Ning Wang turned around and waved his hand at the heir, indicating that he didn't need to follow. Then he walked down the red steps and asked the steward, "How many people know that he came?"
"Wang Ye, the Marquis of Anping came from the side door in disguise. No one saw him. Right now, only you, the heir, and this old servant know. Even if others saw him, they wouldn't be able to recognize him. This old servant has arranged for him to stay in your small study in the outer courtyard. Right now, he's having tea. "
"Very good." Ning Wang and the steward's figures disappeared around the corner.
Ning Wang's heir knew that he couldn't interfere in this matter. He just needed to keep his mouth shut.
Qin Huaiyuan and Ning Wang weren't close in the past. It was just that they each had their own way of doing things. This was the first time that Qin Huaiyuan had taken the initiative to visit.
When Ning Wang arrived at the small study, Qin Huaiyuan was already sitting on a round chair and drinking half a cup of tea.
Seeing Ning Wang Ye, Qin Huaiyuan stood up and bowed, "Greetings, Wang Ye."
"No need for formalities." Ning Wang's gaze swept over the room and saw the exquisite gift box on the table. There was also a colorful coral bonsai on the ground that was half the height of a person.
He casually opened the lid of the gift box. Inside was Yan Zhenqing's letter!
This kind of authentic work was hard to buy even with a thousand gold. Qin Huaiyuan was actually willing to give it away!
Ning Wang's heart burned with anger. He looked disdainfully at Qin Huaiyuan. Sitting at the head of the table, he said coldly, "Marquis of Anping, these things are too precious."
Qin Huaiyuan could see Ning Wang's disdain for him, but he wasn't angry. He only smiled and said, "Look at this Yan Zhenqing's letter. Is it good? Is the coral still bright? "
Ning Wang's disdain deepened. He secretly thought that Qin Huaiyuan brought such a precious gift to settle the matter for his daughter. He probably didn't want to have anything to do with him, and he definitely didn't want to offend the empress because of him!
How could this be called a man?
He was bullied by the Cao Family to the point that his pants were about to be ripped off, but this coward didn't dare to fight back!
In public, the Cao family was a scum that brought disaster to the country and the people.
Privately, Cao Guozhang persecuted the Family Qin, and the Demon Empress even wanted to eat the flesh of the Family Qin's daughter.
How could he endure such a deep hatred? How could he be so thick-skinned as to present a gift to cut off all ties with him?
The fire in Prince Ning's heart was suddenly ignited as if someone had poured hot oil on it. He slapped the table, stood up angrily and said,
"The Marquis of Anping is a pillar of the imperial court. This King thought that you were also a heroic figure, but he didn't expect you to be so cowardly. You actually curried favor with those in power just to survive! Then what was the Cao Family? I've already trampled you under my feet, and you still want to live in peace? Are you afraid that This King will burden you? Asking your daughter's maidservant to treat the Princess Consort caused you to be paralyzed with fear? Qin Meng, are you a man? I think you're just a coward! "
Prince Ning was already full of anger today. When he saw the two precious gifts and Qin Huaiyuan's elegant smile after being scolded, he became even angrier. He scolded Qin Huaiyuan, but it wasn't enough. He pointed at Qin Huaiyuan's nose and scolded him. He cursed the female elders of the Family Qin, and then cursed the ancestors of the Family Qin. He almost threw him out.
Qin Huaiyuan sat elegantly on the round-backed chair and watched Prince Ning flip out. He looked at him as if he was looking at an impulsive child.
When Prince Ning's mouth was dry from scolding, Qin Huaiyuan handed him a cup of tea at the right time.
Prince Ning was so angry that he almost smashed the teacup.
"Wang Ye, calm down." Qin Huaiyuan smiled.
Prince Ning seemed to have punched cotton. Why did he encounter such a troublesome piece of meat?
Qin Huaiyuan said gently, "Wang Ye, calm down. Rest for a while and listen to me. I didn't bring these two gifts for you. "
Prince Ning's hand trembled and he almost dropped the teacup. His face immediately turned red, and he asked awkwardly, "Not for This King? Didn't you come here to smooth things over for your daughter? "
"Wang Ye misunderstood." Qin Huaiyuan smiled as he flipped through the pages of the precious book. "Could it be that Your Highness has forgotten what Minister of State Cao loves?"
Prince Ning reacted and murmured, "That old guy loves calligraphy. His calligraphy is not bad."
"Yes." Qin Huaiyuan said with a smile, "These two gifts are to his liking. I brought them to Wang Ye so that Wang Ye can take them to Guozhang Cao to apologize."
When Prince Ning heard this, he felt a little angry.
However, he learned his lesson and didn't immediately flare up. Instead, he asked seriously, "Marquis of Anping, what do you mean?"
"Wang Ye also knows that the three armies, the Five Army Camps, the Three Thousand Army Camp, the Divine Machine Camp, and the Capital Region Camp have three hundred and fifty thousand soldiers gathered outside the city without a leader. The commander's seal is empty. Pang Zhixi's one hundred thousand Tiger Army is entrenched in Xi Hua City, which is on the opposite side of the Capital City. With so many soldiers and horses, it's naturally impossible for them to fight on their own. To guard the Capital City, they must have a commander. However, the Emperor hasn't chosen who to hold the commander's seal. "
Prince Ning sneered, "Imperial Brother, aren't you counting on the Tatan to send troops?"
"The problem is that we can't count on the Tatan now. As far as I know, the Tatan Princess supported her younger brother as the new Khan, and she and her husband are regents to govern the Tatan together. The Tatan's old officials are unconvinced, and the young Khan's followers are also unconvinced. Their country is in chaos, so it's impossible for them to send troops. Besides, the mountain is high and the road is long, so what's the use of sending troops? The Emperor will see this clearly sooner or later. "
Seeing that Qin Huaiyuan's information on the Tatan was the same as his own, Prince Ning nodded.
Qin Huaiyuan said, "The Emperor has been unwilling to choose a commander for a long time, so he's also in a dilemma. Now that Cao Guozhang has become the Grand Preceptor, although he failed to contact the Tatan, the Emperor doesn't need to torment the Grand Preceptor anymore. After Cao Guozhang was restored, he participated in court affairs, so the Emperor definitely won't hand over the military power to Cao Guozhang. "
"And now the Emperor doesn't trust you," Prince Ning said.
"That's right, so the commander's seal won't be handed over to me either. The person the Emperor wants to choose must be someone he can control, who also has enough prestige to command the three hundred and fifty thousand soldiers. But we still have to pay attention, although Cao Guozhang doesn't have the power to be elected, he has the power to veto. If the Emperor chooses someone, and Cao Guozhang blindly opposes it, the Emperor may have no choice but to compromise … "
Since the words were said so clearly, even if Qin Huaiyuan didn't say the following words, Prince Ning understood.
"So you want me to curry favor with Cao Guozhang?"
"It can't be considered to be curry favor. The art of war is deceitful. Wang Ye is a hero on the battlefield, so I don't need to say more. Besides, a real man knows when to yield and when to stand tall. Right now, you just need to send a gift, apologize, and express your goodwill, so that Cao Guozhang will lower his guard against you, and let him feel that you can be controlled by him. In that case, the commander's seal for the three hundred and fifty thousand soldiers will all be in your hands. "
After saying this, Qin Huaiyuan stood up, bowed deeply to Prince Ning, and said solemnly, "Wang Ye, the Dayan is on the verge of collapse. In the Dayan Dynasty, the only person who has the ability to command the troops to defend the Capital and fight against Pang Zhixi is none other than you. If the commander's seal falls into the hands of Cao Guozhang's group of idiots, the Dayan Dynasty will really be finished. Therefore, whether it's for public or private reasons, I ask Wang Ye to take action. "
Prince Ning looked at Qin Huaiyuan's sincere face, and his previous misunderstanding of Qin Huaiyuan disappeared.
How was this person a coward?
He was a truly strong man!
Moreover, he didn't make any mistakes. He really lived up to the name of "Pan An the Wise"!
When he thought about how he had pointed at Qin Huaiyuan's nose and scolded him until he was black and blue, and even cursed his ancestors, Prince Ning's face heated up. He couldn't help but cough, and stood up to return the bow, "This King was reckless just now. Marquis Anping, please don't take it to heart."
"I can understand Wang Ye's anger. If it were me, I would also be angry. "Qin Huaiyuan smiled.
Seeing that Qin Huaiyuan didn't take it to heart, Prince Ning felt relieved. He put away the letter, nodded, and said, "Good, This King understands your meaning. However, This King still has a question he wants to ask you. "
"Wang Ye, please speak." Qin Huaiyuan raised his eyebrows, puzzled.
Prince Ning said, "Today's matter, was it you and the young miss of your residence who set up a trap for This King to fall into?"
When Qin Huaiyuan heard this, he laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Wang Ye is worrying too much. I just heard that you invited Miss Tang here, and that the Princess Consort was harmed by the Empress, so I came here on the spur of the moment. "
Prince Ning nodded with a smile, and didn't pursue the matter.
At this point, whether it was a trap or a coincidence was no longer important to him.
Because Prince Ning saw hope.
As long as he had military power, he wouldn't have to be idle and could do more things. At least, he could do something for the country.
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Qin Yining didn't know that Qin Huaiyuan had gone to Prince Ning's residence, and Qin Huaiyuan didn't ask Qin Yining about what was going on outside.
Bing Tang stayed at Prince Ning's residence to treat the Princess Consort's illness, and Qin Yining, Ji Yun, Song Lan, and Qiu Lu peacefully lived their lives.
On the surface, the days were calm and peaceful. But in reality, Qin Yining felt that this was the calm before the storm. Her heart was hanging. She didn't know what the Cao Family would do, whether they would continue to persecute the Family Qin. She also didn't know if the conflict between Prince Ning and the Cao Family would cause Prince Ning to help the Family Qin.
She had done everything she could. Now, she could only resign herself to fate.
But the next night, she heard from Master Zhong that Prince Ning had gone to the Cao Family to apologize. Qin Yining immediately felt her heart turn cold.
It seemed that Prince Ning was also afraid of the imperial power and the Cao Family's power.
At this critical juncture, it wasn't a good choice to oppose the Cao Family. Prince Ning Wang Ye could be considered to know when to yield and when to stand tall.
But what about her family?
That night, Qin Yining was so worried that she couldn't sleep. She lay under the mosquito net and fanned herself with the silk fan. She didn't know if it was because she was irritated or because it was really hot in the summer, but Qin Yining tossed and turned like a pancake. She only felt a little sleepy when it was midnight.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard what seemed to be the sound of a gong being struck outside.
Qin Yining quivered and opened her eyes. She heard someone shout, "Fire! Fire! "
Qin Yining's heart jumped. She quickly got off the ground and put on her shoes, heading to the balcony outside the attic.
At this time, the maidens and servants living in the Master's Residence had also woken up. They all gathered at the balcony and windows to look outside.
They saw that in the direction of Xingning Garden, there was already fire.
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