431 Aren't You Too Much?
"I assumed people who can become sworn brothers with you should be on the same intellectual wavelength as you. This is obviously a little..."
She could not continue her sentence. She had just met Gong Cheng, and Qian Jiyun had not introduced them. She should not add insult to injury, right?
However, she had a feeling Qian Jiyun would find a sack to wrap Gong Cheng in and beat him up when he returned.
This young master's stupidity was genuine!
!!
"He's still too young." Qian Jiyun glanced at Gong Cheng and shook his head.
Gong Cheng was about the same age as An Jiuyue—only a year older than her.
He did, however, grow up in the capital and was the eldest son of the Gong family. He essentially grew up in a honey pot. It was inevitable that he would be naive. He could not be compared to someone like Eldest Brother Yan.
"Gong Cheng, I don't have time to educate you today. Take your 'good cousin' and go as far away as possible. Don't disturb me," he said as he looked up at Gong Cheng seriously.
It was not that he did not care about his brother. He would not have done this if Gong Cheng had come alone or with a good brother.
However, Yu Yan'er clearly had ulterior motives. She acted like she was accompanying Gong Cheng, but she was actually here for Qian Jiyun.
A donkey would have to kick Qian Jiyun in the head for him to ask Gong Cheng to join him in releasing the lotus lanterns.
"Second Brother, you mean..."
Gong Cheng was dumbfounded by their words. What? He did not understand.
However, he understood that Qian Jiyun was chasing him away.
Second Brother, who always doted on me the most, is chasing me away? Is it because of this lady beside him?
If I'm not wrong, these two children must belong to this lady, right? She already has two children, but Second Brother is still trying to get close to her.
How desperate is he for women?
So what if she's pretty? She's already a second-hand good, not an antique porcelain that becomes more valuable with each sale. She's a woman!
"I heard from Yan Nuo that you didn't bring a single guard, so I rushed over. Aren't you too much? How can you chase me away?"
He could not say much about An Jiuyue, but Qian Jiyun was his second brother. He could at least say a few words to him, right?
In any case, he did not have a good impression of An Jiuyue after this incident. This woman was sitting in front of his second brother and did not dissuade him. Instead, she fanned the flames!
Qian Jiyun looked up and glanced at Gong Cheng.
No matter how much anybody wanted him dead, they would not kill him in front of so many people during the Lotus Lantern Festival, right?
Besides, although Yan Nuo had said he did not bring a guard, was that really true? Were all the shadow guards in the Prince Zhan Yun Residence dead? Would he really go out without a single shadow guard?
He took a deep breath and shook his head. He was speechless.
What have they been doing all these years? Why did they not impart Sixth Brother Gong with basic knowledge?
"Calm down. Have a cup of tea." An Jiuyue poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.
Despite the headaches, children who had yet to grow up had to be taught slowly. Gong Cheng was merely inexperienced. He was not a bad person by nature.
432 Lacking Someone to Protect Him
Actually, it was not too bad. She believed that a child from a large family like the Gong family would not be too bad. However, Yu Yan'er...
She had buried the darkness in her heart a little too deeply.
If An Jiuyue had not seen how Yu Yan'er had exposed herself when she first saw Qian Jiyun, she would not have realized the latter was clearly here for him.
At this moment, Yu Yan'er had hidden all her intentions again. She only had eyes for her cousin, Gong Cheng, again.
"Young Master Gong, right? Since you're here, sit down. Jiyun is really lacking someone to protect him."
"Uh!" Gong Cheng was stunned by An Jiuyue's words.
Qian Jiyun had been at the southern border for many years. He had seen everything. Did he still need a dabbler like him to protect him?
It seemed like what he had said was wrong. He glanced at Yu Yan'er next to him. She twisted the handkerchief in her hands and glanced at Qian Jiyun occasionally.
He then looked at An Jiuyue, sitting across from Qian Jiyun with a child in her arms, not sparing a glance at Yu Yan'er.
Suddenly, he understood why his second brother did not welcome him.
Second Brother has just returned with a lady. I shouldn't have brought my cousin to look for him, right?
But An Jiuyue already has two children. Second Brother is outstanding and is the noble Prince Zhan Yun. How can he crumble at the hands of a woman like her?
Even my cousin is much better than An Jiuyue.
At this thought, he felt that he had not done anything wrong. It was common for men to have multiple wives and concubines. His second brother was well known. What was the harm in having a few more women around him?
If An Jiuyue was jealous over such a trivial matter, a woman like her was not worthy of being with his brother.
"Hmph!" He snorted coldly at An Jiuyue and looked at his cousin gently.
He pointed at the spot beside Qian Jiyun and said to Yu Yan'er, "Yan'er, sit here."
"Thank you, Cousin. I... should sit here instead."
Yu Yan'er wanted to sit next to Qian Jiyun but sensed Qian Jiyun's icy aura before she could say anything. With a pale face, she had no choice but to choose the seat farthest from him.
Looking at Yu Yan'er's aggrieved expression, Gong Cheng cursed her internally for being too disappointing.
However, there was nothing he could do about it, so he sat beside Qian Jiyun.
"Second Brother, how long will you be staying this time?" he asked Qian Jiyun.
"The Emperor will decide. I can't give you an answer," Qian Jiyun replied coldly.
Could he stay in the capital for as long as he wanted? It depended on the old Emperor!
However, the old Emperor wanted him to stay in the capital longer. He could stay in the capital for as long as he wished if nothing serious happened at the southern border.
"That's true. It's not up to you to decide."
Gong Cheng raised his eyebrows in understanding. Some things could not be done as desired.
He glanced at An Jiuyue and then at the two children. The three of them could not stay in the Prince Zhanyun Residence without status. They had to be given one, right? He could not help but ask Qian Jiyun.
433 Show Up Less in Front of Me
"So, what are your plans for returning this time? What will you do with these two children? Are you taking them in?"
If that's true, won't Second Brother become a stepfather? How can the dignified Prince Zhan Yun be the father of someone else's child?
He did not have a good impression of An Jiuyue now. He did not even avoid taboo words when talking about her.
Of course, this was due to his sense of superiority while growing up in the capital. He did not need to care about what women thought.
!!
"Do you want me to find a good family to send these two children to?"
Qian Jiyun's expression darkened as he replied, "Get lost!"
An Jiuyue ignored him and rubbed Rong'er's head, gesturing for him to keep quiet.
She had seen her son open his small mouth, ready to counter Gong Cheng's words.
Regardless, Gong Cheng was Qian Jiyun's brother. She could not possibly let her son silence him, right?
"You—" Gong Cheng was really angry with Qian Jiyun.
I'm reminding Second Brother out of kindness. Why is he snapping at me?
I'm not wrong. They're not his children. He can just find a place to throw them away. Why does he have to raise them? He'll embarrass himself.
"I'm doing this for your sake, Second Brother. These two children are not yours. What will others think if they see you taking care of them every day?
"Send them away quickly before anyone in the capital knows. Not many people will know about this in the future."
Look at me! I'm so kind! Why is he blaming me?
As he spoke, he reached for the plate on the table. He had rushed to the Moonlight Lotus Pond and circled around it several times. He was famished.
"Yan'er, you must be hungry too. Don't stand on ceremony with Second Brother's food. Help yourself— Ah!"
Before he could finish speaking, he felt pain on the back of his hand again and could not help but scream.
He turned around and saw Qian Jiyun's disapproving expression. His hand remained positioned to strike him. He gritted his teeth and was so angry he could not speak.
"Second Brother, what are you doing? I just want to eat. Do you have to be like this?"
Qian Jiyun did not give him a good attitude and retorted, "I won't give my food to young people who cannot be trusted!"
Why should he feed him good food? He was here to be a hindrance all day, right?
"If you don't want me to hit you, get away from me. Show up less in front of me in the future. Get lost!"
"I—"
Gong Cheng opened his mouth but did not know what to say.
He turned around and looked at An Jiuyue, who wore a serious expression and did not even look at him from the corner of her eye. He looked at Qian Jiyun again, who had a dark expression on his face and was ready to stand and beat him up.
What's going on? Did I say anything wrong? What rumors will spread if these two children stay at the Prince Zhan Yun Residence?
If word gets out that Prince Zhan Yun's wife is in her second marriage, it'll be so embarrassing for Second Brother.
"Miss An, if you really like my brother, you should think for him. Hurry up and send these two little things away."
When he saw that he could not convince Qian Jiyun, he turned to An Jiuyue and persuaded her.
434 Stuffed Into a Sack and Beaten
An Jiuyue sighed softly, chuckled, and shook her head.
"Young Master Gong, are you going to say that you're not even a thing again? Hm?"
She raised her eyebrows and asked Gong Cheng meaningfully. The child had just rebuked him. How could he forget that so quickly?
"Uh!" Gong Cheng was stunned again.
!!
He remembered what had happened a moment ago and glanced guiltily at the child in Qian Jiyun's arms.
These two children were not afraid of strangers. Instead, they dared to rebuke him. It was clear how cheeky they were. If they remained at the Prince Zhan Yun Residence, they would cause a scene.
He felt that Qian Jiyun should send the two children away.
"Second Brother, I think—"
"Uncle Qian, isn't the Prince Zhan Yun Residence your house?"
Before he could say anything else, Qian Yirong, who was in An Jiuyue's arms, could not stand it anymore and asked Qian Jiyun.
What's wrong with this person? Why does he think he can send us away with a word? Who does he think he is? He's acting like he's so powerful.
Uncle Qian didn't say anything about it. Besides, my brother and I are Mother's children. Even if Uncle Qian wants to send us away, Mother won't allow it.
"Of course, it's my house. It'll be your house too," Qian Jiyun said seriously as he patted Qian Yizheng to comfort him.
"Oh." Qian Yirong finally heaved a sigh of relief like a tiny adult.
Of course, everyone could tell that the child was doing this on purpose in front of Gong Cheng.
"So the Prince Zhan Yun Residence is Uncle Qian's house! People who don't know any better may think it belongs to this stranger instead. He thinks he can even make decisions for the Prince Zhan Yun Residence. How imposing!"
Does he really think we're ignorant because we're only five-year-olds? How dare he say such things in front of us? Does he think we're easy to bully?
We certainly aren't! We'll return the favor to whoever dares offend Brother and me. Is this adult really going to hit us?
"Uncle Qian, my brother and I are only five years old. Mother won't let us talk nonsense. How old is this uncle? Why are his parents still spoiling him?
"Did he not go to school? Does he not know that he can't talk nonsense in public? If he offends someone, he could be stuffed into a sack and beaten."
"You, you, you..."
With trembling hands, Gong Cheng pointed to the small Qian Yirong.
This child is too infuriating! How dare he talk to me like that? He even likened himself, a little radish, to me, an adult!
An Jiuyue looked up at Gong Cheng and said seriously, "Young Master Gong, Rong'er is still young and hasn't even been to school. He has no manners. Please forgive him and don't be angry."
She looked down and patted her son's back gently. With a serious expression, she lectured him.
"Rong'er, how can you say that? Didn't I teach you not to badmouth others in public? Even if you really want to do it, you must go home and tell your family.
"How can you badmouth others to their faces? Look at how angry Uncle Gong is!"
435 Cause Problems Easily
She shook her head helplessly.
"Thankfully, we'll be sending you to school in a few days. Once you're there, the teachers will teach you to be sensible and to know your limits. Why are you being so honest, my child? Apologize to Uncle Gong quickly!"
"You..."
Gong Cheng felt his anger catch in his throat and almost spat a mouthful of blood.
This child's words anger me, but so do this woman's! Is she lecturing her child? She's obviously lecturing me! How can she compare me to two children who haven't even attended school?
He turned to face Qian Jiyun, hoping that he would uphold justice for him and lecture An Jiuyue.
However...
"Zheng'er, you're the older one. Your younger brother has caused trouble. As the older brother, you must help him resolve it. Apologize to Uncle Gong."
Qian Jiyun looked at Qian Yizheng, teaching him what to do. He had no time to care about Gong Cheng.
"Got it, Uncle Qian."
Qian Yizheng was worried that he could not showcase his skills. When he heard that, he blinked his cute, ignorant, big eyes at Gong Cheng.
"Uncle Gong, I'm sorry. Rong'er is still young. Don't lower yourself to his level. I'll apologize on his behalf. I'll teach him well in the future and won't let him talk nonsense in public."
"I— You..."
Gong Cheng felt as if the people in front of him had trampled on his heart thoroughly.
You're not going to let that brat spew nonsense in public? What's that supposed to mean?
"Rong'er, look at how angry you made Uncle Gong. He's Uncle Qian's friend, after all. If you have something to say, you should say it at home. Why must you say it in front of him? How embarrassing!
"You've embarrassed Uncle Qian. You can't do this anymore. If you want to say anything in the future, you can tell me when we get home.
"Although we're children, we can't talk nonsense. Mother said that the waters in the capital run deep. We can cause problems easily if we speak carelessly.
"What if someone puts a large sack over us and beats us up when we leave the house?
"If that happens, we'll have nowhere to complain. We can only lie on our beds and cry. We can't even go to school or earn money.
"How awful is that? Don't do this again."
Qian Yirong nodded obediently and promised his brother softly, "I understand, Brother. I'll hold back whatever I want to say in the future and tell you when we get home."
Gong Cheng was speechless.
He regretted it! He should not have come here to look for his second brother and meet these two obnoxious children!
Was he lecturing his younger brother? He was obviously scolding him indirectly!
He had told Qian Jiyun to send them away in front of An Jiuyue and the two boys. They retorted immediately and even taught him a lesson indirectly!
He was the Gong family's eldest young master, having graduated from the Royal Academy. How could he be chastised by two children who had never even been to school?
He would be embarrassed if word got out. How would he face other people?
"Second Brother, aren't you going to do something about this?"
He looked at Qian Jiyun with a long face.
Qian Jiyun smiled coldly at him.