Sen Sen nodded. "Mhm, Mother, that little girl was so scared she couldn't even resist. It's a good thing I stepped in, or that rich brat would have taken her away. Brave, wasn't I!"
He smiled proudly, revealing a row of white teeth. The expression was identical to his father's, not a bit different!
Zhao Jiaqi pulled at the corners of her mouth, grinding her teeth, and forced a smile. "If it had been a little boy, would you have still stepped in to save him?"
He shook his head resolutely. "No, little brothers aren't as cute and pretty as little sisters!"
The key point was, the little brother wasn't snatching a boy, but a girl, and a pretty one at that.
So, of course, he had to uphold justice and help the pretty little sister!
However, these words, when heard by Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao, who was driving the carriage outside, took on a different meaning.
So this kid was a scoundrel, learning bad things instead of good ones!
The couple simultaneously thought of one thing: Sen Sen needed to develop a more masculine demeanor and change his scoundrel ways. He had to join the army for training!
They had also decided who would train these two children. Entrusting this matter to Xiao Ce would be perfect!
Upon returning home, Yao Yao alighted from the carriage, covered his face, and ran back to his room.
He hadn't forgotten how his mother had looked at him with a half-smile in the carriage, barely suppressing her urge to hit him. If he had lingered to watch the commotion, he might have received another beating.
He didn't want to be beaten by both parents at once. His mother usually pinched the inside of his thigh. Although it hurt terribly, it wasn't humiliating, and he could endure it.
But his father, when he hit someone, aimed straight for the face. He wouldn't care if you valued your reputation or not; as long as he felt like it, your handsome face would suffer.
Look at his face, swollen like a pig's head. Looking in the bronze mirror, he almost didn't recognize himself, let alone anyone else!
Prince's Manor, the front hall!
Sen Sen was escorted by Zhao Jiaqi all the way to the front hall, where she gave his backside a firm kick!
Only then did she sit down with Fan Zehao, gulping down two cups of cold tea to quell their anger.
*Slap*, Fan Zehao slammed the eight immortals table so hard that the teacups on the table jumped. The lid of a cup spun on the table for two or three rotations before finally stopping!
In the hall, he roared, "Kneel and answer me!"
Sen Sen was startled. They had been laughing and chatting just moments ago, so why did these two turn their faces so quickly upon arriving at the manor?
He looked at his father's angry expression and his mother's sinister glare, sensing that things were not looking good today. As he knelt, he replayed his recent words in his mind.
It seemed he hadn't said anything wrong; he had spoken the truth. Moreover, he had acted courageously and even sustained injuries for it. He should have received praise from his parents, so why were they so angry?
Never mind being angry, why were they making him kneel?
Considering his current state, didn't his parents feel sorry for him?
With a head full of questions, he knelt on the ground, tilted his head, and gazed at Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao with his hazy, wide eyes, eager to hear what they had to say about him.
Parents could always guess what their son was thinking.
Unfortunately, the adults offered no explanation as to why he was being made to kneel. Instead, they told him to think carefully about what he had done wrong!
Sen Sen was thick-headed. He couldn't understand where he had gone wrong. Not only had he not done anything wrong, but his parents should have rewarded him!
He looked up at the two adults in the Grand Tutor's chair. "I've done nothing wrong. Rescuing people is acting bravely. Haven't you always told me to be a brave person? If I hadn't intervened when I saw someone being bullied, wouldn't that little girl have been abducted? Wouldn't her future life have been bleak!"
Brave?
Fan Zehao didn't see bravery in him at all; he was being reckless. Just as he was about to reprimand him, Steward Wang hurried in and glanced at the second young master on the ground.
"My Lord, there's someone at the gate claiming to be the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, Ling Wei Feng, here with his young daughter, Ling Fei. They are here to thank our manor's second young master for saving his daughter!"
Huh?
It wasn't just the couple who were surprised; even Sen Sen, kneeling on the ground, was astonished. That little girl was the daughter of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader?
The family of three froze for a moment before Zhao Jiaqi finally told Sen Sen to get up and instructed the steward, "Invite them in!"
Watching the steward leave, she turned and instructed the man beside her, "Husband, guests are guests. Furthermore, they are guests brought by your son. You must not disgrace the child's reputation, do you understand?"
Fan Zehao glanced at his second son, who was lowering his head, and smiled back at his wife. "I understand. I'll educate him properly later!"
He said it through gritted teeth, but his heart was filled with helplessness.
As the saying goes, one disciplines a child in front of others and educates a wife in private. In their family, it was all private education!
The child's reputation was preserved, but if he remained so reckless in the future, he would be the one to suffer. He had never encountered the harshness of the world and truly worried for him in the days to come.
While the couple were speaking in hushed tones, Steward Wang led in a man and a woman!
The man appeared to be around thirty-five or thirty-six. He wore a moon-white robe, and his wide, embroidered sleeves fluttered slightly, giving him a rather debonair air.
His features were delicate, his eyes clear and bright. Looking at his face, he didn't seem like a bad person.
The little girl was about ten years old and quite tall. Although her appearance was still youthful, it was evident she was a future beauty.
Her expression was cold and distant. She didn't look noble, but rather high and aloof. The coldness in her eyes was like the unmelting ice of midwinter. She didn't appear to be someone who had never seen the world.
Her father was the Martial Arts Alliance Leader; how could his daughter not know a few martial arts moves?
Zhao Jiaqi looked at her son, who sat straight-backed beside her, his gaze fixed forward. His composed and calm demeanor, if she hadn't known her son so well, would have even deceived her into thinking he was a hypocrite.
"Ling Wei Feng greets the Former Emperor and the Former Empress. May you both be well."
"My daughter, Ling Fei, greets the Former Emperor and the Former Empress. May you both be blessed!"
One clasped his fist, the other curtsied. Both used martial arts etiquette, and Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao had no objections to this.
If possible, they would have liked to be ordinary farmers, living freely and uninhibitedly!
Fan Zehao raised his hand slightly and said, "Alliance Leader Ling and your esteemed daughter, please be seated!"
Ling Wei Feng and Ling Fei sat down one after another. Su Ya brought a pot of tea. This tea was brewed with snowmelt from plum blossoms that bloomed in winter, and the tea leaves were pre-rain Longjing.
Although the aroma of this tea was unique, those who didn't know how to appreciate tea couldn't discern it.
Fan Zehao, however, felt that tea was merely for quenching thirst. One had a floral fragrance, the other a leafy taste, and in his mouth, it all tasted the same: bitter!
As for the lingering sweetness, he had never tasted it. However, it was better than plain water, which was why the manor had tea.
Ling Wei Feng took a sip, savored it, and his eyes lit up. He smiled and said, "Good tea, with a plum fragrance. It was brewed with plum snow. The Former Emperor is thoughtful!"
Fan Zehao's lips twitched subtly. Brewing tea with snowmelt from plum blossoms, and he didn't even know if the plum blossoms were clean, yet he praised his thoughtfulness...
"Alliance Leader Ling, your visit this time is regarding your daughter, is it not!"
If he didn't ask, then she would.