Chapter 273 This is the first lesson your mother taught you.
Just past noon, the courtyard was swept clean.
The trees were bare, but the snow on the branches created a rather picturesque scene from a distance.
Outside the courtyard, an old woman scrambled in, her face filled with panic and dismay.
"Miss! Something terrible has happened, Miss!"
"Something terrible has happened!"
Meng Shilan's heart sank suddenly, and the hand warmer in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".
Shuang'er didn't even bother to tidy up and quickly helped the old woman up.
What's the matter that you're so panicked?
The old woman was panting heavily, pointing in the direction outside the mansion, her lips trembling.
"The Prefectural Government of Jingzhao... People from the Prefectural Government of Jingzhao have arrived!"
"They say...they say that the young lady and the Seventh Prince were playing with fire by the Feng River...and burned down...a whole row of houses!"
With a loud bang.
Meng Shilan felt her mind go blank. The leisurely mood she had just been enjoying the snow was instantly shattered by this sudden bad news.
On the banks of the Feng River.
Isn't that the house they used to live in? Why would the two kids set it on fire?
She dared not think any further, grabbed a heavy cloak from a nearby rack, and rushed outside like a madwoman, without even having time to fasten the straps.
"Get the car ready! Quick!"
In the back hall of the Jingzhao Prefecture, a blazing underfloor heater provided warmth and comfort.
The atmosphere inside the hall was even colder than the freezing cold outside.
Fu'er was sitting side by side with the Seventh Prince Xiao Lin in a grand chair.
Fu'er's usually delicate and beautiful face was now marred by streaks of black and gray, making her look like a little kitten that had just crawled out of the stove.
The brand-new pink brocade cloak she was wearing was now covered in soot and had several small holes in the edges.
Her small hands gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her head bowed, not daring to look at anyone.
Xiao Lin, who was standing next to him, wasn't in much better shape.
His bright red fox fur coat was covered in grass clippings and dust, and his usually radiant face was smudged with several black marks.
But his back was ramrod straight.
He was the mastermind, and also the seventh prince, a member of the imperial family.
Even if he had offended the heavens, among all the officials in the hall, from the Prefect of the Capital to the lowest clerks, who would dare to utter a single word of dissent against him?
Meng Shilan's gaze fell on her daughter's figure.
The heart that had been hanging in the throat since leaving the mansion finally settled down slowly and heavily when it saw its daughter sitting there unharmed.
Thankfully, no one is hurt.
As long as everyone is alright, that's all that matters.
Fu'er seemed to sense something.
When she looked up and saw her mother standing at the door, the snow still lingering, her eyes, which had been holding back tears, instantly reddened.
"Mother..."
She called out in a tearful voice, and her small body slid down from the high chair.
She stumbled and lunged at Meng Shilan.
"Mother!"
Fu'er buried her face in Meng Shilan's arms, her black and white face nestled deep in her mother's warm cloak.
She burst into tears.
Large tears rolled down her cheeks, instantly soaking a patch of Meng Shilan's clothes.
"Fu'er isn't afraid...she's not afraid anymore..."
Meng Shilan held her daughter tightly, feeling her small body trembling in her arms.
She gently patted her daughter's back.
Only when Fu'er's crying gradually subsided and turned into soft sobs did Meng Shilan slowly raise his head.
Her gaze calmly swept over the trembling officials in the hall, finally settling on the Prefect of the Capital, who sat in the main seat.
Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear.
"Thank you for your trouble, sir."
The Prefect of Jingzhao immediately bowed.
"Miss Meng, you flatter us. The young lady and the Seventh Prince are very fortunate to have escaped injury."
Meng Shilan did not respond to his words, but simply continued speaking calmly.
"Please convey this message to all the homeowners."
"Today's events all stemmed from my daughter's mischievousness."
"Our Zhenguo Duke's Mansion will bear all the losses."
Her words were resounding, taking all the responsibility upon herself without uttering a single word about the esteemed Seventh Prince.
Xiao Lin, who had been sitting in his chair observing coldly, was now displeased.
He jumped off the chair, walked a few steps to Meng Shilan, and looked up at her still proud little face.
"Aunt Meng, don't worry!"
He patted his not-so-broad chest, his tone full of confidence and domineering that belied his age.
"It was just a few dilapidated houses that burned down! No one died!"
"With me here, I bet no one in the capital would dare to cause trouble for Fu'er!"
Meng Shilan's body stiffened slightly.
She lowered her eyes and looked at the nine-year-old child in front of her, who was full of energy and making "bold statements".
In her eyes, Xiao Lin had always been just a spoiled child.
A bit mischievous, a bit domineering, but ultimately, his heart is still pure.
But it was only at this moment that she realized with horror.
Just how terrifying is a "tyrant" who no one dares to control or persuade?
He saw no right or wrong, no reverence, only "I want" and "I can".
Today, at only nine years old, he dared to take Fu'er to play with potentially deadly gunpowder.
He did it simply because he found it fun and novel.
What about in the future?
When he gets a little older, what more dangerous and outrageous things will he take Fu'er to do?
In his world, do all people and things exist solely to please him?
So, is Fu'er now just a playmate to Xiao Lin...?
Or was it a new and interesting toy that he found intriguing?
This thought pierced Meng Shilan's heart, making her feel cold from head to toe.
She has no right to lecture a prince.
The only person she could control was her own daughter.
Meng Shilan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and her eyes became somewhat distant.
She nodded slightly to Xiao Lin in response.
Then, she lowered her head, looked at Fu'er in her arms, and said, word by word.
“Fu’er, listen to me.”
"Even though you are young, you should admit your mistakes."
"If you do something wrong, you have to bear the consequences."
"This is the first lesson your mother taught you."
Xiao Lin, who was listening from the side, was completely baffled.
He couldn't understand it at all.
What consequences will we face?
He frowned, his face showing confusion and frustration.
"On my territory, who dares to stop me from doing what I want? Who dares to come looking for trouble with me?"
"Besides, it's just a few empty houses. Just compensate them! It's no big deal!"
His confident words froze the air in the entire back room.
The cold sweat from the Prefect of Jingzhao had soaked the back of his official robes.
He was afraid that the two immortals would fight and he, an innocent bystander, would be caught in the crossfire, so he quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Your Highness, please calm down. Miss Meng, please calm down."
He forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace and spoke cautiously.
"It's quite a coincidence that when I sent people to clear the fire site just now, I found that the damage to those mansions was not actually that great."
"Only one... only one abandoned old house that looked like it had been uninhabited for a long time was the most severely burned."
"That's why the cellar of the house collapsed when it burned down, and that's how our people found this inside!"
As he spoke, he winked at the clerk beside him.
The clerk immediately understood and presented a half-open wooden box.
Inside the box were several ingots of official silver, half-blackened by the fire, yet still revealing their bright, lustrous color.
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