Qi Yuan raised her eyebrows. Seeing that both of them were safe and sound, seemingly not punished, she immediately understood that Lai Chenglong must have intervened behind the scenes.
She lowered her eyes and shook her head. “There’s no need to thank me. This matter arose because of me—it’s a disaster I brought upon us. You suffered because of me.”
Old Marquis Qi felt deeply conflicted.
So did Qi Zhen.
Qi Yuan, however, had always had a clear sense of her own role. She never beat around the bush—she said exactly what needed to be said, and didn’t care if you had no reply.
But even though she was direct, the Old Marquis and Qi Zhen couldn’t speak so bluntly. The Old Marquis said instead, “Don’t put it like that. This assignment of his has been going on for years—neither here nor there. If he wanted to complete His Majesty’s task, then sooner or later, something like this was bound to happen.”
If he didn’t succeed and the search dragged on endlessly, the Yongchang Emperor would eventually doubt Qi Zhen’s competence and lose patience with him.
So in the end, this disaster was inevitable—and it was precisely because of Qi Yuan that they got through it so quickly.
The Old Marquis finally let out a breath of relief. Seeing that the younger generation was still all there and the family remained intact, he truly felt a sense of having survived a great calamity.
He smiled and said, “Alright, alright! Our whole family being safe and reunited is a wonderful thing. Let’s all have a good family meal together tonight.”
Standing in the doorway was no way to celebrate, so the Old Marquis told everyone to disperse for now—they could all gather later at the old madam’s main courtyard for a chat.
The second and third branches of the family all scattered accordingly.
Just then, Liuzhong came over, sweating and beaming with joy, to report: “Old Marquis, Marquis, Madam, Eldest Miss—Young Master has returned! He’s just down the street!”
Qi Yunzhi had come back!
The Old Marquis and old madam couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter. “Good! Good, good! This really is a double blessing today. Quick, quick, set off the firecrackers! Yunzhi is back—our family can finally gather together for a proper reunion.”
This New Year had certainly been full of twists and turns.
But Qi Yuan said quietly, “No need to save me a seat for tonight. I have something to take care of and won’t be coming back.”
Everyone turned to look at her in unison.
The Old Marquis and old madam exchanged a glance.
Before they could speak, Qi Zhen asked directly, “Are you going to kill Pu Wuyong?!”
It wasn’t surprising he asked so bluntly.
This was exactly how Qi Yuan operated.
You bite me once, I’ll break every one of your teeth.
You come for my life, and I’ll make sure you die a miserable death.
This time, Pu Wuyong had truly crossed the line with her.
Setting aside the assassination attempt on the road, the worst part was that among the people Qi Yuan had hidden away in the outer districts, a female teacher had been killed—leaving behind a four-year-old boy with no one to rely on.
And a girl named Lihua had gone missing.
How could Qi Yuan possibly swallow this?
She shot a glance at them—there was no need to pretend in front of her own people.
She said bluntly, “That eunuch dog is surrounded by the best of the best from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He even commands the legendary Dark Blades, the elite of the elites. Killing him won’t be easy.”
She wanted revenge, yes—but she wasn’t stupid.
Qi Zhen’s expression turned a bit awkward. “Then… you’re going out for…”
Surely she wasn’t just going to the country estate to offer holiday greetings to the servants?
Qi Yuan’s face was dark. “What I didn’t finish on New Year’s Day, I’ll finish now. They sent me such a big gift—I’m not someone who doesn’t understand etiquette.”
She had to return the favor, didn’t she?
Qi Zhen immediately understood—she wasn’t going to kill Pu Wuyong, but someone still had to die.
After thinking for a moment, he warned, “Just… be careful, alright?”
Qi Yuan walked straight out the door.
Qi Zhen then turned to look at the Old Marquis and Marchioness. “Father, Mother, I just remembered—on New Year’s Day, Ah Yuan did say that besides going to the manor, she also had something else to take care of. What was it, exactly?”
Could it really be about “returning the favor” to Pu Wuyong?
The Old Marquis gave him an exasperated glare. “You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask then? You’ve been locked up for days—aren’t you tired yet? Go take a bath and get some sleep. We’ll eat together in the main courtyard tonight!”
Qi Zhen was dying of curiosity. He couldn’t understand what business Qi Yuan had that involved Pu Wuyong—and what kind of “gift” she could return to him.
But suddenly, he thought of something else: “Father! Will Commander Lai be alright?!”
Lai Chenglong had done them a huge favor—without him stepping in, they would’ve been flogged. It was thanks to him that they came out unscathed.
But with someone like that eunuch dog Pu Wuyong—would he really let Lai Chenglong off?
The Old Marquis curled his lip and gave a cold laugh. “You think Pu Wuyong is the only chief eunuch in the palace?”
Sure, he was the outer court supervisor—but there was still the inner court supervisor.
You think Eunuch Xia is a corpse?
Qi Zhen finally relaxed.
Meanwhile, just as the Imperial Household Department was about to carry out the flogging, a eunuch named Little Huizi, under Eunuch Xia, came over. Seeing them carrying out the court staff punishment, he immediately let out a theatrical gasp: “Why are you using those rods? The ones heavy on top and light on the bottom?”
The staff from the Imperial Household gave a pained smile. “Well… His Majesty was furious…”
“Furious? And that gives you the right to kill people? His Majesty said thirty strokes. If he wanted them dead, would it be your place to do it?” Little Huizi snorted. “Just hit them firmly—no more.”
What could the Imperial Household staff say to that?
They couldn’t afford to offend Pu Wuyong.
But Eunuch Xia? He was just as untouchable.
With Little Huizi glaring at them like a hawk, they could only raise the rods high and bring them down softly.
In the end, Lai Chenglong and Lu Yifeng were beaten until their skin was torn and their buttocks were a mess of bruises.
It looked horrifying, but those in the know understood—they were only surface injuries. With some rest, they’d recover.
Later, when Babao returned to report to Xiao Yunting, he said, “Your Highness, as per your instructions, we’ve delivered the best trauma medicine to Lord Lai and Lord Lu—they’ve both accepted it.”
Xiao Yunting raised an eyebrow and gave a soft “Mm.”
Then he closed his eyes and fell into thought.
Seeing him stay silent, Babao cautiously asked, “Is Your Highness worried about Lady Qi?”
They’d gotten through this ordeal for now, but Pu Wuyong was still alive. That eunuch dog—once he decided to bite, he wouldn’t let go until he’d torn off a whole chunk of flesh, skin and all.
Lady Qi was capable, yes.
But what if this kind of framing happened again and again? How many times could she fend it off?
Babao couldn’t help but worry for her.
There were some things even Lady Qi might not be able to handle.
But Xiao Yunting just let out a cold laugh.
If only things were as simple as Babao thought!
What he was really worried about was: What layer is Qi Yuan planning to tear through next? Did the word “fear” even exist in her heart? She only grew bolder with every setback. Who knew what she was about to do next?
He took a deep breath and stood up.
No—he couldn’t just sit back and let her take the risk alone!
