Emperor Qianlong laughed heartily and said, "The two of them have become quite sweet-talking now. It's good that they're sweet-talking; it'll make things safer once Xiao Yanzi leaves!"
Yongqi muttered, "Father, I think it's fine to be sweet-talking in the palace, but if she goes outside, some bad people might think she's easy to bully!"
Of course, what he was more concerned about was that if Xiao Yanzi's sweet talk led some blind people to think that Xiao Yanzi was interested in him, that would be no fun!
However, he was clearly overthinking it. In Xiao Yanzi's eyes and heart, there was only him now. What others did was none of her business!
A few days later, Yongqi and the others obtained Qianlong's permission once again and left the manor. This time, they brought Jiang Ying with them, hoping to run into Xiao Jian.
After walking around outside for a while, the group went to an inn to get something to eat. "Esteemed guests, this way please!"
The waiter led them to an empty table. After Yongqi ordered, he quietly looked around, thinking that Xiao Jian might be nearby. Xiao Yanzi asked in a low voice, "Yongqi, have you seen my brother?"
Yongqi shook his head. "Not yet."
Jiang Ying said, "I didn't see my master either..."
Fu Erkang looked at everyone and sighed, "I think we should eat first. If he shows up, he'll come looking for us."
After the food was served, they ate their own food and chatted as they went. Just then, Yongqi finally saw the person he was looking for!
"Master!" Jiang Ying saw her master and hurriedly got up to walk towards him. Yongqi and the others followed her toward Jiang Ying's master, Xiao Jian.
"You saved her?" Xiao Jian looked at Yongqi and the others in confusion. Jiang Ying said, "Master, after I escaped, I fainted because I was exhausted. They saved me. I've been staying with them these past few days!"
"Xiao Jian thanks you!" Xiao Jian expressed his gratitude, but then noticed that almost everyone in the group was looking at him with shining eyes, as if they felt a sense of familiarity. "Have we met before?"
After Yongqi and the others introduced themselves, he said, "Xiao Jian, since we are so destined to meet, why don't we sit down and eat together?"
Xiao Jian did not refuse. Under Yongqi's deliberate arrangement, Xiao Jian was caught between Qing'er and Xiao Yanzi. Yongqi looked at Xiao Jian curiously and said, "I heard from Jiang Ying that you are elusive and can only be seen by you every time. We can only wait for you to go to her..."
“Taking her as my apprentice was accidental, and it was also to help a friend. But I have many enemies and have offended many people. In order not to implicate them, I concealed my whereabouts.”
Qing'er asked again, "Jiang Ying said you were looking for your younger sister, so have you found her?"
Xiao Jian shook his head, "Not yet, we're still searching..."
"What if I told you that your sister is far away but right in front of you?" Yongqi's words surprised Xiao Jian and shocked Er Kang and the others even more. "Xiao Jian, I know that you are actually aware of our identities."
Yongqi's words immediately put Xiao Jian on alert. "What do you mean?"
"I have no ill intentions. I will not hurt you, nor do I want to hurt you. I only want to help clear your Xiao family's name!"
Yongqi truthfully told Xiao Jian about Xiao Yanzi's identity and advised, "Xiao Jian, no matter how much you hate her, you still have to find out the real reason behind what happened back then, right? When I found Xiao Yanzi, she was almost arrested... If I had arrived even a moment later, I can't even imagine what would have happened..."
As Xiao Jian listened to Yongqi recount Xiao Yanzi's hardships over the years, his gaze towards Xiao Yanzi gradually changed. Xiao Yanzi then said, "I know you may still have many doubts in your heart, but I would like to ask you to think carefully. If the person who killed my father back then was really his father, then he wouldn't have brought us outside today!"
These past few days, Yongqi and I have been spending all our time together, and I've also spent some time with his father. My intuition tells me they aren't that kind of people! If you're willing to believe me, then give them another chance to explain everything clearly and let them investigate what happened back then!
Yongqi added, "I believe my uncle is innocent and would never have any connection with any rebels. So, if you're willing, I can report to my father anytime, and we'll definitely get to the bottom of this!"
Even the clever Xiao Jian was completely bewildered by Yongqi and the others' enthusiasm and eagerness. Jiang Ying added, "Master, they are all good people, please trust them this once!"
With everyone chiming in, Xiao Jian couldn't keep up and was half-dragged by Yongqi and the others towards the manor. Once inside, they pulled him directly to Qianlong. Qianlong was puzzled to see the children swarming in and bringing strangers with them. What was going on?
After everyone bowed, Yongqi said, "Father, we ran into Xiaoyanzi's brother by chance when we left the manor today, so we brought him back. Let her brother tell you the details!"
Xiao Jian was pushed to the front by Yongqi and the others. Xiao Jian and Qianlong looked at each other, and Qianlong asked, "You say you are Xiao Yanzi's brother, how can you prove it?"
“My younger sister was adopted by Abbess Jinghui of Baiyun Temple when she was little. When she was seven years old, she left Baiyun Temple because she was too playful and has never been seen since…”
Then Xiao Jian mentioned that Xiao Yanzi had a birthmark on her back. Qing'er took a look and confirmed the birthmark. Afterwards, with the encouragement of Yongqi and others, Xiao Jian truthfully recounted the story of Xiao Zhihang's murder. Qianlong was shocked after hearing this, saying, "If your father was really a rebel, then you and Xiao Yanzi are both fish that escaped the net!"
Upon hearing this, Yongqi felt a little anxious, but then he thought that Emperor Qianlong had always been kind to them, and since the matter was still unresolved, why would he cause them any trouble? With this in mind, he calmed down and said, "Father, no matter what the truth is, the most important thing now is to find out the truth as soon as possible!"
Previously, we knew nothing about Xiao Yanzi, and finding her family was like looking for a needle in a haystack. So there was no progress at all in the past few months. Now, we have found Xiao Yanzi's brother. With Xiao Jian around, finding out about Xiao Zhihang is not too difficult!
"Xiao Jian, you shall stay at the manor for now. Once the truth is uncovered, if your father is indeed innocent, I will certainly uphold justice for you and exonerate the Xiao family! Yongqi, you shall arrange Xiao Jian's accommodation!"
After Yongqi nodded and accepted the order, he led his entourage away. Qing'er, somewhat flustered, said, "I originally thought that His Majesty would continue to investigate Xiao Jian's background, but I didn't expect it to be so soon..."
“Once Father Emperor finds out everything, he will naturally know everything. Besides, when the incident happened back then, Xiao Yanzi was only six months old. What does her elders’ affairs have to do with her?”
Fu Erkang sighed, "Yes, I reckon this matter can be investigated in about ten to fifteen days. By then, it should have already passed the Emperor's birthday and been past the Mid-Autumn Festival!"
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