Return of the Swallow

st now.
This is honestly very worrying.”

And how would Qin Huaiyuan be any less anxious? But some things were better off kept between the two of them.
There was no point in voicing them and having the entire family brood over this as well.

He voiced a few words of comfort to his wife and escorted the old dowager and others back to the Garden of Loving Piety.
The manor was still in tatters.
All of the unmarried girls still remained in the Venerable Study Hall, while everyone else resided in the Garden of Loving Piety.

After soothing the old dowager, Qin Huaiyuan asked servants to bring Mu Jinghu over.

The man had been hesitating all during this time whether he should enter the palace as well to ensure Qin Yining’s safety.
But that eunuch earlier hadn’t allowed her to bring even her maids.
How would a whole man like him make it in? He received Qin Huaiyuan’s summons just when caught in the throes of indecision.

“Uncle.” Mu Jinghu greeted the marquis with the same friendly, yet polite attitude as ever.
He wasn’t more respectful because Qin Huaiyuan had regained his positions, and made the bow of a junior greeting a family senior.

After this period of observation, the marquis understood that Mu Jinghu wasn’t someone with complex twists and turns to his mind.
He’d first treated Mu Jinghu’s presumptuous closeness with suspicion, but now understood that the gentleman was simply honest to a fault.

Mu Jinghu was more like a naive child with little understanding of the ways of the world.
It must be because of a close friendship with Pang Xiao that Mu Jinghu respected Qin Huaiyuan as Pang Xiao’s father-in-law.

So when Qin Huaiyuan spoke with Mu Jinghu, he put aside his usual demure style and cut straight to the chase.
“Sir Mu, let me be frank.
The emperor likes daughter Yi.
He wants to make her the empress.
As subjects, we can’t defy an imperial decree.
Men from the palace came just now and I could only let them take my daughter.
You know as well that her injuries are not yet healed.
She’s lost so much blood and is still extremely weak…”

“If Miss Qin becomes the empress, then that fox loses his wife!” Mu Jinghu’s eyes went wide with franticness.

The marquis blinked, taken aback by the style of the response.
“I can’t do anything now.
It’s easy to leave the capital, but not so easy to come back in.
My identity is also quite sensitive, and I’m sure there are many pairs of eyes staring at me now that I’ve been restored to my former positions.
I don’t dare send anyone to Xihua, so I’d like to ask if you have a way to contact the little prince and let him know what’s going on?”

“It’s very easy for me to get a message to Xihua with no one being the wiser, but uncle, don’t you want Miss Qin to be the empress? She’ll be so much more noble as the empress than a princess consort.”

Qin Huaiyuan blinked again, then smiled.
“We can’t just look at things that way.
Just look at the trampress who was just sentenced to death.
She was very noble as well.
However, her days weren’t peaceful or filled with contentment because of that.”

Mu Jinghu thought for a moment and sighed.
“I understand.
Forget that then.
Don’t worry, uncle.
I’ll figure out a way to get word out.”

“Many thanks to you.”

“Not at all.” The gentleman grinned.
“I might need to ask you for the food I’ll need for the trip though, uncle.”

“Of course, don’t worry.
I’ll make sure all of that’s prepared.” Qin Huaiyuan had also become familiar with Mu Jinghu’s thrifty ways.
He grinned despite himself. It’s rather nice to deal with someone so real.

Qin Yining had no idea that her father was sending word to Pang Xiao via the Mu Jinghu express.
She’d already arrived in the palace, the carriage having taken her to the doors of the Jade Palace.

Zhan-mama helped her down from the carriage.
They lifted their heads to see two other carriages with opulent, ruby brocade coverings slowly roll to a stop.
Both had various mamas and palace servants lift the carriage curtains and help two magnificently dressed young girls down.

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