Don't leave.
The Emperor Emeritus granted his request, and he had no more concerns. He was to depart the day after tomorrow, so he would have some time to spend with her.
He just worried that on that day, would she cry? Would she hate him?
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on Peng Qiumo's head as she happily strolled down the street, holding his hand. The little girl was incredibly cute, a blissful smile on her face, and his heart felt even more guilty.
The next day, however, the weather turned cold.
At the gate of the Major General's residence, people stood seeing him off. Xiao Qiu stared blankly at her father in his armor, then looked at her grandparents and aunts with a bewildered expression. They were all saying things like, "Take good care of yourself," but she didn't understand.
Peng Xuan'an nodded, noticed Peng Qiumo's innocent look, and squatted down to gently stroke her.
"Xiao Qiu, Daddy has to leave for a while. During this time, you must be a good boy and grow up well, okay?"
Peng Qiumo panicked when she heard he was leaving. She clutched his clothes tightly with her little hands and looked at him pleadingly, "Daddy, where are you going? Why aren't you taking Xiaoqiu with you?" She thought he was saying this because he thought she was disobedient, so she pleaded again, "Daddy, please take Xiaoqiu with you, okay? Xiaoqiu will be very obedient."
Peng Xuan'an chuckled gently, "Father is only going away for a few days, he'll be back soon, and it's very dangerous."
"How many days are those? And when will you be back soon?"
Peng Xuan'an was speechless for a moment. He hadn't expected her to be so afraid that he wouldn't come back. He pondered for a while and then chuckled, "Hmm..." He thought for a moment and then chuckled, "I'll come back when Xiao Qiu is half the height of her father. So Xiao Qiu, you have to eat well, okay?"
She naively thought that once she grew taller, her father would always stay by her side, and hurriedly nodded, "Okay!"
Having finally won over Peng Qiumo, he mounted his horse, glanced at his family a few times with reluctance, and then gritted his teeth and left.
Day after day, Peng Qiumo was often invited to stay in the palace. The Emperor Emeritus loved Peng Qiumo and treated her like a princess.
Two years passed in a blur. The retired emperor contracted an illness and soon passed away, and the whole country wore mourning clothes. Some time later, the new emperor implemented new laws, abolishing the three powers and changing the system so that only noblewomen had the right to choose their partners.
The Yuanshe and the girls' academy were left unattended and were converted into shops and a boys' academy.
Peng Qiumo and Qin Yixiao gradually developed a good relationship and became close confidants who could talk about anything.
Another year has passed in the blink of an eye.
That year, Peng's mother passed away, and Peng Xuan'an returned to Beijing to observe mourning.
When he returned to the capital in triumph, the entire city erupted in cheers, celebrating his continued contribution to the country. His temples were streaked with silver, and he no longer possessed the same charisma as he had three years prior. He exuded an unapproachable aura, and his deep black eyes held a complex and unfathomable depth, as if weathered by time.
He rode his white horse with his back straight, slowly leading it into the street. The street was filled with cheers, and he, being rather handsome, attracted the attention of some.
He left alone, and returned no longer alone.
Behind the white horse was a carriage with the window open, inside which sat a mother and daughter.
People in the capital were all talking about it, and most were curious about the woman's identity. Some speculated that she was a lover or a second daughter.
He looked preoccupied, hurrying his horse through the street; he just wanted to get home as quickly as possible. To see his daughter, his family, and her…
They soon arrived at the Major General's residence.
The people standing at the door to greet him all looked sorrowful. He quickly scanned them but couldn't find Peng Qiumo. He scanned them again, looking left and right, and thought that he might have been playing and forgotten to come home, so he decided to catch up with his father first.
He dismounted and immediately knelt down before his father, crying, "Father! Your son is unfilial! Your son should not have failed to return home!"
Father Peng shook his head and sighed, "Your mother has been gone for four days, it's no use saying anything now." He helped Peng Xuan'an up, his eyes filled with heartache: "Xuan'an, now that you're back, please don't leave again, okay? Do you know how much Xiao Qiu misses you?"
Peng Xuan'an nodded, "I will follow Father's arrangements." He then looked around curiously, "Father, where did Xiao Qiu go?"
"She is in the palace. I have sent someone to fetch her. She will be back soon."
The sound of hurried hoofbeats came from afar. The two turned their heads to look, and Peng's father smiled and said, "You see, speak of the devil and he appears."
Peng Xuan'an wanted to hug his daughter as soon as possible to make up for the fatherly love he hadn't given her over the years.
The attendant, who had just arrived on horseback, dismounted hastily, his face pale, and clasped his hands in apology. "Master! Major General! Something terrible has happened! The young lady has gone missing!"
Peng Xuan'an listened in disbelief, grabbed his shoulder, frowned and asked, "How is this possible! We've searched inside and outside the palace!"
The attendant swallowed hard. "Reporting to the Major General, we have searched everywhere! There is no sign of the young lady! His Highness the Tenth Prince said that she returned to her residence by carriage yesterday at noon, and she has not been seen entering the palace today either."
"What!" He was shocked, his heart aching as if it had been ripped out. He tried to calm himself down... calm down! ...but he couldn't calm down at all!
This was his only pillar of support, the only thing keeping him alive! Now it's gone! How could he possibly remain calm? He racked his brains, trying to recall why! Who was behind this? And what was the purpose of doing this?
This was his and Pang Linqiu's most precious treasure! It was the only support Pang Linqiu left him to keep living!
"Could it be that we've run into human traffickers?" a woman asked worriedly.
The woman was strikingly beautiful, dressed in fine clothes; she was the same woman from the carriage earlier. She walked to Peng Xuan'an's side, patted his back, and comforted him with a worried expression: "General, please calm down. What if the child is playing and doesn't return until late at night?"
Peng Xuan'an wouldn't listen to the woman's words at all; he had only one thought in his mind: find her! He needed to see her alive or dead!
He shouted as if he had lost his mind: "Someone! Pass on my orders! Pass on my orders!"
"Seal off Kyoto! Use all the troops in the capital! Search the ground three feet deep to find the young lady! Hurry! Hurry!!" He was so distraught that the veins on his forehead bulged, his face was ferocious and his pupils were narrowed.
"Yes!" The attendant dared not delay in relaying the order and hurriedly went to deliver it.
"How could this be?! How could this be..." He covered his head with his hands, refusing to believe her disappearance over and over again!
The woman looked at Peng Xuan'an with pity and helped him up, saying gently, "General, this is not your fault. The child will be alright."
Peng Xuan'an pushed her away, shook his head to clear his mind, "I'm going to find her! Xiao Qiu will be alright! She will be alright!" He turned to mount his horse, but the woman grabbed his clothes.
"General, you are not well yet, please rest well. Xiao Qiu will be found, she will be found, General!"
His eyes were murderous as he roared, "Let go!"
The woman was startled and took a few steps back. Peng's father, hearing that he was still unwell, was also worried. "Xuan'an! Your health is the most important thing. With so many people around, are you afraid you won't be able to find Xiao Qiu?"
"But Father! Xiaoqiu is my last child. If she loses Linqiu, she'll hate me! I want..."
"Xuan'an! Xiao Qiu will be alright." He then looked at the servants, "Someone, help the general into the manor to rest, and send more men to find the young lady."
"Here you go."
Peng Xuan'an was forced to rest at home, but he couldn't put his mind at ease and kept blaming himself. He prayed that he would be willing to pay any price as long as Qiu Mo returned.
When Peng's father heard of the woman's name, He Xin, he was quite pleased with her. However, she was widowed and had a daughter named Li Xiansheng.
The capital was under lockdown for three days, and those three days passed in a daze. The emperor wanted to hold a victory banquet to celebrate his triumphant return. However, after hearing about this, he gave up the idea and increased the number of people searching.
Finally, at noon on the fourth day, they found Peng Qiumo, who was already on the verge of death. When they brought her back to the capital, she was on the verge of death, and Peng Xuan'an summoned many imperial physicians, all of whom lamented that she could not be saved.
Peng Qiumo was found in a thatched hut. Her hands and feet were bruised and purple from being bound by iron chains, and she was eating moldy steamed buns. She was curled up in pain in the corner of the wall. The two men who had kidnapped her had already run away. She was covered in injuries, and her abdomen was marked with several hard kicks.
Peng Qiumo was wrapped in bandages all over her body, her fair face bearing knife wounds, burns, bruises from being pinched and hit, and so on. Peng Xuan'an dared not think about it or touch it. He hated himself; he hated that he hadn't been able to catch the person who hurt her, and he hated that he had betrayed Pang Linqiu's promise before her death.
He knelt by the bed, his hands trembling as he grasped her small hand, holding it only gently, not too tightly. He buried his face in the bedside and wept. He didn't want this! He didn't want this! He had lost his lover and his mother, and now he didn't want to lose a daughter too!
"Little Qiu, be good...don't go, okay?"
"Please open your eyes and look at your father, okay? I won't leave again, I won't leave you alone anymore, it's all my fault! It's...it's all my fault!"
"Your mother doesn't want your father anymore, so you don't want your father either?"
"Little Qiu, be good, listen to Daddy and don't go, don't leave Daddy."
“Linqiu…I’m so sorry…” he cried in anguish.
He had made up his mind: if Qiu Mo really died, he wouldn't live either.
Peng Qiumo is still unconscious and breathing weakly.
After several more days of treatment, it finally showed some signs of life. Peng Xuan'an dared not relax and continued to stay by its side every day.
Perhaps his prayers were heard, because Peng Qiumo actually gradually improved and eventually woke up.
Upon waking, she clung tightly to Peng Xuan'an, cowering in her father's arms in fear, her whole body trembling and her internal organs aching.
She cried and begged, "Don't hit me anymore...it hurts...it hurts so much..."
Peng Xuan'an took a deep breath, stroked her head, and sobbed, suppressing a sob, "Xiao Qiu, it's Daddy's fault... Daddy's here, here, no one will hit you anymore... Be good..."
After he had put her to sleep, his father called him to another room for a talk.
Peng's father pointed at his nose and scolded, "Xuan'an! So you still have this daughter in your heart!"
Peng Xuan'an knelt down and slapped himself hard across the face. "Father, it's my fault! I don't deserve to be a father. It's all my fault!"
"Xuan'an! Xuan'an! If your mother hadn't died of old age, would you have waited ten years before returning to the capital?"
He remained silent.
Mr. Peng frowned in anger, then suddenly slammed his fist on the table and demanded, "Xuan'an, I'll let this matter go for now. But why haven't you replied to a single letter in three years? Do you know how heartbroken Xiao Qiu is?"
Peng Xuan'an was taken aback, and looked up at his father. "Father, I have never received a single letter from home, I don't..."
The night was hazy, and the moonlight slanted into the room.
The door wasn't closed, and Peng's father noticed someone hiding behind it, standing there stunned for a moment. After recognizing the face of the person eavesdropping cautiously, he quickly shut his mouth, which was about to scold Peng Xuan'an, and put on a loving smile, beckoning to the person at the door.
"Xiao Qiu, it's cold outside, don't catch a cold."
Peng Xuan'an was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the doorway and saw that small, thin face. She was hiding behind the door, peeking out a pair of bright, watery eyes.
"Xiao Qiu, what brings you here?" Peng Xuan'an was quite shocked; he remembered that he had coaxed her to sleep.
Peng Qiumo gripped the door with one hand, stepped out tremblingly, wearing a coat and barefoot. He stared intently inside, his fist clenched and held to his chest.
"Xiaoqiu, did Grandpa wake you up?"
She shook her head. "No, yes." Her voice was weak.
Mr. Peng called out to her, "It's late and the wind is chilly, come inside quickly."
She nodded, entered the hall barefoot, and looked at her kneeling father and kind grandfather. Her heart ached. "Grandpa... could you... please not..." she cried, "Don't be mean to Daddy..."
Mr. Peng smiled, somewhat bewildered. "Grandpa was just having a heart-to-heart talk with him."
"But..." she looked at him expectantly, her voice slightly hoarse, "Grandpa... is so fierce..."
Mr. Peng was heartbroken. "It's Grandpa's fault." He went over and patted Xiao Qiu's head. "But Xiao Qiu, people who make mistakes need to be punished so they will learn their lesson. Grandpa is doing this to seek justice for you, so that he won't make the same mistake again."
She glanced at Peng Xuan'an's kneeling figure and shook her head. "Xiao Qiu...no, Grandpa will punish Daddy."
Peng's father couldn't do anything to her, so he just glared at him and said gently, "Alright, alright. It's late, Xiao Qiu should rest early. Grandpa won't scold him anymore."
When facing Peng Xuan'an, her tone turned cold again, "Xuan'an, I'm leaving first. Take Xiao Qiu back to her room and rest. She's still injured and needs to rest more."
"Alright, Father, you should rest early too." He stood up.
After Peng's father left, Peng Xuan'an squatted down and looked at Peng Qiu Mo, her voice full of guilt: "Xiao Qiu, aren't you in pain?"
Peng Qiumo felt that the person in front of her was both familiar and unfamiliar. Perhaps it was the connection of blood that made her feel less unfamiliar. She shook her head to indicate that she was not in pain. She had woken up before, but that time she was awakened by a nightmare and her consciousness was not fully clear. She did not know who was holding her.
Peng Xuan'an picked her up and felt that she was even lighter than she had been three years ago, which made his heart ache. He wrapped a coat around her small body and carried her back to the room.
He sat on the edge of the bed, gently touched her face, his eyes full of tenderness and apology: "Xiao Qiu, it's all your father's fault for not protecting you well. I'm so sorry for what your mother said."
She gave a warm smile, "It's alright, Xiao Qiu doesn't blame Daddy." The movement of her facial muscles aggravated the wound on her face, but she still maintained her smile.
Peng Xuan'an's emotions were also affected by her smile, and his sorrow instantly lessened. "Thank you, Xiao Qiu." He glanced out the window. "It's late, time to sleep."
He got up and turned to leave, but suddenly his hand felt warm; she had grabbed his fingers. He turned around and asked her.
"Is there anything else, Xiao Qiu?"
Peng Qiumo bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Father... I miss Mother."
Peng Xuan felt a heavy weight pressing down on him, his daughter missed her mother... What should he do? He wanted to... but he could only keep it to himself and dare not reveal it.
Seeing him staring blankly into space, Peng Qiumo wondered what he was thinking. "Father, Xiao Qiu... can I see Mother?" She knew what death meant and understood that her mother was gone, but she still wanted to see her grave.
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