Chapter 185 Princess Pingning asks questions
Yang Wenyuan and Changbai first saluted the three elders.

"I was wondering why you three suddenly said you wanted to leave. Turns out you came here to make some decisions."

Yang Wenyuan looked at the three people sitting on their own, with Hualan the only one "struggling to hold on" alone. He glanced at the chips on Hualan's table that were equal to those of Wang Ruofu, and immediately teased:
"You three are going to deal with your eldest sister together, right?"

Minglan looked embarrassed, but she immediately thought about it and quickly replied:

"Brother-in-law, with you here, we little ones dare not act rashly. The seat next to Big Sister is reserved for you."

"Yeah yeah!"

Rulan also nodded hurriedly and echoed:

"Brother-in-law, please sit down quickly. Otherwise, when my elder sister sees that I lost so much today, I'm afraid she will deny it again later."

"Good girl Rulan, tell me clearly in front of so many people, when did I deny my words?" Hualan said in a bad tone.

Although Hualan believed that every time she lost a game it was because of bad luck and had nothing to do with her skills, she never denied it once!
You can question my skills, but you can't doubt my character!
"Isn't this fair to my brother-in-law?" Seeing that her sister Hualan was a little angry, Rulan pouted and muttered softly.

"You are not allowed to talk nonsense then."

Hualan finally found a way to vent her anger at losing, and she made full use of her bloodline as an older sister to give Rulan a verbal lecture. Although Rulan was at an overall disadvantage, she protested from time to time based on her inner "integrity" and face.

The two of them were talking back and forth, just like little girls bickering.

"I'm sorry that our family neglected to discipline you, and made you embarrassed." Seeing Hualan and Rulan "arguing", Mrs. Sheng apologized to Mrs. Yu next to her.

However, although Old Lady Sheng expressed her shame, her tone did not contain any blame. Instead, there was a hint of comfort in her eyes, as if she was enjoying watching the bickering between the two sisters Hualan and Rulan.

Old Mrs. Yu was not angry either, and replied:
"Old sister, you are showing off again. If my children and grandchildren were as harmonious as yours, I would wake up laughing in my dreams."

As she spoke, Old Lady Yu glanced at Yu Yanran beside her and sighed softly. Yu Yanran immediately lowered her eyes which were full of envy.

Old Madam Sheng chuckled in response.

When Hua Lan stopped, she immediately asked Yang Wenyuan:

"Your wife has already lost. You invented mahjong, so you must be better than us. Why don't you sit down next to us?"

Yang Wenyuan shook his head and refused.

It would be fine if Minglan, Rulan and Yu Yanran, the three little ones, came to join in the fun, but how could a man like me, who is already married, rush forward?

If I had brought Yang Ruijin with me today, it would have been more appropriate to let her go up.

Yang Wenyuan turned and looked at Changbai.

Changbai understood what his brother-in-law meant and shook his head hurriedly.

Although he roughly understood the rules of mahjong, he was naturally unwilling to sit at the table under the circumstances.

Neither my husband nor my biological brother can be trusted.

Seeing this, Hua Lan could only turn back in disappointment. When she looked at the cards in her hand, she encouraged herself in her heart.

I don’t believe that my luck is so bad today!

The Duke's Mansion of Qi.

main entrance.

After Qi Heng got on the car, he knew it might be a little late, so he immediately urged the driver to go home quickly.

At that time, a carriage with the Qi family logo on it was speeding on the road. Fortunately, there were not many pedestrians at that time, so there were no troublesome incidents such as scratches.

Before getting off the carriage, Qi Heng was still regretting his impulsive behavior.

I knew clearly that my mother had told me to go home early today, but how come I forgot it when I was in high spirits?

Moreover, he also knew that his second uncle Gu Tingye's skill in pitching pots was far superior to anyone else's and was the best in Bian Jing. How could he be so foolish as to go forward and "bring humiliation upon himself"?

When he was impulsive, the only thing that came to his mind was the benefits of doing something, but after calming down, Qi Heng now wanted to slap himself in the face, and he was still harboring a sense of luck in his heart.

Got off the car in a hurry.

Qi Heng immediately glanced towards the door.

Qi Heng heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that his mother's accompanying lady-in-waiting, Nanny Li, was not there to "greet" him at the door.

"It seems that mother did not blame me for coming home late today, otherwise Nanny Li would have been standing at the door waiting for me to fall into her trap."

Qi Heng and the servant looked at each other.

They both saw the joy of surviving the disaster in each other's eyes.

Realize it's okay.

Qi Heng adjusted his clothes on the spot, then walked into the mansion calmly.

Entered the door.

Seeing that Nanny Li did not "block the door", Qi Heng finally put his doubts to rest.

"It seems that I was worrying too much!"

Qi Heng thought so in his heart, while leading Buwei to the study room in the backyard with brisk steps -

Just like in previous years, Princess Pingning invited the chief examiners of previous imperial examinations to help set the questions and to review and revise them when they were free at the end of the Spring Festival.

The backyard of the Qi family has been under the full authority of Princess Pingning for decades. Since Qi Heng was born, there has always been a depressing and dull atmosphere. So today, when the maids in the family saw him, they immediately lowered their heads and left in a hurry. Qi Heng did not notice anything unusual.

Until we entered the inner courtyard...

Qi Heng was talking happily to Buwei, but when he just stepped into the hanging flower gate and looked up, he saw his mother, Princess Pingning, sitting on a chair under the eaves opposite, staring at him with a sullen face.

Qi Heng's heart immediately skipped a beat.

There is no doubt that my luck seemed particularly ridiculous, and my mother was still dissatisfied with my late return home today.

However, today he did not let Nanny Li guard the door as usual, but waited in the back house himself, waiting for himself to fall into the trap.

Qi Heng looked around and found that there were many servants standing in the corridors on both sides.

"It must be the mother who called them here on purpose, otherwise they wouldn't dare to listen in."

But Qi Heng soon became confused.

"Mother, do you want to scold me in front of the servants?"

Qi Heng felt that the development of things was beyond his expectations.

Qi Heng's heart sank as he was afraid that today's incident could not be easily covered up with a scolding.

"Heng'er, didn't you say that you would go early and come back early? Even if the Sheng family invited us to dinner, we wouldn't be so late, right?" While speaking, Princess Pingning raised her head slightly and glanced at the sky.

It wasn't completely dark yet, just slightly dim.

Qi Heng bowed and pretended to be calm:

"Mother, today I went to visit Mr. Zhuang at the Sheng's house with my brother Yang and my second uncle Gu. We then learned that Mr. Zhuang was planning to open a private school soon. I was so happy that I could study hard in Mr. Zhuang's class. At noon, my uncle Sheng invited me to have lunch. We were so happy that we drank too much. We stayed at the Sheng's house to talk and sober up, so we came back a little late."

A lie has to be 70% true and 30% false to be credible. The cause and effect of this statement can be connected, and Qi Heng thought he was very satisfied.

But how could he guess what was in Princess Pingning's mind?

Princess Pingning believed most of what her son Qi Heng said, but the words "I'm very happy that you can start class early" were irritating to her ears.

Is it true that my son is so happy just because he is studying hard?
No other reason?
Princess Pingning knew her son very well, so she didn't believe it in her heart. But the focus today was not on Qi Heng.

"You know that studying hard is the best."

Princess Pingning nodded slightly, as if she believed Qi Heng's words, and said with a faint smile:

"Study hard and prepare for the imperial examination. You don't need to worry about the family affairs."

"Go."

When Qi Heng heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been pardoned, and nodded quickly:
"Yes, mother, I will go to the study to finish today's homework."

After saying that, Qi Heng immediately called Buwei, who had been bowing behind him, to follow.

"Wait a minute!"

Princess Pingning said lightly:
"Heng'er, you don't need others to bother you with your studies, so why don't you stay here first?"

Qi Heng then understood his mother's intention.

No wonder today was different from usual, and he even called many servants over to witness it.

It turned out that the blame was directed at Buwei!
Qi Heng said anxiously:

"Mother, not for him..."

"All right!"

When Princess Pingning saw that Qi Heng was still trying to speak for this servant, her friendly expression quickly changed and she said in a cold voice:
"Heng'er, don't stay, go to the study."

"But...but..."

Qi Heng saw that his mother was obviously angry, and considering the master-servant relationship between him and Buwei, he was speechless for a long time and just hesitated.

"No, what do you think?"

Princess Pingning didn't want to argue with her beloved son Qi Heng, so she just asked Buwei a question.

After these words were spoken, Qi Heng remained standing there anxiously and speechless, while Buwei's body trembled.

He clearly understood the deep love between his master and his son, and he would not allow it to be broken because of a servant like him. Even if there was a short and insignificant break, he would not regret dying.

Buwei immediately knelt down and lowered his head, muffled voice said:

"Sir, go finish your homework first. I'll be there soon."

"Not for...you..."

In this situation, it was obvious that his mother was here for Buwei, but Buwei actually persuaded him to leave. Qi Heng immediately looked puzzled, but since Buwei had spoken, the balance in Qi Heng's heart slowly began to waver.

Princess Pingning saw that the time was almost up and said softly:
"Heng'er, go to the study first. I'll ask Buwei to find you later."

This sentence was like the last straw that broke the camel's back. Qi Heng nodded helplessly and left.

Qi Heng was led away by other female officials.

In the courtyard.

With Qi Heng's departure, the originally depressing atmosphere suddenly seemed to stagnate, as if the air had weight, making Buwei's breathing become more and more rapid, and the contact area between his forehead and the bluestone slab became larger and larger.

The stone slabs in early spring are exceptionally cold, just as if they were not designed for my current mood.

Finally, Princess Pingning’s words penetrated Buwei’s heart like the final judgment.

"Did the young master talk to Miss Sheng today?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Buwei's heart skipped a beat.

"Could it be that the princess has sensed what the young master is thinking?"

However, Buwei was not particularly panicked. After all, when the young master was studying at home, the princess asked him to look after him to prevent any maid from using seductive methods on him or the young master paying too much attention to a particular maid.

"In reply to your Majesty, the young master was invited to have dinner when he went to Mr. Zhuang's place. Afterwards, when he was sobering up, he talked with the Second Young Master Sheng, Young Marquis Yang, and the Second Young Master Gu."

I don't feel comfortable saying this.

After all, his own young master just stood up for Miss Sheng Liu, but failed, so naturally he did not speak to Miss Sheng.

"Did the young master really come back after sobering up? Did he not do anything else?"

Princess Pingning stared at Buwei and slowly said:

"If you really want to do this for the good of the young master, then think it over before you speak."

The scene suddenly came to a standstill.

After a long while, Buwei's low murmur was heard:
"Yes, but in the middle, Mr. Gu got interested and urged the gentlemen at the table to play pot tossing for a while. Mr. Gu also became interested and played pot tossing a few times."

"Vote with Gu Tingye?"

Buwei paused for a moment and replied:

"Return to your mother's words, yes."

"Heng'er took the initiative?"

"Yes."

Princess Pingning thought for a moment and continued to ask:
"Heng'er took the initiative to challenge Gu Tingye to a pot-throwing competition? Not for anything else?"

"It must be that my brother has become interested..."

It was unknown how much time had passed before Princess Pingning spoke again.

"Well, I kept you here today for no other reason than to ask you some questions. Now that you have finished your report, go and serve the young master."

"Yes!" Buwei responded immediately.

Originally, Buwei was still feeling uneasy, not knowing how Princess Pingning would punish him. After all, the young master's late return could be considered as the fault of his personal attendant for not taking adequate care of him. However, he did not expect that after just a few simple questions, he was easily let go.

This was the most unprecedented tolerance shown by Princess Pingning since Buwei could remember, and he could hardly believe it for a moment.

Until Li Ma Ma said:
"Why are you still lying on the ground? You have no manners, go and serve the young master!"

Buwei, however, did not show any dissatisfaction. He stood up immediately as if he had received an imperial decree, and walked quickly towards the back house. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared around the corner.

"Your Majesty, this boy doesn't seem to be telling the truth." After Buwei left, Nanny Li bent down and whispered in his ear.

"Of course I know."

Princess Pingning looked around at the servants standing with their heads bowed in the corridors and said softly:
"Heng'er has never been good at pitching pots, and Gu Tingye's pitching pot skills are famous throughout the entire Bianjing. I know Heng'er's temper. If there were no other reasons, Heng'er would definitely not take the initiative to find Gu Tingye."

"Then why don't you..."

Princess Pingning shook her head.

"Heng'er is preparing for the imperial examination now and cannot be distracted."

"Besides, I can tolerate the Sixth Young Lady of the Sheng Family for now, let alone for this little servant."

"Wait a minute. Now we are giving this servant a chance. It is also for others to see. Although I am a strict head of the household, I am not the kind of person who will beat him to death with a stick if he finds someone wrong."

"If we wait until the pediatric exam is over, everything will be different..."

(End of this chapter)