Chapter 133 Arrives
The next day.
When Old Master Duan sent someone over, he found that Duan Gan had already left, and he was so angry that he felt a tightness in his chest.
Shops in the south of the city.
Tao Tao stood beside the bed where the body was placed, her expression serious and focused, threading a needle and beginning to sew up the body.
This is a man with many old wounds on his body. He is around thirty years old, with solid muscles, and has been a wanderer for many years.
What kind of deep-seated hatred could drive someone to be torn apart by five horses?
The needle and thread moved back and forth between the flesh. When she got tired of standing, she would find a stool to sit down and continue sewing.
Before we knew it, it was dark.
At that moment, light footsteps came from outside the door.
She mistakenly thought it was Xixin calling her back, and without looking up, said, "I'll go back in a bit, you go back first."
"May I come in and have a seat?"
A gentle and familiar voice came from outside.
She paused, then suddenly looked up. Through the screen, the vaguely reflected figure looked somewhat familiar.
She was startled, put down what she was holding, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and walked out with a puzzled look on her face.
"Your Highness?"
The person turned around, and the calm and gentle face was none other than Qi Heng.
"Xiao Tao".
Tao Tao hurriedly went to greet her, saying reservedly, "What brings you here? You could have just sent someone to let me know if you needed anything."
She glanced sideways at the inner room behind her, then shifted her foot, blocking the view.
"Are you busy? This is chestnut syrup. Don't you like sweet things? You can try it."
Qi Heng handed the sour pear wood brocade box in his hand to her.
She accepted the gift with both hands and quickly expressed her gratitude: "Thank you, Your Highness, for troubling you to make this trip in person."
"Please sit down."
The two sat facing each other, with a table between them.
"I came here today because I have something I want to ask Xiao Tao. If Xiao Tao doesn't know the answer, that's fine too."
"Yanli, please speak freely. If I know the answer, I will tell you everything I know."
Qi Heng had something to ask her? That was strange. What was it that he didn't know, but she did? Even she herself wasn't sure.
Tao Tao pondered for a while, but still couldn't come up with anything.
Upon hearing this, Qi Heng's brows relaxed, and she chuckled softly, "I wanted to ask if you know Ding Yunxiang?"
"Ding Yunxiang!?"
Her pupils dilated in surprise, and she was taken aback for a moment. But less than two seconds later, she casually asked, "Who is it? The name sounds familiar, like I've heard someone mention it before."
She lowered her eyes and reached out to pour a cup of tea for each of them.
"She was the daughter of the former salt transport commissioner of Suizhou. The salt transport commissioner was beheaded and his family property confiscated for privately selling official salt and accepting bribes. All the elderly and young members of the Ding family were killed, while the young were demoted to the lowest social class and sent to the market to be sold to replenish the national treasury."
Qi Heng picked up the teacup and felt the warmth from her fingertips.
He looked down and examined the pale yellow tea. A few tea leaves floated gently at the bottom of the cup, much like the turbulent court at that moment.
"Then, was Ding Yunxiang sold to the capital?"
"Yes, but they were bought back from Chunzhulou. The madam said they were two young ladies disguised as men."
Tao Tao's breath hitched, and her heart, pounding with tension, leaped into her throat.
He knew it was her all along, but why didn't he just say so, instead of testing her?
“Your Highness… I did go to Chunzhu Tower to rescue a woman, but I didn’t know at the time that she was the daughter of a disgraced official, otherwise I wouldn’t have redeemed her.”
Qi Heng shook her head helplessly: "Xiao Tao, I don't blame you. Besides, I've noticed that you're always unusually distant from me when you're nervous. Is it my identity that scares you?"
“…No, of course not.” She denied it outright.
"You've saved her, that's all that matters, as long as she's alive and well."
He picked up the teacup, brought it to his lips, and took a sip.
After he finished speaking, Tao Tao became even more nervous, because Ding Yunxiang was already dead.
But she didn't know why he asked about Ding Yunxiang's whereabouts. Wasn't Ding Yunxiang the daughter of a disgraced official? Or did the Ding family have some connection with Qi Heng?
Smuggling government-owned salt is a heinous crime. No one would want to be associated with a criminal at this time. Moreover, as the crown prince, shouldn't he be even more cautious?
She cautiously raised her eyes to observe the expression on his face.
"Ding Yunxiang did stay with me for a while, but she left a couple of days ago, and I don't know where she went."
"They've left?"
He looked up at her in surprise.
"Yes, she told me the day before she left that her sister had been engaged to the Cai family."
That's all I know; I don't know much else.
The Cai family? Which Cai family?
If we're talking about the Cai family in the imperial court, there's only one, and that's Cai Jiuwen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. When did the Ding family and the Cai family ever have a marriage agreement?
Qi Heng frowned, then quickly relaxed. "If that's the case, then whatever happened in the past was her fate."
Tao Tao didn't reply. She lowered her head, picked up her teacup, and took a sip. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, revealing her inner turmoil. Fortunately, he didn't notice anything amiss.
"I heard you've been busy opening new branches lately, congratulations!"
He paused after speaking, a hint of apology flashing across his face: "It's a pity I didn't bring a congratulatory gift. Is there anything you like? I'll go buy it for you."
"No need, didn't you give me a little rabbit? I like it very much, thank you."
She quickly waved her hand, trying to steer the conversation towards the little rabbit.
"That rabbit, a while ago during the royal hunt, I saw that the rabbit looked a lot like you, so I caught it. I was worried that you wouldn't like it, but now that I've heard you say you like it, I'm relieved."
He smiled slightly, his eyes and brows gleaming like jade in the moonlight streaming through the window, truly a refined and gentle gentleman.
Upon seeing this, she was momentarily dazed.
Unfortunately, he is not Chang'e, and I am not a rabbit.
She smiled and didn't say anything more, and a moment of silence fell between them.
No one felt embarrassed, especially Qi Heng, who seemed to cherish the rare tranquility.
"Would I have the honor of seeing you at work?"
He spoke to Tao Tao, who remained silent in front of him.
"ah?"
Tao Tao looked up at him in surprise, her round, big eyes sparkling with doubt, her rosy lips slightly parted, revealing a hint of cuteness.
Qi Heng chuckled softly, then repeated, "I'd like to see what you're like at work, is that alright?"
She understood, but it was really not very elegant, a bit too heavy-handed. Could His Highness the Crown Prince handle it?
"Yanli, I think you might not be able to accept this, so why don't you just not watch it?"
He frowned slightly, somewhat dissatisfied: "What's so unacceptable about it? It's not like I've never seen a dead person before. I'm just really curious about how funeral directors work."
"It's not good-looking, and it might leave you with a psychological scar."
"No, we're friends. Aren't you even willing to be honest about this?"
Despite his persistent insistence, she finally had no choice but to slump her shoulders in despair.
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