Chapter 306: Brotherly Bonding
Chapter 306: Brotherly Bonding
Sui Sui was grateful, so when she saw Prince Qing, she smiled and greeted him, "Greetings, Uncle Qing."
Held in her mother's arms, Sui Sui exuded a graceful and elegant demeanor, a far cry from the pitiful state she had been in when they first met.
Prince Qing looked on with satisfaction.
He thought that the Qi Kingdom's royal family was better at raising children than the Jinyang Marquis.
He had heard that the Jinyang Marquis had brought back several concubines who had been staying in a distant courtyard for over a month, only bringing them back to the main residence a few days ago.
Knowing the temperament of the Jinyang Marquise, Prince Qing imagined that those concubines wouldn't have had an easy time in the household.
Prince Qing couldn't help but think that while Chen Dalang's family was despicable, the decision they made in their moment of folly had ultimately benefited Sui Sui.
Perhaps it was the last decent thing they did for his deceased sister.
Sui Sui took the initiative to greet him, and Prince Qing nodded gently in response, "Hello, Sui Sui."
Fearing that his attitude might be too cold and inadvertently make the child afraid or distant, Prince Qing made an effort to curve his lips into a smile.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a very convincing one.
While Prince Qing was handsome, his habitual stern expression made his smile appear somewhat stiff and forced.
However, Sui Sui wasn't afraid. Having seen it before, she now found it familiar and pleasant.
While the child was unafraid, Feng Xuanrui and his brothers were terrified.
Especially Feng Xuanbin, who had already scurried behind his father, wishing he could hide his chubby little body completely!
As Prince Qing's visit coincided with lunchtime, they naturally invited him to stay for the meal.
So, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, they soon made their way to the dining hall.
Prince Qing didn't come empty-handed. While he had brought only pens, ink, paper, and inkstones for his nephews, he had prepared a more extensive gift for Sui Sui.
It included various fabrics, jewelry, and ornaments.
Over the years, he had received numerous awards and gifts, but as he rarely stayed in the capital, he had little use for them.
Especially the vibrant and colorful fabrics, which he had no use for at all.
He actually knew that His Majesty had good intentions, wanting him to take two concubines to take care of his life.
But he simply wasn't willing to do so.
Therefore, those fabrics would naturally go unused.
Some of the colors were a bit too bold and not really suitable for making clothes for Sui Sui.
For children, brighter and more vibrant colors were usually more fitting.
However, even if they couldn't be made into clothes, they could be used for other things like bedding.
They were all fine materials and would surely find their use.
During the meal, as King Qi wanted to chat with Prince Qing, it was inconvenient for him to feed Sui Sui, which made him a bit regretful.
Queen Qi happily held Sui Sui and fed the little girl tender stewed mutton and freshly cooked fish meat.
Prince Qing occasionally glanced at them, but his gaze didn't linger for too long.
After all, with Sui Sui sitting in Queen Qi's lap, it wouldn't be appropriate for his gaze to linger on her for too long.
So, Prince Qing calmly glanced at the child a couple of times before looking away.
After the meal, the children played for a while before starting to feel drowsy.
Queen Qi took the children to play, leaving King Qi to continue chatting with Prince Qing.
As they talked, the conversation eventually turned to that matter…
King Qi cautiously asked, "Could you talk to your brother about how he feels now that he no longer has that? Does he feel any sense of loss or discomfort? Is he sad or does he cry himself to sleep at night?"
Prince Qing: ?
He didn't react at first, but upon noticing King Qi's suggestive gaze, Prince Qing fell silent before eventually shaking his head. "No, he's actually quite content.
"Speaking of which, Prince Qing let out a bitter laugh. 'With Nian'er gone, whether I have it or not doesn't really matter. It's better to be without and have a calmer mind.'"
For Prince Qing, his achievements in the northwest were too remarkable.
His Majesty had a suspicious nature, and being of different mothers, Prince Qing knew he could never truly earn the Emperor's trust.
Things were better this way.
So what if his achievements overshadowed the Emperor?
Prince Qing could no longer have children of his own, and being alone meant he could be trusted.
Moreover, Prince Qing truly meant what he said about having a calmer mind.
Otherwise, His Majesty, being his relative, would always suggest he remarry.
He didn't want to forget Nian'er or his daughter, so naturally, he didn't want to marry anyone else.
Prince Qing wouldn't even consider taking a concubine.
Prince Qi knew that his situation was different from Prince Qing's, but he still couldn't understand it. "Not even a little bit of sadness?"
How could a man truly not care about this?
Prince Qi found it hard to believe.
A furrow formed between Prince Qing's brows as he listened, his gaze narrowing as he studied Prince Qi. Seeing the tension in Prince Qi's stance, Prince Qing asked, "Older brother... Why do you suddenly ask about this?"
Thinking about the Chen family, Prince Qi seemed to have flown into a rage. Prince Qing's heart harbored some suspicions, and being a straightforward person, he asked after a moment of thought, "Is it because of the Chen family?"
Prince Qi nearly exploded on the spot.
He wanted to say no, that it wasn't! But he felt guilty.
Moreover, Prince Qing's situation was similar to his, so he didn't need to feel inferior or sad.
Once he realized this, Prince Qi straightened his back and remained silent, but his expression was as good as a confirmation.
Seeing Prince Qi like this, Prince Qing fell silent.
After a long while, as the atmosphere grew awkward and Prince Qi looked like he wanted to fly away from embarrassment, Prince Qing said in a low voice, "Older brother, rest assured. I'll talk to the people in the imperial prison and tell them to intensify the torture on the Chen family members."
This meant he wanted to severely punish them to settle a private grudge.
Prince Qi had already arranged for this to happen.
He might not be able to take up a knife himself, but couldn't he find someone else to do it?
However, Prince Qing's offer was well-intentioned, and Prince Qi didn't refuse. Finally, he gritted his teeth and nodded. "Especially that Chen woman, make her suffer!"
Prince Qing didn't know how to respond, so he could only silently nod in agreement.
Prince Qing had come today to see Sui Sui, as he would be leaving the capital in a few days to attend to some matters.
The northwest was currently stable, so even without Prince Qing, there wouldn't be any problems.
His health had actually recovered, and since His Majesty hadn't mentioned sending him back to the northwest, Prince Qing wasn't in a hurry.
If His Majesty felt that he was suspicious due to his outstanding achievements, Prince Qing wouldn't feel disappointed if his military power was taken away.
He had gone to the battlefield back then to avoid the intensifying power struggle in the capital, and later, he didn't want to leave the northwest because he had met Nian'er.
Now...
He had a calm and peaceful mind, and it didn't matter where he went.
His Majesty's current arrangement was actually to allow him more rest.
The border was harsh and bitter, and life there was definitely not as comfortable as in the capital.
After suffering such a serious injury, the Emperor was also worried that Prince Qing might not be able to bear the psychological toll of returning to the northwest, a place filled with sad memories.
Therefore, His Majesty had no intention of taking back his military power; he simply kept him in the capital and didn't allow him to return to the northwest.
However, staying in the capital didn't mean he could relax. He still had work to do.
(End of Chapter)
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