Chapter 165 Implicated
Xie Qingran never expected that Madam Qin would have such a high opinion of her!
She blushed slightly, a little embarrassed, and said softly, "Sister-in-law, you're too kind. I was just doing what I was supposed to do."
"Madam, Princess Consort, something terrible has happened!"
"The school! The young masters at the school are fighting!"
Baozhu rushed in, pointing outside, pacing anxiously.
What?
Xie Qingran and Qin Shi exchanged a glance and quickly walked towards the school.
Mr. Liao simply stood aside, casually watching the children play together.
Although Xiao Yu and Xiao Jin were young, they were ruthless in their actions.
Xiao Yanran was so frightened that she burst into tears, but she kept pulling at the two little boys opposite her, not wanting her brother and nephew to suffer.
Seeing this, Xie Qingran hurriedly stepped forward: "Are they all dead? Hurry up and pull them apart!"
Several servants then stepped forward and pulled all the little kids away.
Xiao Yu was bruised and swollen, but he kept protecting Xiao Jin and prevented Xiao Jin from getting hurt.
The other two little ones also sustained injuries of varying degrees.
Xie Qingran did not immediately question what had happened, but instead led the children to apologize to Mr. Liao: "Please forgive me, sir. It's all my fault. I haven't raised the children well."
"There's no way we can have class today, Your Highness. You should take the children home." Mr. Liao said calmly.
He'd lived most of his life and seen it all. Right now, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion wasn't united at all. But nothing can be built without destruction; perhaps if handled well, this could be an opportunity.
Although Mr. Liao's voice was calm, Xie Qingran still felt as if an invisible slap had landed on her face. She didn't say anything more, but simply bowed to Mr. Liao and said, "Yes, thank you for your hard work, sir. Please rest first, and I will take these children back with me."
When Xie Qingran turned around and looked at the children, her eyes had turned cold and stern!
"Follow me, everyone!"
When they first started fighting, they were all incredibly fierce, but now, faced with Xie Qingran's menacing demeanor, they all cowered like quails.
Qin was relieved to see that Ah Jin was alright, but she couldn't help but worry when she saw Xie Qingran's fierce expression.
Soon, the children followed Xie Qingran with their heads down and arrived at Chaohui Hall together.
Xie Qingran turned around and sat in the main seat, her sharp eyes sweeping over everyone.
Xiao Jin was the youngest and the most timid. He was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and was about to cry, but when he met Xie Qingran's stern eyes, he managed to hold back his tears.
The others weren't much better off; they all knelt on the ground, looking pitifully at Qin Shi.
These little devils are not old, but they are usually very mischievous in the inner quarters. They have never looked so pitiful before.
Qin found the children's behavior amusing, but outwardly remained calm. She wouldn't plead for the children or undermine Xie Qingran at this time.
"Raise your heads and tell me, what are your names?"
Xie Qingran's expression was cold and stern, and her words were devoid of any warmth.
"Xiao Jin".
"Xiao Yu".
"Xiao Yanran".
"Xiao Huo".
"Xiao Ting!"
Several children took turns calling out their names. They didn't know why Xie Qingran would ask this question, but they dared not disobey her in the slightest.
Upon hearing them say her name, Xie Qingran coldly snorted, "So you all know your own surname!"
Upon hearing this, the children all lowered their heads, their previous arrogance completely gone.
Especially Xiao Ting, who is the oldest of these children, eleven years old this year, and also the most sensible. He didn't actually fight with them just now, but was trying to break them up the whole time. However, Xiao Yu and Xiao Huo were fighting so fiercely that they couldn't be separated.
“I will not ask the reason for what happened today. Every one of you has been kneeling here for two hours.”
"For the next two hours, everyone must continuously recite the imperial edict and certificate that His Majesty bestowed upon the Xiao family."
"Today, I will only tell you one principle: you are all members of the Xiao family, of the same blood, and share the same fate!"
Xie Qingran didn't ask for the reason at all.
Kids fight without thinking, and she didn't want to settle these little brats' disputes. She wanted them to share joys and sorrows, mend their relationship, and learn what family ties and brotherhood truly meant!
"Any objections?"
Xie Qingran stood up and looked down at the radish heads of varying sizes, finding it somewhat amusing.
"No."
The children spoke almost in unison, none of them daring to utter a single extra word.
That's more like it.
Xie Qingran snorted, then walked to the table and began fiddling with the abacus beads, doing her own thing while keeping an eye on the children.
The children were all still young, the oldest being only eleven years old. When they recited the imperial edict, their voices were still somewhat childish.
Xiao Jin was the youngest, only three years old, so he couldn't memorize it all. He could only listen to his older brothers and sisters recite it and try to imitate them.
Qin felt heartbroken seeing Xiao Jin kneeling there in such a small ball, but she also understood why Xie Qingran was doing this. Even though she was so heartbroken that she couldn't bear to look at him, she didn't say anything.
Half an hour later, little Xiao Jin could no longer kneel. He fell to the ground again and again, struggling to get up each time, his eyes filled with tears. He looked so pitiful.
Qin felt her heart breaking. She instinctively stood up, but Xiao Ting spoke first: "Princess Consort, today's events all started because of my brothers. Ah Jin is still young. Please let him go. He... he can't take it anymore."
"oh?"
Xie Qingran put down her abacus and raised an eyebrow at Xiao Ting.
"Then tell me about what happened today."
Xiao Ting was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xie Qingran with a guilty conscience.
"It was Xiao Huo who said something wrong and offended Xiao Yu, which is why they started fighting."
Xie Qingran nodded and said calmly, "A-Jin is young and of a lower generation. You are all elders and should take care of him. But I said each person has two hours, and we've only had half an hour so far. He still has an hour and a half left. Are you willing to take his place?"
"I'll take your place!"
Xiao Huo turned around and looked at Xie Qingran with a determined gaze.
"All the blame lies with me. My brother didn't lay a hand on me, so I'm taking his place!"
Xiao Huo was filled with guilt; he shouldn't have acted so impulsively and implicated his brother.
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