Repudiating a Good Wife Is Out of the Question

107. The Bird Has Escaped

Translator: Sissy That Walk

“A bird? Now you are carrying tales from what you have heard from a bird? Son, I swear sometimes you make it very hard for me to even tolerate you!” Xiao Yugui fumed, “Do you know how ridiculous you just sound?”

Xiao Jin’s eyes widened, he replied anxiously, “Father, why don’t you believe me? You can pay a visit to Magnolia House yourself, my brother-in-law has a talking parrot in the cage, he adores that parrot so much! I heard the parrot kept saying ‘Prince Xing, great news, Qin is here’ when I visited my brother this morning. Haven’t you heard the story that Qin sent my brother-in-law a hairpin the first time they met each other? A hairpin! Isn’t a gift like that a bit too personal and intimate?”

“Stop this nonsense! Where have you heard rumour like this?” Xiao Yugui wished he could cover Xiao Jin’s mouth.

“Everyone in the capital city is talking about this, I think you are the only one in our manor who doesn’t know about this.” Xiao Jin hated Cao Mo so much that he started to make things up to infuriate his father.

Xiao Yugui asked his servant to bring Xiao Yi and Cao Mo to see him immediately and Xiao Jin had sneaked out after Xiao Yugui had given that order.

“Mo, do you know you’ve become the talk of town again?” Xiao Yugui asked in a cold voice.

“I don’t know who is cooking up stories about me again.” Cao Mo sighed.

“Father, I’ve heard the rumor as well, I guarantee you Mo has been nothing but open and aboveboard.” Xiao Yi defended Cao Mo.

“Do you have any idea who is the man behind the curtain?” Xiao Yugui narrowed his eyes.

Xiao Yi swallowed back the words on the tip of his tongue, “Father, this is a delicate situation, it concerns Auntie Lu!”

“What? How does this have anything to do with your Second Aunt?” Xiao Yugui’s eyes widened.

“Father, please hear me out. Mo and an actor from Spring Joy Troupe met each other at Big Second Madam’s gathering, Qin dropped a hairpin on the ground, Mo picked it up and returned it to him, that was all. However, on that very night, I found Qin lying in the middle of the road, with his eyes gouged out, tongue cut out, covered in blood! I dared not to breathe a word about it, so I asked our pages to send Qin to Charity House and I asked Prince Xing to investigate this, but… …”

“But what?” killing intent flashed across Xiao Yugui’s eyes.

“But Prince Xing found out this was Auntie Lu’s doing!” Xiao Yi said that through his teeth.

“So Qin the actor is in Prince Xing’s manor now?” Xiao Yugui nodded and continued, “Yi, keep your distance from Prince Xing. We have been military officers for generations, political disputes is the thing that we need to stay away from, understood? I know Prince Xing is your cousin, but you are too young and inexperienced to know the cruelty of politics, I don’t want you be become anyone’s puppet in this upcoming war between Prince Xing and Prince Ning. Son, we need to tread carefully, taking no side in conflict is the way to go.” Xiao Yugui spoke that in a grave tone and with sincerity.

“Father, I do need to report this to you, the hairpin that Qin dropped was rewarded by Auntie Lu, and later we found the layout of the capital city hidden in the hairpin! Auntie Lu has put our entire family in danger!” Xiao Yi’s brows furrowed.

Xiao Yugui sighed and pressed his forehead, “Mo, I heard that you have a talking parrot?”

“Yes, father, but it belonged to Auntie Lu, the bird flew to my yard one day and I have been keeping it for fun.” Cao Mo replied.

“Kill it immediately.” Xiao Yugui signaled them to withdraw his room.

Cao Mo complained to Xiao Yi, “Yi, the bird is so innocent and it’s so clever, it repeats everything you say!”

“I agree with father about the bird, the bird indeed talks too much, who knows what nonsense will it say in front of other people. Let’s listen to father and kill it after we get back.” Xiao Yi stroked Cao Mo’s back.

“I guess there goes my plan of meeting trick with trick.” Cao Mo sighed.

Xiao Yi and Cao Mo smiled in unison, suddenly Xiao Jin walked past them with something hiding in his chest.

“What are you up to?” Xiao Yi grabbed Xiao Jin.

“That’s none of your business.” Xiao Jin pushed Xiao Yi away.

Cao Mo noticed there was a bird feather on Xiao Jin’s sleeve, “That’s my bird you are hiding!”

“I heard what father told you, I’m doing you a favor.” Xiao Jin countered.

“I don’t need any favor from you, give me back my bird!” Cao Mo stamped his foot in anger.

Xiao Jin withdrew the bird from his clothes and threw it on the ground.

Cao Mo picked the bird and said, “This isn’t my parrot! Mine is in a different color!”

“Believe it or not, this is your bird.” Xiao Jin made a face.

The noise had caused Xiao Yugui’s attention, he walked out from his room and asked what was going on.

Xiao Jin, the guilty party filed the suit first, “Father, look, my brother and my brother-in-law is bullying me.”

“Yeah, care to explain how are we bullying you?” Cao Mo said.

Xiao Jin turned to water works and raised his voice, “I know you hated me since you first met me, you just want to get rid of me for your husband!”

“Stop this, you scoundrel!” Xiao Yugui slapped Xiao Jin on the face, “Now isn’t the time for you to make a scene and get attention from me, do you know this concerns our whole family! Listen to me, I will cripple you if you dare to strike up a discordant tune with your brother ever again! Understood?”

Xiao Jin covered his cheek and nodded in pain.

“Now tell me where is the bird.”

“Father, I dare not to lie to you, I stole the bird just now and put it in a cage, but the bird opened the cage and flew away, so I found this bird to fool my brother.” Xiao Jin was in tears.

“It has escaped?” Xiao Yi was shocked.

Cao Mo shook his head resignedly, “I think the bird has flown back to its owner.”