Chapter 345 Climbing into bed
Qi Yuxuan understood.
Wei Qingqing was injured at Qi Jun's residence, and it is highly likely that the broken rib punctured her heart meridian, which is why she urgently summoned her whole family in the middle of the night and called a doctor.
She guessed correctly; what the Wei family said next proved it.
Madam Wei the Second wept bitterly. In front of so many people, Madam Wei Kang was also somewhat disappointed in her daughter-in-law and helped to pull her back. She sternly said to her youngest son and his wife:
"Fifth Sister has done such a shameless thing, and you still have the nerve to cry?!"
"You have no shame in front of your esteemed master, but I, an old woman, still have one! The Wei family's century-old reputation has been ruined by such a shameless wretch! What ginseng? We don't have any! Giving it to her would be a waste! It would be cleaner if she just died!"
Wei Kangshi was a far cry from the gentle and polite woman she had been when they met that morning. Her wrinkled face now looked incredibly fierce, and her words were sharp and sarcastic. She seemed more like a street ruffian than a lady of a prominent family.
After berating her youngest son's family, she turned to her eldest son, Chief Secretary Wei, her voice still harsh:
"You're just as unreliable. Why didn't you arrange for more people? Instead, that idiot sneaked in and disturbed our distinguished master!"
Seeing her hysterical state, Qi Yuxuan frowned and took a half step back.
Before the Crown Prince could even speak about right and wrong, she launched into a tirade, as if the Wei family were entirely innocent in the matter and only Wei Qingqing had gone astray.
Throughout the entire process, Qi Jun stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the Wei family members perform their acts without any reaction.
Qi Yuxuan looked at the night sky and felt inexplicably sad.
Qi Jun was already injured and thought he could rest at the Wei family's house for the night and go to the military camp tomorrow. He never expected to encounter this.
She walked to Qi Jun's side and whispered:
“Cousin, it’s probably not a good place to stay here any longer. Why don’t you sleep in my yard? I have a spare room.”
Only when she got closer could she see clearly, by the light of the lamp and the moonlight, the stubble on the man's chin and the tired redness in his eyes.
Qi Jun looked at her and gently shook his head.
Qi Yuxuan continued to persuade, "It's only midnight, you should rest for a while."
However, Qi Jun did have other considerations at this time.
If it weren't for the fact that things weren't settled during the day, and that even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, and that the Wei family had taken the initiative to invite him to stay, he wouldn't have needed to spend a night in Kuncheng.
He already knew about the Wei family's situation.
Wei Changshi entered officialdom through patronage; he himself was not very learned, but he had absorbed a great deal of "knowledge" about officialdom from his father's generation. For decades, he never devoted himself to studying how to govern diligently and care for the people; instead, he regarded some unorthodox methods as the highest principles.
For example, sending young and beautiful women to the homes of superiors in order to gain excellent performance reviews and promotions.
Qi Jun guessed the Wei family's plan, so he always slept fully clothed. Sure enough, a woman sneaked in in the middle of the night.
He only intended to intimidate them and get them to leave, but he didn't expect the other party to be so audacious as to reach out and touch him!
Qi Jun had excellent night vision and could clearly see that the woman in front of him was excited and had bright eyes, so she was definitely not forced to come. In an instant, he was filled with anger and disgust, and he kicked her away.
Unexpectedly, the person turned out to be the fifth daughter of the Wei family, and she was exceptionally frail. She crashed through the screen and flew out, breaking several of her ribs and falling unconscious.
Those guarding outside heard the commotion and thought it was an assassin. But when they came in, they saw the fifth daughter of the Wei family lying on the ground, covered in blood and her life hanging in the balance. The crown prince, dressed neatly, stared at the person on the ground with an icy expression, as if he had never slept.
Thus, the entire Wei family was alarmed, with the eldest and second sons jumping out of bed and rushing to the courtyard in a panic.
Qi Jun could not directly attack the Wei family at this time, since the matter of the temporary transfer still required the local government to issue an order.
He is indeed the crown prince, but the Wei family has deep roots in Kuncheng. Using forceful measures rashly will only backfire. At this critical moment in the war between Qi and Yue, even the slightest change in border officials could be exploited.
Therefore, he cannot be careless and deal with the Wei family casually.
Qi Jun closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice even lower: "I'm not sleepy, you go back to sleep first. I'll handle this matter, don't worry. We'll set off back to Beijing in a few days. Your aunt misses you very much."
Qi Yuxuan was a little angry that someone was still saying such perfunctory things at a time like this.
She lowered her brow: "What do you mean, 'You handle it and I don't need to worry'? What time is it? Are you going to drag this out until dawn?"
After she finished speaking, without waiting for Qi Jun to speak again, she stepped forward and walked up to Wei Kangshi.
She realized that everything in the Wei family was ultimately decided by this old lady Wei. Didn't she see her two sons being scolded by her until they were both trembling with fear, looking like two children who hadn't grown up yet?
"Madam Wei, what exactly happened tonight? Please tell us clearly."
Speculation aside, she wouldn't make a hasty decision without hearing the Wei family's confession firsthand.
Madam Wei glared at her youngest son and his wife before forcing a smile and saying:
"Your Highness, it was all because of my ignorant fifth granddaughter. She drank too much and went to the wrong courtyard, which is why she accidentally bumped into the noble lady!"
The Crown Prince's whereabouts could not be publicized, so the Wei family members present addressed him as "Noble Person," and even the maids and servants did not know Qi Jun's true identity.
Then Wei Kangshi said:
"She's always been a mischievous and silly girl, and at such a young age, she's become incredibly fond of drinking. She had a few too many drinks one night and got into trouble. Luckily, the nobleman wasn't bothered by that rascal, but he himself fell and got quite badly hurt. Fortunately, the nobleman was generous and didn't hold her wrongdoing against her, even clearing out a room for her to stay in temporarily..."
Wei Kangshi’s words were reasonable and convincing, but everyone present knew that they were all just excuses.
At this point, the Wei family would certainly not admit that Wei Wu failed to climb into the prince's bedchamber and was instead kicked in the knee by the crown prince, so they could only choose the lesser of two evils and fabricate a story that Wei Wu was addicted to alcohol.
The only way to avoid completely ruining the young lady's reputation was to say that she had gone to the wrong courtyard.
Qi Jun remained noncommittal, while the guard beside him wanted to speak, but was frightened into silence by a single glance from Qi Yuxuan.
Qi Yuxuan smiled slightly: "It is true that my cousin is kind and benevolent, but when it comes to such matters, there is a difference between men and women, so it is not appropriate for him to speak for himself."
"I am also a woman, and I know how important reputation is to a young lady. Tonight's incident, to put it nicely, was a misunderstanding; to put it bluntly... it was incredibly awful. I wonder how the Wei family plans to deal with Miss Wei Wu after this incident?"
"Should I become a nun, or be drowned in a pig cage?"
"What?!" Madam Wei Er screamed from the crowd, her legs went weak, and she was about to fall to the ground.
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