Chapter 491: Chapter 177 Yan Xu
The summer night was sweltering, without a breath of wind; the air was oppressively stagnant.
Though ice was placed everywhere in the courtyard, the impending downpour rendered it ineffective against the cloying oppressiveness; even the cicadas in the trees buzzed with an edgy urgency.
The Spirit Rhinoceros Fragrance in the incense burner wafted a complex aroma that only served to heighten the agitation of the man seated at the table.
Blue smoke dissipated through the room like fog slowly spreading out, and Qi Yutai glanced at it with a flicker of irritability in his brow, reaching out to open the window.
He wasn’t certain if it was his imagination, but ever since he had smelled Jin Xianrong’s "Pond Spring Grass Dream" at the Board of Rites Office, the Spirit Rhinoceros Fragrance at home seemed tediously dense in comparison, just like the rigid and outdated rules of the Qi Family, utterly tiresome.
Jin Xianrong was generous indeed, gifting him many Fragrant Pills of "Pond Spring Grass Dream"; however, he could only burn this incense at the Board of Rites Office. Back at the Qi residence, he had to use the Spirit Rhinoceros Fragrance that his father had always preferred.
After all, though the new Fragrant Pills boasted a sweet scent, they were ultimately cheap, much like their creator.
Thinking of the creator of the Fragrant Pills, Qi Yutai’s gaze darkened.
It had been five or six days since the tiger was caught and killed.
During these days, much had transpired in the Qi Family.
First, a malicious individual infiltrated Huangmao Hill’s hunting grounds, leading to neglect of duty by the commanding patrol, a man once recommended by his father, which drew the emperor’s suspicion and forced his father to prove his innocence in court. Later, someone, unknown to them, had presented a memorial on the Imperial Censor’s desk that collected incidents of ferocious dogs injuring people in Shengjing over the last few years. Though not naming the Qi Family directly, it was a veiled hint clear enough for implication.
With troubles in court piling up, the Third Prince seized the opportunity to kick them while they were down, and the emperor, already favoring Prince Yuan Yao, left the Qi Family struggling to fend for themselves.
While they were kept busy with these issues, they could not attend to other matters.
Qi Yutai had hoped that his father would step in to teach that little brat from the Pei Family a lesson, but several days had passed without any sign from his father of doing so.
This loss of face made Qi Yutai feel humiliated.
He had always valued his reputation. On that day at Huangmao Hill, Pei Yunmeng had stood up for Lu Tong in front of everyone, forcing Qi Yutai to endure this embarrassment, unable to avenge the tiger. Subsequently, rumors went around the official circles in Shengjing that Pei Yunmeng was a hotheaded youth acting in fury for the sake of a beauty, which, despite its sarcastic tone, ultimately portrayed him as a hero who couldn’t stand injustice. In contrast, Qi Yutai was thoroughly mocked in this tale of romance and chivalry, reduced to a figure who was cowardly, bullying by leveraging his power, and petty when compared to a hero.
Hearing the rumors spread outside, Qi Yutai was full of hate and envy, cutting out several tongues before he could vent his anger.
Yet even after the outburst, he still felt unsatisfied.
His father clearly knew everything but refused to stand up for him, focused only on preserving the reputation of the Qi Family.
It was evident that he didn’t care about his son.
Even if he didn’t care about him, did he not even care about Qi Huaying?
Ever since he learned that Pei Yunmeng had stood up for Lu Tong on Huangmao Hill, Qi Huaying became increasingly depressed, rapidly losing weight, causing Qi Yutai such distress that he spoke to Qi Qing several times, hinting that they should teach Pei Yunmeng a lesson.
Qi Qing ignored him.
The old steward advised him, "Young Master, a female medical officer is but a commoner. Even without taking any action, given the prestige of the Qi Family, the Medical Officer Institute will surely make life difficult for her. Her future will be challenging."
"Young Master, why insist on being relentless and ruthless?"
Why insist on being ruthless?
Qi Yutai dared not say.
He hadn’t told anyone that on that day, when the tiger lunged at Lu Tong and was on the brink of death, clearly about to die, that weak woman suddenly turned and attacked the tiger like a madwoman, stabbing it repeatedly to death with her hairpin. When he approached to call the tiger’s name, the woman lifted her head from the pool of blood. In that moment, her gaze—
It was cold, ferocious, filled with deep resentment...
It reminded him too much of another pair of eyes that had stared him down amidst flames.
Qi Yutai shivered abruptly.
Despite the sweltering heat of summer, he found himself covered in goosebumps.
As the window was opened, the fragrance of Spirit Rhinoceros seemed impossible to disperse, like a heavy stone pressing on the chest, inducing restlessness.
He suddenly stood up, walked over to the table, drew out a stack of silver notes and stuck them in his pocket before turning to leave.
The maidservant by his side jumped in fright, hurrying forward to stop him, "Young Master, no matter how uneasy you are, it would be best to endure a few more days, especially since you’ve only just...
"Get out!" Qi Yutai cursed.
Qi Huaying had given him a sum of silver recently, which he took advantage of when his father was out. He sneaked away to a Tea Pavilion to indulge in opium. He had been repressing the urge for too long; finally partaking felt like he was floating to heaven.