The beggar's words were astonishing, leaving not only Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai stunned, but even Su Qinghe was taken aback.
Su Qinghe and Qin Yunyun were well aware of the situation in this case, and it was obvious who benefited from this competition. Qin Yunyun smiled and immediately nodded in agreement, then turned her gaze to Su Xiaoning.
Su Xiaoning didn't speak, a hesitant expression on her face. She didn't know whether agreeing to this matter would be beneficial or harmful.
Seeing her cower like this, Qin Yunyun said sarcastically, "What, are you scared? Some people in the folk were saying that you were also a lucky charm saint, but now it seems that you are just all show and no substance. You are afraid to accept the competition because you are afraid of being exposed!"
"You!" Su Xiaoning frowned, her blood rushing to her head from the shock.
She composed herself, but after calming down a bit, she still felt that this was inappropriate. Just as she was about to refuse under Qin Yunyun's mocking gaze, Su Qingcai gently took her hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid."
It's just a competition, why should Su Xiaoning back down again and again? Anyway, no matter what happens, he can just take the blame.
Su Xiaoning felt a warmth in her heart, knowing that Su Qingcai was encouraging her, so she gripped his hand tightly and looked directly into Qin Yunyun's eyes with her chin raised.
"Alright, I'll have a match with you!"
Seeing Su Xiaoning suddenly regain her spirits, Qin Yunyun felt a little uncomfortable, snorted coldly, and stepped aside.
The Emperor had no objection to the proposal; whoever it was, as long as the case could be solved, was fine. He glanced at Su Xiaoning, then at Qin Yunyun, and said with satisfaction, "Excellent. Since you have agreed to the competition, then let it last for half a month. At that time, I will announce to the world who will solve the case, so that the people will know who the Lucky Koi Saintess is. Alright, you may all leave. Ninth Prince, you stay behind; I have something to discuss with you."
He kept only Su Qingcai and didn't mention anyone else. Su Qinghe frowned, revealing his dissatisfaction, but dared not voice any objections and could only watch helplessly as Su Qingcai and the emperor entered the inner chamber.
Five people remained in the room. The beggar watched as the emperor left, then sat down and leisurely took a sip of tea.
Seeing that this person did not seem to be an ordinary person, Su Qinghe pondered for a moment, then smiled and walked up to the beggar, saying, "I think you seem to have some skills. Why stay under Su Qingcai's command and work for him? Why not come to my command? I can give you whatever you want."
Seeing the beggar and Su Qingcai together, he assumed they were on the same side, never suspecting that the beggar was merely a prisoner in the Ministry of Justice's jail. Last time in prison, after being robbed by rats, he hadn't even noticed the beggar huddled in the corner of his cell.
The beggar scoffed, not even lifting an eyelid: "Who said I'm in cahoots with the Ninth Prince? If you're blind, go see a doctor. Can't the imperial physicians in the palace cure you?"
These words were blunt, and Su Qinghe's face turned ashen in an instant.
Just as he was about to erupt, he saw the beggar look at him with a half-smile and say slowly and deliberately, "I wonder what the Seventh Prince thinks of this case? I think..."
"—It's just a case of the thief crying 'stop thief!'"
Upon hearing those four words, Su Qinghe's face turned deathly pale, and Qin Yunyun stared at the beggar in disbelief.
How much does this beggar actually know? Has their scheme been exposed?
Su Qinghe felt a sudden pang of panic, and he couldn't help but want to ask the beggar how much he knew. Seeing his strange expression, Jiang Fang's eyes darkened, clearly realizing something.
Qin Yunyun inwardly cursed, and could only forcefully pull Su Qinghe back, forcing a smile: "Since there's nothing else, we'll be going now. Investigating the case is the priority."
After saying that, Qin Yunyun grabbed Su Qinghe, and the two hurriedly left the place.
Su Xiaoning watched their stumbling figures thoughtfully, and asked curiously, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
The beggar shook his head slightly, placed the tea heavily on the table, stood up, and said calmly, "I don't know much either, it's just a scare tactic. Instead of asking all that nonsense, we should think about how to investigate this case."
"But I don't even know where to start..."
The thought of this utterly hopeless case made Su Xiaoning feel frustrated. She had agreed to the competition because she was encouraged by Su Qingcai and didn't want to lose face in front of Qin Yunyun, but now she had no idea where to start. She didn't understand why the beggar had insisted on proposing this strange competition.
"I didn't want to accept this competition in the first place, so why did you say those things to the Emperor?"
"So you're blaming me now? Fine, come with me." The beggar glanced at Su Xiaoning, grabbed her hand, and led her outside.
Jiang Fang tried to follow, but the beggar glared at him and threatened to send him back to the Ministry of Justice prison if he didn't investigate. Jiang Fang clenched his fists in anger, but he had no choice but to watch helplessly as the beggar led Su Xiaoning away.
...
Fifteen minutes later, in the Ministry of Justice prison.
Su Xiaoning was surprised that the beggar had brought her back here, and asked in confusion, "What exactly do you want? Are you here to investigate a case at the Ministry of Justice?"
The beggar did not answer. He walked to the cell where he had once been in prison and gently tapped three times on the mottled wall.
A moment later, a rustling sound rang out, and three rats suddenly scurried out from the corner of the wall. Unlike the rats that had been surrounding the beggar, they were much smaller, with stray white hairs mixed in with their gray fur, and their green eyes seemed to contain human emotions.
The beggar gently kicked the rats in Su Xiaoning's direction and pointed at her, saying, "Pick them up."
"Huh?" Su Xiaoning was stunned, almost doubting that she had misheard. She actually wanted to hug a mouse?
"Just do whatever I tell you to do." The beggar looked dissatisfied and raised his voice.
Su Xiaoning sighed inwardly. Having no other choice, she bent down and reached out her hand to the rats.
The three mice, as if possessing sentience, leaped onto Su Xiaoning's palm the instant she reached out, then climbed up her arm to her shoulder. Suddenly, one of the mice's eyes glowed red, and it bared its sharp teeth, biting Su Xiaoning!
"ah!"
Su Xiaoning cried out in surprise, trying to knock the rat down in pain, but suddenly felt dizzy, as if some scene was flashing before her eyes, causing a sharp pain in her head.
The unfamiliar scene flashed through her mind for only a moment. Su Xiaoning leaned against the wall and shakily squatted down. The beggar asked, "What did you see?"
"I think I see a deep, ancient forest," Su Xiaoning answered honestly, then glanced hesitantly at the rat on her shoulder, "These rats..."
"Take it back and care for it properly; it will do you good," the beggar said casually.
Knowing there was no way to refuse, Su Xiaoning could only nod resignedly and pat the round little heads of the mice reassuringly.
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