Chapter 54, The Fifty-Fourth Face of a Hypocrite
When Fan Qi was knocked off his horse by Zuo Qinghou, he knew that his life was doomed.
He was always a gentleman, and once he was defeated, he accepted his fate. He didn't think of any insidious counterattack plan, after all, he was indeed outmatched this time, and there was nothing to deny; he was just unwilling to accept it.
The young general opposite him used his long sword to knock off his helmet, raised an eyebrow at him, and suddenly turned his head and shouted, "General! He's even more handsome than Xiao Qi from Huiyuan!"
The young general was backlit, and even with Fan Qi squinting, she couldn't make out his face. But judging from his voice, he sounded like a young girl. Taking advantage of the chaos, the young general swiftly tied his hands and feet and lifted him onto the horse.
When Fan Qi was thrown into the general's tent, she finally saw the young general's face clearly—it was a girl, and a beautiful one at that. But being thrown off her horse only added to her humiliation and resentment.
At that time, Zuo Qinghou, who was still called Jinmai, flirtatiously pinched Fan Qi's chin, making him raise his head. Suddenly, Jinmai leaned in and stuck out his tongue to lick him.
Like a cheetah hunting its prey, it carefully plays with it before eating it.
Humiliation and shock left Fan Qi rooted to the spot, staring intently at her with wide eyes.
Jinmai reached out and rubbed the spot she had just licked vigorously, staring at him in equal shock, and said, "What are you doing? I'm wiping your face. If you have blood on your face, you'll look bad and become worthless."
A single sentence made Fan Qi's blood boil, when suddenly a voice came from outside the tent: "How dare you be so rude."
Jinmai immediately left him and moved closer to the person, laughing, "His face is so handsome. Luckily I didn't hit his face just now, or my sister would say I'm licking a precious gem. Look at him, look at him. If you like him, he's yours."
That voice saved him, but it was also the shame he had to carry with him for the next few years.
After that, Fan Qi tried countless schemes, but still failed to escape.
It's understandable that Fan Qi hates Zuo Qinghou. It's rather strange that Qin Sihai also hates Zuo Qinghou. Fan Qi has been unable to understand this disciple since Qin Sihai, who was waiting for him with ample supplies on his way back.
The only thing that is certain is that Qin Sihai still hates Zhu Yan.
As long as he had that, no matter what he thought, he would use it to his advantage. So he stopped paying attention to Qin Sihai.
Qin Sihai naturally had his own business to attend to. He found Zuo Zhang Tea House, and as soon as he stepped inside, the waiter who was greeting him saw his face, and before he could even utter a word of flattery, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.
"Don't you recognize me?" Qin Sihai glanced at him and walked upstairs on his own.
It took the waiter a long time to come to his senses. He scrambled after Qin Sihai, shouting upstairs to the inner room, "Serve tea to Lord Qin. Lord Qin, please come to the private room."
The last time Qin Sihai came was to investigate the smuggling of snuff bottles. Qin Sihai learned about the case of the eldest daughter of the Prince of Xijing smuggling snuff bottles at the retrial office, so he hurriedly went to find Zhu Qingyan.
He was adopted by the Prince of Xijing when he was young, so he naturally knew that Zhu Qingyan would not do such a thing. Moreover, he had investigated half of the matter and it was clear that Zuo Zhang Tea House had been implicated under Zhu Qingyan's name.
In cases involving prominent families, the government office never made a fuss. They simply sent the servant who testified to the interrogation room, and before any torture even began, the servant spilled the beans about how the manager had instructed them to frame Zhu Qingyan.
Just after dinner, Qin Sihai "coincidentally" bumped into the shopkeeper who had been arrested while he went for tea. Pretending to be concerned, Qin Sihai hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "What's going on?"
The constable said, "It's nothing, it's nothing."
Just as his brother-in-law was about to ask for help, Zhu Qingyan came out to greet him, looking at Qin Sihai with sorrowful eyes. He suddenly realized that the two of them were only close, and he had only benefited from Zhu Qingyan's connections. He secretly regretted that he had been blinded by self-interest.
Because of their relationship, the second brother-in-law dared not say anything and let the yamen runners drag the shopkeeper away. He exchanged a few pleasantries with Qin Sihai and then left the teahouse.
Once inside the backyard, Qin Sihai pretended to be surprised and asked, "Was my sister implicated?"
Zhu Qingyan waved the divorce papers in his hand, his eyes filled with desolation, and said, "His men did this, and he didn't protect me. He let others talk nonsense outside and ruin my reputation. What he does in the future is no longer my concern."
Qin Sihai asked worriedly, "Sister, are you just saying that out of anger?"
Zhu Qingyan raised her hand to cover her eyes, still maintaining her dignity and arrogance, and said, "No, I was truly blind. The Xia family abandoned him a few days ago, and his concubine ran off with his money long ago. I even spent money to get him out! I was willing to give him a place to live! And what did he do in return? Why should he? Where did he get the audacity?"
Warm liquid trickled down his fingers and onto his sleeve. Qin Sihai gently comforted him, "It's all over, it's all over. This scum who tries to shift the blame onto you deserves to go in and wait it out."
Zhu Qingyan looked up abruptly, her eyes glistening with shock. She asked, word by word, "What?"
Qin Sihai said in a deep voice to show his heartache, "In order to find a new job, he framed you for the crime of smuggling snuff bottles, but when it was found out, he made the shopkeeper take the blame."
Zhu Qingyan wiped away her tears. "He allowed his concubine to cause me to lose my child, and now he wants to harm me again!" Her eyes seemed to speak volumes, bursting forth with a deep-seated grief as she roared, "Kill him! I'll kill him!"
Qin Sihai knew nothing about Zhu Qingyan's life after her marriage. For a long time, he forced himself not to inquire about it so as not to feel uncomfortable.
Hearing the person he cherished so dearly say this, Qin Sihai only regretted not fabricating an even bigger crime for him. He gently patted Zhu Qingyan's shoulder and whispered, "He will be punished, he will be punished."
Unexpectedly, the servant and shopkeeper involved in the case died in jail that very night. When Qin Sihai arrived, the bodies had already been disposed of. He overheard two minor officials muttering, "Why are their hands and feet green? Did they die of illness?"
"Shh, don't meddle in the affairs of aristocratic families. Look at that cremation document that came last night, it's stamped with an expedited seal."
Someone is covering it up.
Qin Sihai first looked at the urgent stamp. It was an ordinary stamp, which every government office had, so the source couldn't be traced.
He didn't know at the time that it was done by the three major families.
The memory made Qin Sihai even more clear-headed. If he hadn't meddled in this matter and hadn't investigated further, none of this would have happened.
Before the door to the private room was even pushed open, the person inside opened it.
After not seeing her for several years, Zhu Qingyan had gained a lot of weight and looked much healthier than before. She subconsciously took a half step back, but when she saw it was Qin Sihai, she came forward again, took his arm, and pulled him into the house. She called the waiter to prepare wine and dishes, and said warmly, "Where have you been all these years? You really scared our whole family to death! Why didn't you come back to let us know you were safe? You've gotten so tanned and thin. Come and have some rest and nourishment here with your sister."
Qin Sihai watched her work quietly, neither refusing nor agreeing. Aside from the timid waiter, everything was perfectly normal.
Once the food was served, Zhu Qingyan stopped talking and noticed Qin Sihai's silence. Zhu Qingyan placed a piece of gold and silver thread on his chopsticks and asked, "Did something happen?"
Qin Sihai smiled faintly as he put the food in his mouth without saying a word.
Although Qin Sihai wasn't staring at her the whole time, Zhu Qingyan felt inexplicably uneasy and touched her face, asking, "What's wrong?"
"Sister, you haven't divorced yet?" Qin Sihai asked casually.
A few days ago, he inquired and heard about Zhu Qingyan's virtuous reputation. It was rumored that although his second brother-in-law had been defeated and imprisoned, Zhu Qingyan had remained devoted to him. As a result, the social standing of women from the Wang clan in Xijing rose dramatically, and last year, a girl from one of their paternal relatives was even sent to the palace.
Seeing that Zhu Qingyan looked embarrassed and as if she had been caught red-handed, she complained and cursed to Qin Sihai, but then turned around and acted as if they were still a harmonious family, completely ignoring other people's concern. He smiled to himself and comforted Zhu Qingyan, saying, "I understand. It's not easy being a woman. Sister is only thinking about the reputation of the King of Xijing."
The meal was simple and amicable. Before parting, Qin Sihai said apologetically, "Sister, I was unable to rescue my junior brother, and I was also missing for a while. It's normal that His Majesty doesn't trust me. In the future, there will be no one to help in the court. Sister, you should remind your brother-in-law from time to time."
Such deep affection is probably unique to Qin Sihai in the whole world. Zhu Qingyan also felt guilty, knowing his thoughts but not saying it outright, still treating him like a younger brother. However, Qin Sihai seemed to have changed a lot since his return this time, but he still looked upright and polite, making people feel like it was an illusion.
After everyone left, the waiter hurriedly came over with the things and said, "Boss lady, we haven't taken the things yet."
Looking at the food and gold and silver in the bundle, Zhu Qingyan couldn't figure out Qin Sihai's intentions. She sighed and said, "Put it back. Don't bother him."
As he walked down the street, Qin Sihai's smile vanished completely, replaced by a cold, hard expression hidden beneath his straw hat.
If the Xia family had indeed been smuggling snuff bottles back then, even the emperor would have had a hard time dealing with it.
The three families are locked in a power struggle, but if anything goes wrong, they'll definitely protect each other. Their interests are deeply intertwined and inseparable. If one family is involved in smuggling snuff bottles, the others are certainly also involved.
Qin Sihai's purpose in investigating snuff bottles was never to bring down the Xia family, but to help Zhu Huantang. If powerful families were involved in smuggling, obtaining the snuff bottle formula would be one thing, but without it, the talk of banned drugs and marching north would be utter nonsense!
Zhu Huantang was nothing but a chicken, a chicken to be slaughtered for those in the world who wanted banned drugs!
Zhu Huantang must get out of there as soon as possible!
Just thinking about it sent chills down Qin Sihai's spine. He couldn't sleep at all, so he got up and used their private contact method to communicate with Zhu Huantang. He had already thought of all this.
But that night, there were three knocks on the door.
Qin Sihai quickly covered the letter with a document and got up to open the door.
The person outside the door was none other than Zhu Qingyan, carrying a lunchbox.
Zhu Qingyan walked straight in, took out the food one by one, and said, "You haven't had dinner yet, have you?"
After a long day, he hadn't even had lunch, let alone dinner. Qin Sihai quickly tidied up the room, then obediently sat down and said, "You're still up so late?"
The table was covered with Qin Sihai's favorite dishes. Zhu Qingyan shoved chopsticks into his hand and said, "I came here specifically to see you."
For a moment, the atmosphere became too ambiguous, and Qin Sihai felt extremely uncomfortable, not daring to look at Zhu Qingyan.
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