Chapter 122

Fan Changyu had drunk too much last night and reeked of alcohol. After changing into the clean clothes that Xie Wu had brought her, she saw Xie Zheng ordering his men to harness the carriage and preparing to leave. She took two large steamed buns from the breakfast served and followed him out.

This action made Xie Zheng laugh, "Are you really hungry?"

Fan Changyu ignored him, got into the carriage and ate his steamed bun.

The steamed buns in the City Lord's Mansion are soft and sweet, much more delicious than the steamed buns in the army.

Xie Zheng didn't feel hungry at first, but when he saw her eating, he suddenly wanted to try something else. He sat on the other side of the carriage and stared at her for a while, then asked, "Is it really that delicious?"

Fan Changyu thought that he had not eaten anything since he got up so early in the morning, just like himself, so he generously handed the other steamed bun in his hand to him: "Here you go."

However, Xie Zheng did not take it. Instead, he leaned forward and clamped her other hand. The half steamed bun that Fan Changyu was supposed to put in his mouth was bitten by him.

Fan Changyu glared at him, but he chewed it up and swallowed it without changing his expression, nodding and saying, "It is quite sweet."

This double meaning made Fan Changyu look even more embarrassed. She said angrily, "You are just parroting what others have said!"

Xie Zheng raised his eyes and said, "How does eating a bite of your food have anything to do with 'parroting others'?"

Facing Fan Changyu's slightly confused eyes, Xie Zheng was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked: "Do you think that if someone takes another bite of something you have eaten, it means they are just copying what you have eaten?"

Fan Changyu nodded honestly and asked again, "Isn't it?"

Xie Zheng pressed his forehead speechlessly, "What did the old man teach you?"

Fan Changyu muttered quietly: "I learned this from reading a book myself."

Xie Zheng was amused by this. He half-raised his eyes and glanced at her and said, "You are quite insightful then."

Fan Changyu was not stupid, of course she could tell that he was not complimenting her. She ate the last of her steamed bun in a few bites and said, "It cost a lot of money to hire aides during the war. Now that there is no war, I will hire a teacher for myself later."

Xie Zheng said: "It doesn't have to be so troublesome."

"拾 means to pick up; 牙惠 means the words of others. Picking up the words of others and passing them off as one's own often refers to plagiarism or copying."

His voice was deep and magnetic, and he patiently answered difficult questions. He had less of the fierceness of a military commander and more of an elegance that Fan Changyu could not describe.

Noticing that she was lost in thought, Xie Zheng raised his hand and tapped her on the forehead, saying, "Come to my place every day to study for two hours, so that the old man won't be mad at you when he comes back and sees how badly you've studied."

Fan Changyu covered his forehead where he had hit him. When he heard him talking about Master Tao, he could no longer care about being angry and asked, "Do you have any news about my adoptive father?"

Xie Zheng's eyes narrowed slightly: "No, but I am still closely related to Wei Yan."

When he said the last sentence, his voice turned cold.

Just then the carriage stopped and Xie Shiyi's voice came from the front: "Master, we're here."

Xie Zheng got off the carriage first and stretched out a hand to signal Fan Changyu to get on. Fan Changyu was wearing a tight suit and he jumped down easily with his long legs. He turned around and raised his eyebrows slightly at Xie Zheng.

The autumn sunlight broke through the shadows of the trees and fell on her face. The smile on the corners of her mouth was bright and beautiful, a kind of smile between that of a boy and a girl, clean and clear, warm and vigorous.

Seeing her smile, Xie Zheng also pulled the corner of his lip: "I'm afraid you'll get hurt."

Fan Changyu said nonchalantly, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

She walked forward along the path covered with yellow leaves. Xie Zheng lagged behind her by a step, neither too fast nor too slow, but he was able to grasp her hand with incomparable accuracy. "I know, but I'm afraid you'll feel hurt."

When Fan Changyu heard these words, her heart suddenly felt numb.

She turned her head to look at Xie Zheng, but saw that Xie Zheng was looking straight ahead and said, "This is it."

At the end of the secluded path was a separate courtyard, and outside the courtyard were dozens of black-armored iron guards. When they saw Xie Zheng, they all knelt on one knee and said, "My Lord."

Xie Zheng nodded calmly and ordered, "Open the door."

As the vermilion lacquered gate slowly opened to the sides, a mother and son in the other courtyard also raised their heads and looked outside.

Fan Changyu was surprised and delighted, and walked quickly into the courtyard: "Qianqian?"

Yu Qianqian was also surprised and delighted. She grabbed Fan Changyu's hand and looked left and right: "I didn't expect to see you here again..."

As she spoke, she asked Yu Baoer, who had grown a lot taller, to call Fan Changyu: "Baoer, this is your aunt Changyu, why don't you call her?"

Yu Baoer looked towards the gate again and again, and saw that only Xie Zheng came in with Fan Changyu, so she turned to look at Fan Changyu: "Aunt Changyu."

After calling out like this, he squeezed the hands hidden in his sleeves and asked with a hint of nervousness that he himself didn't even notice: "Where's Sister Changning?"

The day he parted with Changning was at Prince Changxin's mansion. It had been nearly half a year since they last saw each other. He didn't know whether Changning was rescued or taken away by those people.

Fan Changyu touched his head and said, "I just found out you're here too. Ning Niang is at home. We'll pick her up later."

Yu Baoer was obviously relieved and agreed obediently.

Yu Qianqian probably already knew Xie Zheng's identity. When she saw him again, she looked a little embarrassed. "Thank you for saving me, Lord Hou."

Xie Zheng avoided Yu Qianqian's greeting and said, "It is all within our responsibility."

This subtle title made both Fan Changyu and Yu Qianqian notice something unusual.

Just then, Xie Shiyi hurried into the courtyard, seemingly with something important to report, but was unable to speak due to the large crowd.

Xie Zheng said, "You two can chat first."

After Xie Zheng left the courtyard, Yu Qianqian pulled Fan Changyu to sit down and poured her tea before asking, "Is the Marquis still your husband now?"

After she was captured by Qi Min, she knew very little information. Now that she knew that Xie Zheng was the Marquis of Wu'an, she had no idea what was going on between Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu.

Fan Changyu held the teacup and thought for a while, then said, "Not really. Our marriage was fake."

Yu Qianqian paused as she was pouring tea for herself, thinking that she was now following Xie Zheng without any status. She looked at Fan Changyu with a complicated and distressed look: "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring this up..."

Fan Changyu didn't take it seriously, "What's the big deal?"

Seeing that she really didn't care, Yu Qianqian was relieved a little, and then shook her head and laughed: "You, you are so careless, I really don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse... Forget it, now you have military merits, you can be appointed to a small official position in the future, eat the court salary, and don't need to worry about marriage."

Fan Changyu was confused. Why did they suddenly talk about marriage?

She coughed twice and said, "It's too early to talk about that."

Yu Qianqian sighed and asked, "So you and Lord Hou, are you going to live like this?"

Fan Changyu tilted his head, pondering carefully the meaning of "just live on like this" in Yu Qianqian's words. Master Tao has not been found yet, Wei Yan has not been overthrown, and the grievances of the Meng family have not been cleared. With so many things in front of them, of course they have to resolve these issues before worrying about marriage.

So Fan Changyu nodded and said, "This is also good."

The distress in Yu Qianqian's eyes became more obvious. She hit Fan Changyu's arm hard and scolded, "You silly girl!"

Then she sighed deeply and advised, "I know that the Marquis is a rare talent. There is no woman in the world who doesn't like such a hero. But he will get married one day. If you follow him without any status, you will suffer in the end."

Fan Changyu then realized that Yu Qianqian had misunderstood him. He touched the back of his head with a troubled look on his face and said, "He wanted to marry me, but I think it's not the right time..."

Yu Qianqian: “…”

It turned out that she had been worrying for nothing.

Yu Qianqian pretended to be angry, and Fan Changyu told her his life story honestly. Yu Qianqian's face changed several times, and she said with a complicated expression: "Even though there is a feud between our fathers, the Marquis can still treat you like this. This sincerity can be seen by the sun and the moon."

Fan Changyu smiled and said, "I will not let him suffer from conscience for the rest of his life, nor will I let my grandfather be wronged for eternity."

Yu Qianqian was infected by Fan Changyu's determination and spirit at this moment, and she also smiled and said, "Then let's check it out. If you don't have a clue, you might as well try Suijia."

Fan Changyu was surprised and asked, "Follow the family?"

Yu Qianqian nodded.

It was only after she was rescued by the Blood-Cloaked Rider that she learned of Xiao Qi Min's true identity.

In the past, she only felt that the relationship between Qi Min and Changxin Palace was extremely strange. Lan and Zhao Wen were servants of the palace on the surface, but they were always on guard against people from the palace.

At first she guessed that the two brothers of the Sui family were not on good terms, after all, they were not real brothers.

Later, Prince Changxin and Sui Yuanqing successively lost power. Qi Min took her and Baoer to play a game of golden cicada escaping from the shell, and did not hesitate to kill his aunt Princess Changxin who treated him like her own son. Yu Qianqian found him more and more terrifying.

At that time, his face was covered with blood from killing Princess Changxin. He put the dagger into the hands of Princess Changxin, whose body was not yet stiff, to create the illusion of suicide. Unfortunately, she saw him when she opened the curtains. The look in Qi Min's eyes when he raised his head and looked at her still gives her nightmares at midnight when she recalls it.

He is like a viper spitting poison in the dark, lurking just waiting for an opportunity to kill with one blow.

Yu Qianqian said: "I always feel that Qi Min seems to hate the Sui family particularly. There may be a reason why Princess Chengde chose the Sui family as Qi Min's hiding place."

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously.

After leaving Yu Qianqian, Fan Changyu was in a daze all the way back.

Xie Zheng tapped the short man on the carriage with his knuckles and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Fan Changyu said: "Qianqian said that Qi Min seemed to hate the Sui family very much. When Crown Princess Chengde hid him in the Sui family, it should not have been a sudden idea."

Xie Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Prince Changxin is dead, Sui Yuanqing is still in my hands. I will interrogate him after I capture Qi Min."

Fan Changyu asked: "Eleven just came to you, is there any news from Qi Min?"

Xie Zheng nodded: "The blood-stained rider has followed Li Huai'an and found him."

During the last siege by the Blood-Cloaked Cavalry, Li's assassins and the Royal Shadow Guards around Qi Min took him away, and Xie Zheng lost track of them.

Li Huaian secretly left Lucheng and went to meet Qi Minhui, and happened to lead the way for Xie Zheng's men.

-

The heavy rain stopped, but water was still dripping from the eaves of the ruined temple. However, the puddles under the eaves were a bright rouge color.

There were dead bodies everywhere, and the blood dyed the rain water on the ground red.

Li Huaian was lying at the entrance of the ruined temple, blood oozing from his mouth. He saw Sui Yuanqing walking towards Qi Min with a gun in hand. He climbed up and tried to stop him, but it was too late. He could only shout in a painful hoarse voice: "Your Highness, please go, go..."

Sui Yuanqing rolled over the back of Li Huaian's hand, stared at his face which was twisted in pain, and sneered, "The Li family is really good at raising good dogs, but it's a pity that they are loyal to the wrong master."

He walked step by step towards Qi Min who was sitting beside the fire. The tassel under the tip of the gun, stained red with blood, moved with him, dripping sticky blood on the tiles of the ruined temple.

The Blood-clothed Cavalryman who had dealt with the remaining assassins outside the temple saw Sui Yuanqing trying to kill Qi Min and shouted, "The Marquis has ordered that this man be captured alive."

Sui Yuanqing grinned at the Blood-clothed Knight who was speaking, his eyes revealing the madness and pleasure of revenge: "What does his order from Xie Zheng have to do with me, Sui Yuanqing? Do you really think I'm afraid of the poison you guys gave me? Kill this bastard, and I'll go to the underground to accompany my father, the king, and my mother!"

Several horsemen in blood-stained clothes came up to stop him, but were knocked flying by a single volley from his gun.

He pointed the tip of his gun at Qi Min's throat and sneered, "You have lived in hiding for more than ten years under someone else's name. I guess you don't have any last words..."

Qi Min called him calmly: "Brother Qing."

As a vein bulged on Yuan Qing's forehead, the tip of the gun hit Qi Min hard, leaving a bloody cut from the corner of his mouth to his cheek.

He said viciously: "You don't deserve to be called that!"

Sui Yuanqing had been cunning and deceitful for half his life, but this was the first time he had been deceived to this extent.

The brotherhood of more than ten years was all fake!

The brother with a burnt face and a bad temper who always called him "Qingdi" in a gentle voice and taught him to study hard was also fake!

Qi Min's mouth cracked, but his face was calm. He lowered his eyes and said, "Now that things have come to this, I should still say sorry to you. Whether you believe it or not, I have never intended to hurt you in the slightest."

These words were like adding fuel to the fire. Yuan Qing was so furious that he even threw away his spear. He stepped forward and grabbed Qi Min's collar, asking him in a hoarse voice: "Did you ever think of hurting me? It's too late, right? My mother treats you as her own child. How could you have the heart to do that to me..."

Before he finished asking the last question, Sui Yuanqing felt a chill in his heart.

A sweet and fishy taste surged in his throat. He looked down and saw a dagger stabbing his left chest. The handle of the dagger was in Qi Min's hand.

He raised his head with great effort, looked at Qi Min, and smiled a smile that was uglier than crying: "...did you ever think of hurting me...at all?"

Qi Min pulled the dagger forward an inch without blinking, and looked coldly at Sui Yuanqing's twitching body: "You believe such words, and your death is not unjust at all."

Sui Yuanqing could no longer hold up his body and fell to his knees, his bloodshot eyes rubbing against the water: "...I have always...always thought of you as my brother..."

Qi Min drew out the dagger expressionlessly, without even glancing at the corpse lying behind him, and said coldly: "This is all owed to me by your family!"

Li Huaian, who was lying at the gate of the ruined temple, was completely stunned by this sudden change.

When Qi Min came up to him, he paused for a moment and said, "I thought you were in the same group with these people. Since you are loyal to me, I will not kill you."

The half of his face that was cut was covered in blood. He looked at people with his head half lowered, like a fierce ghost in human skin.

Li Huaian was stared at by him, and for a moment he even felt that he could not move.

The Blood-Clothed Riders outside the house saw that the situation was not right and were about to attack Qi Minqi, but suddenly a group of Shadow Guards flew down from the top of the ruined temple. Their attacks were as fast as lightning and took the lives of those Blood-Clothed Riders in an instant.

Li Huaian broke out in a cold sweat. The shadow guards beside him were not completely killed or injured!

He had made preparations for both scenarios early on!

Qi Min looked coldly at the black iron token that Shadow Guard had found from a blood-stained rider, picked it up and threw it to Li Huaian, staring at him with eyes like a venomous snake: "Go, bring my people back to me."

Li Huaian took the token stained with blood and looked back at Lan, who had died beside the fire in order to protect Qi Min. He suddenly felt a chill all over his body.

Will the person that the Li family wants to support really be a wise ruler when he sits on the throne?

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