Chapter 13
“Master, wait for me!”

Butler Wang shouted while running after Xia Jinxing.

He had never seen the master run so fast, nor had he seen him so anxious about Sixth Miss. Today, he didn’t know what had gotten into the master; he was running faster than a rabbit!

Xia Jinxing ran while praying to the Buddha for protection, “Buddha, please bless me! My little lady, you absolutely must not get into any trouble! If something happens to you, I might lose my official hat, and who knows, I might even lose my head!”

When he finally rushed to the back courtyard, he was met with a bloody and horrifying sight.

The guards lay on the ground, their arms and legs mangled, with some still scratching at their faces, necks, and chests, their appearances completely distorted.

Especially Captain Jia, whose legs had been completely severed, was scratching his head with hands that no longer had any intact skin, bloodstains appearing all over his head.

“Oh my God! What… what on earth happened here?”

Xia Jinxing was stunned, his mouth agape at the scene before him.

Butler Wang, who followed closely behind, stopped in his tracks and fell to the ground, “Master, what happened to Captain Jia and the others? My goodness! Is there a monster in this courtyard?”

“Shut up!”

Xia Jinxing stepped forward and kicked Butler Wang hard.

“They brought this upon themselves; they deserve it! Bah!”

Xia Jinxing spat and quickly ran toward the woodshed, worried about whether Xia Qingqing was alright.

This was crucial for his official hat!

“Qingqing! My good baby, are you okay?”

Xia Jinxing rushed into the courtyard, searching for Xia Qingqing.

“Bang!”

The bathroom door swung open.

Xia Qingqing walked out, drying her wet hair.

“You scumbag, what are you doing here? Are you here to see me dead?”

“Qingqing, I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Tears streamed down Xia Jinxing’s face; it seemed his official hat was safe.

“Hmph!”

Xia Qingqing looked at the scumbag with tears of joy, snorting disdainfully through her nose.

This scumbag actually worried about me; it was like the sun rising in the west.

“Qingqing, promise me you’ll move to the garden courtyard! Living in the back courtyard woodshed is too dangerous! Just look at how those guards ended up!”

Xia Jinxing felt that someone must be secretly protecting Xia Qingqing. If she continued to live in the back courtyard woodshed, it would surely leak the ugly affairs of the residence. Moving away would significantly reduce the chances of anything getting out.

“Xia Jinxing, the guards you raised actually wanted to kill me. Shouldn’t you give me an explanation? After all, I am also the Sixth Miss of the Xia residence. Even if I’m a concubine’s daughter, I’m still a daughter!”

Xia Qingqing crossed her arms, looking at Xia Jinxing. “You keep telling me to move; deal with these troublesome guards first!”

“Alright! I’ll send someone to notify the officials at the yamen to come and arrest all these troublesome guards for their crimes. Let’s see who dares to bully you in the Xia residence after this; they’ve truly gone too far!”

Xia Jinxing rolled up his sleeves and stepped out of the courtyard, instructing Butler Wang, who was waiting outside:

“Go notify the yamen that Captain Jia and the others have committed crimes and attempted rebellion. They have already been subdued by the family guards; please send the constables to capture these guards!”

“Yes, I’ll go right away!”

Butler Wang bowed and quickly ran off.

Xia Jinxing walked back into the courtyard, revealing a kind and gentle fatherly smile, “Qingqing, what do you think?”

Xia Qingqing made another request, “I want to move out and live elsewhere.”

“Ah? How can that be?”

Xia Jinxing quickly waved his hand.

“You are a young lady, the daughter of the Xia family! Have you ever seen a young lady from a reputable family moving out on her own? Unless you’re getting married—then, you can move to your husband’s house! For now, stay put in the Xia mansion and behave like the Sixth Miss!”

“Then can I at least come and go from the Xia mansion freely? Is that too much to ask?” Xia Qingqing took a step back.

“Come and go freely? Why would you need to leave the mansion? If it’s to buy something, we have everything here. If there’s anything missing, you can tell your mother, and she will arrange it. Your father will also have someone bring it to you!”

Xia Jinxing was worried she might leave to communicate with his political enemies, potentially betraying him. If that happened, he would not only lose his position but possibly his life!

Seeing his endless objections, Xia Qingqing threw out one last statement and walked away.

“Fine, I won’t move out. I’ll stay in the woodshed in the back courtyard! Now leave me alone!”

Xia Jinxing hurried after her, only to be shut out.

“Qingqing! Qingqing! If you want to stay in the back courtyard’s woodshed, that’s fine. I’ll send people to deliver things to you and even have the house repaired. I’ll assign a few more maids and servants to take care of you! As for Butler Lin, I already warned him yesterday, but he dared to disobey. I’ll have him punished right away!”

Xia Jinxing muttered to himself as he left the backyard and headed toward the front yard.

At that moment, Yan Meili was listening to Butler Lin’s wife’s tearful complaint.

“Madam! You have to help me! My husband said he was staying up late to check the account books, but when I went to look, I caught him rolling in bed with a little maid! Who knows which little fox spirit from the mansion seduced him? Madam, please stand up for me! Waaaah…”

Madam Lin sobbed loudly. As the chief housekeeper under Yan Meili, the head wife, she held the highest authority among the servants. Being humiliated by a maid was unbearable and deeply embarrassing.

“Alright, alright, stop crying. You usually sleep soundly. Isn’t your husband supposed to be working in the outer courtyard? How did you find out about his affair?”

Yan Meili was sharp and capable. Faced with such matters, she wasn’t one to flinch. She suspected someone had deliberately informed Madam Lin to sow discord and disrupt the peace of the Xia family.

She was well aware of the secret affairs among the household staff. As long as they weren’t brought to light, she turned a blind eye. However, if things got out of hand, it would tarnish the Xia family’s reputation and jeopardize her husband’s career.

“It was… it was a woman with her face covered. It was dark, and I couldn’t see clearly,” Madam Lin recalled.

“A woman with her face covered? Are you sure it was a woman? After she told you, where did she go?” Yan Meili continued to question.

“It seemed like she climbed out a window, onto the roof, and ran toward the back of the mansion!”

“The back of the mansion?”

Yan Meili’s half-squinted eyes suddenly widened.

“There’s only a woodshed in the back! That brat and her maid are staying there. Even if they’re skilled, they wouldn’t be able to climb onto the roof and come and go freely. Could it be that our mansion has been infiltrated by a spy from our enemies?”

“What? A spy planted by our enemies?!”

Yan Meili shivered and sat up straight, muttering to herself.

“Alright, I understand now. If something like this happens again, don’t make a scene. Quietly talk to your husband first. If he doesn’t listen, then find another way to deal with it. Publicly punishing him in front of everyone damages the family’s dignity!”

“Madam, where is Butler Lin now? I’m going to beat his behind!”

Xia Jinxing stormed into the room, shouting angrily.

Yan Meili had just advised against public punishment, yet her husband barged in to undermine her authority. She clenched her teeth in frustration.

This Xia Jinxing was behaving unusually today!