Xin Yunzhou sighed inwardly as he watched his sister's forced composure. He could see the trust she placed in Xiao Xun. But was there something else hidden behind that trust? He didn't point it out, but simply patted his sister's shoulder: "Yes, I trust you too. But... be careful in everything. The capital is a place where people's hearts are unpredictable."
Leaving Xin Yunzhou's place, Xin Jiuwei felt a heavy weight in her heart. She returned to the warm pavilion, sat by the window, and gazed silently at the bleak winter scenery in the courtyard. The malicious rumors, like tiny poisonous thorns, pierced her heart. She wasn't afraid of being talked about, but she didn't want Xiao Xun to be slandered for helping her family, nor did she want that pure protection to be tarnished.
In the evening, Xiao Xun came to the warm pavilion as usual. He keenly noticed Xin Jiuwei's low spirits and the lingering worry between her brows.
"What's up?" He walked over and sat down opposite her, asking directly.
Xin Jiuwei looked up at Xiao Xun's calm face. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask him if he knew about the rumors, wanting to tell him that he didn't need to endure these criticisms for the sake of the Xin family. But when the words reached her lips, she felt that anything she said would seem pale and powerless. In the end, she just whispered, "It's nothing... I'm just a little worried about home."
Xiao Xun's deep gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as if he could see through her unspoken words. He didn't press her about Yuncheng, nor did he mention the rumors, but simply said, "I have dealt with the matter of Yuncheng. There will be no further trouble for your parents." His tone carried an air of absolute certainty.
Xin Jiuwei's heart skipped a beat. He really knew! And he'd already... dealt with it? So quickly? She looked at him, at the heavy, reassuring calm in his eyes. A warm current quietly surged up, dispelling the gloom and humiliation in her heart. He was always like this, silently shielding her from all the storms.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Xin Jiuwei's voice was tinged with a barely perceptible sob.
Xiao Xun didn't speak again, but simply picked up the hot tea that Xin Kui had just served. Silence fell again in the warm pavilion, but this time, the silence carried a silent understanding and support.
However, the controversy did not subside.
A few days later, just as Xiao Xun was presenting a detailed report on the Yuncheng River project to the emperor, preparing to launch a counterattack, an unexpected message, accompanied by a blood-stained secret report, arrived on his desk.
The secret report came from Yuncheng, Yingzhou, and was signed by Qi Huaihe, Xin Jiuwei's brother-in-law. The handwriting was messy, revealing terror and despair.
"...My father-in-law was suddenly attacked by a group of masked bandits while inspecting the river embankment yesterday! Two servants accompanying him were killed on the spot! My father-in-law was seriously injured and is unconscious! After committing the crime, the bandits left behind... left behind a bloodstained black token with the character 'Qi' engraved on it!... The government's investigation has yielded no results, and they claim that my father-in-law may have had a grudge against someone... I am speechless and fear... I fear it is revenge by the remnants of Qi Huaiyu! My mother-in-law was so frightened that she fell ill and cannot recover... I beg Your Highness, for the sake of Yunzhou and Weimei, to save the Xin family! Qi Huaihe kowtows with tears of blood!"
"Qi Huaiyu's remnants? A black 'Qi' character token?" Xiao Xun gripped the secret report tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, and the coldness in his eyes instantly froze into ice! A violent killing intent emanated from him, causing the temperature in the entire study to plummet!
Qi Huaiyu! This name is like a maggot clinging to my bone! He's clearly dead! His bones are rotting in the dungeon! Yet there are still remnants? They dare to touch the Xin family?! And they're directly targeting Xin Shouye! This is no ordinary revenge! This is a blatant warning! It's aimed at me, Xiao Xun!
“You Ye!” Xiao Xun’s voice was as cold as ice from the deepest hell.
"Your subordinate is here!" You Ye felt a jolt in his heart as he sensed the terrifying killing intent emanating from his master.
"Immediately! Send men to Yuncheng! With my token, take over this case! Tell Zhao Dezhang, the prefect of Yuncheng, that if anything happens to Xin Shouye, I will have his entire family executed!" Xiao Xun's voice was ruthless, devoid of any warmth. "Mobilize all our manpower near Yingzhou and investigate! Dig three feet into the ground, and drag out these cowardly rats! See who is backing them up!"
"Yes!" You Ye accepted the order and turned to run away.
"Wait!" Xiao Xun called out to him, a cold glint in his eyes. "Don't let Miss Xin know about this for now. Her father is seriously injured and in a coma, and her mother is ill... She can't bear it." His voice carried a rare hint of suppressed emotion.
"Understood!" You Ye nodded emphatically and quickly left.
Only Xiao Xun remained in the study. He slowly sat back in his chair, staring at the blood-stained secret report on the table, his fingertips tracing the cold character "Qi". Qi Huaiyu was dead, but clearly, the cancer he left behind hadn't been completely eradicated. Someone was using his surname, exploiting his feud with the Xin family, to stir up trouble! Was the target the Xin family? Or… to use the Xin family to strike at Xiao Xun?
Xiao Jue? A cold glint flashed in Xiao Xun's eyes! The rumors about the Yuncheng River project had just started when the Xin family suffered this calamity—the timing was so coincidental! If it was truly Xiao Jue manipulating things behind the scenes, using Qi Huaiyu's remnants to stir up trouble… then he was courting death!
He clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles cracking softly. The peaceful days were over. A new storm was already brewing in Yuncheng, a thousand miles away, baring its menacing fangs. And this time, the other side had directly touched his Achilles' heel!
Xin Jiuwei was completely unaware of this. She was still in her warm chamber, worrying about her parents' health and the flooding in Yuncheng, utterly oblivious to the bloody storm brewing against her loved ones. Xiao Xun, like a thoroughly enraged lion, turned his gaze towards Yingzhou, and also towards the dark corners of the capital. A new game of strategy and hunt was about to begin.
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