I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 214 Holding her slightly cool hand

Xie Siyuan was forced to kneel in the ancestral hall for several days as punishment. He lost weight and his expression became even more gloomy.

Originally, his skin was just dark, but now it has a bluish-gray tint, as if he hasn't seen the sun for years.

His lips were pressed into a straight line, with the corners of his lips slightly downturned.

His gaze was blank and cold, and whoever he looked at seemed to be a dead object.

Qin Jiuwei became even more convinced of her previous judgment.

This child is a born bad seed.

You have to be good to him all the time; if you fail to do something right, he will start to hate you.

All the good things you did for him before don't count.

A purebred ingrate.

Subconsciously, Qin Jiuwei looked at Xu Liuer beside her.

But she remained expressionless, quietly eating with her head down, as if she hadn't noticed Xie Siyuan had come out at all.

Qin Jiuwei's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Suddenly, she remembered that when Xie Siyuan was being punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall, Xu Liuer didn't seem to look at him even once from beginning to end.

She used to think that Xu Liuer was kind, gentle, and soft-hearted.

Now it seems she's more than that...

After dinner.

Xie Siyuan followed the two back to Zhiyuan Courtyard.

Throughout the entire journey, Xu Liuer did not say a single word to Xie Siyuan.

Or rather, Xu Liuer hadn't spoken a single word to Xie Siyuan since the day of the old lady's birthday banquet.

Xie Siyuan naturally noticed the change in Xu Liuer's attitude towards him.

He turned and glanced at her, giving her a disdainful snort.

Ha, who cares?

Do you really think you're something special?

After returning to the main house, Xie Zhongzhi called Xie Siyuan to his side.

He said sternly, "The tutor your mother found for you has arrived. You'll start your lessons again tomorrow. This time, you can't be willful anymore. You must learn properly from your tutor, understand?"

Xie Siyuan lowered his head and responded with a very indifferent tone.

It doesn't matter how many more "teachers" come, it won't make a difference, he won't listen anyway.

He won't do whatever they want him to do!

I'm determined not to let them have their way!

Seeing his perfunctory attitude, Xie Zhongzhi was about to say something more when he saw Xu Liuer, who came in after him, go straight into the inner room without even glancing at Xie Siyuan.

He frowned slightly, his thoughts drawn to Xu Liuer. He reached out and patted Xie Siyuan's shoulder, "Go back to your room and rest first. Get up early for class tomorrow."

Xie Siyuan nodded, then glanced at the corner and his gaze froze instantly.

There used to be a bed in the main house so that he could rest there.

But now, that little bed is gone.

As for who gave the order...

Ha, who else could it be but that woman?

Xie Siyuan's face immediately darkened, and he sneered inwardly.

If they want to move out, they can move out; who cares!

Meanwhile, inside the main house, Xie Zhongzhi entered the inner room.

Seeing that Xu Liuer was sitting in front of the dressing table, he walked behind her and gently pressed her shoulder.

"The child is back, why are you still angry? Siyuan is still our child."

Xu Liuer sneered, "If you bring this up again, I will treat you the same way I treated him!"

"Liu'er, you can't say such things," Xie Zhongzhi immediately exclaimed anxiously.

How dare she have such thoughts?

Xu Liuer looked indifferent and turned her head away, ignoring him.

Xie Zhongzhi's anger flared up immediately, his right fist clenched so tightly it cracked, and an urge to hit someone rose in his heart.

But in the end, she held back, saying, "If you don't like it, I won't mention it again."

He put his arm around Xu Liuer's shoulder, his voice extremely gentle, but in his heart he was very disdainful.

The blood ties between mother and child cannot be severed by Xu Liuer simply by ignoring them.

What an naive woman.

Qinglan Courtyard.

"Young Madam, will you be wearing this nightgown tonight?" the maid asked respectfully.

Qin Jiu glanced at it and nodded slightly, "This one."

Xiaohe stood behind her and helped her remove her hairpins and jewelry.

A gust of cold wind suddenly swept in, and Qin Jiuwei couldn't help but shiver.

"What's going on? Where is this cold wind coming from?" Xiaohe immediately frowned.

The maid rushed forward to check and found that the window was not closed properly.

She hurriedly reached out and closed the window tightly, then knelt on the ground, bowed her head and begged for forgiveness: "Young Madam, I didn't mean to. I accidentally made you cold. I am willing to accept the punishment."

Qin Jiu waved her hand slightly and said gently, "It's nothing, get up."

"But why is it so cold tonight?" She frowned.

Xiaohe chuckled softly, "Miss, it's already late autumn, it must be cold. Winter will arrive in just a few days."

After she finished speaking, she paused, her voice filled with doubt.

"But it seems to be particularly cold this year. This morning I saw that the puddles in the yard were covered with a thin layer of ice. In previous years, it wouldn't have been this early."

Qin Jiuwei didn't reply, her thoughts drifting away.

In my past life, it was during this winter that many people died in the capital...

Her fingers unconsciously began to clench.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and a series of steady footsteps came from inside.

Qin Jiuwei turned her head at the sound and saw that Xie Yanli had returned.

He was wearing a long, dark robe, and his shoulders still carried a trace of the chill from outside, clearly indicating that he had just returned from outside.

His gaze fell on Qin Jiuwei's face, his brows furrowed slightly, and he quickly walked to her side.

"Why do you look so pale?" Xie Yanli's voice was deep and gentle.

He reached out his long, slender hand to feel her forehead, and only after confirming that she did not have a fever did he feel a little relieved.

Qin Jiuwei saw his gentle features and a hint of dependence and reassurance flashed in her eyes.

"I'm fine. I just caught a chill from the wind. It's nothing serious."

"Really?" Xie Yanli reached out, took her slightly cool hand, and gently rubbed it.

The disbelief was clearly in his voice.

Qin Jiuwei lowered her head and smiled; as expected, she couldn't hide it from him.

The warmth of Xie Yanli's palm seeped through her skin and gradually warmed her heart.

"There is indeed something," Qin Jiuwei turned to look at him, "Husband, could you help me find someone?"

Xie Yanli raised an eyebrow slightly. "Who is it?"

“Meng Qihuang,” Qin Jiuwei slowly uttered the name.

“He’s a doctor, a traveling quack, and before…” She paused, then mumbled, “He saved my life before, and I want to find him.”

There's just no way I can tell Xie Yanli all about this.

Xie Yanli's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as if trying to discern something from her expression.

Actually, he had always had a vague feeling that there was a secret behind Qin Jiuwei...