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After a night's rest, Qin Sang felt refreshed, and the pain in her shoulder had lessened. The waiter then brought over a specially prepared nutritious meal.
With the matter of forcibly buying the tea garden settled, the long-awaited prime minister also sent someone to visit. Qin Sang was in a good mood and had a great appetite. She ate a basket of soup dumplings, a soft pancake, half a pigeon, and a bowl of eight-treasure sweet porridge. She was very satisfied and in a good mood.
Suddenly, there was a loud knocking at the door. Ying'er went to open it, and Xie Sui'an strode in. He found a folding fan somewhere, and while waving it, he looked down at the breakfast spread all over the table and pursed his lips: "Eating so much, I was planning to take you out to try some local snacks, but it seems unnecessary."
Qin Sang scooped up a spoonful of porridge, looked up and saw that his complexion was not as bad as yesterday, and had regained some color. She asked, "How are your injuries? Do they still hurt?"
Xie Sui'an closed his fan and sat down, staring at Qin Sang with a sudden tenderness in his eyes: "But I should ask you, how about your shoulder? Does it still hurt?"
Qin Sang: "My injury is nothing serious. But you, you can't eat spicy food or roasted meat for ten days because of the wound on your back. If you want to eat them, save them when you get back to the capital. As the young master of the Prime Minister's mansion, you can eat whatever you want."
Xie Sui'an smiled slightly, but then opened his other hand. Qin Sang looked and saw two small, bright red, translucent fruits in his palm.
"We won't be able to eat this once we get back to Kyoto," Xie Sui'an said with a smile.
"Cherry?" Qin Sang's eyes lit up. "Oh right, it's the season for cherries. Where did you pick them?"
"An old lady is selling them at the entrance of the inn. She says she has plenty at home, and if you're interested, you can pick them fresh. How about we go out for a stroll?"
Qin Sang took a bite of porridge, feeling a little restless, but then she noticed two guards at the door, who looked like door gods, glancing at them intentionally or unintentionally.
She felt she shouldn't go too far; she had already exhausted the young master of the Prime Minister's mansion to the point of serious injury, and for him to still want to go out and play would be too inconsiderate.
So he shook his head and said, "I'd better stay home and recover."
"..." Xie Sui'an grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. "What do you mean by resting? This little injury won't stop me from walking. It's a rare opportunity to come here, let's go out for a stroll."
"..." Qin Sang felt that the child was probably not seriously injured, as he had such strength after only one night's rest.
The two had just stepped out when they ran into Shen Que, and Qin Baoyun, who had arrived at some unknown time.
Qin Sang was pleasantly surprised: "Uncle Qin, when did you arrive?"
Qin Baoyun looked at her with worry and self-reproach in her eyes: "You came yesterday and left a letter saying you were going to Quzhou Prefecture. Old Madam Qin asked me to come and find you. I heard you were injured. How are you? Are you badly injured?"
Qin Sang smiled and said, "It was all my recklessness that made Grandmother and Uncle Qin worry about me. Fortunately, it turned out to be a close call. Uncle Qin, you don't need to blame yourself. This trip was all my own decision, and it has nothing to do with you."
Qin Baoyun hesitated for a moment, then said, "It was my dereliction of duty."
During the years Qin Baoyun spent in Lixian County, she never referred to Qin Sang as "subordinate." Their relationship was more like that of friends.
It seems things are about to change. I wonder how my grandmother and the others will treat me when I return to Li County.
But eventually, I will have to leave; it will happen sooner or later.
Qin Sang smiled and said, "It's not that serious. I just didn't expect things to be resolved so quickly and smoothly. I have to thank Mr. Lu... Mr. Xie, and Commander Shen."
Upon hearing this, Shen Que hurriedly replied, "This subordinate dares not address you as commander; please just call me by my name, young lady."
Xie Sui'an was getting impatient and shook Qin Sang's hand: "Let's go, the old woman will be gone soon."
Shen Que frowned: "You're going out? Second Young Master, Fifth Miss has an injury on her shoulder, and you haven't fully recovered either. It's not advisable for you to go out and about, lest your wound reopen..."
As soon as the words were spoken, the two people holding hands were both stunned.
Xie Sui'an laughed and said, "Chen Que, are you still asleep? Where did this Fifth Miss come from? She's the third in her family, so she should be called Third Miss."
Shen Que's eyes were sharp, and he immediately cupped his hands and said, "Second Young Master, you may not know, but the Prime Minister gave instructions before he left that Miss Qin Sang was to be brought back to the mansion to be the eldest master's goddaughter. Considering the order of age, I have taken the liberty of calling her Fifth Miss in advance."
Xie Sui'an was stunned again: "Adopted daughter?? I didn't hear Grandpa mention this. Didn't he say that this was... a friend's orphan, whom he specially took home to take care of? When did he say he wanted to adopt a daughter?"
Shen Que lowered his eyes and did not answer him.
Xie Sui'an's heart pounded, and he suddenly understood something. His face turned very ugly. He reached out to stop Chen Que: "Go away, we're going out shopping, don't follow us."
Qin Sang was somewhat surprised by Shen Que's words, but she quickly understood. Returning to the capital as the daughter of a disgraced official would certainly be inconvenient for her to stay in the Prime Minister's residence. Families with many children would inevitably face gossip and social troubles. Moreover, she had no powerful backing and would be all alone if she wanted to do anything in the future. The Prime Minister's arrangement was to use her as a backer, and in the future, when they planned a marriage alliance, she would be a valuable pawn.
She secretly went to look at Xie Sui'an and saw that the young man had a furrowed brow, tight lips, and a face full of suppressed anger. She felt a little regretful.
But he happens to be Xie Zhongxu's grandson. The moment his identity was revealed, there was no possibility between them. Xie Zhongxu would not allow an orphan girl burdened with family feuds to be tied to his grandson. She could only be a married daughter, not a daughter-in-law.
Each with their own thoughts, the two went downstairs and left the inn.
Liu Chenque and Qin Baoyun exchanged a slightly awkward glance, but ultimately they both secretly followed him out.
Quzhou was a large city, with bustling shops on the streets selling a wide variety of goods. Peddlers carried their wares along the roadside, while small vendors set up stalls on the roadside.
The two didn't pick cherries; they just wandered aimlessly through the streets and alleys.
Seeing that he was still angry, Qin Sang sighed helplessly and said, "The wound has reopened."
Xie Sui'an did indeed stop, staring at her with slightly reddened eyes: "Where?"
Only after he finished speaking did he realize that Qin Sang didn't have any wounds on her body, so why would she have any cracks?
Qin Sang smiled at him and said, "Actually, it's not so bad. Although you're impulsive and have a bad temper, you'll be my older brother from now on. When I get to the capital, if I mention your name, probably no one will dare to bully me anymore, right?"
Xie Sui'an opened his mouth, hesitated several times as if he wanted to say something, and finally said nothing, "Candied hawthorn, do you want some?"
Qin Sang: "...Eat."
Considering Qin Sang is still a child, it's not too out of place for her to carry a candied hawthorn, but it's just too sweet, so she just carries it along the way, like a decoration.
As they passed a stall selling men's accessories, Qin Sang suddenly stopped, picked up an indigo headband, and held it up to Xie Sui'an's head, saying, "This color suits you."
Xie Sui'an: "Mm."
Qin Sang: "Boss, I'll take this. How much?"
Shopkeeper: "Ten coins."
Qin Sang paid, but then frowned as she held the hairband: "Tsk, it seems a bit too cheap. It doesn't quite suit your current status. How about..."
Xie Sui'an snatched the hairband away: "What do you mean 'not as good as'? I am naturally beautiful. Any hairband on my head is worth a thousand gold pieces."
Qin Sang: "Okay. Wait a moment, I'll buy another one to give to Tang Zi'an. This color should look good on him too."
Xie Sui'an grabbed her wrist, his face dark and menacing: "Give him something else."
"...Alright."
The two bought some small items and then wandered into Cuiyun Tower.
Cuiyun Tower was not yet open in the morning. The painted gate tower was magnificent, but somewhat deserted.
Qin Sang said, "I think that Miss Sisi and the young master of the Wang family are quite compatible. Do you think the young master will redeem Miss Sisi from her servitude and bring about a beautiful marriage?"
Xie Sui'an scoffed: "Romantic scholars and courtesans never end well; it's just a fleeting affair, never a happy ending. No matter how much you try to bring them together, you'll only add to the woman's sorrow."
Qin Sang laughed and said, "That's not necessarily true. There are always exceptions. If everything were determined by worldly customs, it would be too boring. Life is short, like a fleeting moment. We should live comfortably. Why can't we redeem that Miss Sisi and marry her under a different identity? You seem so carefree, how come you're so old-fashioned?"
These words seemed to awaken someone from a dream. Xie Sui'an's eyelashes trembled as he looked at Qin Sang.
Qin Sang's smile was as bright as melting snow in early spring, charming and captivating.
Xie Sui'an recalled the words his grandfather, the Prime Minister, had taught him: "If you are not in dire straits, there is always hope. If a person is as resilient as weeds, they will always grow back in the spring breeze..."
Qin Sang: "?"
Xie Sui'an smiled and said, "Let's go have some tea."
***
Qin Sang and his party stayed in Quzhou Prefecture for two more days, not only because their injuries made it unsuitable for them to travel for several days, but also because they wanted to be witnesses for Magistrate Wang.
Wang Fang was imprisoned for illegally mining gold and indiscriminately killing civilians. Despite committing such a serious crime, Prefect Qiao was not implicated.
Not only was he completely uninvolved, but he also personally apologized in court. Unable to prosecute the prefect, Judge Wang sent a letter to the capital that very night.
Taking advantage of the Prime Minister's influence, Qin Sang reported the massacre of the entire Bicha Village, where Liu Sanchuan lived, to the court, and also presented the deeds of the Wu family in Li County.
When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. Many people also spontaneously came forward to accuse Wu Jiaqiang of abducting women and wantonly oppressing the people.
Because he was wary of Xie Sui'an's identity, Prefect Qiao did not play any tricks and locked himself in his residence, waiting for someone from the capital to come down and interrogate him.
During this time, besides exploring Quzhou Prefecture with Xie Suian, Qin Sang's most important task was to inquire about the identity of that mad master.
That day, after coming down from the mountain, he returned to his beggar's hut. Xie Sui'an sent people to keep an eye on him so that he wouldn't get lost.
According to the neighbors, this mad expert was alright ten years ago. He claimed to be surnamed Chen and was quite mysterious. After buying the house, he rarely returned, leaving it empty. However, seven years ago, he suddenly returned with a group of people. No one had ever seen the people he brought back; only he himself frequently went out to buy groceries.
Later, for some unknown reason, he was seriously injured overnight, which damaged his brain, and he went insane.
At first, he wasn't completely insane. He would stand guard at his door all day, and if anyone looked at him too long, he would attack them. He was skilled in martial arts, and no one could beat him. Over time, no one dared to pass by his house. But later, he became increasingly foolish, to the point that he couldn't even afford to eat. So he stopped shouting and fighting all day and began to live a life of being fed by beggars.
The beggars would give him some food and he would let them stay in his house, so his house was full of homeless beggars from the city.
Based on these facts, as well as the word "Your Highness" that the madman blurted out during that emergency, Qin Sang deduced that the person he brought back seven years ago might have been a prince, and this person was that prince's bodyguard.
Xie Sui'an originally wanted Jinyun to take this person back to the capital because he saw that he was highly skilled in martial arts, but Qin Sang tried to take him away from him: "This crazy brother might be a bomb, you'd better leave him to me to deal with."
Xie Sui'an raised an eyebrow: "You? What are you going to do about it?"
“Take him back to Lixian County and let Master heal him.”
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