Chapter 62 I have a friend who seems to have issues in that area...

Biezhi had heard about the massacre of the Bian family in Suzhou, but it was from Qin Xiao.

On the tenth night after Qin Xiao was escorted to Hezhou, Qin Xiao, accompanied by his personal guards, went to investigate the two families who had been brutally murdered. While examining the crime scene, the guards mentioned whether someone had used the methods of the Suzhou massacre to commit the crime, as both the tools and methods were exactly the same.

That's how she learned about this matter. However, nearly nineteen years had passed since the Suzhou family massacre. If it weren't for the Hezhou family massacre, no one would have mentioned it again, let alone reopened the investigation.

One hundred and twenty-seven people were brutally murdered overnight. Even the wet nurse and her family who worked for the Bian family were killed outside Xiyun Town. Biezhi had been fighting and killing in the martial arts world for many years, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a ruthless style of doing things. He wondered who the Bian family had offended to bring about such a tragic disaster.

However, according to Xiang Lin, the 127 people who died in the Bian family massacre also included the Bian family's wet nurse.

If that's the case, doesn't that mean someone has disappeared without a trace?

Fu Huaiqing tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, his eyes fixed on Xiang Lin, whose face was stern and tense.

If she wasn't a wet nurse, then who else could she be?

The day after the Hezhou massacre, Xiang Lin was ordered to go to Hezhou to investigate. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, as if he had seen a similar scene somewhere before. When he described the scene of the Hezhou massacre, Fu Huaiqing thought of the Suzhou massacre that Qin Xiao had mentioned years ago after he became the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. That night, Fu Huaiqing summoned Song Minghui, the then Prefect of Suzhou, for questioning.

Many years ago, the Suzhou case shocked the court and the public. The late emperor ordered a thorough investigation. The Suzhou government spent a lot of manpower and resources, and it took nearly half a year to figure out the relationship. Then it took another half a year to find clues about the mountain bandits. The mountain bandits insisted that no one could escape alive.

Song Minghui also said that the clues they could find at the time led to the mountain bandits. According to the bandits at the time, they coveted the Bian family's property and had their eyes on it when they heard that the Bian family was about to move away from Suzhou.

Song Minghui naturally did not believe such an absurd reason.

The Bian family has been in Suzhou for hundreds of years. Their ancestors were extremely wealthy. By twenty years ago, the Bian family head had been rich for nearly ten generations. Over the years, they had brought countless resources to the people of Suzhou. The people of Suzhou said that as long as the Bian family had a piece of meat to eat, they could also drink a drop of soup. Even the fact that Suzhou Prefecture was able to consistently rank first in tax revenue was due to the Bian family.

For many years, nothing had ever happened to the Bian family, so why would the bandits have the intention to kill them just because they wanted to move away from Suzhou?

However, when Song Minghui investigated further, he couldn't find anything else; all the clues ended with the bandits.

The massacre of the entire family in Suzhou shocked the entire court and the country. The late emperor demanded that the case be closed within a year. If a conclusion could not be reached in a long time, the people of the whole country would not be able to live in peace. In order to avoid unrest, Song Minghui could only make a judgment based on the evidence he had found so far.

Then, taking advantage of the Hezhou case, Fu Huaiqing ordered the overturning of the Suzhou massacre case. The two cases were investigated together, hoping to find out if the Hezhou case could be used to uncover the long-buried Suzhou massacre case, or whether the massacre of the Bian family was indeed caused by bandits.

More than half an hour after Qin Xiao came to report, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Before going out to look for another branch, he ordered Song Minghui to come. When he arrived at Qinghe Courtyard, Song Minghui was in the study.

Song Minghui remained silent for a long time in response to Qin Xiao's speculation before slowly revealing the matter he had kept hidden for many years.

When he realized that the death toll did not match the actual number, fearing that the secret report would be intercepted, he did not report it immediately. Instead, he ordered his confidants to secretly search for clues. At the same time, under the pretext of going to the capital to report the news, he rode into the palace and reported the matter to the late emperor, mentioning that one of the people had disappeared. The late emperor ordered that the whereabouts of this person must be found.

However, nearly a year passed, and Song Minghui still couldn't find any news. As the deadline for closing the case approached, he thought for a long time and decided not to continue the search. He sent a secret letter to the late emperor for his consent, believing that no news was the best news for 'him' who had escaped. The late emperor tacitly approved his actions, and thus, the case of the massacre of the Suzhou family was closed.

Song Minghui also said that he would never forget the scene he saw when he went to the Bian family, even though nearly nineteen years had passed.

The blood stained the Bian family mansion red, and the pungent smell could be smelled even before stepping onto the street. The constables who went to collect the bodies from the Bian family were awakened every night. When they closed their eyes, all they could see were the heads of the Bian family patriarch and his wife hanging on the plaque above the door. Inside the mansion, the body of the Bian family's wife was tightly holding her daughter, who was no more than six months old. The head of the infant in her arms was nowhere to be found. The constables searched the entire mansion but could not find the head of the young Bian family girl.

Song Minghui did not mention the wet nurse's child.

Fu Huaiqing remained silent for a long time before saying, "Find out where those who escaped the massacre are currently located."

"I have already sent men to investigate," Xiang Lin paused, then said with a forced smile, "The trail went cold in Suzhou."

The person seemed to have vanished into thin air; not a trace could be found, not even a record of leaving the city.

Fu Huaiqing was not surprised by this. If the Suzhou prefecture could not find out about something nineteen years ago, it would be difficult for Xiang Lin and others, who had lived in the capital for a long time, to find any clues in a short period of time.

Without lifting his eyelashes, he quietly pondered and caught a glimpse of Biezhi's slightly furrowed brow out of the corner of his eye. Fu Huaiqing turned to look at her, "Did you tear your wound?"

“What you’re talking about,” Bessa thought back for a moment, “is a little strange.”

Fu Huaiqing's eyes narrowed slightly. "Something's not right."

The other branch remained silent.

She just felt that something was off about this, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Based on the bandits she had encountered, they were cautious in their actions, but more or less they all carried an indelible bandit spirit. Not to mention their swift and decisive actions and their ruthlessness.

Even if they acted in the dead of night, there would be some unnoticed presence around them, allowing the bandits to kill them at will.

unless--

Someone drugged the doors and windows surrounding the Bian family.

"We can check if anyone has purchased large quantities of date rape drugs on the black market."

"In the Suzhou case, we will start by investigating Helan Daisong and Zhang Yan."

Two voices, one hot and one cold, rang out at the same time.

The moment the words left their mouths, their eyes met, and the courtyard fell silent.

Fu Huaiqing understood her meaning almost instantly and glanced at Xiang Lin.

Upon receiving the signal, Xiang Lin immediately bowed and accepted the order. As he left, he subconsciously glanced at the slightly stunned girl, who was looking at His Highness with her lips slightly parted, seemingly extremely surprised.

"What does this have to do with Zhang Yan?" Biezhi couldn't understand Zhang Yan's connection to the matter. She still remembered him as someone who had inexplicably sent people to assassinate her. As she pondered, the incident between him and Jing Qing suddenly flashed through her mind, and her eyes trembled slightly. "The matter in Suzhou is related to the Xilan Kingdom?"

“Two months before the Bian family tragedy, General Helan Daisong of the Western Lan Kingdom entered our dynasty through the Xu family and stayed in Suzhou for a few days.” Fu Huaiqing lowered his eyes, seemingly glancing at the tea that was rippling in the breeze. “Regardless of whether the Bian family tragedy is related to the Western Lan Kingdom, we must find out his purpose for entering the country.”

Let's also see if there are any other connections.

Suddenly, Biezhi was overwhelmed with thoughts, completely unable to imagine that there were so many things behind it all.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "Have you found your senior brother?"

Fu Huaiqing, having taken a sip of tea, clenched his fingers slightly, stared intently at Biezhi, who seemed lost in thought, and after a moment of silence, said, "He is still in the capital and has not left the city."

Biezhi breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the reply.

As long as he hasn't left the city, finding his trail is only a matter of time.

Her thoughts were adrift when a faint chill suddenly enveloped her, abruptly interrupting her train of thought. She subconsciously looked toward the source of the chill and met Fu Huaiqing's dark, deep eyes. She blinked blankly.

What's wrong now?

Who has upset him again?

The man remained silent, and the doubt in her eyes deepened.

After a moment, seeing the confusion in the girl's expression, Fu Huaiqing's eyes, which were slightly closed, darkened. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and he forced out a hoarse, low voice: "Is he that important to you?"

"Huh?" Biezhi didn't react for a moment, but quickly realized who he was referring to and subconsciously replied, "It is indeed quite important."

Putting aside their brother-sister relationship, she also wanted to find Jing Qing as soon as possible and ask her the reason why.

Fu Huaiqing: "..."

His jawline tightened slightly, and his face revealed a restrained indifference.

Just then, Cheng Jin arrived to report to the court officials that he wished to see them. Fu Huaiqing slightly shifted his gaze from the girl's fair and flawless face and got up to leave.

Watching the man's tall figure depart, his cold and indifferent back seemed to carry a hint of barely perceptible anger. Seeing him leave without saying a word, Biezhi found it strange.

Why are you getting angry for no reason?

Hua Chao, standing to one side, seemed about to speak but hesitated.

As she pondered, Biezhi suddenly realized what was going on.

No way, it can't be that bad...

He got angry just because I mentioned that Jing Qing was important to me?

Seeing that her expression was becoming increasingly strange, Hua Chao quickly said, "If His Highness tells you that Miss Lin or other women are very important to him—"

Hearing her hurried words, Biezhi thought for a moment.

If Fu Huaiqing said such a thing to me.

The branch paused for a moment, then stopped thinking about it.

Thinking about it, something just doesn't seem right.

I just wanted to cause him trouble.

However, Biezhi had not forgotten her confident words just now. If she were to cause trouble for him again now, she would probably be in trouble herself.

After pondering for a moment, her slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she said to Hua Chao, "Find a doctor for me in a couple of days."

We still need to ask, is there any way to cure a man's inability to have sexual intercourse?

Fu Huaiqing, who had no idea that Biezhi was planning to find a doctor to ask about it, caught sight of Fu Shuning squatting outside waiting as soon as he stepped out of Qinghe Courtyard. He paused for a moment and said, "Aren't you going back to the palace?"

"I'm finally back, so of course I have to chat with my brother first." Fu Shuning jogged to catch up with him, but after only a few steps, his pace slowed down. She suddenly smiled and said, "I heard from Mingzhan that my brother has been outside the palace lately. He's so bored by himself in the palace. I plan to go back to the palace later to keep him company."

Fu Huaiqing gave a faint "hmm," which meant he understood.

"I felt like I hadn't had enough fun outside, but thankfully I came back in time, otherwise I would have missed what happened between you and Miss Biezhi." Fu Shuning followed him closely, glancing at him every now and then before continuing on her way. Not discouraged by the lack of an answer, she asked, "Brother, have you really decided on her?"

In an instant, Fu Huaiqing stopped and turned to look at her.

His piercing gaze fell on her face. Fu Shuning pursed her lips, knowing that he had seen through her thoughts. After a moment of silence, she asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time, "Is Nianchu really not good enough?"

Fu Shuning naturally hoped that her brother would get what he wanted, but she couldn't bear to see her friend looking so upset. After seeing her off, she decided to come back and ask again, wanting to try her best for her.

“When my brother was young, he often went to Lord Lin’s residence and he and Nianchu could be considered to have met frequently. Moreover, compared to Qin Wan, you two should be childhood sweethearts.” Fu Shuning looked at his helpless expression and couldn’t help but say a few more words.

"If I had feelings for her, I wouldn't have waited until now," Fu Huaiqing said indifferently, casually withdrawing his gaze from her face and walking towards the study.

Fu Shuning pursed her lips slightly.

She could naturally see that.

Just like the girl currently residing in Qinghe Courtyard, it's clear that her older brother is even less willing to let go.

Fu Shuning hadn't forgotten that Lin Nianchu and her brother were drifting further and further apart precisely when she first revealed her feelings. At the age when a young girl's heart was just beginning to open to love, she didn't receive a response from him, but rather an increasingly obvious distance.

That's when she understood her brother's thoughts.

Their connection remained only during their childhood.

Occasionally, when Lin Nianchu accompanied him to the Prince Su's residence, her brother would not stay long. He would often leave with his court officials in the time it took to nod, leaving her no room for further speculation.

Four years ago, it was unclear when it started, but my brother and Qin Wan seemed to be getting closer. Although Su Ci and Qin Xiao were also there when they went out, everyone still felt something was different. After all, apart from themselves, there was no other woman who could appear by my brother's side.

As a result, rumors began to circulate in the capital, and Lin Nianchu became depressed for a long time. Fu Shuning couldn't bear to see her like this, so he suggested that they go on a trip outside the capital together. However, she didn't agree at first, thinking that she should wait and see.

Later, the elder brother overruled all objections and made the decision to have Qin Wan become a teacher at the Imperial Academy, which caused a huge uproar.

What followed were increasingly outrageous rumors.

They all knew that the rumors were just that—rumors—and that there was absolutely no romantic relationship between their elder brother and Qin Wan. But the people in the capital were too numerous and gossipy, and with nothing better to do, they naturally enjoyed talking about these things. As the rumors spread, everything became distorted.

Seeing his friend growing thinner and thinner, Fu Shuning, regardless of her wishes, sent a memorial bearing his seal to the Lin family and took her on a trip out of the capital.

I brought some ulterior motives with me when I returned to Beijing this time.

Unexpectedly, this time the situation was different from before.

The presence of a young girl in the Prince Su's residence is no secret in the capital. It seems that someone is even stirring things up. Right now, the most discussed topic is not the matter between the elder brother and Qin Wan, but who exactly is the girl in the Prince Su's residence. Some people are also starting to say that the matter between the elder brother and Qin Wan is just a rumor.

Lin Nianchu naturally heard the news as well.

Fu Shuning recalled her tearful appearance just now, glanced at her brother who was gradually leaving, and couldn't help but sigh.

When her brother was no longer in sight, she glanced at Cheng Jin, who was waiting beside her, and then looked back at the Qinghe Courtyard wall not far away, her curiosity growing.

What kind of person is she?

Cheng Jin followed her gaze, thought for a moment, and said seriously, "Your Highness should get along well with Miss Biezhi."

Fu Shuning knew what kind of person Cheng Jin was; he always spoke the truth and would never go against his conscience. Hearing him say this, her curiosity began to grow. "How did my brother and she meet?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jin calmed down.

I don't know if I can inform the princess.

Fu Shuning noticed his hesitation, her eyes quickly scanning the surroundings, and as usual, she whispered, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Seeing the princess's face filled with curiosity, Cheng Jin pondered for a moment, then cut off the details and only said that when His Highness disguised himself as a deaf person for some reason, he happened to encounter something else, and then picked out some details to tell.

Upon hearing that Biezhi preferred men with refined and handsome features, Fu Shuning nodded approvingly.

She likes it too.

Hearing that Biezhi had complained about him to his brother's face for nine and a half out of the ten days, Fu Shuning felt a slight, inexplicable emotion welling up inside him, as if he had found a powerful backer.

Thinking of this, Fu Shuning resolutely decided that when she had time, she would go and have a chat with Biezhi.

However, she did not expect that it would be five days later before she had time to do so.

As the arrival of the prince and princess of Xilan Kingdom approached, the court and the public were extremely busy. The officials who came to the study of Prince Su’s residence to discuss matters did not leave for a long time, and even the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau were busy without a moment to spare.

When Cheng Jin mentioned that Princess Duanhui would be coming to Qinghe Courtyard later, Biezhi found it strange, since she should be in the palace with Fu Huaiqing right now.

However, Xiao Ming, the head of the Imperial Physicians' Office, arrived earlier than Fu Shuning.

Xiao Ming looked at the scabbing wound on Bie Zhi's arm, changed the herbal poultice for her, and wrote a new prescription for Hua Chao. After instructing her on how to use the medicine, he said to Bie Zhi, "Miss's injury has healed more than half a month. After the wound has healed in another half month, I will write a new prescription for you."

After carefully removing the gauze, he stood up and thanked her.

Xiao Ming waved his hand, packed up his medicine box, and then suddenly remembered something else. "I heard from them that the young lady is planning to find a doctor to ask her something?"

Biezhi didn't expect that he also knew about this.

She was planning to consult a doctor, but given the current situation, she decided to postpone it to avoid any unnecessary complications.

After exchanging glances for a moment, Biezhi suddenly realized how foolish she had been. With the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau there, why not just ask them? It wouldn't sound good if word got out.

"Lord Xiao." Biezhi picked up the teacup on the table and handed it to him again. "There's something I'd like to know. I wonder if you have the time?"

Seeing the sudden brightness in the girl's eyes, Xiao Ming hesitated before nodding: "Of course I do."

Biezhi pulled the chair toward him, looking at him intently: "Does Your Excellency have any expertise in matters concerning men?"

"Huh?" Xiao Ming was taken aback.

“I have a friend,” Biezhi said, not giving him a chance to react, after a moment’s thought, “who seems to have some hidden problems in that area.”