Chapter 37: Tracing the Origin After someone tasted the sweetness, he began to rely on others! ...

Chen Yu stood up, picked up a thicker stick not far away, and returned to the fire to fiddle with it, trying to make it burn more evenly. The sadness in his amber eyes disappeared in an instant, and he said with a forced smile:

"My dear little ancestor, you've truly embarrassed me. There were wolves in front of me and tigers behind me, and I had to play along with that little kid He Lianjin. I'm speechless."

Qi Xin said sarcastically, "Oh, no wonder the emperor chose you. When it comes to acting, if you're second to none, I don't think anyone would dare to claim first place."

"Yes." Chen Yu bent down, resting his hands on his knees, and brought his face close to hers, looking her in the eye. He smiled softly and said, "This winner is both far away and right before our eyes."

"Another thing to add: he is eloquent and has a silver tongue." Qi Xin said in a serious tone.

At this moment, the glow of the flames reflected in Chen Yu's eyes became more and more alluring. She could not stand the gaze of indifference, so she could only silently turn her head aside and use a small branch to stir up the dirt in the cracks of the stone.

Chen Yu did not refute anything, but his eyes unconsciously outlined her figure.

Qi Xin seemed to have thought of something and raised his head to ask, "What do you think of that fox-faced woman? What are her skills?"

"It's hard to say." Chen Yu's gaze remained on her as he spoke, "The main thing is, she only made a move for a split second, and she tried to grab something that looked like a booklet."

"Wait, the booklet? Was it Concubine Chu who said that? What were the words? And what did Lord Wen say in reply?" Qi Xin remembered and said jokingly, "This number one scholar's flirting is different, so pretentious."

"It should be." Chen Yu agreed. "From what they said, the booklet should be able to prove that Wen Shao had an affair with the concubine. It can make a scholar like Wen Shao angry. The booklet must be authentic."

"Uh, who could they be? How could they take out the Minister of Rites' personal belongings quietly?" Qi Xin sighed suspiciously.

Chen Yu heard the wandering tone in her words, chuckled twice, and asked, "What do you think?"

Qi Xin tugged at his wet collar and thought patiently:

"Hiss, actually, I think that they are facing a weak civil official, so they don't need any high-level subordinates or assassins to take action. In addition, considering the status of Lord Wen, the stalker must have some knowledge of literature, otherwise, it will be useless if he can't understand the deeper meaning of the words. So-"

Qi Xin looked out of the cave, paused for a moment and said:

"Murong Fei is a perfect fit. He's been a classmate of Master Wen for decades, and while he knows Master Wen's habits like the back of his hand, he should have at least some understanding of them. Furthermore, he was a top scholar in the same year as Master Wen, so even if Master Wen's writings are obscure, he should be able to figure them out with some time."

Qi Xin's black pupils gurgled twice before continuing, "Murong Fei is very good at manipulating people. He must have mastered the friendship between colleagues over the years. In this way, he can gain the power of the east wind without spending a single soldier. What a good plan!"

"Xiaojiu is indeed able to surprise us every time." Chen Yu clapped his hands and praised:

"You're right, but there's one thing you didn't mention. Murong Fei, who's so successful in the Dali Temple, is naturally extremely meticulous. When he stole the original, he naturally left a fake in its place to conceal his tracks. If we find this artifact and understand its origins, we'll be able to uncover the truth."

Shen Yu continued, "I'll send someone to search the Wen Mansion. As for the palace, I'll rely on you."

"Why mobilize so many troops?" Qi Xin held his ankles, rested his chin on his knees, and squinted his eyes. "You guess where I would hide if it were me?"

Qi Xin's eyes were naturally round and bright. Even when she smiled, they were like peeled grapes, round and pretty, and rarely did she look so cunning and shrewd.

Chen Yu curiously followed her every move with his eyes and asked playfully, "Where?"

Qi Xin fluttered his eyelashes twice and smiled knowingly:

"I will hide in a place where it seems others can come and go freely, but in fact only I am familiar with it, completely confusing everyone."

"According to inertia, if someone wants to investigate him, they will first search the Wen Mansion. So why should he bother carrying it with him every time he enters the palace and then having to guard against robbery? Besides, if he frequently visits Concubine Chu's palace, it would be unjustifiable no matter how you look at it. So, he passes by it every day when going to and from court, and others can visit at will, but there is a secret place inside, so the only way is—"

Chen Yu hesitated and continued, "Zhaowen Pavilion?"

"Understand me." Qi Xin seemed to have received a signal that the code had been successfully connected. Then he suddenly turned around and glanced at him:

"That's what I think anyway. After all, wasn't this place built to showcase Dasheng as a nation of etiquette and to encourage the gentry to read widely?"

Thinking of this, Qi Xin wondered more than once whether the secret was hidden in a secret room or a utility room. It was a place no one cleaned on weekdays, filled with old books and ancient texts, or long-standing unjust and wrongful convictions. Whenever he entered, he was overwhelmed by the heavy smell of dust.

Perhaps it is because of this that this so-called "secret room" is so unpopular.

Chen Yu was so happy with the words "understand me" that he casually brought out the tone he used to instruct his subordinates in the military camp:

"Okay, for this matter, I'll have to trouble Xiaojiu to help us explore the way first."

Qi Xin heard this and said, "Order me? Huh?"

"I... don't have the authority from Zhaowen Pavilion, and it won't work if you're not here. Besides, I'm just a military commander, and I don't understand these fancy things, don't you think?" Shen Yu gave a few ambiguous explanations, looking like a hands-off boss.

"Pretend, just pretend well!" Qi Xin snorted coldly. Since he was addicted to acting, he might as well play along with him.

"How dare I." When Shen Yu said these two words, he almost raised his hand.

Qi Xin tilted his head and stared at his profile intently, putting on an innocent look:

"Is that so? If you can't understand the ancient and modern texts, how can I possibly understand them? Also, all the secret documents have portraits attached, so why are your pages missing portraits? The text doesn't make sense, and there's even some paper dust mixed in the seams?"

Shen Yu smacked his lips a few times and pretended to be deaf and dumb again.

Qi Xin smiled and said in a calm tone: "Chen Yu, you are not honest."

Chen Yu thought to himself, this little girl is really influenced by the bad company she keeps. She is almost a better actress than himself.

He thought:

He could still argue with the first question, but unexpectedly, she brought up the past again. Anyway, she was already involved, so these past events were no longer a secret.

"Well, let's not be like Kong Rong giving up his pear." Chen Yu put away his smooth and slick face, focused his amber eyes, and said seriously:

"Well, it's mutual. When Xiao Ba and I were in the farmer's courtyard, we saw your "Su Zhongqing: This Expedition Was in vain." During the broad daylight banquet, you were deliberately giving in to the Fourth Princess. As for the secret, when I was young, I relied on your mother's grace and did sneak into the secret room of Zhaowen Pavilion. After I learned of my father's death, I was forced to tear off those two pages of the portrait. Otherwise—"

"Otherwise, you would have torn off more than just those two pages?" Qi Xin understood how complicated the events of that year were when Chen Yu stopped talking abruptly.

She knew that her master was the kind of distressed beast king who, even when wounded, would hide and lick his wounds. Even if she had accidentally stumbled into his territory, she would ultimately be a mere spectator.

Qi Xin broke the stagnant silence and said quietly, "You have your own difficulties, and I won't force you. I just hope that one day, you can talk to me yourself..."

Her father, the Emperor, was inherently suspicious and tyrannical, and the truth behind the Suining Gate Incident was even more chilling. Not to mention how many of his subordinates he had murdered, both openly and covertly, it was puzzling that he let the tiger go once he became suspicious, yet he still entrusted him with such an important task...

What does the emperor want to do?

Qi Xin silently leaned close to the cave wall. She was some distance away from the fire, and the cave was very humid, so her outer robe and dress were still wet.

She didn't know whether it was because of the heat or because she was feeling suffocated, but she had already leaned sideways with her loose collar on, her head resting loosely against the side wall, and she looked a little tired.

Looking at her from this angle, Chen Yu could clearly see the faint peaks and ridges on her front, and the impulse that had just been at the bottom of the pool began to return.

He stood up suddenly, took a few steps back, and spread his wide sleeves to hide his inappropriate desire to look up.

"I'm almost done, let's switch places. You can't get warm here, but don't catch a cold."

"Oh. Are you worried that my illness will slow down your progress?"

Qi Xin didn't notice his abnormality. He stood up and got down from the stone. He sat down in his previous position, staring at the glittering fire, and said with a solemn oath:

"Don't worry, even if the princess has a high fever, I can still handle it."

"Actually, I forgot something interesting—" Chen Yu reached towards his waist, hoping to find something to play with, but he found nothing.

"What?" Qi Xin was so sleepy from the heat wave that hit him that he squeaked weakly.

Chen Yu was lost in thought: "I wonder what the city lord's stance is. It seems that he has a very bad impression of the Moon Country."

"Oh? They have nothing to do with Yue Kingdom?" Qi Xin was puzzled.

"It's hard to say." Shen Yu's eyes flickered as he smiled cunningly, "You know who He Lianzhu is. How much good can you get by trying to get the skin of a tiger?"

"But no matter what, they must be connected to the rebellious forces in the shadows of Shengjing." Chen Yu became slightly more serious. "This is a certain force I have been tracking down during the period of stigma... That fox-masked woman has given me the answer."

"It's a traitor." Qi Xin said in a dazed voice, "The city lord?"

"It's almost certain." Chen Yu's rough fingertips slid over the edges of the rocks one by one. "But his roots are complex and far-reaching. Now we have no choice but to find an opportunity to lure him out of his hole."

Seeing that she had no response, Chen Yu glanced over and realized that she was not in a good state, so he chatted about something off topic:

"Xiaojiu, where is my safety lock?"

Shen Yu's sudden words disturbed Qi Xin's sleepiness, and she casually said:

"What, what lock? Oh, oh, oh, it's at the mansion. When we get back, I'll ask Xing'er to deliver it to you, okay?"

Chen Yu had no intention of letting her go, and continued:

"This is something I carry very close to my body. It's not very nice for Xiaojiu to ask someone else to pass it on to me."

"Otherwise, I carry it with me?" Qi Xin was amused by his strange train of thought and coaxed him kindly, "I have to keep it well in the mansion. After all, this is-"

After all, this is the memory that the old Duke left for you.

She kindly let the words go back to her stomach and avoided his sad thoughts.

Chen Yu was so amused by her sleepy, staggering appearance that he couldn't help but tease her:

"I never thought you would treasure my things so much. I'm easily misunderstood."

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The author has something to say: ps——

Qi Xin: @All members??? I want to ask, how could he say such shameless words?

Qi Tian: Yue, brother-in-law thinks he is, Yue, a charmer, Yue—— (Tsk, tsk, tsk, I think there should be three palaces and six courtyards, gathering men from all over the world for Sister Xin to choose from~)

Xing Er: Stop thinking about my master, she is the only one who is beautiful!!!

Zheng Ba: Ah, why would Master Qi like someone with the surname Qi?

Frost: Alas, Master Qi still likes Xiaojiu after all.

Bai Lu: Xiaojiu, just obey Master Qi~

He Lianzhu: What the hell? Stealing my wife? Can he have even one ten-thousandth of the grace of this prince?

Zheng Ba: Go back to where you came from!

Xing Er: Go back to where you came from!

Bailu: Go back to where you came from!

Chen Yu: Did someone forget to untick me... (One minute after this, you will be kicked out of the group chat)