"What do you plan to do with him?" Jing Xunce asked, holding Qi'er in his arms.
"Let's take him to my place first. Fortunately, he's quite close to me on weekdays. Otherwise, I'd be in a fix," Mu Fengqie replied.
After settling Qi'er down, the two of them went to the room where Lord Shen and his wife were staying. They frowned at the guards strictly guarding the yard inside and out.
"Don't worry. These are all my men, transferred from the Dark Pavilion. There won't be any mistakes," Jing Xunce said, seeing Mu Fengqie's concern.
"I'm relieved then. Tell the kitchen staff that from now on, their three meals should be liquid food. After they finish eating, clear away the things immediately. They mustn't be left there for long," Mu Fengqie instructed worriedly.
She didn't know how addicted Lady Shen was, but judging from her performance yesterday and her usual reactions, it wouldn't be easy to break this addiction.
"By the way, did you send someone to investigate that Tea Season?" Mu Fengqie asked.
"I did. By the time my men got there, the people had already left. Obviously, they got the news and ran away," Jing Xunce said. His men had just come to report this to him.
Mu Fengqie frowned. "Ran away? We didn't inform anyone this time. How could they have run away?" Mu Fengqie was completely puzzled.
"Maybe there are their people in the Shen Mansion," Jing Xunce said.
They had only just found out about this not long ago. As soon as they knew, they came here. Before the news could spread, the people from that Tea Season had already run away. It was obvious that someone was monitoring the Shen family, or rather... Lady Shen.
"If that's the case, it makes sense. They should be monitoring god - mother. If so, does it mean that there are such people in every family that has bought tea from there?" Mu Fengqie suddenly thought of this possibility.
If this was really the case, the workload would be huge, and with the large flow of people, it would be very difficult to control.
Jing Xunce had also thought of what Mu Fengqie did. "I'll send more people to investigate this matter."
"People who can afford to buy tea from the Tea Season must be either rich or noble. God - mother said that their tea is very expensive. So you can narrow down the scope of your investigation. First, find out how many people have bought tea from there," Mu Fengqie said after some thought.
"Okay, I understand. Qie'er, you should go and rest for a while. You haven't had a good rest since last night. Don't worry. I'll guard here," Jing Xunce said lovingly, looking at the dark circles under Mu Fengqie's eyes. Her eyes were already bloodshot.
"I can still hold on. And if I calculate the time, god - mother's addiction will soon kick in. I want to stay here at this time. In case something happens, I can handle it in time," Mu Fengqie said, rubbing her forehead.
"Then go and sit at the table for a while. Take a little nap. I'll call you if there's anything," Jing Xunce said, pulling Mu Fengqie to sit at the table. She didn't take care of her own body, but he did.
Mu Fengqie didn't say a word and just leaned on Jing Xunce's shoulder. She was really tired. Her brain had been highly tense for a whole day and night. If she stayed like this any longer, she might faint. It was good to take a rest.
Mu Fengqie fell asleep with her eyes closed. Jing Xunce looked at her tired face, gently tucked her hair behind her ear, and hugged her tightly so that she wouldn't feel cold.
Mu Fengqie was woken up by the sound of things being smashed. At first, she was a bit dazed, but then she suddenly realized what was going on. Without thinking about anything else, she rushed to the door.
She nervously stared at the door, trying to see what was going on inside, but it was all in vain.
"Qie'er, Lady Shen's addiction must have kicked in. It just started when you woke up," Jing Xunce explained. He had wanted to wake Qie'er up, but before he could say a word, Qie'er had already woken up suddenly.
"I see," Mu Fengqie said. Her voice didn't show any change, but Jing Xunce knew that Qie'er was scared. She was scared that Lady Shen wouldn't be able to make it through. She was scared that Lady Shen and Lord Shen would abandon Qi'er.
Half an hour later, the sound inside the room gradually died down, but it was still mixed with the woman's screams and the man's continuous words of comfort.
Mu Fengqie felt a bit sad listening to the sounds inside. Just as she turned around, she saw Qi'er standing there blankly at the door. He was so small, with no expression on his face.
"Qi'er, when did you come?" Mu Fengqie asked, after adjusting her expression.
"Sister Qie'er, are my parents inside?" Qi'er asked, looking at Mu Fengqie, but there was no light in his eyes.
Mu Fengqie was a bit worried about Qi'er's state. This child wouldn't have been scared out of his wits, would he? How could she explain this to god - father and god - mother then.
"Qi'er, don't worry. Your parents will be fine," Mu Fengqie said.
"Sister Qie'er, I want to talk to them," Qi'er said, walking forward firmly step by step. His eyes were fixed on the door. He knew his father and mother were inside, and he also knew that his mother was in great pain now.
"Qi'er..." Mu Fengqie was about to say something when Jing Xunce pulled on her sleeve and shook his head. He could tell that this child had changed overnight. He could even say that he had grown up.
"Just talk to them at the door. They can hear you," Jing Xunce said.
"Thank you," Qi'er said, looking at Jing Xunce.
Shen Qi came to the door and sat on the ground. He said softly, "Mother, it's Qi'er. Can you hear me? Qi'er has been very good today. I listened to Sister Qie'er and didn't cause any trouble. I'll also be obedient in the future. You must come out soon, or Qi'er will be very sad."
"And you always said that Qi'er didn't write and study hard. From now on, I won't be like that anymore. Qi'er will surely become a real man in the future and protect mother and father well. Of course, I'll also protect Sister Qie'er."
As he said this, Qi'er shed tears, but he bit his arm tightly to stop himself from crying. He was afraid that his mother would worry about him inside. He was a man and mustn't let his mother worry about him anymore.
Lady Shen had regained consciousness when Shen Qi came. When she heard Qi'er's words, her face was covered with tears. Her child...
"God - mother, Qi'er is tired. I'll take him back to rest first. I'll bring him to see you tomorrow. You must hold on," Mu Fengqie said, looking at Qi'er who was already sobbing on the ground.
Mu Fengqie picked up Qi'er from the ground and left.