Chapter 108 Mother and Son Dispute

While Minglan and others were beating the drum, Qi Heng returned to the Duke's Mansion with Princess Pingning. As soon as they returned, she gave an order: "Come here, arrest the general and punish him with a stick immediately!"

Qi Heng's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at Princess Pingning in astonishment, his eyes full of confusion. "Mother, why?"

"Why? I put him by your side so that he can always advise you what to do and what not to do. If the master is confused for a moment, he should know to persuade the master to stop. If he can't do it, he should be punished!" Princess Pingning never spoke harshly to Qi Heng on weekdays. Today was the first time she showed her thundering methods in front of Qi Heng.

After hearing what the princess said, Qi Heng began to reflect on what he did wrong and implicated Buwei. "But what have I done wrong recently? I have been studying recently, and today..."

"Mother, is it because I asked Buwei to investigate the affairs of the eldest lady of the Song family today?" Qi Heng wanted to explain again, but Buwei kept shouting, "Young Master, save me! Young Master, save me!"

"Mother, I am your son. You do everything for your son's good. I believe it! But Buwei is my man. He grew up with me since childhood. If you hit him, you are hitting me! My son is about to take the imperial examination. If you insult me ​​like this, how can I face others? It would be better if mother just let someone beat me!" Qi Heng bumped into Princess Pingning for the first time. After saying that, he rushed to Buwei and tried to grab the stick from the executioner and hit himself.

"Stop the young master!" Princess Pingning was terrified by this scene, fearing that Qi Heng would really hurt her.

At the same time, Princess Pingning's anger reached its peak, "Qi Heng, your body and skin are given by your parents, and you dare not damage them. This is the beginning of filial piety. Don't you even care about the most basic filial piety? Who are you and what is his? You actually confronted me for him? You really hurt your mother's heart by doing this!"

"Mother, if I am lucky enough to pass the imperial examination next spring, I can serve as an official in the court. Then I will have to go out on my own in this world. I can't do everything after consulting you. If I need you to ask me about everything, when will I be able to grow up to be a man who can stand tall and proud? When I don't do something, it's because I told you to do it. Mother, you beat me but I still don't do it. In fact, you don't recognize your son! Am I so useless in your eyes?" Qi Heng cried with almost every word, and the look he gave the princess made her heartbroken.

The princess also had tears in her eyes, and staggered towards Qi Heng, wanting to touch him properly, but he turned his head away, and the princess burst into tears instantly. "My son is the best man in the whole Bianjing City. How could I think you are useless? But now the situation is turbulent, and our Qi family is not prosperous. We have to be cautious with every step. I am afraid that you will make a mistake and then be doomed! My son!"

Qi Heng looked at the princess with red eyes, "Mother always wants to protect her son under her wings, but chicks will always grow up, even eagles will drive their young eagles out of the nest, forcing them to learn to fly and forage. Mother always has to let her son go and experience it by himself, otherwise when can she really be a hero?" Really independent? It's because we have no brothers or sisters who can help me, so I have to stand on my own feet faster!"

Qi Heng's words were heard by Duke Qi who had returned home. Seeing the mother and son at loggerheads and Buwei still tied to the torture bench, he felt something was not good and hurried forward, "Yuan Ruo's words make a lot of sense. Even an eagle needs experience. We will get old one day, and we can only protect him from the wind and rain for a few more years. He must stand on his own feet!" Duke Qi put his arm around the princess' shoulders and tried his best to ease the tension between the mother and son.

"I just want to protect him as long as I can! But for the sake of the illegitimate daughter of the Sheng family, she got involved in the affair between the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhennan and the fourth illegitimate daughter of the Sheng family, and protected the Sheng family in public. She was even pointed out to his face that I was looking for a suitable girl for him. If this gets out, it will hinder his marriage!" The arrival of the Duke of Qi allowed the Princess Pingning to find someone who shared the same ideals, and she could better express her thoughts to the Duke of Qi.

But the princess' words sounded like a bolt from the blue to Qi Heng. What did her mother say? Was she looking for someone for her? "Mother, I have someone I love!" Qi Heng blurted out.

"Oh? Is it the daughter of the Sheng family?" "I disagree!" The voices of the Duke of Qi and the princess rang at the same time, but they were two completely different attitudes.

Princess Pingning glared at Duke Qi and said to Qi Heng, "You think you deserved a beating for no reason? I told him to watch you and not let you get dazzled by the flowers and plants outside, but he concealed the truth for you and didn't report it. If I hadn't seen it myself, how long would you have kept it a secret from me?"

"What flowers and plants? What mother said is so inappropriate! I love Minglan, but it's just that I love her. We have never done anything inappropriate. I'm even sure of this feeling, and she doesn't know about it. She's such a good girl, what can I give her? Apart from this family background, I can't even support my family without an official title!" Qi Heng was very angry when he heard the princess describe Minglan like that, but he felt a little resigned in the end.

"But you are the legitimate son of the Duke's Mansion, and you have to inherit your father's title. Even if she is just a concubine's daughter of a fifth-rank official, she is not worthy of you, and I will not agree to this marriage!" Speaking of Qi Heng's marriage, the princess' attitude became tough again.

"Even if mother has a family background, she should ask her son's wishes!"

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Duke Qi quickly stood between them to separate them and changed the subject, "Have you heard about the three girls of the Sheng family beating the drum to report the war?"

"What did father say? They went to beating the drum to report the war?" Hearing this suddenly, Qi Heng didn't care to continue to reason with the princess, and the princess turned her head to look at Duke Qi.

"Yes, the three sisters went to file a complaint together, accusing Miss Han of framing and fraud, and accusing the government office of fearing power and not hearing the case. You don't have to worry, His Majesty has already made a decision. The Marquis of Zhennan was fined one year's salary for not educating his daughter strictly, and the eldest Miss Han was also confined to her home. The palace sent a nanny to govern her, saying that she could leave the house when she learned the rules well, and the imperial edict has also been issued. His Majesty also issued an edict to praise the three girls of the Sheng family, and I heard that the Empress Dowager also summoned them. So Yuan Ruo did the right thing in this matter! Not to mention that the three girls of the Sheng family are classmates of Yuan Ruo, even if they are unknown people, Yuan Ruo should help them when he encounters this injustice. This is the way of a gentleman." The Duke of Qi told the mother and son the result of the complaint, and then turned to persuade the princess that his son did a good job.

Seeing Qi Heng let out a long sigh, the princess's expression also eased a little, and Duke Qi continued: "The three girls of the Sheng family, each has her own strengths." Then he looked at Qi Heng and said, "Is Yuan Ruo interested in the sixth girl?"