Return of the Swallow c1-644

by Edited by Deyna up to chapter ~100.

  Qin Yining turned to the two maids who had followed her. “Wait at the door for me.”

  “Understood.”

  Only niece and uncles were left in the hall. Qin Yining curtsied to her elders. “Second uncle, third uncle, it’s been a while.”

  They’d lost a lot of weight, and it could be gleaned from their dress that though they weren’t as badly off as Pang Xiao’s scouts said they were, life wasn’t easy for them.

  Having seen the old dowager yesterday, questions swirled in the Qin fourth miss’ head. She cut straight to the chase. “Second uncle, third uncle, did you run into any accidents along the way? Do you know where my father is?”

  The second elder master sighed. “Niece Yi, we came today to talk about this with you. When we were all swept apart, we were separated from your parents and auntie. After finally making it to the capital, we ended up being kidnapped by some people.”

  “What?!” Qin Yining was highly stunned. Ji Zeyu hadn’t made a another move after the ambush!

  The third elder master was a more impatient person and words tumbled out of him. “Our entire family was taken. All of our valuables were robbed, and they even said that your parents and auntie were in their hands. If they are to remain alive and we want our valuables back, we need to send you to the imperial selection!”

  “Me specifically? Who are they?” Qin Yining was frightened and furious. The possibility of a kidnapping causing everything hadn’t factored into her speculations at all.

  “They really did say to send you to the imperial selection.” The third elder master shook his head. “We don’t know who they are either. But even if we don’t care about our valuables, we need to consider your parents’ and auntie’s life. So when we entered the capital, your grandmother quickly signed you up.”

  Chapter 332: Origin (II)

  Qin Yining was quite surprised beyond belief.

  What was she?

  Just a young girl. Why would she possibly have the ‘honor’ of bandits setting their sights on her and kidnapping her family, all in the name of wanting her to enter the imperial selection?

  Ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous!

  Upon seeing their niece’s expression turn very ugly, so did the two Qin elder masters hang their heads.

  “Niece Yi, your second aunt told me everything that happened when she came with your grandmother,” said the second elder master. “Just now, your third uncle and I also saw how their butler gave you the cold shoulder. It’s obvious that the prince holds a grudge against you. He must still resent his father's death.”

  This was precisely the show that Qin Yining and Pang Xiao had wanted to put on, so all the girl did at the moment was nod glumly. Her forlorn, downcast figure evoked great pity.

  The second elder master sighed. “Uncle knows that you haven’t known a day of peace since returning home. You’ve always had to sacrifice for the greater picture. It’s the same story this time. Your grandmother is worried about your father and afraid that the family will be reduced to ruins, so poor that we can’t eke out a living in the capital. That’s why she submitted your name without even asking you. Uncle knows that this is a great wrong towards you.

  “But, a girl must marry one day, doesn’t she?

  “Uncle used to think that there might be a future between you and the Faithful Prince of the First Rank if he could set aside the past and devote heart and soul to you. But given his attitude towards you now, your life won’t be good if you stay with the Pang Manor.

  “Then it’s all the same whether you enter the palace or stay in the manor. With your smarts, you might have a better future if you enter the palace.”

  The second elder master was someone who’d spent many years in politics, alright. His words were measured and nuanced, employing both emotional and logical arguments to make it impossible for Qin Yining to argue back.

  She really wanted to ask, “Even if it’s all the same whether I enter the palace or stay in the manor, don’t you still need to ask what I think about it all?”

  She also wanted to ask, “Is having a better future and thus being able to help the family more your real goal for making me enter the palace?”

  But the answers to those were already obvious; there was no need to ask those questions at all. That was precisely her family’s intention.

  Qin family members had to step up when the bugle for help was sounded.

  The Qin fourth miss agreed with this notion and also understood that having enjoyed the comfort and benefits of the family in its glory days, she had no right to refuse to help during the family’s time of need.

  But at the same time, there was a small voice inside of her, asking with hurt and confusion, “Why me? Why is it me, again?”

  With her head lowered in silence, the Qin men felt the situation was painfully awkward. At the end of the day, it really wasn’t… right for an uncle to force his niece to serve a man.

  The second and third elder master wasn’t accustomed to making a scene or throwing a tantrum like the old dowager, so they too fell silent when the moment stretched awkwardly on.

  After a brief period of struggling with how unfair things were, Qin Yining abruptly recalled the heart of the matter.

  “Second uncle, third uncle, why do you think the bandits wanted me precisely to enter the palace?”

  The men looked at each other and shook their heads with incomprehension.

  “Though our family was prestigious in Great Yan, Great Yan is no longer. Coming to Get Zhou means starting all over again. You’re a girl, but they specifically said you had to participate. There must be a secret reason behind it all. Why else would they target you?”

  “Is it because the Faithful Prince of the First Rank was once so affectionate towards me in Great Yan… so certain people think that he must really like me a lot? Add to that me being taken here as soon as I entered the city…”

  As an official of long tenure, though the second elder master wasn’t as famed for his talents as Qin Huaiyuan, he was still a sharp individual. The third elder master was highly skilled in commerce, so he was no fool either. A few hints of what Qin Yining was getting at was enough to impart the entire picture to the men.

  The third elder master lowered his voice and asked urgently, “Niece Yi, do you suspect that someone’s trying to attack the relationship between the Great Zhou emperor and the prince?”

  Qin Yining nodded heavily and whispered back, “Or, someone wants to accelerate the worsening relationship between the Great Zhou emperor and the prince.” She sniffed self-deprecatingly. “They certainly think highly of me, don’t they? They’re so sure that me entering the palace will absolutely cause things to become worse between the two parties.”

  “To think that the Great Zhou court would be a swamp like this as well!” remarked the third elder master emotionally.

  “Where there are people, so is the jianghu. Isn’t that the case anywhere? I just hadn’t thought that the clashes in the Great Zhou court would already be so fierce. The person behind the scenes wants to make our niece a pawn in creating discord!” The second elder master abruptly turned solemn when his thoughts travelled here. “Niece Yi, you can’t enter the palace.”

  “Second brother? If we don’t send her into the palace, what about big brother and our sister-in-law? And our family valuables…”

  “We can earn the family fortune back again, and we don’t need to worry about big brother and sister-in-law’s safety.” The second elder master waved a hand to interrupt his younger brother and looked at his niece. “Since we’re certain that someone wants to use you to drive a wedge between the emperor and the prince, our family can’t be dragged into this mess.”

  If Qin Yining became a favored consort in the palace, that would paint the Qins into a new target, a counterpoint to the emperor, Pang Xiao, and the old Northern Ji officials.

  The Qins were newly arrived—they didn’t have the confidence or ability to be involved in this madness.

 
; Though Qin Yining knew that her second uncle was just saying this out of consideration for family interests, and not out of love for her, it was still a breath of relief. With her uncles’ support, it would be easier to decline the imperial selection.

  “Second uncle, I suspect that the old Northern Ji holdouts are behind this.”

  The man thought for a moment and slowly nodded their head. “They are the most suspicious, yes.”

  “If it really is them, then we really don’t need to worry about mother and father’s safety. They still want to live, so they can’t offend the emperor to the point of no return. It’s the carrot and the stick. The first group of Great Yan officials were personally requested by the emperor. My father is also a representative Great Yan official. The Northern Ji officials won’t be able to explain themselves to the emperor if they killed my father.”

  These people knew very well what their boundaries were. They wouldn’t really go head-to-head with Li Qitian. They too knew what the bottom line was, which was why they were able to do so many irritating things, yet never receive any real punishment.

  The Qin men turned her words over in their minds and nodded as well.

  “Niece Yi is right. Then we’re settled. We need to think of a way not to enter the imperial selection. But your name’s already been submitted… ai. Your grandmother is really too impatient,” complained the second elder master.

  Resignation tinged Qin Yining’s thoughts. True, the old dowager was worried about her eldest son, but she was probably most worried about the family fortune.

  That was understandable, since the Qins were a large clan with a long heritage. If they sank into poverty, then it would be very difficult to live in the lap of luxury and be waited on hand and foot in the short run—or at least for the remainder of the old dowager’s years.

  “Don’t think too much, second uncle. Grandmother was doing this for the family as well.” Qin Yining thought for a moment. “I have a way to resolve this issue.”

  “What are you planning to do?” The third elder master asked curiously.

  Mischief flashed through the girl’s eyes. “Dare you appeal for imperial justice?”

  Chapter 333: Counter-Attack

  “Appeal for imperial justice? Do you intend to sue the Northern Ji officials?” Apart from being shocked, the third elder master couldn’t really wrap his mind around the idea. He urged lowly, “This isn’t a good idea. They didn’t reveal themselves from beginning to end, and their men always had cloth wrapped around their faces. They didn’t let any clues slip. We have no evidence and are strictly going off of our analysis. How will we win our lawsuit?”

  The second elder master stroked his beard and smiled with a shake of his head. “Third brother, you’re being silly. Since we have no evidence, how would niece Yi sue them?”

  The third elder master wasn’t a fool; he’d simply been too shocked moments ago. He understood what his niece intended to do after some quick thought and looked worryingly at Qin Yining.

  “Niece Yi, third uncle understands what you want to do. But this won’t be good for your reputation…”

  “Third uncle, it’s been a rough and bumpy road since I’ve returned home. I’ve experienced a lot, and my reputation was no more the moment I set off for war negotiations with father. And who knows what the people say about me, given how the Faithful Prince of the First Rank and the now-Commandery Prince of Yan treated me?”

  Qin Yining smiled wryly. “My reputation is what it is. It doesn’t matter if it’s ‘ruined’ or not. If our family can be plucked from this mess, it’s no big deal to sacrifice just a single me. The winds and tides of the Great Zhou court are capricious and treacherous. Everything is very complicated. Our family has no foundations in Great Zhou and no backer. It’ll be hard enough to keep the family in one piece—what remaining energy do we have for a power struggle between those two factions?”

  One would often achieve exactly the opposite effect if only the facts of the situation were laid out and logic the only tool employed. The other party would never do what the speaker wanted then.

  The most effective negotiation tactic was to have the other party understand how much they stood to gain from what should be done. Using tangible benefits to guide the other party down the desired path was most optimal.

  Indeed, the two Qin men looked at Qin Yining with gratification. They’d wanted her to enter the palace on the family’s behalf. Now that they’d thought things through, they wanted her to refuse, also on the family’s behalf.

  It was an injustice to her no matter how they cut it.

  “Niece Yi, if we really do this, I’m afraid it’ll affect your future marriage.” The second elder master was an upright individual and Qin Yining was his junior. He clearly laid out the pros and cons of what she wanted to do.

  Qin Yining smiled gratefully. “Second uncle, I understand your concerns. But who can remain safe when family and home is ruined? Only when the Qin clan prospers will I do so as well. Besides, when my uncles rise in the world, how will you possibly just look on if I can’t find a husband then?”

  Infected by her playful smile, the second elder master grinned as well. He sighed as he promised, “Don’t worry, I know how much you’ve done for the family already. Due to consideration of family safety, this time you’re sacrificing a glorious future in the palace and ruining your own reputation. I remember everything you’ve done. All of your matters are second uncle’s matters in the future as well.”

  “That’s right, your third uncle may not be skilled in much else, but I’m decent enough at business. You won’t go hungry in the future as long as I have even a bite to eat,” promised the third elder master too.

  Not all girls could withstand the temptation of fortune and grandeur beckoning right at them. There were countless examples of girls sacrificing family and relationships when it came to their own future.

  The Qin men sighed when they thought of this.

  Qin Yining knew that she’d managed to convince them to draw the same battle lines as her. She heaved a sigh of relief.

  Whether it was for the Qins’ future or because she’d promised Pang Xiao she wouldn’t leave him, she really couldn’t enter the palace at this time. Now that she’d reached an understanding with her uncles, she wouldn’t be fighting a lonely battle when it came to her family.

  The womenfolk didn’t understand her thoughts and she wouldn’t be able to change their minds by herself. But with her uncles also present, sooner or later, the old dowager and others would come around.

  Having made a decision, she further discussed the detailed with her uncles.

  She finally sighed when wrapping things up. “Alright then, just leave it to me, uncles. Don’t show yourselves too often in this matter.”

  The Qin men wouldn’t feel easy leaving this in just anyone else’s hands, but Qin Yining had always been dependable. Both nodded after momentary consideration.

  The girl rose to send them off, running into the ‘unreasonable and rude’ butler along the way. Fully carrying out the act, the Qin men further confirmed that Qin Yining no longer enjoyed Pang Xiao’s favor.

  The two left sighing and shaking their heads.

  Qin Yining took Jiyun and Bingtang back to Snowtrace Garden with her, carefully going over everything that had happened. She quietly wrote down what she was planning to do.

  Court wasn’t dismissed until very late today.

  It wasn’t until after the sun had set that a serving girl came with a message. “His Highness has returned and wishes you to serve tea in the study.”

  The Qin fourth miss immediately understood that Pang Xiao must have something he wanted to discuss. She hurried to the outer study.

  Xu Weizhi and Xie Yue were also on their way in. The two parties greeted each other and entered the study together.

  Pang Xiao had Huzi arrange for a guard outside.

  “Everyone, please sit down.” The prince smiled.

  Her eyes sparkling, Q
in Yining dimpled back. “Your Highness is in high spirits. You must’ve successfully joined the council.”

  Her merry eyes brought and answering smile to Pang Xiao’s face. “It’s all thanks to your wonderful plan.”

  “So Your Highness has resolved this crisis?” Xie Yue asked excitedly. “Hurry and tell us, Your Highness! What happened at court today?”

  Pang Xiao was in a great mood and started his story with a grin.

  As it turned out, Li Qitian had summarized Pang Xiao’s achievements in conquering Great Yan at the start of the grand court session. He closed out the remarks with compliments and, “We are extraordinarily delighted that the Faithful Prince of the First Rank has pacified the south and thus bestow…”

  A Northern Ji official interrupted loudly before the rewards could be announced.

  Li Qitian was very irritated at being cut off at the height of his enthusiasm, but there was an image of a reasonable, wise monarch who listened to his subjects to uphold. He naturally wouldn’t stop an official from speaking, so swallowed the rest of his words and asked about the interruption.

  This particular official was someone of mediocre status in the Northern Ji faction. Yet today, he’d cast off his customary prudent caution and loudly impeached Grand Secretary of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, Zhou Min!

  Zhou Min was the father of the empress and a solid Li Qitian supporter. As a royal father-in-law and the Secondary Grand Secretary, he’d already been tapped as the next leader of the Grand Secretariat. He’d be able to take his new position as soon as it was vacated.

  Used to coasting proudly through the days, it was mind boggling that someone would want to impeach him at the grand court session!

  Rendered completely senseless, so too was Li Qitian absolutely baffled.

  Before the two could recover, the Northern Ji officials who’d gotten word that “the emperor wants to sweep all Northern Ji influence out of the council” jumped out in squads, tag-teaming all of Zhou Min’s heinous crimes.