Qin Shouming and Qin Haoran were stuck in the military. Several leaders from different fleets were discussing the case of the Third Military Fleet and the lost Jing Yichen. They didn't know if Jing Yichen was dead or alive, but his body was missing from the remains of the battlefield, and they could not find him anywhere on the neighboring planets.
"Duke Qin, I heard your granddaughter is back?"
"Duke Qin, where did this granddaughter come from?"
"Marquis Qin, when will we meet your daughter?"
"Marquis Qin, I have a son..."
Qin Shouming's face was cold. He had not even met with his granddaughter yet, but news traveled faster than the wind could blow in the military. Old men wanted to match their granddaughter with their bloodline, hoping to gain more power.
"I am sorry, gentlemen. My granddaughter already has a fiancé. The child chose someone from a family we couldn't control."
Qin Shouming was bluffing to scare people, but he did not know that his mess had it big. The news had already reached the ears of the royal family. They did not know who the Duke was talking about, but they also wanted to investigate the granddaughter of the Duke who came out of nowhere.
Several factions were sleepless when they started checking up on the identity of the Duke's granddaughter. They were helpless when they found that the Main Interstellar Brain was protecting the child. The child's growth and childhood were erased, and not even her digital footprints were left. They tried to ask the Main Interstellar Brain for a reason, but it remained locked.
Even the Duke's men had no right to open the child's file. This gave the Duke a headache, so he let his son find ways to retrieve the background data of the child. Qin Haoran was a gifted child, and he learned to manipulate computers at the age of five. He tried his best to unlock his daughter's file, but the Main Interstellar Brain shut all his accounts and banned him.
"Still no news?"
"Father, the Main Interstellar Brain shut all my accounts as a warning."
"There must be something special about your daughter. Can you ask Muyi to observe his sister and report to us? If possible, ask if the child is engaged with someone. People engaged to high-ranking personnel usually let the Main Interstellar Brain arrange the confidentiality of their identities."
"Dad, I think it has something to do with the Lu and Jing families."
"What do you mean?"
"I once heard the prince talk to the princess about Jing Yichen being engaged. Apparently, it was arranged by the Main Interstellar Brain. The problem is that they do not know the identity of the woman."
"We can ride with the news. It will protect her."
"Do you wish for her to be married to the Jing Clan?"
"I have heard of their cruel methods, but they cannot belittle our family. I have met Jing Yichen and worked with him, he is a good child."
"Father, if it's true, then our family will finally side with the royal faction. We have been neutral since the founding of the Qin Clan. I'm afraid this will block the interests of many people. Aren't we putting our family in danger?"
"We just need to ride with the waves. The Jing family has not released nor clarified the affairs of Jing Yichen. Let's watch how the story unfolds."
Back in Qin's residence, Qin Muyi was sitting in his hovercar, waiting for his sister.
Yu Lan could not wait to dress her daughter, so she dolled her up before giving her permission to venture the streets of the Imperial Capital with her brother. Shang Ruoyan waved goodbye to her mother and got inside. She sighed. She felt tortured when her mother made her dress in a variety of pairs and combinations.
"You look very pretty!"
"Thank you, Second Brother."
"Cheer up! Mom has never had a daughter to dress up. It has always been her dream to have one. Just think of it as pampering you."
Shang Ruoyan nodded.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Second Brother, do you know a place where I can study courses for children aged 3 to 14?"
"Do you want to study instead of going anywhere and having fun?"
Shang Ruoyan nodded with eyes sparkling.
"Okay, let's borrow the Eldest Brother's library."
"The Eldest Brother has his own library?"
"The Eldest Brother was an outstanding student who won competitions as long as he participated. The library was a gift from the Emperor. The Emperor was amazed by Eldest Brother's talent and intelligence. So, I'll ask Eldest Brother's permission first."
Qin Yujin agreed in response.
When the two arrived, Shang Ruoyan was not expecting a massive library building all for her eldest brother. No one uses the library except for the three brothers in the Qin family. The library was maintained by the servants of the imperial family, and no one could enter the area at will.
"Brother, will you get bored by accompanying me?"
"No, actually, I also need to do several tasks."
"Brother, what is your task?"
"Design mechas."
"Wow! That's amazing, Brother!"
Shang Ruoyan had zero knowledge of designing robots. She was amazed that none in the Qin family was stupid or narrow-minded.
The brothers and sisters went to their respective posts and worked separately.
Shang Ruoyan scanned the books and files available to supplement her lacking knowledge. There was so much to learn in the library that she had forgotten the passage of time. If not for Qin Muyi telling her to have a break and eat lunch together, she would not have stopped learning.
"How was your experience?"
"It was great, Brother! I have never seen so many things to learn for free in my entire life! I could stay here for the whole summer!"
"I am glad that you enjoyed learning this much. Didn't you have books to read when you were much younger? Or a school to attend?"
"I was an orphan living on a barren planet. The resources were scarce. We couldn't go to school because we are not members of the privileged sector. We couldn't eat a full meal in a day, and coins used to study are a waste."
"From now on, you don't need to worry about it, Ruoruo."