Qi Wang had broken his nose as a child, so even the slightest irritation would cause him to have severe nosebleeds.
Although the imperial physicians had examined him countless times and always said it wouldn’t cause serious harm, whenever you saw him bleeding so profusely, it was impossible to remain truly indifferent.
Because it really did look terrifying.
Especially for Emperor Yongchang, who had personally raised and deeply cherished him. He didn’t have many sons to begin with, and the Crown Prince was sickly, seemingly on the verge of death at any time.
If this matter wasn’t settled on the spot, countless changes would unfold afterward.
“There was no conclusion on the spot.” Sitting in the main hall of Mingyue Pavilion with an unpleasant expression, he said this.
Baizhi, pale-faced, came forward to serve tea.
When Xiao Yunting suddenly appeared today, it nearly scared her to death. She was still visibly shaken.
Qi Yuan, toying with a string of prayer beads, said softly, “If there was no conclusion at the scene, then the matter is as good as over.”
Xiao Yunting slowly exhaled.
He had spent so much effort to obtain the list of names and trace the whereabouts of the huge sum of silver.
But in the end, even with the evidence laid out, it had proven useless. That feeling was truly frustrating.
Qi Yuan, however, leaned back in his chair and said, “Your Highness, you shouldn’t feel so disheartened. Didn’t I already tell you? Even if you uncover everything, it’s still not enough to bring down Qi Wang.”
Corruption was, of course, a capital crime for ministers.
But for the emperor’s son? It wasn’t such a big deal.
Back in the time of the Gaozu Emperor, none of his sons were well-behaved. Corruption was practically the least of their offenses.
And it was the same for Emperor Yongchang now.
Besides, the investigation showed that the silver ultimately ended up in the pockets of Qi Wang’s household steward.
But would that steward really confess and implicate Qi Wang?
How could that possibly happen?
Bringing him down on this alone was always going to be a stretch.
Sometimes, when you’re feeling restless, having someone this calm around is a good thing.
At least Xiao Yunting quickly regained his composure. He frowned and said, “But doesn’t this mean all our efforts were for nothing?”
Qi Yuan chuckled, “What? Does Your Highness want to do what I do—just kill and be done with it?”
Xiao Yunting froze.
Right—why did he think it was all in vain?
Yes, Qi Wang would push the blame onto his steward and his subordinates, and Emperor Yongchang would surely cover up his son’s disgrace.
But did this really have no impact?
No—it did.
Trust is eroded bit by bit. Once damaged, it can never be fully restored.
Qi Wang wasn’t like the old maids, servant girls, or Han Yue’e—people who could simply be killed without consequence.
Xiao Yunting laughed along: “You’re right. Maybe watching you kill people so effortlessly has tricked me into thinking things can be solved in just one move.”
Things in this world are never that simple.
Qi Yuan poured him a cup of tea: “Your Highness, remember—ninety miles into a hundred-mile journey is only halfway. Take it slow.”
Just as Xiao Yunting was about to respond, Baizhi suddenly burst through the door, not even bothering to knock.
Seeing her panic, Qi Yuan immediately knew something was wrong and raised his brows: “What’s going on?”
Baizhi, pale as a sheet, said, “Miss, the young master—he’s coming here with a knife! He says you’re the reason Madam fell ill from anger!”
Qi Yuan’s lips curled into a cold smile.
They had already set out earlier today, but since Madam Wang fainted in the carriage, the group had returned.
She hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
But Qi Yunting really had come to kill her.
If she were weaker, and if the Qi family had no one to stop him, she believed he would have struck her down without hesitation.
She stood up.
Baizhi immediately tried to stop her: “Miss, don’t go out! The young master has really lost his mind. The Old Marquis and the Marquis aren’t home—no one can stop him!”
Her voice trembled with panic: “On his way back, he already killed an old servant on the estate—the one who used to serve you, the one who helped bring you back with Zhang Mama.”
Qi Yunting, this disgusting man.
In her previous life, he had coldly watched as Hua Momo broke her legs.
So he had always been like this—treating human life like dirt, whether in this life or the last.
Xiao Yunting put down his teacup: “Should I kill him?”
He figured Qi Yuan probably wouldn’t let this brother off.
But Qi Yunting was different—he was her full-blooded brother, the legitimate eldest son of the Qi family, and their future heir.
He wouldn’t be so easy to kill.
Not that it couldn’t be done—Xiao Yunting had seen Qi Yuan’s skills.
Her strikes were swift, ruthless, and precise—likely no worse than any trained assassin.
But killing Qi Yunting would probably make the Qi family refuse to cooperate.
Even the stupidest son is still a son. And as the legitimate eldest, his position meant everything to the family.
While they spoke, Qi Yunting had already arrived outside, cursing loudly: “Qi Yuan, you vile wench! Get out here! You ungrateful, treacherous thing! You killed Ah Jin, and now you want to kill Mother too? I’ll kill you!”
The courtyard was in chaos, servant girls crying and fleeing.
Qi Yunting was a madman!
Baizhi clung to Qi Yuan, terrified she would go out.
But Qi Yuan skillfully shrugged her off and flung her aside. She opened the door and sneered at Qi Yunting: “Useless fool—if you’ve got the guts, come at me. Even in your madness, you know to bully the weak and fear the strong, huh?”
It’s her! It’s her!
Qi Yunting’s eyes burned with rage as he charged at her like a wild beast.
Baizhi screamed and fainted on the spot.
At that moment, Qi Yuan slammed the door shut, causing Qi Yunting to crash into it headfirst.
Bang! He hit the door so hard his face was bruised and he let out a miserable howl.
Qi Yuan swiftly opened the door, sending Qi Yunting tumbling to the ground.
It all happened so fast that Xiao Yunting couldn’t help but laugh, his earlier frustration over Qi Wang’s escape dissipating somewhat.
It was just too ridiculous. How could someone be this absurd?
Some of the servant girls, who had tripped while fleeing, sat on the ground staring blankly toward the room, mouths agape.
Finally, the household guards arrived, wrestled Qi Yunting to the ground, seized his knife, and dragged him away.
Qi Yunting kept cursing as he was dragged off. Qi Yuan suddenly shoved a teacup into his mouth—he bit down in fury, shattering the cup and breaking his teeth, his screams echoing through the courtyard.
