When the second Madam of the Qi family returned, the Ferghana and a large number of apology gifts from Zhou Wang’s residence had already been delivered to the Qi household.
Looking at the golden, radiant horse shimmering under the sunlight, both the Old Marquis and Qi Zhen showed no particular expression.
The young eunuch from Zhou Wang’s residence stole a glance at them, silently thinking: No wonder the Qi family raised such a formidable young lady. The Old Marquis and the Marquis himself are certainly people who can hold their composure.
So many lavish gifts had been sent over, yet these two didn’t even ask why.
Qi Zhen was already numb to it all. With a blank face, he watched as Liuzhong politely escorted the young eunuch out.
He then turned to the Old Marquis and said, “There were only five of these heavenly steeds gifted to His Majesty by the Western Regions. His Majesty granted one to Jing Wang, one to Qi Wang, and one to Zhou Wang…”
And now, one of them had been brought home by Qi Yuan.
Qi Zhen paused for a moment, his expression turning slightly odd. “What has she done this time?”
At this point, even if someone told him Qi Yuan had killed someone from Zhou Wang’s residence, he probably wouldn’t be shocked. He had been startled too many times—he was already used to it.
The Old Marquis silently stared at the heavenly steed basking in the sunlight and suddenly felt a toothache. “Send someone to find out.”
Surely she didn’t actually kill someone from Zhou Wang’s residence?
Seriously, what were they thinking, sending Qi Yuan an invitation to the polo match?
Just as Qi Zhen was about to ask Liuzhong to inquire, Liuzhong came hurrying back in. “Old Marquis, Marquis, Second Madam and the young miss have returned! They’ve entered through the west gate and have gone to the back courtyard.”
The Old Marquis grunted in response and was about to head to the back courtyard when he suddenly asked Liuzhong, “You just sent off the young eunuch. Did you find out why Zhou Wang’s residence sent so many gifts?”
Qi Yuan had injuries on her body. Though she had changed into the clothes provided by Zhou Wang’s residence, she didn’t feel very comfortable in them. As soon as they entered the inner gate, she excused herself from the Second Madam.
The Second Madam instinctively wanted to remind her that it wasn’t proper—after all, they should first greet the elders upon returning home.
But seeing Qi Yuan, she immediately realized—rules and etiquette probably didn’t mean much to her.
She quickly nodded. “Alright, go rest first. I’ll wait for you at the Old Madam’s place.”
The Old Madam of the Qi family had already heard about the large delivery of gifts from Zhou Wang’s residence. As soon as the Second Madam entered, she asked, “What happened at Zhou Wang’s residence?”
The Second Madam carefully recounted the events.
When she got to the part where Qi Yuan publicly called Madam Liu shameless, she added, “Although Yuan Yuan may have been a bit agitated, it was indeed the Liu family who crossed the line first. Miss Liu initiated the conflict at the polo field, and after losing, she even sought revenge in front of everyone…”
Qi Zhen, who had just stepped through the door, had to steady himself against a nearby display shelf.
Liu Mingzhu lost to Qi Yuan in polo.
That part was actually easy to understand. He had seen Qi Yuan’s skills—she practiced martial arts meant for killing, yet her movements were light and agile, obviously skilled in qinggong. No matter how talented Liu Mingzhu was at polo, she was still just a noble lady—how could she compete with Qi Yuan?
What shocked him was that Liu Mingzhu, after losing, intentionally broke the leg of Qi Yuan’s horse, causing Qi Yuan to fall.
…Is Liu Mingzhu still alive?
He was a little dazed.
The Old Madam was even more direct. The flower branch in her hand fell to the floor as she blurted out, “Did something happen to Miss Liu?!”
She knew Qi Yuan was bound to stir up trouble—but not this kind of huge trouble!
Miss Liu was not like any of the people Qi Yuan had dealt with before. She was the daughter of the Duke’s household and the niece of the favored Noble Consort Liu in the palace!
The Second Madam quickly shook her head, “No, no!”
The Old Madam closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
But she still felt something was off. Given Qi Yuan’s temper, it didn’t make sense for her to let this go so easily.
Fortunately, the Old Marquis reacted quickly and asked, “Then what happened next?”
“Later, Yuan Yuan got on Miss Liu’s horse. Somehow, they clashed again, and Miss Liu fell off her horse…”
Qi Zhen finally exhaled the breath he had been holding.
Ah, that’s more like it. This matches Qi Yuan’s temperament.
He had suspected Qi Yuan wouldn’t just let it slide.
The Old Madam had just raised her teacup to take a sip when a stewardess outside reported, “Old Marquis, Marquis, Old Madam—someone has arrived from the Duke’s household.”
At this moment, there was no need to guess what they were here for.
The Old Marquis and Qi Zhen exchanged glances and simultaneously got up to head outside.
The visitor was Second Master Liu from the Duke’s household.
Second Master Liu was Liu Jinghong’s younger half-brother, born to a concubine. He held a minor position at the Imperial Stables, thanks to the Duke’s influence, and usually didn’t have much presence.
But this time, he came with full authority. Before Qi Zhen could speak, he threw down a stack of documents with a cold face.
Qi Zhen asked with a dark expression, “What is the meaning of this, Second Master Liu?”
“The meaning?” Second Master Liu sneered. “Your young lady has no regard for rules, knocking my niece off her horse. Now she’s half-dead, and the imperial physicians say she’ll never be able to ride again!”
Qi Zhen remained completely calm.
If this had happened a month ago, he would have immediately apologized and dragged Qi Yuan over to kneel and beg for forgiveness.
But now…
She only fell off a horse and can’t ride anymore. So what? Clearly, they hadn’t seen true tragedy.
Look at Zhou Ping’s fate—just a few days after offending them, he’s already in a coffin.
The fact that Liu Mingzhu, after losing, deliberately caused Qi Yuan’s horse to fall—and Qi Yuan managed to control herself and not kill her on the spot—was already beyond Qi Zhen’s expectations.
He said with a deadpan face, “From what I heard, it was Miss Liu who made the first move. Our child merely acted in self-defense.”
….
Second Master Liu looked at Qi Zhen in disbelief.
If he hadn’t known Qi Zhen for so many years, he would have thought Qi Zhen had been possessed.
Is this still the Qi Zhen I know?
Second Master Liu sneered, “So you’re saying this is all my niece’s fault?”
Has the Qi family gone mad?
The Qi family had always been known for being reasonable among the noble families in the capital.
In this kind of situation, everyone knew the unspoken rule: the truth didn’t matter, only the outcome did.
The proper course would have been for him to come and demand accountability, for Qi Zhen to apologize and bring his daughter over to beg for forgiveness.
This way, Liu Mingzhu’s reputation could be salvaged a little.
But Qi Zhen was not playing by the rules this time.
Qi Zhen brushed Second Master Liu’s hand aside and snorted coldly without changing expression, “What else would you like me to say? With so many witnesses, it’s clear Miss Liu was in the wrong.”
Are you crazy? Second Master Liu stared at Qi Zhen in shock as if seeing him for the first time. He was so angry he let out a cold laugh: “Fine! Fine! Qi Zhen, don’t regret this!”
With that, he kicked over a nearby pearwood chair and stormed off.
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