What are you doing here?
Su Xiaoning stared in surprise at Su Qingcai, who appeared out of nowhere. Jiang Lin also frowned, a hint of hostility in his eyes.
Su Qingcai didn't look at the two of them, but stared into Feng Lin's eyes and repeated, "Miss Feng, are you friend or foe?"
Feng Lin remained silent. She shook her head slightly, turned around, and left, giving the three of them no time to react.
"Wait!" Su Xiaoning shouted, somewhat at a loss.
Jiang Lin gently patted her hands and said in a deep voice, "I'll go after her." After saying that, he followed the path Feng Lin had taken.
Suddenly, her sleeve was yanked from behind. Feng Lin, who had already walked several steps away, turned around. When she saw that it was Jiang Lin chasing after her, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes, her expression softened, and she stopped walking slowly.
Jiang Lin took Feng Lin's hands in his hand; he sometimes made this gesture unconsciously when he was having a serious conversation with someone at close range.
“Miss Feng, Miss Su is also doing this for the purpose of investigation. If you know anything about Xiuyifang, please let us know. We will definitely reward you handsomely.”
The first thing he said was a question Feng Lin didn't want to hear.
Feng Lin's reaction was not as cold as before. She lowered her eyes and said softly, "It's not that I'm unwilling to help you, but this matter is really no small thing. You can't afford to offend any of the people behind Xiuyi Workshop. Forcing an investigation might lead to your death. I can't hurt you... I'm sorry."
After uttering the last word, Feng Lin glanced longingly at Jiang Lin's clasped hands, then withdrew her own, turned and left, disappearing without a trace in no time.
Jiang Lin had a headache, so he had no choice but to turn back and tell Su Xiaoning what Feng Lin had told him.
Su Xiaoning frowned slightly and sighed softly, "Forget it, it seems we won't get any clues from Miss Feng. Let's go back first."
She touched her empty stomach and looked at Su Qingcai beside her with a questioning gaze.
Before Jiang Lin left, Su Qingcai had already explained to Su Xiaoning why he was there. Although he felt that his behavior was not good, it wasn't too outrageous, and Su Xiaoning wasn't too angry. She just felt that she was starving after being out for most of the day and wanted to find a restaurant to eat at.
Su Qingcai knew what Su Xiaoning was thinking. He gently took Su Xiaoning's hand, casually mentioned the name of a nearby restaurant, and led her towards the restaurant.
Jiang Lin remained silent, his expression darkening, but he quickly followed them.
The three arrived at a restaurant, and Su Xiaoning, who was starving, happily ordered a lot of signature dishes and began to eat heartily.
"Eat slowly." Su Qingcai's eyes were full of smiles as he gently brushed the rice grains from the corner of Su Xiaoning's mouth.
A soft, feather-like touch flashed across her face, and Su Xiaoning suddenly blushed, lowering her head somewhat embarrassed.
Seeing this, Jiang Lin lost his appetite and handed a glass of water to Su Xiaoning, saying, "Don't rush, drink more water."
Before Su Xiaoning could speak, Su Qingcai's eyes flashed slightly. He reached out and took the water Jiang Lin handed him, but put the teacup aside and instead handed his own teacup to Su Xiaoning.
He smiled, his eyes gleaming with the shrewdness of a fox: "Thank you for your concern, Young Master Jiang."
Jiang Lin remained silent, watching as the bewildered Su Xiaoning drank the water Su Qingcai handed her. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his gaze towards Su Qingcai was exceptionally unfriendly.
Su Qingcai appeared relaxed and at ease. The two did not argue in front of Su Xiaoning, but every glance they exchanged was full of rivalry.
Su Xiaoning didn't pay any attention to any of that; her focus was entirely on the food on the table, letting the two men compete amongst themselves.
The dishes were served one after another. After the waiter brought over a plate of chicken legs, Su Xiaoning, who was enjoying her meal, suddenly looked thoughtful and put down her chopsticks.
The chicken leg was huge, glistening with tempting oil, looking just like the chicken leg that the beggar had commanded the rats to give her when she was locked up in the Ministry of Justice prison, starving.
She hasn't gone back to see the beggar since she was released from prison. After all, they were friends who had been through thick and thin together. Shouldn't she go and visit him?
Su Xiaoning put down her chopsticks, told Su Qingcai and Jiang Linyi her thoughts, and then called the waiter to pack up the plate of untouched chicken legs.
Upon hearing that she wanted to visit the beggars, Jiang Lin frowned, clearly somewhat resistant. However, seeing Su Xiaoning's nonchalant expression, he held back and said nothing.
After the waiter helped pack the chicken legs, Su Xiaoning carried the lunchbox, and the three of them went to the Ministry of Justice together.
Down in the Ministry of Justice prison, he easily found the beggar's cell and, sure enough, found him huddled in a corner. He was no different from before, still wearing tattered clothes, looking disheveled, with several rats squeaking around him.
Smelling the aroma of chicken legs, the beggar slightly raised his eyes. He didn't react when he saw Su Xiaoning, but his expression changed drastically when he saw Jiang Lin behind her.
His face darkened, and his eyes instantly became wary: "It seems what's coming will come."
Jiang Lin was a little embarrassed, understanding what the beggar was thinking, and quickly waved his hand to explain, "You misunderstand. I was not sent by my father to interrogate you. I just came with Miss Su to see you."
"I don't need that pretense," the beggar sneered and turned his head away.
"We really just came to see you." Su Xiaoning scratched her head, looking a little awkward, and placed the food box in front of the beggar, putting on a friendly smile as much as she could.
The beggar seemed determined to ignore them. He didn't even glance at Su Xiaoning, and even lay down on the haystack, turned over, and fell asleep.
The atmosphere in the cell was awkward and oppressive, leaving Su Xiaoning somewhat at a loss. She tried to talk to the beggar, but he ignored her, responding only with the soft snoring of someone asleep.
The rats surrounding the beggar had fierce eyes, and their gazes at the three of them were very eerie, as if they were about to pounce on them and devour them at any moment.
Su Xiaoning took a few steps back somewhat timidly, sighed, left the lunchbox in the cell, and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, she was turned away by the beggar, and Su Xiaoning was in a bad mood the whole way.
Jiang Lin felt somewhat guilty and said, "I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize to me, it's not your fault." Su Xiaoning shook her head, the words Jiang Lin had said to her before flashing through her mind. "I really want to go to Yunjiang Village to investigate, can't you still take me?"
"I'm sorry, I can't." Jiang Lin's expression stiffened, but he still firmly refused.
苏小凝叹了一口气，也没再勉强，和姜临分道扬镳，径直回了王府。
此后的几天里，苏小凝协助苏清裁秘密调查着刑部尚书死亡一案，倒真的找到了不少线索。与此同时，七王爷也将调查结果呈给了皇帝。
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
