CHAPTER 313: CHAPTER 282: LEAVING THE PALACE FOR ISOLATION AND RECUPERATION (SECOND UPDATE)

Lin Fu heard this and looked exasperated, "You’ve clearly been bewitched by him."

Lin Xiaoyue chuckled, "How can you force your daughter to divorce like this? In the past, I was alone, and leaving wouldn’t have been difficult. But now, I’m a mother. If I divorce, what about Ah Nuan?"

Lin Fu glared at Su Qing unhappily, "A father like this is better off not having my granddaughter at all!"

Lin Xiaoyue: "..."

Su Qing was thoroughly scolded, and Lin Xiaoyue, fearing his anger, offered some consoling words after returning to their room.

Su Qing said, "I was indeed in the wrong. My father-in-law wasn’t wrong in scolding me."

Lin Xiaoyue was momentarily at a loss for words, "Mr. Qi hasn’t eaten yet; I’ll have someone bring it over immediately."

"No rush," Su Qing interrupted, "I’ll first take Little Four over."

——

Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Su Xiang, who was already furious by his son’s antics, heard about Fourth Brother’s return. Without waiting for the servants to finish speaking, he strode out the door.

Seeing Su Qing, he looked surprised, "Why is Seventh Uncle here?"

Su Qing had changed out of his official uniform, now wearing a thick robe with a cloak draped over his shoulders.

"Father, it was Seventh Uncle who saved me," Su Yaoqi stepped forward to explain to Su Xiang, "I was kidnapped for days, and if not for running into Seventh Uncle, I might not be alive today."

"Is that so?" Su Xiang gave Su Qing a meaningful look.

Just days after the fire in Seventh Brother’s backyard, Fourth Brother mysteriously disappeared, only to suddenly reappear, claiming that Seventh Brother rescued him?

"Seventh Brother has been away from Beijing for over half a year and just happens to run into his nephew being kidnapped and saves him along the way. Your bond as uncle and nephew is truly deep."

Hearing the thinly veiled sarcasm, Su Qing remained calm, "No matter how deep our uncle-nephew bond is, it cannot compare to the sister-in-law relationship between the Eldest Madame and Yue Niang. I hear that just after the incident at the Champion Scholar Mansion, the Eldest Madame arranged for people to bring Yue Niang and her daughter over for a stay."

Su Xiang looked at him with a smirk, "The house caught fire, and my sister-in-law is alone with a newborn girl, alone and helpless. What’s wrong with your sister-in-law arranging for them to stay a few days?"

Su Qing smiled faintly, "Even between sisters-in-law, there’s such mutual assistance. As Little Four’s uncle, I couldn’t stand idly by and watch him being kidnapped. What do you think, big brother?"

The back-and-forth between the two finally gave Su Yaoqi some understanding, and he looked at Su Xiang with wide eyes, "Father, you misunderstand. It’s Seventh Uncle who saved me."

Su Xiang gave him a glance, "Why don’t you hurry inside and tell your mother, standing here for what?"

Su Yaoqi looked at Su Qing, then at his father, pursing his lips, "I will go inside if you promise to talk it out with Seventh Uncle without flipping out."

...

After Su Yaoqi went inside, Su Xiang courteously invited him, "Seventh Brother has been living separately for so many years, and it’s rare for you to visit the old house. Aren’t you going to come in and sit for a while?"

Su Qing stood unmoving, "My father-in-law is still a guest at home, and I’m afraid of neglecting him, so I’ll not go in. Farewell."

Seeing Su Qing ready to leave, Su Xiang called after him, "Initially, I was lost on what to do these past few days, but now that Seventh Brother brought him back, as a big brother, I must thank you for finding the perpetrator for us. I will certainly treat you to a drink when you have time."

Su Qing did not look back, a faint smile on his lips, "Whether it’s kidnapping an official’s son or setting fire to someone’s backyard, it’s a serious crime. Since Big Brother already reported it to the authorities, why not ask the Shuntian Prefect for help to also investigate the matter concerning our family? The Su Family has always been as one, and naturally, we won’t let the perpetrator bully any branch of the family. Even after so many years living separately, I have but one request, will Big Brother comply?"

Su Xiang: "...The night your house caught fire, the Fire Prevention Team already came and concluded it was an accident."

"Little Four’s kidnapping wasn’t an accident," Su Qing said, "If he hadn’t committed any wrongdoing, no one would have targeted him."

Su Xiang was furious, "Nonsense! Fourth Brother is pure-hearted; what wrongdoing could he have done? Seventh Brother, I urge you to think carefully before speaking."

"Oh." Su Qing’s expression remained unchanged, "If Little Four wasn’t at fault and still got kidnapped, it could only be tit for tat."

Su Xiang: "..."

The entire time, he watched with a sullen face as Su Qing boarded the carriage.

——

With her son returning after being missing for days, the Eldest Madame was overjoyed to tears and hurriedly had a table full of delicious dishes prepared.

Su Yaoqi had just sat down when his father entered with a cold expression.

The Eldest Madame was taken aback, "Prime Minister, what happened to you?"

Su Xiang sat down, poured himself a glass of wine, and gulped it down, his anger soaring, "That bastard Seventh dares to threaten this Prime Minister!"

Su Yaoqi was speechless, "Dad and Seventh Uncle are biological brothers. If you call him a bastard, what does that make you?"

The eldest lady: "..."

Su Xiang: "!!!" After choking for a while, he commanded Su Yaoqi, "You, go out."

Su Yaoqi rubbed his empty stomach, "I haven’t eaten yet!"

——

Su Qing returned home, and Lin Xiaoyue was still waiting to have dinner together. Hearing from the servants that Mr. Qi had returned, she personally went to greet him.

Seeing Su Qing’s serene expression, Lin Xiaoyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "Did they trouble you over at the Prime Minister Mansion?"

As she spoke, she helped him remove his cloak from his shoulders.

Once seated, Su Qing said slowly, "The Prime Minister believes that I arranged the kidnapping of Little Four."

Lin Xiaoyue’s movements paused, her heart skipping with anxiety, "How did you respond to him?"

Su Qing said, "I did not deny it."

Lin Xiaoyue stammered, "...Why, why?"

Su Qing turned to look at her, his deep gaze seemingly capable of uncovering her innermost thoughts.

Lin Xiaoyue instinctively averted her eyes, lacking the courage to meet his gaze.

Suddenly, Su Qing chuckled lightly and asked her, "Does Yue Niang not want me to admit it was my doing?"

Lin Xiaoyue sensed that he must have discovered something.

The incomplete sentence "as expected" that Su Qing hadn’t finished before he went to see her father suddenly appeared in her mind.

Her cheeks felt slightly warm, then followed by heat, as she moved closer step by step, her hands helplessly wringing together, "Mr. Qi, did you know all along?"

"Know what?"

Being asked this, Lin Xiaoyue felt even more at a loss for words, "Just, the kidnapping affair."

Without hearing Su Qing’s response, she continued, "Actually, you didn’t have to step in and take the blame, anyway my father said that the Prime Minister couldn’t find out."

"Not finding out doesn’t mean he wouldn’t suspect," Su Qing understood his brother’s nature, preferring to err on the side of caution.

Su Yaoqi is Su Xiang’s cherished one, and such a major incident has occurred. The Prime Minister hasn’t come to their house to cause trouble yet, indicating that due to his disordered mind over the past few days, he’s temporarily unable to think clearly. Otherwise, once he starts suspecting the Martial Champion Mansion, the consequences would be gravely serious.

Su Qing could understand his father-in-law’s intention to seek justice for his daughter, so he didn’t think there was anything wrong with stepping in and shouldering the blame.

Being upfront and making the Prime Minister openly resent him was far better than denying and having the opponent secretly plot to harm them as a couple.

She felt uncomfortable about her own father’s actions that made her husband take the blame, unsure what to say.

Su Qing pulled her to sit down, leaned close, and asked, "Half a year since we last saw each other, are you starting to fear me?"

"Who’s afraid of you?" Lin Xiaoyue was provoked into stubbornness, "I’m just discussing the matter, thinking you have been burdened by it."

It’s clearly herself who has been burdened.

Su Qing wasn’t one to say sentimental words, just gazed at her for a moment, "Once the New Year is over, we shall leave. Over there, you’ll surely not be wronged again."

——

A couple of days ago, Emperor Guangxi had lunch with Empress Su, on the fifteenth, the day he was scheduled to stay at the Empress’s sleeping quarters.

Unexpectedly, that night as Emperor Guangxi stepped into Kunning Palace, there was an incident; Princess Consort Duan suddenly felt unwell, prompting the steward eunuch to inform Emperor Guangxi.

Emperor Guangxi, upon hearing this, immediately left Empress Su and rushed to Yonghe Palace.

Empress Su was extremely angry, and after the incident, sent people to inquire, learning from subordinates that Princess Consort Duan had suddenly contracted a severe illness, which the Imperial Physician diagnosed as serious and requiring isolation for recuperation.

Upon hearing this, Empress Su sneered coldly, "Indeed, the heavens have eyes."

Favoring Princess Consort Duan for many years, she had become the target of many, not only among the concubines of the harem but also engendered deep resentment even from the Empress.

Now, Princess Consort Duan’s sudden severe illness was a major delight for most of the concubines in the harem.

Since Emperor Guangxi visited Yonghe Palace that day, he hadn’t been near Princess Consort Duan again and had already decreed her to leave the palace for recuperation.

Song Wei inexplicably became the lead official responsible for escorting Princess Consort Duan to the traveling palace.

This time, it wasn’t Emperor Guangxi’s selection, but a proposal from the officials who stood out, suggesting that since he could lead the Jinyi Guard to solve the coal kiln case last time, his abilities are evident, and it’s good for young people to gain more experience.

In reality, it was merely an excuse to avoid Princess Consort Duan’s infection.