Chapter 106
The three of them looked at the woman standing at the door at the same time. The woman was fair-skinned and had a kind look in her eyes.
She smiled and said, "It's inconvenient to stand outside, why don't we come inside to talk?"
Xie Xiao glanced at their disheveled appearance, hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked into the house: "Come in."
Xie Sui'an and Qin Sang exchanged glances and then followed him inside.
The cabin looked small, but it was very cozy, with linoleum and carpet on the floor and a lamp lit on the fireplace mantel.
The low table was covered with scattered drawing papers. The ink on the papers seemed to have been mixed with other fragrances, giving them a sweet but not cloying aroma that instantly made one feel relaxed.
"Oh dear, you're both injured. Please wait a moment while I go get some medicine to bandage your wounds." As soon as she entered the room, the woman noticed the bloodstains on the two of them. Her voice was gentle and soft as she spoke, and she was about to walk into the inner room.
Xie Xiao didn't stop her, knowing that she wanted to avoid suspicion and let them talk.
Xie Sui'an was dumbfounded. He thought to himself, no wonder his fourth uncle was in no hurry to get married. It turned out that he already had a beautiful woman by his side, enjoying a carefree life.
"Sit down." There was an eight-immortal table in the main hall. Xie Sui'an lifted his robe and sat down. "There are people outside who are after you. It's best to go back to the cave. After this is over, I will let you go back safely."
"Something?" Qin Sang became a little wary. "What is it? Are you plotting something?"
Xie Xiao picked up the teapot on the table and poured tea for the two of them. They licked their lips, hesitant to drink, afraid that if they drank it, they would wake up and be thrown back into the cave.
Xie Xiao chuckled and asked, "Do you know what the situation is like outside right now? Prince Ning'an has been sent to a local area for disaster relief, along with a battalion of the Ganzhou garrison." He paused, "Do you know what this means?"
"Your Majesty must thoroughly investigate the disaster relief efforts, and also protect Prince Ning'an, who is responsible for the investigation," Xie Sui'an said, frowning.
"Anything else?" Xie Xiao asked.
"The previous disaster relief work was done by the Crown Prince's faction. The Emperor's actions... show that he does not trust the Crown Prince."
Xie Xiao didn't speak, but simply picked up his teacup: "So it's only a matter of time before the Crown Prince's faction, driven to desperation, takes action. The Emperor hasn't even attended court these past two days..."
Xie Sui'an heard about this, but according to the Crown Prince's faction, they now believe that the Emperor killed Prime Minister Xie in order to protect the Crown Prince, so they do not intend to take immediate action... However, according to Xie Xiao's statement, something doesn't make sense.
Qin Sang glanced at Xie Sui'an, understanding his confusion, and asked, "When did the Prince of Ning'an go to provide disaster relief? Was it a secret imperial decree?"
Otherwise, why would the Crown Prince's faction still be here arresting Xie Sui'an? They should have already gone out to plan a rebellion, since things had already reached a point of mutual destruction. But it's clear that the Crown Prince's faction is still unaware of this. They firmly believe that the Emperor still cares about the Crown Prince, which is why they're still holding onto Xie Sui'an on this island for overhearing things he shouldn't have.
But if the Emperor truly intended to depose the Crown Prince, how could he possibly kill Prime Minister Xie? How could he kill a trusted minister simply to lower the other party's guard? It doesn't make sense, it doesn't suffice.
She frowned deeply, then watched as Xie Xiao smiled slightly, calmly took a sip of tea, and did not refute her guess.
Qin Sang gave up. She could only try to get more information out of him: "But you said before that the Emperor ordered your mother to kill Prime Minister Xie in order to avoid conflict between the princes. How come the Emperor is now supporting Prince Ning'an?" She smiled and said, "Fourth Uncle, your words are a bit ambiguous, aren't they?"
Xie Xiao lowered his eyes and smiled, "The imperial decree ordering Prince Ning'an to provide disaster relief was only issued last night. I really didn't expect what the Emperor was planning."
Xie Sui'an was even more confused. It was said earlier that because his grandfather supported Prince Ning'an, the emperor chose to sacrifice his grandfather to prevent the princes from fighting each other. But now the emperor has issued such an edict... So who killed his grandfather?
Qin Sang frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject and asked Xie Xiao, "And you, whose side are you on? Who made you the promise to help you restore your kingdom? It couldn't be the Crown Prince, could it?"
Before Xie Xiao could answer, Qin Sang voiced another guess in her mind: "Or is it that someone else made the promise to you?"
Some people sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight, hoping to reap the benefits without lifting a finger...
It is entirely possible. People are easily misled by what they see and hear. In fact, the situation in the court is complex. How could there only be two factions? Ghosts lurk in the chaotic jungle, silently blending into the vast court of the capital, disturbing everyone's peace.
Isn't this a prodigy? Perhaps this is Qin Sang's ultimate goal.
Even Xie Xiao suddenly raised an eyebrow in surprise.
However, Xie Xiao remained unmoved, and Qin Sang could not discern his expression at all.
This person, who wears multiple masks year-round and has mastered the art of disguise even in his eyes, could never possibly slip up with a single probing question. It's impossible.
He pointed to the snacks and tea on the table: "Aren't you going to eat or drink? If you don't eat or drink, how will you have the strength to escape from here?"
Qin Sang: "...Not hungry."
Xie Sui'an: "...Only by eating it can you not escape."
Xie Xiao smiled.
At this moment, the woman who had gone into the inner room to get the medicinal herbs came out. She looked straight ahead, put down the things, and then called to Qin Sang: "Come, come with me to wash up first. If you don't treat this wound, your nails won't grow back properly."
Everyone looked down at Qin Sang's hands. Two fingernails were broken, the flesh was exposed, and blood and mud had formed black scabs, a shocking sight.
She looked at the woman, immediately nodded, and got up, following her into the inner room. If she couldn't get anything out of Xie Xiao, couldn't she try something else? This woman was clearly one of Xie Xiao's people; a woman placed in such a secluded location by him must know something.
Since arriving in the capital, she has come into contact with so many people, always in the midst of chaos as if she were in a fog. But now she feels that something is beginning to emerge, that a demon is about to be revealed, and that this key information may very well lie with Xie Xiao.
Xie Xiao doesn't seem to be one of the Crown Prince's men, yet he maintains a close relationship with him, clearly wearing a mask. He's also not one of Prince Ning'an's men, otherwise he'd be on the same side as Prime Minister Xie. But Prime Minister Xie clearly knows his background; how could he possibly tolerate his path to restoring the kingdom?
Moreover, judging from Xie Xiao's mental journey, he certainly hoped that the Nanwu Kingdom would fall into chaos, which aligns with the claim that the Nanwu Kingdom is inhabited by demons.
Therefore, the person behind Xie Xiao is truly a monster.
The woman prepared some warm water in a basin and sprinkled some medicinal powder on it. Qin Sang was about to put her hand in when she pulled it back and asked, "Is there some kind of sleeping potion in here?"
"Huh?" The woman paused, then shook her head. "No, it's just some hemostatic and disinfectant powder."
Qin Sang still refused to believe it. After thinking for a moment, she quickly walked out of the inner room and into the hall. Xie Sui'an was naked, having his fourth uncle clean his wounds.
Xie Xiao: "...Do not look at what is improper."
Xie Sui'an turned around and saw Qin Sang, but he was obviously used to it, since he had already seen everything that was supposed to be seen.
He asked, "What's wrong?"
Qin Sang said to Xie Xiao, "Xie Xiao, I know you haven't had a good life since childhood, but the Xie family has always treated you with kindness. I believe you are still kind at heart, otherwise you wouldn't have saved us and then locked us up. Now you've seen the horrific scenes outside. Do you really want the Nanwu Kingdom to fall apart, to be embroiled in endless war, and to be awash in blood? Do you want your people, whose lives have finally settled down, to experience another period of displacement and hardship? Is restoring the kingdom more important, or is peace and stability more important?" She paused, "Do you really want the throne of the Night Owl Kingdom? If you don't want to see such horrific scenes, please don't lock me up. Let me out, okay?"
Xie Xiao stared at her for a long while before lowering his head to continue sprinkling medicine on Xie Sui'an. He said calmly, "Xue Niang said she would treat your injuries, and she really means it. Don't worry, she won't poison you."
With those words, Qin Sang finally felt relieved enough to place her hand into the medicine basin. She had suffered too many losses on Worry-Free Island, and this time, she didn't want to go through that ordeal again.
Now that we've finally found some leads, all we need to do is follow the clues and filter them one by one.
Xue Niang carefully cleaned the wound on her finger, frowning frequently along the way, and even her eyes reddened at one point, almost shedding tears.
But Qin Sang keenly sensed that her expression at that moment seemed to indicate that she was thinking of someone else.
So they made small talk, seemingly casually: "Sister, you don't look much older than me. How old are you this year?"
Xue Niang: "I'm eighteen. How about you, little sister?"
"Sixteen," Qin Sang said, then smiled sweetly and asked, "Is Sister Fourth Uncle's sweetheart?"
Xue Niang blushed for a moment, and while tidying up the medicine bottles and gauze, she said, "He is my savior. So I stay here to serve him." She paused, as if considering her words carefully, before saying, "He is actually quite pitiful. If he has offended you in any way, I hope you will not blame him too much."
Qin Sang feigned innocence: "The renowned Lord of Worry-Free Island is being called pitiful; others must find it unbelievable."
"Is that so? Isn't the lord of Worry-Free Island pitiful?" Xue Niang had a pair of beautiful, clear black and white eyes. She looked at Qin Sang with pure emotions that contained no impurities. "Even becoming emperor doesn't guarantee happiness, let alone the lord of a broken island. They are all just powerless to change their fate."
“That’s true,” Qin Sang said with a smile. “It would be better to find a quiet place, build a small courtyard where no one will disturb you, and live a peaceful and carefree life.”
She looked around the small house. There was a screen painted with forest flowers and birds. Behind the screen was the sleeping area, which could not be seen from Qin Sang's direction.
However, the room was spotless, and it had almost everything a woman would use. It was elegant and had a faint fragrance of cosmetics, clearly the place where Xue Niang lived for a long time.
"It seems that Fourth Uncle also had no choice but to hide in this small world."
Xue Niang packed up her things and sat down on the tatami mat. Perhaps because she hadn't had any outside women to chat with for a long time, she seemed quite talkative. She smiled and said, "Yes, he felt that the outside world was too chaotic, so he built a small house here. You are the only people who are close to this place and were spared by him to be invited in."
"Hehe..." Qin Sang didn't know what to say; they were really lucky.
"Has your sister always lived here?" To avoid asking too obviously, she adopted a roundabout approach.
"I've lived here for three years."
"Where are you from, sister?" Qin Sang asked again.
That question wiped the smile off people's faces.
Xue Niang's expression stiffened, and she looked at Qin Sang: "I am from the capital."
"Oh? No wonder you have such good taste, sister. Everything here is so exquisite. But why did you come here? Could it be... that you were also kidnapped by that heartless human trafficker?"
Xue Niang frowned: "You were sold by human traffickers? You're not..."
Qin Sang shook her head: "I came to the island on my own because there are some things I want to ask Uncle Xie about."
"Oh," Xue Niang asked, "Did you find out the details?"
"That's about it," Qin Sang said with a hint of disappointment. "Even if I find out the truth, there's nothing I can do now. Since last year, disasters have struck all over the country, and people have suffered. Flood victims have flocked to the capital. The city gates are full of poor people who can't even make ends meet. I didn't go to see for myself, but I would have known if I had. If the world falls into chaos, I don't know how many more people will die."
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