. This kind of person isn't worth father's blood. Father shouldn't be too disappointed, and there's no need to suffer. After recognizing reality, you should think about the future. "
How could Qin Huaiyuan not be disappointed?
He had been an official in the imperial court for many years. Even if he didn't make any contributions, he had always been cautious and conscientious, loyal, and devoted. But the Emperor had persecuted his family time and time again without considering his feelings. First, he destroyed his in-laws, then he put his wife on the execution ground. He didn't care about his wishes and forced a woman to be his concubine. Now, he even wanted to capture his only bloodline and eat her!
It was difficult for him to have children, and he only had this one daughter. The Emperor didn't even consider his benefits and was actually so vicious!
Last night, Qin Huaiyuan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. First, he was glad that his daughter was smart and reacted appropriately. Then, he deeply felt self-pity and sighed. Even if there was a saying, "If the Emperor wants a subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die," he still despaired of the Emperor's fatuity. He even felt that perhaps if the Emperor had been changed, the Dayan country's fortune would have been better. The common people wouldn't have been exploited to the point of starvation and suffering.
However, Qin Huaiyuan didn't expect that after his daughter was almost captured and eaten, not only did she not complain about his incompetence as a father, she even comforted him.
That feeling of being understood and accepted was something that Qin Huaiyuan didn't even get from his own mother.
Qin Huaiyuan's eyes were somewhat hot. He raised his head and looked into the distance with his hands behind his back.
After a while, Qin Huaiyuan said, "Your third cousin sister is going to get married in a month. You're also going to be of marriageable age in two months. It's also time to discuss marriage. Yesterday, His Highness the Crown Prince came to find me. I don't want to wrong you, so I wanted to ask for your opinion. "
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