Chapter 31 Falling in love with her at first sight
"And the King—" Cheng Jin felt something was amiss, paused for a moment, and then changed his words: "And Ji Ran." The moment his voice fell, he keenly sensed that the chill surrounding his master had deepened, and said tactfully: "Miss Biezhi's original words were, to marry Ji Ran."
Fu Huaiqing pursed his thin lips, his eyes becoming increasingly obscure and unfathomable.
There are two kinds of solitude in the world.
One is genuine silence, the other is feigned silence.
A disguise is still a disguise; it can't be considered real.
Fu Huaiqing's expression hardened slightly, and he pursed his lips, remaining silent.
After a moment, he raised his gaze slightly from the candlelight and turned to Cheng Jin: "How will Ling Feng respond to her?"
“Ling Feng means that this matter still needs to be discussed with you, but—” Cheng Jin paused. He was a bit slow on the ups and downs of matters of the heart, but he wasn’t stupid. He had figured out the meaning after some back and forth. He remembered what the shadow guard had reported and had a terrible headache: “Miss Biezhi seems to have some reservations about this. It seems that if you object, she has other solutions.”
Fu Huaiqing was not surprised by this. She never took other people's opinions as her guide. Even 'Jiran' could not sway her thoughts or choices.
Now that she has decided to marry 'Jiran', there is little chance of a change in the situation.
After a moment's thought, Fu Huaiqing's expression darkened, and he said with a stern face, "Tell him to come see me first thing tomorrow morning."
Cheng Jin hurriedly accepted the order and breathed a sigh of relief as he left.
If he stayed for another half a breath or so, he might not be able to breathe.
The incident happened suddenly, and Jiang Yue did not expect that Biezhi would make this decision without speaking to 'Jiran', who had already left the capital.
He understood the real reason why the prince suddenly ordered Ji Ran to leave the capital. If Ji Ran did not leave and allowed Bie Zhi to have contact with 'Ji Ran', she would become more and more emotionally invested. To break the deadlock, Ji Ran had no choice but to leave.
Now that Ji Ran's departure from the capital is a done deal, and since the prince intends to be with Bie Zhi under his true identity, it is impossible for him to let Ji Ran return to the capital. However, Bie Zhi's sudden idea is really puzzling. Could it be that the prince really intends to pretend to be Ji Ran in the future and become a loving couple with her?
"Send the order to summon Jiran back to the capital at top speed."
A clear, boundless voice interrupted Jiang Yue's thoughts. He was stunned. Was the order being withdrawn?
He subconsciously glanced at his master, whose face was cold and aloof. His raised chin was taut, and his gaze was fixed on the flickering afterglow of the lamplight, lost in thought.
Jiang Yue responded and quickly walked out of the study.
As he stepped out of the study, he immediately spotted Cheng Jin waiting under the shade of a tree. He turned his head and whispered a few words to the guards on duty in the courtyard of the study. After watching the guards leave, he walked over.
Cheng Jin glanced at the faint smile in his eyes: "What are you laughing at?"
"The princess is about to arrive, which is naturally a joyous occasion." Jiang Yue brushed aside the branches that had fallen on his head.
"Didn't you hear me?" Cheng Jin shook his head, looked around, and lowered his voice, "She's marrying Ji Ran, not our Prince. There's a huge difference." He paused, frowning, "If she found out that the 'Ji Ran' she knows is Prince Su, given her personality, if she weren't afraid of power, she would definitely punch the Prince."
Jiang Yue: "..."
That's definitely true.
Their eyes met briefly, and then both looked towards the study with worry in their eyes. Their concern for the prince lasted only a moment before they became worried about their own future.
If a unilateral war really breaks out, who should they help?
Not helping the prince would certainly be their dereliction of duty, but if they did help him, they would be going against the others, and they would not be able to escape the prince's purging later.
In an instant, the two looked at each other and sighed in unison.
Biezhi was in a hurry to return to the Qin family, not only because the atmosphere at the Prince Su's mansion was too quiet, so quiet that she felt somewhat uncomfortable, and because the atmosphere was filled with something she didn't like, but also because she really needed to find Qin Peibai before he went to bed.
Fortunately, she was quick on her feet, and the main courtyard was still brightly lit.
To avoid attracting attention, Biezhi did not go directly to Qin Peibai, but instead went to Madam Qin. After dismissing the maid, she spoke with her and was led to the study in the main courtyard.
Qin Peibai was quite surprised by her arrival. He gestured for her to sit down and talk: "What happened, young lady, that you're in such a hurry?"
"There is indeed something that Lord Qin needs to explain to me," Bie Zhi said bluntly.
Since I will be passing on messages to Prince Su in the future, I will naturally need to understand the situation of the court officials. Although the mountain dweller can provide me with satisfactory information, I will still have to spend money to buy information.
If it were anyone else, it would be fine, but I was just unlucky enough to run into an incredibly cunning and unscrupulous merchant!
Xu Wenche's news had already cost her five hundred taels of silver; with Zhang Yan's arrival, it would likely be another five hundred taels.
There are still so many court officials in the capital; one receives five hundred taels, two receive one thousand taels.
In less than half a month, the unscrupulous merchant will be able to recoup her 10,000 taels of silver without lifting a finger, and she might even have to pay out of her own pocket, losing both her wife and her money.
I'm not going to do something so thankless!
It just benefited the unscrupulous merchants for nothing.
Aside from the mountain dwelling, the people she could find who knew the most about this matter were the Qin family, either Qin Peibai or Qin Xiao. However, she hadn't considered getting involved with Qin Xiao yet, so she could only come to ask Qin Peibai: "Does Lord Qin know anything about Zhang Yan?"
Qin Peibai paused in his hand, which was holding the teacup, and looked thoughtfully at the girl whose expression had become slightly serious. Instead of answering, he asked, "Did you find something amiss, young lady?"
Biezhi clearly heard the probing in Qin Peibai's words. Not wanting to go through all that trouble to get to the point, she fixed her gaze on Qin Peibai and said, "If I'm not mistaken, yesterday's banquet was for Zhang Yan."
After he finished speaking, the study was silent for a moment.
Qin Peibai sized her up. On the surface, she appeared charming and harmless, but in reality, she was meticulous and highly capable. He picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea: "What does the young lady want to know?"
"Is there anything about him that I need to investigate thoroughly?" Biezhi asked.
It seems that Zhang Yan is highly suspicious. Prince Su also attended yesterday's banquet. Even if Qin Peibai had a hundred times the courage, he would never do something so blatant.
She had been observing the expressions of the guests at the banquet, and indeed a few people seemed slightly surprised by the simultaneous appearance of Qin Peibai and Zhang Yan, which was enough to prove that the two had not had much interaction before, or had no interaction at all.
Unless one has received prior instructions, one will not openly befriend someone in public.
Only King Su could command the Qin family to act.
"Lord Qin, there's no need to rush to reply to me." Biezhi still had some time to wait, but—she said unhurriedly, "Zhang Yan has already met with Xu Wenche. Logically speaking, I only need to protect Xu Wenche, but it seems that Zhang Yan is involved in quite a few things."
She had considered asking Prince Su directly, but after thinking it over, she still felt it wasn't quite appropriate.
“I know it’s inconvenient for Lord Qin to answer me at this moment.” Bie Zhi raised her eyes slightly, glanced at the empty window, and then slowly looked back at the man opposite her. She said, “You can ask the Prince before deciding whether to tell me.”
Qin Peibai's eyes darkened. He hadn't expected her to have noticed so much. After a moment of silence, he said, "Miss, just wait for my message."
Upon hearing this, Biezhi's eyes crinkled into a smile.
Since Prince Su has proposed cooperating with Xianyun Tower, he will naturally understand why he is questioning Zhang Yan's identity. He only needs to wait for Qin Peibai to confirm it.
She stood up and cupped her hands in greeting: "In the future, in order to have dealings with Xu Wenche, I will inevitably have to use the Qin family's name. I hope Lord Qin will be lenient with me. If there is anything inappropriate, please let me know in time."
"Please do as you please, Miss." Qin Peibai stood up as well, knowing Xu Wenche's purpose in coming to the capital. "If it weren't for the fact that you, Miss, have the title of the second young lady of the Qin family and have dealings with him, he would have also taken the opportunity to get involved with other members of the Qin family. If you leave the Qin family in the future, the Qin family can simply deny this matter."
But if other people are involved, they have no say in whether they admit it or not.
Upon hearing this, Biezhi's eyelashes fluttered.
It seems the Qin family had already made preparations for her departure, causing her to worry for nothing for many days.
"It's getting late, so I won't disturb you two any longer." Biezhi nodded to the two of them and turned to leave without looking back.
She walked into the courtyard and glanced at the man whose figure was hidden behind a tree trunk.
The moment Qin Xiao appeared outside the study, Bie Zhi noticed him and intentionally stopped talking. Unexpectedly, he did not choose to go in. However, he was not just anyone. He and his father were both working for Prince Su, so she did not take it to heart.
She deliberately slowed her pace slightly, but he didn't come out.
Biezhi raised an eyebrow, knowing he wasn't coming for her, and left the main courtyard quickly without waiting any longer.
The girl's figure disappeared into the courtyard in less than half a breath. Qin Xiao, who had been hiding behind a tree trunk, slowly walked out, his dark eyes appearing even more profound against the backdrop of the night.
A mix of astonishment, joy, and confusion swept across the depths of his pupils, the surging emotions nearly engulfing and obliterating him; even the knuckles beneath his sleeves trembled slightly.
From beginning to end, she was never his younger sister.
I see, I see!
As Qin Xiao gazed at the empty courtyard, his taut lips slowly curved into a smile.
He didn't know why his parents had kept it from him, and now the answer was meaningless.
Facts speak louder than words.
She had absolutely no blood relation to him.
The girl is not his younger sister. What is her true identity, and why is she in the Qin family, appearing as the second daughter of the Qin family?
When Mr. and Mrs. Qin came out of the study and saw their son standing outside, they were both taken aback. They looked at each other and Mrs. Qin asked, "Why did you come here so suddenly in the middle of the night without telling anyone?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiao turned around unhurriedly.
Looking at his parents, whose expressions were slightly stiff, he suddenly felt very fortunate that he had deliberately not sent anyone inside to announce his arrival, otherwise he would still be in the dark.
He glanced sideways in the direction the girl had gone and said succinctly, "Who is she?"
Madam Qin paused for a moment, then looked at her husband.
Faced with his now clear gaze, Qin Peibai knew he could no longer hide the truth, but he also knew he couldn't reveal Biezhi's true identity unless absolutely necessary. So he said vaguely, "As you heard, she is not your younger sister. Your younger sister left us seventeen years ago."
-'She's not your little sister.'
Even though he had already guessed the answer, when Qin Xiao heard these words from his father, his heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally settled. He gave a noncommittal "hmm" and pressed on, "Who is she? What's her name?"
"Let's call it Biezhi," Qin Peibai said.
Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow, his thin lips slowly touching each other: "Biezhi."
He chuckled softly and looked at his parents again: "I don't think I've told you before that I met a girl when I left the capital."
Upon hearing this, the two elders of the Qin family exchanged a glance. Without him saying anything more, they had already guessed who the girl he was talking about was.
Qin Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he said, "I fell in love at first sight."
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