083

After a moment of silence, Qin Sang softly retorted, "Go away. I don't have those feelings for you. Don't get hurt and heartbroken anymore. I will repay you for the kindness you've shown me in the past."

Qin Sang felt the figure outside the window sway slightly, unsure whether it was because it was unsteady or too excited. She worriedly peeked out and saw that Xie Sui'an had dark circles under his eyes and a stubble on his chin.

"How did you get yourself into this state?" she asked.

Xie Sui'an pushed the window up higher and looked down at her: "Didn't you say you didn't have those feelings for me? Then what are you worried about?"

"..." Qin Sang choked. Was this considered caring?

"Sigh," she could only sigh, changing the subject, "This matter was not done by the Crown Prince alone, you...you shouldn't meddle, things are very complicated..."

A young master like Xie Sui'an is better suited to be a wealthy idler. She had no choice but to take advantage of him when they met by chance in Li County, but now that the situation in the capital is dangerous, she doesn't want him to be dragged into it.

Xie Sui'an smiled and said, "So, you didn't want me to get involved because you were worried about me? So you pretended that you had no feelings for me? Is that how I can understand it?"

Qin Sang: "...That's not what I meant..."

Xie Sui'an lowered his gaze: "I was ignorant before, always thinking that I was still young and that my grandfather was still young. He was like a deep and broad tree, sheltering us from the wind and rain. But one day, I suddenly realized that my grandfather's hair was already completely white... You're right, I really don't like the struggles in officialdom or the fight for power. I thought that was for adults, for my father, my uncle, and my brother... I crave comfort and freedom, always wanting to wait a little longer, much longer. But," he raised his eyes, "you know that you're willing to fight for the family's glory and willingly plunge into this vortex of blades. Why can't I? Or do you think I don't have the ability?"

Qin Sang remained silent.

"So, even if it's not for you, not for Grandpa, it's time for me to take responsibility."

Qin Sang felt that this boy seemed to have... grown up.

A sense of unease flashed through my mind.

“You…” she began to speak.

However, before he could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

The two looked out of the courtyard and heard hurried footsteps, the clanging of armor, and the hushed conversations of many people.

"Your team will guard the east gate, and the other team will guard the south gate! The rest of you will stay here and not let a single bird out!"

Both of their expressions changed.

Such a commotion in the middle of the night, something must have happened at the Prime Minister's residence!

Qin Sang and Xie Suian quickly exchanged a glance, and the young man's tall figure flashed out, landing outside the courtyard in an instant.

Qin Sang didn't rush to get dressed; she just leaned against the window and listened intently, but could only hear a word or two—Xie Suian asking for the reason.

She had no choice but to get off the bed without disturbing anyone. She lifted the clothes hanging on the screen rack, put on her shoes, and went out the door.

Outside the courtyard, the lights were dazzling, and many lanterns had been added to the paths. The lanterns swayed back and forth, as soldiers and servants of the Prime Minister's residence ran around carrying them.

Before Qin Sang even got close, she saw Xie Suian standing there frozen like a statue. The officer who had been speaking to him walked over Xie Suian's shoulder and looked at Qin Sang: "Miss, don't go out. There's a thief in your house. You might be in danger."

This officer was Xie Zhongxu's bodyguard captain. Qin Sang noticed that this man, who had always been as steadfast as a steel-clad soldier by Xie's side, actually had slightly red eyes.

My heart skipped a beat.

"What thief? Has something happened to the Prime Minister?" Qin Sang asked cautiously.

Xie Sui'an, who was standing nearby, finally came to his senses and ran away towards Xie Zhongxu's study without turning his head.

Qin Sang stared at the suddenly disappearing figure and asked again, "What happened?"

The head guard bowed his head: "The Prime Minister has been murdered. Miss, please return to your room and do not move around unnecessarily." After saying that, he looked up again and sized up Qin Sang from head to toe, his eyes filled with obvious scrutiny.

Qin Sang was stunned by his words "the Prime Minister has been murdered." Ignoring his rudeness, she repeated, "The Prime Minister has been murdered? Where was he murdered? At the Prime Minister's residence? But the Prime Minister's residence is heavily guarded. How could a thief have infiltrated it!"

The other person didn't answer, so she said, "I'll go take a look."

However, the guard reached out to stop her: "Please go back to your room, young lady. The mansion is under strict lockdown at the moment, and no one is allowed to wander around!"

Qin Sang then noticed several soldiers standing at the gate of her courtyard, guarding her courtyard and herself.

*****

The deep night was disrupted by the swaying lanterns, and even in her own courtyard, Qin Sang seemed to hear endless weeping.

The maids in the courtyard heard the commotion and, looking tense, gathered around the room.

Two of the more timid ones, for some unknown reason, began to sob.

Qin Sang paced back and forth in the room, becoming even more irritated by the sound, and asked, "Why are you crying?"

The two maids quickly shut their mouths.

"I'm asking you, why are you crying?" she insisted on getting to the bottom of it.

“I…I have a friend who works at the Su family, the Minister of War. One day, the head of the family was convicted and his property was confiscated. She was…was…” The maid choked and trembled, unable to finish her sentence.

But everyone understands what that means.

The Su family...

Qin Sang paused for a moment, then waved her fan loudly: "Prime Minister Xie hasn't been convicted, so why are you crying like that? Hold it in!"

The maid then shut her mouth.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the room was solemn and tense, and looking out the door, the firelight flickered erratically.

Lingding went out to inquire about the news, but was stopped by the guards at the gate. They said worriedly, "If something happens to the Prime Minister, why is our courtyard surrounded? We didn't do anything."

Qin Sang walked from her bedroom to the living room, and then back to her bedroom.

"Let them all go to sleep! There's no point in keeping them occupied like this."

The maids and servants looked at each other, and finally left.

She took off her coat, got into bed, covered herself with the blanket, and tossed and turned for a while, but it didn't work. She couldn't sleep, and she couldn't just sit and wait for death. Xie Xiang's accident was a big deal, and she had to go out and see.

But what's with the guards outside? They seem suspicious of her. If she goes out now and gets bumped into, it will be even harder to explain herself.

After a short while, she quietly got up, changed into a maid's clothes, and then called Ying'er and Lingding over: "I'm going out for a bit. Ying'er, pretend I'm lying here for a while. I'll be back before dawn."

Qin Sang's courtyard was rather secluded, with a central courtyard in the back and high walls on both sides, each about two people high. But with Qin Sang's skills, she could easily climb over them.

I just don't know if there are any guards over there.

Qin Sang was certain that few people in the Prime Minister's residence knew she possessed this skill, so there was probably no one guarding outside the high walls.

Sure enough, after climbing the wall and glancing around, she saw no one. She landed lightly and, disguised as an ordinary maid, headed towards Ninghui Hall.

The sky was still dark, and the entire Prime Minister's residence was shrouded in a deathly and terrifying atmosphere. There were chaotic footsteps in each courtyard, and the lights flickered erratically.

The closer you get to Ninghui Hall, the more soldiers and servants come and go.

To her dismay, everyone was dressed in white linen clothes.

She stood under a tree some distance away, her steps faltering, unable to believe it.

Xie Zhongxu is dead.

So suddenly, without any warning.

How could the most powerful prime minister of the Namo Kingdom just die like that?

How much bloodshed will this unleash?

It couldn't be a sudden, serious illness. The last time I saw him, he was in good health, without any signs of weakness or illness.

She stood there for a while, then realized that she didn't have a white linen robe on her and would definitely be stopped and questioned if she went over there. So she quickly slipped away and went to the back kitchen courtyard.

The old lady and the maids in the kitchen were busy boiling water, making tea, and serving supper, and no one noticed her. So she pretended to be someone's maid coming to get something, took a white linen robe that belonged to someone, put it on, carried the tea tray, and went back to Minghui Hall.

The old steward of the Prime Minister's residence was busy at the entrance of Minghui Hall. The maids and servants walked in hushed tones and did not make a sound. Although they were in a hurry, everything was still in good order.

Qin Sang, like a maid who had just finished her errands, silently walked to the side of the maid who was standing by, without the maid even raising her head.

Qin Sang lifted her eyelids and looked around, hoping to see one or two familiar faces.

Unfortunately, there were too many soldiers surrounding the area, and she looked around but didn't see any members of the Prime Minister's family.

The head of the family is dead, but the family members haven't come. Where have they all gone? Where is Xie Sui'an? Didn't he run away incredibly fast?

After a moment's thought, she suddenly realized that Xie Zhongxu's body might not be here.

If he wasn't murdered while handling official business at Ninghui Hall, then that was his residence. But if that's the case, why were there so many people gathered at Ninghui Hall, with such a bustling atmosphere?

The incident happened suddenly, but if it had become common knowledge within the Prime Minister's residence, it probably had been going on for a long time.

Sure enough, Qin Sang saw several military officers, who were not in the uniform of the Prime Minister's guards, walking around Ninghui Hall.

One of the men, dressed in red and black robes, came out of Ninghui Hall with a solemn expression: "I heard that a new young lady recently arrived at the Prime Minister's residence. Last night, someone saw her coming and going in the residence in the middle of the night?"

Qin Sang: "..."

Nonsense! When did she appear? She just heard a noise and went to the courtyard gate. Is that what you call appearing inside the manor?

A broad-faced, burly guard replied, "We have already sent men to cordon off her courtyard, pending your inquiries, sir."

The one in front waved: "Let's go, let's go take a look."

Another, more refined-looking man, stopped them, saying, "How could a young girl have such abilities? Besides, the Prime Minister himself sent people to bring her back."

The man in red pondered, "That's not how it works. We should question everyone who is suspected to be safe. Besides, she's only been here a short time, and this has already happened at the Prime Minister's residence. We really should question her."

Qin Sang almost rolled her eyes: What does this have to do with me!

But there was no other way, so they quickly and quietly slipped away.

What is all this about? We haven't even figured out the situation yet, and people are already investigating us. What kind of mess is this?!

Moreover, isn't that broad-faced, bearded man the Prime Minister's personal bodyguard? How could he possibly instruct others to investigate her? If they find out about one of their own, that's going to be a big problem.

However, she had to get back before they arrived, so she took a detour and went back via another route. Sure enough, in a separate courtyard not far from Minghui Hall, she saw many figures.

The figures, dressed in white, were kneeling or standing, their expressions sorrowful and worried.

Among them, she saw Xie Sui'an's sad and haggard face.