Qin Zhuo left the Shen family's residence and went straight into the carriage. After the carriage had traveled for a while, it quickly turned into an alley. The door inside the alley opened, and the carriage went straight in. It was a small house, not far from the Shen family's residence.
The cold-faced butler, Gu Jiu, stood under the corridor with a knife in his hand. At his feet lay five people, motionless, their fates unknown.
Qin Zhuo glanced at it: "What did you find out?"
Gu Jiu shook his head: "He didn't say anything, he took poison."
Soon, the master of the house called from the doorway. It was Zhao Cheng who brought in a person, who was alive.
"Master, he is a member of the Han family's elite guards."
Zhao Cheng lifted his sleeve, revealing a totem that resembled neither a flower nor a bird. Having dealt with him for many years, Zhao Cheng recognized it at a glance as the totem of the Han family's assassins.
Qin Zhuo stared at the man with a cold gaze. He had his head down and his face was unappealing. Even after Zhao Cheng exposed his identity, he didn't move. He seemed to be resigned to his fate and waiting for death.
Qin Zhuo watched in silence for a while, then raised his hand: "I'm in a good mood today, let's give him a quick death."
The assassin finally couldn't help but look up, shocked that Qin Zhuo was going to kill him without even a proper interrogation.
As soon as Qin Zhuo finished speaking, Gu Jiudao arrived. His eyes widened suddenly. He did not die immediately, but he knew that he was doomed because the last slash had severed his entire neck.
A single severing of the neck, a deadly act without drawing blood; leaving the head but not the life.
Because Gu Jiu's sword was too fast, while he was still conscious, he clearly heard the answer he wanted to know.
Qin Zhuo: "As before, send the person to Prince Zhao's residence."
"yes."
Zhao Cheng answered subconsciously, but then realized what he meant the moment before: "Master, why is it the Prince Zhao's residence?"
Qin Zhuo seemed to chuckle, but his laughter was cold and full of mockery: "Trying to shift the blame and sow discord, King Zhao is getting anxious."
The assassin's pupils widened: How did he know?
Qin Zhuo came to the Shen family openly and honestly. Shen Ning felt that she might be in some trouble and had mentally prepared herself for it, but how could Qin Zhuo let her face these things?
He wouldn't be a shameful womanizer; if he liked her, he would do it openly and honestly. But he only needed to be open about it himself; he didn't need anyone to publicize it for him.
Therefore, those who had ulterior motives and wanted to spy, follow, or inquire in order to pass on messages were all exposed by the people he had arranged in the shadows.
Too many people in the capital wanted him dead and wanted to find his weakness. Everyone who needed to know knew that he had unexpectedly saved Shen Ning's life. Now that a girl had gotten the better of him for the first time, they couldn't wait to test Shen Ning's importance to him.
He couldn't stop these people from courting death, and he wasn't afraid of taking more lives. If they dared to come, he dared to take them down.
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On the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there was a grand lantern festival in the capital. The sun was shining that day, and Shen Ning finally decided to leave her coop to get some fresh air.
As usual, I first went to inspect the store, check the year-end profits, and inquire about restocking.
After going around in circles, they finally went to Fuyun Pavilion. Although this study was set up by Shen Ning for fun, since she had invested money in it, she wouldn't let herself lose money.
Besides selling her own travelogues, she also collected many folk travelogues and anecdotes, allowing people to copy and sell them. At the same time, she encouraged talented people to write their own stories or compile stories, and she would accept them as long as they did not involve court disputes and were interesting enough.
The only book she's making money from right now is her "Floating Clouds," a work written in her spare time that has inexplicably become very popular. Handwritten copies have sold out at high prices, and printed copies are also in short supply.
Because the book was a bestseller, her shop's writing implements, ink, paper, and inkstones all sold well.
Moreover, the people invited to copy texts at Fuyun Pavilion were all candidates for this year's imperial examinations. Although these people were poor, they were not without friends, which inadvertently brought her a lot of popularity.
Shen Ning was astonished when she saw the accounts. The revenue was more than double what she had expected, a truly unexpected surprise.
She discussed the restocking with the shopkeeper, and then remembered that she had a future top scholar among her customers.
"Where's Xue He? I haven't seen him."
The shopkeeper was just waiting for her to ask this question: "He was arrested and taken to Shuntian Prefecture."
Shen Ning looked up in surprise: "What happened?"
How could he have been arrested and taken to Shuntian Prefecture? The imperial examinations are scheduled for the ninth day of the second lunar month; how can he take them if he's arrested?
The shopkeeper frowned and sighed: "He meant well. Yesterday, when Grandpa Niu, who sells vegetables on the street, came out, he bumped into someone. That person is a notorious thug in this area. When Grandpa Niu bumped into him, he got angry and smashed Grandpa Niu's vegetable basket and kicked him a few times."
"Everyone avoided him like the plague, not daring to provoke that thug. Xue He happened to pass by and saw him, so he immediately rushed over to stop him, righteously accusing and refuting him, forcing the thug to leave. He did uphold justice, but little did he know that the thug had connections with the son of Vice Minister Mei of the Ministry of Rites, and that they somehow persuaded Master Niu. Yesterday evening, he took Master Niu to Shuntian Prefecture to accuse Xue He of beating Master Niu. Master Niu's injuries were undeniable, and then he was arrested by the people of Shuntian Prefecture."
The shopkeeper wasn't particularly enthusiastic, but Xue He was indeed wronged. He couldn't help Xue He, but since the owner had previously admired him, and the owner happened to be here today, he talked to her to see if there was any way to save him.
Shen Ning: "If things are really as you say, then Xue He is indeed right."
She knew his character: he couldn't stand filth, was aloof and arrogant, stubborn and self-willed, and although he was very talented, he didn't know how to be tactful and acted only with a surge of courage and passion.
Don't call this some kind of noble virtue of hating evil and being upright. Helping others is not wrong, and wanting to be an honest person is not wrong either. But there are countless ways to help others. If you insist on confronting others when you are weak and powerless, and you can't win, you will get yourself into trouble and have to be rescued by others. That so-called justice is no different from being a clown.
What's the point of reading so many books if you don't know how to apply them?
Fortunately, Shen Ning knew Xue He's character well, so he wasn't too surprised that this happened.
"Have someone find a few people who saw the scene that day, and try to persuade as many as possible to come forward as witnesses. I'll send someone to the residence of the Vice Minister of Rites and the Shuntian Prefecture."
The shopkeeper was overjoyed to hear this. The boss was indeed the boss; his moves were always reliable. Xue He was very lucky to have met the boss.
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."
Shen Ning's actions weren't out of kindness; she simply hadn't given up on the title of "top scholar," and she was still waiting for Xue He to achieve the highest rank, bringing glory to her Fuyun Pavilion.
However, Xue He's character is flawed. If he doesn't change, even if she gets him out of trouble, once he becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, he'll probably still end up on the same old path as in his previous life.
They say you learn from your mistakes. It's not that people are afraid of making stupid mistakes, as long as they listen to advice and know how to be flexible. The worst thing is when even nine oxen can't pull you back, which would be a disaster.
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