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Published at 20th of November 2020 10:45:26 AM


Chapter 172: 172

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“Return good for evil? Then what would return for kindness?” Shi Qingxue asked with a sneer and looked into Baoning’s eyes. “It turns out that in your heart, I am the same as any of our cousins in this mansion, right?”

“I…”

Shi Baoning couldn’t say anything.

She always thought herself just. As the eldest lady in the mansion, she wanted to be impartial so that she could deserve the title given by Mo Shujun. When facing anybody else at any time, she could boldly say that she was never partial.

But…

Shi Baoning didn’t even dare to meet Shi Qingxue’s bright eyes and avoided talking about the sensitive problem. She merely said, “I just think we are cousins and should help each other…”

Shi Qingxue interrupted her, “Did Shi Baojin think that we were cousins and should show mercy when she did that to me? Sister, don’t you always talk about being impartial? I treated Shi Baojin the same way she treated me. Isn’t that fair?”

At the moment, Shi Baoning was really speechless.

Dong Hui didn’t want them to argue because of an outsider. She held Qingxue’s shoulder and advised her, “Baoning doesn’t want you to have too many enemies. After all, you can offend a gentleman but can’t irritate a mean man. Sometimes you don’t do anything wrong, but you would be hurt. We can do nothing about it.”

Shi Baoning nodded and grabbed Qingxue’s hand again, saying sincerely, “That’s what I want to say. You are my younger sister, and I just hope that you are safe and sound, without being injured again.”

“Right. I hope most that both of you live in peace and good health. If you argue about something irrelevant and ruin your kinship, wouldn’t you make the third master’s family mock at you?”

While speaking, Dong Hui pushed Shi Junhe and hoped that he could help her persuade Shi Qingxue.

But Shi Junhe looked at Shi Baoning seriously and asked, “When we were in King Rui’s mansion, His Excellency had mentioned what happened in the Peace Temple. What was he talking about?”

Shi Baoning stiffened with an unfathomable expression. She was sad because Shi Junhe asked her this question, and meanwhile she was scared as what had happened in the past would be revealed.

Her expression changed several times, but she couldn’t speak a word at last.

Shi Junhe then looked at Dong Hui and asked the same question. Under her embarrassed expression, he stated calmly, “Although His Excellency is not a good person in many aspects, he wouldn’t lie about this matter. So, I need to know what on earth happened then to make him condemn us.”

Shi Qingxue didn’t know that her family had been to King Rui’s mansion to ask for the ladies, so she didn’t say anything but listened silently.

However, Shi Junhe didn’t get any information he wanted from the two, so he turned to Shi Qingxue and stated unhurriedly, “Qingxue, you tell me.”

“I…”

“No!” Shi Baoning interrupted in haste as soon as Shi Qingxue started.

With tears in her eyes, Shi Baoning looked in pain and humiliated. Tears fell along her cheeks. “Father, I know you are always partial to Qingxue, but I am your daughter, too. You should be clear about my character. How can you question me because of an outsider’s ungrounded suspicion?”

Shi Junhe still looked serious and asked, “If you didn’t do anything to hurt your sister, why are you afraid of my question?”

Shi Baoning argued anxiously, “I am not afraid. I… I just… I just don’t think you trust me.”

Afterward, she lowered her head in low spirits and looked like she was hurt.

Shi Junhe was still unmoved and expressed impassively, “In that case, I am going to find out the truth now, and then you can avoid suspicion. If His Excellency comes next time, I won’t be speechless after he asks, like I was last time.”

“I…” Shi Baoning had nothing to say.

She felt depressed again and shed more tears, shouting at Shi Junhe in embarrassment and rage, “You have gone too far.”

Shi Baoning covered her face and ran out of the study, and Dong Hui looked sullen, but she was guilty and didn’t argue with Shi Junhe. She merely explained in a low voice, “Baoning is just a child. I’m afraid that she will do something stupid as she can’t get over it. I’m going to check on her.”

There were only Shi Junhe and Qingxue left in the study.

Shi Qingxue was clear that Shi Junhe said that because he loved her, so she didn’t say anything unpleasant to make him unhappy. She just sat next to him and kept him company.

After a while, Shi Junhe came to his senses after Shi Baoning reproached him, but he still asked Shi Qingxue, “Qingxue, tell me what happened in the Peace Temple.”

“Ah…” Shi Qingxue was dumbfounded and stuttered for quite a while but just uttered some pointless words.

Shi Junhe waited for a while and got impatient. He stared at Shi Qingxue and asked in a deep voice, “What? When did you become so generous? Or do you want to hide such a matter from your father?”

“No, I didn’t mean that!” Shi Qingxue denied in a hurry.

Seeing that she couldn’t avoid it, she had to confess, “Okay, I will tell you.”

She held Shi Junhe’s arm like a spoiled child. “Father, you know well about me. I am never merciful. I don’t hurt anybody, but if somebody dares to offend me, I will let them pay for it at a higher price.”

“In that case, why did you refuse to tell me what happened in the Peace Temple till I force you to answer?” Shi Junhe was confused.

Shi Qingxue stuck out her tongue in low spirits, looking naughty but lovely. “Because I don’t remember what happened in the Peace Temple. How can you investigate it?”

Shi Junhe was stunned and murmured after a long time, “No. How is it possible? Didn’t you say that you have regained your memory? Why don’t you remember?

Did you lie to me? You can’t remember anything, but Mo Junyang told you to say that, right?”

Shi Qingxue was helpless as Mo Junyang left such a bad impression to Shi Junhe. She had to explain, “No. I can really remember.”

In order to convince him, Shi Qingxue told Shi Junhe that she had won Zhao Haoran when they shot arrows in the training ground. She expressed complacently, “If I didn’t regain my memory, how could I shoot so accurately like before? After all, Grandpa and you taught me.”

Shi Junhe also smiled with relief and caressed Shi Qingxue’s soft hair with a gentler expression on his face. “It’s great that you don’t forget.”

While speaking, he showed loneliness on his dignified face and lowered his voice. “You don’t know how worried I was. I feared that you would forget your father and only remember Mo Junyang.”

“Father!” Shi Qingxue had tears in her eyes.

She suddenly thought that when she was a child, she had few chances to be with Shi Junhe. It was difficult to be a strict father, but he was gentle to her most of the time. When she was naughty and irritated Dong Hui, Shi Junhe indulged her and held her in his arms, preventing Dong Hui from punishing her.

At that time, her father’s embrace was so tolerant and warm.

She could still remember it, as if it were yesterday.

Shi Qingxue couldn’t control herself anymore and rushed into her father’s arms, whispering in a sobbing voice, “No. I would never forget you purposely. Even if there is an accident, I would think of you soon and then come back to you quickly, so please don’t feel sad anymore.”

Shi Junhe held Shi Qingxue’s face with both hands and gently wiped the tears under her eyes and on her cheeks with his rough fingers. He thought with emotion, “I thought it’s fine that I treat two daughters fairly and don’t ignore either of them, but till now, I am indifferent to Baoning’s tears but feel heartbroken to see Qingxue’s tearful eyes and want to give her anything nice. No wonder Baoning said I am partial.”

“Well, stop crying. If you continue, you will be ugly!” Shi Junhe comforted her with love.

He changed the subject. “You haven’t told me why you could come.”

“Junyang told me to come back. He was afraid that if I don’t return home after I recover, there will be much gossip, so he let me leave.”

While speaking, Shi Qingxue had a sly smile on her face. “So, I went to the Shou’an Hall to greet Grandma as soon as I came back home.”

Her big beautiful eyes were pure and clean, and the long eyelashes were shaking and attractive.

Shi Junhe knew that his stupid daughter fully trusted Mo Junyang, so he couldn’t be critical.

He just reminded her seriously. “I don’t know if His Excellency told you that your grandma wanted the token granted by Emperor, but now that you are back, you should know about it.”

Shi Qingxue was petrified and didn’t understand what Shi Junhe meant. “Father, since you told me, do you hope that I could give the token granted by Emperor to Grandma?”

“Of course not!” Shi Junhe looked unusually solemn and grabbed Qingxue’s hand, sighing deeply. “In fact, I should have told you something earlier.”

“Hmm?” Shi Qingxue looked confused and didn’t know why her father got so serious.

Shi Junhe touched Qingxue’s head helplessly. “Do you remember your grandpa’s words when he gave the token granted by Emperor to you?”

Shi Qingxue nodded. “Grandpa said that the token granted by Emperor can protect me. As long as I take it out, all the family must agree to my requirement.”

“Besides, in fact, my father gave the token granted by Emperor to you for a more important reason.” Shi Junhe pondered for a while and then continued frankly, “All the noble families in the capital city know that the token granted by Emperor can protect a family, and many people covet this treasure.

But my father thought such a life-protecting token was the same as a sugar-coated poison to a child in the family. It’s sweet if you taste it for the first time and you would taste for the second time. As it goes on like this, you will kill yourself because of your willfulness someday.”

Recollecting the scene when Shi Lei talked with him, Shi Junhe had a deep yearning and felt depressed and helpless.

He couldn’t live up to his father’s expectations.

Shi Qingxue couldn’t bear to see Shi Junhe’s expression and pretended to be relieved. “Grandpa gave this sugar-coated poison to me. Did he want to tempt me to take the poison?”




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