Chapter 173 The Noble Young Master of a Marquis's Family (Part Twelve): The Noble Young Master's Revenge and Love...

The group followed the sound and hurried towards its source. After passing through a dense sea of ​​crape myrtle flowers, a simple and elegant pavilion suddenly appeared in front of them.

Inside the pavilion, a man dressed in a dark brocade robe was holding a woman in purple tightly in his arms, a frivolous smile on his face. The woman's clothes were disheveled, and tears still clung to her face as she struggled to push the man away.

As the group approached, they could faintly hear a man's deep voice coming from the pavilion: "Qing'er, from now on, you must behave well..."

"Who are you? How dare you do such an indecent thing in this sacred Buddhist place!" Li Rendun strode forward and shouted sternly.

Song Ce and Sun Yiheng exchanged a glance, then immediately stepped forward to stand in front of Sun Yiyao and Li Muya, watching the two entangled figures in the pavilion warily.

Zhao Xuanhong was startled by the sudden question, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. The back garden of Yunding Temple was never open to the public; how could someone have barged in today? He immediately pulled Sun Qing'er into his arms and looked up at the newcomer.

It turned out to be Sun Yiheng, the second young master of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion; Song Ce, the heir of the Weiwu Marquis's Mansion; and Li Rendun, the eldest young master of General Li's Mansion. Behind them were two ladies, presumably the daughters of noble families.

Zhao Xuanhong frowned slightly, inwardly cursing his bad luck. If it were any other young master, a little coercion or bribery would usually shut them up. But the Rongguo Duke's mansion was also there… He had intended to meet Sun Qing'er in this secluded spot today, but he had been caught red-handed. Thinking of this, Zhao Xuanhong quickly adopted an arrogant expression: "Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in my business?"

"Your Highness?"

Li Rendun was stunned for a moment. He stepped forward and took a closer look, only to recognize that the man in the black brocade robe was none other than the Second Prince Zhao Xuanhong! These scions of prominent families often walked among the powerful and influential people in the capital, so they naturally recognized the various nobles in the palace.

Sun Yiheng also recognized Zhao Xuanhong and secretly groaned. This second prince was usually narrow-minded, and now that they had caught him in his private affairs, he must be furious and would probably hold a grudge against him.

"Greetings, Your Highness, Second Prince. We came to pay our respects to the Wenchang Emperor today, but we did not mean to disturb Your Highness. We hope Your Highness will forgive us."

Hearing Sun Yiheng's voice, Sun Qing'er, who was being held tightly in Zhao Xuanhong's arms, was filled with panic. She instinctively buried her head in Zhao Xuanhong's chest, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Hearing her brother's voice, Sun Yiyao, who was behind Song Ce, quickly pulled Li Muya along to bow.

Zhao Xuanhong snorted coldly and said to Li Rendun in an icy tone, "What, does Young Master Li have to meddle in my private affairs?"

Li Rendun naturally dared not respond, so he quickly took a step back, lowered his head, and replied, "Rendun dares not."

"If you're too scared, then get out of here!"

No sooner had Zhao Xuanhong finished speaking than a man in black suddenly darted out from the sea of ​​crape myrtle flowers, his long sword aimed straight at Zhao Xuanhong's throat!

"Huaijing! Huaijing!"

Zhao Xuanhong shouted in a deep voice, instinctively pulling Sun Qing'er out of his arms to shield her in front of him.

Caught off guard, Sun Qing'er was pushed forward to block the sword, momentarily caught off guard. When she saw the approaching blade, her eyes widened in astonishment. Just then, Huai Jing intervened, blocking the attack from the man in black.

Huai Jing was the most skilled assassin among Zhao Xuanhong's bodyguards, extremely adept at assassination. After exchanging a few blows with the man in black, he immediately switched from defense to offense. The man in black, outmatched in martial arts, retreated step by step, until finally Huai Jing's sword tip pressed against his throat.

"Tell me, who sent you?"

The man in black sneered and swiftly crushed the bead in his hand. In an instant, a wisp of green smoke flashed, and the assassin vanished from his spot.

Huai Jing's eyes darkened, and he immediately turned around and knelt on one knee, looking guilty: "Your Highness, I have failed in my duties and beg for your punishment."

Zhao Xuanhong's face was grim as he sternly ordered, "Useless wretch! Go and investigate now!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Just as Zhao Xuanhong was pondering who was behind today's assassination attempt, he heard a clear male voice from behind: "Miss Sun?"

Still in shock, Sun Qing'er was jolted back to reality upon hearing Song Ce's voice. She turned around with a face full of shame and indignation and hid behind Zhao Xuanhong, no longer daring to show her face.

"What? Qing'er!"

Sun Yiheng was stunned. He never expected to meet his half-sister here, especially in such an embarrassing situation.

Seeing that his relationship with Sun Qing'er had been exposed, Zhao Xuanhong, who was standing to the side, was too lazy to hide it anymore. He simply sat down on the stone bench next to him in a nonchalant manner, looking like it was none of his business.

Sun Yiheng was seething with anger. He flung his sleeve and roared, "You disgraceful wretch! Get over here right now! You've completely disgraced the Rongguo Duke's Mansion!"

Sun Qing'er bit her lip hard, her nails almost digging into her palms. She looked at the indifferent Zhao Xuanhong, her heart filled with sorrow. She lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes, and walked timidly to Sun Yiheng, calling out softly, "Second Brother..."

Sun Yiheng immediately raised his hand and slapped Sun Qing'er hard across the face!

"My Rongguo Duke's Mansion has always maintained strict family traditions, how could we have produced such a shameless wretch like you!"

Sun Qing'er's head snapped to the side from the slap, her face instantly swelling with five red marks. She staggered back a step, lost her footing, and fell straight to the ground. Zhao Xuanhong sneered at the sight, showing no pity whatsoever, but instead watching them with great interest.

After a long while, Zhao Xuanhong finally spoke with a half-smile: "Second Young Master, why get so angry at a weak woman? A young lady's face is the most delicate thing. If you accidentally damage it, it won't fetch a good price in the future."

Upon hearing this, Sun Yiheng suppressed his anger and said coldly, "What does Your Highness mean by this? Shouldn't you give the Rongguo Duke's Mansion an explanation for your affair with Sun Qing'er?"

"An explanation?" Zhao Xuanhong swept over the angry gazes around him and sneered, "It's obvious that this woman willingly debaseed herself and actively seduced me. I, Your Highness, would like to ask you, what kind of explanation is this Second Young Master asking me for?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Qing'er turned around in disbelief, her face flushed with shame and indignation, and said, "Your Highness! How could you say that? It was clearly...it was you..."

"Heh." Zhao Xuanhong interrupted her lazily, slowly stroking the patterns on the jade pendant at his waist, and chuckled, "Then Miss Sun, you should teach this prince how to say this properly. Love between a man and a woman is a matter of mutual consent, so why does it sound like this prince is forcing you, Miss Sun?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Sun Yiheng's ashen face, a mocking smile curving his lips. "I have truly witnessed the upbringing of the Rongguo Duke's mansion today."

Seeing her brother trembling with anger, Sun Yiyao took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

"Your Highness, Sun Qing'er is the daughter of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. Her reputation is related to the face of the entire mansion. I hope Your Highness can give her a proper arrangement."

Zhao Xuanhong looked at Sun Yiyao, whose face was covered by a light veil, and saw that Song Ce was subtly protecting her behind him. Suddenly, he burst into laughter.

"I don't understand what you're saying, Miss." Zhao Xuanhong stood up, patted off non-existent dust from his sleeves, and slowly walked up to Sun Qing'er. He looked down at her disheveled appearance with no pity in his eyes, only indifference as if examining an object.

"I have plenty of women around me. Do you expect me to give them all a place to live, as Miss San suggests?"

Sun Qing'er suddenly looked up, staring intently at Zhao Xuanhong's handsome yet cold face, and suddenly felt utterly ridiculous.

"So, in Your Highness's heart, what exactly is Qing'er?" Her voice was very soft, carrying a silent despair.

Zhao Xuanhong frowned, seemingly too lazy to argue with her any longer, and waved his hand to signal Huai Jing: "Get her away, don't get in my way."

Upon hearing this, Huai Jing stepped forward and was about to reach out to pull Sun Qing'er up when Sun Yiheng sternly stopped him: "Stop! She is a member of my Sun family! Even if the Second Prince is a prince, it is not your place to deal with the young lady of my Rongguo Duke's Mansion, is it?"

Zhao Xuanhong raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised by Sun Yiheng's tough attitude. He sized up the hot-blooded young master in front of him, then glanced at Song Ce and Li Rendun, whose faces were equally grim, and began to make his own calculations.

Although the Rongguo Duke's Mansion is just a name, it is still a first-rank duke's mansion, so he should give the Rongguo Duke some face. Although the Weiwu Marquis's Mansion has declined, Song Zhixiao and Princess Yongping are both favored by the emperor, so he should avoid provoking them if possible. The Li family holds military power and has considerable influence in the court, so if things really escalate today, it will not benefit him.

"Never mind."

Zhao Xuanhong waved his hand, his tone tinged with impatience, "Since the Second Young Master insists on taking her back to the manor, then let him take her! But let me make this clear beforehand," his gaze fell on Sun Qing'er again, a hint of warning in his eyes, "If anyone dares to spread even a single word about what happened today, don't blame me for not showing any mercy."

After saying that, he sneered, stopped looking at the crowd, and turned to leave.

Only after Zhao Xuanhong and his group disappeared at the edge of the crape myrtle flower sea did Sun Yiheng turn around, grit his teeth, look at Sun Qing'er who was sitting blankly on the ground, and say coldly, "Let's go! Go home!"

After the women boarded the carriages one by one, Sun Yiheng smiled wryly and cupped his hands to Li Rendun and Song Ce, saying, "I apologize for what happened today, A-Ce and Rendun. However, family scandals should not be aired in public. I hope you two brothers will keep this a secret for my Rongguo Duke's Mansion and preserve some dignity."

"Brother Sun, rest assured," Li Rendun quickly replied, "I will absolutely not reveal what happened today."

Song Ce nodded in agreement, indicating that he would keep his mouth shut.

After everyone hurried back to the city, Sun Yiheng, without bothering with pleasantries, immediately ordered his servants to open the side gate of the mansion and sent two rough-looking old women to tie up Sun Qing'er tightly. The gatekeeper was startled by this sight and was about to say hello when a look from Sun Yiheng silenced him.

Sun Qing'er was tightly bound and thrown into the family temple. Her eyes, which had once been filled with love for Zhao Xuanhong, were now empty and blank.

Soon, the news reached the ears of the Duke of Rong, who was so enraged that he grabbed his two most treasured teacups and smashed them to pieces. The servants in the room immediately lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound, for fear of incurring their master's wrath. Only two favored maids, mustering their courage, secretly glanced at the Duke's ashen face, but dared not utter a sound.

As night deepened, Sun Yiheng stood in the study with his hands at his sides, and reported in detail to the Duke of Rongguo, who was sitting in the main seat, what had happened in the back garden of Yunding Temple that day.

The Duke of Rongguo was nearly fifty years old, his temples already streaked with white. He looked up at Sun Yiheng and said coldly, "You handled this matter fairly well, preventing any unrelated people from seeing it. However, if this wretched girl were to commit such a disgraceful act, our Duke of Rongguo's century-old reputation would be ruined. Tonight, you shall deal with her according to the family rules, without showing any mercy."

Upon hearing this, Sun Yiheng's heart skipped a beat, and he said in a strained voice, "Father..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Duke of Rongguo raised his hand to cut him off: "Heng'er, there's no need to say more! As the daughter of my Duke of Rongguo's mansion, she should abide by the rules of this mansion! If we don't punish her severely today, how will we silence the gossip in the future? My son, remember this: a woman's kindness is most likely to lead to mistakes!"

"Yes, Father's teachings, I have remembered them."

Duke Rongguo nodded in satisfaction and sat back down in his chair. "Go."

"yes."

Sun Yiheng bowed and left the study. The night wind, carrying a chill, blew on his face. In a daze, he felt that the night was unusually cold, so cold that he unconsciously clenched his teeth and his palms were sweaty.

On the other side, Song Ce looked at Yueying kneeling on one knee below him and said gently, "You did a very good job on this matter."

Yueying lowered her eyes and bowed again, "It is your wisdom and strategy that are unparalleled, young master. I dare not take credit for it."

"At the earliest tonight, or at the latest tomorrow night, the Duke of Rongguo will definitely deal with Sun Qing'er. I need you to find a way to rescue her and find a safe place to settle her." As he spoke, Song Ce handed Yueying a sandalwood box containing dozens of sleeping potions and a small glazed porcelain bottle.

"These sedative beads are newly made by me, and they are more effective than the ordinary ones. This porcelain bottle contains top-quality healing medicine; please accept it all. If you encounter a strong opponent again in the future, just find a way to escape; there's no need to fight head-on."

"Yes, Yueying thanks you, young master."

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Author's Note: [Fireworks][Fireworks]