Return of the Swallow

Thanks to Madame Lu’s nonsense, Qin Yining was no longer of a mind to spend her day out and about. She exchanged a few more words with Missus Liao before the two parted. Though the Qin fourth miss hesitated before they went their separate ways, she didn’t end up requesting that Azure Alliance keep an eye out for the whereabouts of her maternal grandmother.

Perhaps grandmother had given the alliance to her because the older lady didn’t want to have anything more to do with these wanderers of the jianghu.

Her grandmother likely cared more about how the Sun womenfolk would rest and recover, and how they’d live the rest of their lives. Though they didn’t have any men at the moment, they still had daughters who could wed outside males and have their new husbands take on the family name.

As long as they grounded themselves to focus on rebuilding the family, the Suns would flourish again in a few short years.

Qin Yining’s heart lightened when her thoughts travelled year. In conclusion, life would only get better.

……

At the same time on a western main venue, a spacious carriage with red wheels and a silk brocade covering trundled smoothly to the Yan Manor.

Yuchi Yan sat cross-legged inside, inspecting the exquisite embroidery on his robes with a lowered head. This outer robe had been bestowed by the emperor himself in the early days. Apparently, it’d been specially made by the best seamstresses in town.

However, the manifold resplendent and complex patterns of a commandery prince were no source of joy to him. The more dazzling his accoutrements were, the more they highlighted how good-for-nothing he was as the ruler of a conquered nation.

He was someone who’d once been emperor! But now he walked the streets of Great Zhou with the title of a commandery prince of another nation. Yuchi Yan swore that the looks he received from passersby on the streets were equally off-kilter.

Not to mention, he’d just witnessed Qin Yining being ambushed and humiliated in a tavern lobby.

Ever since the fall of Great Yan, a baffling pressure finally lifted from his shoulders. He even privately heaved sighs of relief.

He’d taken the dragon throne only for purposes of handing over surrender papers. Once the dust settled and they were all in Great Zhou, he often reminded himself that happiness existed in contentment, that it wasn’t a bad thing to live out the rest of his days in peace and quiet.

But heretofore unfelt shame descended when the outwardly polite, in reality scathing looks from the Great Zhou officials swept him. Only then did he realize he’d been much too naive.

He now existed to prove how kind and merciful Great Zhou’s emperor was. He was living, breathing propaganda of the imperial majesty’s might in the four corners of the world. The only point of his life now was to amuse others. His Majesty would be reminded of his own brilliance and power whenever he saw Yuchi Yan.

What right did someone as humble as him, boasting of only a glamorous facade, have to pursue Qin Yining?

Though she’d been once carried off by others, her father was now a second rank principal minister, someone slated to enter the council.

As for him?

The identity he had now wouldn’t bring her joy and happiness at all!

He didn’t even have the courage to step up for her when she was being bullied earlier. He’d allowed himself to be tugged away by Li Yanyan because he knew that he had no right to say anything. Even if he had, no one would’ve listened to a word.

With his current awkward position, he couldn’t afford to offend the Lus at all.

His hands unconsciously tightening into fists, Yuchi Yan sank into a deep pool of self-loathing. Was there any other man in this world as useless and spineless as him?

He didn’t even dare protect his beloved. How could he possibly ask Qin Yining to be his concubine?

How would he look her in the eye and say, “Come with me, I’ll protect you”?

He couldn’t follow through on his promises in the here and now, much less in the future!

“Your Highness…” Li Yanyan noted the extremely ugly expression on her husband’s face and the vein throbbing in his forehead. She clasped Yuchi Yan’s hand and shook it lightly. “Don’t be too harsh on yourself, Your Highness. The days ahead are long. Now that everything’s settled down, all will be good.”

Her eyes reddened at this point, but she kept her tone very gentle. “I know that you like née Qin. Don’t worry, I will continue to try to convince her. Your Highness is so exceptionally talented, genteel, and mild-mannered. What girl wouldn’t admire you? Perhaps née Qin was too embarrassed and felt that it wouldn’t do to accept after she’d suffered such a disgrace. She might agree with a few more visits."

“No need.” Like a puppet with slow reaction time, Yuchi Yan slowly turned his head to Li Yanyan and shook it. “There’s no need. I’m… not worthy of her.”

The princess consort blinked, tears finally flooding out of her eyes. She grabbed the prince in a fierce hug and choked out, “Your Highness, Your Highness, why be this way? How can it be you who is unworthy? In my eyes, you are a man of great heroism and valor, a man as gifted and refined as the immortals! Anyone who thinks less of you is blind! That you are so sad for née Qin… what should, what should I do?”

Li Yanyan buried her face in Yuchi Yan’s shoulder and sobbed quietly.

His mood also taking a downturn with his wife’s tears, Yuchi Yan felt his nose twinge and his eyes warm. He almost burst out crying as well.

He put his arm around Li Yanyan’s shoulders after a while and patted her. “Don’t cry. Let’s live well our days ahead.”