Seeing the situation, Xie Lian found it both funny and pitiful and asked, "Will this child's injuries heal?"
A royal doctor rewrapped the bandages on the child's head and replied, "It will be fine."
Only then did Xie Lian relax. He nodded and said, "Thank you."
At this moment, a palace attendant announced that the King and Queen had arrived. All the royal doctors immediately stood up and went to greet them. Xie Lian gently placed the child on the bed and said, "Lie down and rest for now." Thinking that the child was shy and might get scared with more people around, he drew the bed curtains before getting up.
A group of attendants and palace servants escorted the King and Queen into the hall. The Queen, looking pale, asked, "Why did you return to the palace in such a hurry after leaving? Were you hurt outside?"
Xie Lian replied, "Mother, don't worry. I'm not hurt. Someone else is."
At this moment, Qi Rong shouted from the corner, "Aunt, save me!"
Only then did the Queen notice that Qi Rong was being firmly held by Feng Xin, who was restraining him to the side, and she was taken aback. Her mind had been solely on whether her son was safe and sound, so she hadn't noticed anything else. Now seeing this, she asked, "What's going on with Qi Rong?"
The King frowned and asked, "Feng Xin, why are you holding the Young Mirror King like a criminal?"
With the King present, Feng Xin was supposed to salute like Mu Qing and the others, but since he was holding Qi Rong, he couldn't free himself, making the situation a bit awkward. Xie Lian said, "I asked him to."
Qi Rong cradled his right hand and said, "Aunt, my arm is broken."
Before the Queen could express her concern, Xie Lian sternly said, "You broke an arm, but what about the child inside?"
The King asked, "What child?"
Xie Lian explained, "A ten-year-old child. He couldn't even fight back, and he's naturally weak. Qi Rong sent his men to beat him up. If the child hadn't been lucky, he might have been killed on the spot!"
Qi Rong, as if hearing a joke, opened his eyes wide and said, "A ten-year-old child, weak and defenseless? Cousin, you have no idea how fierce, wild, and tough this little brat is. He's just pretending to be pitiful in front of you. I called five or six people, and they still couldn't catch him. He punched, kicked, and bit them, leaving them bloody. If he hadn't angered me, I wouldn't have dragged him behind the carriage."
Hearing this, both the King and Queen's faces changed. Xie Lian took a deep breath and said, "Shut up! Are you proud of what you've done?"
Qi Rong was usually not one to shy away from attention, and with such arrogant behavior, how could the people in the capital not notice? And once they noticed, how could they not talk about it over tea?
The King glanced at the Queen and, with a slightly pale face, said, "Take the Young Mirror King away. Royal doctors, treat his arm. Confiscate his golden carriage, and confine him for a month. He is not allowed to come out."
The attendants immediately responded and went to take him away, and only then did Feng Xin let go. Qi Rong, however, seemed indifferent and snorted, "Fine, take it. I knew today would be the last run."
Seeing that he had no remorse, the Queen sighed. Xie Lian said, "If he's only confined for a month, I'm afraid he'll do it again next time. He needs to be strictly disciplined."
Qi Rong was taken aback and angrily said, "Cousin, you..." Then, his eyes rolled, and he said, "Fine. I'll admit it. This was my fault. Whatever punishment the King gives me, I won't refuse."
Then he changed his tone, "But shouldn't the Crown Prince's subordinate be punished as well? Aunt and Uncle, my arm was broken by this Feng Xin!"
Hearing this, the King immediately looked at Feng Xin, his face showing anger. Feng Xin slightly lowered his head, and Mu Qing subtly moved two steps to the side.
The King coldly said, "Feng Xin, you are the Crown Prince's attendant. The Crown Prince treats you well, but have you forgotten your place and become arrogant? Your duty is to serve the Crown Prince, and is this how you serve him? You dared to lay hands on the Crown Prince's cousin, the Young Mirror King."
Hearing this, Feng Xin prepared to kneel. Xie Lian said, "No need to kneel."
Feng Xin, prioritizing Xie Lian's command above all, even over the King's, immediately stopped himself from kneeling. Seeing this, the King's expression grew more displeased.
Xie Lian said, "Feng Xin did break Qi Rong's arm, but it was to protect me. Besides, Qi Rong was the one who caused trouble first. He did nothing wrong, so why should he kneel?"
The King replied, "Regardless of the reason, he offended the Young Mirror King. There is a hierarchy, and even if I ordered him to kneel or even punished him with a hundred lashes, it wouldn't be inappropriate."
Though the King wasn't as close to Qi Rong as the Queen was, Qi Rong was still a member of the royal family and untouchable. Qi Rong knew this well and said with a sidelong glance, "No need for lashes. After all, he's the Crown Prince's man, and I don't want to make it too difficult for him. I just want him to break his own arm and then kneel and bow to me three times, and I won't pursue the matter."
The King slowly nodded, seemingly agreeing with this. Xie Lian said, "If you want to punish Feng Xin, then punish me first. He is my attendant, and even if he did something wrong, he was following my orders. I will take the punishment for him."
Hearing this, the King's face showed a flash of anger.
It seems that all fathers and sons in the world go through such changes. When a son is young, he sees his father as the greatest hero in the world, his role model, and admires him immensely. But as the son grows older, he begins to doubt everything about his father, even becoming resentful, until both sides refuse to acknowledge each other.
Xie Lian's original purpose for going to Mount Taicang to train was indeed because he was drawn to martial arts and the path of cultivation. However, he wasn't fixated on where or in what capacity he pursued it.
The so-called "path" is simply "a person walking on a road." As long as someone is dedicated to the path, anywhere can be a place of cultivation; it doesn't have to be formal or involve going up a mountain or entering a temple. The other reason Xie Lian insisted on going up the mountain was that he found it difficult to communicate with his father.
As the Crown Prince of Divine Joy Kingdom, Xie Lian's life path was meticulously planned by the King from the moment he was born. In his childhood, things were fine—being small and carefree, Xie Lian only needed his parents to accompany him in play. But as he grew older, he realized that his father was not just a father but also a king, and they couldn't reconcile their many ideas and actions. For instance, the so-called royal dignity was one of the things Xie Lian disliked the most.
Since they couldn't reconcile, it was better to stay away. Whenever he returned to the palace, he would have pleasant conversations with his mother but never opened his heart to his father. They rarely initiated conversations with each other, and it was always the Queen who mediated between them.
The father and son had been at a stalemate for months. Now, with Xie Lian repeatedly insisting and refusing to back down, the King said, "Fine, then you take the punishment for him. Let's see if you can do it!" Xie Lian replied, "Of course!" The Queen, seeing the father and son facing off again, anxiously said, "Is this really necessary?"
At this moment, Feng Xin, who had been silent, suddenly raised his left hand and struck his right arm. With a crack, everyone was startled and looked over. They saw his right arm hanging limply, just like Qi Rong's. Xie Lian was both shocked and angry, "Feng Xin!"
Feng Xin, with a slight cold sweat on his forehead, said nothing and knelt before Qi Rong, bowing his head three times. Xie Lian couldn't stop him. Qi Rong, feeling quite pleased, laughed and said, "Alright, I'll reluctantly forgive you. See, wasn't this easier?"
Though his arm was broken too, he left looking refreshed, as if he had won a battle. Feng Xin remained kneeling, while Mu Qing watched with a faintly gray expression, lost in thought. Xie Lian turned sharply to his father, angry, "You!..."
Feng Xin grabbed him with his left hand, saying, "Your Highness!"
The Queen also took his arm. Xie Lian knew that Feng Xin had followed him since he was fourteen and was favored by the Queen. Not wanting to see a father-son argument that would upset the Queen, Feng Xin had done this. If Xie Lian acted out now, it would be in vain, so he forced himself to hold back, though he was burning with anger. Only then did the King's expression slightly soften, and he left with a stern face.
The Queen, who had always liked Feng Xin, sighed, "Oh, good child, you've been wronged."
Feng Xin replied, "Please, Your Majesty, don't say that. It's just my duty."
Hearing this, Mu Qing's eyes flickered, as if he was silently mocking. Xie Lian closed his eyes and said, "Mother, if you really can't control Qi Rong, then just keep him confined."
The Queen sighed, nodded, then shook her head and left as well.
Xie Lian called for a royal doctor to treat Feng Xin's right arm and said, "Feng Xin, I'm sorry."
Once everyone else had left, Feng Xin immediately put on a different face and sneered, "It's nothing. If I dare to hit him, I'm not afraid of his revenge." After a pause, he added, "Your Highness, you were right to teach Qi Rong a lesson, but don't argue with the King. The King is the ruler and an elder, so he thinks differently from us. When you two argue, the Queen feels troubled. She has her difficulties too."
Xie Lian knew well that his mother had her difficulties.
Qi Rong's mother was the Queen's sister, and they were very close. In her youth, she had pursued freedom, listened to sweet words, and ruined an arranged marriage to elope with a guard.
But she married the wrong man, and after living in a shabby house for less than half a year, the guard revealed his true nature, indulging in debauchery. After Qi Rong was born, he even beat her. Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, she returned home with Qi Rong when he was five.
Having become a scandal among the nobility, she never left her home again and remained unhappy, doting on her only son.
During a rebellion, Qi Rong's mother was killed by a stray arrow while saving the Queen. On her deathbed, she entrusted Qi Rong to Xie Lian's mother.
The Queen took care of him wholeheartedly. However, raising someone else's child is always challenging. It's hard to discipline them—being too strict seems harsh, and considering the relationship, it's hard to be ruthless. But not disciplining them leads to the current behavior, which will only worsen without restraint. The Queen often wondered why, despite raising Xie Lian and Qi Rong in much the same way, their personalities turned out so differently.
At this moment, Xie Lian suddenly remembered that there was still a child lying on the bed inside the room. He lifted the curtain and saw that the child had sat up again, seemingly peeking through the gaps. When Xie Lian lifted the curtain, the child obediently lay back down. Xie Lian asked, "Did the argument outside scare you? Don't worry, it's not your concern."
A royal doctor said, "Crown Prince, this young one's injuries have been treated and just need rest."
Xie Lian nodded, "Thank you."
He bent down and asked the child, "Where is your home? I'll take you back."
The child shook his head and said, "No home."
Feng Xin, supporting his bandaged arm, came up and said, "No home? Could he really be a little beggar?"
Seeing the child so thin and small, with dirty clothes, it wasn't impossible. If he had no home to return to, they couldn't just leave him in the palace or on the streets. Xie Lian thought for a moment and said, "In that case, let's take him back to Mount Taicang with me."
Unexpectedly, Mu Qing suddenly said, "He's lying."