Yun Yichen was in a very good mood, sitting there drinking tea. The old man was not here today, and neither were the other men in the Xiao family. He had caught the two sisters misbehaving again. Looking at the little girl's mother's face, he knew she was very angry. He had waited so long, and finally he could witness the little girl being punished with his own eyes. This time, let's see if she dared to glare at him secretly.
Yun Ruonan really wanted to plead for the Xiao sisters, but their actions were indeed against the rules. How could she open her mouth? Yun Ruonan hoped that her brother could help, but unfortunately, her brother only lowered his head to drink tea and did not even look in her direction.
"Greetings, Prince." Xiao Yao bowed her head. The moment she entered the room, she clearly saw Yun Yichen's gloating smile and the raised corners of his mouth. It was so annoying that she chose to ignore him.
"Cousin, are you here to take us to see my aunt?" Xiao Yuan pleaded softly. She really hoped that her cousin could lend a helping hand and rescue herself and her sister.
"My business is not urgent. Mrs. Xiao, please take care of the household affairs first!" How could it be possible to rescue them? Yun Yichen felt that he was very kind and righteous by not adding fuel to the fire and just watching the fun silently.
It wasn't that Tong Mingyu didn't want to punish her daughter, but she didn't want to do it in front of others. What did Prince Jing mean by this? Did he want to punish the princess himself, so that she would learn from Ping An's mistakes? Or was he blaming the Xiao family for their poor parenting and worried that the princess would be led astray?
"Mother, it was me who asked Ruyi to play in the water with me, and it was me who encouraged Ruyi to take off her shoes and go into the water. If you want to punish someone, just punish me. This matter has nothing to do with others." Xiao Yao knelt in front of Tong Mingyu and took all the blame. She guessed that Yun Yichen was probably sitting here just to laugh at her, and he would not give up easily if she didn't satisfy him.
Seeing the small, thin figure kneeling before him, Yun Yichen couldn't utter the sarcastic and mocking words that were on the tip of his tongue. He believed that if he continued to accuse the little girl, she would be severely punished today. Was this really what he wanted to see?
Yun Yichen didn't think he was a kind person, but he and the little girl didn't have a blood feud. He remembered the scene of Xiao Yao crying when she was bidding farewell to the old man; he also remembered her pale face when she fainted... He suddenly regretted why he spoke so much. The little girl might really hate him now!
Yun Yichen was feeling a little restless. He wanted to take back his words but couldn't open his mouth. He wanted to say something for Xiao Yao but didn't know what to say. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't come up with a solution. He had no choice but to continue to suffer in suicidal mood.
"Ping'an, do you really know that you are wrong?" Tong Mingyu asked.
"I'm sorry, mother. You can punish me however you want." Whether it was a good or bad mistake is another matter. Let's get through this hurdle first.
"Aunt, it wasn't my sister who wanted to play in the water. I was the one who insisted on taking her there. Please don't scold my sister or punish her, okay? I will be obedient in the future and won't be naughty anymore." Xiao Yuan's voice was already filled with tears, because things were really as she said, and it was her idea.
"Mrs. Xiao, let's forget about what happened today." Yun Yichen held it in for a long time before finally uttering a word.
Xiao Yao would never be grateful to him, let alone appreciate his kindness. As for why he suddenly spoke for her, Xiao Yao didn't even want to think about it.
"Since the prince has said so, Ping'an's punishment will be discussed after we return home. Originally, the prince came to tell you that the princess is planning to take you to the imperial manor to play in a few days. Ruyi should accompany the princess to have fun, and Ping'an should not go."
After this incident, my daughter can't go out for the time being. If Yun Yichen hadn't appeared, Tong Mingyu might have taught Xiao Yao a lesson and punished her to copy the "Instructions for Girls" a few times. Unfortunately, Yun Yichen happened to see it, so she had to punish her severely. Otherwise, how would the princess think? She might think that the Xiao family didn't teach their daughter well and that the young lady of the Xiao family was not worthy of being a lady of a famous family.
"My daughter knows," Xiao Yao replied softly. The Imperial Manor? If she didn't want to go, then she wouldn't. No matter how good someone else's place was, she wouldn't want it. Between the Imperial Manor and the Imperial Palace, Xiao Yao would always choose the latter, no matter how many times she had to choose between her family and her master.
Yun Yichen opened his mouth but didn't say the last word. The task his mother gave him was to invite the two little girls from the Xiao family. Now, even if one of them went, she probably wouldn't have fun, and the other didn't know what punishment she would face. Why should a grown man like him always pick on a little girl?
Yun Yichen secretly vowed that he would never fight with the little girl again.
Under the influence of this incident, everyone's mood changed. No matter how leisurely life was or how interesting things were, they all changed. So three days later, Tong Mingyu sent her daughter back to the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. When Yun Yichen came to pick up Yun Ruonan, Tong Mingyu insisted on going with them, just to explain the matter to Princess Jing in person and apologize for her daughter's behavior.
"My mother has already taught me a lesson after she found out about this. If Madam Xiao doesn't want Yi Chen to continue being scolded, please don't go. I will definitely take good care of my cousin, and Yi Chen will send her back to the Marquis' Mansion unharmed in a few days." Yun Yi Chen knew that even if he went to the Xiao family in person to invite Xiao Yao, she would never go to the imperial farm. The little girl must hate him to death now!
Yun Yichen, who had been depressed for several days, felt even worse.
"This matter has nothing to do with the Crown Prince. How about I write a letter to the princess now to explain the whole story, so that the princess will not misunderstand the Crown Prince." Although Tong Mingyu did not understand Yun Yichen's character, it was not a good thing for the princess to scold the Crown Prince because of her daughter. She must not hold a grudge against her daughter for this matter.
"I'm sorry about this. Madam Xiao, please don't blame Yichen for being naive. I have some little things here. Please give them to my junior sister. This will be my apology to her as her senior brother." Yun Yichen glanced to the side, and Xiao Anzi obediently handed over a brocade box, which looked quite heavy.
"How can this be! She was the one who was wrong, not you. Thank you, Lord, for being magnanimous and not making a fuss with that child. Why do you need to send her a gift?" I am already thankful that you don't vent your anger on my daughter. How dare I ask for any gift!
"Mrs. Xiao, do you want Yichen to send you to the Xiao family in person? Then let's go to the Marquis' Mansion first and then to the Imperial Manor."
"I will accept it. I thank you for not making a fuss with a child like me."
"Then we'll go first. Goodbye." Yun Yichen jumped on the horse, and Yun Ruonan and Xiao Yuan got on the car silently. On the way back, Yun Yichen didn't hear any laughter from the car. Because of his own selfishness, the three little girls were unhappy. Yun Yichen regretted it to death. What made him even more worried was that he didn't know what kind of punishment the little girl would face when she returned home. He hoped that the old man could protect her. Yun Yichen now hoped that the old man would protect her as much as possible.
Under these circumstances, Xiao Yuan had no mood to stay outside for too long. After five days, she was sent back from the imperial manor. Yin Qianhua had originally planned to personally escort her niece home and visit Xiao Yao at the same time. However, Yun Yichen once again took the initiative to take on this task. He persuaded Yin Qianhua with the excuse that he was afraid Xiao Yao would feel embarrassed to see her and would no longer be able to come to the palace or play with Yun Ruonan.
"Why does mother feel that you have been acting strangely lately?" Yin Qianhua asked.
"My son is fine, don't worry, mother. I'll be back as soon as I send my cousin home." Yun Yichen acted as normal as possible, just because he was afraid that his mother would have wild thoughts. As for what he was afraid others would think, he couldn't explain it clearly.
Xiao Anzi really wanted to curl his lips. The prince hadn't been normal recently. He either locked himself in the room or practiced martial arts desperately. He hadn't seen him smile in a few days. When did the prince become unhappy? It seemed to be the day when the eldest daughter of the Xiao family made a fool of herself. Could it be that Mrs. Xiao didn't punish the little girl, so the prince was unhappy? But the prince even interceded for the little girl. Why was that? Xiao Anzi was confused by himself.
Yun Yichen, who was even more entangled and confused than him, escorted Xiao Yuan all the way back home.
"Cousin, please go back!" Xiao Yuan spoke indifferently outside the Xiao family's gate. She didn't like Yun Yichen before, and after what happened with Xiao Yao, she hated this cousin even more.
"I'll take you in. I'll leave after I meet your family." This cousin hasn't been kind to me for several days. Not to mention her, even my own sister Yun Ruonan has been ignoring me recently. They are blaming me for causing the little girl to be punished. Just bear it! Who made me do something wrong?
Upon learning that the prince had arrived, the Xiao family members went out to greet him again.
"Young Master, please come in and have a cup of tea." Qin bowed and asked Yun Yichen to go first.
"Is the old marquis here?" Looking at the old man's expression, one should be able to judge how the little girl is doing now, because Yun Yichen really didn't dare to ask about Xiao Yao's current situation.
"He..." Qin didn't know how to explain it. The Xiao family had been in turmoil these past few days because of her husband. Wasn't it just a punishment for her granddaughter to copy a few books? Wasn't it just a punishment for her to not leave Yaoyuan Tower for a month? Which young lady hadn't been punished before? Which elder, like her husband, would have wanted to take the punishment for their granddaughter?
Now, what happened? Didn't they refuse to let Xiao Yao leave the hospital? The men in the family came to visit, offering food, drinks, and toys... Xiao Yao's room was practically overflowing. Yaoyuan Building was busier than Ninghe Hall these days. Old Marquis Xiao couldn't read, so he couldn't copy for his granddaughter. But he mobilized his grandsons, who either helped with the ink grinding or the reading, doing everything they could to ease his granddaughter's burden.
Tong Mingyu was helpless about this, Li Jiaoying was envious, and Qin was bathed in her husband's dissatisfied gaze every day, and she dared not express any opinions.
"Ping'an is not being punished, he is simply enjoying it." Tong Mingyu didn't dare to give any advice to her father-in-law and could only complain in front of Xiao Jingkang.
"My daughter is so pitiful! She is not allowed to go out for a month, and has to copy those "Female Rules" and "Girl Training" every day. Otherwise, my father and I will not go out during our rest time. How about confining her to her home for her safety?" Xiao Jingkang asked his wife for her opinion.
Not only did Tong Mingyu not get any support, but she almost fainted from anger. Sometimes she even felt like a stepmother!
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