Chapter 25, The Side Room. ...
Side room.
Three figures sat on the low couch and chairs beside the table. Another figure stood alone beside the table and chairs, glaring angrily at Meng Si, who was sitting in front of him.
After calming the guests in the courtyard, Xie Rongjing instructed the servants to continue entertaining them outside before returning to his room.
The servant following closely behind placed the tray he was carrying on the table, left the room, and closed the door behind him.
Xie Rongjing glanced at his angry friend, then at the disheveled Meng Rui, picked up two bottles of medicine from the table, handed one to his friend, and comforted him:
"First, apply medicine to the spot where Rui'er bumped his head. We'll discuss the rest when Young Master Qi arrives."
He took the medicine bottle with his other hand, and moments later, Meng Rui's wailing echoed from the spot:
"Brother, how can you apply medicine like this? If you can't do it yourself, you should call the servant."
"Silence." As expected, he was glared at by Meng Si.
Frustrated by his brother's threat, Meng Rui sheepishly fell silent, only occasionally letting out soft hums.
Xie Rongjing withdrew his gaze, shook his head with a smirk, grasped the remaining medicine bottle in his hand, and walked towards the two people sitting by the bed.
Xie Baoqiong, sitting on the right side of the low couch, had one leg bent and lay across the couch, tilting her head and staring intently at Qi Gui, who was sitting and fidgeting.
Half an incense stick later, Xie Rongjing helped him up from the collapsed screen.
"Qiong'er, where did you fall?"
His mind was blank, and before he could come to his senses, he instinctively shook his head. He almost blurted out, "How can a stone be broken so easily?" He stopped himself from speaking when he saw Xie Rongjing's face clearly.
"What stone?" Xie Rongjing asked with a worried expression, "Did you bump into a stone?" As she spoke, she lifted his head to check.
"Is little brother Qiong'er hurt?"
Meng Si's low, reprimanding voice, clenched through gritted teeth, reached my ears: "I haven't seen you for half a day, and you've gone off to cause trouble again. You're getting more and more capable, taking on two people at once."
A crowd gradually gathered around, and Xie Baoqiong caught a glimpse of Qi Gui, who was being helped up by a servant, as he was trying to slip into the crowd.
She quickly grabbed Xie Rongjing's wrist: "Brother, I'm fine."
He tugged at Xie Rongjing's sleeve, gesturing for Xie Rongjing to look in Qi Gui's direction.
Xie Rongjing, having been the heir of a marquis's mansion for seventeen years, had been completely preoccupied with his younger brother just moments before. Now, having calmed down, he tactfully instructed the servant to take Qi Gui to the side room, and also sent someone else to take the two Meng brothers and Xie Baoqiong to the side room, while he stayed behind to handle the aftermath.
Ever since Xie Baoqiong and the Meng brothers entered the room half a step behind Qi Gui, Qi Gui had been on edge. Now, seeing Xie Rongjing approaching, he jumped up from his seat as if seeing a snake in the shadows.
Even Xie Baoqiong was startled by Qi Gui's commotion, but when she turned her head and saw Xie Rongjing's face, she relaxed: "Brother."
"What's wrong?" Xie Rongjing stood beside his younger brother, placed the medicine bottle on the small table, and addressed Qi Gui, who had suddenly stood up.
"Thank you, Your Highness, I'm fine."
"He was frightened by you," Xie Baoqiong added after Qi Gui.
At the same time, Ren Xie Rongjing raised his arm, rolled up his sleeves, revealing two fair arms.
Xie Rongjing carefully examined the elbow to make sure there were no bruises before helping the person lower their sleeve.
"Is there any pain on your body?" Xie Rongjing had already checked Xie Baoqiong's head in the courtyard and found no injuries.
“Brother, I’m really fine.” Although Xie Baoqiong spoke with certainty, Xie Rongjing still carefully examined Xie Baoqiong’s expression. If he hadn’t been unable to find even the slightest sign of distress, he would have definitely checked her over again.
He reached for the medicine bottle to put it away, but caught a glimpse of Qi Gui, whose face was still covered in dust. Qi Gui had been glancing at him subtly since earlier, and when their eyes met, he quickly looked away.
Xie Rongjing belatedly realized that her younger brother seemed to be the neatest of the three. A guilty conscience crept into her heart. She couldn't possibly... No, Qiong'er was always well-behaved, and the two of them could even sit together.
He naturally picked up the medicine bottle and looked at Qi Gui: "I have already sent someone to find your brother. Why don't I apply the medicine for you first?"
Qi Gui twisted the sleeve he was holding, his eyes showing interest, but he habitually declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I won't trouble you."
"Your brother is still a long way from coming back, so you should apply the medicine sooner rather than later to avoid suffering." Xie Baoqiong met Qi Gui's eyes directly, her envy barely concealed, a feeling even he could read.
Humans are really strange; they want something but are unwilling to take a single step for it.
Just as Xie Baoqiong had suspected, Xie Rongjing could easily see and ignore the desire that was practically overflowing from her eyes. He opened the medicine bottle and coaxed her:
"The medicine bottle has already been opened. If it is not used soon, the medicine will lose its effectiveness."
While Qi Gui was speechless, Xie Baoqiong pulled Qi Gui's hand, rolled up her sleeves, and revealed large bruises on her wrists and upper arms, some of which were tinged with purple.
Xie Baoqiong didn't think there was anything wrong with it; after all, she was just a mortal, not as thick-skinned as him.
After Meng Rui was held down and had his medicine applied, he broke free from Meng Si's grasp and moved closer to Xie Baoqiong. As soon as he saw the injury on Qi Gui's arm, he cried out in pain, "I didn't hit you that hard! I was just holding you!"
Meng Si, standing behind Meng Rui, also took in the bruises. She pressed down on her silly younger brother's head and silently exchanged glances with Xie Rongjing.
While scolding Meng Rui, she said, "You mustn't be so reckless when playing around with others in the future, understand? Apologize to them later."
"Brother, you don't know what happened back then." Meng Rui muttered, but out of guilt, he still readily agreed, "I know, I'm sorry, Qi Gui."
Seeing that no one in the room had any doubts, Qi Gui's tense arm muscles relaxed slightly: "I also bear some responsibility; I scared you."
Seeing the two reconcile, Meng Si grabbed Meng Rui by the collar and pulled him aside, coughing lightly: "You and your little brother Qiong'er are bored staying here, go play in the outer room."
Meng Rui didn't understand why Meng Si was handling things so lightly this time, but that didn't stop him from getting the better deal. He immediately pulled Xie Baoqiong, who was sitting on the couch, out of the room, lest Meng Si change her mind again and want to settle accounts with him.
Xie Baoqiong sat on the chair, swinging her legs, her eyes peering into the inner room through the half-open gauze curtain. Xie Rongjing's technique for applying medicine was very skilled. Recalling the calluses on Xie Rongjing's hands and his gait, the other party must have at least practiced martial arts.
As for Meng Si beside him...
A face suddenly appeared in front of him, and he pushed it away without hesitation.
Meng Rui, who had been pushed away, came closer and squeezed into a chair with him, whispering in his ear, "Ah Qiong."
Xie Baoqiong turned her head slightly to the side, her left eyebrow raised slightly: "?"
"Why haven't you said anything? I'm so bored, and I can't go out. Why isn't Young Master Qi here yet?"
Once Meng Rui started talking, he couldn't stop.
Xie Baoqiong quickly interrupted him, saying, "Your older brother is watching you."
The air fell silent for a moment. Meng Rui stole a glance into the inner room. Meng Si still had her back to him. Although he was dissatisfied, he lowered his voice even further: "Why are you scaring me?"
Xie Baoqiong's lips curled slightly: "When did I scare you?" He calmly changed the subject: "By the way, where did you hear that rumor?"
"It's a rumor circulating in the capital; I don't know where it came from." Seeing that Xie Baoqiong was paying attention to him, Meng Rui instantly forgot about being frightened earlier.
"But wasn't your mother and my mother once close friends?" Xie Baoqiong asked the question that had been buried in his heart for a long time.
Meng Rui gazed at the earnest and utterly trusting (though not really) gaze from his "little brother," and after receiving no response for a long time, he slumped down in disappointment. Remembering his "little brother's" words about not having a mother, he swallowed hard, patted his chest, and declared with a flourish:
“I know my mother has a box containing her correspondence with the princess. Just wait, I’ll steal it and bring it to you later.”
Xie Baoqiong's dim eyes lit up in an instant, like a ripple of autumn water spreading across the mountains. The red mole between her eyebrows was like a maple leaf falling on the water, or like the reflection of the round sun at the end of autumn falling on the water.
"Then I'll trouble you," Xie Baoqiong said, gazing at Meng Rui with a gentle smile.
Facing those eyes, Meng Rui guiltily rubbed his slightly burning ears and said, "I'm sorry, Mother."
Just then, several footsteps sounded outside. The two stopped talking and looked towards the door.
The door was pushed open by the servant, and Qi Yan, whom he had met twice before, followed him in.
Xie Baoqiong was the first to jump off the chair. Although the person who entered the room still looked calm, the tight corners of her mouth revealed that the host's mood was not as calm as it appeared.
Qi Yan's gaze swept quickly over Xie Baoqiong before moving on to another person partially hidden behind her.
But as Meng Rui stepped forward a step behind, Qi Yan's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. His gaze didn't linger before returning to the young master of the mansion. His emotions were suppressed in his voice, and his words were as calm as the sea before a storm:
"Young Master Xie, may I ask where my younger brother is?"
Xie Baoqiong stared directly at Qi Yan, who was radiating contradictions. His current interest was entirely focused on the letter Meng Rui had mentioned, and he had no interest in exploring the contradictions within this seemingly unrelated person, Qi Yan.
"Come with me to the inner room."
The soft gauze curtains were lifted by hand, revealing Qi Gui sitting on a corner of a low couch with his hands on his lap and knees together. His sleeves, which had been rolled up, were now hanging between his legs, and he was looking up at Xie Rongjing.
Xie Rongjing turned his back to the three people who entered, and used the handkerchief in his hand to wipe the dust off their faces.
As the gauze curtain was lowered, the hanging beaded curtain made a sound as it clattered. Qi Gui's gaze shifted from Xie Rongjing to the partition.
The moment he saw who it was, his pupils dilated, his relaxed body tensed instantly, and he abruptly stood up, his sleeves clenched tightly: "Brother..."
Xie Rongjing withdrew his hand, turned around and saw Qi Gui's face clearly. He ordered a servant to bring a pot of tea and then invited Qi Gui to sit down to the side.
Xie Baoqiong glanced at everyone in the room and felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange.
A glimpse of clothing flashed before his eyes, and Qi Gui strode past him, standing beside Qi Yan. Qi Yan, however, didn't even spare a glance for the former, and went straight to sit down with Xie Rongjing.
Xie Baoqiong looked left and right, feeling that his task was completed. He was about to return to the outer room with Meng Rui to continue their "secret talk" in order to perfect his "grand revenge plan" when he caught sight of Xie Rongjing, who was sitting in the strange atmosphere, calmly beckoning to him and signaling him to come over.
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