Spring Rises in the Phoenix Pool Chapter 40

Madam Wang stormed back to her courtyard, immediately ordering Liu Zhong to come.

As soon as Liu Zhong entered, she berated him furiously: “Didn’t I tell you explicitly that the Young Master was not allowed to leave the house?! What exactly were you doing? How did he manage to get out?!”

It was utterly ridiculous! Of all days, it had to be today! And of all people, it had to be Xiang Rong who caught him!

She didn’t even dare to imagine how furious Qi Zhen would be once he found out about this.

Liu Zhong felt bitter and helpless. The orders to confine Qi Yunting hadn’t just been given once or twice before. But honestly, who ever really enforced them?

Qi Yunting always found a way to sneak out the moment the order was issued.

And no one ever stopped him.

Now that trouble had come, all the blame would surely fall on their servants.

He stammered, “Madam… the Young Master’s temperament is…”

Before he could finish, Xuesong suddenly burst in, panicked and crying for help: “Madam! Madam! Please, come quickly! The Marquis is going to beat the Young Master to death!”

What?!

Madam Wang shot up from her seat so fast that her vision blacked out for a moment. She almost fainted on the spot.

Gao Momo quickly rushed to support her: “Madam, you must be careful with your health…”

Health? To hell with health!

Madam Wang shoved her away: “Quick! Hurry to the estate!”

She had still been thinking of countermeasures, worried about how to explain this to Qi Zhen and calm his rage since the Xiang family had already publicly cut ties.

But now Qi Zhen already knew!

Qi Zhen valued nothing more than the family’s reputation and his children’s future.

This incident had stabbed him right in the heart. He would absolutely beat Qi Yunting to death!

Gao Momo hesitated, “But Madam, your health…”

“What’s most important right now?!” Madam Wang shouted furiously. “If we waste any more time, your Young Master will be beaten to death!”

Neither Liu Zhong nor Gao Momo dared to delay. They quickly prepared the carriage.

The group rushed out of the city as fast as they could.

At that moment, Qi Yuan was in the kitchen kneading dough. As the new eldest miss, she was still a fresh face to the mansion’s servants.

When they saw her enter the kitchen, the cooks were not pleased.

They thought this young lady had no sense of propriety.

The manor’s chefs were top-tier, versed in all kinds of cuisine. They even had specialized dessert chefs.

And yet this eldest miss claimed she couldn’t get used to their food?

What had she been eating in the countryside—pig slop?

But a young miss was still a young miss. If she wanted to cook herself, let her. It didn’t bother them.

Lianqiao and Baizhi were busy running around, helping Qi Yuan with whatever she needed.

Qi Yuan smiled: “Chop the celery and radish very finely. Steam them with cloth to remove excess moisture.”

Baizhi quickly acknowledged the instruction.

Seeing Qi Yuan heating oil and pouring in a paste, Lianqiao couldn’t help but ask: “Miss, what are you making?”

Qi Yuan quickly stirred the paste until it turned translucent, then poured it into the dough bowl. She gently explained, “I’m making a batter paste.”

The kitchen was lively and cheerful, but at that moment, Madam Wang’s heart was in turmoil, urging the coachman to go faster and faster.

The coachman knew the urgency too. He whipped the horses so hard he nearly broke the whip. At last, they arrived at the Qi family’s country estate at record speed.

When Madam Wang lifted the curtain, she immediately saw Qi Zhen’s chestnut horse.

She almost fainted on the spot.

She hurried into the estate.

Even before passing through the moon gate, she could already hear Qi Zhen’s furious shouting.

As soon as she stepped through, she saw Qi Zhen standing in the courtyard, fiercely whipping Qi Yunting, who was lying face down on a bench.

Qi Zhen didn’t hold back at all. Each strike of the horsewhip came with a fierce gust of wind. Qi Yunting’s back was already covered in torn clothes and bloody welts.

Madam Wang was terrified and rushed over, crying as she shielded Qi Yunting: “Lord Marquis! Please! You can’t keep hitting him—if you don’t stop, you’ll beat him to death!”

Qi Zhen had never been this enraged before.

He glared at Madam Wang coldly and spat two words: “Move aside.”

Madam Wang trembled in fear, pleading with a sobbing voice: “Marquis, I know he made a grave mistake—I know! But he’s still our biological son!”

Qi Yunting, lying weakly on the bench, still clung to the reason for his beating.

Seeing Madam Wang, the first thing he said wasn’t to beg for mercy. He feebly grabbed her hand: “Mother, don’t blame Ah Jin… tell Father not to blame Ah Jin…”

Madam Wang had never hated herself more in that moment.

She hated that she hadn’t made Qi Jin understand her place sooner.

She hated that she couldn’t bear to send Qi Jin back to her biological parents when she should have.

Because of this, her son developed feelings he should never have had and had fallen so deeply!

Terrified and desperate, she slapped Qi Yunting across the face: “Shut up!”

After scolding him, she quickly turned to Qi Zhen, grabbing his arm tightly: “Marquis, beating him to death won’t solve anything. What’s most important now is to discuss what to do next…”

Of course, Qi Zhen couldn’t actually kill his own son.

He threw the whip aside and, expressionless, turned and walked into the main hall.

Madam Wang, both anxious and panicked, immediately signaled Liu Zhong to take Qi Yunting away for treatment.

Then she quickly followed into the hall, seeing Qi Zhen sitting in the chair, his expression dark and unreadable.

Carefully, she called: “Marquis.”

Qi Zhen turned to look at her: “I remember you told me you would resolve this. You said they were just a bit too close and nothing inappropriate would happen.”

Madam Wang closed her eyes: “Marquis, it’s all my fault…”

Qi Zhen said coldly: “It’s too late to say that now! The commotion at the country estate—plenty of people know. The Xiang family’s marriage alliance is now completely off the table!”

Madam Wang’s breathing became heavy from heartbreak: “I will personally prepare gifts and go apologize to the Xiang family…”

“Apologizing is secondary. The most important thing now—how do you plan to resolve this?” Qi Zhen demanded mercilessly. “Qi Yunting and Qi Jin—how do you intend to deal with them?”

Madam Wang’s hands and feet went cold. When she heard this question, cold sweat broke out all over her body: “Marquis, you mean…”

“Qi Jin cannot stay!” Qi Zhen’s face darkened. “We only sent her to the country estate to live temporarily, yet she still managed to seduce the brother she grew up with and deliberately let the Xiang family catch them. What was she planning? Her intentions are clear for all to see.”

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