Seeing that Chu Qingluan had been staring at Qi Che's back, Qin Jiuge felt a little confused.
"What's wrong?"
Chu Qingluan shook her head and asked, "I just think that his back looks a lot like someone."
Qin Jiuge narrowed his eyes and looked at Qi Che again, and found that it was true.
"Who does he look like? That bastard Chiche?"
"Your Highness may be worrying too much. I heard a while ago that after Qi Che escaped from the princess's mansion, he encountered a storm while crossing the river, and the entire ship sank."
Qin Jiuge snorted coldly: "That bastard has no remains left, which is a good thing for him."
Chu Qingluan paused for a moment and retracted her gaze: "Has anyone tried to salvage him to confirm that he is dead?"
"It took seven days to salvage the corpses." Qin Jiuge crossed his arms and said, "Among the corpses salvaged, there were three with similar body shapes, all of which were soaked beyond recognition. However, on one of the corpses, we found a jade pendant that you gave away that year. I think it must be Qi Che."
Chu Qingluan was silent for a moment.
When she heard the news of Qi Che's death, she felt very calm, without any emotion.
"Your Highness, do you feel unsatisfied?" Qin Jiuge asked.
Chu Qingluan lowered her eyes, and a faint arc appeared at the corner of her mouth: "He is just a dead person, not worth wasting my attention."
Little did they know that after turning a corridor, Qi Che immediately put away the smile on his face, and his sinister eyes were filled with twisted hatred.
He punched the wall with a 'bang', as if he didn't feel any pain, his eyes fixed on the direction of the backyard.
"Xie Yunqi! I will make sure you die without a burial place!"
——
Soon, Chu Qingluan did not stay long at the banquet and went home after a while.
But when he was about to set out, he met Pei Yuan again, who insisted on seeing him off.
"Your Highness, regarding the incident in which Prime Minister Xie was drugged, I have made a new discovery."
Chu Qingluan nodded slightly, motioning Pei Yuan to lead the way and go to a nearby teahouse for a chat.
The two of them quickly sat down in the private room of Zuixianlou. Dusk had already appeared outside the window, reflecting on Pei Yuan's profile, adding a bit of melancholy.
"Your Highness, I have found out that the maid who served wine at today's banquet had private contact with the guards of the East Palace."
Chu Qingluan paused while drinking tea: "Eastern Palace?"
"Yes." Pei Yuan took out a gilded button from his arms, "I found this in the maid's room. It's a service accessory for the East Palace guards."
"Moreover, the aphrodisiac came from the Northern Territory. Zhao Mang had just taken over the Northern Territory Army. I think he was the one who provided the aphrodisiac."
Chu Qingluan tapped the table with her fingertips, thinking: "But why did the prince attack Xie Yunqi?
Could it be related to the Princess of Daqin?"
Pei Yuan's expression froze slightly, and he lowered his eyes to hide the complexity in them.
He had interrogated Qin Jialuo and learned that the incident was caused by Qin Jialuo's selfishness.
But he couldn't say this now. Qin Jialuo came to Da Chu to take him back to Da Qin. Before he faked his death and escaped, he couldn't reveal all this for the time being.
He knew that Chu Qingluan was very smart and could often find out everything behind something with just a few clues.
Pei Yuan didn't dare to take the risk.
"I dare not make a rash judgment."
Chu Qingluan was thinking about something and did not notice Pei Yuan's abnormality for the time being.
Pei Yuan looked at Chu Qingluan's quiet profile in the sunset, his Adam's apple rolling.
After the autumn hunt tomorrow, he will fake his death and return to Daqin. After this separation, I don’t know when we will meet again.
"Your Highness."
He said in a low voice, "The hunting grounds are extremely dangerous. Remember not to act alone. Always leave guards to protect you."
Chu Qingluan raised her eyes and nodded: "I will pay attention to it."
Pei Yuan added: "There is a swamp in the southwest corner of the hunting ground. On the surface, it looks like an ordinary grassland. If you encounter danger, you can retreat to the northeast lookout. The guards there are arranged by me personally."
"Also, the weather is getting colder, so remember to ask your maid to bring some extra warm clothes."
He spoke in great detail, as if he wanted to explain all the precautions clearly.
Chu Qingluan frowned slightly: "General Pei, what's wrong with you today..."
"I am just worried that the Crown Prince will set an ambush in the hunting grounds, and the Third Prince..."
Realizing that he was about to lose his composure, Pei Yuan quickly changed the subject and picked up the teacup to hide his expression.
"Although the Third Prince's mother's family is not prominent, from what I know, he is not as indifferent to worldly affairs as he appears to be."
Chu Qingluan stared at him and felt that Pei Yuan was talking too much today.
The emotions in those eyes were too complicated, as if they contained thousands of words.
"Pei Yuan." After a while, Chu Qingluan explained: "What happened in the back garden of Duke Dingguo's mansion today..."
"Your Highness." Hearing that he was going to mention Xie Yunqi, Pei Yuan stood up suddenly, clasped his hands and said, "It's getting late. I respectfully escort Your Highness back home."
He admitted that he was acting like a coward at this moment.
He was afraid to hear the answer that was about to come out of her mouth -
The feelings she had for Xie Yunqi went beyond the delicate friendship between a monarch and his subject.
Chu Qingluan looked at him steadily. He stood sideways in a place where the sunlight could not reach, and his whole body seemed to blend into the shadow beside him.
She suddenly remembered that many years ago, when she was investigating a case outside the palace and encountered danger, Pei Yuan also stood silently outside the house and kept watch for her.
"That's all."
She didn't continue the topic, "You have to be careful in the hunting ground tomorrow."
Pei Yuan maintained the posture of saluting until Chu Qingluan's footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor, then he slowly stood up.
The autumn wind blew in through the window, lifting the hem of his clothes. He reached out and slowly stroked the hilt of the sword. There was an old mark there, which was left by his own hands when he first led the troops.
Now the scratches on it are shiny, caused by years of friction.
I remember that Chu Qingluan personally handed the sword to him and said solemnly: "This sword is given to you. I hope you will serve the country and guard the four directions."
Now the sword is still there, the oath remains unchanged, but after tomorrow, he will protect her in another way——
——
At the same time, after leaving the banquet, Qin Jialuo went directly to the palace to meet the Emperor of Chu and asked for an imperial decree - that is, she also had to participate in the autumn hunt.
Because of the relationship between the two, the King of Chu sent a team of imperial guards to protect Qin Jialuo.
When the news reached the princess's mansion, Zhixia's face suddenly fell.
"Your Highness, this princess of Daqin is really a perpetrator. She is so shameless that she wants to participate in our Dachu hunting. I'm afraid she will do something weird again."
Chu Qingluan hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's okay, let her go, and have someone keep a close eye on her movements. Also, the Eastern Palace."
Zhixia frowned: "Your Highness, what you mean is that the Princess of Daqin has reached a private cooperation with the Crown Prince and wants to deal with you in the hunting ground?"
Thinking of what happened at Duke Dingguo's birthday banquet, Zhixia quickly figured out the whole story, and her almond-shaped eyes suddenly seemed to be spitting fire.
"Princess, I'm going to kill her right now—"
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