Knock knock knock!
Qingfeng stepped forward and knocked on the door, when the back door of the Xiao family's house slammed open.
A tall, imposing figure appeared before them. The Xiao family master and servant looked up and saw that the man was in his forties, with a slightly ashen complexion, yellow eyes, and a beard.
Upon seeing the azure figure outside the door, especially that face that resembled an old friend, Xiao Zhong unconsciously tightened his grip on the door latch. "Young Master, you've arrived! Please come in!"
Xiao Baocong nodded slightly and followed Xiao Zhong into the courtyard.
“It’s thousands of miles from the capital to Shanghe Village. You must be tired from this trip, young master. Why don’t you stay at my humble abode for the next few days?” Xiao Zhong rubbed his hands awkwardly.
As he spoke, he picked up a brand-new carved teapot, brewed a cup of tea, and handed it over with trembling hands. "Young master, please have some tea first. This old servant will go and make the beds and cook some dishes for you two."
The rice is already cooking on the stove, and chicken, duck, fish, and meat are all prepared. I wonder what you, young master, like to eat, and what your dietary restrictions are?
He had been waiting for this day ever since the carrier pigeon was sent out.
From the bed and bedding to all the household appliances, everything was newly purchased in Tangshan Prefecture.
The tea in this courtyard was specially bought from Tianxianglou by him, but the tea in the prefectural city is far inferior to that in the capital. He doesn't know if the young master can get used to it.
"Steward Xiao, there's no need to be so polite." Xiao Baocong glanced at the teacup, but didn't move his hands, only glancing indifferently at the courtyard.
"Manager Xiao has worked really hard these past few years, staying in this poor and remote place."
Upon seeing this, the man paused in his teacup and quickly bowed his head to apologize, "It's no trouble at all! This is what I should do."
"Regarding Xiao Jinhan, it was due to my incompetence that I was deceived for so many years. I beg you, young master, to punish me!"
"Punishment?" Xiao Baocong chuckled and gestured for Qingfeng to step forward. "As the saying goes, even without merit, there is still hard work. The reason I came to see Steward Xiao today is that my mother asked me to deliver a gift to Steward Xiao."
The man's eyes lit up instantly as he looked at the wooden box Qingfeng was holding. "This is... a gift from Madam?"
His voice trembled noticeably with excitement.
He had been away from the capital for eighteen years, and the only connection he had with her was those letters. But last month, a fire burned all the letters to ashes, and he has been grieving over it ever since.
However, as Qingfeng opened the wooden box, Xiao Zhong's smile and the light in his eyes froze on the spot.
Inside the large wooden box, there was nothing but a knife.
By this time, it was completely dark, and the moon was hanging in the sky, casting a chilling light on the tip of the knife.
Xiao Zhong stared at the knife for a long time, his lips trembling, "Young master, this old servant does not understand what Consort Fei... no, Madam, Madam means. I hope you can enlighten me."
The young man dusted off his sleeves, his voice cold and indifferent: "You've raised a tiger to cause trouble, ruined my mother's grand plan, and made it difficult for us, mother and son, to move about in the capital. Is that clear enough?"
"Madam wants to kill me?!" Xiao Zhong's teacup clattered to the ground, the warm steam rising and gradually enveloping his eyes, making them sting.
After a long silence, a glimmer of hope returned. "I wonder, is this the young master's wish, or the lady's?"
Xiao Baocong stepped forward, meeting the man's yellow eyes, and instead of answering, asked, "What does Steward Xiao think?"
A simple sentence shattered the man's last glimmer of hope.
Yes, when he left the capital, there was no young master yet. They had never met. If it weren't for her personal order, why would he kill him as soon as he arrived in Shanghe Village?
Seeing the man's ashen face, Xiao Baocong sighed, "Steward Xiao, don't blame Mother. She had no choice. The Emperor's birthday is coming soon. Once Father returns to the capital from Xirong, Xiao Zichen's affair will be completely exposed."
Once this is exposed, there will be no place for my child and me in the capital.
"Is Madam afraid that I and the Prince will reveal what happened over the years? How could that be..." Xiao Zhong was filled with shock.
He wanted to say that he would never betray her in his entire life, but his lips remained open for a long time without uttering a single word. She was always cautious, and only the dead were truly trustworthy.
Never mind, she was the one who saved his life in the first place.
He will give her what she wants now.
The man gave a bitter laugh, picked up the knife from the box, and pointed it at his heart.
However, a glance at the plants and trees in the courtyard caused a sudden struggle to flash in his yellow eyes. "Young master, in the past eighteen years, although I have married and had children, I have kept my mouth shut about the matter of my wife and the Prince of Zhan's mansion. I have never said a word to them."
When I die, it will all be over.
I implore you, sir, to be merciful and spare my wife and children's lives. Would you please?
"Is that so?" The boy stood with his hands behind his back, only raising one hand slightly. His voice was calm and even. "I have never liked it when others try to bargain with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qingfeng grabbed Xiao Zhong's hand holding the knife and pushed it inside.
Pfft!
The sharp blade pierced through the clothes and went straight into the heart.
The spurting blood instantly stained the man's specially changed robes crimson.
As Xiao Zhong watched the blade disappear completely, leaving only the hilt less than an inch long, a single tear spilled from his eye, and he collapsed limply to the ground.
With his yellow eyes half-closed, he saw the boy's face, which looked just like that of an old friend, and suddenly felt as if he were seeing the snowy night from thirty years ago again.
That night, the snow fell knee-high, and the wind in the capital was biting cold, freezing many beggar children to death.
Hungry and cold, he could only crawl through the dog hole and fight with the rich man's dogs for food. However, before he could even get the food into his mouth, he was caught, beaten half to death, and thrown back into the snow.
She appeared just as he was taking his last breath.
She didn't mind his dirtiness at all, rescued him from the freezing cold, took him back to the Qu family, cooked soup for him, gave him new clothes, and made sure he no longer had nowhere to go, nowhere to walk, and no one to rely on.
She liked Xiao Hongyu, so he became a slave in the Xiao family.
He changed his name and surname.
Xiao Zhong's loyalty was always reserved for her alone.
However, she never believed in his loyalty throughout her life.
Night fell completely, and the man's soft murmur of "Fei Qing" dissipated in the wind. The young man's thin lips curled into a cold smile, "She's nothing but a lowly slave, how dare she talk about feelings!"
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