oath
On the long street, Zhou Yanzhi stood in line, looking up at the half-open window, while Ji Feng beside him was reporting something to him.
“Young master, just as you said, our men saw General Xiao turn and enter the private room as soon as you left.”
Standing atop the monsoon, Wu Gou Lang cooed twice and revealed to Zhou Yanzhi a patch of feathers that, though already covered in fine feathers, remained distinctly different from the thick feathers around it.
Wu Goulang thought to himself: "That's the person who plucked my feathers!"
Zhou Yanzhi couldn't help but chuckle at its appearance, and gently patted Wu Goulang's head.
While secretly thinking to herself, "Cousin, no, Xiao Yan is still the same as ever. Her lies are full of mistakes, and her desire to get rid of him is almost written on her face, making it easy for anyone to see through her."
The idea in my heart was confirmed. Although I didn't know why Xiao Yan had entered Xie Xiangsi's body, it seemed that the one who had been with me for so many days was Xiao Yan.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yanzhi couldn't help but lower his head and chuckle softly.
But Ji Feng had a peculiar way of thinking. Seeing the smile on Zhou Yanzhi's face, he assumed that Zhou Yanzhi was happy because he could catch Xiao Jiangsheng, so he asked very seriously, "Young Master, shall we go in and catch him?"
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
Zhou Yanzhi shook his head, "No need. You should still follow him and not hinder him from doing things. You can help him if necessary."
Since Xiao Jiangsheng is also investigating the Xiao family's case, as long as he doesn't break the law, it's not unreasonable to do him a favor.
Ji Feng nodded habitually, then realized what he had heard and looked up in surprise, "Huh?"
Are you out of your mind, young master, not arresting prisoners?
She glanced at her master discreetly, then met his slightly lowered eyes. "What?"
Sensing the coldness in Zhou Yanzhi's tone, Ji Feng shook his head abruptly, "Nothing, you're right, I'll take my leave now."
After the monsoon had gone, Zhou Yanzhi looked up at the window again, his eyes filled with tenderness.
...
The bells on the curtain were stirred, producing a clear and melodious sound.
For some reason, Jie Xiangsi suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and subconsciously turned her head to look out the window, but she couldn't see any familiar figures in the long queue.
"Oh no," she whispered.
At the same time, steady footsteps sounded outside the door.
It's Zhou Yanzhi!
Without a second thought, Jie Xiangsi swiftly pushed Xiao Jiangsheng out the window and solemnly whispered, "Brother, we'll meet again someday."
Xiao Jiangsheng: "?"
He hasn't even used his lightness skill yet!
But the next second.
"Squeak—"
The door to the side room was pushed open, and Zhou Yanzhi walked in carrying a bag of pastries. Seeing Xie Xiangsi standing quietly by the window, seemingly looking down, he couldn't help but soften his heart and said gently, "Cousin."
"cousin!"
Jie Xiangsi suddenly turned around, revealing a sunflower-like smiling face. Her exceptionally charming voice made Zhou Yanzhi raise an eyebrow, and even made Xiao Jiangsheng, who hadn't gone far, stumble and almost fall.
Xiao Jiangsheng: "..."
I already told you to stay away from Zhou Ce'an!
Walking up to her, Zhou Yanzhi stared at her for a while until Xie Xiangsi couldn't hold back and started to dodge. Only then did he leisurely place the chestnut cake in her hand and chuckle, "Didn't you want to eat it? Eat it now."
Not knowing why he was laughing so strangely, Jie Xiangsi nervously picked up a piece of chestnut cake, taking a small sip while watching him. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Cousin, why are you laughing?"
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
With a chuckle, Zhou Yanzhi turned his head away, then, suppressing a laugh, pulled Xie Xiangsi to sit down on the bench. "It's nothing, I just found your expression quite amusing."
Jie Xiangsi: "...?"
What the heck?
Thus, Zhou Yanzhi was extremely happy during the meal, while Jie Xiangsi felt extremely uncomfortable.
...
Back at the inn, Xie Xiangsi seemed to be thinking about something and turned to Zhou Yanzhi beside him, asking, "Cousin, do you know this Zhang Xu?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi raised an eyebrow. It seemed Xiao Jiangsheng had found out quite a bit. He replied seriously, "I know. He's now the new prefect of Danzhou." Seeing the conflicted look on Xie Xiangsi's face, he asked again, "What happened to him?"
"Hmm..." After a long silence, Jie Xiangsi said, "He... is not a good person."
Seeing that Zhou Yanzhi was listening attentively, she quickly added, "Yesterday at the governor's mansion, we heard two voices in the secret passage. The first one was his, and the second one was that of my old friend."
Looking into Zhou Yanzhi's eyes, she said seriously, "The latter is not one of my people, but a Northern Yi. Therefore, I suspect that Zhang Xu is colluding with the Northern Yi tribes."
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment in mid-air.
Zhou Yanzhi was surprised that she would say it directly, but he was also quite shocked by the news that He Yun was a Northern Barbarian.
Were they actually Northern Barbarians?
He nodded and said calmly, "Okay, I understand. I'll be careful."
Seeing how calm he was, Jie Xiangsi became somewhat unsettled.
That's it? He used to always ask for clarification.
So, she asked hesitantly, "Aren't you going to ask me anything, cousin?"
Zhou Yanzhi said calmly, "I believe you." After a pause, he suddenly adopted a playful expression, leaned forward, and whispered, "Could it be that my cousin is lying to me?"
His voice rose at the end, making people inexplicably want to run away.
Jie Xiangsi shrank back slightly, her eyelashes trembling almost imperceptibly, and whispered, "Cousin, you're joking. How could I possibly lie to you?"
Seeing this, Zhou Yanzhi chuckled inwardly, not expecting Xiao Yan to be a paper tiger.
He took a slight step back, coughed lightly twice, and said gently, "Just kidding. By the way, besides this, do you think there are any other suspicious points about Yang Xu?"
Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi paused slightly.
That tattoo... is also a point of suspicion.
Should we talk to him about it?
Seemingly sensing her hesitation, Zhou Yanzhi smiled and said, "Don't worry, if you're willing to talk, I'll listen; if you're not willing to talk, I'll investigate."
Hearing him say that, Jie Xiangsi stopped worrying. Anyway, just like he said, even if she didn't say anything, he would find out anyway. Since that was the case, it was better to let him find out who was behind it sooner.
Therefore, she took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Zhang Xu has a python tattoo on his body. I would like to ask if my cousin has ever seen such a tattoo before?"
"Tattoo?"
A scene suddenly flashed through Zhou Yanzhi's mind, and he lowered his eyes slightly to think. After a while, he suddenly raised his eyes and said, "I've met you."
Jie Xiangsi's heart tightened, and she asked, "When?"
Zhou Yanzhi said in a deep voice, "The day I accidentally barged into your room."
Jie Xiangsi looked up: "The person who hurt you?"
Zhou Yanzhi nodded: "That's right."
The man broke into the Dali Temple to steal disaster relief funds. Although he was accidentally injured, he also made a cut on the other man's arm. Through the torn sleeve, he could clearly see that the man had a lifelike python tattooed on his arm.
After a moment of silence, Jie Xiangsi said, "Cousin, it seems that Zhang Xu is also one of the people behind this."
Zhou Yanzhi nodded, "Therefore, as long as we start with Zhang Xu, we can follow the clues to find the person behind it all."
Xie Xiangsi smiled and sighed, "If we can find the person behind this, we can prove the Xiao family's innocence and bring the villains to justice."
Zhou Yanzhi chimed in, "After bringing the wicked to justice, we can travel together to see the beautiful landscapes and help the weak and punish the wicked."
For a moment, the two looked at each other and smiled.
...
Thinking of something, Jie Xiangsi asked again, "Cousin, what do you think of General Zhang Quan?"
Zhou Yanzhi frowned: "General Zhang?" After thinking for a moment, he asked with some surprise: "You suspect that he is also one of the people behind the scenes?"
Xie Xiangsi nodded and said in a deep voice, "After all... since General Xiao was assassinated, the military power in the court has been concentrated in General Zhang's hands, and the new governor of Danzhou is also surnamed Zhang. Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence that the two of them are surnamed Zhang? Could there be something unknown about this?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi fell silent.
After a short while, he spoke: "General Zhang has been stationed in the southern border for many years, repeatedly defeating the barbarian invasions. He has faced life and death many times and has made outstanding military achievements, which have contributed to our dynasty."
The implication was that they felt Zhang Quan was fine.
Jie Xiangsi: "..."
After a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, "But General Xiao has also been stationed in the north for many years, repeatedly defeated the invasion of the northern barbarians, faced life and death several times, made outstanding military achievements, and contributed to our dynasty."
She couldn't help but look up at Zhou Yanzhi, her resentment barely concealed in her eyes. "Tell me, we're both generals, so why is it that General Xiao is framed, while I can't even have a suspicion about General Zhang?"
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall, only letting them roll in her eyes, so bright and dazzling they were almost blinding.
Zhou Yanzhi stared at her intently for a while, his eyes filled with an inscrutable expression.
After a moment, he sighed softly, then leaned forward and gently brushed the girl's tears away with his warm fingertips. He patiently explained, "I didn't say you couldn't doubt. You're right. With General Xiao dead, most of the military power is indeed concentrated in General Zhang's hands. But right now, it's all just our speculation."
"There are so many people with the surname Zhang in the world, and so far there is no suspicion pointing to General Zhang. General Zhang has always had a good reputation, and I do not want to speculate on such a loyal minister."
Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi turned away unwillingly to wipe her tears, and every now and then a few heavy sniffles could be heard.
Seeing this, Zhou Yanzhi had no choice but to gently turn Jie Xiangsi's shoulder, look into her eyes and say softly, "You should know that sometimes rumors can kill a person. I'm afraid that my unintentional words today will cause a disaster through the machinations of those with ulterior motives."
He paused, then his tone suddenly became extremely serious: "I swear to you, if I find even one suspicious point, I will act impartially and without any leniency."
Sniffing, Jie Xiangsi raised her eyes, stared intently at the person in front of her, and said seriously, "If you break your promise, I will kill you."
His voice was still a little hoarse, yet the words he spoke were so chilling. If it were anyone else, even the most patient person would have exploded, but Zhou Yanzhi simply smiled gently.
"You won't have that chance."
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