Chapter 300: The Whole Family Fled
Chapter 300: Chapter 300: The Whole Family Fled
Xie Ming’an watched coldly, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Does the Crown Prince insist on this?" he asked, looking up.
Mo Lingwei sneered. "I will repay you in exactly the same way you hurt her. It must be done."
"If you don’t have the guts, I’ll give you another chance. Go to Shen Ningning. Beg for her forgiveness and admit your wrongdoing. If she’s willing to say even a single good word for you, I’ll let you go."
Xie Ming’an took a deep breath.
After a long moment, his eyes grew dark. "Since I am the one who wronged the Commandery Princess, how could I then shamelessly turn to her for help the moment I’m in trouble?"
"A man must take responsibility for his own actions. I am willing to cut off my ear to put this matter to rest."
With that, Xie Ming’an reached out and drew a dagger.
With a SHING, the sharp, cold glint of the blade trembled, reflecting Xie Ming’an’s pair of cold, lucid eyes.
Just as he was about to touch his left ear with the dagger, Wu Fang struck from behind, knocking the dagger away with his sword.
It left a bloody scratch behind Xie Ming’an’s ear.
The dagger fell to the ground with a CLATTER.
Xie Ming’an was actually somewhat surprised. "Crown Prince?"
Mo Lingwei looked down on him, his expression merciless.
"Don’t think I’ve gone soft. If it weren’t for Shen Ningning, I would have taken both your ears for certain."
"I came today to give you a warning, not to cause you trouble. I promised her I wouldn’t make things difficult for you."
"If she hadn’t pleaded so desperately for you, on the very day you injured her ear, I would have had you bound, dragged to court, and severely punished in public."
A jolt went through Xie Ming’an’s heart, like icy water trickling through his veins.
’Shen Ningning... pleaded for me?’
"She..." By the time Xie Ming’an came to his senses and tried to ask more, Mo Lingwei had already taken his men and departed.
Xie Ming’an was left standing in the hall, speechless for a long time.
...
「Qi Mansion.」
Qi Xiuwei had been recuperating for over a month. Her recovery was slow, and her complexion was paler than the snow outside.
She was wrapped in thick quilted clothes, wearing three or four warm layers underneath to ward off the cold.
"Come on, eat up," Qi Xiuwei said, crouching in her room and trying to coax the eagle Shen Ningning had sent over.
Mengyi flapped its wings, dodging the pieces of steamed bun Qi Xiuwei offered.
’Compared to the food at Shen Ningning’s, this stuff is practically inedible.’
Several times, Mengyi had tried to fly out, but Qi Xiuwei was afraid of the cold, so the doors and windows were always shut tight, leaving it no escape.
Occasionally, a servant would take it out, but they would cluelessly tie a red string to its talons, preventing it from flying away.
Seeing that Mengyi wouldn’t eat, Qi Xiuwei grew worried.
"Are the steamed buns not to your liking?"
"Miss, I secretly got some minced liver soaked in lard from the kitchen," a maidservant said, presenting a small dish of it.
Mengyi caught the scent and immediately hopped to the door, waiting expectantly.
Qi Xiuwei smiled, stood up, and had the maidservant place the plate on the floor.
Mengyi immediately began to feast.
Qi Xiuwei said to her maid with a laugh, "No wonder it wouldn’t eat the steamed buns. It wanted meat all along."
The maid replied, "Eagles are all like that. They’re very wild. Back home, our eagles would only eat field mice."
Just then, a servant hurried to the door.
"Miss, a distinguished guest has arrived and is asking to see you."
Qi Xiuwei asked curiously, "Who is it? Is it Princess Funing?"
’She didn’t have many friends in the Capital City. The only person she was really on speaking terms with was Shen Ningning.’
But the servant shook his head. "He calls himself Captain Pei from the court. He said Princess Funing told him his eagle is here."
Qi Xiuwei took a sharp step forward. "Pei Yin! It’s Pei Yin, he’s here!"
An irrepressible joy spread across her face, her lips parting into a broad smile.
She grabbed her maid’s arm to head out, but took only two steps before turning back.
"Quick, help me with my rouge."
The maid was taken aback. "Miss, the doctor said you shouldn’t be exposed to the wind."
Qi Xiuwei clutched her hand, pleading, "I’ll only be a moment. I’m dressed warmly, I promise I’ll be fine."
The maid had no other choice but to agree.
A short while later, Qi Xiuwei led her servants to the main hall.
Her body was still weak, and she was panting just from walking that short distance.
Pei Yin was standing properly in the courtyard, his dark figure like a silent, treasured blade.
He turned, saw Qi Xiuwei approaching, and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Greetings, Miss Qi." Then, he lifted his sharp gaze.
Just as he’d expected, that mischievous bird he’d raised, Mengyi, was perched on the arm of a servant behind Miss Qi.
Another maidservant held up a plate, from which it was happily devouring minced meat.
Pei Yin said, "That is the eagle I raised. I apologize for the trouble it has caused the Commandery Princess and Miss Qi."
Qi Xiuwei blushed and quickly shook her head. "No, not at all! Mengyi is very well-behaved. He doesn’t eat much, and he has a gentle temperament. It’s a credit to how well Captain Pei raised him."
"I’d love to raise a bird this lovely to keep me company. I wonder, where did Captain Pei get this eagle?"
Pei Yin said calmly, "During the drought two years ago, when he was just a fledgling, his nest was raided by a mountain hunter. All his siblings were eaten."
"I happened to be passing by, so I bought him. I’ve kept him with me ever since. Having Mengyi makes handling affairs and sending messages for the court much more convenient."
Qi Xiuwei nodded in understanding.
’No wonder it knew the way so well when Shen Ningning had it deliver a message.’
"He’s even better than a carrier pigeon," she said with a small smile.
Once Mengyi finished eating, the servant untied the red string from its leg, and it flew eagerly toward Pei Yin.
Mengyi landed steadily right on Pei Yin’s shoulder.
"I won’t disturb you any further. I’ll take my leave now." After clasping his hands in farewell, Pei Yin turned to go.
Qi Xiuwei opened her mouth, wanting to ask him to stay for a cup of warm tea.
’But seeing as they weren’t that familiar with each other, she felt too shy to ask.’
Even so, just being able to exchange a few words with Pei Yin had made her incredibly happy.
"ACHOO!" Qi Xiuwei shivered from the cold.
The maid’s face paled. "Miss, it’s freezing out here! It’s too cold, you must get back inside. You can’t catch a chill."
But Qi Xiuwei’s eyes were bright with laughter, her spirits soaring.
"I feel so warm inside, I’m not cold at all. Oh, and send someone to thank the Commandery Princess for me. Tell her that once I’m fully recovered, I’ll be sure to invite her for a stroll in the gardens."
Meanwhile, Pei Yin had already mounted his horse with Mengyi.
He reached out and gave Mengyi’s head a little flick.
The eagle flapped its wings twice in protest.
Pei Yin chuckled. "I feed you well enough, yet you’re still so gluttonous you’d follow someone else home."
"If there’s a next time, I’ll stew you like a chicken."
As if it understood, Mengyi shrank its neck and stood obediently on Pei Yin’s shoulder.
「Two days later.」
When Shen Ningning went to the National Academy, Lu Shaoyuan used the break after class to find her in the Huangzi Class.
"Shen Ningning, I heard you were looking for a mother and daughter who offended you. Have you found them? Do you want me to have my brother send some men to help?"
Shen Ningning shook her head. "No need. My brother’s men already investigated. The very night they offended me, their entire family fled the Capital City."
Lu Shaoyuan burst out laughing when he heard that.
"Then they’re done for. The roads out of the Capital are buried in heavy snow. They won’t get far before they freeze to death."
「Meanwhile, in Xiangyun Village.」
Dong Aniu was kneeling and crying before Grandma Qin, surrounded by a courtyard full of villagers.
"Grandma Qin, you can’t shield him! You have to see that justice is done for us."
"Your relative Ah Niu said he was getting married, so he borrowed grain and money from all our families. He even borrowed my family’s quilts and cotton bedding! Now he says he can’t pay any of it back."
Dong Aniu was a blubbering mess of snot and tears.
"It’s true, I can’t pay it back! Lifen’s family cleared out their entire house! I don’t even know where she went."
"If you want your things back, you might as well just take my life!"