Chapter 123: Was this done by... Pei Chong?

Because Nguyen Thanh Chau was granted the title of military governor, the Nguyen family gained greater reputation in the capital, and more officials came to interact with them.

I heard that the Pei family held a banquet for Ruan Qingzhou's food business, and there were many different opinions on this matter.

Some said that the Pei family tried to please, others said that the Pei family had to bow down under pressure, but no matter which one it was, it was not a good story.

The news of the discord between the first and second branches of the Ruan family had spread as early as when Minister Jiang hosted a banquet in his bridal chamber. Ruan Xiaoyue publicly sought to bring misfortune upon the prime minister's wife, but ended up losing more than she gained, and ended up embarrassing herself.

Now that the eldest branch of the Ruan family is more prominent, it would be a wise move to bow down and welcome the emperor.

The Pei family held a family dinner and only invited members of the Ruan family.

Although Ruan Qingzhou was able to walk, he looked down on Pei Chong and stayed in the mansion. Seeing that he was not going, Xu Zining didn't want to join in the fun.

Instead, Xu Xi followed the Ruan family to the banquet.

"Zi Ning, Master never likes crowds, why did he go to Pei's house today?" In Ruan Qingzhou's opinion, Master would definitely look down on people like Pei Chong.

After Xu Zining applied medicine to Ruan Qingzhou, she took out a silver needle and wanted to give him acupuncture.

Ruan Qingzhou rolled up the silver needle bag: "Zining, can you say something?"

Xu Zining: “…”

Ever since she got angry that day, she had ignored him. Although she came to check his wounds every day, she never said a word.

No matter how he tried to bring up the topic, she just wouldn't respond.

He was almost suffocated to death.

Xu Zining opened the rolled cloth bag and raised her hand to try to push him down for acupuncture. Ruan Qingzhou helplessly grabbed her wrist and turned her hand back, and Xu Zining sat unsteadily beside his legs.

Almost subconsciously, he stood up and said angrily, "Are you crazy? If you press on the wound, do you want to be a cripple for the rest of your life?"

"Who told you not to speak?" The wound was pulled, and Ruan Qingzhou's face turned pale. He pressed his injured leg with one hand, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Xu Zining was angry and distressed. A layer of mist accumulated in her eyes. She stared at him stubbornly: "What is there to say? You are injured now. I am a doctor. My duty is to heal your poisonous wounds. After you are healed, you can go wherever you want."

Ruan Qingzhou pulled her to sit beside him, pulled out the handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped her sweat: "I am going back to Jiangnan with you, and I will not go anywhere else in the future."

"You are going back to Jiangnan with my father and will stay there to work in the future, but not for me."

"I did it for you."

The words blurted out in a hurry exploded in Xu Zining's mind like a thunder. She even thought she had heard it wrong, and looked at Ruan Qingzhou with confusion in her eyes.

He was silent for a long while.

When their eyes met, Ruan Qingzhou felt a little panicked, but the words had been spoken and could not be taken back.

His face turned red with nervousness, and he subconsciously held Xu Zining's hand: "Junior sister, I..."

A hasty knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Xu Zining came back to her senses and opened the door. The servant rushed in and said, "Miss Xu, please go to the old lady's room and take a look."

Xu Zining: "Didn't the old lady go to the Pei family for a banquet?"

"I didn't know what happened, I just knew the old lady fainted and was sent back."

Xu Zining knew something was wrong when she heard it, and she started walking back, but stopped after a few steps and ordered, "Tell someone to carry the young master to the old lady's room."

Ruan Qingzhou was worried and full of doubts. It was just a meal at Pei's house, so why did his grandmother faint?

Saving lives is the most important thing. No matter how many questions Zi Ning has, she must first check on her grandmother's condition before answering them.

**

In Jingxin Pavilion, Xu Zining took the patient's pulse and prescribed some medicine. Mother Xu quickly ordered someone to get the medicine according to the prescription.

Ruan Qingzhou was sitting on a chair, about to ask, but Xu Zining interrupted him: "Mother Liu, the old lady is anxious and has fainted due to anger. What happened?"

Ruan Qingzhou urged: "Hurry up and tell me."

Mother Liu burst into tears: "We were going to the Pei family for a banquet today. Everything was going fine, but when the banquet was about to end, Miss Xiaorou suddenly found that Master Qingchi was missing. At first, she thought it was just a naughty child who hid in some room to play. But she searched the Pei mansion everywhere, but still couldn't find him."

"The old lady was already anxious, and then the doorman sent a letter saying that Master Qingchi had been captured, and asked the Ruan family to raise 5,000 taels of silver, otherwise he would be killed."

"When the old lady heard that Master Qingchi was kidnapped, she fainted immediately." Aunt Liu was also extremely worried: "The eldest master and his wife are still in the Pei family. I heard that the eldest lady sent a letter to the prime minister, so it is likely that he should have arrived by now."

Ruan Qingzhou frowned, stood up with the help of a chair, and was about to limp out, but was pulled back by Xu Zining: "What are you going to do?"

"I have to find Qingchi."

"You are in this state now, what's the point of going?" Xu Zining softened her tone: "If you really want to share the burden, you should stay and take good care of the old lady. The old lady will wake up soon. With you by her side, I feel more at ease, right?"

Ruan Qingzhou clenched his fist.

I hate that he got hurt at this time.

Zi Ning was right. In his current condition, he couldn't even find anyone to look after him, let alone him. Going there would just cause trouble.

**

"Such a serious incident has occurred. Let's report it to the authorities immediately." The Pei residence was filled with sorrow. This was the third time Pei Chong had proposed reporting it to the authorities.

"Absolutely not. What if we offend the robbers and hurt Qing Chi?" Ruan Chengfu immediately retorted: "I have already ordered people to go back and raise money, but the amount is huge, and it will take at least two or three days to gather it all."

Zheng Qiaoyue was already at a loss at this moment and could only cry.

Ruan Chenglin heard this and said gratefully: "Brother."

Ruan Chengfu was pacing in the courtyard. When he heard his brother calling him, he came up to him and patted his shoulder: "Don't worry, even if I lose everything, I will redeem Qingchi."

Ruan Xiaorou hugged her mother and comforted her: "Mom, you should be stronger at this time. Uncle also said that he will not stand idly by."

Zheng Qiaoyue's eyes were dull, as if she hadn't heard anything.

Only Ruan Xiaoyue, who was sitting next to him, said nothing and looked at Pei Chong with a strange expression. The thoughts in her mind made her feel uneasy, but she didn't want to think about it too deeply.

Even if Pei Chong had no bottom line, he shouldn't have gambled with Qing Chi, not to mention that he repeatedly proposed to report to the police... Could it be that she had wronged him?

**

He An was discussing Jiangnan affairs in the Prince's Mansion when he heard the news. When he learned that Qing Chi was kidnapped, the Prince was furious. Ji Lingchuan was surprised: "How could it be such a coincidence that Qing Chi got into trouble today when the Pei family held a banquet?"

The prince said: "This is indeed a bit strange. Normally, if the Pei family wants to make a move, it should be the He family and the eldest branch of the Ruan family. It's impossible..."

He An pondered for a moment and stood up: "The one who can have a connection with the first branch of the Ruan family and be loved by Mrs. Ruan is Qing Chi from the second branch."

Ji Lingchuan was surprised: "You mean, this was done by... Pei Chong?"

The prince stood up and took out a token and handed it to He An: "It is already late now and the situation is urgent. This token can be used to mobilize the personal guards of the prince's mansion."

"Thank you, Your Highness."