Chapter 191 Pretending to be Crippled

Madam Qin was also taken aback when she didn't expect her child, who usually obeyed her every word, to suddenly turn out like this!

Her eyebrows furrowed tightly as she glared at her, "Are you crazy, child?!"

"Mother, please, let me do what I want to do, okay!"

"Support me just like your aunt supported them, okay?"

Although Xiao Jin is only three years old, he is already quite mature. He feels especially sorry for his mother who is struggling to make ends meet at home alone, so he has learned to take on the responsibilities of a man.

"I disagree!"

"Anything else is fine, whatever you want, but not this, absolutely not, I won't!"

"Ah Jin, you are my family, my son, my only hope. I cannot take the risk, and I do not agree to you taking the risk either!"

Qin clung tightly to Xiao Jin and began to wail loudly.

The noise was quite loud and quickly alerted the servants nearby, who hurriedly came to find Xie Qingran.

Upon receiving the news, Xie Qingran rushed over. Seeing the two children crying together, she quickly dismissed everyone around them, went over, and helped Qin Shi up: "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Upon seeing Xie Qingran, Madam Qin did not relax at all; instead, she cried even harder, embracing her and wailing, "Qingran, you've finally come! Please help me persuade Ajin! This child insists on learning martial arts so he can become a great general and fight on the battlefield. I only have one son, and I will absolutely not agree to this!"

Xiao Jin knelt on the ground, his hands clenched into fists. Although tears streamed down his face, his eyes were resolute.

With just that one look, Xie Qingran knew that Xiao Jin was just young, but definitely not a spineless coward.

She quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped away Qin's tears before saying, "Sister-in-law, the child is still young. It won't hurt for him to learn more. Besides, who knows what he'll be doing when he grows up? Why are you so nervous?"

What?

Qin Shi had been crying her heart out, but upon hearing this, she belatedly realized what was happening and looked at Xie Qingran in astonishment: "What do you mean?"

"Learning martial arts is not something that can be accomplished in a day; it requires hard work every day. You really think a little kid can stick to it?"

Even if you persevere and become a master, does that guarantee you a chance to fight on the battlefield?

"Sister-in-law, it's always good to have more skills. If the child likes it, let him learn it. Whether he can use it in the future depends on fate. Do you think we people can decide for him?"

Xie Qingran smiled gently, her words filled with comfort.

Madam Qin sighed and said helplessly, "Actually, I didn't want things to turn out like this with the child, but I'm just afraid. What if he ends up like his father and the others?"

"The Xiao family is full of loyal martyrs, and they have only achieved what they have today by standing on the shoulders of countless elders."

"Sister-in-law, shouldn't you have been prepared for this before you married into the family?"

“The Xiao family cannot raise spineless children. If the children are like this, we should be too.”

Xie Qingran was not unaware of Qin's maternal love, but sometimes, excessive maternal love can only harm a child.

"Sister-in-law, have you ever thought about what would happen if one day a powerful enemy really came to invade, and the men of the Xiao family really needed to go to the battlefield? Would you want to watch Ah Jin cower helplessly under this imperial edict?"

Xie Qingran grasped Qin Shi's hand and pointed to the iron certificate with the imperial edict not far away, which still bore traces of the blood of her predecessors.

Looking at the iron certificate, Qin's heart trembled violently. Her husband had mentioned the importance of this thing when he was still alive. It was the soul of the Xiao family, something that the Xiao family had painstakingly preserved over the years. So it certainly could not be lost in the hands of her and her son.

"You always know how to talk."

"Xie Qingran, I am really not as good as you."

Qin suddenly smiled, took Xie Qingran's hand, and sighed.

She saw so little, so little that it was almost selfish, but Xie Qingran was different. She truly deserved the position of Crown Princess!

Seeing Qin's expression, Xie Qingran smiled and said, "I don't have children yet, so I don't know what it will be like to be a mother in the future. But I know that concern can cloud judgment, and I understand that you are doing this for the children's good!"

Qin had thought Xie Qingran would blame her for being weak, but she never expected that Xie Qingran would understand her heart.

"Qingran, you are such a good girl. Our Zhenguo Duke's Mansion is so fortunate to have you!"

Qin immediately grabbed Xie Qingran's hand excitedly.

Xie Qingran smiled slightly and looked at Xiao Jin: "Starting tomorrow, you can practice martial arts with your older brother and sister, but today you disobeyed your elder brother and sister and scolded your mother. This is a serious crime, and I will punish you. Do you agree?"

Xiao Jin immediately nodded: "Yes, it's all my fault."

"Alright, then I'll punish you by making you wash your mother's feet for a month!"

"Alright, get up now and try to comfort your mother."

"She's doing it all for your own good."

After saying this, Xie Qingran gave Qin a wink, then got up and strode outside.

Watching Xie Qingran's retreating figure, Xiao Jin belatedly realized what was happening and knelt before Qin Shi, kowtowing once: "Mother, I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I've made you sad!"

"Good child, Mother doesn't blame you." Madam Qin picked up the child, kissed him, and looked at her husband's memorial tablet: "You are Father's child, this is how it should be. I was too narrow-minded."

Hearing this, Xiao Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief. The things he wanted to do now seemed to have a way out.

Back in her room, Xie Qingran slumped wearily onto the table: "None of these kids are easy to deal with. I wonder why all the Xiao family's children are as stubborn as mules?"

Xiao Jue felt a pang of heartache seeing Xie Qingran's exhausted appearance and said directly, "Did they upset you? Should I go and tie them all up and beat them up?"

Seeing Xiao Jue like this, Xie Qingran was both amused and exasperated: "If a beating could solve the problem, you wouldn't need to lift a finger; I would have done it myself!"

Xiao Jue walked over and looked at Xie Qingran: "Then tell me, how can we solve this problem?"

"Raising children is a series of problems, and then there's you. At this rate, when will it ever end?"

When do you plan to restore your strength?

Xie Qingran tilted her head and looked at Xiao Jue with some curiosity. Surely he couldn't have gone through all that trouble to heal himself just to pretend to be a cripple?