General Xie disliked Wang Renyi, a worthless fellow who was flirting with a maid in his courtyard right under his nose...
If he weren't a newly appointed third-place scholar, and given his past decisive and ruthless style, he would have long since severed ties with the Qing dynasty.
However, for now, we still need to save face.
"This is……"
"Thank you, General. This is ginseng that I dug up from my hometown. It is said to be quite old. Now, when Aunt Wan drinks it, she will surely recover soon. Don't worry, this ginseng will not conflict with the prescription given by Elder Dong."
As he spoke, Wang Renyi frowned and opened the brocade box.
A perfectly wrapped ginseng root was revealed before my eyes.
The General's Mansion is no small place; you can tell at a glance whether it's good ginseng or top-grade ginseng.
General Xie frowned.
If Wang Renyi takes the initiative to make overtures, and he accepts them, what harm is there in it?
"Take it."
Xie Yushu immediately stepped forward and took it.
Wang Renyi's expression relaxed, and he took his leave.
After the guests had left, General Xie led everyone into the mansion.
The door slowly closed.
“Father, Danling…”
"Don't talk to me about him. I know you two are close, but if we don't teach him a lesson this time, he'll surely make a big mistake in the future."
General Xie raised his hand to interrupt Xie Lingyu's attempt to plead for mercy, and after a moment, he raised his hand towards Xie Lingqin with a solemn expression.
"Lingqin, come with me to the study."
"yes."
Xie Lingqin had anticipated this.
She was valued by Elder Dong and received assistance from Prince Yi. There were no prior signs, and it would have been strange if General Xie hadn't taken it seriously and had asked her to inquire about it.
They entered the study one after the other.
The guard closed the door.
Zihe and Tridacna stood quietly outside the door, their expressions solemn.
“Lingqin, you are my daughter, so I will be frank.”
This time, General Xie finally stopped testing the waters and went straight to the point.
"Father, do you want to ask why Dong Cai and Prince Yi treat their daughter so differently?" Xie Lingqin didn't hide anything and instead took the initiative to explain.
General Xie nodded with a satisfied look on his face. "Go on," he said.
"Old Master Dong must have found my daughter pleasing to the eye when she went to invite him that day, so he treated her quite well. As for Prince Yi..." Xie Lingqin shook her head, "Actually, I don't know much about him either."
"You don't understand?"
Xie Lingqin nodded, frowned and pondered for a long time, then nodded again, "I really can't figure it out."
General Xie kept a close eye on Xie Lingqin's expression. Seeing that she seemed unable to figure it out even after thinking for a long time, he sighed and nodded, "It's nothing. Prince Yi's actions are unpredictable and difficult for ordinary people to fathom. As for Aunt Wan..."
"Father, don't worry. I was in the room with Physician Qin at the time. She told me that Aunt Wan would still have a chance in the future, so you don't need to worry."
"I understand." General Xie nodded, looking slightly tired. He waved his hand and said, "You can go now. Your girl named Tridacna has also been wronged today. Don't mistreat someone who is so loyal to you."
"……yes."
Xie Lingqin curtsied, opened the door, and went out.
However, Xie Lingqin could clearly feel that General Xie's dark and unfathomable gaze remained fixed on her until the study door closed.
"Please take care, young lady."
Outside the study, the guards beside General Xie also nodded in salute.
"Hmm." Xie Lingqin then left with her entourage without any hesitation.
Behind him, having watched Xie Lingqin disappear without a trace, the guard pushed open the door and went inside.
"General..."
General Xie waved his hand, "There's no need to send anyone to monitor and investigate."
The guard looked puzzled. "Young Miss's behavior today is completely different from usual. She is sharp, yet calm and composed, which is admirable. General, shouldn't you investigate?"
A wistful smile suddenly crossed Xie Zhuangjun's handsome and fair face. "Today I suddenly understand some things."
The guards were puzzled.
"Things will turn into their opposites when they reach an extreme."
"The general means that..."
"I know what kind of life she has been living in the General's Mansion all these years, but I just don't want to care, I don't want to ask... Sometimes, when you suppress yourself for too long, you suddenly understand, break free of your shackles, and want to rebel. It's like a sudden awakening."
"So, General, you mean that Miss Xie suddenly realized she no longer wanted to be bullied? Then, judging from what you just saw, Miss Xie truly doesn't know why Prince Yi helped her?"
"They seem genuinely unaware, but this daughter is not the same as before..." General Xie waved his hand, a meaningful look crossing his face, "Your Majesty..."
The guard knew this was not something he could hear, so he lowered his head and furrowed his brows.
...
Xie Lingyu did not return to her own courtyard at this time, but instead headed towards Aunt Wan's residence.
Just now, someone brought Aunt Wan back to this courtyard.
Xie Danling stood motionless outside the courtyard—he was being punished by the general, and without the general's orders, he dared not move.
"Danling, I'm so sorry you had to suffer like this." Xie Lingyu rushed forward, her face full of heartache, and hurriedly asked the maid behind her to bring water and hand it to Xie Danling.
"Second sister, you've also suffered some injustice today. Father didn't blame you, did he?"
"No, it's just that something happened outside the manor just now, and now Father is probably..." Xie Lingyu noticed Xie Danling's curious look and hesitated to speak.
"Is Father disappointed in you? Did Sister Xie... did she give you a hard time?" Xie Danling immediately became anxious, but for some reason, when she thought of calling Xie Lingqin by her name, she remembered the double pressure from Yu Qingyi and Elder Dong, so she changed her words.
Xie Lingyu was preoccupied with her own calculations and didn't pay much attention to this. She quickly explained, "No, no, Danling, don't overthink it. Just be good. I'll go and beg Father later to stop being angry with you. When Aunt Wan wakes up, you can say some nice things to her."
"Yes, Aunt Wan is no good either. She could have saved the child, but she insisted that eldest sister say she would only save the mother."
Xie Lingyu's expression changed drastically.
"Is it true that Xie Lingqin instructed the female doctor to only save the adult?"
"Really, I heard it clearly, although..." Xie Danling paused, then hesitated for a moment, after all, he couldn't hear it very clearly because it was behind the curtain.
“Danling, you can’t make the same mistake again. If it really was your eldest sister who did it, then we must let Father know… Ah, no.” Xie Lingqin paced back and forth for a moment, then immediately said, “Father is already troubled. Let’s talk about this another day. But I hope that eldest sister won’t cause any more trouble in the next few days.”
Xie Danling was still somewhat hesitant, but upon hearing Xie Lingyu's words and thinking of Miaoqiao, and also of the frustration that this older sister had caused him today, he nodded and ran towards General Xie's study.
Xie Lingyu hurriedly called out and immediately chased after him, but a cold smile flashed in her eyes.
---Aside---
I'll update again later this afternoon.
By the way, there's a surprise in the next chapter!
This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy; please do not reproduce it!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
