Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2(98)
Hearing how severe the injuries were, Xie Lian inwardly became even more furious at Qi Rong. He looked at that child and saw that he was sitting there on his chair as if he felt no pain, stealing glimpses at Xie Lian with that large, obsidian-black left eye. When he noticed he’d been caught staring by Xie Lian, he immediately turned his head away.
Seeing this, for some reason Xie Lian thought the boy was both silly and pitiful. He asked, “Will his injuries heal?”
One of the imperial doctors wrapped new layers of bandages around the child’s head and replied, “Not a problem.”
Only then did Xie Lian relax. He nodded. “Thank you for all your hard work.”
Just then, an attendant entered to notify them of the imminent arrival of His Majesty the King and the queen. Each of the imperial doctors immediately stood up and exited the imperial medical office to greet them.
Xie Lian moved the child to the bed and said, “Lie down and get some rest.”
It occurred to him that the child was afraid of strangers, and all the people who would be crowding in shortly might scare him. So Xie Lian lowered the bedside curtains before rising to his feet too.
A number of guards and attendants escorted the king and the queen as they walked into the hall. The queen’s face was pale.
“My dear child, why did you return so suddenly when you just left the palace? Were you hurt outside?”
“Please be at ease, Mother,” Xie Lian said. “I wasn’t hurt. It was someone else who was injured.”
Just then, Qi Rong cried out from the corner, “Yimu, save me!”
Only then did the queen notice Qi Rong to the side, firmly held by Feng Xin and under arrest, and she was shocked. She was focused on the well-being of her son and had completely ignored everything else, but now that she saw, she asked, “Rong-er, what happened?”
The king, on the other hand, knitted his brows slightly. “Feng Xin, why are you holding Prince Xiao Jing like a criminal?”
When His Majesty arrived, Feng Xin should’ve bowed in greeting like Mu Qing and all the others, but because he had Qi Rong in hand and couldn’t release him, he was put in an awkward situation.
Xie Lian spoke up. “It was under my command.”
Qi Rong held up his right arm. “Yimu, my arm is broken.”
The queen hadn’t had the chance to sympathize before Xie Lian cut in harshly. “You broke an arm, but what about that child?”
“What child?” the king asked.
“A ten-year-old child,” Xie Lian answered. “Powerless, vulnerable, and frail in stature. Qi Rong sent his subordinates to beat him. If not for the child’s tenacity, he would’ve been beaten to death on the spot!”
Qi Rong looked as if he had just heard a joke, his eyes widening. “A powerless, vulnerable ten-year-old child? Frail? Cousin, you don’t know just how vicious, how savage, how spunky that little non-croaker was; he only pretends to be pathetic in front of you. I called for five or six guys, and they still couldn’t catch the brat. He thrashed and bit them until they were bloodied all over. If he hadn’t angered me so, why else would I have dragged him behind my horse carriage?”
Hearing this, both the king and the queen’s faces fell. Xie Lian drew in a deep breath and shouted, “Enough! Do you think what you’ve done is impressive?!”
Qi Rong wasn’t one to shy away from the limelight. He was so arrogant and ostentatious that there was no way the citizens of the capital hadn’t seen him. And after they saw, there was no reason he wouldn’t become the talk of every dinner-table conversation in the city.
The king gave the queen a look, appearing a little grim. “Take Prince Xiao Jing away. Doctor, see to his arm. The golden carriage will be permanently confiscated. You will be confined to your palace and reflect on your actions for a month without release.”
The guard behind him immediately acknowledged the order and moved forward to take Qi Rong. Only then did Feng Xin let go. Qi Rong, however, no longer cared and humphed.
“Take it, take it. I already knew today would be my last chance to drive it.”
The queen sighed sadly, hearing that he had no remorse or repenting heart. Xie Lian spoke up.
“It would seem that with only a month of detention to reflect, he will still do this again. There needs to be stricter discipline.”
Qi Rong was taken aback and stammered angrily, “Cousin Crown Prince, you…” But then he switched gears. “Fine. I admit it, this time it was my fault. No matter how His Majesty punishes me, Qi Rong has no complaints.” His next words changed the argument’s direction. “But shouldn’t Cousin Crown Prince’s servant also be punished? Yifu, Yimu, my arm was broken by that Feng Xin, you know!”
Hearing this, the king instantly shifted his gaze to Feng Xin, looking outraged. Feng Xin bowed his head, and Mu Qing imperceptibly shuffled two steps away.
The king berated him coldly. “Feng Xin, you are the crown prince’s bodyguard. The crown prince treats you well and regards you highly, but have you forgotten your place? What is this arrogance?! Your duty is to serve His Highness. Is this how you serve him? You dare raise a hand against the crown prince’s cousin, Prince Xiao Jing?”
At those words, Feng Xin was ready to kneel, but Xie Lian stopped him.
“No need to kneel.”
Feng Xin obeyed Xie Lian’s commands first and foremost; even under the king’s orders, his priority was His Highness, and so he instantly straightened again. Seeing this, the king grew even more displeased.