Chapter 420: Entering the City
Editor: Atlas Studios
Fan Zijin, who had just bought an eatery and planned to transform it into a restaurant, was indeed well-informed. The person he had sent to keep an eye on the Qi family reported that the Qi family’s servants had been waiting at the Ten Mile Pavilion outside the north of the city for two days. Hearing that, he knew that the Qi family had definitely not received the news that Haoran and the others were arriving late.
Hence, when he returned at night, he locked himself in the study and wrote a letter imitating Qi Haoran’s handwriting and tone. The next day, he got someone to find an acquaintance at the relay station to make it appear that the letter was sent from Jingzhao Prefecture before sending it to the Qi Residence.
Qi Feng widened his eyes and asked angrily, “A letter actually took a month to arrive?”
The signature on the letter indicated that Qi Haoran had written this the night before they set off. It was already the 31st day today.
The relay station’s people were very puzzled, but they still explained good-naturedly, “Assistant Commander Qi sent a surface mail. As it’s snowing in the north now, it’s difficult to walk on the road. It’s inevitable that the letter will be delayed for some time. Other than the memorandums to the Imperial Court, the rest are all postponed. This is actually considered fast. The letters from ordinary people might not even arrive in two months.”
Qi Feng tightened his grip on the envelope. In the end, he still asked someone to send the messenger away. Fine, now he didn’t even have a reason to be angry anymore. But he was still furious. What should he do?
While he was fuming, a servant ran in happily and said, “Master, Fourth Young Master has sent someone over to inform us that they should reach the capital tomorrow.”
Qi Feng narrowed his eyes and said, “Call him in.”
The closer they got to the capital, the tenser Qi Haoran’s expression became. Although he had never mentioned the Qi family in front of her, Mu Yangling could guess that he did not have a good relationship with Father Qi from his conversation with Fan Zijin and their brothers’ attitude towards the Qi family.
Hence, she was still a little nervous about interacting with the Qi family. On the other hand, Li Jinghua was much more calm. Before she left, Qi Xiuyuan specially mentioned, “With the Qi family, you just have to put up a show on the surface. There’s no need to be afraid.”
With this reassurance, Li Jinghua was very calm.
When the convoy arrived at the Ten Mile Pavilion outside the city, the Qi family’s servants followed behind Fan Zijin and welcomed them. Sitting on his horse, Qi Haoran lowered his head to look at the two gray-robed slaves and narrowed his eyes.
To think there were only two people from the Qi Residence who came. They did not even send a nanny. Qi Haoran snorted and without even looking at them, he got off the horse and approached Fan Zijin.
Fan Zijin told Qi Haoran about the situation in Lin’an Prefecture and said, “Uncle is a little angry. Madam Wu will probably try to take Sister-in-law and Ah Ling down a notch. Do restrain yourself. At the very least, don’t let the imperial censors who are watching you catch you red-handed.”
Qi Haoran agreed. Fan Zijin glanced at the carriage again and said, “Remind Ah Ling to suppress her temper.”
Qi Haoran defended her. “Ah Ling has a good temper.”
Fan Zijin stared at him with his eyes wide open. Blushing, Qi Haoran agreed as he felt uncomfortable under that gaze.
Fan Zijin snorted and asked, “Do you want me to go back with you?”
With an outsider like him around, Uncle couldn’t go overboard, right?
However, Qi Haoran shook his head. “You can’t always be by my side. He has to flare up once sooner or later.”
Fan Zijin did not insist on following. After sending them to the Qi Residence’s door, he went back. Qi Haoran shouted, “I’ll bring Ah Ling to greet Aunt tomorrow. Remember to tell Aunt.”
Fan Zijin waved his hand as an answer.
The Qi Residence’s door opened and the carriage entered. The servants and men all retreated. Only then did Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling come out of the carriage. Seeing that there was no soft palanquin to pick them up, Qi Haoran resisted the urge to kick them. He narrowed his eyes and asked Nanny Qian, “Where’s the soft palanquin?”
Embarrassment flashed across Nanny Qian’s face. She looked at the two young madams pleadingly and replied in a low voice, “The soft palanquin is broken. I’ll have to trouble Eldest Madam and Fourth Madam to walk to the inner courtyard…”
Qi Haoran kicked Nanny Qian away and roared, “Who’s in charge of the matters in this household? If you can’t even handle such a small matter, what’s the use of having you around? Men, drag her down and flog her to death.”
Two burly maidservants rushed out from behind Qi Haoran and grabbed Nanny Qian, wanting to drag her away. Previously, Nanny Qian only felt that her internal organs were squeezed together, and her vision couldn’t help but darken. Only when she was grabbed did she snap out of her daze slightly and hurriedly beg for mercy. “Fourth Young Master, I know my mistake, but this was all arranged by Madam. That soft palanquin is really broken.”
“I sent someone back yesterday to inform you guys that I’ll be back today. Yet you can’t even come up with a soft palanquin today. Is it because I’ve been away from the capital for too long that you think I’m easy to bully?”
How was he easy to bully? He was even more unreasonable than before. Nanny Qian felt like dying. She’d thought that Fourth Young Master should be more sensible since he had been away from home for five years and was already married. Unexpectedly, his temper had gotten worse. In the past, he would at most kick her before leaving angrily. Now, he actually ordered the servants to have her beaten to death.
Fourth Young Master never boasted, so Nanny Qian grabbed the rockery at the side with all her might and cried, “Fourth Young Master, I won’t dare to do it again. I’ll get someone to bring a soft palanquin over now.”
Qi Haoran sneered. “Is the soft palanquin available now?”
“Yes, yes. The craftsmen should have repaired it by now.” Nanny Qian kowtowed and said, “It’s all because I wasn’t meticulous enough. I was afraid of being delayed in picking up the two young madams. That’s why I said that the soft palanquin wasn’t repaired without checking.”
Qi Haoran called two maidservants to go with her to get the soft palanquin.
Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling stood at the side without saying a word and waited for the soft palanquin to pick them up. They both knew that Qi Haoran was actually throwing a tantrum because of them. Otherwise, if they were bullied like this the moment they entered the Qi Residence, these snobbish servants would trample on them in the future.
It was not that Li Jinghua did not have a better way to win people’s hearts later. However, she was pregnant now. Besides, they had just entered the capital and had many things to do. It was naturally good to save some effort.
Although Qi Haoran’s method was rough, it was very useful.
After getting kicked, and with two people holding her back, Nanny Qian did not dare to play any tricks. She obediently got someone to carry two soft palanquins over. The maidservants who came to welcome them all cowered at the side in fear. Clearly, they were also frightened by Qi Haoran.
The two sisters-in-law got into the soft palanquins and were carried into the second door. When Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu, who were originally sitting in the main room, heard the report and knew that there was a commotion in front, they nervously looked at Madam Wu, whose expression was a little ugly. Madam Xu asked hesitatingly, “Mother, why don’t Third Sister-in-law and I go to welcome Eldest Sister-in-law and Fourth Sister-in-law?”
Madam Wu snorted, but she still nodded slightly in agreement.
Madam Xu brought Little Madam Wu to the entrance of the courtyard to wait. Madam Xu originally wanted to go to the second gate, but when she saw Nanny Wu stop at the entrance of the courtyard, she knew that it was Madam Wu’s idea and could only stop helplessly.
She could understand Madam Wu’s intention of taking them down a notch, but they could’ve gone about it in a less blatant manner.
Why did she have to make a fuss about such a thing and give people a reason to gossip?
She had never seen this Fourth Brother before, but after marrying into the family, she had heard many servants mention that he was hot-tempered. In that case, there was really no need to anger him over such an insignificant matter. Unfortunately, her mother-in-law would not listen to her.
Just as she was letting her imagination run wild, two soft palanquins arrived. Madam Xu looked up and subconsciously smiled.