The Fifth Princess looked haughty as she pointed to the painting in Nan Qianyue's hand. "I've met her before. It was the day when my uncle invited you to Xiansi Pavilion under my name."

“She was begging on the street with a little girl. I felt sorry for them, so I gave her a bag of silver. Although she kept her head down and I couldn’t see her face, the wooden hairpin in her hair was very exquisite. I remembered it. It was exactly the same as the one in this portrait.”

"And the rumor is that she was pregnant when her second brother raped her. The little girl I saw that day was about three or four years old. The key point is that the little girl looked a lot like the woman in the portrait, so I guessed that the woman begging with her daughter was Liang."

Nanqianyue frowned and pondered for a few seconds. She then waved the portrait in her hand and asked, "Where did this portrait come from?"

The Fifth Princess glared at her. "Still pretending? I've already said all this, and you're still wary of me."

Nan Qianyue smiled helplessly, "I really don't know."

The Fifth Princess raised her chin, crossed her arms, and pointed her nose at Nan Qianyue. "Hmph, so you admit you were faking it just now? You don't trust me at all, and I'm still helping you? That's too much! Even my royal uncle wouldn't be this wary of me!"

Nanqianyue couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, alright, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been so wary of you. How about I treat you to a meal another day?"

The Fifth Princess slowly lowered her chin. "That's more like it."

"So this painting is?" Nan Qianyue raised an eyebrow.

The Fifth Princess composed herself. "It was a wanted notice posted by the Court of Justice. As soon as the rumors spread in the capital, the Court of Justice posted a notice saying that they wanted to find the Liang family and clear Second Brother's name."

"I don't know if the Court of Justice's intentions are true or false. If they are true, then the person behind it might be Consort Xian. Once she finds Liang, she will definitely use every means to make Liang help my second brother clear up the rumors, and then kill Liang."

"But if it's fake, then the person behind it must be your uncle or your father."

"Tell the clues I gave you today to your uncle when you have the chance. The money I gave to Liang was government money. If she spent it, she would leave a trace. With your abilities, your uncle will definitely be able to find Liang."

Looking at the Fifth Princess's earnest analysis, Nan Qianyue smiled with satisfaction, "The Fifth Princess is truly intelligent; I admire her."

The Fifth Princess couldn't help but smile. No one had ever praised her for being smart. Her mother would only call her stupid, her uncle was too lazy to comment on her, and her father would just give her a perfunctory response.

Nanqianyue was the first person to acknowledge her.

"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. Just don't go looking for my uncle right away, or I'll be implicated. I can bear my mother's scolding, but it's my father who's in trouble. He doesn't like my uncle, and if he finds out I helped him harm my second brother, I'll be in big trouble!"

Nan Qianyue smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, I understand."

The Fifth Princess waved her hand, "Then I'm leaving!"

She waved as she climbed out of the carriage, and rushed back in half a minute later.

"This is my carriage. It's your turn to get off." The Fifth Princess looked as if she had just realized something.

Nan Qianyue chuckled and shook her head. "Yes, I almost forgot."

Upon returning to the Prime Minister's residence, Nan Qianyue did not rush to tell the Prime Minister what the Fifth Princess had said. Instead, she made an excuse to return to her own courtyard.

She dismissed the unsuspecting servants and, gazing at the peach tree, called out, "Is Veda here?"

"Your subordinate is here." Veda appeared out of nowhere.

Li Bing, who was hiding in the shadows, wondered why Miss Nan only called Wei Da and not him.

Nanqianyue leaned her shoulder against the peach tree trunk and said lightly, "Have Qin Yi come see me tonight."

Veda tried hard to control his expression and maintain a serious demeanor. "Yes!"

Li Bing, hidden in the shadows: Oh no! Quickly inform the lord!

As night fell, Nanqianyue finished packing early and leaned against the window waiting for someone.

However, after waiting for an hour, the person still hadn't arrived.

Nanqianyue yawned, cast a cold glance at the darkness outside, and thought to herself, "Come if you want, I'm not waiting anymore."

She closed the window tightly, turned around, and jumped into bed.

At the end of the southern street in the capital, in a narrow, winding alley, several dark figures were hidden.

They moved quietly into the alley and finally stopped in front of a dilapidated little house.

A faint candlelight still shone in the room. Several men in black exchanged glances before bursting through the door.

A woman screamed, then fell silent halfway through...

In the Prime Minister's residence, Qingyun Courtyard, Nanqianyue's eyelids fluttered open and closed, just as she was about to fall asleep. A gust of cold wind stirred the bed curtains, instantly waking her. She sat up, looked at the dark figure outside the curtains, and softly called out, "Qin Yi?"

The shadowy figure paused, then remained silent.

Nanqianyue frowned slightly. "Why are you so late? I was trying to get my beauty sleep."

The shadowy figure remained motionless and silent.

"Are you mute?" Nan Qianyue angrily threw off the covers and got out of bed.

She flung open the bed curtains and walked toward the shadowy figure.

The nightlight inside the house was still on. Nanqianyue was stunned when she saw who it was.

She swallowed the curse that was about to escape her throat and forced an awkward smile. "...Xiao Chen, what brings you here?"

The night wind blew in from the half-open window, carrying a merciless chill as it brushed against Xiao Chen's bloodshot eyes. He stood motionless in the shadows like a wooden stake.

"Are you disappointed to see it's me?" he asked, his voice filled with suppressed pain.

Nan Qianyue pursed her lips tightly, unsure of what to say.

Xiao Chen stared intently at every change in her expression, and walked towards her with heavy steps.

He stood in front of her, slowly raising his hand to place it on her shoulder.

Nanqianyue trembled and took a step back.

Her dodge was like a sharp knife piercing his heart, and Xiao Chen's hand, frozen in mid-air, tightened little by little.

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