Chapter 46 If he were merely silent—
Before going to find Jiran, Biezhi went somewhere else.
She deliberately avoided the crowded streets, wearing a knee-length veil, and stepped into the bookstore at the end of the street, whispering to the shopkeeper who came to greet her.
The shopkeeper beckoned to the waiter and ordered him to search in the back library, saying, "Please wait here for a moment, young lady."
She nodded and turned to find a window where she could observe her surroundings to wait. Before long, the waiter brought the sketchbook. She took the sketchbook, took out some silver and handed it to the waiter. In the instant the silver fell into the waiter's hand, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure passing by outside the window.
Through the veil, Zhang Yan could not see her face clearly and walked past without looking to the side.
Biezhi's unconsciously furrowed brows relaxed slightly. Without making a sound, she tightened her veil and stepped out of the study, walking swiftly in the opposite direction.
She didn't go directly to the main entrance of the Five Flavors Shop, but instead went through a side entrance.
The backyard cleaner had received word early that Biezhi was likely to come, and had been waiting in the yard for a long time. However, he didn't expect to see her for nearly two hours.
The master had been waiting for half an hour.
The waiter looked at her with feigned surprise, "It's been a long time since I've seen you, miss. What brings you here today?"
"I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd come and take a look." Bie Zhi said succinctly, glancing around but not seeing Ji Ran. She then looked away, "Ji Ran isn't here?"
"Yes, I am." The waiter casually put down the broom. "Is the young lady the same as usual?"
It's better not to mention it. But bringing it up made Biezhi realize that she was indeed a bit hungry. She even suspected that she had been sleeping too long these past few days and had ruined her health by starving herself.
However, it was indeed not advisable for her to move around too much in front of outsiders right now, so she hesitated for a moment and asked, "Can we have the dumplings in the backyard?"
“Miss is already a regular customer, the shopkeeper shouldn’t refuse.” The bodyguard disguised as a cleaning assistant turned around and glanced at Wang Chuan, who was still busy in the shop. His gaze swept over his master, who had been disguised as Ji Ran, beside him. “Miss, please wait a moment. I’ll go and talk to the shopkeeper.” He paused and then smiled, “And call Ji Ran over as well.”
Biezhi thanked him, found a stone bench in a corner of the courtyard, took out the picture book she had just bought, and slowly flipped through it.
She felt a little uneasy.
Although I seemed to have mentally prepared myself for being rejected by Ji Ran, I still couldn't help feeling nervous.
We've already kissed, so why would I refuse?
She has taken responsibility for him, so why shouldn't Ji Ran take responsibility for himself?
But……
He would be taking a huge risk if he left with me. People have an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, and I cannot force him to choose to face a crisis that may appear at any time.
Two tiny figures appeared before Biezhi's eyes, punching each other repeatedly.
One of the little figures calmly tried to dissuade him, counting on his fingers that they might be hunted down after leaving the capital, so why should they let Ji Ran fall into trouble with them? Besides, he might not even want to leave. This angered the other little figure, who put his hands on his hips, glared at him, and loudly questioned why he wouldn't agree, and that he was sure he could protect him with his skills.
Before the two could reach a conclusion to their argument, they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps.
Her lowered gaze quickly lifted, and the moment she saw the man's handsome features, all the turmoil in Biezhi's heart was instantly banished from her mind.
She patted the stone bench beside her and waved excitedly, "Come here quickly."
Fu Huaiqing lowered his gaze and swept it over the picture album on the table. The album sketched out the appearance of the bridal chamber with just a few strokes. A couple in wedding attire sat on the couch, gazing at each other affectionately.
He tightened his grip on the wooden table, then walked over with a calm expression.
Biezhi got up, took the soup dumplings from the wooden table, placed them in the farthest spot from the picture book, grabbed Jiran's wrist with her palm, and pulled him over.
She tapped the picture book with her other knuckle, her almond-shaped eyes blinking as she stared at the man: "Take a look at this."
Fu Huaiqing's gaze remained fixed on her for a long while, until she was so anxious that she almost held the picture book up to him, at which point his gaze finally fell upon her.
Biezhi pointed at the girl in the picture book, then pointed back at herself, and then at the man beside the girl, her fingertip pointing at Jiran. She tilted her head and looked at him: "How about we do the same?"
Ji Ran neither nodded nor shook his head, but just looked at the picture book.
He placed his fingertip on a corner of the page and turned a few pages.
The entire picture book depicts the wedding ceremony.
If it weren't for the little devil in her heart telling Biezhi that haste makes waste, she would have wanted to make the decision for him. "We have no blood relatives in this world, so the wedding can be simplified. I will ask our master to make the arrangements for us. You can ask some friends you know well, or I can ask Tingzhi and other senior brothers and sisters to come."
When she mentioned her senior classmates, she couldn't help but think of someone who spoiled the mood, and she pouted.
Out of the corner of his eye, Fu Huaiqing caught a glimpse of Bie Zhi's particularly disgusted expression. He knew she was thinking of him as the master of Xianyun Tower. His thin lips moved slightly for a moment, then fell silent.
“I can’t appear openly in front of others right now, so the only option is to leave on the night of the wedding. After the ceremony and seeing off my master and the others, we’ll leave overnight.” As she spoke, Biezhi vaguely sensed an opportunity and made plans for the future. “Huishui Town is too conspicuous now, let’s not go there.”
“Then we’ll head south and go to Yaozhou, a place I’ve always longed to visit.” Biezhi had been to Yaozhou a couple of years ago on a mission. Yaozhou is located in Jiangnan and is a very livable place. She stayed there for half a month and didn’t want to come back after the mission ended. “I still have nearly 2,500 taels of silver on me. We’ll go there and start a small business.” She looked down at the steaming dumplings and smiled. “We’ll sell dumplings.”
Strictly speaking, the soup dumplings are also objects that have witnessed their journey.
Thinking of this, Biezhi's eyes curved into a smile.
She looked up at the man with a smile and asked, "What do you think?"
Fu Huaiqing's expression changed several times. He could hear the eagerness hidden in her excited and longing words. He calmly observed the energetic girl.
If he is merely silent—
As his thoughts drifted, a hint of helplessness appeared in Fu Huaiqing's eyes.
The man remained silent for a long time.
Suddenly, as her heart, which had been pounding with emotion, sank heavily, Biezhi felt a sudden sense of unease.
Ji Ran didn't seem to want to leave.
Although she was mentally prepared, she still felt somewhat disappointed and even a little lost.
Her lips moved, and for a long time she didn't know what to ask or what to say. Their relationship was clearly closer than that of others, wasn't it?
Jiran made her own choices, and that wasn't wrong. She also had some expectations, and that wasn't wrong either. She understood all of this, yet doubts still lingered in her heart.
Why?
She bit her lower lip slightly, pretending not to care, and reached out to pick up the soup dumplings, which had cooled down considerably, and scooped them up one by one and put them into her mouth.
After finishing a bowl of soup dumplings, I still hadn't gotten an answer.
Biezhi lifted her drooping eyelids and looked up at Jiran, who was quietly watching her. She could see the hesitation in his eyes, as if he had a lot to say to her but couldn't because of his physical defect. He seemed a little irritable and helpless.
After a brief moment of eye contact, she suddenly stood up.
The picture book that Fu Huaiqing was flipping through was snatched away. The open picture book was closed in front of her and stuffed into her arms. The joy in the girl's eyes had vanished, leaving only indifference.
Biezhi didn't want to force it, but she wasn't going to give up so easily either.
She gestured the number seven and said, "I'll come find you in seven days, and then you can tell me your choice." For the first time, Biezhi didn't want to stay here at all; it was affecting her mood.
"Think about it again." Biezhi waved her hand and left without looking back.
When her wrist was grabbed, Biezhi was not surprised; in fact, it was within her expectations. However, she did not want Jiran to feel that she was forcing him to make a choice.
She turned around and pulled her wrist back: "Seven days from now, when we've both thought things through, let's talk again, okay?"
Fu Huaiqing's eyes darkened slightly, as if he could see her resolute determination to never set foot in this place again after she left. He took a deep breath and withdrew his palm, which had been frozen in mid-air.
Biezhi knew that Jiran definitely hadn't heard her, so she waved to the waiter who was standing at the entrance between the front and back yards. She had seen him use sign language to communicate with Jiran a long time ago. When the waiter came over, she repeated what she had said, "Just tell him to listen."
Xiao Er stared blankly at her, then secretly glanced at his master, who was surrounded by a faint chill. He didn't know what had happened between the two of them. It was the first time he had ever seen Bie Zhi look so indifferent, like a sunflower that had been withered by the scorching sun.
Biezhi watched as Xiao Er finished signing before leaving, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Yue, who was hiding in the kitchen, heard everything. Confirming that Bie Zhi had left and would not return, he silently walked out and quietly stood guard behind the prince.
Fu Huaiqing stood there for a moment, then quickly left.
Jiang Yue hurriedly followed, not forgetting to turn back and whisper to the guards to bring the memorials that had just been reviewed here.
"Summon the cabinet ministers to the palace." Fu Huaiqing mounted his horse, left those words, and immediately rode away.
As evening approached, the guards at the palace gate heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats before they even saw the approaching person. They immediately turned around and ordered the others to make way, then stepped aside and bowed to welcome the newcomer.
Fu Huaiqing stopped his horse in front of the palace gate, dismounted, and casually tossed the whip to a guard.
The guard took the whip, and when he caught a glimpse of the newcomer's face out of the corner of his eye, he froze on the spot. He snapped back to his senses and stepped forward to block the newcomer's path. The man's sharp gaze swept over him, and the guard couldn't help but tremble.
Fortunately, Jiang Yue arrived at that moment.
He gave the guard a wink, and the guard immediately realized that this was His Highness Prince Su in disguise. He took a few steps back, sweating profusely.
Fu Huaiqing withdrew his gaze. "Has Su Ci arrived?"
"Lord Su has arrived." The guard quickly realized that His Highness Prince Su was not going to hold his rudeness against him, and added, "He arrived half an hour ago."
Fu Huaiqing gave a faint "hmm" and quickly left. Before going to Chengtian Palace, he removed his disguise and changed his clothes.
As soon as he arrived at the entrance of Chengtian Palace, Su Ci, who had been waiting in the palace courtyard for a long time, immediately came to greet him. He took out a folded document from his sleeve and handed it to him: "The guards I sent to spy have come at breakneck speed to report that two months before the massacre of the family in Suzhou, General Helan Daisong of Xilan Kingdom disguised himself as a merchant of our dynasty and entered the country."
"However, in the six months leading up to the massacre of the Hezhou family, he was leading troops on the border, right under General Zhu's nose. It's unlikely he'll be able to leave anytime soon. It's possible that someone did indeed use his methods in the Hezhou case."
Fu Huaiqing took the memorial and scanned it quickly.
Seeing the name of the Xu family on the memorial, he was not surprised at all. "Order people to keep a close eye on Xu Wenche. He must not get into trouble."
The imperial guards who followed received the order.
“He was able to impersonate a member of the Xu family and enter the country. The head of the Xu family must have known this. When the Bian family in Suzhou had an accident, Helan Daisong had already returned to the battlefield. It certainly wasn’t him who did it personally. Therefore, it could only be the Xu family, who have close ties with him, who acted on his behalf.” Su Ci speculated slowly, his expression becoming more and more serious as he thought deeper. He frowned and said, “As for the Hezhou case, it cannot be ruled out that the Xu family is using Helan Daisong’s name to act again.”
Fu Huaiqing closed the memorial and handed it back to him: "The Xu family are accomplices, not the masterminds."
“Of course.” Su Ci understood this point. “If Helan Daisong hadn’t given the order, the Xu family wouldn’t have acted rashly.”
After all, the Bian family is a prominent and wealthy merchant family in the Li Dynasty. Even if the Xu family wants to dominate, they have to consider that the Bian family has been deeply rooted in the country for hundreds of years. Even the local government has to give them some face. They are not some worthless nobody who can be bullied.
Fu Huaiqing did not reply to him, "Jiang Yue."
"Your subordinate is here." Jiang Yue, who was nearly five steps behind, stepped forward, bowed, and clasped his hands in greeting.
Fu Huaiqing's gaze swept over the cabinet ministers waiting below the palace steps, and his voice, laced with coldness, spread out: "Order Xiang Lin to come see me in half an hour."
Upon hearing this, Su Ci's gaze froze.
He had never met Xiang Lin, but he knew that Xiang Lin was an inspector of the Yingyuan Hall. The Yingyuan Hall was established by the founding emperor of the Li Dynasty and was directly under the emperor's command, obeying only his orders.
In addition to monitoring all officials, the duties of Yingyuan Hall gradually included investigating spies planted by foreign powers. If a spy was found, there was no need to report to the emperor; they could be executed immediately.
Over the centuries, Yingyuantang has investigated and dealt with no fewer than a hundred spies.
Men, women, young and old all belong to this group.
After leaving Wuweipu, Biezhi did not rush back to the hot spring resort.
It wasn't that she wanted to wander around aimlessly; it was simply that she shouldn't stay in the city now. To avoid attracting attention, the villa was the best place to stay. However, the villa was far in the suburbs, and if she walked there alone, she probably wouldn't even reach the villa's gate by dawn.
Biezhi didn't go anywhere else, but headed towards her master's residence, intending to see if he had returned and to ask where the coachman had gone.
She deliberately avoided the bustling streets and took the dimly lit paths.
Hearing footsteps, she didn't hesitate to hide in the woods to avoid the people coming. In this way, it took Biezhi half an hour to walk a distance of no more than a hundred feet.
He would take a few steps and then hide for a while, repeating this back and forth many times.
When she heard footsteps again, Biezhi sighed helplessly, quickly found a place to hide, and swiftly hid herself.
Only when the footsteps faded into the distance did she peek out to observe, and when she caught sight of the figure walking at the front, Biezhi frowned.
What's Qin Xiao doing here?
The direction he left in didn't seem to be the direction of the Dali Temple.
Walking further out, it seemed like we were leaving the city...
The person following behind him looked somewhat familiar to Bie Zhi. He vaguely remembered seeing him at the Qin family residence; he was a Qin family guard, not an investigator from the Dali Temple.
'call out'!
Suddenly, a sound pierced the sky and cut through the clouds. With a quick glance, he dodged the arrow that was piercing through the air. The sharp arrow was embedded in the treetop no more than ten steps away.
Her gaze swept around, her expression sharp and ready.
However, after waiting for a long time, no figure darted out, nor did any more arrows come flying. The only thing that came into view was the arrow embedded in the treetop.
She stepped forward and saw the paper on the arrowhead.
A gentle breeze blew by, causing the paper to swirl around the arrowhead. The twig carefully measured the folded paper, the folds showing a slightly rough edge, as if it were in a hurry.
After a moment of silence, she looked up again and glanced around thoughtfully. She pulled out the arrow, took the paper from the arrowhead, and unfolded it.
"Go quickly, and don't come back!"
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