The eight-year-old boy was crying so hard he could barely breathe, his shoulders shaking. Xuan Yuanming stepped forward with a face full of guilt and pulled the boy to his side, saying, "Don't cry."
"You bad person!" The boy struggled and pushed Xuan Yuanming away, then angrily raised his fist and punched Xuan Yuanming hard.
He didn't dodge, letting him smash things.
"How dare you!" Xu Lingqing's voice came from the other side of the darkness.
She stepped forward, grabbed the boy by the collar, and slapped him across the face: "Who gave you the guts to hit someone!"
The boy's thin and frail body was sent flying several meters, his small face instantly swelling up, and he stared blankly at the person who had come.
"Men, seize him!" Xu Lingqing ordered.
Xuan Yuanming rushed forward and blocked the little boy's path, his face cold: "Why is the Eighth Princess Consort here so late?"
The mention of "Eighth Princess" made Xu Lingqing's heart sink. She asked incredulously, "What... what did you call me?"
"The Eighth Prince's Consort".
"I'm your sister Qing."
Xuanyuan Ming sneered: "My mother did not give birth to a princess. My surname is Xuanyuan, and the Eighth Princess's surname is Xu. What kind of siblings are we?"
Xu Lingqing's vision went black, and she almost lost her balance. She held tightly to her maid's arm to keep her upright and looked anxiously at Xuan Yuanche.
"Second brother, am I right?" Xuanyuan Ming asked in return.
Xuanyuan Che frowned but did not respond immediately.
"Ming'er, are you blaming me?" Xu Lingqing looked heartbroken. "I... I just didn't want you to get hurt, and I wanted to remind you of something. I meant well."
She had said these words during the day, and Xuan Yuanming could still listen to them then, but after witnessing Aqin's death, his heart could not calm down for a long time.
Suddenly, he realized that Xu Lingqing in front of him was not as kind as she seemed on the surface, and that it was very likely all a lie.
"Ming'er, you mustn't speak to Qing'er like that," Xuan Yuanche said.
Xuanyuan Ming said angrily, "Second brother, how could she, a girl from a village, happen to save all five of us brothers, and treat her like a precious jewel? Don't you find that strange?"
Xu Lingqing's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she looked anxiously at Xuan Yuanche.
Xuanyuan Che remained silent.
"Aqin is only thirteen years old. She didn't know me. Although she was tired and suffered, she shouldn't have lost her life. What did she do wrong that she had to die?" Xuan Yuanming roared angrily, unable to accept this fact.
Whenever I close my eyes, all I see in my mind is Ah-Qin's stubbornness, and the occasional smile that appears on her face.
I never imagined that one day, I would cause Ah Qin to lose her life.
"Ming'er, you, you listen to me..." Xu Lingqing was really anxious this time. She didn't expect that just Aqin would make Xuanyuan Ming so excited.
I should have just let it go.
Xuan Yuanming stood there motionless: "Aqin is a relative of a concubine in the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion. That concubine died, and the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion was unwilling to accept the two siblings. Aqin came from Rhinoceros Village, knows some basic kung fu, can read a few words, and knows a few herbs."
He looked at Xu Lingqing: "I wonder what the Eighth Princess Consort has investigated."
Xu Lingqing was surprised that Xuan Yuanming had actually found out about it.
It's the same as what I found.
“Aqin lost her parents and was bullied in the village. Even a piece of land was forcibly taken from her. She only came to the Zhenbei Marquis’s mansion to try her luck when she had no other way to survive. What evil intentions could such a person have?” Xuan Yuanming questioned.
Xu Lingqing was speechless. If she hadn't read the tricks in the book, she wouldn't have been so furious as to try to get Aqin away from Xuanyuan Ming.
“I…” Her eyes reddened with grievance, and tears streamed down her face.
Xuan Yuanche stepped in to smooth things over: "The person is already dead, the dead are gone, let's just let it go, don't let this affect our relationship."
Xuanyuan Ming smiled bitterly.
He used to think that she was just a maid, and that her death was no big deal.
But in his eyes, Aqin was not a maid at all.
"Qing'er, it's cold outside, you should go back first," Xuan Yuanche said gently.
Xu Lingqing could only nod with difficulty, then turned and left, crying.
Xuanyuan Ming pretended not to see it, turned around and looked at the boy. Looking at the handprint on his face, his anger surged.
"From today onwards, you will follow me."
The boy shook his head in terror.
I will not let anyone hurt you.
The boy continued to shake his head.
Xuanyuan Ming frowned.
"Sixth Prince, I can raise Hu'er." The shopkeeper suddenly stood up and said, "He is quite familiar with me, but it might be inconvenient for him to follow you."
Tiger ducked behind the shopkeeper.
“I have a wife and children back in my hometown, so one more won’t make a difference.”
Without saying a word, Xuan Yuanming gave the shopkeeper a silver note: "You must treat him well, make sure he can read and write, and don't mistreat him. Otherwise, I won't let you off the hook."
The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly: "Sixth Prince, don't worry. These two siblings are used to relying on each other. If one of them is suddenly gone, I will definitely take good care of Hu'er."
Tiger and Aqin stayed at the inn for a long time. The innkeeper treated them very well, so Xuanyuanming had no suspicions.
The shopkeeper took Tiger away without his consent.
"No need to investigate further." Xuan Yuanming waved his hand; he already knew who was behind it all.
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