Chapter 93
Qin Sang opened her misty eyes, smiled, and shook her head.
Xie Sui'an: "?" His brows furrowed even deeper, as if they had been deeply cut by a knife.
His hand was still around her waist, her cherry-red lips were close to his eyes, and her breath exuded a strong aroma of wine...
Xie Sui'an turned his head away, his heart pounding.
If only things could still be like they were before.
He took a deep breath, released her, and then, fearing she might fall again, reached out and grabbed her arm: "Are you steady?"
The moment Xie Sui'an released his hand from her waist, Qin Sang regained consciousness.
She smiled and brushed his hand away with her wide sleeve: "What a joke." Then she gracefully found a patch of rooftop and sat down elegantly.
After sitting down, she looked up at him and patted the seat next to her: "Come on, brother, let's look at the moon together."
Brother, you're your grandma's brother!
Xie Sui'an remained expressionless and sat a zhang away from her.
Qin Sang laughed and said, "We're all family now, no need to be so formal. Why are you hiding so far away? I'm not drunk. Just now, I just slipped a little."
Jinyun, who had been watching with bated breath, finally swayed back to his original spot, occasionally bouncing around a couple of times.
To prevent the two drinkers from getting impulsive, he thought for a moment and decided to make a sacrifice, risking being beaten, and move closer to Xie Sui'an, sitting between the two of them.
“Everyone who’s drunk says they’re not drunk,” he said, looking at Qin Sang. “Girl, your face is redder than a peach. Why don’t you go back and look in a mirror?”
"Nonsense," Qin Sang laughed, "This immortal is naturally rosy-cheeked, fair-skinned, and beautiful!"
Xie Sui'an: "..." Very good, he really revealed his true colors after getting drunk, even the immortals came out.
Jinyun hesitated, then looked at his young master.
Xie Sui'an, however, tilted his head back and gulped down his wine, as if he wanted to get himself drunk as well.
"Sigh..." Jinyun wanted to persuade him, but Xie Sui'an had already drunk the whole jar of wine like water.
"When are you planning to go see Fourth Uncle, little sister?" He propped himself up on his elbows, supporting one knee, and placed his hands on it, looking at the half-moon in the sky, appearing half-drunk and half-awake.
Qin Sang, who had been drinking and nearly embarrassed himself earlier, suddenly felt incredibly brave. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "There's no time like the present! Let's go now!"
Xie Sui settled in for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, let's go!"
"..." Jinyun thought the two were just drunk and acting crazy, so he didn't get up. He looked left and right tentatively and asked, "It's already dark. Isn't it a bad idea to go out now?"
Qin Sang's hand ached from the slap, and the initial intoxication turned into a fiery heat, making her sweat slightly.
She felt around in her sleeve, seemingly unable to find it, and said, "Wait for me a moment." Then she jumped off the roof.
Fortunately, the courtyard was in a very secluded spot, and the servants were busy in the main courtyard. No one saw her straight up and down movement, otherwise they would have been scared to death.
She landed on the roof, took the fan from Lingding's hand, and flew back up.
Then, she avoided Jinyun and sat directly next to Xie Sui'an. The two were only an inch apart, and with the slightest movement, their clothes could rub against each other.
Qin Sang blushed and asked Xie Sui'an while fanning herself, "Are you hot?"
Xie Sui'an lowered his eyes, looked at the distance between the two of them, and then at Qin Mili's eyes, somewhat speechless: "Didn't you say you were going to find Fourth Uncle now?"
Qin Sang nodded: "Yes, let's go!" She blinked her big, bright eyes, but her gaze couldn't focus.
Xie Sui'an: "..."
***
The morning breeze was cool, and it felt like silk as it brushed against her arms. Qin Sang turned over, wrapped herself in the cool Tencel quilt, and slept soundly.
Despite being drunk last night, she slept soundly. The wine was of good quality, and she didn't have a headache after a night's sleep. She slept until the sun was high in the sky, and the sunlight shone obliquely on the back of Qin Sang's head through the window lattice and gauze curtains.
When she felt hot, she finally rolled over and got up.
Still half asleep, with his eyes not even open, he said, "I'm thirsty, I want to drink water."
Ying'er was gently wiping the porcelain when she heard this. She turned around, brought water to Qin Sang, and served her a gulp of it.
Just then, Lingding heard the noise and lifted the curtain to come in: "Miss, you're finally awake. The Second Young Master is waiting outside."
Second Young Master… Qin Sang thought for a moment, then opened her eyes groggily: “Xie Sui’an?”
Lingding: "Mm."
What is he doing here?
Lingding shook her head, but looked a little embarrassed: "Don't you remember, young lady? You went up on the roof last night..."
"Oh right," Qin Sang suddenly realized, "that's right, what's he here for?"
"..." Lingding hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "The second young master said that you had agreed to go out, and he sent Granny Liang away."
Qin Sang thought for a moment and remembered where she was going—she had drunk some wine last night in high spirits, and the wine had made her a little tipsy, so she slapped her thigh and boasted that she was going to find Xie Xiao.
But where could she go? Worry-Free Island was mysterious and dangerous. She had to make thorough preparations before going. This time was different from the last time; Xie Xiao would not show any mercy.
She had originally planned to go to Yanyun Tower to ask Cao Anmu if there were any other ways to go, but she hadn't found an opportunity to go out recently. Now that someone was accompanying her, it wasn't a bad idea, especially since he was so persistent.
“Go tell the second young master to wait for me a moment while I do my makeup.”
"..." Lingding stood still, her expression somewhat strange.
"Say what you have to say." Qin Sang glanced at her and was about to go wash her face.
"...Does the young lady really not remember?"
Qin Sang was stunned. Lingding's words were like a drop of water falling on her frozen memories, gently revealing a trace, causing her heart to stop abruptly.
She thought it was a dream.
Taking advantage of the fact that it was a dream, I shamelessly leaned in and gave it a light peck...
Soft, warm, and fragrant...
"Oh, right, the weather looks a bit hot today," Qin Sang returned to the bedside and said, "Go tell the Second Young Master that I'm sick and shouldn't go out today..."
"You sound perfectly fine, what kind of illness could you possibly have?" Qin Sang's words were interrupted by a sudden voice from outside the window. Xie Sui'an flung open the small window, his eyes bright but his face tense, his tone full of sarcasm, "If you're going to lie, at least keep your voice down. Shouting like that, do you think I'm deaf?"
Qin Sang's face flushed slightly, and she immediately winked at Ling Ding, who lowered her head and pretended to be mute.
Fortunately, Qin Sang was a seasoned veteran and quickly composed herself. She rapidly sent signals to numb herself, telling herself that it was just a dream and she couldn't remember anything.
The whole process took only a breath. She cleared her throat and smiled frankly, "Second Young Master, it's early. Actually, I don't have any clues yet. I'm still investigating. Give me two days. Once I have definite news, I'll send someone to inform you. What do you think?"
Xie Sui'an continued to hold the window sash open, his expression indifferent: "Oh? How do you plan to investigate? Are you going to risk your life again?"
“I have connections,” Qin Sang said.
Xie Sui'an raised an eyebrow.
Qin Sang didn't want to see him looking at her with such a questioning expression, so she walked over and pushed Xie Suian away, then closed the window and bolted it shut.
"Don't you know there's a difference between men and women? I haven't washed up or changed yet. Wait outside for a while!" She yelled at the window, then, dissatisfied with herself, she unleashed a torrent of inexplicable anger, grabbing her hair and tugging at it before collapsing onto the bed.
Lingding: "...Miss?"
"Go out first, let me calm down."
He fled in solitude.
After Lingding left, the room was empty. Qin Sang angrily got out of bed and muttered to herself, trying to comfort herself: "It's nothing, it was just a dream. Don't overthink it. At a crucial time like this, how can I let my feelings get the better of me? No, no, absolutely not. Although he is good-looking, and although he does admire and love you, and although he has good taste, there are plenty of people like him. It's nothing special. Calm down, it was just a kiss, it's nothing."
She washed and dressed herself, then went out. In the new courtyard, there was an osmanthus tree with lush branches and leaves. Under the osmanthus tree, Ying'er was cooking a pot of porridge on a small stove on a stone table, and the aroma of the porridge filled the air.
Xie Sui'an sat at the stone table, his slender, well-defined fingers holding a porcelain spoon, stirring the porridge in his bowl.
Seeing her come out, Xie Sui'an pushed the bowl of porridge forward.
He picked up another empty bowl and scooped some for himself as well.
He hadn't had an appetite lately and hadn't eaten properly in a long time, but the simple aroma of glutinous rice and red dates made him very hungry.
Besides the porridge, there was also a rice cake and some tangy pickled vegetables, which looked very appetizing. The two of them didn't say anything more and quietly drank their porridge.
The sun had just risen above the treetops, casting a slanting beam of light that landed precisely at Xie Sui'an's feet.
After the two ate for a while, Xie Suian suddenly spoke up again: "Ever since the refugees entered the capital, the emperor sent an imperial envoy to Yuzhou. Before my grandfather's accident, the imperial envoy investigated the grain transport officer in charge of transporting disaster relief grain. The grain transport officer could not withstand the torture and confessed to Tan Tongbin."
"Tan Tongbin is Aunt Tan's father, a well-known wealthy merchant in Yuezhou. Yuezhou is a necessary route for disaster relief grain to reach Yuzhou. According to the grain escort official's confession, it was Tan Tongbin who proposed exchanging moldy grain for good grain, with the extra money to be shared among everyone. Everyone knew the Tan family's background and thought that even if something went wrong, someone would cover it up, so they dared to act recklessly and disregard human life."
“Of course, Grandpa was unaware of this matter, but after it reached the capital, it became a handle for officials to impeach him, saying that even if he was unaware, he was still responsible for neglecting his duties. In addition, they listed many other crimes,” Xie Suian looked up, “These things cannot be done by one person alone. They have been planning this for a long time, and it is not something that you can control with just a letter. Don’t blame yourself, it has nothing to do with you.”
Xie Sui'an's voice was deep, calm, and composed.
For some reason, Qin Sang felt a little relieved looking at him like this; at least he wasn't completely despondent and wallowing in self-pity.
"So the Tan family really did commit this heinous act? Or was someone deliberately setting a trap for them?"
Xie Sui'an continued stirring the porridge: "I can't be sure about this matter, but Aunt Tan must have Grandpa's permission to enter the mansion. If the Tan family patriarch is not clean, Grandpa will not tolerate the mother and son being so arrogant at home for so many years."
"So, this whole thing was framed?"
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