Qin Yucheng stared wide-eyed, his fingertip poking the man's nose. "You, Wu Xingcheng! I thought you were a gentleman of impeccable character, not some kind of demon or monster. But you've actually done something so outrageous and rude in private. It's a disgrace to our culture!"

It's one thing to paint portraits of girls in private, but to hang them so openly on the wall, with each one accompanied by an extremely explicit love poem, would inevitably lead anyone who saw them to suspect a connection between the two.

Rumors are like the wind; they can spread everywhere in an instant.

He, a man, doesn't care, but Hua'er, a young woman, could be drowned by mere spittle.

Wu Xingcheng is well-read and couldn't possibly be unaware of this, yet he still hangs it up like that, which is incredibly annoying.

"No, no, only I can enter my study. Even my parents and servants are not allowed in. I would never let anyone else see me," Wu Xingcheng hurriedly explained when he saw the two men's pale faces.

"Moreover, I am only hanging these portraits temporarily, and I will take them down after the ink dries."

If Miss Su is displeased, I can destroy these portraits immediately.

Su Hua looked at the man and said calmly, "Then burn it. Let's not let it happen again."

"Yes, I'll burn them right away." Wu Xingcheng replied hesitantly, though he was actually very reluctant to part with them. Each painting was the result of his long hours of work under the lamp, and the poems on the paintings were the result of his painstaking efforts.

However, he didn't want to offend one of the two people in front of him, and he couldn't afford to offend the other. Even if he was reluctant, he had no choice but to burn them down.

Su Hua and Qin Yucheng watched as the dozen or so portraits were gradually swallowed up by the flames before they finally left the Wu family's residence.

After the two left, Wu Xingcheng stood there in a daze for a long time, holding the brazier, before calling in the old servant and moving the desk to a different spot.

If I hadn't enjoyed sitting by the window listening to the rain, these paintings wouldn't have ended up like this.

Inside the rosewood carriage, Su Hua looked out the window at the bustling crowd on the street and suddenly felt a little powerless.

Judging from Wu Xingcheng's reaction and the details of the study, he was not lying. In other words, although the portrait was drawn by him, it had nothing to do with him that it ended up in the bandit's den.

The clues about the portrait end there.

All that remains is the source of the rumor.

With a population of hundreds of thousands, including many in the county seat, finding the origin of the rumor would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"Hua'er, don't be impatient. As long as you do it, you will leave a trace." Seeing that she was in low spirits, Qin Yucheng gently persuaded her, "My father arrested the bandits of Black Wind Village this morning and brought them back to the county office for interrogation. After I go back, I will send people to the city to investigate. We will definitely be able to find some clues."

Su Hua shook her head. "I'm not in a hurry."

Since that person wanted to harm her, knowing that she had returned alive from the bandit's den, he would definitely take further action.

She can wait, wait for the other party to make another move.

However, the feeling of being in the open while the enemy was in the shadows was unpleasant. She wasn't alone; the entire Su family was behind her. If the other party saw that she was safe and then turned their attention to her family, that was a situation she didn't want to see.

Seeing that her expression had eased slightly, Qin Yucheng smiled and changed the subject: "Three days from now, it will be the annual stone gambling competition in Tangshan Prefecture's stone gambling street. Would Hua'er like to go and have some fun?"

He had asked the Su siblings about their plans on their way to the Qin residence, and they had both agreed. However, with so much happening lately, he was unsure if they still wanted to go.

Su Hua's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.

After absorbing the jade headpiece sent by the Qin family, her bracelet space remained silent, and the half-acre of land in the space had been completely filled with her plantings, leaving no room to even step.

Given his penchant for jade, if he could find a few good pieces of jade in the jade gambling street, he might just have some unexpected good fortune.

Moreover, Liu Yuxian was also in Tangshan Prefecture.

During this period, the two people she had clashed with were none other than Liu Yuxian and Wei Jianjia, and she was looking for an opportunity to meet with them.

Su Hua smiled and agreed, then asked with some curiosity, "The jade gambling competition must be exciting. Will Ying Xian and Aunt Li go along for the trip?"

“My mother is not fully recovered yet, so she usually doesn’t participate in these kinds of competitions.” Qin Yucheng shook his head. “However, Yingxian planned to go half a month ago, and my cousin also said she wanted to go with her.”

Upon hearing this, Su Hua felt relieved.

At the end of Tongxin Lane, there is a quiet little courtyard.

Yu Feng waited in the courtyard for a long time before finally seeing the man emerge from the underground cave in a sky-blue robe. However, his complexion was completely different from the warm sky-blue color, being three times colder than the ice of the coldest winter, and there were three or four bloodstains on the hem of his robe.

Immediately afterwards, a man's voice rang out, "Yu Feng, immediately send more people to investigate where Hua'er's news came from. I need definite information within three days."

"Yes." Yu Feng's heart skipped a beat.

Just now, the cave was filled with the cries and pleas for mercy from the two bandit leaders. But the cries and pleas for mercy gradually faded away from being deafening. The source of the cries had to be traced back to the source, which could only mean that the master did not get the result he wanted.

However, although Qingshui County is not very large, finding someone within three days is not an easy task.

Xiao Jinhan's eyes were deep. "Hua'er has made a contribution by infiltrating the bandit's den to help the magistrate suppress the bandits. Remember to ask Magistrate Qin for a reward. The reward should be given in private and not made public."

Send another message by carrier pigeon to Yu Lei, urging him to find out A-Zheng's background as soon as possible.

Also, send a letter to the base in the capital, requesting that two reliable female guards be sent to Shanghe Village.

Yu Feng was increasingly astonished as he listened. His master had considered everything for Miss Su in every aspect.

He first privately praised Magistrate Qin, and then, being kidnapped to a bandit's den, he became a bandit suppresser. Even if the matter came to light later, his reputation would not be affected at all; on the contrary, he would be praised as unparalleled in bravery.

As for the sudden appearance of Ah Zheng by Miss Su's side, regardless of her background, as long as there is a reliable person watching over her, she will not have the opportunity to cause trouble.

Furthermore, it can also prevent similar incidents of Black Wind Stronghold kidnapping people from happening again.

Yu Feng clasped his hands in agreement, then thought of the two bandit leaders in the cave.

"Master, I wonder if the two people in the cave were dealt with directly or..."