Xie Lian asked curiously, "Is there anything you can't give me to drink?"
The Queen pinched the small jade cup, poured out a little, pressed it onto her handkerchief, and dabbed it on her face a few times. She said, "A few days ago, a batch of fresh fruit was presented to us from Mount Tai Cang. I don't like cherries, but there's a recipe that says you can mash them into a pulp and apply it on your face, so I squeezed some for fun, but it didn't work. I was just about to ask someone to pour it out. How can you give it to anyone to drink?"
Xie Lian smiled at this, but then suddenly remembered yesterday's events. Mu Qing's mother could only eat cherries a few times a year, and Mu Qing had to be poked and pointed at for picking cherries on Mount Taicang. It was inevitable that he felt a little sad. Concerned that Mu Qing might feel uncomfortable, Xie Lian smiled and changed the subject, saying, "What can I eat?"
The Queen laughed and said, "Your words might make others think I starved you. But the truth is, you've been picky about food since you were little, and I can't fatten you up. You've been so thin after so long in the mountains. Today, eat whatever I tell you to eat, and don't be picky."
The mother and son talked for a while. The queen asked about the accident during the Heavenly Sacrifice Parade, and she was quite worried. "From what the Imperial Master said, this seems to be a serious matter. I don't know what to do. Will you be punished?"
Before Xie Lian could reply, Qi Rong interrupted, "Hmph, this isn't the Crown Prince's fault. He wasn't the one who fell from the city wall. If there's any punishment to be done, it should be that little bastard."
Xie Lian thought, "What's that little immortal?" Before he could correct Qi Rong, the Queen burst out laughing. Coincidentally, she noticed the two people outside the palace and said, "Who's that child next to Feng Xin? This is the first time I've seen someone else around you."
Xie Lian then said cheerfully, “This is Mu Qing. He was the one who played the demon on stage yesterday.”
Hearing this, Qi Rong's eyebrows slightly raised. The Queen said, "Huh? Let him come up and take a look. Feng Xin, come in too."
Feng Xin and Mu Qing then entered the hall and half-knelt before the Empress. The Empress examined Mu Qing for a moment before saying to Xie Lian, "I saw him fight well yesterday. He's a respectable boy. Judging by his features, he looks like a refined prime minister. I didn't expect him to be so ferocious with his sword."
Xie Lian smiled. “Really? I think he’s pretty good, too.”
At this moment, Qi Rong said with a chill in his voice, "Oh? Was that demon from yesterday him?"
Xie Lian knew something was amiss when he heard this. Sure enough, the next moment, Qi Rong suddenly leaped up, snatched the jade cup from the small table, and poured it all over Mu Qing's head, saying, "This is a reward for you!"
Xie Lian quickly knocked his hand away, preventing the splash from hitting Mu Qing's face. He grabbed him and said, "Qi Rong, what are you doing?"
Qi Rong picked him up, still fuming, and said, "Cousin, I'm helping you teach this restless servant a lesson! When you weren't here yesterday, he was having a blast over there, desperately trying to steal the show. What kind of a jerk is that? Does he think he's the star of the Heavenly Sacrifice Parade? He's still thinking big!"
The Queen was stunned. She asked, "Rong, you...what are you doing?" Mu Qing wasn't drenched in the water, but his clothes were. Since the Queen didn't tell him to get up, he remained kneeling on the ground, his face gloomy and pale. Xie Lian handed Qi Rong to Feng Xin, saying, "Don't let him hit anyone." Feng Xin restrained Qi Rong with one hand, but Qi Rong kicked and hit him, spitting, "Who the hell are you? How dare you touch me with your bare hands!"
Xie Lian, his head aching, said, "Qi Rong, you've been getting more and more naughty lately!" He then turned to the Queen, "Mother, I forgot to mention something. Please take his golden chariot away."
Qi Rong was shocked and shouted, "No, no! Why?! That was a birthday gift from my aunt!"
Xie Lian said, “Whatever it is, you have to take it. We almost got into trouble on the street just now. It’s best not to touch it until you can drive properly.”
The Queen exclaimed, "Something almost happened? What happened?"
Xie Lian then recounted Qi Rong's frantic driving. Qi Rong's eyes flushed with anger as he exclaimed, "Prince cousin, you're wrongly accusing me! I clearly didn't hit anyone!"
Xie Lian was both amused and annoyed, saying, "That's because someone grabbed you!"
Qi Rong quickly tore free from Xie Lian's grasp and angrily ran out of Qifeng Palace. The Queen called out several times, but he didn't return. So she said helplessly, "I'll go tell him tomorrow about the car. Alas, this kid has wanted a car for a long time. A few days ago, for his birthday, I saw how much he wanted it, so I gave it to him. Who could have known it would turn out like this? I wouldn't have given it to him if I had known."
Xie Lian asked, “Why does he need a car?”
The Queen said, "That means I can go to Taicang Mountain anytime and take you back to the palace."
Thinking that he ultimately had good intentions for him, Xie Lian fell silent. After a moment, he said, "You should find him a teacher who can help him control his temper. If he continues like this, it's absolutely unacceptable."
The Queen sighed, "How can any teacher possibly be able to cure him? He has always listened to you. Do you think you want him to go up to the mountains with you to cultivate his character? And the Imperial Master refuses to accept him as a disciple."
Xie Lian found the thought both amusing and terrifying. He shook his head and said, “With Qi Rong’s personality, if he were to enter the Imperial Monastery, I’m afraid the entire Taicang Mountain would be in turmoil.”
Both mother and son were troubled by this problem, unable to think of a solution, so they put it aside for the time being. In the evening, Xie Lian met with his parents, had a brief chat, and then left the palace.
Everyone knew that the Crown Prince was deeply absorbed in spiritual cultivation. Ever since ascending Mount Taicang and entering the Imperial Monastery, he'd been spending less time with his parents. The King of the Realm didn't comment much on this, but the Empress was utterly reluctant to let him go. After leaving the palace, Xie Lian strolled through the city, accompanying Mu Qing back home as he'd agreed to yesterday.
The wealthy and powerful were often separated by only a single alley from the slums of the poor. Mu Qing's original home was nestled in a dark alley in the most prosperous part of the imperial city.
As soon as the three of them reached the entrance of the alley, five or six ragged children surrounded them, saying, "Brother! Brother is back!"
Xie Lian was a bit puzzled at first, wondering why a stranger would call him "brother." Then he realized the "brother" these children were calling wasn't him, but Mu Qing. The children called him sweetly, but Mu Qing ignored them, saying, "Not this time. Don't call me that."
Although his face was stone-faced, his tone wasn't truly cold. He then turned to Xie Lian, "Don't mind, Your Highness. These are children from the neighborhood." The children were clearly familiar with him, used to playing around with him. They weren't afraid of him at all. They happily surrounded them, extending their grubby little hands to ask Mu Qing for food. Finally, Mu Qing pulled a bunch of ruby-red cherries from his bag and shared them among them.
Feng Xin was quite surprised to see this, as if he found it quite unusual for Mu Qing to do such a thing. It was no wonder, after all, Mu Qing had a rather cold-hearted, pretty face, the kind that would hold on to his own rations even if passersby starved to death in front of him. Xie Lian wasn't surprised. He had wanted to give these kids something, but he didn't always carry candy around with him. Asking Feng Xin to just give them some money felt like giving away beggars, and he felt that wasn't right. But at that moment, there was a sudden clattering sound, a long series of horses neighing, and a burst of screams echoing down the street.
Several people's expressions froze, and Xie Lian rushed out of the alley. The streets were tumbling and people were falling. Pedestrians were fleeing, and red apples and yellow pears were rolling all over the ground. Before he could see what was happening, he heard a young man laughing wildly, "Get out of the way, get out of the way! If anyone doesn't keep an eye on things, I won't care if they get trampled to death!"
Feng Xin cursed and said, "It's Qi Rong again!"
Sure enough, Qi Rong stood atop his magnificent golden chariot, a murderous look on his face. He raised his whip and lashed it wildly, making the white horse neigh. Xie Lian shouted, "Stop him!"
The golden carriage roared past them. Feng Xin said, "Yes!" and rushed forward. Xie Lian was about to check on the pedestrians and stalls that Qi Rong had knocked over, to see if anyone was injured, when he suddenly felt something was amiss. He turned around and saw a thick, long hemp rope trailing behind the tall golden carriage. At the end of the rope, a sack was tied. Something seemed to be inside the sack, struggling uncontrollably. It looked like a person was inside.
For a moment, Xie Lian felt a chill run down his spine. The next moment, he rushed forward.
Qi Rong whipped the white horse into a frenzy, sending the carriage's wheels spinning. Feng Xin tried to stop the horse, but it seemed he wouldn't be able to do so soon. Xie Lian, however, caught up with the carriage in three steps, unsheathed his longsword, and slashed down. The hemp rope snapped, and the sack fell to the ground, rolling twice before stopping.
Xie Lian leaned over to inspect it. The sack had been dragged along the ground for who knows how long, worn and torn to the point of being extremely dirty and bloodstained, like a body bag. With another swipe of his sword, he severed the rope holding it closed, opened it, and took a quick look. Sure enough, there was a person inside. Furthermore, it was a child!
Xie Lian ripped the sack open. The child huddled inside, clutching his head. His filthy clothes were covered in either footprints too large for him or blood. His hair was tangled and bloody, a mess. He'd clearly been beaten, barely recognizable as a human. Judging by his size, he looked only seven or eight years old, tiny. He was shaking as if his skin had been peeled off. It was unclear how he'd survived such a beating and dragging.
Xie Lian immediately reached out to feel his neck, finding a not-so-weak pulse. With a sigh of relief, he immediately picked the small body up. Turning back, he shouted furiously, "Feng Xin! Stop Qi Rong!!!"
He had never imagined such a thing could happen in Xianle Country. In broad daylight, on the street, a nobleman stuffed a living person into a sack and dragged it behind a carriage! If he hadn't seen and stopped them, wouldn't this little child have been dragged to death today?!
In the distance ahead, bursts of neighing and Qi Rong's roars were heard. A moment later, Feng Xin shouted loudly, "Stop them!"
Xie Lian rushed forward in a few steps, just in time to hear Qi Rong screaming and angrily shouting, "You daring servant, how dare you hurt me? Who gave you the courage?!"
Feng Xin, unable to stop him, went to grab the reins. Qi Rong, of course, refused to give them to him, and after a fierce struggle, Feng Xin accidentally bumped into him and pushed him off the carriage. He fell to the ground, rolling several times, scraping his knee. Seeing the onlookers all around him, he felt angry and embarrassed. Xie Lian said, "I gave it to him!"
Qi Rong opened his mouth and said, "Crown Prince cousin!"
Xie Lian angrily said, "Look at what you've done! Qi Rong, I really am..."
At this moment, he suddenly felt the child in his arms shrink a little, and seemed to slowly loosen his hands that were holding his head, and was peeking at him from between his elbows.
Xie Lian immediately suppressed his anger, lowered his head, and asked softly, "How do you feel? Is there any particular pain?"
The child was surprisingly still conscious, neither fainting from the pain nor stunned by the shock. He shook his head. Xie Lian saw the small half of his face that was exposed was covered in blood and wanted to see if he had any head injuries, but the child tightly covered the other half of his face, refusing to let him see.
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