Gong Chang’an immediately understood the king’s intention, and he quickly descended the stairs, taking over the box that Eldest Qin proffered.
“Inside, there are three meridian-nursing pills and fifty vigorous-growth pills, which our Qin Estate is offering to Your Majesty as a small token of our feelings.” Qin Guilu lowered his head slightly as he said, “This one has been very ill at ease that the crown prince received a shock at the Qin Estate that day.”
When Qin Guilu raised his gaze, Second Qin promptly walked out from behind his father and opened a rectangular box, presenting its contents to the king.
The old king lowered his head for a look, and upon glancing at the item, he was so ecstatic that he couldn’t conceal his wide smile.
“My son obtained this 400-year-old earth ginseng by chance during his practical training outside. Today, this one wishes to present it to His Highness the Crown Prince as an apology gift. Hopefully, my king won’t scorn my wish.” Qin Guilu said with a smile.
“Okay okay okay.” The king kept nodding in delight. “Gong Chang’an, send someone to deliver it to the Eastern Palace.”
Due to the Qin Family’s tactfulness, the king naturally revoked their house arrest and liberated the Qin Estate. The king also placated Qin Guilu a good deal, bestowing him with some gifts in the end, before instructing someone to escort the Qin Estate trio out of the palace.
After leaving the palace, Qin Guilu was finally able to wipe his head of cold sweat and breathe a slight sigh of relief.
“Where are you going?” Seeing that Second Qin was turning to leave, Qin Guilu called out, involuntarily startled.
“You return first. I have something to do.” Second Qin left with a flick of his sleeves after coldly saying this.
Yet Qin Guilu was slightly ill at ease and turned to Qin Xuan. “Is Second Young Master angry?”
Qin Xuan swept him a glance.
Qin Guilu hastily added, “But I didn’t have a choice. After all, we’re in the Lower Star Domain right now. It’s not good to clash with the Mo Kingdom’s old king in the open, so I could only trouble Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master to give the old King Mo some benefits. We had to resolve our present predicament first and foremost.”
Qin Xuan replied sardonically, “No, he’s not angry. It’s only that your decision this time of acting on your own is a bit frustrating, not to mention that you went for wool but came back shorn.”
Qin Guilu stiffened and was slightly shocked on the inside: They knew?
“Could it be that you thought that Second Qin was still not aware of your and Shuntian Prefecture’s cheap tricks?”
Qin Guilu’s cold sweat instantly dripped from his forehead. He had been keeping those two people in the dark when he made a secret deal with Shuntian Prefecture’s Qiu San for a pill recipe. Yet right now, he had been exposed out in the open.
“Eldest Young Master, this subordinate is surnamed Qin. Alive, this subordinate is the Qin Family’s person, and dead, the Qin Family’s ghost. This subordinate absolutely wouldn’t do anything to betray the Qin Family. It’s only that, that…” that he coveted those few rarely-seen pill recipes that Qiu San’s master offered. That’s why he colluded with Qiu San for benefits time and again.
“Dumbass.” Qin Xuan glanced coldly at Qin Guilu. “You don’t even know when you’re being used as a pawn. This time, if not for Second Brother cleaning up your mess for you, you think that the Qin Estate could have been extracted so quickly from this zombie incident?”
Qin Guilu narrowed his eyes as he gazed in disbelief at Eldest Young Master Qin. “Eldest Young Master, please speak forthrightly.”
“Do you know how many people that person sent to infiltrate the Qin Estate to search for evidence?”
“If not for Second Brother destroying all your secret letters with the Shuntian Prefecture, you’d already be in prison. Ha ha, or perhaps you’d already be beheaded.” Eldest Young Master Qin spat this out in an easy-going manner. Conversely, Qin Guilu’s expression changed tremendously as his pupils abruptly contracted.
“Y-You’re talking about, His Highness the Crown Prince?” Upon coming to this realization, Qin Guilu paled from fright.
“That man is cold-hearted, vicious, and merciless.”