The atmosphere in the carriage was very gloomy. Qin Yining hadn't slept all night, and the news that Jing Zhe was going to be executed had given her a splitting headache. Her complexion was also very bad. She leaned against the wooden wall of the carriage and closed her eyes to rest, her fingers pinching the space between her eyebrows.
Qin Huaiyuan said, "Father thought you had already returned home. I didn't expect you to be guarding the Warden's Office in the Five Cities. I only just found out that you were here when your mother was very worried. "
"It's my fault for making father worry." Qin Yining opened her eyes, which were already bloodshot. "Father didn't return home last night? Were you in front of Your Majesty the entire time? "
"Yes." Qin Huaiyuan's face was also full of fatigue. He said, "Yesterday, when Minister Cheng brought people into the palace, I happened to be there."
Qin Yining smiled bitterly and said, "Father, I know even if you don't say it. It must have been a battle of words. It's my fault for causing so much trouble for Father. "
Qin Huaiyuan heard this and smiled. He said, "How can it be considered your fault? You were also an innocent bystander. In the end, it all started because I was startled by their caravan that day. I didn't want to give in, and I also didn't want to let these rich second generations run amok in the capital and disturb the people. That's why I pursued them so fiercely. I didn't expect that it would cause such trouble. "
Qin Yining said, "Father, I'm not afraid of trouble, but … is Jing Zhe really beyond saving?"
Qin Huaiyuan sighed and nodded. He said, "Sister Yi, you're a smart person. Father doesn't need to tell you that Your Majesty made the decision to punish Jing Zhe just to shut Minister Cheng's mouth with a servant. In this matter, we only lost one person, and we can maintain the balance we've worked so hard to maintain. We didn't lose anything. The one who lost was Minister Cheng."
"But there's still a life involved!" Qin Yining's voice was somewhat hoarse.
Qin Huaiyuan said, "Father knows what you're thinking, and I know you're sincere. But the imperial edict has already been issued, what else can we do? Sister Yi, I know you're smart and you might be able to think of a way to save Jing Zhe's life, but you have to remember that you're the daughter of a Family Qin. You have to think twice before you act. "
Qin Huaiyuan's intention was quite clear.
Jing Zhe was just a servant. If necessary, it was not a big deal to sacrifice a servant. The Family Qin had not yet gained a firm foothold in the capital. What they needed was Your Majesty's protection. Your Majesty had already sentenced Jing Zhe to be beheaded, so it was already set in stone. If they dared to plead for leniency, it would be tantamount to slapping the Emperor's face.
From a bystander's point of view, Qin Yining knew that he shouldn't have interfered and made things worse.
However, the reason Jing Zhe intervened was to protect her.
If it weren't for her, how could he have implicated Jing Zhe and caused him to lose his life?
After all, Jing Zhe was someone by her side. If something happened to him, she would just shrink her neck and not do anything. How could she convince the public in the future? Moreover, she didn't want Jing Zhe to be sacrificed in order to protect her.
Thinking of this, Qin Yining said, "Father, I promise I won't harm the interests of the family."
She was telling Qin Huaiyuan that she was determined to save Jing Zhe.
Qin Yining looked at Qin Huaiyuan with apprehension. She was thinking about what she would do if her father denied her decision, or even severely reprimanded or stopped her.
Unexpectedly, Qin Huaiyuan suddenly burst out laughing, scaring Qin Yining.
"Father, you …"
"I knew it. You are stubborn. Just like when I was young, once I decided on something, I would do it according to my own ideas. I didn't care whether others would stop me or not."
Qin Yining smiled when she heard this. "Father, you are such a rational and steady person. How could you be like this? You're not lying to me, are you? "
"I'm not lying to you. Don't all people start off as rash and high-spirited? They gradually settle down and become steady? "
Qin Huaiyuan took off his official hat and rubbed his face. "Sister Yi, you can do whatever you want. However, you must remember what I said just now. Don't forget that you are a member of the Family Qin. The first thing you need to do is to protect the family. Only when the family is strong will you have more confidence in the future."
"I will remember what you said, Father," Qin Yining said gratefully. "Thank you for your understanding."
Qin Huaiyuan only smiled and patted Qin Yining's head.
When the carriage returned home, Qin Yining went to see the Sun Clan and said that she was going back to catch up on sleep.
However, the servants could see that Qin Yining's expression was not good, especially the people around Qin Yining who knew what was going on.
Qin Yining sat cross-legged on the heated kang bed next to the window. Although she was tired and sleepy, she did not feel sleepy at all because of Jing Zhe.
Jing Zhe's execution was personally judged by Li Qitian.
Since they could not plead for mercy, they could only think of a way to make Li Qitian speak up and pardon Jing Zhe's death sentence.
However, Li Qitian was fine, so why should she release Jing Zhe?
In Li Qitian's opinion, letting the Family Qin lose one servant was enough to let Minister Cheng's family suffer a loss. This was already biased towards the Family Qin. If they were not careful, it was very likely that they would anger Li Qitian, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
Qin Yining pinched the space between her eyebrows with her fingers and sat on the heated kang bed next to the window without saying a word, thinking of a way.
Ji Yun and the others saw that Qin Yining was unwilling to rest. After persuading her to no avail, they could only quietly accompany her.
Qin Yining did not touch the lunch that was brought over.
It was the same for dinner.
She did not eat or sleep, which made Ji Yun, Xian Yun, and the others very anxious. Young Man, Xiao Xue, and Da Han were also particularly moved.
Qin Yining had already done her best in this matter. Jing Zhe was implicated, but it had nothing to do with Qin Yining. Although they felt sorry for their brother, they would not take their anger out on Qin Yining.
Bing Tang and Ji Yun were so anxious by Qin Yining that they almost went to tell Qin Huaiyuan. Qin Yining suddenly got off the bed and ordered, "Go and call Young Man and the others over. I have something to tell them. Also, Ji Yun, go to Master Zhong and tell him that I want to use our people in Dayan to secretly make a trip here."
Seeing that Qin Yining's eyes were clear and she was in high spirits, without any signs of depression, they guessed that she had already thought of a way.
Qin Yining saw that Ji Yun, Bing Tang, and the others were looking at her eagerly. She could not help but laugh and say, "I have thought of a way. It should work. You guys quickly do as I say."
"Yes." Everyone hurriedly split up.
Qin Yining called Young Man and the others over and whispered a few words to them. They looked at each other in confusion, nodded, and did as Qin Yining said.
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