His dark pupils shimmered like a vast galaxy, and his tightly pursed lips revealed his annoyance, but looking at his handsome face, one couldn't bring oneself to be angry.
Although he was dressed in tattered clothes and his hair was a mess, just looking at his face, it was hard to believe that he was a real beggar.
Su Xiaoning was speechless; it seemed that nothing she could say would be appropriate at the moment.
The beggar seemed oblivious to his appearance. He assumed Su Xiaoning was intimidated by his fierce expression, gave a satisfied hum, let down his hair, and huddled in a corner, still looking like the same disheveled beggar.
Su Xiaoning silently sat down on the haystack, guessing the beggar's identity in her mind, and did not disturb him again.
...
The news that Su Qinghe had personally interrogated Su Xiaoning in the Ministry of Justice prison quickly reached Su Qingcai's ears. Upon hearing the informant's report, Su Qingcai's heart almost skipped a beat.
"He conducted the interrogation without the Emperor's decree; he is incredibly audacious!"
"Your Highness need not worry. Although the Seventh Prince wanted to torture Miss Su, he did not succeed. Miss Su was not harmed in any way."
The informant reported everything that had happened in the prison to Su Qingcai. After hearing it all, Su Qingcai felt much more at ease.
But he still had some questions: "What are those rats?"
The informant shook his head, indicating that no one knew; who could explain such a bizarre situation?
Su Qingcai had no intention of asking any more questions. He waved for the informant to leave and stayed alone in his study.
His heart, which had just settled down, began to stir again when he was alone. Su Qingcai started to worry about whether Su Xiaoning was really not injured. Unable to contain his anxiety, he went to the Ministry of Justice.
The Minister of Justice was still applying medicine. His face had been torn off by rats, and his body was almost entirely covered in unscathed flesh, making him look extremely miserable.
Su Qingcai had no time to care about his life or death, and was about to walk into the prison when the Minister of Justice quickly stopped him: "Ninth Prince, have you forgotten what I told you before? If you really care about Miss Su, then don't come to see her!"
"I may choose not to see her, but I asked you to guarantee her safety. Have you done that?" Su Qingcai glanced at the Minister of Justice with a half-smile, the smile not reaching his eyes, but sending a chill down one's spine.
The Minister of Justice shuddered, stammering and unable to speak, but still firmly stood in front of Su Qingcai.
Su Qingcai sneered and slowly said, "Seven years ago, there was a murder case with two suspects. I remember Lord Cao acquitted one and executed the other, right? The verdict was hastily handed down before the evidence was clear. Looking back now, many details are worth examining—"
"Lord Cao, what do you think?"
The Minister of Justice broke out in a cold sweat, a chill running from his feet to the top of his head. He looked at Su Qingcai in fear and trembled as he stepped aside.
This is a case he misjudged many years ago. He has been very cautious and has kept it a secret for the past few years. If this matter is exposed, he will probably lose his official position.
Su Qingcai only discovered this matter by chance. He originally planned to report it after resolving Su Xiaoning's matter, but now that a situation has arisen, he can only use it as a threat for the time being.
Seeing that the Minister of Justice dared not block his way any longer, Su Qingcai didn't even glance at him and walked straight into the prison.
He asked the jailer for the key and went straight to Su Xiaoning's cell. Upon seeing Su Xiaoning sitting quietly on the ground, a flood of longing washed over him, and he quickly unlocked the door.
A "click" sounded as a lock opened, and Su Xiaoning, who was taking a nap, groggily opened her eyes.
When she saw the familiar figure in front of her, her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes widened instantly.
Why are you here?
I've come to see you.
Su Qingcai smiled slightly, squatted down and gently embraced Su Xiaoning in his arms, "I'm sorry I'm late."
"You're not late at all. I'm just glad to see you..." Su Xiaoning's voice was hoarse as she hugged Su Qingcai with affection. All the unease and fear in her heart before vanished after seeing him.
The two embraced silently, neither speaking, yet neither feeling awkward. Pearl stood quietly to the side, tilting her head curiously as she watched them.
Suddenly, a "gurgling" sound broke the silence.
Su Xiaoning blushed, released Su Qingcai, and covered her stomach without saying a word.
She had eaten a chicken leg given to her by a beggar last night to temporarily fill her stomach, but no one brought her food today, and after all this trouble, she was hungry again.
Su Qingcai couldn't help but smile. He opened the lunchbox he had brought and took out several dishes that Su Xiaoning liked.
Unexpectedly, he had considered everything so thoroughly. Su Xiaoning smiled and picked up her chopsticks to start eating, but then suddenly remembered the help she had received from the Beggars' Gang. She put down her chopsticks and asked Su Qingcai, "I want to share some with him."
She pointed to the cell next door, where the beggar was still sitting quietly, as if in a trance.
Su Qingcai squinted at the beggar, not knowing why, but he felt that the man exuded an aura he disliked.
His intuition told him that this beggar was no ordinary person, so he asked, "Who is he?"
“A friend of mine helped me a lot,” Su Xiaoning replied without any hesitation, completely unaware of Su Qingcai’s changed expression.
Some rats squeaked around the beggar, their green eyes staring intently at Su Qingcai, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Recalling the informant's report about the rat in the cell, Su Qingcai said in a deep voice, "You need to be careful of him; his identity is probably not ordinary."
Su Xiaoning frowned slightly, seemingly a little unhappy: "I know he might not be an ordinary person, but he did help me before, so why be so careful?"
After saying that, she picked up a plate of food and walked to the railing, beckoning the beggar to come and take it.
The beggar didn't move at all. He sneered and said disdainfully, "Take it back. Since someone thinks I should be careful, why do you still want to befriend me?"
“This…” Su Xiaoning stood there awkwardly, holding a plate of food, at a loss.
She tried to persuade the beggar, but after talking for a long time, the beggar remained unmoved and did not come to take the food, seemingly determined not to pay any attention to her.
Seeing that the dishes were getting cold, Su Xiaoning returned dejectedly with the plates and said somewhat sadly, "I told you that's my friend, you have to be more polite to him in the future."
Su Qingcai didn't even nod, just stared straight at the beggar who was teasing the mouse, remaining silent.
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