The atmosphere in the pavilion froze because of Yun Wenfang's words and actions.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jingxi, who stood shielding her, thinking that her matters with Yun Wenfang should not involve the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. If Yun Wenfang went mad and struck Xiao Jingxi, the situation would only worsen.
So she steadied herself, intending to step forward and talk with Yun Wenfang. For the sake of the bigger picture, she had to first soothe Yun Wenfang's emotions; otherwise, if things escalated, she would be the only one to suffer. Though she was trembling with anger, she was no longer a child who acted on impulse.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Ren Yaoqi moved her feet, Xiao Jingxi, as if he had eyes on his back, immediately turned to look at her.
His gaze was as gentle as ever, carrying a soothing power. Yet somehow, under Xiao Jingxi's gaze, Ren Yaoqi unconsciously halted her movement.
Yun Wenfang had been staring fixedly at Xiao Jingxi and Ren Yaoqi, and the interaction between them thoroughly enraged him.
Yun Wenfang wanted to push Xiao Jingxi aside and pull Ren Yaoqi over, but this push actually failed to move Xiao Jingxi.
Frowning, Yun Wenfang shifted his stance, intending to repeat his attempt, when he heard Xiao Jingxi say calmly, "Zishu, are you sure you want to take action in front of me?"
Xiao Jingxi's voice remained gentle, and upon closer listening, it even carried a hint of amusement. Yet everyone else in the pavilion lowered their heads, standing even more respectfully with their hands at their sides.
Yun Wenfang's movements stiffened. When he realized he had been startled by Xiao Jingxi's words, he felt a mix of shame and anger. Glaring fiercely at Xiao Jingxi, he said, "Xiao Jingxi, what gives you the right to interfere? Is it just because you're the second young master of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion? Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you bear the surname Xiao!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi looked at Yun Wenfang with a hint of amusement. "Speaking of status, whether I bear the surname Xiao or not is irrelevant. You should be grateful you bear the surname Yun—this surname has saved you more than once."
Xiao Jingxi's words made Yun Wenfang's expression even uglier. Gritting his teeth, he was about to say something when Xiao Jingxi's gaze passed over him and smiled toward the small path not far from the pavilion.
Yun Wenting hurried out from the path. "Zishu, I've been looking for you for a long time. What are you doing here?"
Seeing both Xiao Jingxi and Xiao Jinglin present, Yun Wenting seemed to ignore Yun Wenfang's expression. As he walked toward the pavilion, he smiled and said, "Tingzhen, Commandery Princess, so you're both here too. I was wondering where everyone had disappeared to, making me search so hard."
Xiao Jingxi nodded with a smile. "You've come just in time. Zishu seems to have lost his way, so he's a bit flustered."
Yun Wenting glanced at Yun Wenfang, shook his head with a smile, and then bowed seriously to Xiao Jingxi. "He's been spoiled at home by our grandmother and mother. He's just childish. Please don't take his offense to heart, Tingzhen."
Xiao Jingxi merely smiled without speaking.
Yun Wenfang turned to glare at Yun Wenting. "Brother—"
"Be quiet!" Yun Wenting's tone was calm, but the look he gave Yun Wenfang carried a hidden warning and severity.
Yun Wenting had always been gentle and kind to his younger brother Yun Wenfang, rarely showing him a stern face. Because of this, Yun Wenting's rare firm attitude made Yun Wenfang unconsciously swallow his words. He only snorted coldly and turned his head away.Yun Wenting did not look at Yun Wenfang again, but instead glanced at the several maids still kneeling outside the pavilion, shifting the topic with some surprise. "They are..."
Xiao Jingxi smiled. "We were just handling a minor matter."
Yun Wenting tactfully did not press further, smoothly replying, "Since you still have matters to attend to, I’ll take Zishu out first."
Xiao Jingxi nodded. "As you wish."
Yun Wenting turned to Yun Wenfang. "Grandmother has people searching everywhere for you. Come back with me."
But Yun Wenfang stared at Ren Yaoqi, stubbornly pressing his lips together and refusing to move.
Yun Wenting let out an almost imperceptible sigh, then walked over to Yun Wenfang. Before anyone could react, he struck the back of Yun Wenfang’s neck with a sharp chop. With a dull thud, the unprepared Yun Wenfang immediately collapsed to the ground.
Everyone present, except for Xiao Jingxi, Yun Wenting, and the now-unconscious Yun Wenfang, stared in stunned silence.
Yun Wenting glanced down at Yun Wenfang, then bowed respectfully to Ren Yaoqi, speaking gently, "Fifth Miss Ren, I apologize on behalf of my younger brother for today’s incident. He has always been rash and impulsive in his actions. I will discipline him properly from now on."
Ren Yaoqi hurriedly curtsied in return. "You are too kind, Young Master Yun. It was all a misunderstanding."
Yun Wenting glanced at Xiao Jinglin, who had remained silent, then looked back at Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jingxi acted as if he hadn’t noticed Yun Wenfang lying on the ground. He chuckled lightly and said, "Since it was a misunderstanding, clearing it up is enough. I hope that the next time we see Zishu, he will be less reckless. After all, if his behavior were to cause any idle gossip, it might be a trivial matter for him, but not necessarily for others."
Upon hearing this, Yun Wenting gave Ren Yaoqi a thoughtful look, then nodded to Xiao Jingxi. "I understand." After a pause, he added, "There will be no idle gossip about today’s incident."
Xiao Jingxi smiled and called out to someone behind him, "Second Young Master Yun has suffered from heatstroke. Please escort him back for me."
As soon as Xiao Jingxi finished speaking, a plain-faced man in gray suddenly emerged from behind a tree trunk. After bowing, he hoisted Yun Wenfang over his shoulder.
Yun Wenting glanced at his brother, who was being carried head-down like a sack, and his lips twitched. With great effort, he suppressed the urge to object, then turned and left.
The gray-clad man followed expressionlessly, carrying Yun Wenfang.
Only after Yun Wenting and Yun Wenfang had disappeared from sight did the people in the pavilion snap out of their daze.
Xiao Jingxi acted as if nothing had happened, turning to Ren Yaoqi with a smile. "You’ve been standing for so long. Aren’t you tired?"
Ren Yaoqi coughed lightly and, lowering her head, followed Xiao Jingxi to sit down. Xiao Jinglin, who had been pretending to be a statue, also came over to sit.
Xiao Jingxi gave Xiao Jinglin a meaningful look.
Xiao Jinglin pretended not to notice and reached for a teacup to divert her attention. Finding it empty, she remembered that the teacups had been taken away. She then turned to the people kneeling outside the pavilion, who were nearly fainting, and spoke with an authoritative tone. "What happened? Explain yourselves!"
The leader among the four maids, her face pale, raised her head. "We... we don’t know what happened. The tea and snacks were prepared in advance in the garden’s Tea Water Room. We have no idea how those spiders got into the teacups."Although Yun Qiuchen had instructed them to deliver the refreshments, they were servants of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion and not someone Yun Qiuchen could command. Even if Yun Qiuchen hadn't given the order, they would have brought tea at that time anyway. Claiming it was Yun Qiuchen's request was merely a convenient way to curry favor with Eldest Miss Yun. This was understood by them, by Yun Qiuchen, and by Xiao Jinglin as well.
Thus, Xiao Jinglin did not suspect Yun Qiuchen of any wrongdoing. Yun Qiuchen had no reason to harm her, and besides, she couldn't command the servants of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
Xiao Jingxi glanced at the head stewardess, who immediately understood and stepped forward, bowing her head to report, "I have already had someone investigate the Tea Water Room. Today, apart from our own people, only the maidservants of Eldest Miss Yun and Miss Wu entered the Tea Water Room to fetch tea."
Xiao Jinglin said expressionlessly, "No need to investigate further. It's obvious who is behind this mischief. Without catching them in the act, an investigation won't accomplish much and might even give them a chance to turn the tables."
The head stewardess looked toward Xiao Jingxi.
After a moment's thought, Xiao Jingxi smiled and said, "Everyone may leave. Handle the matter in the Tea Water Room properly. For now, keep today's incident quiet. We'll address it after the Thousand Gold Banquet."
The head stewardess bowed in acknowledgment and had the maidservants, who were half-scared out of their wits, taken away.
The siblings, Xiao Jingxi and Xiao Jinglin, seemed to tacitly accept that they had suffered a silent grievance, both choosing to remain silent about the matter for the time being.
However, neither of them showed any signs of having been wronged.
Ren Yaoqi knew who they were referring to, but it wasn't her place to comment on the internal conflicts of the prince's mansion. Still, she was concerned about Xiao Jingxi's hand. Once the others had left, she quickly asked, "Your hand—should we call a physician to take a look?"
Hearing this, Xiao Jingxi extended his right hand and placed it before Ren Yaoqi's eyes.
To Ren Yaoqi's surprise, the swelling on Xiao Jingxi's thumb and index finger had already subsided, leaving only a faint redness.
"I told you it was fine. Are you reassured now?" Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi with a smile.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at his hand, then at him, and ultimately swallowed her many questions, saying only, "It's good that it's fine. But... you should still have a physician examine it when you return."
Xiao Jingxi couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright."
He agreed so readily that Ren Yaoqi was momentarily at a loss for words.
Instead, Xiao Jingxi smiled and said, "Ordinary poisons have no effect on me."
Ren Yaoqi blinked, thinking to herself, Should you really be telling me such a secret? Yet, seeing the calm smile on Xiao Jingxi's face, she felt an inexplicable pang of sadness. To dispel this unpleasant feeling, she joked, "So you're like the legendary figure who is impervious to all poisons?"
Xiao Jingxi was momentarily taken aback, then smiled gently, looking at Ren Yaoqi as he slowly replied, "So now you know another one of my secrets."
Ren Yaoqi: "..."
Xiao Jinglin glanced from one to the other, thought for a moment, and remained silent. She reflected that the techniques her master had taught her for concealing her presence while infiltrating enemy territory could also be applied in other ways—like now, when she could make her own presence nearly imperceptible.
"You have an excellent memory," Ren Yaoqi said helplessly.
"That's why I also remember that I still owe you a wager," Xiao Jingxi replied with a smile.Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment: "Then how about I claim it back today?"
"Just say the word." Xiao Jingxi was very curious about what Ren Yaoqi wanted, and Xiao Jinglin also looked over with great interest.
Ren Yaoqi said: "During the Thousand Gold Banquet, I want you to help me keep an eye on a few people."
First, congratulations to the deputy moderator of Di Mou, Mian Qian, on taking office~
Let's give a round of applause｀（∩_∩）′
Some have asked about the discussion group for Di Mou. There was one for Ming Men before, but it wasn't made public due to lack of time to manage it, and no one was added. Now, here is the group number: 248028719
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