The arsonist never imagined that there was someone in the quiet library today. He was caught off guard and when he wanted to run, Xiao Jue blocked his way. Of course, he was no match for Xiao Jue in terms of martial arts, and after just one move, Xiao Jue broke his arm.

He Yan had already grabbed a long blanket to put out the fire when Xiao Jue was fighting with this man. Fortunately, the fire was not big, and this man probably thought that the paper rolls in the house would be easy to catch fire, so he didn't use any oil. Otherwise, if they really counted, they might not be able to put out the fire.

The fire was put out in time, and only half of the book was burned. He Yan shook his head to Xiao Jue, "Fortunately, nothing serious happened."

The two looked at the man on the ground. He was young and dressed in a cloth shirt. At first glance, he looked like a student from Xianchang Hall. Xiao Jue had cut off his hands and feet, so he couldn't move for the time being. He Yan noticed that there were traces of martial arts training on his knuckles, and couldn't help but frowned and said, "He doesn't seem to be a student from Xianchang Hall. He must have sneaked in."

For an ordinary student, even though there is a martial arts department in the academy, Lao Jue's appearance is not so heavy. It can be seen that he has practiced martial arts for many years. Xiao Jue looked down at him and asked coldly, "Who sent you here?"

The man just stared at Xiao Jue without saying anything.

"Wait a minute." He Yan seemed to have sensed something, stepped forward, and held his chin. Xiao Jue was unable to stop him, and the next moment, He Yan said, "He can't speak, he's mute."

The other person's chin was held and he was forced to open his mouth, with an empty mouth and only half a tongue.

"It's very dangerous." Xiao Jue pulled her up and took her behind him, "Don't get too close."

"The other party found a mute and deliberately sneaked into Xianchang Pavilion just to set fire to the library." He Yan's attention was not on himself, but looked at Xiao Jue, "It seems that someone has the same idea as us."

Although there are rare and precious books in the library, it is not something that people would risk. Besides, the other party sent people here not to steal, but to set fire, and it just happened to burn the shelf where "He Rufei" used to be. Just like He Yan and Xiao Jue came to Xianchang Pavilion today to find the handwriting of "He Rufei" in the past for emergency use, the real He Young Master also seemed to be guilty and short of breath, so he could not wait to send people to destroy the body and the traces.

Xiao Jue asked: "What are you going to do?"

He Yan lowered his head and thought for a while. When he raised his head again, his expression had become relaxed. "Since someone covets General He's notes, why don't we keep them for safekeeping. As for this person... let's tell Mr. Huang first and see what he says."

When Huang Sancai got the news, he couldn't believe his eyes. He had only let Xiao Jue and He Yan into the library less than an incense stick's time, how come someone suddenly set fire to it?

"Mr. Huang," Xiao Jue pointed to the person on the ground, "Is this person a student of the academy?"

Mr. Huang looked carefully at the arsonist's face and shook his head: "No, no, I have never seen this person."

"That's it." Xiao Jue nodded. "This person sneaked into the academy and just tried to set fire but failed. I saw him."

Mr. Huang hurried to check the bookshelf that had just caught fire, the scattered test papers on the floor, the half-burned book, and the smell of burnt wood in the attic, all of which proved that Xiao Jue was not lying. Someone had indeed set the fire here just now.

"Why...why?" Huang Sancai was a little confused. "What hatred does this person have with our Xianchang Pavilion? Why did he set fire to the library alone?"

Fortunately, it was the library and not the academy. But if Xiao Jue and He Yan were not there, there were very few people who usually went into the library. By the time the fire was discovered, it would be too late. Thinking of this, Huang Sancai felt a sense of fear.

"This guy is dumb," He Yan said with a smile, "He can't speak."

Xiao Jue said in a cold voice: "It may be related to the Wutuo people."

"Wu, Wutuo people?" Huang Sancai was shocked. "Why would Wutuo people appear in Shuojing?"

Xiao Jue said calmly, "This matter is confidential, I hope Mr. Huang can keep it a secret for me. Since it is a conspiracy of Wu Tuo, it is better to take advantage of it. Mr. Huang, please announce to the public that the library is on fire and a shelf of books has been burned. Fortunately, the fire was put out in time and no major disaster occurred. However... General Feihong's notes were all destroyed and nothing was left."

"This..." Huang Sancai was still very puzzled.

"This is a matter of state," Xiao Jue's eyes were sharp as lightning, "I hope you will consider the overall situation."

Huang Sancai shuddered, "Of course. But General He's notes..."

"He and I were classmates, and these are just some common writings. I will take them back to the Xiao family for safekeeping, and when the real culprit is revealed, I will return them to you."

Huang Sancai sensitively noticed something and looked at the young man in front of him. The boy who was always lazy and indifferent has now lost his youthfulness and is like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, completely different from the past.

He bowed his head respectfully and said softly, "It's all up to Commander Xiao. As for this person..."

"I will handle it. Mr. Huang just needs to announce to the public that someone was burned to death in the fire."

Huang Sancai nodded in agreement.

After Huang Sancai finished his instructions, Chiwu came in after a while and took away Duba, who had just set the fire, and took away a whole sack of "He Rufei's" notes.

He Yan and Xiao Jue then walked out, saying as they walked: "Xiao Jue, is what we just did... feasible?"

Huang Sancai is not a member of the Xiao family after all, so it is unknown how much secret he can keep for them. He Rufei is not a fool either. The people he sent out never came back. Even if Huang Sancai spread the rumor that the library was on fire, He Rufei might not believe it.

"It's okay, leave it to me." Xiao Jue replied.

He Yan thought for a moment, "I think Xu Zhiheng is probably still looking for Nanny Qin's whereabouts. We must ensure their safety."

Xiao Jue smiled nonchalantly, "Don't worry, the Xu family can't reach the Xiao family."

He Yan felt a little relieved, but her original intention of reminiscing about old times at Xianchang Hall was disrupted by this sudden incident. She felt a little heavy, and when she and Xiao Jue walked to the door, she suddenly heard someone calling her "Miss He".

He Yan looked up and saw a man in an indigo robe standing not far away. He was as gentle as an orchid. It was Chu Zhao.

He also noticed Xiao Jue beside He Yan, his eyes narrowed slightly, but in a moment he smiled as usual and walked forward to greet him, "Commander Xiao, Miss He."

"Why is the Fourth Master Chu here?" He Yan asked with a smile. She had not seen Chu Zhao since the palace banquet of Emperor Wenxuan's marriage proposal. She only knew that the Xu and Chu families were arranging his marriage with Xu Pingting. Compared to He Yan's humble family background, the marriage between Chu Zhao and Xu Pingting seemed to be a better match on the surface.

Although... He Yan didn't think that Chu Zhao liked Xu Pingting as his fiancée that much.

"I came out to do something." Chu Zhao replied in a gentle voice.

He Yan noticed that the maidservant following him today was a strange one, with a plain face, not Ying Xiang, and he couldn't help but look at the maidservant twice more. The maidservant was not afraid, and looked back at him with a look of scrutiny. He Yan thought for a moment and understood. It must be that Miss Xu Pingting, seeing Ying Xiang beside Chu Zhao was too beautiful, was worried, so she replaced the maidservant to follow. It was called serving, but in fact it was surveillance. It made sense, after all, Chu Zhao had a father who was a playboy, and he himself was outstanding in appearance, so it was inevitable that he would think too much.

But in this case, Chu Zhao felt a little pitiful. As a man, he couldn't even decide whether the maidservant beside him should stay or go. Now it was just the beginning. After getting married in the future, Miss Xu Pingting would only become more powerful.

The maid looked at He Yan with a bit of wariness, as if Chu Zhao was a big piece of greasy fat meat, and all the women on the street were hungry dogs, staring at him very closely. He Yan didn't want to get into trouble, and didn't want to be used as a target for nothing, so he said: "Xiao Jue and I have something to do, so I'll leave first."

When Chu Zhao heard the word "Xiao Jue", he was stunned at first, his eyes wandered over the two of them, and then he smiled and said, "In that case, let's meet again another day."

He Yan nodded, and hurriedly walked away with Xiao Jue. Chu Zhao, on the other hand, looked towards the gate of Xianchang Pavilion after the two of them left, with a hint of deep thought in his eyes.

The maid beside him urged: "Fourth Master, it's getting late, you should go to the silk shop to choose the material first. The young lady said that all matters related to the wedding must be personally reviewed by the Fourth Master."

The young man hid the haze in his eyes and smiled, "Okay."

…

At the door of Xu's house, the servant Fuwang was sweeping the floor with a broom in his hand.

He had been so absent-minded for the entire afternoon. In fact, this had been going on for a while. The mysterious man who had been so generous had not appeared since he informed the other party of Nanny Qin's whereabouts.

Fuwang was very disappointed. He had originally thought of making a fortune from this person before leaving, but he didn't expect that he would disappear just like that. He felt a little regretful for a moment, wondering if he shouldn't have told Qin Ma's whereabouts so early. Maybe if he had delayed it a little longer, he could have squeezed more out of her.

Once he got used to the easy way of making money, Fuwang felt particularly dissatisfied when looking back at his monthly allowance.

As he was sweeping the ground, suddenly, a copper plate rolled past him. Fuwang subconsciously followed it and tried to pick it up. He took a few steps and suddenly, the copper plate was stepped on by a boot. He was startled and looked up. He saw a tall man wearing a hat standing in front of him and whispered, "But Fuwang?"

Fuwang was startled and stammered, "That's right."

"See you at the teahouse on the corner of the street." After saying this, the other person lifted his foot, turned around and left.

Fuwang stared blankly at the copper plate that was stepped on and dirtied. He picked it up, wiped the stains off it, and put it into his sleeve, his heart beating fast. When his companion who went out to the toilet came back, Fuwang took the opportunity to slip away, using the excuse that he had diarrhea, and went to the teahouse where he had made an appointment with the mysterious man in the past.

Still in the innermost tea room, the man from before had already sat down, and Fuwang walked in, feeling suspicious. Although this man was dressed very similarly to the last mysterious man, he was not the same person. Compared to the last mysterious man, this man in front of him was obviously much taller.

"Young Master is..."

"The person who asked you to find Nanny Qin last time can't come now. I will be the one you will do business with in the future." Fei Nu said in a hoarse voice.

Xiao Jue asked him to come to the Xu family in order to make a deal with the servant named Fu Wang and to remove He Yan from the matter safely to avoid leaving any evidence.

Fuwang was stunned for a moment, and asked cautiously: "Excuse me, the young master from before..."

"Dead." The other party's voice was extremely cold. "So, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't look at what you shouldn't look at."

Fuwang was startled by these cold words. Although he was greedy for money, he also valued his life. When he heard that the previous mysterious person had died, he couldn't help but have a lot of thoughts. After all, even now, he didn't know the identity of that person, and why he was asked to inquire about the whereabouts of Nanny Qin.

"Then... what do you want to talk to me about?" Fuwang asked tentatively.

"I want you to search the Xu family for all the belongings of the deceased Grandma Xu. You must also find the whereabouts of any old friends related to Grandma Xu." The man said it concisely.

Previously, we were looking for people and things related to Aunt He, but now it has become Grandma Xu. Why is that?

"I..." Before Fuwang could say anything, he saw the man in front of him take out a box from his side, put it on the table, and opened the box. Dozens of silver ingots were neatly stacked inside.

Fuwang's eyes widened as he watched. This was much more generous than the last master. That master gave silver in pieces at a time. It was rare to see such a generous man. For a moment, Fuwang threw away his previous timidity, and his heart and eyes were filled with silver.

"How?" Fei Nu asked.

"No problem." Fuwang held the box in front of him, smiling happily, "I will do this for you even if I have to go through fire and water."

"This is not an easy matter," Fei Nu deliberately lowered his voice, "Your master will definitely be watching your movements."

"Nothing. There are some slack places in the mansion. It's just that the eldest grandmother passed away a long time ago. Most of the old things were buried with the body. I don't know if there are any left." Fuwang was probably dazzled by the silver in front of him. He racked his brains for a while and then said, "However, the eldest master loved the eldest grandmother deeply. The courtyard where the eldest grandmother lived before still maintains its original appearance. Maybe one or two old things can be found in it. It's just that someone is watching the courtyard, so it's not easy to enter. However," he said with a flattering smile, "I should be able to get in if I think of some ways."

This man was really greedy for money, or rather, He Yan had already brought out the greed in him before, and now he was out of control, which saved Fei Nu a lot of effort.

Fei Nu looked at Fu Wang, seemed satisfied, and said: "Very good, this money is just a deposit. If you can do what I ask you to do, our master will definitely not let you down in the future."

"Excuse me," Fuwang asked bravely, "who is your master..."

This time, the person opposite was not as mysterious as the previous mysterious person. He just raised his head arrogantly and said, "Today, His Majesty personally appointed General Feihong, and Young Master He Rufei."

"General He?" Fu Wang asked in surprise, "Why did General He want to..." He didn't say the rest of the sentence. Thinking of what the man had just said, "Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask," he smiled flatteringly and said, "I know. I will do a good job for General He."

The matter was settled, and Fuwang returned to the Xu family, so as not to be out for too long and arouse suspicion. Fei Nu sat in the tea room, drank the tea in front of him, and got up to leave.

…

There was music and dancing in the Prince's residence today. Prince Guangyan was in a very good mood, half leaning on the couch, watching the dancing maids. Next to him, Xu Jingfu was sitting.

"How come you have time to come to my palace today, my Lord?" Guangyan said with a smile, "Zilan and Pingting's wedding is coming soon, the Xu family must be very busy."

Xu Jingfu smiled and replied, "Madam is in charge of the affairs of the palace. I came to see Your Highness today because of the matter of the Wutuo envoy."

Guangyan paused while drinking and looked at Xu Jingfu: "Oh? What do you think, Prime Minister?"

"In less than half a month, the Wutuo envoy will arrive in the capital." Xu Jingfu said, "There are more people in the court who advocate peace than those who advocate war. It will not be difficult to convince Your Majesty. But regarding the matter of opening a market, Your Highness, please think twice."

"What does Prime Minister Xu mean by this?" Guangyan said indifferently, "It was your idea to cooperate with the Wutuo people. It was the Wutuo people who proposed to open a market, so why did Prime Minister Xu change his mind at the critical moment?"

Xu Jingfu was not angry at the prince's attitude. He just smiled and said, "I didn't change my mind. It's just that Xiao Huaijin has won the battle, and the initiative has come to Wei. There is no need to be hypocritical with the Wutuo people. Once the market is opened, it will be difficult to negotiate with the Wutuo people. It is better to raise the price now, otherwise, won't the Wutuo people have the final say?"

The prince showed a bit of displeasure on his face, but soon, the expression was hidden, "Prime Minister Xu has a point. But Prime Minister Xu wants to make one thing clear. You have had private dealings with me and the Wutuo people. Once this gets out, how can there be a future? The Wutuo people hold the handle. If we don't give them the right to open a market in Wei, will they let it go? What if you play a trick on me behind my back... and delay my great cause?"

The actress playing the piano in the room left at some point.

Xu Jingfu was silent for a while, then he bowed to the prince and said, "Your Highness, that's a good idea."

Guangyan smiled slightly. At this time, a beautiful woman in a wide-sleeved hibiscus dress came in from outside, holding a small silver pot in her hand. She walked in front of the prince, knelt down, and offered the wine in the pot.

The prince drank the wine in front of her and pulled the woman into his arms. The woman raised her head, revealing a beautiful face. Xu Jingfu then saw clearly that it was Ying Xiang who was given to the prince by Chu Zhao some days ago.

Ying Xiang saw Xu Jingfu and smiled: "Ying Xiang has met the Prime Minister."

"This girl Zilan sent here is really smart and clever." Guangyan pinched the beauty's face with satisfaction, "She is quite what I like, very good!"

Ying Xiang said angrily, "Your Highness is too honorable. I dare not."

Xu Jingfu's smile paused.

In the past, this maidservant who was with Chu Zhao was too beautiful, and Xu Pingting had repeatedly complained to him, asking him to deal with Ying Xiang. However, Xu Jingfu himself also found out that Ying Xiang was rescued by Chu Zhao at the door of a brothel. It was probably because Ying Xiang's experience reminded him of his mother Ye Runmei that he looked at Ying Xiang with a new eye.

Chu Zhao was the one he had his eyes on, and Xu Jingfu did not want to ruin their teacher-student relationship because of a little maid. Moreover, Ying Xiang staying with Chu Zhao could also be a test. If Chu Zhao was just a man who was greedy for beauty, he would not be of any use, let alone staying with Xu Pingting.

Over the years, Chu Zhao had obviously accepted the test and had no romantic feelings for Ying Xiang. As Chu Zhao and Xu Pingting's wedding date drew closer, Xu Pingting became more and more anxious.

Xu Jingfu was not unaware of Xu Pingting's private visit to Crown Prince Guangyan. But now, he had no intention of dissuading her. In the future, Chu Zhao would be Xu Pingting's husband and Xu Jingfu's son-in-law. If a little maid made his daughter unhappy, he would just kill her, not to mention giving her away. Chu Zhao should have a scale in his heart.

Chu Zhao made the right choice.

Xu Jingfu was very satisfied. Such a smart young man who knew how to make choices was rare in Shuojing City nowadays.

In the past, Xu Jingfu's impression of Ying Xiang had always been that she was an ordinary maid who, although beautiful, was timid and quiet, and never caused trouble. But now, seeing Ying Xiang leaning against the prince with a charming smile, Xu Jingfu felt a little uneasy.

The prince's mansion has never lacked beauties, let alone smart people. The struggles in the harem are no easier than the power struggles in the court. Xu Pingting sent Ying Xiang to the prince's mansion without intending to let her survive. But after so many years, Ying Xiang is still alive and well, and has been favored by the prince. This is definitely not something that can be achieved by beauty alone.

The innocent beauty has clear eyes, as if she doesn't understand all the dirty things in the world. Among a group of beauties, she is like the morning dew, with fragile purity. Even those who don't value beauties have a little more pity in her eyes when they look at her.

Xu Jingfu sat for a while, then stood up and left. After he left, Guangyan ordered the servants to remove the bowls, chopsticks, cups and glasses that Xu Jingfu had just used.

"An old fellow, who is only a prime minister, thinks he is such an important person that he even interferes in my affairs." The evil spirit in the eyes of Crown Prince Guangyan was completely released after Xu Jingfu left. "I think he is stretching his hands too far!"

Ying Xiang leaned against Guangyan, her small hand gently caressing his chest to calm him down, and softly comforted him, "Your Highness, don't be too angry. This world will belong to Your Highness in the future. Whatever Your Highness says is the truth. Why do you need to listen to others?"

This greatly pleased Guangyan, who kissed her on the cheek and said, "Girl, you are really good at talking. Be careful that Prime Minister Xu hears about your troubles."

"Even if the Prime Minister wants to trouble me, I am His Highness's person. His Highness will definitely protect me, right?" Ying Xiang said in a coquettish voice, "Even if I am Your Highness's servant, it is better than most people in the world. Besides, let me tell you a secret." She moved closer to Guangyan, looking extremely coquettish.

This maidservant was not like other beauties, who either flattered him or were afraid of him. Guangyan liked her very much and asked, "What's the secret?"

"I don't like Prime Minister Xu either," Ying Xiang said with a bitter face, "Prince Xu has too many rules and always has his own opinions. I'm really afraid that one day, Prime Minister Xu will even take care of your Highness' affairs, and your Highness will send me away. That would be terrible."