"Lord Mei, something terrible has happened! Something terrible!"
Before Xiao Yuecheng could even step inside the room, his urgent voice was heard.
"Steward Xiao, why are you here?" Mei Jin Nian asked, feigning ignorance.
"Ah... Lord Mei! Your son and my illegitimate son have caused a huge disaster!"
Xiao Yuecheng frowned deeply and let out a long sigh.
This Xiao Yuecheng was dressed in fine silk brocade robes, his hair neatly combed and tied up with a white jade coronet. His face was pointed and long, with narrow, squinting eyes. The corners of his mouth turned slightly to the left. He was a very ugly man, and on the thumbs, index, and middle fingers of both hands, he wore jade finger cots of different colors. Just by looking at Xiao Yuecheng's appearance, one could tell he was no good.
"What is it, Steward Xiao?" Mei Jin Nian continued to pretend he didn't know.
"Lord Mei, you don't know, your son and my illegitimate son offended the Cold King's Consort, and she captured them at An Ji Tang."
Xiao Yuecheng proclaimed the reason in a loud voice.
"What? They offended the Cold King's Consort?"
Mei Jin Nian was suddenly greatly shocked. Didn't that servant just say they were captured by a woman at An Ji Tang?
But he hadn't heard that servant mention that his son had offended the Cold King's Consort!
This was truly disastrous!
How could a fifth-rank official like him contend with the Cold King's Consort, whom the Emperor and the Empress Dowager both cherished like their own hearts?
"Lord Mei, what do you think we should do about this matter?" Xiao Yuecheng looked up at Mei Jin Nian.
"What else can we do? We must quickly bring gifts and apologize to the Cold King's Consort."
Mei Jin Nian rubbed his brow.
"Yes, yes, yes! I heard the Cold King's Consort loves valuable gold, silver, and jewelry the most. I'll have someone prepare them as soon as I get back." Xiao Yuecheng said as if he had just realized it.
In fact, before he came to the Mei residence, he had already instructed his household steward to prepare gifts. The reason he said this was to probe the Mei residence's intentions, to see how much wealth Mei Jin Nian would bring to apologize to Leng Ruo Li.
Although his illegitimate son had also been captured and taken to An Ji Tang, he didn't want to be the scapegoat and pay too much money to redeem his son.
If he had to pay more, that was fine, but he had to gain some advantage.
"Then, Steward Xiao, how much wealth do you plan to prepare to apologize to the Cold King's Consort?" Mei Jin Nian asked with great curiosity.
"Alas... Lord Mei! My business has been difficult this year. The mansion in the west of the city has severely affected my ancestral graves, leading to my fur business..."
Xiao Yuecheng deliberately left his sentence unfinished.
"Oh, it's just an old house. After we settle the children's matter, I'll look into that family for you."
Mei Jin Nian quickly understood Xiao Yuecheng's meaning.
"Then I thank you in advance, Lord Mei."
With that said, Xiao Yuecheng's eyes suddenly gleamed. His goal had been achieved, and he had no intention of delaying to rescue his illegitimate son.
"Mm-hmm, these are minor matters. Hurry back and prepare the money. We will depart for An Ji Tang in half an hour." Mei Jin Nian waved his hand, urging Xiao Yuecheng.
He, Xiao Yuecheng, had many sons, so he wasn't in a hurry. Even if one of them died, he still had a few more.
But Mei Jin Nian was different. He had lived most of his life and only had Mei Ansheng, his only precious son. How could he not be anxious?
As a result, Xiao Yuecheng was truly fast. In less than half an hour, he arrived at the entrance of the Mei residence with two large carts of gifts and went to An Ji Tang with Mei Jin Nian and his wife.
At this moment, An Ji Tang had resumed normal business. The two children had been locked in one of the hospital rooms at An Ji Tang by Ye Ying.
Fearing that the two children would cause a disturbance and affect the rest of the patients, Ye Ying had also sealed their pressure points that caused speechlessness.
As for Xiao Meng Fan, Liu Nian Hua had taken him back to the dormitory to rest.
When their parents arrived with gifts to offer their apologies to Leng Ruo Li, Leng Ruo Li was busy seeing patients.
"Your subordinate pays his respects to the Cold King's Consort!"
Mei Jin Nian, his wife, and Xiao Yuecheng respectfully and courteously kowtowed to Leng Ruo Li.
However, after they finished their bow, Leng Ruo Li, for once, did not tell Mei Jin Nian and the others to rise.
Instead, she deliberately asked, "Who are you all? Are you here at my An Ji Tang to see a doctor or to get medicine?"
"Uh..."
"Cold King's Consort, your subordinate Mei Jin Nian, along with his wife and Steward Xiao, have come to apologize to you."
Mei Jin Nian said with a smile.
"Apologize? Why do you need to apologize to me?"
Leng Ruo Li asked him again.
"Uh... it's just... it's just that my rebellious son offended Your Royal Highness on the street today. Your subordinate has come to apologize to you on his behalf, and to take him back to teach him a good lesson."
Mei Jin Nian was so awkward that his speech became hesitant.
"Lord Mei, your son did not offend this King's Consort. Instead, he bullied the child of my father's benefactor, and this King's Consort witnessed it."
Leng Ruo Li saw no need to beat around the bush with Mei Jin Nian at this moment.
"Cold King's Consort, it is my fault for not disciplining my son properly! It is a sin!"
Upon hearing Leng Ruo Li's words, Mei Jin Nian trembled all over.
His rebellious son was truly a handful! Who was it that he provoked, only to offend such prominent figures related to the Emperor?
He felt as if his hair had instantly turned white with worry.
"Ye Ying, go release those two boys, and then bring Xiao Meng Fan here."
Afterward, Leng Ruo Li turned and instructed Ye Ying.
"Yes, Consort!"
Ye Ying responded and then strode to the door of a ward, fiercely pushing open the door and dragging the two mischievous boys to Mei Jin Nian and the others.
Seeing their parents, Mei Ansheng and Xiao Yuecheng wanted to shout for help loudly, but their pressure points had been sealed, so they could only open their mouths silently, unable to utter a sound.
"Ye Ying, unseal their pressure points." At this moment, Leng Ruo Li instructed Ye Ying.
"Yes, Consort!"
Immediately, Ye Ying quickly unsealed the pressure points of the two children, then turned and went to the back courtyard of the clinic to find Xiao Meng Fan.
Meanwhile, Mei Ansheng and Xiao Wen Jie, with their pressure points unsealed, were still unable to move. The two of them pouted, looking wronged, and burst into tears on the spot.
"Father, this woman is bullying us too much! We didn't provoke her, yet she captured us here without a word, woo woo woo..." Mei Ansheng deliberately cried loudly.
This angered Mei Jin Nian to the point of exploding.
Damn it!
This rebellious son only knows how to cry! Didn't he see that his father and mother were also kneeling on the ground?
"Father, hurry and save me, I'm scared!"
Mei Ansheng, oblivious to the anger on Mei Jin Nian's face, continued to speak.
"You scoundrel, shut up now!"
At this moment, Mei Jin Nian finally lost his temper.