It was just after dawn and Rong Xi had lost all feeling in his legs.
No matter how hard he tried to hold it back, he couldn't help but reveal a hint of pain on his face. He placed his hands on his knees and tried to straighten his back.
Qin Ke's eyes showed heartache, and he wished he could kneel twice.
Soon, the servant arrived and said that Princess Mingyi had ordered that the ancestral hall should be cleaned today, and the Prince and Rong Langjun did not have to kneel again.
Qin Ke raised his lips and smiled, A'niang is just soft-hearted.
The two men knelt all night, and Princess Mingyi also did not sleep all night. Before dawn, she sent her servants to the ancestral hall to report the news.
Rong Xi smiled and said, "Your Highness is merciful."
He tried to stand up by supporting himself with his hands on the mat, but his legs were completely numb and he couldn't stand at all.
Qin Keqiang was too strong for him, so he had no problem getting up and walking. He then squatted in front of Rong Xi and said softly, "Come up."
Rong Xi did not refuse. She put her arms around his neck and lay on his back.
Qin Ke walked through the corridor and arrived at his childhood bedroom. The items in the room were neatly arranged and spotless, probably because it was cleaned regularly.
After placing Rong Xi on the couch, he was about to give instructions to the servants when he saw servants from two families knocking on the door and entering.
One person holds the basin and the other holds the plate.
There is hot water in the basin and a medicine bottle in the plate.
"Prince, Mr. Rong, this is the order of His Highness." The servant said with a smile.
The atmosphere in the Marquis's Mansion was solemn yesterday, and he and other servants were all terrified. Unexpectedly, this morning His Highness softened his heart and found an excuse to exempt the Prince and Rong Langjun from the kneeling punishment.
Qin Ke said gently, "Put it down. We don't need your service here."
The servant obeyed the order and left the bedroom.
Qin Ke bent over and wet the cloth, then said to Rong Xi, "I'll apply a hot compress on you for a while."
He turned around and saw that Rong Xi seemed not to have heard him, so he repeated it again.
Rong Xi came back to his senses, and neatly rolled up his trouser legs to his knees, his eyes filled with longing, "Your Highness is so nice."
The warm cloth was placed on the left knee, which relieved the pain a little. Rong Xi's brows relaxed a little, but he had not slept all night, and his face looked quite haggard.
Qin Ke placed another cloth on his right knee and replied with a smile: "I will show my filial respect to you in the future."
"Um!"
After the hot compress, Qin Ke applied ointment on Rong Xi. Rong Xi was already drowsy, but he was still trying hard to stay awake.
After a while, the servant came back with a lacquer tray on which were porridge and cakes, both of which were steaming hot, probably just out of the oven.
"His Highness said that the Prince and Rong Langjun should have some breakfast before resting."
These series of instructions are all expressed with deep maternal love.
The two of them happily finished their breakfast. Rong Xi could no longer hold on and leaned on the couch, falling into a deep sleep.
Qin Ke untied his hair, covered him with a quilt, and walked quietly out of the bedroom and into the main courtyard.
Princess Mingyi was asking the servant: "Have you finished your breakfast?"
The servant replied respectfully, "The prince and Rong Langjun both used it."
She sighed softly and waved her sleeves to let the servants go.
As soon as the servants left, Qin Ke entered the room, knelt directly in front of Princess Mingyi, and paid his respects.
Princess Mingyi was reluctant to let her child suffer. She had just kneeled for a whole night and her knees were injured. As a mother, how could she be willing to see her child suffer?
"Please sit down and talk." She said unhappily.
Qin Ke obeyed obediently and sat cross-legged on the soft mat.
"Thank you for your help, mother."
Allowing Rong Xi to enter the Qin family ancestral hall and kneel with him has already made Princess Mingyi's attitude clear.
Princess Mingyi was still upset and glared at him, "You've been kneeling for a long time, why don't you go and rest? How can I feel at ease if you don't take care of your body?"
"I'll pay my respects to my mother first, and then go to rest." Qin Ke replied with a smile.
His face was filled with joy. Princess Mingyi rarely saw him like this, so she felt a little jealous and asked, "Where is Rong Dalang?"
"Da Lang was too weak to hold on after the meal and had to rest."
Princess Mingyi heard the rumors in the market, knew what Rong Zhou had done, and also knew that Rong Xi had a weak constitution, so she couldn't help feeling distressed.
"What a sin." She muttered, and then said impatiently, "Go and have a rest. I don't want to talk to you."
Qin Ke took his leave and returned to his bedroom, where he slept on the same bed with Rong Xi.
It was not until the afternoon that Rong Xi woke up.
After waking up, he was quite nervous. Why did he fall asleep in a daze this morning? It's really rude!
He quickly got up and walked out of the bedroom. Seeing that the sun was setting, he couldn't help but feel even more annoyed.
Just as Qin Ke walked into the courtyard, their eyes met.
Qin Ke strode over, suddenly put his arm around Rong Xi's waist, lifted him up, raised his head and smiled, "Lanzhi, I am very happy."
His amber eyes were as bright and dazzling as the stars in the sky.
Rong Xi could hear his heart beating like a drum in his ears. He was stunned for a while, then said in shock: "Your knee is injured, let me down quickly!"
Unexpectedly, Qin Ke walked straight into the bedroom and placed him on the couch. "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
Rong Xi was lying on the couch. When he saw someone pressing down on him, he quickly closed his eyes.
There was a sudden weight on his shoulder socket, and Rong Xi opened his eyes again, only to see black hair everywhere.
Qin Ke leaned on Rong Xi's shoulder and said softly, "Lan Zhi, before I met you, I thought that my life was just to abide by the will of my ancestors and protect the territory of Wei from invasion. Apart from this, there is nothing else."
Hearing Rong Xi's steady heartbeat, he continued, "After meeting you, I realized that life is short."
Before this, he was like a puppet, leading troops to kill enemies on the battlefield without any life at all. But now, the body seems to be injected with soul, and the heart is beating only for one person.
This feeling is quite mysterious, yet incredibly real.
Rong Xi suddenly hugged him tightly.
As a character in the book, Qin Ke is only mentioned in a few words, and his life is nothing more than serving Liang Siwen.
In order for Liang Siwen to survive, Qin Ke adopted him; in order for Liang Siwen to grow up, Qin Ke died on the battlefield.
How sad.
"I feel the same way." Rong Xi sighed softly, "I originally wanted to live alone, with objects as my companions, how could I have known that I would meet you?"
Qin Ke suddenly raised his head, and their eyes met, both of them smiled slightly.
He bent his head and gave Rong Xi a light kiss on his chin.
Rong Xi put his arms behind Qin Ke's neck and smiled to himself.
Another kiss landed on the center of the eyebrows, the warmth gradually moved down, brushed across the tip of the nose, and captured a touch of softness.
After a long and passionate kiss, Qin Ke finally showed mercy and let Rong Xi go. Rong Xi opened his eyes, and there seemed to be a clear spring flowing in his eyes, shining with moving light.
The corners of his eyes were red, his cheeks were flushed, and he panted slightly and said, "Can I help you?"
Qin Ke sat up suddenly and said, "No need." Then he hurriedly went to the ear room.
After a while, he returned to the bedroom, looking calm and composed, and said with a smile, "Let's go have dinner."
Rong Xi held back his laughter and did not point it out.
When they arrived at the dining hall, Princess Mingyi and Marquis Changxin were already waiting at the table. Qin Ke and Rong Xi quickly apologized.
Princess Mingyi only took a glance and knew what had just happened. She felt heavy-hearted and said with a gloomy face, "Sit down."
After the meal, Princess Mingyi called Qin Ke to her bedroom.
"How can you do this?"
Qin Ke felt guilty and admitted his mistake very well, "It's my fault, please don't be upset, mother."
Princess Mingyi glared at him, turned around, took out a brocade box from the box and handed it to Qin Ke.
"You are still young, don't be rude," she said earnestly, "This is a secret recipe of the palace, don't just care about your own pleasure."
His expression was extremely serious.
No matter how thick-skinned Qin Ke was, he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.
"Mother, I know." He took the brocade box and lowered his head, not daring to look at Princess Mingyi.
Qin Ke was always mature and prudent. Princess Mingyi rarely saw him like this, so she found it quite novel. She secretly watched the fun in her heart, but said on the surface: "Study the prescription carefully, don't be careless."
"My son, please remember this. Don't worry, mother."
Princess Mingyi smiled, "Well, I won't keep you tonight. You and Dalang go back to the Prince's Mansion."
Qin Ke knelt down and said goodbye.
After returning to the bedroom, Rong Xi saw the brocade box in his hand and asked curiously, "What did His Highness give you?"
Qin Ke said calmly, "They are just some treasures, nothing special. My mother asked you and me to go back to the Prince's Mansion, let's go."
Rong Xi then stopped asking questions.
After returning home, Qin Ke went into the study alone and took out the prescription from the brocade box.
The prescription is not just a prescription. It clearly explains the usage. It is extremely straightforward. As soon as Qin Kefang saw it, he felt a burning sensation in his stomach.
However, since it concerned Rong Xi, he had to study it carefully.
After reading it through, he took out a pen and paper, copied down the prescription, and then hid the secret recipe in a brocade box for safekeeping.
At the hour of Yin the next day, Qin Ke suddenly woke up from his dream. After coming back to his senses, he held his forehead with his hand and smiled bitterly, and he was no longer sleepy.
After cleaning up, he quietly went to the martial arts field to practice swordsmanship for an hour. He was sweating profusely and his anger gradually subsided.
After taking a bath, breakfast was ready and Rong Xi and Chen Chuangu were already waiting at the table.
As soon as he entered the dining hall, Chen Chuangu noticed something was wrong.
As a doctor, Chen Chuangu could easily tell when someone was too angry. He glanced at Rong Xi again and couldn't help but gloat over his misfortune.
Rong Dalang was calm and composed, and in a refreshed mood. In comparison, Qin Ke seemed quite unsatisfied.
It's really pitiful.
After breakfast, Rong Xi asked Qin Ke, "Should we send those glassware to the Marquis' Mansion as a tribute to His Highness?"
On the day of Rong Zhou's trial, the two men stayed in the glass workshop for a long time to make utensils for Princess Mingyi.
However, the incident happened suddenly the day before, and Qin Ke made it clear to Princess Mingyi before the glass toy was delivered.
Now that Princess Mingyi has helped him, Rong Xi is extremely grateful and can only give her gifts to show her respect.
Qin Ke nodded and said, "I'll send it over later."
Princess Mingyi was very happy to receive the exquisite objects. The depression in her heart gradually disappeared. After being comforted by Marquis Changxin, she sighed softly, "That's good."
One is that the two are in love with each other and it is hard to stop them; the other is that Qin Ke is in love with a man under the emperor's favor, which can dispel the emperor's suspicion and ensure world peace.
In the next few days, Rong Xi was busy with the shop affairs and waited for certain things to ferment.
He had just finished discussing with Shopkeeper Du and was about to leave the shop and go home when suddenly a man rushed towards him. The cold light of the knife caught Rong Xi's eyes. He quickly dodged to the side, grabbed the criminal's wrist and twisted it hard.
The villain screamed in pain and the knife fell to the ground.
He had not learned the art of defeating the enemy from Qin Ke in vain.
Although this is not a busy area, there are still a few neighborhoods. It is rare to see someone maliciously using a knife to injure someone, and the neighbors gathered around.
The louder the noise, the more people came over to watch.
"Isn't this Rong Silang? Is he going to kill someone?"
"Rong Silang actually killed his brother in the street?"
Everyone was talking about it.
Rong Xi's face was as gloomy as water. He looked down at the embarrassed young man on the ground and asked indifferently: "Do you know that killing someone means paying with your life?"
"You are a bad person! Give me back my mother! Give me back my mother!"
Rong Han lay on the ground and cried.
After he came back to life, he was told by a servant in the mansion that his own mother had been sentenced to exile. In shock and anger, he wanted to kill Rong Xi.
But he didn't know where Rong Xi was. Fortunately, someone secretly told him, so he came to the grocery store to look for him.
As soon as he saw Rong Xi, his anger burst out and he swung his knife at him!
Rong Xi didn't want to pay attention to him, and said to Shopkeeper Du, "Mr. Du, please fetch me a rope."
Shopkeeper Du obeyed the order, quickly fetched the rope and tied Rong Han up tightly.
Rong Han struggled endlessly, crying and shouting loudly, looking quite pitiful.
However, he killed his brother with a knife, so he cannot be easily forgiven.
Rong Xi visited the county government office again. Shunan County Magistrate was extremely troubled. When he heard that it was a vicious murder case, he felt dizzy in front of his eyes.
How can this be!
The incident of the Rong brothers killing each other led to a large crowd blocking the gate of the county government.
Seeing the Shunan County Magistrate looking embarrassed, Rong Xi suddenly sneered, "I am his brother and also an official appointed by the court. Rong Silang tried to kill me with a knife in the street, so I killed him on purpose. According to the Great Wei Law, imprisonment is not excessive."
Although he was not injured, what Rong Han did was indeed a great evil.
Those who assassinate imperial officials shall not be given a light sentence.
The Shun'an County Magistrate thought for a moment and said cautiously, "Mr. Rong, this matter is of great importance. Please allow me to report it to the Jingzhao Yin."
The county government does not have enough authority.
After receiving the case, the prefect of Jingzhao denounced the magistrate of Shunan in his heart. This matter is small if you say it is small, and big if you say it is big.
If relatives kill each other and the victims are unharmed, everyone will be happy if they can be reconciled.
However, Rong Xi was a sixth-rank official, so he certainly could not be careless.
"I wonder what Shaoqing Rong means?" The prefect of Jingzhao asked Rong Xi privately.
Rong Xi couldn't help but frown.
Rong Han is only thirteen years old, which is not the age of criminal responsibility according to the criminal laws of later generations. However, according to the laws of the Wei Dynasty, a person as young as twelve could be held responsible for intentional homicide, but the sentence could be lighter.
"Just judge the case according to the laws of the Wei Dynasty."
Because of Rong Zhou's upbringing, Rong Han is full of malice towards Rong Xi, and he acts capriciously due to his doting. If this matter is lightly exposed, it will only encourage his evil nature.
Rong Xi's expression was extremely stern.
The Jingzhao Yin then sentenced Rong Han to thirty strokes of the cane and five years in prison, which was considered a light punishment.
Assassinating an imperial official could have been punishable by death, but considering his young age, he was pardoned.
After Rong Weijing learned about this, he almost fainted in the government office.
No matter what, he has always loved Rong Han the most.
He hurriedly went to find the Jingzhao Yin to find out what was going on.
Jingzhao Yin was embarrassed, "Minister Rong, I really have no choice. The neighbors all saw your son wielding a knife to kill Rong Shaoqing, so I have to sentence him according to the law."
"He must have been bewitched!" Rong Weijing didn't believe it. "How could he kill someone at such a young age?"
Jingzhao Yin's heart was beating fast, "Minister Rong, he has admitted it in court, it is written in black and white, and I am in a difficult position."
Rong Weijing's heart suddenly turned cold as ice.
He suddenly felt some resentment towards Rong Xi.
Rong Xi didn't know how worried Rong Weijing was, as he had already returned to the Prince's Mansion.
However, the Prince's Mansion was a little different from usual.
"Uncle Zhao, why is this happening?" He couldn't help but ask when he saw the damage to the plants, trees, and rocks in the yard.
The housekeeper sighed, "My dear, you don't know that after you left the house today, His Royal Highness Prince Shun came to the county prince to learn martial arts, and the courtyard became like this."
We need to find a craftsman to repair it tomorrow.
"Where is the prince?"
"It should be in the study."
As soon as Zhao Bo finished speaking, Qin Ke came over in a hurry, looked Rong Xi up and down for a moment, and then calmed down and said, "Today, Prince Shun suddenly came to me to discuss martial arts. I just heard the guards report that I know you are in danger today."
The situation was critical at the time and the guards had no time to react. If Rong Xi had not been familiar with how to defeat the enemy, he would have been seriously injured even if he had not died.
If you think about it carefully, it’s really scary.
His voice was trembling a little.
Rong Xi smiled soothingly, "I have nothing to do. Let's go to the study."
The two walked to the study, Qin Ke hugged him tightly, breathing unevenly, "Fortunately you have not forgotten the moves, and fortunately Rong Han is not good at martial arts."
When he heard the guard's report just now, his heart actually stopped for a few breaths.
"Don't worry." Rong Xi stretched out his hand and patted his back gently.
He was actually so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.
The two hugged each other for a moment, and Rong Xi suddenly asked, "Why did Prince Shun want to spar with you today?"
"He will leave Beijing tomorrow." Qin Ke replied.
Seeing Rong Xi's strange expression, he couldn't help but look at him inquiringly.
Rong Xi frowned and said, "As far as I know, Rong Han just woke up this morning. He must have been angry when he picked up the knife to kill me, but how did he know where I was?"
"Someone secretly told me?"
Qin Ke smelled something weird.
If it weren't for Prince Shun's involvement, he would have known about Rong Xi's attack long ago. It was really a coincidence.
The author has something to say:
The current age of criminal responsibility for intentional homicide is fourteen, which was different in ancient times. Naughty children still need social education.
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