Zu An had originally considered handing Han Fengqiu over to Sang Hong as a witness, but upon arriving at the grave of Chen Zhou's wife and children, and thinking of the dozens of innocent lives lost in the entire village, he decisively abandoned the idea.
I have no right to forgive anyone on their behalf; all I can do is send them down and let them decide for themselves.
As for dealing with King Qi, having one more or one less Han Fengqiu wouldn't have a significant impact.
After the ceremony, upon returning to the delegation's residence, they discovered that the Imperial Guards had been coming and going, arresting and bringing back many people.
Sang Hong was also busy, interrogating prisoners and checking accounts and statistics.
She finally found a chance to speak to him: "Uncle, is there a problem with the things in those ledgers?"
“Some of the information doesn’t match up. It’s obvious that the Qi King’s forces have done some cleanup work during this period. However, as long as we investigate carefully, these cover-ups will be easy to spot,” Sang Hong said with a smile. “This time, the Qi King is probably doomed. By the way, I heard that a great battle took place in a courtyard in the city, and many assassins died there.”
Zuan knew what he was implying, so he nodded and replied, "Some people have to be held responsible for those innocent villagers."
Sang Hong stopped there: "I will instruct the people in the government to investigate. Since they are assassins, it is most likely a vendetta between江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) members. They will close the case quickly."
Zu An felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that he was cleaning up his mess: "Thank you, Uncle."
"This has nothing to do with you, why are you thanking me?" Sang Hong revealed a sly smile.
...
The two then discussed some specific details about the Qi King case. Sang Hong continued to interrogate and investigate the relevant people, while Zu An took advantage of the free time to go to the Pei residence.
He was already very familiar with the guards and terrain of the Pei residence.
They easily arrived at Pei Mianman's courtyard.
As soon as I entered, I bumped into Hongzao. I pinched her chubby cheeks and handed her the snacks I had brought.
In the past, she would light up whenever she saw snacks, calling him "son-in-law" sweetly. But this time, she just snorted and turned away to continue doing her own thing, as if she hadn't seen him at all.
Zuan, filled with doubt, went upstairs and saw a graceful figure sitting by the window playing the zither. Her bright red dress made her look even more beautiful and incomparable.
She sat upright with a very quiet and dignified posture. However, unlike other young ladies from prominent families, she seemed to be resting her heavy breasts on the table to lighten her load.
The curve of the object pressed against the table was so breathtaking that it immediately captivated the viewer's gaze.
Zuan didn't disturb her, listening quietly to the entire piece before exclaiming in admiration:
"The music is beautiful, but the person is even more beautiful."
"Oh, so our young master probably uses these sweet words to deceive other girls all the time." Pei Mianman obviously knew he was coming, her fingers gently stroking the strings of the zither, without even turning around.
Upon hearing her tone, Zu An immediately understood. He squeezed in next to her and sat down, smiling as he said, "What's wrong? Still jealous?"
No wonder Hongzao didn't give him a good look just now. He's been so busy these past two days that he almost forgot that Tang Tian'er had caught him with her arm around his.
"How could I dare? You have so many female confidantes around you, if I were to get jealous of them all, I'd be dying of sourness." Pei Mianman still didn't look at him, seemingly concentrating on fiddling with the strings of her zither.
Zuan said, "I was really investigating the case last time. It was through Miss Tang that I learned that the owner behind Jade Pavilion was actually the Pegasus Merchant Guild. We went to raid the Pegasus Merchant Guild and found that it was related to the Demonic Sect and the Prince of Yan... But the more we investigated, the more complicated things became. It was all orchestrated by the Prince of Qi..."
At first, Pei Mianman snorted when she heard Tang Tian'er's name, but as she listened, her attention was quickly drawn to her. After learning the whole story, her mouth dropped open, and she forgot all about being jealous: "I never expected that the Prince of Yan and the Demonic Sect would collude. Moreover, the Prince of Qi is too cunning and has made us all look fools."
Zu An sighed: "I'm more worried about you now. The new representative that Prince Qi has chosen in Yunzhong County is your father, but the emperor is determined to get rid of Prince Qi. Moreover, the imperial envoy has already found enough evidence. Prince Qi's good days are numbered. Your father will also be implicated."
Pei Mianman snorted: "He likes to curry favor with the powerful, so let him be."
Zuan advised, "He is, after all, your father, and if he is punished, it will definitely affect you as well."
“He’s just my father in name only. How has he treated me like a biological daughter all these years? And how did he treat my mother back then?” Pei Mianman’s face was frosty, clearly harboring a lot of resentment.
Zu An was well aware of the treatment Pei Mianman received in her early years. It was only later, when her beauty became more and more outstanding, that the Pei family treated her a little better in order to use her for future marriage alliances.
But all they assigned her was a sickly, unwanted maid, and the most remote and dilapidated courtyard in the mansion was given to her. Not to mention the daughter of the city lord, even the young ladies of ordinary families would receive far more treatment than this.
“I’m not worried about his life or death, but I’m mainly worried about you being caught in the crossfire.” Zu’an took her hand.
Feeling his concern, Pei Mianman's jealousy had long since disappeared, and she naturally nestled in his arms: "From what you just said, the other representative chosen by the Prince of Qi is Yu Xuansu. He is my stepmother's father. I know that woman's personality best. With this relationship, even if my father wanted to back out, he couldn't."
“I know you mean well, but if you go and inform him, it will put you in danger. After all, the Yu family and Prince Qi will be on guard in advance, which may be detrimental to you.”
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