Chapter 363 Kissing Tears

"Now the Fourth Prince's family is all-powerful, and the Empress Dowager is, after all, a woman and can't control much. The court is almost entirely in favor of the Fourth Prince... Our Zheng family refused to support the Fourth Prince to the death, so they took my Ling'er..."

Speaking of Zheng Yanling, Qi Yuxuan's heart clenched: "What happened to Sister Zheng?!"

Madam Zheng was already sobbing uncontrollably.

She was a housewife and didn't know much about court affairs. However, her own daughter was framed and ruined because of this. She was filled with hatred and anger and wished that the Crown Prince would return so that he could kill all those smug villains to vent his anger!

"The Zheng family was unwilling to side with the Fourth Prince, so several noble families behind the Fourth Prince conspired to frame Ling'er, making her marry the thirteenth son of the fifth branch of the Marquis of Zhongyong's family as his second wife!"

"My poor Ling'er, she could have married into a good family, but they framed her and brought her to this. Everyone in the capital knows what a despicable place the Fifth Branch of the Marquis of Zhongyong is, not to mention that Thirteenth Brother, who forcibly takes women and bullies men and women. He is simply a beast!"

Madam Zheng vented her anger without any regard for words, becoming increasingly heartbroken as she spoke, and tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.

Qi Yuxuan was so angry that she clenched her fists. If the timing hadn't been wrong, she would have even rushed to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion and brought Sister Zheng out!

Qi Jun sensed her anger and gently placed his hand on her fist.

The Crown Prince, his face disheveled, spoke calmly, "Madam Zheng, please calm down. I will certainly give Miss Zheng and the Zheng family an explanation for this matter, but before that, I need the Zheng family's help to return to the capital..."

Madam Zheng suppressed her grief and quickly said, "Of course, His Highness and the Princess sought out the Zheng family as soon as they returned, which shows their trust in the Zheng family. We cannot possibly refuse their kindness..."

However, everything still had to wait for the men of the Zheng family who were officials in the court to return before they could discuss it in detail. Madam Zheng cried and felt depressed. She first instructed her servants to take the two distinguished guests to a side room to clean up and rest, and then went back to rest.

As soon as she stepped out of the flower hall, Qi Yuxuan's forced composure crumbled, and her voice trembled with tears: "Cousin, Sister Zheng, she... do you really have a way to save her?"

"Is the thirteenth son of the fifth branch of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion really as despicable as Madam Zheng says? Why have I never heard of him before? Why aren't you worried at all, cousin? Aren't you worried about Sister Zheng?"

"And then there's Mother. She seems to be recuperating, but she's actually under house arrest. I wonder if the servants at the Princess's residence have been laid off, and if she has enough people to take care of her..."

She wished she could rush to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion and the Princess's mansion herself, but Qi Jun always remained calm and composed, as if he had everything under control. She couldn't help but wonder if she was making a mountain out of a molehill, or if Qi Jun simply didn't care about these things.

Qi Jun pinched his brow, then pulled the girl to a secluded corner before turning her around and staring into her eyes. He said seriously:

“Yu Xuan, I know you’re very anxious right now, but being anxious won’t solve anything. Whether it’s your aunt or Miss Zheng, if you want to save them, the first thing is to take care of ourselves. Do you understand?”

“I know you are a kind and compassionate person at heart. Unless someone hurts you deeply, you would never be so ruthless as to kill them all. But you must know that there are priorities. Even if they really do... if possible, I will take good care of their funeral arrangements.”

Qi Yuxuan stared wide-eyed with a face full of despair, looking up at the Crown Prince who had changed without her noticing. Tears silently slid down her cheeks, falling one by one to the ground.

"Cousin...Crown Prince, how could you say such a thing?"

She stammered, "How could you say you'd take good care of their funeral arrangements..."

Qi Jun closed his eyes: "Yu Xuan, I used the wrong words. I didn't mean it that way. Even if I... even if I die because of this, the victor is king and the loser is villain, I will have no complaints. You are too soft-hearted and don't understand what I really want to say."

Qi Yuxuan slowly pushed away the hands that were restraining her. She spoke as if she were seeing the Crown Prince like this for the first time, her tone unfamiliar:

"Your Highness, please rest. Once the Zheng family elders return, you will have important matters to discuss. Your safe return to court and the reclaiming of everything that belongs to you are the most important things. I will not disturb you any longer."

Qi Jun frowned deeply, reached out and pulled the person back, pressing him into his arms.

He would never let the person go while there was still a misunderstanding between them; he had to explain things clearly immediately.

The little girl has lost part of her memory and is worried about her aunt and friend's situation. This is the most uneasy and frightening time for her. He shouldn't have spoken so carelessly and said such cold and heartless things. It's all his fault...

The tall young man embraced her tightly, and Qi Yuxuan tried to struggle for a while, but she couldn't push him away. Instead, he hugged her even tighter.

Qi Jun rested his chin on the top of her head, and his voice came down through the buzzing sound of her head.

"Yu Xuan, Yu Xuan, it was my fault. I apologize to you. Please don't push me away..."

"I shouldn't have said those things. That wasn't my intention. I would have done everything I could to save anyone you care about. My aunt, and Miss Zheng, too. But now, I'm powerless. Just now, I blamed myself for not being able to protect you, my aunt, and the people of the capital. I was so dejected that I said those things. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

He held her in his arms, apologizing again and again, all for the one angry remark he had made.

Qi Yuxuan's tears continued to flow, seemingly endlessly, constantly wetting Qi Jun's chest.

She buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably: "Qi Xiuyuan... I... I never had a mother or any friends before. I just didn't want to watch them be harmed. I wanted to do my part. I didn't mean to force you. I was just afraid you didn't care whether they died or not, afraid you wouldn't care about the people I care about..."

The damp heat in his chest grew stronger and stronger, and Qi Jun's heart ached as if it were bleeding.

"I know, I know everything."

The young man's voice was low and hoarse: "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have said those things, I shouldn't have made you cry..."

If he had known earlier, he would never have shown any bad emotions or said any bad things in front of the young girl.

Qi Jun loosened his grip slightly, lowered his eyes, and cupped the little girl's tear-streaked face with one hand.

The other person's eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and the birthmark drawn at the corner of their eye was blurred by tears, making their face look like a little kitten that had been caught in the rain.

Even though she no longer possessed the breathtaking beauty of the past, Qi Jun felt both pity and cuteness towards her, and his heart softened as if it were cotton.

He slowly lowered his head, bent down, and his lips touched her delicate cheek. His movements were as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure, and he kissed away her tears little by little.