The snow stopped, but the entire Xiao family seemed to be plunged into real ice, so cold that it was impossible to even laugh.
The entire mansion was several times quieter than usual. Even if the servants were talking small talk, they would only dare to hide in a corner and whisper. After all, Mrs. Xiao still knew about Xiao Hong and Xiao Chen. How could a mother accept it?
?He fainted on the spot.
The eldest young lady of the Xiao family has a grudge in her heart, but Xiao Hong has been taken away. She also has to take care of her husband and children. She is very busy managing the entire Xiao family, so naturally she is not in a good mood.
The effect of Qin Yao'er's medicine was quite good. Within two days, Xiao Chen's voice was much better. However, after all, he had been infected by the poison. His voice was not as clear and smooth as before, and it still sounded a bit hoarse and rough.
feel.
Qin Yao'er let go of her hand that was pressing Xiao Chan's pulse, turned around and said to the young lady who was standing aside and looking at her nervously: "The poison has been basically eliminated. After drinking the last dose of medicine, there is no need to drink anymore."
The eldest young lady breathed a sigh of relief, nodded quickly and said, "Thank you, Miss Qin."
Qin Yao'er shook his head and said: "Although the poison has been eliminated, the damaged body will not recover for a while. You'd better find a doctor who is proficient in conditioning to take a look at him. And his throat and nose,
It will be affected to some extent. As for the lungs... it should also be affected to some extent. It is best to avoid places that have a bad impact on the lungs in the future." She can only be responsible for detoxification, but many poisons are inherently destructive to the human body. Those
She couldn't repair what had been damaged.
The eldest young lady looked slightly gloomy. She also understood this truth. She couldn't force the doctor on these matters, so she nodded and said: "Thank you, miss, for reminding us. We have hired the doctor who is best at regulating the body in the capital. We will wait until the poison on your husband's body is cured."
I will take care of his body."
"That's good." Qin Yao'er packed her things, stretched her neck and glanced at Xiao Chan on the bed and said: "By the way, Mr. Xiao, the prince said you don't have to rush to the Yamen. He will wait for you to feel better."
Will come over to see you."
Xiao Chan's smile was a bit bitter and he said: "I dare not work for His Majesty the Regent. When I get out of bed, I will go to the Regent's Palace in person to apologize."
Qin Yao'er was a little surprised, "You were unlucky enough to be poisoned, and you still want to apologize?" She didn't know much about this and didn't care. She waved her hand and said, "Whatever, I will go back and tell the prince."
"Thank you, girl." Xiao Chen nodded.
The eldest young lady personally sent Qin Yao'er out of the house, then turned around and returned to the room.
There was already a young man beside Xiao Chen, who was telling him in a low voice what had happened outside in the past two days.
The young lady was not in a hurry, so she turned around and sat in the small hall outside for a while. After a while, the young man walked out from inside and said respectfully: "Madam."
The eldest young lady nodded and stood up and said, "Go and do your work, I'll go in and take a look."
"yes."
Xiao Chan had already sat up, leaning on a thick soft pillow behind him. When he saw his wife coming in, he smiled at her and said, "Thank you for your hard work these past two days."
The eldest young lady shook her head silently and sat down on the bed. She raised her eyes and looked at Xiao Chen and said, "Mother wants you and father to go to the Regent's Palace to plead for mercy."
"Please?" Xiao Chan said.
The eldest young lady looked a little ugly and said, "Please ask the regent to let the third brother go." The eldest young lady was naturally unwilling, not to mention that Xiao Hong almost killed her husband. Just keeping such a dangerous person at home, she
In the future, I am afraid that I will not only have to worry about the safety of my husband and myself, but also my children.
The eldest young lady has never gotten along with Xiao Hong, her brother-in-law, but she didn't have any bad feelings towards him before, but now she wishes he could die in the Regent's Palace.
Although she is a woman, she is not a living Bodhisattva and cannot tolerate people who want to harm her family.
Xiao Chan smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid it won't work."
Hearing what he said, the young lady was relieved, but a little worried, "But mother's side..."
Xiao Chen sighed and said: "Mother doesn't know that this...this matter is not just a matter of the Xiao family. That's all. You go and ask father to come and say, I have something to tell him."
The eldest young lady looked at his pale face worriedly and said, "Are you in such a hurry?"
Xiao Chan said: "I am extremely anxious."
Seeing what he said, the eldest young lady had no choice but to nod in agreement, then turned around and sent someone to send a message to Mr. Xiao.
Mr. Xiao came very quickly, and when he saw that Xiao Chen had sat up, his originally gloomy face finally became a little more joyful, "Ah Chen, are you okay?"
Xiao Chan nodded and said, "It makes father worry."
"You asked people to come to me, but what's the matter?" Master Xiao asked.
Xiao Chan nodded, and the discomfort in his throat made him frown slightly, but he had to say something, "Father, third brother..."
The smile on Mr. Xiao's face also disappeared, and he said in a deep voice: "The eldest son of the Luo family took you away the day you were poisoned, and you are now in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. Mr. Su came to see you yesterday, and you were asleep at the time
I didn’t wake you up."
Xiao Chan asked: "What did the master say?"
Mr. Xiao frowned and said: "Taifu Su said, let us rest assured that the regent is magnanimous and tolerant of all rivers. In addition, Taifu also said... the things left by your grandfather have been returned to the original owners, so let us
Don’t worry about it.”
Mr. Xiao didn't quite understand these two sentences, but Taifu Su obviously didn't mean to explain. What does the Xiao family's matter have to do with the magnanimity of the regent? Even if Xiao Hong's poison has something to do with the people of southern Xinjiang, but
After all, the victims are also the Xiao family. At least other people except Xiao Hong didn't make any big mistakes, right?
The other sentence is even more strange. What did his father leave behind? Why didn't he know? Who returned it to the original owner? Who was the original owner?
Mr. Xiao doesn't know these things, but he can't get to the bottom of it without the Taifu telling him.
Xiao Chan was stunned for a moment, thinking carefully about what Mr. Xiao relayed, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
It's just that the Xiao family may be fine, but where the third brother is...
As the future head of the Xiao family, Xiao Chen is not a holy father. He had shown love to Xiao Hong repeatedly because he was his biological brother. Even if he didn't care about brotherhood, he still had to worry about what his parents thought.
In addition, he really didn't expect that Xiao Hong would really be so cruel to him so quickly.
Now that Xiao Hong has fallen into the hands of the Prince Regent, he might be able to be saved if he is just poisoned, but if it involves drugging his mother and colluding with people from southern Xinjiang, Xiao Hong may not be able to count on him in this life.
Mr. Xiao sighed and said: "Your mother has pampered him since childhood. If she says something unpleasant, just pretend you didn't hear it. That girl Xiao Qin said that your poison has been cured, and we will go back to Yangxin in a few days.
." At this point, Mr. Xiao was a little discouraged. He originally thought that the humiliation of this trip to Shangyong was the limit, but he didn't expect that his son could be more capable than he thought.
He drugged his mother and poisoned his brother, and these were actually good children and grandchildren trained by their Xiao family!
Xiao Chen nodded and said, "Father, my third brother's life may not be in danger, but in the future I'm afraid..."
Mr. Xiao sighed and said coldly: "In the future, my Xiao family will no longer have this person!"
Although he received Taifu Su's advice, Xiao Chan didn't really feel that he could rest easy. Three days later, just as he was able to get out of bed and walk around, he went to see the regent in person.
Although the poison did not kill Xiao Chen this time, it did cause him to suffer a lot. Originally, Xiao Chen had been serving as an official for a long time, and he seemed to be much healthier than those high-ranking civil servants and powerful princes in Shangyong.
.It had only been a few days, but he had lost a lot of weight, his face was pale, and it was obvious that his steps were still a little sloppy when he walked.
If it hadn't been for so many years of support, maybe he wouldn't be far behind Cui Ziying.
Even after this period of conditioning, Cui Ziying's face looked better than him.
"I have met the prince and the princess." In the study, Xiao Chan greeted Xie Yan and the two respectfully.
Xie Yan nodded slightly, "No need to be polite, just sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiao Chen was not polite. He was really tired.
He walked to the side and sat down. After taking a breath, Xiao Chan then said: "The Xiao family has no good way to educate their children, so that the younger brother made such a big mistake. I still ask the prince to punish him."
Xie Yan looked at Xiao Chen for a while, then picked up a booklet from the table and flipped it through: "Although it is true that children's upbringing is closely related to their parents and elders, the Xiao family can educate a pillar of the country like Mr. Xiao, and Xue Yan
Yang Academy educates the world, I believe that Xiao Hong was just an accident."
Xiao Chan said: "The third brother is the youngest son of his parents. It is inevitable that the elders will pamper him a little. As an elder brother, the lower official has never fulfilled his responsibilities, which is why he is in the wrong situation today."
Xie Yan said: "I know why Mr. Xiao is here. Take a look. You happen to be working in Dali Temple. After reading this, tell me how to deal with it."
After saying that, Xie Yan raised his hand and threw the booklet on the table next to Xiao Chan.
Throwed over from such a long distance, the folded piece fell on the table in front of Xiao Chen without making the slightest sound.
Xiao Chen opened the booklet, and it contained all the experiences from Xiao Hong's arrival in Beijing to his arrest a few days ago. It even included Xiao Hong's attempt to blackmail Su Rui, but Su Rui counterattacked, and the woman who eloped with him abandoned him.
etc.
Naturally, there is also how Xiao Hong met the people from Southern Xinjiang, how he reached a consensus with the people from Southern Xinjiang, and what exactly Xiao Hong wanted to do by cooperating with the people from Southern Xinjiang. The more he looked at Xiao Chen, the colder he felt in his heart. If not
Xiao Hong attracted the attention of the eldest son of the Luo family, and then the attention of the regent's palace. Maybe it can really be done.
Xiao Chan was aware of the situation in Shangyong during this period. There were already a lot fewer officials in the court. From the regent to the ordinary officials, they were much busier than usual. The people of southern Xinjiang were not involved in court disputes this time and did not want to provoke the regent.
Naturally, the Prince's Mansion, the Luo Family, the Regent's Mansion and the Imperial Court didn't have that much thought to pay attention to these people.
Khenbura was watched by the regent's palace, but no one else was.
If Xiao Hong is really allowed to follow his parents back to Yangxin, the entire Xiao family may be wiped out by him now!
Xie Yan looked at the expression on Xiao Chan's face and asked calmly: "Master Xiao, how should I deal with it?"
Xiao Chan took a deep breath, suppressed his slightly trembling hands without leaving a trace, and put the folder back on the table.
"Imprisoned for life, or...exiled to the army." Xiao Chan said in a deep voice.
Xie Yan said: "The Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple have the same opinion. I don't want the reputation of Mr. Xueyang and the Xiao family to be tarnished. This case will not be announced to the public. Xiao Hong will be escorted directly to Beicheng Meishan in three days. Does Mr. Xiao have any objections?"
Xiao Chan looked moved, stood up, bowed his hands deeply towards Xie Yan, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The regent did this to preserve the reputation and dignity of the Xiao family and Xueyang Academy. It should be noted that if the Xiao family cannot educate their own sons well, how can the world believe that they can educate the world's students?
Xiao Chan took out a thick and ancient-looking book from his sleeve, "This was written by my grandfather during his lifetime, and I hope the prince will accept it."
Xie Yan nodded and reached out to take the booklet.
The handwriting on the booklet is indeed exactly the same as the letter left by Mr. Xueyang, but the handwriting is stronger and stronger than that letter. It should have been written by Mr. Xueyang before he fell ill.
Luo Junyao came over curiously and took a look. The cover said "Pingnan Essentials".
Xie Yan was not in a hurry to read it, but gently closed the book and placed it on the table in front of him. He nodded to Xiao Chen and said, "I would like to thank Mr. Xiao and Mr. Xueyang for Dasheng."
Xiao Chan was a little surprised. After all, the regent had not even read the contents.
Xie Yan said: "I believe that what Mr. Xueyang left behind during his lifetime will never be empty. Mr. Xueyang has this intention, and Mr. Xiao has done this, which shows his true intentions. The affairs of the Xiao family have ended here. I hope Mr. Xiao will recover soon.
, the imperial court and this king both need such a pillar of talent as Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Chen solemnly raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Xiao Chen, thank you for your trust."
Knowing this, Xiao Chen was truly relieved.
After keeping this secret alone for so many years, Xiao Chan was really exhausted. The Yangxin family, the majestic Yangxin family, actually had foreign blood in their direct lineage. For this reason alone, even if the court did not pursue other families, they would not be let go.
Although the aristocratic family has long been weak in the court, they still hold unparalleled power locally, and Xueyang Academy is indeed a coveted existence.
His great-grandfather felt guilty for the rest of his life because he had brought dangers and hidden dangers to the Xiao family. Even though his grandfather was a great scholar in the world, he was still inevitably influenced by his parents and regarded the survival of the Xiao family as his lifelong obsession.
And this obsession was passed to him through his grandfather, and the secret was finally exposed.
Fortunately, the ending is good.
While Xiao Chan was thankful, he also felt that something heavy on his shoulders had finally gradually dissipated.
Since the regent has stopped talking, the Xiao family's affairs will no longer be spread out. Even if there is any accident in the future, at least the Xiao family does not have to worry about being attacked from both sides, and the imperial court will even become their support.
Such an idea goes against the way of survival of aristocratic families for thousands of years, but Xiao Chan sees more clearly that the aristocratic family itself is no longer appropriate.
Their position in the court has long been gone. They can only rely on the wealth and connections accumulated over generations to stay in the local area and pretend not to be seen, maintaining their former honor.
Once the imperial court is truly stabilized, the family's good days will almost come to an end.
Before that happens, it is not a bad idea for the Xiao family to change their thinking and choose another path.
