Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"Young master, I've finished eating!"

Before he could finish scooping all the meat and vegetables out of the pot and take the last bite, he mumbled indistinctly, "Let's go back."

"He said he was full."

Qi Heng said irritably, "If you lie again next time, I'll have my mother give me a different attendant!"

"I wouldn't dare do it again!"

Without offering a simple, honest smile, he urged again, "Young master, let's hurry up and go. Even if Madam still finds out, if we get home before she does, she'll scold you less!"

"And what about you?"

Qi Heng asked, "Aren't you worried about being punished?"

"The little ones are tough and thick-skinned, they'll be fine with a few spankings," Buwei said nonchalantly.

Is it worth it?

Even though Qi Heng inherited the original owner's memories, he still found it difficult to understand this way of thinking.

That's right, he's a time traveler. In his previous life, he was an ordinary young man who stumbled upon the world of "The Story of Minglan" by sheer luck.

In his previous life, he had read some time-travel novels where the protagonist merged with the original owner's memories and quickly integrated into this era.

But after actually traveling through time, he realized it wasn't that simple.

He also incorporated memories, but it was like watching a movie.

Even though I knew about other people's experiences, I was completely able to empathize with them.

In the original owner's memory, although Buwei was good, it was only compared to ordinary masters and servants.

From his perspective, it's definitely not to the point of risking his life.

"What did you say, young master?" Buwei didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing."

Qi Heng shook his head and said, "It's cold outside now. We just ate the antique soup and sweated a lot. If we go out now, we'll easily catch a cold. Let's rest for a while before we go."

Antique soup is actually a hot pot, and it is called "Gudong soup" because the soup in the pot makes a gurgling sound.

As it was called, it became known as "antique soup," a dish served by scholars and literati.

Because mutton is expensive, many people opt for rabbit meat in hot pot. The rabbit meat slices tumble in the boiling broth, somewhat resembling a sunset, hence the name.

I didn't urge them because I heard that leaving now would make it easy to catch a cold.

After sitting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Qi Heng refused to pay the bill, and the two left Fanlou.

The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and there was already snow on the road.

Instead of holding an umbrella to shield Qi Heng from the snow, she reminded him, "Young master, be careful, it's slippery."

"knew!"

Qi Heng waved his hand; the swirling wind and snow only made his thoughts clearer.

The young prince died a few days ago, and Gu Tingye secretly left Bianjing.

In other words, the story has now officially begun.

However, the Qi family's crisis is a matter for the future; the most important thing right now is how to deal with Princess Pingning's excessive desire for control.

He hadn't really grasped the significance of the drama in his previous life. Only after merging with the original owner's memories did he realize just how strong Princess Pingning's desire for control was.

Anyway, if it were him, he would probably have gone crazy long ago. I don't know how the original owner could have endured it.

If a maid dresses brightly, he'll think she's trying to seduce him. If she's lucky, she'll be sold off; if she's unlucky, she'll be beaten to death.

This kind of thing doesn't happen in a few years; it already happened last year.

Keep in mind that Qi Heng is only twelve years old this year, and he was eleven last year.

Apart from that, he had almost no choice in what he ate or wore.

It was all arranged by Princess Pingning; it will be delivered directly.

In the original owner's memory, the maids in the courtyard had been changing from time to time over the years.

At first, they would ask, but later they probably already knew and stopped asking.

The memories he merged with only included the original owner's experiences, without any of his inner thoughts.

The advantage of this is that he will not be affected by those memories.

The downside is that you only know some of the original owner's experiences, making it difficult to completely imitate him, let alone understand some of his thoughts.

However, he guessed that the original Qi Heng must have guessed some things. He followed the rules and strictly did what his mother asked, also because he wanted to protect the people in the courtyard.

But the idea was too simplistic; habit is a terrible thing.

Princess Pingning's desire for control was not innate; she was granted the title of princess and lived in the palace from a young age.

Although the Qi family was once a Duke's mansion, it has declined in recent years.

Being able to marry Princess Pingning, who was raised by the Empress since childhood, meant that not only were her parents-in-law very polite to her, but her husband also listened to her every word.

A duke, with only one son, didn't even take a concubine.

To put it bluntly, if Qi Heng were to die of an illness when he grew up, it's uncertain whether the Duke of Qi would be able to have children again.

In ancient times, when bloodline inheritance was highly valued and the infant mortality rate was high, it was actually hard to imagine.

This environment made Princess Pingning's personality increasingly assertive.

Because it was my first time being a mother, I subconsciously felt that the arrangements I made for my child were the best.

This mentality persists even among many parents in later generations.

Qi Heng's compliance only fueled her growing desire for control.

He couldn't stand this desire for control. Since he couldn't change himself, he could only try to change others.

It's useless to try to communicate with Princess Pingning properly, so the only option is to disobey her and let her gradually adapt.

"Young master, we've arrived!"

Fanlou was not far from Gonghou Street, where the Duke of Qi's mansion was located. Lost in thought, I arrived home.

I went up to knock on the door, but there was no response for quite a while.

Qi Heng's heart sank. He said, "Let's go through the main entrance!"

Even if Princess Pingning was annoyed that he went out at night, she couldn't possibly lock him out.

Princess Pingning is extremely strict with rules. The gatekeeper at the side gate would have known he was going out and would have kept a close watch on him. It's impossible that he didn't respond after being called for so long.

If we rule out these possibilities, there is only one possibility left.

The side gate was closed at this point, and there was no one there.

Qi Heng quickened his pace. Given Princess Pingning's temperament, whether the gatekeeper lived or died depended entirely on her mood.

If the gatekeeper were beaten to death because of him, he would never be at peace with himself for the rest of his life.

They soon arrived at the main entrance, and before they could even knock, the door was opened.

"Young Master!"

The doorman opened the door and stood to one side, bowing respectfully.

"Where's the gatekeeper at the side entrance?"

Qi Heng asked, "Why is no one opening the door?"

"Because they failed to stop the young master, they were punished with thirty strokes of the cane by the madam. Steward Liu probably hasn't had time to arrange for someone to go to the side gate yet," the gatekeeper said.

"Go and fetch a doctor to treat their injuries!" Qi Heng instructed one of the gatekeepers.

"This…"

The gatekeeper knelt down with a thud, pleading, "Young master, please don't make things difficult for me. Madam said that if they pull through, they'll live; if they don't..."

"I'm not feeling well yet, and I need to see a doctor. Would you like to go and fetch one?" Qi Heng said calmly.

"I'll go right away!"

Helpless, the gatekeeper could only get up with a long face, bow, and then go out into the wind and snow.

"No, go get the money. When the doctor comes, tell him not to worry about the cost, he must save the person's life!" Qi Heng instructed.

"Yes!" was not answered.

Qi Heng nodded, entered the mansion, and headed towards the main hall with a blank expression.

……

"It's already this late and they still haven't come back. They should at least change their ways. They didn't even stop Heng'er, letting him run wild!"

Princess Pingning, seeing that the snow outside was falling heavier and heavier and Qi Heng still hadn't returned, said with a grim face.

Just as Qi Xuan was about to speak, a maid rushed in, bowed, and said, "My lord, my lady, the young master is back!"