ebookland Chapter 21 Returning to the Duke's Mansion (2)
Chapter 21 Returning to the Duke's Mansion (2)
"He Mingwen, Liu Xiaoyu, how dare you plot against my sister like this! I will not let this go unpunished!" Qin Yunji roared furiously. Then, he turned to his sister Qin Yaoyao and nodded with satisfaction: "My little sister is so clever. They only asked for trouble. Fortunately, you are safe and sound. But don't worry, with your brother here, I will definitely make sure they get what they deserve."
Seeing the intense killing intent in her brother's eyes, Qin Yaoyao was startled. She had never imagined that her usually carefree and easygoing brother could have such a cold and ruthless side. It seemed that her brother wasn't truly stupid; he just didn't want to think things through.
Later, things turned out exactly as Qin Yunji had predicted; he successfully avenged himself. However, surprisingly, this revenge wasn't a solo act, but rather he carried out it with others. When Qin Yaoyao learned of this, she was so excited she almost jumped for joy. Of course, that's a story for another time.
The mother saw everything. She knew what her son was thinking, but she didn't stop him. After all, someone dared to attempt to harm her precious daughter; even if no real harm was caused, the perpetrator had to pay the price. So, the mother turned to the older brother and asked, "Where have you been playing, child? Why are you only coming home now?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yunji immediately reverted to his usual carefree demeanor and replied with a grin, "Oh, Mother, I was just strolling around with He Jia's fifth son, and we even caught a good show along the way, hehehe."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao immediately perked up and eagerly asked, "Tell me! What fun things are going on?" Qin Yunji looked at his sister's bright eyes and curious face, and couldn't help but reach out and gently pat her head, teasing her with a smile, "Oh my, when did my little sister become so keen on inquiring about these gossips?"
Qin Yaoyao smiled mischievously upon hearing this and retorted, "I've always been interested in all sorts of interesting things, okay! But you, brother, how come a grown man like you loves to join in the fun?" Qin Yunji didn't seem to mind, shrugged, and casually replied, "Actually, I didn't want to hear any of this either, but unfortunately, the main character here is He Xiaowu!" Qin Yaoyao was completely confused and blinked, asking in bewilderment, "Uh... He Xiaowu? Who exactly is this person?"
Qin Yunji rolled his eyes at his younger sister and explained irritably, "Oh dear, you little fool! He Xiaowu is none other than the Fifth Prince, He Mingfeng!" Qin Yaoyao was immediately shocked, her mouth agape as she looked at her brother in disbelief, stammering, "Fifth...Fifth Brother, you're actually friends with His Highness the Fifth Prince?" Qin Yunji looked at Qin Yaoyao as if she were an idiot, nodding with exasperation, "Of course! If we weren't so close, why would I call him 'He Xiaowu' so affectionately? You moron!" As he spoke, he flicked Qin Yaoyao's forehead lightly.
Qin Yaoyao winced in pain and quickly covered the spot where she had been flicked. She glared at her brother angrily and complained, "You annoying brother, why did you hit me? It hurts! You didn't tell me, how was I supposed to know! Humph!"
The mother reached out and slapped her brother hard, angrily saying, "How dare you hit your sister!" Qin Yunji looked at his mother with a wronged expression, pouting and saying, "Mom just favors my sister."
His mother glared at him and scolded, "Do you have any objections?" Qin Yunji was startled and quickly waved his hands, saying, "No...no objections." He muttered to himself, how could he dare to have any objections? If his father found out, he would probably skin him alive.
The mother then asked, "When did you become so close to the Fifth Prince? You should know that our family has never participated in the struggle for the throne. The Fifth Prince is the Crown Prince's younger brother. If you get along well with the Fifth Prince, outsiders will think that our family supports the Crown Prince's faction."
Qin Yunji's expression turned very serious as he earnestly said to his mother, "Does Mother really think we can remain unscathed by not getting closer to the Fifth Prince? Regardless of my relationship with the Fifth Prince, given your deep friendship with the Empress, and Father's childhood friendship with the Emperor, who is like a brother to him, and the Emperor's lavish favor on the Empress and extreme doting on the Crown Prince, these are common knowledge. Therefore, whether we are on good terms with the Fifth Prince or not, in the eyes of outsiders, we are already considered part of the Crown Prince's faction." Otherwise, Mother, why would He Mingwen act this way? Knowing full well the close relationship between Father and Mother and the Emperor and Empress, he still dared to scheme against our sister. He must have ulterior motives, attempting to sow discord between our family and the royal family. If our sister were to marry into the Third Prince's household, wouldn't that create a rift between the Emperor and Father, and could also damage Mother's relationship with the Empress? After all, the Fifth Prince, the Empress's own son, is still unmarried in the royal family.
The mother was shocked by his words. She never expected that her seemingly carefree and naive youngest son would be so intelligent and insightful. Qin Yaoyao, standing beside him, was even more stunned, never imagining that her usually cynical brother could possess such profound understanding. Seeing the incredulous expressions on his mother and sister's faces, Qin Yunji shook his head helplessly and said, "What kind of looks are those! Do you think that because I don't like to think, I'm stupid? Actually, I understand these simple things very well!"
Qin Yaoyao's face beamed with a bright smile as she said sweetly, "I knew it! My brothers are all incredibly intelligent and quick-witted! Alright, brother, tell me quickly what happened with the Fifth Prince, what interesting things happened?" Qin Yunji looked tenderly at his adorable sister and slowly began to speak, "Today, after my fourth brother and I left the Phoenix Palace, we were hesitating about where to go when Lan Yu happened to arrive and led us to the Moon Gazing Pavilion. Upon arriving at the pavilion, we found Ziyuan already waiting there for quite some time. Not long after we sat down, He Xiaowu also arrived gracefully. We chatted for a while, and seeing that it was almost time, we went together to the venue. If it weren't for my fourth brother's eagerness to marry his wife, we wouldn't have bothered to join in this fun."
Qin Yaoyao eagerly pressed on, "And then? What happened next?" Her bright, curious eyes sparkled. Qin Yunji continued, "When we arrived, we happened to run into Tao Chunni causing you trouble. Seeing this, Ziyuan immediately signaled Xiao Wu to step in and resolve the situation. You all probably know what happened next. After Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law left, we were planning to leave as well, but Xiao Wu insisted on trying some of the new and delicious dishes offered by Hongfu Restaurant."
“However, things are unpredictable. Not long after you and Liu Xiaoyu turned to leave, He Mingwen also stood up and hurriedly followed. Seeing this, Ziyuan couldn't help but feel worried, so he decided without hesitation to follow them. Before leaving, he specifically instructed us to stay where we were and not follow, but to go to the restaurant and wait.” Qin Yunji continued. “So, will you follow his instructions? Or do you have other plans?” Qin Yaoyao asked.
Qin Yunji's lips curled slightly, and he continued, "We originally planned to leave the palace and head to the restaurant, but just as we were about to set off, something unexpected happened. Guess who we met?" Qin Yaoyao blinked her bright eyes, full of curiosity, and asked, "Who was it?"
Qin Yunji smiled as he gazed at his younger sister, a sly glint in his eyes. He deliberately kept her in suspense, chuckling softly, "You not only know this person, but you're also quite close to her. So, have you guessed who she is?" Qin Yaoyao frowned, lost in thought, her mind racing as she recalled her friends. After a moment, her eyes lit up, and she tentatively asked, "Could it be Sister Cheng Ying?" Qin Yunji nodded slightly in agreement, smiling as he replied, "Haha, it is indeed Cheng Ying!"
Qin Yaoyao continued, "What's so strange about seeing Cheng Ying? We all live in this palace, it's normal to run into her." Qin Yunji nodded in agreement, but then changed the subject, "It's not surprising to see her, but it's rather strange that they started fighting as soon as they met."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked, "Fighting? Although Sister Cheng comes from a military family, she is always elegant and never easily gets into fights. What happened?"
Qin Yunji thought for a moment, recalling the scene, and slowly said, "Last year during the Qixi Festival, Xiao Wu went to the White Horse Temple to deliver some things to the princess. After delivering the things, he was about to leave when a girl wanted to hang a wishing ribbon on the Matchmaker Tree and asked him for help. Xiao Wu thought it was just a small favor, so he readily agreed. However, as the saying goes, once is enough, two more will follow, and more and more people gathered around asking him to hang wishing ribbons for them, and he accepted everyone's requests. If you ask me, He Xiao Wu was just being a fool! After helping people hang up all the wishing ribbons, he should have left, right? But no! He happened to see the girl standing under the tree, holding a wishing ribbon and looking up at the wishing tree, and he thought he was being clever by assuming that she also wanted to hang a wishing ribbon. As a result, without even asking, he reached out and tried to take her wishing ribbon without saying a word..."
Unexpectedly, the man, merely out of curiosity, stood there and glanced around, only to be mistaken for a lecherous man, slapped, and subjected to a barrage of insults. Qin Yaoyao exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, so the lecherous man Sister Cheng was talking about is the Fifth Prince! What happened next?" Qin Yunji quickly replied, "What a coincidence! Right there in the palace corridor, I happened to run into Cheng Ying. After I greeted her, Little Five curiously asked if I knew her, so I told him that Cheng Ying and you are good friends, of course I know her."
Xiao Wu looked at me with surprise and said, "You actually befriended a tigress?" Meanwhile, Cheng Ying, upon seeing him, immediately questioned me, "Brother Qin Wu, how could you associate with someone like that?" I quickly explained that he was my friend. Cheng Ying, however, dismissively advised, "Brother Qin Wu, in my opinion, you should find some better friends as soon as possible. Don't let this lecherous person corrupt you." Just as I was feeling confused, the two of them suddenly started arguing. Only then did I realize that they had such a past.
Qin Yaoyao asked curiously, "Then does Sister Cheng know that that person is the Fifth Prince?" Her brother recalled the scene and replied, "At first, I didn't know, but when the sound grew slightly and attracted the guards, Cheng Ying suddenly realized."
Then, Qin Yaoyao eagerly asked, "So what was Sister Cheng's reaction?" Fifth Brother smiled and described, "At first, Xiao Wu was completely defenseless against the rebuttal, but when the guards arrived, he became somewhat smug, seemingly thinking that Cheng Ying would be afraid. Who would have thought that Cheng Ying was only slightly surprised when she first heard about it, then sighed and muttered to herself, 'Alas, I wonder if Her Majesty the Empress would be heartbroken if she knew that her son was such a frivolous and rude person. You are truly a pity...' After saying that, Cheng Ying turned and left, leaving Xiao Wu stomping his feet in anger, hahaha."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao burst into laughter, her clear and melodious voice echoing in the air. Seeing this, Qin Yunji's lips curled into a slight smile, and he joined in the laughter: "Later, we left the palace and went to a restaurant. Once there, we ordered food and drinks, and chatted while waiting. About fifteen minutes later, Ziyuan finally arrived. I even told him about what had happened in the palace! Everyone found it extremely amusing and laughed heartily. Just then, the dishes were served one after another, and we began to enjoy this sumptuous dinner."
Qin Yaoyao blinked her bright eyes, her face full of suspicion, and asked, "But how could you not know what happened in the palace when you were dining with Brother Yanxi? Didn't you even notice the commotion we caused by leaving the palace?" Qin Yunji patiently explained, "Actually, it's like this: Ziyuan suddenly had urgent business to attend to halfway through the meal and left first, so he didn't mention anything about what happened in the palace to us." Qin Yaoyao nodded in sudden understanding and murmured softly, "I see..."
Qin Yunji continued, "That's why we initially thought you were still in the palace. After finishing our meal, we went back to the palace, only to find out you had already returned." Qin Yaoyao nodded silently, indicating she understood. At this moment, their mother spoke up, "Alright, the story is over. It's getting late, so you should all go back to your rooms to rest." "Yes, Mother," the two replied in unison, then got up and left together.