Chapter 698 Three Siblings
This wailing startled everyone, and the servants waiting outside rushed in.
Seeing that Qiao Qinghe was still sitting by the bed, the other servants nervously withdrew.
Only one old woman who was already serving in the room remained. She cautiously came up and asked, "Madam, why don't you and the young master go back first? I have experience, I'll take care of Miss Lan."
Qiao Qinghe waved her hand, about to say no, when a figure darted in through the door.
The figure was small and slow, so the distance from the door to the bedside was enough for Qiao Qinghe to see the person clearly.
The person who arrived was none other than Li Rui, the eldest son of the deposed crown prince and Li Lan's elder brother.
The ten-year-old boy was tall and thin, with a pale face, and was still wearing his pajamas. He had clearly heard Li Lan crying and rushed over.
If I remember correctly, Li Rui lived in the room next to Li Lan's.
Sure enough, the boy ran to the bedside, saw Li Lan lying on the bed crying loudly, reached out and picked her up, then turned around and looked at Qiao Qinghe with a wary expression.
"Who are you? Where is this place? Why are we here?"
Before Qiao Qinghe could answer, another child ran in through the door.
"Big brother!" The child rushed to Li Rui's side and stood close to him.
Who else could it be but Li Ze?
Immediately afterwards, a series of hurried footsteps came from the doorway.
Soon, an old woman came in to report that she had just discovered that the two young masters had woken up, and before she could explain the situation, the two rushed out of the room and ran over here.
Qiao Qinghe waved for the people to leave, then looked at the three children with a serious expression.
Both brothers, Li Rui and Li Ze, looked wary, their eyes clearly showing tension and unease.
Li Lan, who was originally crying, was so frightened that she forgot to cry after Li Rui picked her up.
Yes, Qiao Qinghe saw a look of terror on the little girl's face.
Holding Li Rui in her arms, she was stiff all over, and her face was even paler than before.
Qiao Qinghe frowned slightly, suppressing the doubts in her heart, and said in as gentle a tone as possible, "This is the Qiao residence in Nancheng."
"His Majesty ordered me to bring you back."
"You will be living here for a long time to come."
No sooner had Qiao Qinghe finished speaking than Li Ze loudly retorted, "Why are we living here? Where is our father? Where is he?"
As he spoke, Li Ze glanced at Li Lan, who was nestled in Li Rui's arms, too afraid to move, and added, "And what about this little brat's mother?"
Where did that woman go?
Why don't we live with them? Why should we live in your house?
When Li Lan heard Li Ze call her "little rascal," she visibly flinched, and the fear on her face became even more obvious.
Qiao Qinghe finally couldn't stand it anymore and reached out her hand to Li Lan, "Come, come to the old lady."
Upon seeing this, Li Rui quickly took two steps back.
"What are you doing?" Li Rui hugged Li Lan even tighter.
Contrary to his guard, Li Lan reached out his hand to Qiao Qinghe.
In an instant, a look of embarrassment and annoyance flashed across Li Rui's face.
He couldn't help but glare fiercely at Li Lan.
That one glance instantly broke Li Lan's defenses, and she finally couldn't help but cry.
While crying, she reached out towards Qiao Qinghe, looking as if she was eager to escape from Li Rui.
Qiao Qinghe quickly stepped forward and forcefully took the little girl into her arms.
Li Rui finally gritted his teeth and let go.
As soon as she was in Qiao Qinghe's arms, the little girl hugged her neck tightly and buried her head in her shoulder.
He murmured under his breath, "Mother, I want my mother! Ancestor, I want to find my mother!"
"You little rascal! You're actually being affectionate with a stranger and won't even let your big brother hug you! You really are a little traitor! You little rascal!"
Li Ze glared fiercely at Li Lan, his eyes practically spitting fire. He kept cursing her as a "little annoying traitor."
Qiao Qinghe frowned and looked at Li Rui.
Although Li Rui is only two years older than Li Ze, he is obviously much more sensible.
He pulled Li Ze aside, "Stop talking. This is someone else's house. Keep your mouth shut."
Li Ze seemed to listen to his older brother. Although his face was still sullen, he kept quiet and stopped cursing Li Lan. However, his eyes still glared at Li Lan with fierce disgust.
"Madam, may I ask where our father and mother are?"
When Li Rui mentioned the word "mother," his tone was noticeably unnatural.
Why should we stay at your residence?
"They, who are they, has something happened?"
Although Li Rui tried to remain calm, his voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
It's obvious that he knows something.
Qiao Qinghe hesitated for a moment before saying, "You were all poisoned and unconscious for three days. You've just woken up, so you must be hungry, right? Besides, you haven't taken your medicine today."
"How about we have some food and take your medicine first, then we can talk about your parents slowly. What do you say?"
As she spoke, Qiao Qinghe glanced meaningfully at Li Ze and Li Lan.
As expected, Li Rui immediately understood Qiao Qinghe's meaning. He suppressed his anxiety, nodded, and said politely, "Okay. Thank you for your trouble, Madam."
Qiao Qinghe nodded without saying anything, but instructed people to prepare a meal for the three of them.
Soon, Li Rui and Li Ze were taken back to their rooms, and Mu Jin came over to take their pulses one by one.
Qiao Qinghe originally intended to hand Li Lan over to the old woman who was serving her.
But Li Lan clung tightly to her neck, refusing to let go.
After trying twice, Qiao Qinghe resigned herself to taking care of the child herself.
Dressing, feeding, administering medicine...
The little girl stayed nestled in her arms until she finished eating, and then fell into a deep sleep in her arms again.
Only then did Qiao Qinghe have the opportunity to put the person back on the bed.
After Li Lan was settled, Li Rui also put Li Ze to sleep.
Upon seeing Li Rui, who had come to see her alone, Qiao Qinghe couldn't help but sigh silently, "What a clever child."
Li Rui greeted them politely and thanked them before asking about his parents.
Are they still alive?
"Ze-ge'er, Lan-jie'er, and I are all alive, so they must still be alive too, right?"
Upon hearing Li Rui's words, Qiao Qinghe became certain that the child must know something.
"You've all been poisoned, did you know that?"
Li Rui nodded honestly, "Before I lost consciousness, I saw my father and mother both vomit blood and fall to the ground."
“Ze Ge’er and Lan Jie’er fainted first, even before their father and mother.”
"I am the last one."
"Since Zege'er and Lanjie'er have both come back to life, then Father and Mother should still be alive too, right?"
After saying that, Li Rui looked at Qiao Qinghe with anticipation.
Although Qiao Qinghe felt a pang of pity, she still shook her head. "They're all dead."
"Only you three siblings were lucky enough to survive because you ate less and ingested less poison."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the color drained from Li Rui's face.
Soon, tears began to fall.
However, he cried very restrainedly, his fists clenched and his teeth clenched. Although tears streamed down his face, he didn't utter a single sob.
Unable to hold back any longer, he simply raised his arm to cover his face, tightly silencing his suppressed sobs.
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