elder brother's worry
At Xie Sili's instruction, Luo Mei informed Xie Ling and Qin Shi that she had awakened.
Looking at Qin Shi and Xie Ling sitting by the bed, a trace of guilt appeared in her eyes.
When she was traveling with her grandparents, she told them that she hoped they would always see her as a sickly person.
She followed the old man around, seemingly recuperating, but actually enjoying herself.
The old man was initially unwilling, but after she offered him all sorts of skills, he reluctantly agreed to her request, saying that everything the Xiaoyao Sect possessed was a treasure passed down from their ancestor.
Let's leave the old man's matter aside.
Just as Xie Sili was about to speak, Xie Ling's voice rang out, "Ali, are you aware of anything about your health?"
“Grandfather, when my master saved me, he said I was frail and sickly.” She said, taking Xie Ling’s hand. “Every minute and every second I spend with you now feels like time stolen from heaven.”
Seeing Qin Shi's reddened eyes, Xie Sili raised his hand to stroke her cheek and gently wiped away her tears. "Grandmother, don't be sad. I promise I won't let you, the white-haired, bury the black-haired."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt Qin's hand poke her head. "Don't talk nonsense! Your grandfather said we should move to Si Garden."
"The decoration of Si Garden is similar to that of Si Garden in Yuzhou City, and a spacious courtyard has been specially reserved for you." Xie Sili's expression softened considerably as he looked at Madam Qin. "It's much more comfortable to stay here than in the Prime Minister's residence. Almost all the rooms there have underfloor heating."
“Ah Li, the eldest brother doesn’t even want Nan Ge’er anymore. Nan Ge’er has never grown up under our care. Do you think he would be willing to leave with us now?” Xie Ling expressed his concerns. “I heard that the child has been raised by the Huang family and is completely unruly.”
Xie Sinan's face appeared in Xie Sili's mind.
A short while later.
She turned her gaze to Xie Ling, "Has Grandfather seen his elder brother since returning to the manor?"
Xie Ling recalled the previous scene, and Xie Sinan's image appeared in her mind.
“I did see Nan’er once when the imperial decree was announced. Although he was very polite, he was ultimately spoiled by Huang Shi.” He shook his head with regret as he spoke. “I’m afraid he wouldn’t want to take him with me even if I wanted to.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Sili grasped Xie Ling's hand and said, "Grandfather, it is already quite an achievement for my brother to have survived under Madam's rule all these years."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "Those were just pretenses in front of Madam. I think Grandfather had heard about Madam's act of 'cutting flesh to save her son' back then. It was after that incident that he trusted Madam completely. However, he later accidentally learned about Madam's true colors, and in order to survive, he put on a pretense."
"Really?" Xie Ling asked incredulously. "After all, I was raised by Madam Huang for so many years. How could I stop trusting her after knowing about this?"
Xie Sili raised his hand to his chest. "We are siblings. I believe him. Besides, with the Lian'er incident now added to the mix, his hatred for the Madam is probably not much less than mine."
"Who is Lian'er?" Xie Ling frowned. "And what is her relationship with Nan-ge'er?"
“She was given to Nan Ge’er by Madam Huang when he was young, and she has just been found to be pregnant.” Madam Qin said, rubbing her temples. “The key point is that she is still a slut.”
"What!" Xie Ling's voice rose involuntarily, "How dare Huang!" He slammed his hand on the bed after he finished speaking.
"Not only that, Lian'er is also a drug person. She is a new type of 'thin horse' specially bred from a young age in Yangzhou. She is not only proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also knows how to please people. Spending a long time with such a person will lead to addiction and a continuous decrease in lifespan."
Xie Sili paused for a moment before continuing, "My brother also noticed something was wrong, so he hasn't spent much time with Lian'er for a long time. His body is also gradually recovering, and it will probably take two or three years to return to its peak condition."
“We should have taken Nan-ge’er with us back then.” Madam Qin’s eyes reddened as she spoke. “If we hadn’t done so, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
"Grandmother, rest assured, the person who treated my brother's health was Manager Du." Xie Sili said, handing the handkerchief that Luo Mei had given him to Madam Qin. "Manager Du is someone you all know. He was transferred to Baozhilin in Chang'an a year ago."
"That child's medical skills are indeed excellent." Madam Qin wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, her mood somewhat calmer.
Watching Si Ze flash past the window, Xie Sili turned her gaze to the two elders. "Grandfather and Grandmother, the weather is cool now. I'm fine for the time being, so you don't need to worry. If you want to move into Si Garden, just move your things over there later."
"It's getting late, you should all go back and rest early." Xie Sili gave them a reassuring smile. "If anything happens here, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju are all here too."
"Alright, you've just woken up, you should rest more. My wife and I will come to see you again tomorrow." Xie Ling's tone was somewhat relaxed. "I heard from the maids in the manor that A-Che and Yan-Yan also went to Longmen Academy."
"I'll have Si Yi bring them back tomorrow," Xie Sili said, patting their arms. "Don't worry, the two children are doing very well at the academy."
After seeing Xie Ling and Qin Shi off, Xie Sili turned his gaze to the window and asked in a low voice, "What is it?"
"The Second Young Master is worried about the young lady's health, so Xie Liang asked me to inquire about it," Si Ze's voice rang out from outside the window.
“Grandfather and grandmother have both passed away. You can bring him along,” Xie Sili casually instructed. Upon hearing the voice, she then told Luo Mei to prepare milk and snacks.
Xie Sili was sitting on the bed, flipping through her favorite book, "Guiguzi," when she heard a familiar voice. She looked up and saw Xie Sinan being thrown in through the window.
He brushed the dust off his clothes without hesitation, stood up, and gave her a smile.
"How are you, sister? Why did you end up in the Jingzhao Prefecture?" Xie Sinan moved a stool and sat down beside her bed. "You were personally escorted back by Eunuch Liang."
Seeing Xie Sinan's appearance, she didn't think twice and picked up the handkerchief that was placed aside to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Despite it being winter, his face was still covered in beads of sweat, and she noticed that Xie Sinan's body stiffened as a result of his movements.
Taking back the handkerchief, Xie Sili looked up at him and asked, "If I said that I was the mastermind behind the grievance drum incident, would you believe me?"
Seeing the expression on Xie Sinan's face, Xie Sili laughed and said, "Just kidding."
Not receiving a reply from Xie Sinan, she continued, "Fang Yuanchao was bullying a girl, and I rescued her and went inside." She didn't tell Xie Sinan the rest.
Even though she wanted to cultivate Xie Sinan, given his personality, he certainly wouldn't be able to thrive in the court like Xie Zhun. After all, no one can become a second Xie Zhun.
"You were imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture for this reason?" Xie Sinan hesitated slightly. "Then why was you personally brought back by Eunuch Liang?"
"Since it involved His Highness Prince Yan, I was taken in." Xie Sili's answer remained ambiguous. "Actually, you don't need to worry. I came back to marry Jun Qiyu in place of Xie Siyao, although I..."
"No need," Xie Sinan interrupted Xie Sili. "Xie Siyao has already been betrothed to the Third Prince."
Xie Sili looked at him but smiled without saying a word.
"Ah Li, how have you managed to survive all these years?"
Hearing Xie Sinan's words, she turned her gaze to him.
“Compared to you struggling to make a living under Madam’s thumb, I’ve been living a much more carefree life these past few years.” Xie Sili glanced at Xie Sinan and said in a low voice, “I was taken in as an apprentice by the old man, and all these years I’ve been traveling around with him, meeting all sorts of people.”
She paused for a moment before continuing, "Every year I would spend two or three months with my grandparents, and the rest of the time I would travel. Before returning to Chang'an, I knew everything about Chang'an."
The words Xie Ling had said before flashed through her mind, and she turned her gaze to Xie Sinan. "Brother, if Grandfather wants to take you away from the Prime Minister's residence, will you leave with him?"
"What do you mean by that? Why do you want to leave the Prime Minister's residence?" Xie Sinan asked, slightly puzzled. "What exactly happened between you and your father?"
“Grandfather had a dispute with Father over me. Grandfather suggested taking me with him, and Father said that Grandfather should take you with him too.” Xie Sili said, handing the things beside him to Xie Sinan.
“Grandfather is worried that you don’t want to come with us.” She drank what she was holding and looked at him.
"But it's the New Year now, where can we go? And the academy's big exams are coming up soon, if we leave like this..."
“No need to worry.” Xie Sili interrupted him with a smile. “The Si Garden next door is basically completed and is currently being cleaned up.”
"Siyuan?" Xie Sinan suddenly looked up at her. "Siyuan occupies the best location. Are you acquainted with the owner inside?" He did not associate Siyuan with Xie Sili, nor did he think that Siyuan was her property.
Xie Sili laughed out loud, “It’s not that I’m familiar with its owner, it’s just my garden. About three or four years ago, my grandparents said they wanted to go back to Chang’an to retire. Their health wasn’t very good, so I built a Si Garden in Yuzhou City based on the Si Garden in Yuzhou City.”
She had barely finished speaking when Xie Sinan's shocked voice rang out, "You're saying Siyuan is a house under your name? That unique architectural style, it was actually your idea?"
Looking at Xie Sinan's expression, she smiled and nodded, "I guess so."
"So we'll be spending the Spring Festival there?" Xie Sinan asked again, puzzled. "It looks so much bigger than the Prime Minister's residence."
"It occupies about the size of three prime ministerial residences," Xie Sili said in a low voice, looking at him.
"Little sister, who exactly are you?" Xie Sinan asked the same question again.
She looked at Xie Sinan, smiled, shook her head, and patted his head. "How's your preparation for the big exam? Are you confident you can surpass Xie Siyu?"
I've seen your exam paper before...
Xie Sili realized it was too late, and then she heard Xie Sinan's voice again, "You've seen my exam paper?"
"I studied at Longmen Academy in Yuzhou City for half a year before, and I was the last disciple of Master Zhuge. Therefore, the other deans also took care of me." Xie Sili made up a sentence on the spot, which was not exactly a lie, since she was indeed the last disciple of Master Zhuge.
"Mr. Zhuge?" Xie Sinan was surprised again. "Is it Mr. Zhuge Zhao, the renowned tutor of the former Crown Prince?"
Xie Sili looked at him and nodded. "It is indeed him. So the former Crown Prince was also his student. This is the first time I've heard of this. I only know that he is the dean of Longmen Academy in Yuzhou City. It is said that Longmen Academy was founded by him."
“You are really lucky.” Xie Sinan said with envy. “After the Crown Prince passed away, Mr. Zhuge resigned from his post and went into seclusion. There was no news of him after that. Everyone said that he had passed away, but no one expected that he would live in seclusion in Yuzhou City.”
Xie Sili nodded in acknowledgment.
"Don't worry about the big exam. Everyone thinks I can't surpass Xie Siyu anyway, so just surprise them."
"As long as you have confidence, that's fine. The major exams are mostly written tests." Xie Sili glanced at Xie Sinan. "Although Xie Siyu is slightly better than you, he also has areas where he is not good."
Xie Sili paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Xie Sinan. "Brother, how is your concubine Lian'er doing now?"
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