Chapter 37: Return to the Marquis’s Residence (3)

After bidding farewell to the patients and the monks, Xia Qingfeng prepared to return to the Marquis’s Residence the next day, and the old matriarch also decided to return to the capital with her.  

That night, Xu Jingchen’s concubines were all assigned to a room together, while Xu Jingchen was left without a designated room; after all, they were all his women, and he could sleep wherever he pleased.  

In the room, Xia Qingfeng instructed her maids to tidy up the belongings before preparing for bed with Xu Xiaoxiao.  

Before sleep, Xia Qingfeng would habitually check on Gong Qiyuan’s condition in the spatial realm. However, since arriving at Chongfusi Temple, the spatial realm’s connection had suddenly been disrupted, and even if she was curious, she couldn’t obtain any answers.  

Just as she exited the spatial realm, she heard Xu Jingchen’s panicked cry for help coming from outside. The sound was laced with fear, trembling, and panting, and his voice was hoarse from shouting. Xia Qingfeng and Xu Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance before stepping out together. They saw Summer Xuejin chasing after Xu Jingchen in the courtyard. At this moment, Xu Jingchen’s face was pale, his hair was disheveled, and the moon-white clothes were covered in dust. Seeing Xia Qingfeng and her daughter, he rolled and crawled towards them, pushing Xu Xiaoxiao towards Summer Xuejin and hiding behind Xia Qingfeng.  

As Xu Xiaoxiao was about to fall, Summer Xuejin quickly positioned itself beneath her body, and she rode on its back.  

Xu Jingchen was stunned by the sight before him; his timid and cowardly daughter dared to ride on a white fox.  

“Ack, mistaken identity; this is our pet, called Xuejin. Tomorrow it’ll be coming with us to the Marquis’s Residence.”  

“No way; I object; what if it hurts someone?” Xu Jingchen immediately protested.  

“I guarantee it won’t harm you or Xiaoxiao as long as you don’t harm me or Xiaoxiao; I promise to keep it contained within my courtyard.” Xia Qingfeng looked at Xu Jingchen, “To me and Xiaoxiao, it’s like a family member; if you refuse, we’ll continue our prayers here in the temple!”  

Hmph! A lowly woman has found an ally now; she dares to threaten me! Wait until you return to your residence; I’ll see you don’t dare come into my courtyard again!  

The commotion left Xu Jingchen with no romantic thoughts; he grumbled and left.

A monk physician examined Xu Jingchen’s pulse and said, “There’s nothing serious; it’s just that you’ve been overthinking. A herbal remedy to soothe the liver and relieve stress will suffice.” After writing the prescription, he prepared to leave.  

“High monk, please wait!” Xu Jingchen hurriedly sat up. “I’ve heard there is a divine doctor in this temple who can stitch up wounds. May I ask who that is? Can I meet them?”  

The monk glanced up and down at Xu Jingchen, asking, “Where are you injured?”  

“I’m not injured; I just want to meet this divine doctor.”  

The monk gave Xu Jingchen a deep look and said, “They have already left the mountain.” He added a dose of Huanglian to the prescription and instructed a nearby young monk to brew the medicine immediately, stating that Xu Jingchen must take the medicine before leaving the mountain.  

After everyone was packed and ready to leave, Xu Jingchen noticed that the three wagons that had come were filled with various fruits and vegetables grown on the mountain. Xia Qingfeng and Xu Xiaoxiao were sitting in the old matriarch’s wagon.  

The accompanying concubines and maidservants were dumbfounded. Where could they sit? How could they get back?  

At this point, the old matriarch spoke up, “Servants should act like servants; naturally, they must follow in front of the mistress’s wagon and be at her service at all times.”  

What?! They were expected to walk back? Would they not need their legs then? One by one, they cast weak and pitiful glances at Xu Jingchen.  

Xu Jingchen’s face darkened as he remained silent, riding ahead on horseback.  

As soon as the wagons moved, Xu Xiaoxiao’s master, Yuan Yin, suddenly appeared and said to Xu Xiaoxiao, “You are now my disciple; you cannot neglect your studies. Just like your senior brother, you must come to learn martial arts from me every month. Let’s have your senior brother come and pick you up to go up the mountain together.”  

Xu Xiaoxiao clapped her hands in delight and quickly responded, “Disciple understands!” But Xu Jingchen furrowed his brows and interjected, “That’s not appropriate; what does a girl need martial arts for?”  

Yuan Yin looked Xu Jingchen up and down and said, “And you are?”  

“I am this girl’s father.”  

“Tch, not worthy at all.” With that, he leaped away gracefully.  

Xu Xiaoxiao didn’t even glance at her father and directly hopped into the wagon.  

In the end, Xu Jingchen’s concubines didn’t have to walk back as he had arranged for a young servant to ride swiftly to the village at the foot of the mountain to hire several bullock carts. Even so, the pampered women suffered greatly during the descent; the road wore holes in their embroidered shoes, askew their hairpins, and tangled their hair. Moreover, Xu Jingchen had hired open-top bullock carts, and with it being July, the heat was intense. They endured the blazing sun all the way back to the capital.  

The Marquis’s Residence was located on the outskirts of the Eastern District. Upon arriving at the entrance, Xia Qingfeng bid farewell to the old matriarch and dismounted from the wagon.  

At this point, the entrance was bustling with activity, as many commoners had stopped to watch. Yes! A group of concubines disembarking from the bullock carts indeed made for quite a scene in the capital!  

Once back at the Marquis’s Residence, Xia Qingfeng felt that things were quite different from when the original owner was around. The servants treated Xu Jingchen with a degree of caution and were very respectful towards her as well. It seemed that thanks to the Third Prince, Xu Jingchen had gained a high status within the residence.  

Xia Qingfeng chose to ignore the disheveled women behind her and led Xu Xiaoxiao and the maids straight to her original courtyard.  

As she neared the entrance, Xu Jingchen stopped her, saying, “Feng’er, that courtyard is too isolated, and it’s been uninhabited for over six months, becoming quite neglected. I’ve prepared another courtyard for you that’s much closer to me, the Qingya Courtyard. Let’s go there instead!”  

Xia Qingfeng shot a puzzled glance at Xu Jingchen, then looked at the courtyard behind him before turning towards Qingya Courtyard.  

Qingya Courtyard was quaint. Upon entering, there was a winding corridor, with stone paths leading to three rooms: a main house and two side rooms, along with a small kitchen beside the west side room. Not too shabby; Xia Qingfeng was very satisfied with this courtyard.  

The two maids quickly tidied up the rooms, and everyone settled in.  

Until evening, no one from the residence came to pay attention to Xia Qingfeng. Sure enough, after bringing them back, Xu Jingchen completely ignored them.  

Dinner was prepared in the small kitchen using the vegetables brought back from the temple. She even sent Yinxing to buy a piece of meat, and then personally cooked a sumptuous dinner.