Ding Feiyong said slowly, "There is one last thing I must do. Once it is done... I will leave."
Seeing that her father offered no explanation, Ding Wenruo smoothed a stray lock of dark hair by her temple, raised eyes as clear as autumn waters, and changed the subject. "Father, you often say the court is like a deep sea, its storms treacherous and unpredictable. Offering such blunt remonstrance is like touching a dragon's forbidden scale. Besides, you have never had... any personal friendship with His Majesty. Why, then, have you devoted such painstaking effort to this?"
At her words, Ding Feiyong slowly set down his wolf-hair brush and looked at his daughter with undisguised admiration.
His daughter had inherited not only her mother's beauty, but also the keen intelligence accumulated through generations of the Ding family. Her observations were meticulous, her thoughts crystal clear.
"The people are paramount, the state comes next, and the ruler matters least."
Ding Feiyong smiled faintly, his smile holding both approval of his daughter's perceptiveness and an equanimity beyond personal gain or loss. "I am not doing this as a stepping-stone to advancement. The realm does not belong to one man; it belongs to all beneath heaven... Our Ding family has enjoyed the nation's favor for generations. We have studied the classics and learned what is right. In these troubled times, I am merely doing what little lies within my power for the countless common people of this world."
Ding Wenruo listened quietly, her red lips lightly pressed together.
Her father's words struck her heart like a heavy hammer. From childhood, she had been steeped in his integrity and learning, but now she felt more clearly the breadth of spirit and sense of duty that transcended private grudges and family vendettas. The uncertainty in