Chapter 66066 Filial Piety
Chapter 66
He suddenly remembered the complaints made by his cousin, County Magistrate Chen, when he came here to drink two days ago.
That day, County Magistrate Chen sat down at the table with a gloomy face. He sighed repeatedly before the dishes were served, and after the dishes were served, he just drank in silence, and never revealed the reason.
It was not until he got drunk that he started talking, and as soon as he opened his mouth he was full of complaints.
He was told that five people had been killed in broad daylight on a ten-mile official road outside the city. Someone was even secretly threatening him to close the case as "robbery and murder." If he complied, his position as county magistrate would be in jeopardy; if he refused, his life would be in danger.
He was completely confused by what he heard at the time, and when he wanted to ask for details, County Magistrate Chen remained silent again and just focused on drinking.
After a few drinks, the prefect began complaining again, saying that Canghai County, once a place of ease and comfort, had now become a scene of fierce competition. He couldn't afford to offend either faction; it was truly a horrible situation.
Before leaving, the county governor patted him on the shoulder and repeatedly reminded him to remember not to get involved. He also muttered that the future of Canghai County would be uneasy.
County Magistrate Chen's words that night were unclear, and he never made it clear who the two parties in the fight were.
He later heard that His Royal Highness Prince Shen had come to Canghai County to be established as a fiefdom, and he only wanted to meet the former crown prince. He thought that if he could catch the eye of His Royal Highness Prince Shen, he would be rich and prosperous in the future.
I didn't take what County Magistrate Chen said to heart at all.
But now, seeing with his own eyes that His Royal Highness Prince Shen not only wanted to test the poison with a silver needle, but also wanted to test it on a living person, he was immediately horrified and suddenly remembered the evasive words of County Magistrate Chen.
Suddenly, I felt a chill on my back and cold sweat on my forehead.
Now His Royal Highness Prince Shen's men asked him to test the poison, clearly suspecting that he might have poisoned the food.
He wished he could swear to heaven and swear by his eight generations of ancestors that he had no intention of harming anyone.
But when he looked up at His Royal Highness Prince Shen who was sitting at the top, his throat rolled and he dared not utter a word.
It was his own fault. He was so eager to flatter the guests that he insisted on serving dishes that were not ordered by them, which aroused suspicion.
However, at this moment, his trembling hands dared not take the bowl. Although he had great trust in the old guys in the kitchen, he could not guarantee that other links had been tampered with.
If someone really was using his restaurant to secretly poison His Royal Highness Prince Shen, wouldn't that kill him instantly? Thinking of his eighty-year-old mother and three-year-old grandson at home, he was heartbroken and almost burst into tears.
But if you don’t eat it, doesn’t that mean there’s something wrong with the dish?
If you stick your head out, you'll get a knife. If you hide your head, you'll get a knife too. Either way, you'll die. Chen Dongjia steeled himself and took the bowl. With trembling hands, he picked up the chopsticks and quickly scooped the food from the bowl into his mouth. He didn't even chew it twice, just swallowing it.
Finally, he showed the empty bowl to Mu Shan and forced a smile that was uglier than crying: "Sir, I have finished eating."
Mu Shan nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Mr. Chen."
Qi Jingyan raised his finger nonchalantly.
Mu Yun immediately understood and stared at Chen Dongjia with cold eyes, saying with a warning: "We will serve whatever we order. Don't act on your own."
Chen Dongjia was as if pardoned. He said he dared not even a word. He bowed and nodded, holding the empty bowl, stepping on cotton as if he was floating out. The moment he closed the door with his backhand, his legs went weak and he fell to the ground.
Seeing the four guards standing at the stairs looking at him coldly, he didn't dare to sit on the ground any longer. He hurriedly forced out a flattering smile, climbed up using his hands and feet, staggered straight to the kitchen, and personally kept a close eye on every dish.
---
In the Tianzihao private room, Meng Yuning pointed at the three dishes on the table and said, "Your Highness, are these edible?"
"It's edible." Qi Jingyan took the chopsticks first, picked up an abalone, took a bite, and nodded: "It's indeed fresh."
Meng Yuning's eyebrows curved, and she happily picked up the chopsticks and picked up an abalone for Yi'er first, "Try this."
The little girl took the bowl and stared at the abalone with her bright eyes: "It smells so good."
Meng Yuning also picked up an abalone for herself, and the two happily ate it. The abalone was tender and fresh, with a rich and mellow flavor. It was delicious.
"This Canghai Restaurant is truly worthy of its reputation." Meng Yuning nodded repeatedly as she ate. After swallowing her last bite, she said mysteriously, "Your Highness, as soon as I got off the carriage, I knew the food at this Canghai Restaurant must be excellent. Do you know how I knew that?"
Qi Jingyan asked with amusement: "How did you know that?"
Meng Yuning blinked mischievously: "I can tell from the physiques of the boss and the shopkeeper."
Yi'er blinked her big eyes and listened quietly, as if she had suddenly realized something: "Yier knows, those two people are both fat."
Meng Yuning gave Yier a thumbs up: "Yier, you're great." Yier shook his head and smiled so hard that his teeth were showing.
Meng Yuning and Yi'er finished eating an abalone and stopped moving. They both turned their heads and looked at Qi Jingyan. Qi Jingyan wondered, "What's wrong?"
Meng Yuning pointed at the grouper and asked weakly, "Your Highness, is this fish edible?"
Qi Jingyan's eyebrows raised slightly. Did this girl think of him as a food tester? He put down the abalone he hadn't finished and picked up a piece of grouper and ate it slowly: "It tastes good."
Meng Yuning chuckled, then picked up another piece of fish for Yier and picked up a piece for herself, and they both started eating slowly.
Qi Jingyan shook his head in a confused manner, but put down his chopsticks, went to get another bowl of pigeon soup, and drank a few sips slowly.
Meng Yuning was eating fish while glancing at Qi Jingyan. Seeing that he had also drunk the soup, she felt relieved this time. She picked up two small bowls and filled one for Yier and herself.
Qi Jingyan couldn't help but chuckle this time. Mu Yun and Mu Shan, who were waiting nearby, couldn't help but laugh as well, secretly admiring Miss Meng's audacity.
After taking a few bites, they all put down their chopsticks and waited for the dishes they ordered to arrive.
Soon, Chen Dongjia and the waiters brought up the dishes they ordered one after another, including roast goose, chicken with sand ginger and scallion oil, boiled shrimp, boiled kale, and a serving of tea tree mushroom and old duck soup.
Meng Yuning thought that there would be only three of them eating, at most with Mu Yun and Mu Shan who were always by their side, so they only ordered four dishes and one soup.
Mu Yun used a silver needle to test the poison as usual. Then, without Mu Shan's help, Chen Dongjia took the clean chopsticks and picked up some of each dish. He stood aside and finished eating. This time he ate calmly and calmly because he watched everything being done with his own eyes.
After tasting everything, his face was full of smiles again: "Your Highness, young master, and this girl, please enjoy your meal." Then he quietly retreated.
After the door closed, Qi Jingyan called Mu Yun and Mu Shan: "Let's sit down and eat together."
The two of them agreed and sat down to eat together.
The dishes tasted really good, and everyone ate them with gusto. Meng Yuning, Yi'er, and Qi Jingyan didn't have big appetites, and when the three of them put down their chopsticks, there was still a small amount of food left on the table.
Meng Yuning said to Mu Yun and Mu Shan, who had been holding back on their eating, "If you two can finish your food, then do so. It would be a waste to leave any leftovers."
The two of them were waiting for this sentence. They smiled and said yes, then picked up their chopsticks and gobbled up all the remaining dishes in no time.
Meng Yuning and Qi Jingyan always knew that they could eat, so they were not surprised at all. However, Yi'er was shocked by the speed at which they ate. He clapped his hands and kept saying "Wow~", which made Meng Yuning couldn't help laughing.
After the two of them finished eating, everyone didn't stay any longer and went downstairs and out of the restaurant.
The rain has stopped and the sky is clear, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of earth.
Mu Feng went to pay the bill, but the shopkeeper said that the owner had instructed that this meal be a gift from the restaurant to the prince, and he refused to accept it.
Mu Feng roughly estimated the price of dishes based on the prices in the Beijing restaurant and threw twenty taels of silver onto the counter.
Seeing how aggressive he was, the shopkeeper didn't dare to chase him and return the money. He just kept bowing and said, "Thank you, sir."
Chen Dongjia brought a group of people to the door, and when he wanted to kneel, he was stopped by the guards.
Meng Yuning waited for Qi Jingyan to get on the carriage before taking Yi'er with her.
As she expected, after Aunt Lin learned of Qi Jingyan's true identity, she refused to get in the car and insisted on following him outside with her child.
Seeing that she was trembling with fear and was really terrified, Meng Yuning had no choice but to let her do what she wanted.
Just now at the dinner table, she had asked Qi Jingyan, and since those people in the gambling house had not been dealt with yet, they decided to bring her and her grandchildren back to the mansion first.
---
After seeing off the distinguished guest, Chen Dongjia's legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, the shopkeeper who was following him was quick-witted and grabbed him and helped him inside.
As they stepped through the threshold, they heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Looking up, they saw a group of people from the private room, walking down with sullen faces.
Chen Dongjia hurried over with a smile on his face, bowed to the leader and said, "Master Zhang, the abalone has just been steamed, why are you leaving?"
Master Zhang sneered and smacked Mr. Chen's shoulder with his fan. "Boss Chen has climbed up the social ladder now, so how can he tolerate people like us?"
After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and said, "Let's go! We don't have to come to this Canghai Restaurant anymore."
"Mr. Zhang, please calm down. It's really because of the chaos in the kitchen that we were delayed. Today's meal is Chen's apology..." Mr. Chen and the shopkeeper hurriedly explained, but no matter how much they said, the group still left with a look of dissatisfaction on their faces.
The two bowed and nodded as they watched the group disappear around the corner. Only then did Chen Dongjia's face turn cold and he spat fiercely on the ground: "Bah! He's just a despicable guy making dirty money. He praises him every day and thinks he's some big shot!"
The shopkeeper hurriedly whispered, "Boss, didn't Master Chen say that we shouldn't offend the Zhang family, or we might get into trouble."
Chen Dongjia spat on the ground again, but didn't say anything else. He turned around and went back, shaking his sleeves.
---
When Meng Yuning and her group returned to the mansion, they saw Mu Jiang waiting at the gate. Mu Feng took two steps forward and handed the food box in his hand to him with a smile: "I brought you some food."
Mu Jiang patted Mu Feng on the shoulder and said, "Hehe, you are a good brother." Seeing his prince got off the carriage, Mu Jiang stuffed the food box back into Mu Feng's hands.
He then quickly stepped forward and reported in a serious tone, "Your Highness, that old man Lin was beaten to the point of vomiting blood. He was seriously injured. He was taken to the clinic, but the doctor said there was no hope of saving him and asked for a coffin to be prepared."
"I brought him back and had Doctor Tang examine him. He gave him a few injections and some medicine, and he said he wouldn't die, but he's still unconscious."
Qi Jingyan nodded: "Then let's keep it for now and talk about it after it recovers."
Meng Yuning thought that Aunt Lin was still worried about Old Man Lin, so she waved to Aunt Lin who was following her cautiously not far away. When she came closer, she told her about Old Man Lin's situation.
Aunt Lin's heart was at peace. She immediately burst into tears of gratitude and knelt down to express her gratitude: "Thank you so much for saving my life. I am willing to serve you like a slave."
Meng Yuning sighed. While the gambling house had been behind the scheme, it was also Old Man Lin's inability to control himself that nearly destroyed his family. She hadn't expected Aunt Lin to still be obsessed with him.
But this was her own business, so she didn't want to say anything. She just helped her up and said to Mu Jiang, "Send Aunt Lin and Ping'an to live with Old Man Lin. The whole family will be together and have someone to look after them."
Mu Jiang agreed, picked up the food box, and went to a courtyard with Aunt Lin and Ping An, who were thanking him profusely.
Meng Yuning brought Yi'er and Qi Jingyan back to Yanfu Residence.
Meng Yuning took Yi'er to change into light home clothes, and then the two of them went into the bedroom and went to bed to take a nap that was not really a nap.
Qi Jingyan sat in the main room and spoke to Mu Yun, "Did Thirteen and the others say when they'll be back?"
Mu Yun: "I just received a letter yesterday saying he went to Nanpu County and won't be back for three to five days."
Qi Jingyan nodded and asked, "How is that matter going?"
Mu Yun: "Mu Jiu and his brothers are still searching. It's not easy to find a place in Lingnan that has rugged terrain, is easy to defend but difficult to attack, has abundant water resources, and is rarely visited by people."
Qi Jingyan: "Don't worry, take your time. There are many miasma, ferocious beasts, insects and snakes on the mountain. Tell the brothers to be more careful."
Mu Yun: "Yes, fortunately we have the anthelmintic herbs prepared by Doctor Tang, and Brother Su Yang also went with us, so there is no problem in that regard."
The two spoke at a normal volume. Meng Yuning, who was lying on the bed in the bedroom holding Yi'er, heard everything clearly, and her heart couldn't help but start to boil with excitement.
Finding a mountain like that must be to hide troops. Is Qi Jingyan starting to prepare for a counterattack?
Before she could think about it, she heard Mu Yun say again: "Your Highness, I will send someone to investigate the gambling house later to see if anyone was really hacked to death by Lin Wang."
Qi Jingyan: "Whether they were hacked to death or not, we can't let the Lin family go home until the gambling house incident is resolved. When Old Man Lin recovers from his injuries, take someone with him to bring his son and daughter-in-law back from the mountains. Later, we can send them to the mountains to work as blacksmiths."
Mu Yun: "Yes, then how will Aunt Lin, her daughter-in-law, and the child be accommodated?"
Qi Jingyan pondered for a moment, "There needs to be someone to cook and mend things in the mountains, so Aunt Lin will go with me to the mountains. As for her daughter-in-law and the child, they can stay at home."
Mu Yun agreed.
Qi Jingyan didn't ask any more questions. He glanced at Mu Yun's still wet clothes and said, "Help me lie down on the bed, and then go back and rest."
Mu Yun agreed, pushed Qi Jingyan into the bedroom, helped Qi Jingyan onto the bed, then clasped his fists and bowed before leaving.
Meng Yuning had already sat up. After Mu Yun left, she helped Qi Jingyan take off his outer robe before lying down again.
Yi'er was lying between the two of them, already asleep with his little belly bulging.
Meng Yuning lay beside him and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, do you want to keep Aunt Lin, daughter-in-law, and Ping An here?"
Qi Jingyan lay on his side: "I'll have to trouble An Ning to take care of it."
"It's not hard." Meng Yuning waved her hand, then became happy: "Then Yi'er will have a playmate too."
In the original book, Yi'er was always kept by Qi Jingyan until he returned to the capital. He was surrounded by adults and didn't have any playmates. It's heartbreaking to think about it.
Qi Jingyan smiled slightly: "A Ning treats Yi'er very well."
Not sure if it was an illusion, but Meng Yuning detected a hint of sourness in his seemingly normal tone. She looked at him twice and didn't respond to his words.
She remembered something and whispered, "Your Highness, it's still broad daylight today, and those gambling thugs dared to snatch a child in the street. Who knows how many evil things they have done behind the scenes?"
Qi Jingyan reached out and smoothed back a strand of hair that had fallen on her cheek: "Don't worry, An Ning, we've already checked it out."
Thinking of Aunt Lin and Ping'an's previous miserable state, as well as Qiulian's experience, Meng Yuning sighed, holding her chin with both hands and looking at him expectantly: "Your Highness, we can't control other places, but when you have investigated everything here, can you take charge of Canghai County?"
"At least, under the watchful eye of our Prince Shen, let the people live a more peaceful life."
Qi Jingyan nodded: "I was planning to do the same."
Meng Yuning smiled with her eyes curved, and held her cheeks with both hands, squeezing her face into a bun shape.
Qi Jingyan looked at her for a while, and finally couldn't help it, so he reached out and gently pinched her cheek.
Meng Yuning was stunned by the pinch, covering her face and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you pinching me?"
Looking at those clear and blank eyes, Qi Jingyan rubbed his fingers: "...There's something stuck on your face."
Meng Yuning quickly reached out and scratched her face: "Anything else?"
Qi Jingyan's lips curled slightly: "No more."
Meng Yuning lay back down, yawned, and said, "Your Highness, are you sleepy?"
Qi Jingyan: "Not bad."
Meng Yuning hugged Yi'er and said, "I'm sleepy. I want to sleep for a while."
"Go to sleep." Qi Jingyan took a palm-leaf fan from the bedside table and gently waved it towards the two of them.
Meng Yuning closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.
She didn't know how long she slept before she was awakened by the crackling sound of rain outside the window. She opened her eyes and saw that it was already dark outside.
Qi Jingyan was sitting against the head of the bed, stroking his legs with his hands.
Meng Yuning sat up and took a closer look. She saw that Qi Jingyan's face was pale and sweat was on his forehead, but he didn't say a word.
Seeing him like this, Meng Yuning hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, does your leg hurt?"
Qi Jingyan did not hide it: "Yeah."
Meng Yuning: "Then let me give you a massage?"
Qi Jingyan: "It's useless. Ning doesn't need to bother with it."
Meng Yuning: "Then I'll go call Doctor Tang to take a look."
Qi Jingyan also shook his head: "No need."
Meng Yuning remembered that Doctor Tang had said before that Qi Jingyan's legs would probably hurt when it was cloudy or rainy in the future, so he had an idea in mind.
She thought about it, got up, put on her shoes and was about to leave.
Qi Jingyan grabbed her wrist and asked, "Where are you going, An Ning?"
Meng Yuning: "Among the things the Empress Dowager sent, there are hot water bottles. I'll go get some."
Qi Jingyan instantly understood that she was concerned about his legs, and said gently, "It's raining so hard outside, there's no need to go."
Meng Yuning didn't listen to him and broke free from his hand: "You're sweating from the pain. Covering it with a hot water bottle will make it better."
Qi Jingyan said again: "Then call Mu Yun."
Meng Yuning: "No need, it's just a few steps away, I'll be back soon."
Mu Yun, Mu Shan and the others had been running outside for so long, all wet. They had just returned and hadn't rested for a while. Let's not bother them anymore.
Yi'er also woke up. Seeing An Ning get off the bed, he crawled to the bed with sleepy eyes: "An Ning, wherever you go, Yi'er will go too."
Meng Yuning turned around and reached out to touch the little kid's head: "Yi'er, be good. Brother's legs hurt. Can you stay with him? Aning will be back soon."
Yi'er hesitated for a moment, then finally released the hand that was clutching An Ning's sleeve and nodded: "Okay, Yi'er will stay with brother, then An Ning, you have to come back soon."
Meng Yuning smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll be right back."
As he said that, he quickly walked to the door, picked up an umbrella from the shelf, opened the door, opened the umbrella, and rushed into the rain.
Qi Jingyan looked at the open door, his eyes darker than the night rain.
Seeing that his brother looked pale, Yi'er thought he was in great pain, so he quickly crawled to his side and gently pinched his legs with his two little hands: "Brother, does it hurt?"
Qi Jingyan came back to his senses: "Yier, when you grow up, you must be filial to An Ning."
Yi'er nodded her little head and nodded seriously: "Yi'er will buy sweets and cakes, gold, and flowers for An Ning!"
After saying that, he raised his chubby little face and said seriously, "Brother, you must also be filial to An Ning."
Qi Jingyan's mouth twitched: "...Okay, brother is also filial to An Ning."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
