Chapter 77 Quarrel
The extra footprints on the ground were obviously not theirs. Qing Wu thought that these people were helping Xiao Ji out of concern for him, and he was very happy.
She was happy, but King Wen in the capital was unhappy.
King Wen held the piece of paper he dug out from the ground with disdain. He looked at it carefully for a long time, but could not understand its true meaning. There was only a poem written on the paper: It is fortunate that my broken body has the company of a fairy, which is better than living a hundred years in the fairy palace.
After watching for a while, he asked the spies about the specific situation at that time. In order to win credit, the spies specifically told the prince that they had dug up most of the land, but before they finished speaking, the prince became furious.
The note instantly deformed, and a sinister look appeared on King Wen's originally gentle face.
The spring sun outside the window shone obliquely on the lines of poetry, which made his eyes burn. He suddenly tore up the paper and threw it in the spy's face, roaring, "Don't you understand? He's taking you to work!"
He didn't expect that the spies he sent out would become free laborers for that kid Xiao Ji!
"What a broken body! What a fairy!"
The attendants huddled behind the pillars, not daring to breathe. They only saw the prince pacing back and forth, the soles of his python-patterned boots rolling hard on the floor tiles, as if he was venting his anger.
"Even with a broken leg and the throne lost, you still have the time to indulge in romantic pursuits!" The more King Wen thought about it, the angrier he became. Finally, he fiercely kicked the spy at his feet and said, "Why don't you get out of here? You useless piece of shit!"
*
At the same time, at the Song family in the capital, Xi Qingtong paid a sum of money to the old housekeeper and wanted to go to the brocade workshop to make fashionable clothes. She had already given the twin sisters' clothes to the maid.
The old housekeeper's hand trembled slightly as he clutched the account book. He gritted his teeth and said, "Madam, this month's allowance has already been paid out four times. I hope you can be a little more frugal..."
"How dare you!" Xi Qingtong was trying on a newly made filigree gold hairpin. Upon hearing this, she turned around abruptly and slammed her nail-dyed hands on the table.
"How can you control how a master like me spends money? What are the rules of the Song family? How can a servant give orders to his master?"
The old housekeeper's forehead was covered in cold sweat, but thinking of the dwindling silver in the treasury, he still bravely said, "But there isn't much silver left in the treasury, and my lord will have expenses in his official career..."
But Xi Qingtong didn't believe the old housekeeper's words at all, "Who are you trying to fool?"
Xi Qingtong sneered and pulled out the gold hairpin from her bun. "Back when Uncle Song was the Lord of the Mansion, the gifts he received alone could fill up half a storehouse. Now, he's just cutting a few pieces of brocade and making a few sets of gold jewelry, and you say you're out of money?"
She glanced at the trembling old housekeeper, disgust flashing across her eyes. The corners of her lips curled up as she suddenly asked, "Could it be that you are secretly enriching yourself?"
The old housekeeper's face turned pale instantly, and he fell to his knees. "Madam, please understand! Since the old master passed away, the family's income has dropped sharply. My husband has already spent a lot on his studies. This old servant has never taken a single cent for himself!"
"That's enough!" Xi Qingtong interrupted, waving his sleeves. "Do you want me to talk nonsense?"
Thinking about the grievances she had suffered since coming to the Song family, and being controlled by such a lowly servant, she stepped closer in her embroidered shoes, pressing the toe of her shoe on the old housekeeper's hand, and said coldly:
"If your master can't even afford this kind of life, why not send me back to my parents' home!"
The footsteps outside the door startled the two men who were on the verge of a fight.
Song Yunhe stood at the threshold, his eyes fixed on Xi Qingtong's embroidered shoes that were resting on the back of the old housekeeper's hand.
The setting sun slanted in from behind him, casting a dazzling golden edge on Xi Qingtong's suddenly frozen face.
"Yunhe!" She instantly put on a gentle look, the corners of her rouge-stained lips curved into an arc of grievance, and she took a few steps forward to pull up his sleeves.
Song Yunhe dodged sideways, and the corner of his robe brushed past her missed fingertips, bringing a chill.
"What are you doing?" His voice was unusually cold. When he bent down to help the old butler up, he caught a glimpse of the unfamiliar gold hairpins on the table, and his Adam's apple rolled heavily.
Hearing his question, Xi Qingtong's smile froze on her face. How could Song Yunhe speak to her like that? Shouldn't he have spoken softly to her?
"I was just teaching a servant a lesson for being too talkative." She forced herself to raise her chin. "How dare a servant like him control the master's expenses..."
"That's enough!" Song Yunhe turned around abruptly. "Uncle Wang has served the Song family for forty years. Can't you show him some respect?"
He originally wanted to hold back, but when he thought of the harmony when Qingwu was in the Song family, how kind Qingwu was to the old housekeeper, and how virtuous Qingwu was, Song Yunhe couldn't control his mouth.
But these words sounded even more incredible to Xi Qingtong, "You actually blame me for an old thing?!"
Her chest heaved violently, and her tanned fingertips pointed directly at the old butler, "I'm just an old accountant. Do you think you deserve to be so rude to me?"
Seeing that Song Yunhe was still cold towards her, Xi Qingtong finally couldn't contain her emotions and screamed angrily, "Forty years, so what?"
"In my eyes, he's just a servant!"
Song Yunhe looked at the angry woman. Where was her former gentleness and docility? He felt even more unhappy and walked out with the old housekeeper.
His behavior made Xi Qingtong even more upset. Tears welled up in her beautiful phoenix eyes. "I'm going to pack up and go back to the Xi family now, so I don't have to endure your wrath as a servant!"
She thought these words would make Song Yunhe stop, but the figure did not stop for a moment. Seeing the two figures completely disappeared outside the door, Xi Qingtong fell on the couch.
The frightened maids around him hurried to help, but were all driven away by Xi Qingtong.
"Get out! Get out of here!"
After Jinzhu and Yinzhu were scared away, the tears in Xi Qingtong's eyes finally flowed down. She never expected that her cousin who had always obeyed her in everything would be like this. But after only two drops, she raised her hand to wipe them away, with only strong anger in her eyes.
How dare he do that? Doesn't he want his father's help?
She was so angry that she stood up and was about to go back to the Xi family to complain, but she stopped just as she reached the doorstep.
No, no, she couldn't go back.
Now that she is a twin sister, she cannot live recklessly even if she returns to the Xi family. She has already taken a great risk, and she cannot completely offend Song Yunhe.
She wants to be the wife of the third place winner in the imperial examination and enjoy wealth and glory in the future.
Xi Qingtong sat back on the couch.
*
Over there, Song Yunhe helped the old housekeeper to the study. Before he could offer any words of comfort, the old housekeeper said directly, "Isn't this the Madam?"
Song Yunhe's expression froze. Before he could think of how to prevaricate, the old housekeeper wiped his tears and said, "My dear, you don't have to lie to me. This is definitely not my wife. I know what my wife is like."
At first the old housekeeper thought that the lady had changed, but after observing for a long time, he found that apart from her appearance, the current lady had no resemblance to the previous lady in terms of eating habits and dressing.
A person may reveal his hidden temper, but his preferences will not change suddenly.
The ladies were twin sisters, and the matter of the deposed prince was known to everyone, so the old housekeeper quickly came to his senses.
Thinking of the virtuous and kind lady in the past, the old housekeeper couldn't help crying, "My dear, you are so confused! Such a good lady... why did you..."
Every word the old housekeeper said hit Song Yunhe's heart. His throat was inexplicably dry. He reluctantly said, "Because... Tong'er is well-educated and can help me better..."
But as he was speaking, he could no longer continue.
Does that crazy girl just now really look well-educated and well-mannered?
She is extravagant and doesn't know how to manage the household...
After just over ten days of getting along, Song Yunhe realized that Xi Qingtong was not what he had imagined before, but he did not want to regret it, nor did he dare to regret it. He could only suppress his emotions and stop the old housekeeper from speaking.
"That's enough. I have my reasons."
But what echoed in his ears were Xi Qingtong's contemptuous words - If your master can't even afford this kind of life...
The hand hanging in the sleeve suddenly clenched.
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