Chapter 289: Preemptive Strike
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Wei Xi and everyone in the main kitchen were beaten with poles and thrown out of Prince Qi’s Manor.
To quote Su Ying, “Get the hell back to where you came from.”
As soon as Wei Xi and the others were thrown out, Xiao Jin returned. His eyebrows twitched when he saw the people thrown outside the manor. After listening to the guard’s explanation, he gestured with his hand and instructed the guards to pull a carriage over and haul these people to the palace and dump them at the entrance.
These people were all from the palace.
Xiao Jin only heard the guard tell him what had happened after he entered the manor. He couldn’t help but quicken his pace to the courtyard.
When he saw Su Ying, the hostility between her brows had yet to dissipate.
Xiao Jin quickly walked to the bed. “How are the children?”
“They fell asleep after taking the medicine.”
Su Ying had just checked the pulse of the two children and was only relieved after confirming that they were fine.
However, she would not swallow this insult easily.
“What happened exactly?”
Su Ying tucked the two children in and followed Xiao Jin out.
Hea Shouyi was kneeling in the main hall.
“This time, 1 was indeed negligent. Please punish me, Your Highnesses.”
After Su Ying told the guards to bring Hea Shouyi into the house, the guards didn’t do anything to him. He heard the commotion outside and knew that Su Ying believed him. He also knew that she planned to use this opportunity to get rid of the people in Prince Qi’s Manor.
However, he really blamed himself bitterly. He kept trying to recall which part of the process went wrong.
There were so many people in Prince Qi’s Manor, and it was impossible for him to do everything by himself.
There were still other kitchen helpers in the main kitchen, but he usually wouldn’t allow them to get close to the stove, especially when it came to preparing food for Su Ying and her family.
However, today, he was called out by a kitchen helper halfway through, who told him that the meat on the stove outside was burnt. He left for about fifteen minutes during that time. At that point, the date-paste cake he made was placed on the stove. At this moment, if someone went in and tampered with the date-paste cake, he wouldn’t have noticed at all.
“Uncle Hea, I’ve always trusted you. Even after what happened today, 1 still chose to believe in you,” Su Ying said faintly.
Uncle Hea clenched his jaw tightly because he felt so guilty.
“I will never forget the kindness Your Highness has shown to me until I die. Please rest assured, Your Highness. From now on, putting aside all other things, 1 will definitely guard the kitchen carefully for Your Highness. I will never let anyone have the chance to tamper with the food again.”
Su Ying walked up to him and looked at him with a grave expression. “I, Su Ying, am never afraid of enemies coming at me in front. I’m only afraid of being stabbed in the back by my comrades. If that day really comes, 1 will never hesitate to finish him off. Uncle Hea, do you understand?”
Hea Shouyi nodded with a tense face. “Your Highness, don’t worry. If such a day really comes, I will not disappoint you even if 1 have to punish myself.” “Alright. From now on, the main kitchen of Prince Qi’s Manor will be handed over to you.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After Hea Shouyi left, Xiao Jin followed him out of the room.
“Where are you going?”
Su Ying looked at the sky and saw that it was getting dark.
“To the palace.”
Xiao Jin did not show any expression, but Su Ying knew that he was angry.
“If we beat up the dogs, their master won’t be able to escape unscathed either.”
Xiao Jin rode his horse to the palace. After Wei Xi and the others were thrown here, the Imperial Guards had immediately gone to inform Emperor Kangze.
Emperor Kangze was still angry about not being able to retrieve the tiger tally. Now, everyone in the Imperial Court knew that the tiger tally had dropped into the Heavenly Lake. As long as he could not retrieve it, he could not regain control of the army at the border. Just thinking about it made him anxious.
“Your Majesty, Wei Xi and the people sent to Prince Qi’s Manor were beaten with a pole and thrown outside the palace gates.”
Emperor Kangze’s eyebrows twitched. “Who hit them?”
“They said it was Princess Consort Qi.”
Emperor Kangze’s expression clouded even more. He didn’t think Su Ying would be so bold since if she wanted to mess with the servants, she should still take into consideration who was their master. She was probably doing all of this at Xiao Jin’s behest.
Xiao Jin was still as difficult to control as before!
“Emperor, Prince Qi is outside the palace seeking an audience.”
Just as Emperor Kangze was brimming with pent-up anger and had nowhere to vent it, Xiao Jin delivered himself to his doorstep.
“Send him in. And also bring Wei Xi and the others in for me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Xiao Jin walked into the hall and launched the preemptive strike. “Your Majesty, please seek redress for me.”
Emperor Kangze choked on the words that were on the tip of his tongue and swallowed them back. “You’ve already beaten up the people in your manor and driven them out. Why do you still want me to seek redress for you?”
“I don’t know who gave those people the guts to harm Ji and Ling. They actually added drugs to their snacks.”
Emperor Kangze’s eyebrows twitched. “What?”
He looked anxious. “How are the two children?”
Xiao Jin’s face tensed up. “Fortunately, we discovered it in time. After taking the medicine, they are much better. Wei Xi is sent from the palace. As the overall caretaker of Prince Qi’s Manor, he caused such serious consequences because of improper selection of staff. 1 thought that since he came from the palace, I brought him here to let Your Majesty deal with him.”
Xiao Jin had gained the initiative by striking first the moment he arrived, and he effectively stoppered all of Emperor Kangze’s anger.
Emperor Kangze took a deep breath and clenched his fists. He was downright incensed!
This bunch of useless trash!
“Don’t worry. 1 will definitely give you a satisfactory answer.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Doesn’t that mean that your Prince Qi’s Manor has no one to take care of the household for you?”
“I have already sent someone to bring Zhang Shuming back. Back then, he was the one taking care of Prince Qi’s Manor for me, so he should be familiar with all matters in Prince Qi’s Manor.”
Emperor Kangze narrowed his eyes and looked at Xiao Jin with his eagle-like eyes for a long time before saying, “Since you have already arranged it, then I need not worry. Don’t worry. 1 will punish those people severely and will not be tolerant toward them.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Xiao Jin stood up. “I’ll take my leave.”
It wasn’t until Xiao Jin had walked far away that Emperor Kangze swept everything on the dragon desk off.
In the first place, he wanted to blame Xiao Jin, but how did it turn out to be his fault?
“Wei Xi, that idiot. Throw those people into the torture chamber and let them deal with them.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It was already dark when Xiao Jin returned to the manor.
The two little fellows had also woken up. After taking a nap, they had completely recovered their spirits and looked lively and energetic.
As their stomachs had been upset by the drug, Hea Shouyi specially made medicinal porridge for them at night to nourish their stomachs.
When Xiao Jin walked into the house, the mother and two children were about to eat. When they saw him walk in, the two little fellows jumped down from their chairs happily and ran to Xiao Jin to hug his legs.
“Father, you are back.”
Xiao Jin picked the two of them up. “Does your tummy still hurt?”
“Not anymore, Father. It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Ji replied.
That drug had upset their stomachs and caused acute gastroenteritis. As long as the medicine was taken in time, there should not be any major problems. However, the children had to eat light meals for the next few days or the condition would easily relapse.
Su Ying glanced at Xiao Jin. “You came back quite quickly. He didn’t cause you any trouble?”
Xiao Jin sat down beside her with the children in his arms.. “What right does he have to blame me when his people caused trouble here?”