Qin Yining nodded with tears in her eyes, trying her best to suppress her grief.
She had returned to her Family Qin for five years and had weathered many storms. Although she had spent more time with her parents than with them, she still had hope for the future. She knew that no matter how much suffering she went through, she would eventually have a chance to return home.
This time, however, the road ahead was bleak.
Such a life and death separation was truly heart-wrenching. Her parents, relatives, and her child, who was less than two years old … These were the most important people to her, but she might have to withdraw from their lives.
It was rare for Qin Yining to be so fragile. In Pang Xiao's eyes, the way she restrained her tears was even more distressing than when she cried loudly. He really hoped that Qin Yining was an arrogant and domineering person. If she wasn't so sensible, why would she have to suffer so much?
"Father-in-law, this is all my fault." Pang Xiao kowtowed three times. "Father-in-law, don't worry. This trip is not to throw away my life, but to make sure that the important people can live. I won't stake everything on a single throw. Even if there is a day when there is danger, as long as I am here, no one will be able to hurt Sister Yi. Even if it is a matter of life and death, I will use my life to protect her. I will never leave behind her. Father-in-law, please rest assured! "
Qin Huaiyuan nodded. He held back his tears and helped the two of them up.
"Alright. Alright, father understands your intentions. We are not parting forever. Although it is difficult now, things have not reached that stage. After this separation, we will definitely meet again in the future. You and I don't have to be so pessimistic. "
"Yes." Qin Yining and Pang Xiao said in unison.
Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi couldn't help but feel sympathy for them. They promised Qin Huaiyuan, "Duke Qin, please rest assured. The two of us will do our best to assist Wang Ye. We will not slack off in the slightest!"
"I believe in the two of you. From now on, I will have to trouble the two of you."
"You flatter me. This is what we should do … "
After the family came to an agreement, Pang Xiao arranged for someone to send Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi back home.
Qin Yining followed Qin Huaiyuan back to the inner residence.
There was no one else on the road, so Qin Yining took the opportunity to ask, "Father, will Aunt Cao still go with you this time?"
Qin Yining wanted to show concern for her father, but because she was a married daughter, it was not appropriate for her to directly ask her father about taking a concubine. She could only ask in a roundabout way.
Qin Huaiyuan naturally understood what Qin Yining meant. He said bitterly, "I wanted to ask her for her opinion, but she avoided me. She's been staying in the guest courtyard and refuses to come to the residence. I didn't want to bother her anymore. "
When Qin Yining heard Qin Huaiyuan take the initiative to talk about the details, he knew that Qin Huaiyuan was really confused.
Even if Qin Huaiyuan was in a difficult situation, he wouldn't discuss it with the Sun Clan, right? It was fine for brothers to talk about this, but with Qin Huaiyuan's personality, he definitely wouldn't embarrass himself in front of Second Uncle and Third Uncle. Otherwise, how would he be able to convince the family in the future?
Therefore, when her father encountered such a troublesome matter, he didn't even have a place to talk.
"There is no doubt about Aunt Cao's sincerity towards you. This can be seen from how she has pursued you over the years. Back in Dayan's capital, when Zhixi's soldiers besieged the city and the capital was suffering from a drought, with Aunt Cao's skills, she could've just left us behind. However, she was willing to follow by your side and take the lead for you.
"Although my mother and I are both official wives and we don't want our husbands to take a concubine, we were moved by Aunt Cao's sincerity and dedication. My mother told me that she was so in love with you that she was willing to risk her life to protect the people important to you. She had saved the lives of our family members several times. Even she was moved by her.
"Father, I think it's not a disgrace for you to accept such a woman who is willing to give her all for you. If you don't take the initiative, you'll be letting down her deep feelings."
Qin Huaiyuan blushed and lowered his eyes. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have said these things to his daughter.
However, he was truly confused.
"I understand what you're saying. I'm not a cold-hearted person who can be moved. I also admire her. However, when I brought up this matter with her, she refused. Earlier, when I took a concubine for the sake of having an heir, I hurt your mother's heart. Your mother was born in a prestigious family and suffered a lot with me in her life. Now that I have such an excellent daughter like you, I don't insist on having a son. Naturally, I won't take a concubine for the sake of having an heir and make your mother sad. However, I didn't do this for the sake of having an heir … "
Qin Yining listened quietly to Qin Huaiyuan's words. She knew that her father usually spoke clearly, but this time, he was a little confused.
This was enough to prove that Cao Yuqing's matter made her wise and thoughtful father confused.
Since her father was willing to explain his thoughts to her, she didn't hold back. She took the opportunity to ask, "I understand. You really appreciate Aunt Cao and like her, so you want to marry her as a concubine, right?"
Qin Huaiyuan nodded and looked a little uncomfortable.
Qin Yining asked the question hidden in her heart, "But father, Aunt Cao has expressed her feelings for you in front of you before. She is a straightforward person and never hides her feelings. She was so active at that time, so why didn't you accept her?
"She entered the manor as a concubine granted by Your Majesty. However, you would rather accept the other four concubines than be close to her. You even put her on a shelf … If I were Aunt Cao, I would also have resentment in my heart. I wouldn't nod as soon as you opened your mouth. Wouldn't that make her come at your command and leave at your command? "
Qin Huaiyuan listened to Qin Yining's analysis and gradually stopped.
They were walking to the small lake in the back garden. To the right was the Shuoren House where Qin Yining lived. To the left was the old madam's Cixiao Garden, and to the inside was Xingning Garden.
The winter night was dark and windy. There were no stars and no moon. They could only rely on the lights of the Shuoren House to illuminate the path in front of them. The surface of the lake was pitch-black, as if a lake of ink had gathered.
Qin Huaiyuan pursed his lips and stood in place. He looked at the pitch-black lake and didn't know what to say for a moment.
After a while, he said hoarsely, "So that's how it is. I think that's what she was thinking. However, I didn't mean to look down on her. "
Qin Yining nodded and sighed, "If father has any thoughts, you can tell Aunt Cao directly. Aunt Cao isn't an unreasonable person."
"I know. At that time, she came under the imperial edict. We were colleagues, so naturally I could only keep a respectful distance. Later, I didn't want to delay her. She wanted to be my bodyguard and didn't want to be a concubine. Of course, I agreed. There was no reason for me to force her to stay by my side when she didn't want to.
"Later on, when Great Yan was annihilated, our family had to go through countless tribulations before we finally arrived at Great Zhou. I knew our future was bleak, and we could become the sacrifice of the struggle between the three sects at any time. So, how could I drag her into the mire? She didn't want to be my concubine, she only wanted to be my bodyguard. She could leave at any time.
"She could have been free. Could it be that because of my own selfishness, she would be buried with me? It's only now that I'm about to live in seclusion in Xi Yue and don't want to be involved in the mortal world anymore. My life is stable, so I wanted to mention this to her. However, she didn't want to.
"Forget it, forget it. This kind of thing can't be forced. I also have no reason to force her to be a concubine. Moreover, your mother has been with me for my entire life. I have indeed wronged her a lot. "
Qin Huaiyuan seemed to be talking to himself. It also seemed like he was venting his emotions. He couldn't find anyone to talk to about these personal matters. He could only talk to his daughter, who was like a close friend to him.
Qin Huaiyuan turned around somewhat embarrassedly. "Sister Yi, you …"
But before he could finish speaking, he saw an unexpected person behind Qin Yining.
Qin Yining saw that his father's expression was strange and hurriedly turned around. He saw Cao Yuqing, who was wearing a sapphire blue cloak with a gray mouse fur collar. She was standing about twenty feet behind him. Her fair skin was like high-quality porcelain in the night. However, he couldn't see her expression clearly. He didn't know how long she had been with them and how much she had heard of their conversation.
Cao Yuqing silently looked at Qin Huaiyuan.
Qin Huaiyuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His hands slowly clenched behind his back. The two of them looked at each other in silence.
Qin Yining had mixed feelings at this moment.
She knew that she was facing a pair of lovers.
However, when she thought of her mother, she felt that this was a kind of betrayal.
From Cao Yuqing's point of view, she had been a secret agent since young and had been raised to be a killing machine. When she was young, her heart was tied to a man. She gave her heart to him, waited for him, and was even prepared to give up her life for him. Now, she finally saw the light of day. She didn't want to snatch the position of the official wife. All she wanted was the status of a concubine. What did she do wrong?
From her father's point of view, there was nothing wrong with a man taking in a concubine. With her father's status and talent, it was only right for him to take in as many women as he liked. No one could blame him for it.
However, from a mother's point of view, her husband, who loved her wholeheartedly, had also shared his affections with other women. She could only nod with a smile and promise that he could have other women at the same time, and that she would share her husband with other women. If she did not nod, then she would be unvirtuous, jealous, and guilty of the seven sins. In order to maintain this family, to maintain the relationship between husband and wife, and to fulfill the other woman's wish, she could only pretend to be magnanimous against her heart and nod in agreement.
Neither of them was wrong. They each had their own difficulties and grievances.
However, Qin Yining's heart ached even more for her mother.
Qin Yining knew that her way of thinking couldn't be accepted by the current ways of the world. However, she was full of regret. This world had never been fair to women.
Qin Yining curtsied and quietly retreated, leaving the two of them alone.
She didn't immediately return to Snow Pear Courtyard. Instead, she went directly to Xingning Garden.
The Sun Clan was taking Mother Jin and the maidservants in the house to check their luggage. When they saw Qin Yining, the Sun Clan smiled and said, "Sister Yi, you're here. Have you finished discussing business with your father?"
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