Chapter 32 is just something that catches the eye; it's not really his thing...
At dawn and dusk, the branches parted and went out early in the morning.
Instead of rushing to Xu Wenche's residence to find him, she went to Mingyue Fang, which was just across the street from the residence. When Su Tao, the manager of Mingyue Fang, saw her coming, he nodded slightly and gave a wink to the embroiderer who was arranging the brocade.
Su Tao stepped forward and said loudly, "Miss, you've come at just the right time. More than ten bolts of Suzhou satin were delivered just half an hour ago. Miss, would you like to come inside and take a look?"
He remained silent, following the woman's steps at a leisurely pace.
It was still early, and apart from the maids, there was no one else in Mingyue Fang. The only sound in the large backyard was the rustling of fallen leaves being swept. Biezhi's lips barely moved: "Senior Sister, is Tingzhi here?"
“She’s been away for a while now.” Su Tao led her to the side room without looking at her and said, “Qingshan came to give her a task yesterday and she set off last night.”
Upon hearing this, Biezhi's eyes curved into a smile: "She was complaining a few days ago about not going out for a long time, but now that she has the opportunity, she must be overjoyed."
Su Tao chuckled, naturally discerning the probing undertones in Bie Zhi's excited words, as well as a hint of indignation on Fang Tingzhi's behalf: "Staying in the capital for a while will only benefit her."
The vague reply clearly indicated an unwillingness to elaborate. Having lived in Xianyun Tower for many years, Biezhi naturally understood that whether it was her master or the heads of the other four major pavilions, if they didn't want to talk about something, even if you forced them to open their mouths, you wouldn't hear a sound.
The first generation of the Mountain Retreat Pavilion Master passed away four years ago, and her closed-door disciple Su Tao took over the position. Among the five pavilion masters, Su Tao is the least senior, but she is the most astute and meticulous. Only the master can obtain real information from her.
Biezhi stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.
She took out the note she had found under the soft pillow last night, pushed it forward along the table, and presented it to Su Tao: "Senior sister, did you call me here for something?"
“Jing Qing fought with someone last night and was seriously injured.” Su Tao’s expression was no longer as relaxed as before. “We suspect that someone has taken down the bounty on Hezhou’s head and is preparing to send people to Hezhou to investigate. From what Jing Qing said, you also fought with them last time?”
The faint smile in Bie Zhi's eyes gradually disappeared, and her lips tightened: "How is Senior Brother?"
“It didn’t hit a vital spot,” Su Tao said.
Biezhi breathed a sigh of relief, recalled the events of that day, and said unhurriedly, "The group of people I fought didn't seem like martial arts practitioners, but rather like a premeditated and planned organization." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "The first arrow shot was a command."
“Premeditated, organized…” Su Tao’s expression froze, realizing that things were far more complex than they thought. “It’s something else—”
“It doesn’t seem like it.” Biezhi shook her head. Neither the style of drawing the sword nor the way she held it resembled the people from other pavilions in the martial arts world. “I’ve fought with other pavilions before, and their skills are not like mine.” She paused and said, “They don’t seem to favor the use of swords.”
Upon hearing this, Su Tao's furrowed brows deepened, and he murmured, "Even if you don't favor the sword, you are still enough to contend with someone who uses a sword all year round."
Bie Zhi pursed her lips: "Were they the ones who fought against Senior Brother?"
"Before I could ask, he fainted." Su Tao paused for a moment, his frozen expression softened, and he returned to normal, saying to her, "You still have a mission to complete, so leave this matter to us."
The other branch nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Even if she had no other choice but to attend to it, this matter would not fall on her shoulders.
Seeing that Su Tao had no other questions, she stood up and said, "If Senior Sister has nothing else to say, I'll be leaving now."
Su Tao nodded.
Biezhi opened the door, nodded slightly to the maid under the eaves, and left Mingyuefang through the small door.
The rising sun hangs obliquely over the treetops, and the streets are sparsely populated.
She put on her veil and, as usual, hurried to the tallest building nearby. She took out some loose silver and handed it to the innkeeper, letting them lead her to her room upstairs.
Biezhi closed the door, took off her veil, and quickly walked to the window, pushing it open to look at the Xu family mansion not far away.
Over the course of several days, she had roughly figured out Xu Wenche's habits of going out. He would usually go out around noon to sit for half a day in a building on a certain street to observe the comings and goings of customers. Even if he had no appointments with anyone after sunset, he would go to a restaurant and stay until the restaurant closed.
If I'm not mistaken, he's probably investigating the major neighborhoods in the capital as part of his preliminary plans for the Xu family's businesses to enter the capital.
Biezhi stared silently for a while, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her. In an instant, her brows furrowed, and her gaze fixed on the Xu family's wide-open doors.
The night Xu Wenche met Zhang Yan, the command seemed to be an arrow.
The arrow pierced the sky and struck the beam, but only half a breath later did the assassins hidden in the shadows reveal themselves and rush towards him simultaneously.
Biezhi narrowed her eyes slightly.
She wasn't sure if the two incidents were committed by the same group of people, but they were indeed strikingly similar.
It's hard to say whether it's because the assassin who came that night on Zhang Yan's orders had superb swordsmanship, quite different from the assassins he had fought before.
Regardless, Zhang Yan is indeed not as gentle as he appears on the surface.
She casually stroked the teacup with her fingertips, her mind becoming increasingly clear. Even if it weren't for the bounty, she needed to find out Zhang Yan's background simply to protect Xu Wenche.
She thought for a moment, then glanced around the room, found a brush and ink, and just as her teacher had instructed her when she was young, she carefully and meticulously wrote each stroke.
Around noon, Xu Wenche left the mansion. He was heading to Ning'an Street that day.
Biezhi, wearing a veiled hat, followed him at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Xu Wenche didn't see anyone today. He went to four or five restaurants by himself, and also visited a music hall. He didn't get up and return home until late at night.
After watching him enter the main courtyard, Biezhi finally left.
She did not return to the Qin family.
Cheng Jin, who had received the note early on, was waiting at the entrance of the Prince's mansion. "The Prince is currently in the courtyard with Xiao Xie. Please come with me, young lady."
He thanked her.
As you step onto the arched bridge in the courtyard, the clear and melodious sound of a flute drifts in.
Biezhi subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound and instantly saw the man standing under the treetop, standing tall and straight like a pine tree.
Under the bright moonlight, the scene became more gentle and less harsh.
She watched the man's figure, her eyes brightening for a moment, a slight pang of reluctance rising in her heart, unwilling to step forward and break such a beautiful scene.
Sure enough, whatever the handsome man did carried an alluring quality.
He seemed to sense something, and the melodious flute music suddenly disappeared. The tall figure who had been facing away from him turned around, and in the instant their eyes met across the distance, Biezhi could tell that he was in a very good mood today.
Fu Huaiqing handed the flute to the side and quietly watched the newcomer.
Cheng Jin made way for her and called out to her.
Bie Zhi clearly passed by his figure and walked towards Prince Su, who had already climbed the steps.
He sat quietly in the pavilion, the flickering candlelight and lamplight scattered in the breeze, followed by the clear sound of tea being poured into the teaware.
The man poured two cups of tea, pushing one towards Biezhi.
Seeing this, Biezhi fell silent, took a small step, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Fu Huaiqing noticed her movement, and his eyes darkened slightly.
He was used to seeing the girl's carefree and lively nature, but this was the first time he had seen her so cautious and careful.
To be fair, Biezhi did nothing wrong. She was not facing Jiran, who could listen to her wild and unrestrained words, but the powerful regent. A slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.
Fu Huaiqing was not used to it and did not like it.
It's like a bird flapping its wings and flying around aimlessly, only to be caught and locked in a cage meticulously crafted by an artisan, losing its vitality and life.
Fu Huaiqing took a sip of tea, put the teacup down, and slowly gestured for him to sit down and talk.
An indescribable voice reached her ears, and Biezhi, with her head bowed, closed her eyes, feeling like she was going crazy.
The eyes enjoyed the sight, but the ears suffered.
She used to think that God was fair, giving Prince Su everything and depriving him of his voice, but now she hoped that God would not be fair in such matters.
Because it's not good for her.
Biezhi took a deep breath, slightly opened her eyelids, cupped her hands in greeting, but did not sit down.
Facing the man's dark and deep gaze, she stated her purpose: "Biezhi has come here today to ask Your Highness for a favor."
“Zhang Yan,” Fu Huaiqing said calmly.
“It seems that Lord Qin has already spoken to the Prince.” Bie Zhi raised her eyes slightly, secretly observing his expression. Seeing that his thoughts were still as gentle as before, her slightly anxious heart calmed down a bit. She said, “I wonder if the Prince agrees.”
Fu Huaiqing looked at her quietly for a long while before saying, "Of course."
In an instant, Biezhi breathed a sigh of relief.
With her current abilities, the only information she could gather was that Zhang Yan was currently serving as the Vice Minister of War; it was difficult to obtain any further details.
Even though she had only learned this much, she had already sensed something strange about it.
The Xu family has a wide range of businesses and often travels between countries. As the Vice Minister of War, Zhang Yan's sudden contact with Xu Wenche must have been for a reason.
"I've heard that Miss Betsuji has a man she admires."
"Master Zhang——"
Two voices, one cold and one hot, rang out at the same time.
Upon hearing what Prince Su said, Biezhi's eyes narrowed slightly, then suddenly plunged into the depths of his boundless, dark pupils.
It appears to be a question, but it is actually imbued with certainty.
The man's knuckles tapped on the table repeatedly. Her fingertips, hanging by her side, trembled slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she replied vaguely, "I wouldn't say I like him, but he just happens to catch my eye."
Fu Huaiqing frowned imperceptibly for a moment and said, "It's already quite difficult to find someone you can get along with. I wonder who this person is and when you plan to get married."
Biezhi's expression changed; she didn't understand why he would ask these questions.
Does my relationship with Jiran have anything to do with him?
Or perhaps everyone, regardless of who they are, can't escape the desire to listen to other people's feelings, and Prince Su is no exception?
Is he so free?
Looking at the girl's slightly surprised eyes, Fu Huaiqing asked, "I heard she's deaf."
In an instant, the other branch stopped breathing.
She vaguely sensed that something was wrong; if it were anyone else, they certainly wouldn't have pried so much out.
unless……
He wanted to use silence to control himself!
Thinking of this, Biezhi subconsciously said, "Your Highness is too kind. It's just that we have a good liking for each other. We're not in a relationship where we'd get married. We're just good friends."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
