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Chapter 301: A Quiet Chat Between Husband and Wife
Chapter 301: A Quiet Chat Between Husband and Wife
Feng Xuanrui reached out to tug at the little tassels on Suisu's hat.
Of course, he didn't use much force.
When it came to his little sister, Feng Xuanrui knew to be gentle.
Now, if it were Xiaoqi...
Well, Xiaoqi was already exhausted and had collapsed into a heap, fast asleep.
He had spent the day running around, and though he wanted to join in on the conversation about his sister, he couldn't keep his eyes open.
But as he dozed off, Suisu's eyelids also began to droop.
Especially with Feng Xuanbin's soft snoring, which seemed to have a magical lulling effect.
Suisu had wanted to talk to her father about her second eldest brother.
Lele had mentioned that although her second brother's leg was injured, his mind was still sharp.
It would be such a waste if that brilliant mind went unused.
Unfortunately, as the carriage swayed gently, the tired little girl soon found herself leaning against her father's arm and drifting off to sleep.
With her asleep, Feng Xuanrui felt even sleepier.
Now two of the three children in the carriage were fast asleep.
Feng Xuanrui didn't last much longer, soon resting his head on his mother's arm and falling asleep as well.
The Queen of Qi gently adjusted her position, adding a soft cushion for Feng Xuanrui to lean on. She then motioned for the King to hold Suisu securely and add a cushion for Xiaoqi as well, to prevent them from being jostled by the carriage's movements.
Once the children were all settled, the royal couple heaved a soft sigh.
With the children asleep, they could finally discuss some of the worries that had been on their minds.
The King of Qi furrowed his brows slightly and asked, "I heard that Suisu saved the young master of the Wei family today?"
Mentioning this matter still made the Queen anxious.
She nodded gently. "Yes, it was an emergency. The child was having a seizure, and we didn't know if he would survive. That's why we had to let Suisu go into the rockery to bring him out."
Although the King of Qi felt that it wasn't entirely appropriate, the situation at the time had been a matter of life and death.
And saving a life was always a virtuous act.
Perhaps it was the will of Heaven that Suisu was the one to do it?
With these thoughts, the King's worries eased a little. "You shouldn't worry too much. Perhaps it was Heaven's will..."
As he spoke, he tilted his chin slightly upward, toward the sky.
The Queen nodded in agreement but still felt unsettled. "Regarding the matter with the Marquis of Huayang... We can't really speak ill of others, but it's clear that Xu Shi has been cultivating her virtuous image over the years, and she seems to have her ways."
If she were truly virtuous, how could she have allowed her husband's firstborn son to endure such humiliation at someone else's banquet?
That child must have suffered greatly, and his health was likely fragile to begin with, which was why he fell ill.
Yet, over the years, Xu Shi had been using her stepson and stepdaughter, the children of her husband's first wife, to boost her own reputation for virtue.
However, today her true nature had been exposed, and who knew what would happen when they returned to the marquis manor.
Suisu had helped them, and it should have been a good deed.
But Xu Shi would probably only blame Suisu for ruining her plans, and who knew how she might retaliate?
The Queen wasn't afraid of the Marquis of Huayang, but some underhanded methods were hard to guard against.
Xu Shi had been building her reputation for years, and it was clear that she had her schemes, likely ones that weren't exactly honorable.
People like that were like rats in the gutter—sometimes it was hard to guard against them.
However, the Queen wasn't worried.
If Xu Shi dared to target Suisu, she wouldn't mind seeing another death in the Marquis of Huayang's household.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, the Queen's eyes narrowed slightly, but she quickly suppressed her emotions.
Upon hearing the Qi King's words, the Qi Concubine let out a soft scoff. "It's just to appease the common folk and give them something to gossip about. Let's not even mention Zhuque Street and Xuanwu Street, but how many people on Changning Street truly believe that Xiao Xushi is a virtuous woman?"
Zhuque Street was where the royal relatives resided, Xuanwu Street housed high-ranking officials, and Changning Street was home to the middle-ranked officials of the capital.
It could be said that all the powerful and influential families of the capital were concentrated on these three streets.
The Qi King's words made sense, and the Qi Concubine nodded in agreement.
Soon, the Qi King continued with a smile, "I heard that in the afternoon, it was your aunt who sent Aunt Yu to escort the young master and young miss of the Wei family back home. Now that your aunt has gotten involved, Xiao Xushi's days ahead won't be so easy."
The eldest princess was someone who...
did not bother with what was reasonable.
If she thought something made sense, she would persist with it.
If she thought something was unreasonable, she would do her best to break it.
So, it was hard to predict what the future held for Xiao Xushi.
The Qi Concubine understood that with the eldest princess involving herself in this matter, if the Huaiyang Marquis Manor didn't show some attitude, who knew what kind of trouble they might attract from her in the future.
If it weren't for the fact that this incident involved Suisu, the Qi Concubine wouldn't have bothered to interfere.
Now that her heart was at ease, she didn't bring it up again. After some thought, she brought up another matter, "...Shu Jie is ill. From what Madam Ren implied, it's mostly due to the disputes in the inner court. Should we inform Ren Xu about this?"
Duke Cheng, Ren, was a man with a soft heart and an even softer head, lacking in wit and discernment.
Because of his poor character, the inner court had been in disarray for years, a chaotic mess.
Even though Lu Xinglan had the means and ability, she couldn't do much with a husband who held her back.
Ren's side concubine, Xu, often returned to her paternal home to manage affairs, as she looked down on her older brother due to his weak character.
Of course, she was impetuous and ruthless, and with the backing of the Qi King's manor, she was not someone to be trifled with.
The inner court of Cheng Manor dared not provoke her.
However, Ren Xu was, after all, a married-out daughter. Her older brother had already started his own family, and his children were growing up. It wouldn't reflect well on her if she kept involving herself in her paternal family's matters.
But...
The Qi Concubine and Lu Xinglan were cousins, and she didn't want to see her cousin suffering.
Upon hearing this, the Qi King furrowed his brows. "How is it that Duke Cheng only gains fat and not wisdom? I can see clearly that his inner court is in disarray, yet he remains oblivious and even takes pride in it?"
The Qi King did not hide his disdain for Duke Cheng.
So what if he was her older cousin?
He was still worthy of disdain.
However, it was true that constantly involving Ren Xu in her paternal family's affairs would reflect poorly on her reputation.
The Qi King understood that the Concubine was concerned about her cousin.
He thought for a moment, then waved his hand decisively, "Let's invite Shu Jie to stay with us for a while, and we'll say that we're looking for a good companion for Suisu."
This was a good idea, but the Qi Concubine still had her worries, "Aren't you afraid that Meng Xu will pick a fight over this?"
Although Meng Xu had a gentle temperament, if the Qi King showed blatant favoritism, she might not voice her concerns, but she would surely feel displeased.
If she couldn't make sense of the situation and ended up overthinking things, that would be troublesome.
Thinking of this, the Qi King scratched his head in slight distress. He moved closer to the Concubine and lowered his voice, "Concubine, what do you think we should do? I recall that Meng's youngest daughter is only two or three years old. She's too young for us to bring here, and if something good or bad happens to her, we'll be in deep trouble."
Second Watch
(End of Chapter)
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