Xiao Jingxi stood in place for a while before turning to leave, while Mu Hu maintained his dumbstruck expression, his entire body rigid as he stared at the Ren family’s main gate.
When Xiao Jingxi walked near him, he said, “Since you want to guard here, then guard it.”
Mu Hu stiffly and slowly turned his neck, pointing toward the Ren mansion’s gate with a terrified expression: “Y-Young Master, she, she, she… isn’t, isn’t Hongying?”
Xiao Jingxi raised an eyebrow and good-naturedly informed his subordinate as he walked forward: “She’s Hongying’s sister, Nanxing. You didn’t know Hongying had a sister?”
Mu Hu followed step by step like a lost soul: “I heard Miss Hongying had a sister, but I’d never seen her and didn’t know they looked exactly alike… No wonder every time I called her Hongying, I’d get beaten. I thought that was her way of expressing intimacy…”
Xiao Jingxi was somewhat surprised to hear this: “You enjoy being beaten?” He paused and considerately comforted his subordinate, “Jingling has quite a few skilled women there. I’ll have her keep an eye out for you.”
Mu Hu suddenly raised his head, shaking it like a rattling drum, expressing with steadfast determination: “Others won’t do—I only want her!”
Xiao Jingxi smiled: “Oh? When you say ‘her,’ do you mean Hongying or Nanxing?”
Mu Hu’s expression of unwavering determination instantly crumbled. He let out a strange “Aoww—” cry, covered his head, and crouched down in the middle of the road.
Xiao Jingxi looked at this capable subordinate who had squatted down anywhere like an abandoned large dog, completely without dignity, and couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his eye.
So even long after Xiao Jingxi left, Mu Hu remained alone, crouched in the middle of the road growing mushrooms, his tragic expression as if the sky had fallen. Fortunately, because of the soldiers’ arrival, there weren’t many people in this alley, so at least Mu Hu didn’t completely disgrace the face of Yanbei’s military.
Xiao Jingxi had just returned to the Yanbei Prince’s mansion when Xiao Shun came to request an audience.
Originally, since the person had already been handed over to Xiao Shun, it was up to him to torment them however he wished. Unlike his brother Xiao Hua, who came from the shadow guards and had an unremarkable face, Xiao Shun was only of medium height and had an extremely delicate face. Because his complexion was always an unhealthy pale, he even appeared somewhat frail. Therefore, in his youth, he was always mocked for looking like a girl. However, no one had expected that Xiao Shun, who looked like a girl, was more ruthless than anyone else. The bloody, hellish scenes of interrogation that would make ordinary people feel sick, Xiao Shun could face with an unchanged expression, even with apparent enjoyment. Though he never personally took action, many of the terrifying punishments in the Yanbei Prince’s mansion’s secret prison were his inventions.
However, though Xiao Shun had some dark hobbies unfit for outsiders to know, he was a clever and dutiful subordinate. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have become one of Xiao Jingxi’s confidants. So when Lu Dexin was delivered into his hands, he didn’t immediately apply torture. After all, Lu Dexin’s identity was special, and he hadn’t heard of any personal grudge between his master and this eunuch, so he needed to ask for instructions on how to handle the matter.
Hearing that Xiao Shun had come about Lu Dexin’s matter, Xiao Jingxi, who was reviewing documents in his study, didn’t even lift his head: “Handle it as you see fit. I never interfere with people handed over to you.”
Xiao Shun paused, probing: “What are his crimes?” What Xiao Shun meant was: Does Lu Dexin’s life need to be preserved?
Xiao Jingxi’s slender fingers lightly tapped on the desk: “Deceiving the sovereign.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shun breathed a sigh of relief, and a barely perceptible excitement flashed in his cold eyes. Deceiving the sovereign was a capital offense, so he could torment him however he wished.
Since Xiao Jingxi had arrested Lu Dexin, he absolutely wouldn’t give him a chance to return alive to the capital. Xiao Jingxi never allowed enemies to turn around and bite back. However, before Lu Dexin died, he had a score to settle with him properly.
Before Xiao Shun withdrew, Xiao Jingxi said lightly: “I don’t know which hand it was… Since that’s the case, don’t leave either of his hands.”
Xiao Shun was stunned, then immediately turned around and acknowledged the order. Though he was somewhat curious in his heart, he ultimately didn’t show it on his face. Since his master had given instructions, he would handle the matter properly.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t know that the person she most detested and hated in her previous life had thus been handed over by Xiao Jingxi to Xiao Shun for proper “education.” She also didn’t know that the pain Lu Dexin had once inflicted upon her would be repaid by Lu Dexin with suffering tens or hundreds of times greater.
Publicly, Lu Dexin had long since become a dead man due to the crime of deceiving the sovereign. Those he had brought were luckier than he, though they ultimately couldn’t escape death; at least they didn’t suffer as he did.
So Xiao Jingxi had never been a kind and gentle person. He was a qualified superior who could be more ruthless than anyone when necessary. He was also a mature politician—if you offended him, he would make you die, but he could also let you jump around when the time wasn’t right, waiting to settle all accounts after autumn.
Lu Dexin never imagined until his death that his inability to die peacefully in this lifetime was because he had once attempted to molest Second Young Master Xiao’s beloved, albeit unsuccessfully.
Here, Xiao Jingxi calmly disposed of Lu Dexin, while things weren’t quiet on Ren Yaoqi’s side either.
After Nanxing returned, she reported everything that had happened outside to Ren Yaoqi.
When she heard that Lu Dexin had been taken away by Xiao Jingxi, Ren Yaoqi was stunned, then felt somewhat complicated emotions. She naturally knew that since Xiao Jingxi had pinned this crime on Lu Dexin, he wouldn’t let him live. With her enemy about to die, Ren Yaoqi naturally felt satisfied, but she hadn’t expected Xiao Jingxi to act so swiftly.
“That tablet…” Ren Yaoqi found it suspicious that Lu Dexin’s tablet had shattered so inexplicably, and Xiao Jingxi had appeared so timely, as if he had anticipated that scene.
So, regardless of how gentle and affectionate Xiao Jingxi appeared before Ren Yaoqi, in Ren Yaoqi’s eyes, Xiao Jingxi had never been any righteous gentleman or kind good person. Their relationship had begun with Xiao Jingxi repeatedly stealing her people, so for Second Young Master Xiao to leave a positive impression in his beloved’s heart was truly a long and arduous road.
Nanxing paused and said tactfully, “The Young Master has many skilled people around him.” Making Lu Dexin’s hand go soft without his knowledge was a simple matter.
Ren Yaoqi understood the implication and nodded knowingly. It seemed Lu Dexin had been set up. She should have known that Xiao Jingxi sending people to guard here definitely wasn’t simple—he wasn’t someone accustomed to being passive.
Then Nanxing, remembering her master’s final instructions, began to dutifully relay the message: “Master told this servant to tell you two things: ‘Don’t worry’ and ‘Wait for me.'”
Ren Yaoqi was stunned before reacting to Nanxing’s words. Her face suddenly reddened, and she silently cursed Xiao Jingxi. However, despite this, Ren Yaoqi found that she wasn’t really angry, though with her steady temperament, she disliked having matters between herself and Xiao Jingxi presented so openly before others.
Ren Yaoqi was only concerned with embarrassment and anger, unaware that another consequence of Xiao Jingxi sending people to surround her family’s gate would soon arrive.
After Ren Yaoqi dismissed Nanxing and was about to go to the main hall to see Li Shi, she had just stepped out of her side room when she heard noisy commotion from beyond the second gate, quite loud.
Ren Yaoqi frowned and stopped in her tracks.
Nanny Zhou also heard the commotion and came over. Seeing Ren Yaoqi, she hurried to say: “This servant will go out and see what happened. Fifth Miss, you go to the main hall to accompany the Madam.”
Ren Yaoqi nodded and was about to give Nanny Zhou some instructions when she saw the gatekeeper woman who had come in earlier rush in again. Seeing Ren Yaoqi and Nanny Zhou there, she hurried over, saying breathlessly: “Miss, something terrible has happened—the Ren family has sent people!”
Nanny Zhou frowned: “How is it terrible that the Ren family sent people? We’re all Ren family members.”
But the woman hurried to say: “The Old Master and Old Madam sent people, saying the Ren family wants to expel Third Master’s branch from the clan!”
“What!” Nanny Zhou was shocked and pale upon hearing this.
At this moment, Ren Shimin also came out from the main hall, having just heard the gatekeeper woman’s words.
“Father and Mother said they want to expel me from the clan?” Third Master Ren was also somewhat dazed and rather bewildered.
Ren Yaoqi wasn’t particularly shocked. She only pondered briefly before understanding what was happening. After all, she knew the temperament of the Ren family elders all too well.
“Replying to Master, that’s what the messenger said. Because there are guards at our gate, the people from the Ren family’s main residence couldn’t enter, so they stood at the gate recounting… recounting Master’s faults. They also said that from now on, our branch has no relationship with the Ren family’s main clan, and you, too, have been expelled from the clan.” Though these words were truly unpleasant to hear, the gatekeeper woman knew the matter was serious and dared not conceal anything.
Third Master Ren’s face turned somewhat pale. Even though he didn’t manage affairs, he knew what being expelled from the family meant.