Chapter 111 Questioning the Fang Family

At this moment, everyone ran over, either to wash off the blood and sweat after last night's battle, or to lie down by the river and drink a lot, or to take out their kettles and fill them with water.

Huang Cui'e took out the chipped bowl and placed her hands on her hips with a proud expression. "Ha, I told you, all the rags I, Huang Cui'e, pick up are useful. If it weren't for me, Huang Cui'e, you wouldn't even be able to drink a sip of water today!"

Huang patted her on the back and said, "Why are you babbling? Go get some water! We're all dying of thirst!"

Xu Qingying gave her aunt a thumbs up, "Aunt has foresight!"

Huang Cui'e was delighted to receive Xu Qingying's praise. She felt that the more she looked at Xu Liuya, the more she liked her. Look, she was the only one in the family who understood her.

Humph, they are all ungrateful people.

Huang was also extremely tired. She sat down on a rock, pulling at her collar to cool down. She panted and asked Xu Qingying, "Sixth girl, can we take a break now? We've been walking all night. I'm afraid those bandits can't catch up with us."

Xu Qingying glanced at the sky and discussed it with Zhao Bantou for a few words. Feeling that the danger was temporarily over, Zhao Bantou waved his hand and said, "Stay here and rest for an hour!"

After traveling all night, everyone was thirsty, tired, and hungry. Someone suggested, "Why don't we get some food?"

"Our dry food has been stolen. Where will we get the food?"

Hearing this, Huang Cui'e subconsciously wanted to hide the two cabbages.

But someone had already said, "I think everyone should stop hiding it. We've all lived and died together, so why worry about that little bit of food? How long can you keep it?"

Someone immediately retorted: "Well, it can be eaten for a few days."

Huang said, "Why bother? For such a small thing, let everyone look down on you. Besides, the rest of us will starve to death, leaving you few behind. What can you do with the food in your hands? If you meet bandits, can you fight them? If you meet wild beasts, can you run away?"

Old Madam Fang also said, "As the saying goes, a single tree cannot make a forest. We are all in this together. Please share whatever you have. I don't believe that after we finish this meal, we will have no food to eat next time! I, an old woman, will set an example. I will give this bag of food left in the Fang family to Captain Zhao. We will all eat for as many days as we can!"

Zhao Bantou said, "Don't worry, everyone. There's an Anping County nearby, only a hundred miles away. As long as we speed up and get through these few days, we'll be fine! Everyone, take out whatever you have. If you can't trust me, you can definitely trust Miss Xu. Hand it all over to her!"

Xu Qingying accepted the order in a critical moment and had no choice but to obey. "Don't worry, everyone. The adults can hold on for a while. It's not good to let the elderly and children starve. Although it's cold in the mountains, there are abundant supplies. Whether we go hunting in the mountains or fishing in the water, we won't starve to death!"

"Then some of the refugees will starve to death." Although they said this, when they saw the old lady taking out the dry food, some people had to hand over the dry food reluctantly.

Huang Cui'e was extremely reluctant, but Xu Huijia snatched the two cabbages from her hands and said, "Mom, if you are the only one who refuses to hand it over, how will others view our Xu family?"

"Face is not as important as substance." Huang Cui'e cursed a few times but did not stop him.

Then, two cabbages, a few melons, two or three small bags of grain, and a few small pieces of jerky were all the stock for the entire exile team.

Including the combat power lost last night, there are still nearly 110 people in the exile team.

This amount of stock can only last for one day.

While cooking, Xu Qingying found Jiang Yongkang and asked him about the timber case that had caused a stir in the Zhou Dynasty this year.

"It's all that damned Emperor's fault!" Jiang Yongkang didn't shy away from mentioning the Emperor, showing no reverence for Him. "My master was once the largest timber merchant in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the most prestigious imperial merchant in the land. Although Master Jiang's business was huge and he looked wealthy, the lion's share went to the Grand Supervisor and his gang of bastards. A few years ago, the Lord Emperor was renovating Taoist temples across the country, and because the treasury was empty, the Grand Supervisor, in order to curry favor with the Emperor, offered to pay on credit first, and settle the bill when the treasury was full. My master, thinking the old Emperor wouldn't default on his debt, agreed. But he didn't expect the debt to reach one million taels of silver, nearly draining my master's family fortune."

"When the master refused to do it, the eunuchs began to use threats and inducements. My master was so frightened that he even put in all his own money, but it was still not enough. Actually, when I think about it now, the eunuchs' accounts are so fragmented and full of illicit information, it's hard to tell how much the emperor actually spent. That's why the eunuchs have been trying every possible way to prevent the master from meeting the emperor."

"Later, the Jiang family became a hollow shell, and even owed a mountain of debt. My master was forced into a corner, so he had to secretly unite with several ministers and try to bring this matter up in the court. However, who knows who leaked the news, and the entire Jiang family was slaughtered by bandits overnight."

Jiang Yongkang puffed out his chest, his eyes gleaming frighteningly. "Bianjing City has good security, how could so many bandits come here, and only kill people from the Jiang Mansion?!"

Xu Qingying was also extremely shocked when she heard this.

How can you be so righteous about not paying back your debt? Why not just kill the creditor and put an end to it all?

"What's more... I came home late from practice that night and saw a few bandits with my own eyes. One of them was the captain who led the troops last night. Even if he turned to ash, I would recognize him! It was definitely him!"

Jiang Yongkang's expression turned anxious when he said this. "Do you think... could it be that they discovered my whereabouts and want to kill me to silence me?"

Xu Qingying said, "You were just a servant in the Jiang Mansion. Why did they kill you all? Also, if the entire Jiang Mansion was killed, how did you escape? And why were you exiled?"

Jiang Yongkang lowered his eyes, gritted his teeth, and remained silent, seemingly unwilling to elaborate on his past. "Miss Xu, I don't want to lie to you, so please don't ask too many questions. You just need to believe that I have no ill will towards you or anyone else. I'm not a bad person."

Xu Qingying sighed and looked at the thin and immature boy in front of her, speechless for a moment.

"It's not easy for you either. Well, many people in this team have their own secrets, so I won't ask too many questions. Just don't let them affect the overall situation. It's also thanks to you recognizing this person that you saved our lives. You are our benefactor."

Jiang Yongkang's face turned red when he was praised like this, and even his ears were stained with a light pink.

"How could I be so powerful? I'm just a warrior. I'm nowhere near as brave as Miss Xu, daring enough to rush into the enemy camp alone to rescue people! You're the most courageous girl I've ever met!"

Xu Qingying smiled. "Alright, stop flattering each other. We still have business to attend to. Go and call a few people from the Fang family for me and tell them I have something to ask them. They're from Qiongzhou. I suspect this matter is related to Prince Ming. Since it's related to Prince Ming, I have to ask everyone in the Fang family."

When the Fang family members were called one by one to the hidden place on the hillside, they felt a little strange.

Xu Qingying had a very high reputation in the exile team. Almost the entire team listened to her orders, and even the escort team respected her.

The Fang family now has no hope of recovery and is no different from ordinary people. When a person in power suddenly asks them to talk alone, they can't help but feel a little panic.

Until they saw that only people from the Fang family were called.

Mr. Fang and Mrs. Fang.

There are four people in the first wife of the Fang family and three people in the second wife.

Several people looked at each other, seemingly puzzled as to why Xu Qingying had called them alone. But then they remembered that Old Master Fang and Xu Qingying had a good relationship, and no matter what happened, Xu Qingying would not necessarily make things difficult for them.

Thinking of this, everyone felt less anxious.

Old Master Fang walked in front with big strides. His face showed no emotion. He only called out, "Xu girl! Zhao Bantou!"

Fang Ningmo also came forward and called out happily, "Xu Liu!"

Xu Qingying signaled Feng'er and Jiang Yongkang beside her, and the two of them dispersed and stood on the four sides, as if to keep watch for them.

When everyone in the Fang family saw this, they instantly felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy. Old Master Fang frowned slightly, and also put away his joking expression, waiting quietly for Xu Qingying's next words.

"Mr. Fang, Mrs. Fang," Xu Qingying said straight to the point. "I invited you all here today because I want to discuss something with you in advance."

Old Madam Fang covered her chest with her hands, her eyes trembling. "Girl, just tell me what you have to say. I, an old woman, can bear it."

"We traveled here overnight, not to avoid bandits, but because we encountered a small army." Xu Qingying slowly recounted her experiences of last night, from tracking the bandits to encountering the army, and then to the information obtained from the interrogation. She told everyone everything, and everyone in the Fang family was terrified and became more and more silent.

"That's what happened. The news we've received is that the leader was most likely sent from Qiongzhou. The first group of bandits was lured here by this army, with the intention of killing them and silencing them!"

"May I ask what Miss Xu is hinting at?" Fang Ruyu looked at Xu Qingying with clear eyes. She was very thin and her face was very pale. Her tone was very soft, but there was an inexplicable sense of aggressiveness. "Miss Xu, you can just say it directly. Do you suspect that Prince Ming wants to kill me, the daughter of a guilty minister?"

"This is just one of the most likely possibilities." Xu Qingying glanced at Fang Ruyu, seemingly oblivious to her anger. "I'm now sharing my knowledge and speculations with you. After all, this matter involves the safety of over a hundred of us. Miss Fang, there's no need to act offended. Please be reasonable and let's discuss the matter objectively. I can't think of anyone other than your fiancé who came from Qiongzhou and had a motive to silence someone."

"Okay, then let's discuss the matter at hand." Fang Ruyu bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes flickering like mist. "You're saying the prince has a motive to kill us. What is that motive?"

Xu Qingying smiled faintly, her eyes shimmering with sarcasm. "Miss Fang, I won't argue with you. As for the motive for the murder, I think everyone here knows it, except for you who are deceiving yourself and unwilling to believe it. You should be thankful that I didn't tell everyone the truth last night, otherwise you, Fang Ruyu, wouldn't have the right to question me today. I'm telling you this not to bully or mock you, I just hope that you will share any intelligence you have in a timely manner to avoid being killed without knowing it!"

"You!" Fang Ruyu clutched her chest in anger, her face pale. Old Madam Fang raised her hand to stop her. "Alright, Xu Liu, I know what you mean. You just want to ask, could it be possible that Prince Ming did this?"

"Grandma, Ah Heng wouldn't do such a thing! How could you believe Xu Qingying but not Ah Heng? He swore that he would never betray me in this life. If he did, God would punish him! Moreover, he has studied with my grandfather for so many years, how could he do such a heartless thing! If he really didn't want to marry my granddaughter, he could just ask for permission to cancel the marriage. After all, my granddaughter is now the descendant of a criminal minister, and I'm sure Uncle Zhu wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for him! Why would he want to kill us? Besides, it's unfair to convict Ah Heng based on the words of a Jiang family servant! What if that person is not Ah Heng's man? What if he is from Ah Heng's enemy? Wouldn't we have fallen into the enemy's trap?"

Xu Qingying nodded as she listened. "Miss Fang does have some truth to what she said. What do the others have to say?"

He turned his head to look at Old Man Fang. Old Man Fang's face was pale and he pursed his lips without saying a word.

This ambiguous attitude made Xu Qingying understand.

Sure enough, Fang Ruyu treated Prince Ming with a filter, so her testimony was biased.

Uncle Fang was also a little dazed. "Prince Ming... he wouldn't be so cruel, would he? Dad taught him for many years, after all. How could he be so cruel?"

Seeing that her father and mother looked at a loss, Fang Ningmo didn't know how to respond.

This is really unbelievable.

Just as the eldest sister said, if Prince Ming really wanted to cancel the engagement, he could just ask His Majesty to cancel the engagement. Why would he send people across thousands of mountains and rivers to hunt him down?

But... for some reason... Fang Ningmo felt that this was very possible.

Zhou Heng...is truly an unpredictable person.

Old Madam Fang was at a loss. "Xu Liu, I don't know. I really don't know. I've only met Prince Ming a few times. He's a gentle and polite man, always courteous to everyone. He studies very hard, even in the coldest months of winter, the most intense heat of summer, and he never slacks off."

Have perseverance, be good at disguise, and be able to endure.

This was Xu Qingying's initial impression of this person.

If it was really Prince Ming who sent people to hunt him down, then we have to add the fact that he was "cruel enough".

"Mrs. Fang, don't push yourself. I'm only telling you the situation so you can be prepared if something bad happens."

Xu Qingying had no intention of making things difficult for the Fang family.

Just as she said, she called the Fang family together just to pool their wisdom. It would be even better if there was any chance of finding the dark hand behind the scenes.

But now it seems that the Fang family is also in a confused state.

Fang Ruyu's face was red. She had never been so angry with anyone in her life. It seemed that Xu Qingying was not on good terms with her and always made her furious.