Chapter 63: The Truth Comes Out
"OP, OP, OP!"
"do what?"
"OP, God have mercy, I'm truly innocent today. I really didn't do anything. I'm just the one who got into trouble."
"I know." Su Mengzhen, who was walking ahead, understood that she didn't want to be nagged for something she hadn't done. He was also aware of the situation today. Although Xie Huailing's character was suspicious, she had indeed played the role of a victim today. So he awkwardly comforted her, "I won't say anything bad about you. It was right of you to send me the message."
Xie Huailing felt much relieved when he learned that he had been acquitted. Being scolded and developing immunity was one thing, but being wrongly scolded was another.
Su Mengzhen led her back to the study. It was late this time, and the servants had lit the lamps and lit a fire in the stove, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere that made one feel almost limp. A thick cushion was placed on her usual chair, and a new blanket had been added. But seeing Xie Huailing's drowsiness welling up in her eyes, it became clear that she was always greeted by the study when she returned home. Su Mengzhen's study, too, was naturally where she was, and her presence was increasingly felt. However, this time, there were two more people in the study.
One was Yang Wuxie, a frequent visitor to the study. He needed to report to Su Mengzhen and deliver intelligence to Xie Huailing, making at least three trips a day on average. The other person was somewhat unexpected. This person didn't even belong to the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion. He seemed to have just returned, still wearing his outer clothes, and was idly playing with his sideburns to kill time. When he saw Xie Huailing, the only familiar person, arrive, he looked away in annoyance.
But Xie Huailing wouldn't give her a chance to avoid him. He immediately went up to her eagerly, his expressionless face getting very close: "Feifei, wait for me here."
Bai Feifei was momentarily unsure whether to push her away first or complain about her disgusting nickname. In the end, she chose to do both, pushing Su Mengzhen's confidante in front of him and then scolding him in a low voice, "Who is Feifei? Don't call me that so intimately, it's disgusting to hear."
Xie Huailing was Bai Feifei's own leech, and didn't care much about being humiliated. She said, "This makes it seem like we have a good relationship. You can also call me Huailing. If that doesn't work, I have a nickname."
Bai Feifei wished she could have another chase with Xie Huailing in front of Su Mengzhen. She was furious with him and cursed him for being such a bad boss. His subordinate was ignoring him in front of her and he could act like nothing was wrong, and he had to keep a straight face. It was really difficult for her: "Nobody wants to know your nickname, and I don't want to be on good terms with you!"
Xie Huailing said something even more disgusting to Bai Feifei, saying only, "But I really want to be on good terms with you, so please let me have my way."
Bai Feifei was speechless. Why were there still such crazy people in the world?
While they were bickering, Su Mengzhen wasn't idle either. Yang Wuxie was someone he had arranged to watch over Bai Feifei, and naturally, she would have to leave after he returned. After giving Yang Wuxie her new assignment, Su Mengzhen sat back down in his seat. Bai Feifei's murderous intent was already rising, so he heavily tapped the table. The dull tapping sound symbolized that it was time to talk business, and Xie Huailing finally quieted down.
She sat back in her seat, still with the same unrefined posture, leaning limply against the back of the chair. Bai Feifei sat far away opposite her, turning her head to look at the bookshelf full of files, not wanting to meet Xie Huailing's gaze.
Su Mengzhen took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and coughed twice, covering his mouth. The familiar chill in his body surged and kept causing trouble. He wiped the blood from his palms, swallowed the bloody taste in his throat, and said, "Alright, let's talk about today's events and the progress of the Li Tanhua case. I invited Miss Bai here for these two matters."
Bai Feifei didn't answer. Xie Huailing's proposed deal included this part, so she had no objection. She tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded with remarkable composure.
"Tell me about what happened today." Su Mengzhen pointed at Xie Huailing, a sharp glint in his deep eyes. He assumed that Bai Feifei knew about Xie Huailing's attitude towards Bai Feifei, so he asked directly, "What's the story with the heir of the Prince of Taiping's mansion?"
Xie Huailing knew this day would come sooner or later. She had previously told Su Mengzhen, "This person is difficult to describe; I'll sort things out before telling you, Master." Now, she had no choice but to speak. Her gaze shifted upwards, then drifted back, and she said, "Gong Jiu, Master, just call him by name. It's easy to explain what's going on with this person, but Master, you should be prepared." The Master, whom Fang Gui Shi Sheng had never even heard of, wanted to hear about Gong Jiu? She was truly doing him a favor by not telling him.
Su Mengzhen said calmly, "Speak frankly."
Xie Huailing's gaze was as complex as the night sky of Bianjing, brewing something unspeakable and unsettling. She glanced at Bai Feifei, then at Su Mengzhen, and, seizing the opportunity while Bai Feifei was drinking tea, quickly spoke a few words.
Bai Feifei choked on the tea she had just put in her mouth, even choking so hard that it went back into her trachea and throat. She covered her mouth and began to cough violently, she hadn't been so embarrassed in many years. After coughing, instead of looking at the culprit, she frowned, a genuine look of disgust on her face.
Su Mengzhen was much calmer in comparison, perhaps because he wasn't drinking water. But he was also frowning. Few people could make Su Mengzhen change his expression, and Gong Jiu was one of them. Su Mengzhen was thinking about too many things—whether he was worried about the fall of the Song Dynasty royal family, or whether he felt it was too scandalous, or whether he should consider his subordinates first—all of which accumulated into a solemn expression of mixed feelings. He turned his head to hide his expression.
Xie Huailing shrugged casually, then slowly dragged out his words, "There's not a single lie in this. That's pretty much the gist of it. But don't worry, I still have ways to stall him."
She was adept at making even the most shocking things sound trivial. After speaking, she yawned, slumped wearily against the cushion on the back of her chair, and seemed ready to wrap up her day.
Su Mengzhen turned away, her expression unchanged, and said decisively, "No need, I'll handle this. You should stay away from him for now."
His arrangements were beyond question, just as he would never waver. He refused to make his subordinates part of the sacrifice; Xie Huailing might not care, but Su Mengzhen would. His principles contained many things he would never do, things he would never allow in his life. If he could erase his bottom line for convenience and profit, then Su Mengzhen would no longer be Su Mengzhen.
His desire for control and protection is also reflected in this aspect. He built an imposing and insurmountable wall, and then said, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."
Bai Feifei glanced at these words, staring at Su Mengzhen, but still remained silent.
Xie Huailing blinked upon hearing Su Mengzhen's words. Having understood Su Mengzhen's personality, she was no longer surprised by his bias. Not having to worry about Gong Jiu's affairs anymore, and having him shield her from his influence, was quite a pleasant experience. She replied, "I understand. I'll leave it all to you then. What else was there to say? About the case, shall we?"
She remembered the "gift" Gong Jiu had given her, sat up straighter, and asked, "Did you find anything about the things that were sent back?"
This is why Bai Feifei is here. Before Su Mengzhen could look over, Bai Feifei wiped the tea from the corner of her mouth and replied, "The bloodstained weapon is from the same batch as the weapon used by the black-clad men who assassinated Li Xunhuan, but they are completely different in type, which narrows down the scope of the investigation. The letter mentions several strange transactions, and I went to the corresponding money exchange. This money was withdrawn from a money exchange in Bianjing half a year ago. As for where it went, it probably ended up in the hands of those black-clad men who were assassinating him."
Six months ago, the overlapping timelines made Xie Huailing nod slightly, and then asked, "Did you investigate anything else?"
Bai Feifei continued, saying that she was sent out on conditions agreed upon by Su Mengzhen, so naturally she wouldn't have brought back just this much: "The money that was sent out has been deposited in the bank for three or four years. I checked the accounts and could only find that the person who deposited the money was surnamed Chen, and that he deposited 1.5 million taels of silver at once, which was also all spent at once. However, there are other places that can be traced."
Her confidence and her abilities were the essence of her beauty. Bai Feifei smiled casually. She didn't usually smile much, but she appreciated herself, letting the smile fall on her cheeks and into her voice: "I thought about it. To choose this money exchange, I needed someone with neither powerful backing nor the backing of a super-rich tycoon. And considering that the money exchange was most famous not for its interest rates, but for the owner's extensive connections in the black market, I went and ransacked the money exchange owner's room and then kidnapped him."
"The moment they tied him up, they found out that the person who had deposited money six months ago was a man. He didn't deposit cash directly; the money exchange first appraised a portion of his goods, and after all the goods were traded on the black market, he deposited the money. The goods were mostly rice, vegetables, oil, and ordinary cloth, plus some rare treasures. It took him more than a month to sell them all."
"You kidnapped him, did you clean up the mess properly?" Xie Huailing pressed.
"I have my own way of doing things. He won't remember this." Bai Feifei's smile became even more genuine, but she quickly pursed her lips and returned to her icy demeanor.
Having said all that, Bai Feifei had no reason to stay in the study. She briefly said goodbye and left hastily, not wanting to linger for even a moment longer. Xie Huailing, who should have bothered her one more time, simply watched her leave. She sorted through the myriad thoughts in her mind, dividing them into mountain ranges and seas, hiding countless undercurrents beneath the emptiness in her eyes, waves even more turbulent than the Bian River.
The silence didn't last long. As long as Su Mengzhen waited patiently, Xie Huailing wouldn't make him wait any longer.
She pulled off the blanket covering her. Xie Huailing knew that Su Mengzhen wanted a conclusion, one that would no longer doubt her judgment, so he only needed her to state the conclusion. With light steps, Xie Huailing walked to Su Mengzhen's side.
It wasn't a position that could be called ambiguous; it was simply because the name she was about to say absolutely could not be overheard. She was practically pressed against his neck, her breath carrying the scent of medicine and fragrance, when she uttered a name:
"Cai Jing."
Su Mengzhen suddenly turned his head, their breaths mingling, their eyes only on each other and on the events in Bianjing.
A few quiet breaths, an eerily quiet breaths, the vortex enveloped them at its center, the snow outside falling heavily. Xie Huailing emphasized her words, and the beautiful, solitary figure in the painting was imbued with an incredible, magnificent beauty in his eyes. Only now did she seem to have her eyes painted by the artist who created her; proud as a fish swimming underwater, her composed self-assurance the brushstrokes of the painting. She had come to life completely, and said to him again, "Master, there could be no better truth than this."
She must have another big plan. Su Mengzhen thought to herself.
His heart was as quiet as his study, a still lake reflecting everything before him. And his eyes returned to her, returning to her ambition and fervor to strive for even greater heights.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com