Chapter 39 Ceasefire
Three days later
Go to the capital
As dusk fell, a carriage hurriedly left the Duke's mansion and sped towards the palace.
"Damn it, how could the Second Young Master have broken his leg out of nowhere?" A servant woman from the Duke's mansion muttered as she washed clothes.
Another maid looked around to make sure no one was watching, then leaned in and whispered, "This is quite interesting. I heard from the second young master's personal servant that it might have been done by our young master. These past few days, someone saw Zhiqi, who is by the young master's side, return."
The maid's eyes darted around: "Is it really true?"
The other person wrung out his clothes: "What are you talking about?"
Before the words were finished, another commotion erupted in the courtyard of the Duke's mansion.
"Help! Help! The young master has fallen into the water!! Quick, someone come!!!"
Another wave of chaos ensued, and the guards, who were excellent swimmers, quickly jumped into the water and brought the person ashore.
The maids and servants standing around quickly took the person, covered them with a thick cloak, and helped them back to the courtyard.
The exquisitely carved, fairy-like little boy was held trembling in the old woman's arms. After she took off his clothes and soaked in a hot bath, he finally recovered.
Before long, the woman, having received the news, hurried to the magnificent courtyard.
Seeing her youngest son, with his delicate features, sitting blankly on the bed, she called him "my darling" as if he were her own flesh and blood. She hugged the child tightly and, after asking him a few questions, was relieved to find out that her son was alright.
"An'er, it's good that you're alright. Mother has to go to your second brother's courtyard now. He broke his leg today and we just had the imperial physician treat him. I'm going to check on him. I'll bring the imperial physician over later to take a look at you, okay?"
The young man tugged at the beautiful woman's sleeve: "Mother, I was thrown into the water today. After entering the garden, the maids and servants around me were knocked unconscious, and I was grabbed by the collar and thrown directly into the pond. When I fell in, I glimpsed the guards' clothes..."
The beautiful woman glanced around, dismissed the others, and then stroked her son's head: "Mother knows, An'er. Take good care of yourself first. I will talk to your father."
The young man let go of her hand, his eyes filled with disappointment: "The old women said it was because Mother hired someone to assassinate my older brother that she suffered his revenge."
Just as the beautiful woman was about to offer some words of comfort, a servant scrambled into the courtyard: "Madam! Something terrible has happened! The Third Young Master has been hit on the head by a stone falling from the sky and has fainted! You must go and see him quickly!!!"
The beautiful woman's face turned pale instantly. Without bothering to comfort her youngest son, she slapped his hand away from her clothes and hurriedly left the yard.
"Is the imperial physician still there? Go to Second Brother's courtyard and fetch the imperial physician directly to Third Brother's courtyard!! Hurry!"
The little boy watched his mother's hurried departure, his empty hand clenching into a fist.
There was sadness in his eyes. The fledgling bird was attached to its mother, and now it felt cold all over. Its mother had abandoned it without even glancing at it, and it was truly heartbroken.
"Qingshu".
"Your servant is here."
"What do you think of our older brother?"
The young servant, who wasn't very old, scratched his head and said, "I don't see the eldest young master often, but every time he comes back, he brings a lot of gifts for the young master. The young master is always very happy to receive them, so he must dote on his sons."
Qi An lowered her beautiful eyes, tears falling one by one: "Have the guards from the manor returned from last time?"
After thinking for a moment, the servant replied, "Not yet."
Qi An wiped away his tears and leaned against the bed: "Then he probably won't be coming back. This incident was a warning from my older brother."
The servant asked incredulously, "Young Master? You mean? You fell into the water this time? The Second Young Master had his leg broken, and the Third Young Master too? Was it the First Young Master who did it?"
Qi An nodded: "I saw Zhi Qi when I was thrown into the pond. Zhi Qi was hiding in the pavilion when I was thrown in."
As he spoke, the little boy rubbed his nose and said in a muffled voice, "Father and Mother must have angered Big Brother this time, which is why they attacked us without any regard for the consequences. Qing Shu, do you think Big Brother is tired of me?"
The servant hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "The young master dotes on the young master the most, so he probably wouldn't dislike him."
Qi An hid back in bed, feeling sullen. In this family, his father favored his second brother and wanted him to inherit the title, while his mother doted on his sweet-talking third brother. He was taken away by his grandmother to be raised when he was less than a year old.
A few years ago, his grandmother passed away, and his mother took him back to live with her. His father had always been indifferent to family affairs and would often disappear for ten days or half a month. His mother devoted all her attention to raising his second and third brothers and did not care much about him.
The year his grandmother passed away, his older brother was the only one who really cared for him. He took him out to play, found him a school, and even taught him martial arts.
They protected him in public and in private, but unfortunately, in that one year, the eldest brother was summoned by the Prince of Chu to go to the frontier to make contributions.
In recent years, he has become increasingly transparent at home. His father occasionally asks about his studies, while his mother doesn't care at all. She just wants him to eat well, drink well, have fun, and grow up to be a rich kid. However, his mother is extremely concerned about the studies of his second and third brothers.
They were both born of the same mother, so why can't we love them a little more?
That night
Today, a light drizzle fell, like a thin veil of mist rising in the sky.
On the streets of the capital, through the carriage window, the bustling and graceful scenery, reminiscent of the Qinhuai River, filled my eyes in an instant.
The houses and residences of varying heights, the distinctive riverside houses, the singing and dancing pavilions, and the painted boats with carved beams and painted rafters on the river all speak of the prosperity of this place.
However, the Duke of Qi had no leisure to come out and appreciate the finer things in life.
Today, after court, the horse in the carriage went berserk for no reason. He, a duke, bumped his head and was thrown out of the carriage, falling flat on his face in the street, where he was watched by a crowd for a long time.
That's really embarrassing.
That's bad enough. The second son went out today, and as soon as he got on his horse, he was thrown off. His perfectly good leg was instantly broken by the horse.
Before the imperial physician could even leave the house, the youngest son was thrown into the water and developed a fever that evening.
The third son was hit on the head and bled profusely by a stone thrown from who-knows-where in the second son's yard today.
He's still unconscious.
Qi Ming was furious. His subordinates reported that his eldest son's personal guards had returned to the capital in the past few days. It seemed that apart from the few people around him, there were not many people who had the ability to act so recklessly in the capital.
The assassins sent last time haven't returned yet, and most likely they won't. I just don't know if they really hurt that bastard Qi Rong this time, otherwise he wouldn't have been so desperate as to attack his three younger brothers.
It could also be a warning.
Qi Ming cursed the bastard, and after calming down, he sat down at his desk, feeling somewhat powerless.
If we were to take action in the future, we would have to think twice. This time, the investigation left behind a lot of clues, all pointing to the King of Chu. It might not be easy to deal with him.
Thinking of this, Qi Ming stared coldly at the moon outside the window, veins bulging on his fists.
Before Qi Ming could continue thinking, a loud shout suddenly came from outside.
"Fire! Fire! The madam's courtyard is on fire!!"
Qi Ming suddenly stood up, but his head was spinning with anger.
This isn't over yet!!! You unfilial son!!! You unfilial son!!!
After catching his breath, Qi Ming sat down, feeling somewhat weak. He feared he wouldn't be able to act rashly anymore.
The eldest brother has troops at his disposal, the King of Chu behind him, and an official position. If he were to take action in the future, he couldn't do it this way. Who knows if, if pushed too far, the eldest brother might actually take the lives of his younger brothers next time?
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