Chapter 57 If she has feelings for you, you naturally...
"She is your sister."
"She has her own life. You are complete strangers to her. Your so-called love at first sight is nothing but wishful thinking on your part. Why bother her life?"
In the quiet study, Qin Xiao looked at the calm and composed man opposite him with mixed feelings. The scene he had just witnessed flashed before his eyes, and his thin lips were pressed into a straight line.
He thought they were just acquaintances, never imagining—
"She—" Qin Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed, and he still didn't know her true identity. His voice was tense and he held back, "Why did she come?"
Their eyes met for a moment, then Fu Huaiqing's scrutiny of him lessened slightly. "It's none of your business."
Qin Xiao opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.
His palm, hanging from his sleeve, clenched tighter and tighter, his eyes swirling with dark emotions, and a faint bitterness rising in his throat: "When did Your Highness find out that she is the one I've been looking for?"
"When you asked someone to find her," Fu Huaiqing glanced at him indifferently, making no attempt to hide anything, her voice clear and cold, "she was the secret guard I sent to Hezhou, who accompanied you all the way."
In an instant, the atmosphere in the study became even colder.
Qin Xiao's expression froze slightly, and he stared at him with a deep look in his eyes.
When she asked someone to find her.
It happened about a month ago.
Qin Xiao already had a guess when he asked the question, but when he heard what Fu Huaiqing said, he couldn't help but frown. If that was the case, the person blocking their way was the man in front of him from beginning to end.
Fu Huaiqing casually picked up a folded booklet from the side and opened it. A gentle breeze blew through the window, rustling the octagonal palace lantern. His gaze fell on the folded booklet, and he said indifferently, "Your appearance only adds to her troubles. Why bother her again and again?"
Su Ci, who was drinking tea and listening to the opera on the side, subconsciously raised her eyes to glance at Qin Xiao, whose face was slightly pale. She was secretly astonished. His words were too direct and too ruthless.
"Your Highness is not Bechika herself, how could you know her true nature—"
"My acquaintance with her over the years is enough." Fu Huaiqing interrupted him without looking up, his gaze sweeping over the words on the memorial. The memorial from the Prefect of Suzhou, filled with words of greeting, occasionally made a veiled mention of the Dali Temple's thorough investigation of the Bian family in Suzhou.
Their relationship was still unresolved, and he naturally had to consider others, so he didn't reveal what happened between them. Instead, he said, "She's easygoing and will take the initiative if she likes someone. If she were interested in you, you wouldn't be standing here."
Suddenly, Qin Xiao's eyes, which were filled with a hint of anger, froze.
Fu Huaiqing closed the memorial and threw it in front of him. "Instead of getting bogged down in this, you should spend more energy on the massacre cases in Suzhou and Hezhou."
The case of the massacre of the Suzhou family, buried in the ashes, was reopened. Court officials had their own opinions on it, whether out of curiosity, concern, or worry. Some were open about it, asking questions in the form of memorials or communicating in private, while many others took action in secret.
Looking at the indifferent man, Qin Xiao's deep eyes flashed with a series of obscure emotions.
After a long silence, he composed himself and picked up the memorial. "I have come today to report to Your Highness on the massacre of the entire family in Suzhou." He had never expected to witness the scene in Qinghe Courtyard, nor had he expected to meet her again.
Fu Huaiqing slightly raised his gaze and put down the pen in his hand.
"I secretly left the capital for Suzhou some time ago. There are not many people in Suzhou who still remember the Bian family. In order to avoid being found later, most of the people living near the Bian family have moved away from this place one after another."
After searching for three days, they finally found the woman who had almost become the wet nurse of the Bian family's youngest daughter.
When the woman recalled the massacre of the Bian family, she still felt a sense of relief. If her mother-in-law hadn't suddenly fallen seriously ill and needed someone to take care of her, she would have already entered the Bian family and become the wet nurse of the Bian family's youngest daughter.
"It wasn't just the Bian family that was wiped out, but also their maids and guards." Qin Xiao had been working at the Dali Temple for many years and had rarely handled such a horrific case of annihilation, where even the maids and guards' homes were not spared. "The woman mentioned that the Bian family had planned to leave Suzhou before they were wiped out. Later, she heard from others that the day after the massacre was the day the Bian family planned to move away from Suzhou."
The wealthy businessman involved in the two massacres in Holland is also planning to move away from Holland soon.
Fu Huaiqing paused slightly, his fingertips that had been tapping the table absently, and asked thoughtfully, "What was the Xu family doing when the Bian family was planning to move out?"
When he suddenly mentioned the Xu family, Qin Xiao paused for a moment, then immediately understood the meaning behind his words and frowned.
After a long silence, Su Ci put down his teacup and said with a focused gaze, "The relationship between the Xu family and the Bian family isn't bad."
Before Xu Wenche arrived in the capital, everyone in the capital who had received the news had already inquired about the Xu family's deeds over the years. Not to mention that the Xu family and the Bian family had a good relationship, they could be considered to have close ties.
It's normal for businesses to occasionally clash, especially since both the Xu and Bian families have become incredibly wealthy. The reason they haven't had any business conflicts is largely because they often exchange goods and services privately. If the Bian family hadn't suddenly met with misfortune, Xu Wenche and the Bian family's children of the same age would naturally have crossed paths.
“In the two months before and after the Bian family’s incident, everything in the Xu family was normal.” Fu Huaiqing’s gaze swept over the two of them. “The more normal it is, the more abnormal it seems.”
Qin Xiao's eyes darkened, knowing that Fu Huaiqing was right, "The Bian family was wiped out and looted by bandits, everyone should be on edge, and the Xu family..."
The Xu family did nothing; it was just like any other day.
"The entire Bian family, all 127 members, were brutally murdered." Fu Huaiqing's face was as cold as a biting winter. "Anyone would be worried and fearful, let alone—"
“Not just.” Qin Xiao suddenly remembered something else, and the doubts that had been lingering in his mind suddenly became clear. He quickly interrupted her and said, “According to what the woman said, the Bian family probably has more than 127 people.”
Fu Huaiqing paused for a moment, then asked, "Are there any survivors?"
"Perhaps," Qin Xiao said.
Fu Huaiqing stood up, looking intently at Qin Xiao, who was deep in thought. "What are the chances?"
The man's deep, cold voice rang in his ears, and Qin Xiao suddenly came back to his senses. His eyes flashed, and he said, "Half a percent."
He is only guessing now. Whether it is the case file or the population registered by the Bian family, it is 127 people, no more and no less. It just depends on whether there are other people who have not been registered, such as the wet nurse of the youngest daughter of the Bian family.
“According to the woman, the wet nurse signed a contract, not a contract of servitude,” Qin Xiao stated calmly. “If it were a contract, it would naturally not be registered under the Bian family’s name. However, both the dossier and the Bian family’s roster registered in the prefecture show 127 people. There must be a loophole.”
However, even if the wet nurse is still alive, she has not appeared in the world for many years now, presumably because she does not want to touch the Bian family's affairs again and has deliberately hidden herself.
“I have already sent people to Suzhou to investigate. Your focus should be on Hezhou,” Fu Huaiqing said. The matter in Suzhou is not ordinary. If the Dali Temple wants to find out information from the public, it will be like searching for a needle in a haystack, which will be time-consuming and laborious. If they investigate further, they will not find out much.
Qin Xiao understood his meaning. The physical evidence currently on display was insufficient to prove that the Suzhou family massacre case had been concealed. The case had been sealed for nearly twenty years, and even if the Dali Temple turned it upside down, it might not be able to find evidence to overturn the case.
If we can't do it openly, we have to go underground.
"All indications in Hezhou suggest that the same methods used in the Suzhou massacre were deliberately employed to carry out the assassination." Qin Xiao said with a slightly solemn expression and a slight frown, "The methods used are not those of bandits."
“Either someone copied what was done in the Suzhou massacre, or—” Su Ci paused, her gaze falling on the figure behind the desk growing increasingly grave, “it was the same group of people who did it.”
Fu Huaiqing met his gaze expressionlessly and gave a faint "hmm".
The study fell silent once again.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Xiao cupped his hands and said, "I plan to return to the Dali Temple to further investigate the connections."
Fu Huaiqing nodded.
Having received his approval, Qin Xiao took two or three steps back. As he turned to leave, his eyes suddenly fell upon the young emperor's slightly probing expression. The young emperor had already returned to the academy at some point and was staring at them intently. Qin Xiao bowed respectfully without making a sound, "Your Majesty."
Fu Huaiqing shifted his gaze slightly.
As early as when Qin Xiao mentioned that everyone should be wary, he saw Fu Mingzhan's figure lingering in the academy, seemingly anxious and eager, but also a little hesitant. However, seeing that they were always discussing important matters, he did not rush over.
It is obvious that what he is anxious about has nothing to do with matters of the court.
Fu Mingzhan, who had been waiting for a long time, saw that they had finally finished their discussion. He strode in, his young voice tinged with a hint of sorrow, "Sister has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Fu Huaiqing was taken aback.
He frowned slightly. "She's there."
Fu Mingzhan hesitated for a moment, then glanced back at Qinghe Courtyard on the side of the academy. Remembering the girl he had just met, he said, "Qinghe Courtyard." He paused, then added, "On the wall."
Fu Shuning climbed over the wall to get in.
While practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, Biezhi caught a glimpse of the unfamiliar figure suddenly intruding. Instinctively, she drew her sword and lunged forward. If it weren't for the timely intervention of the guards, the blade would have already been pressed against the intruder's throat.
For a moment, the two stared at each other, wide-eyed.
This was the first time Fu Shuning had ever seen a young lady at the Prince Su's residence. He stood there stunned on the high wall, forgetting to climb down.
She hadn't originally planned to come to Qinghe Academy, but instead went directly to the academy. However, in order to surprise her brother, she specifically ordered her secret guards to capture all the patrolling guards in the areas she anticipated passing through.
Unexpectedly, a guard soon reported that all the guards in other places had been captured, but all the doors leading to Qinghe Courtyard were locked, except for the entrance archway. The guards at the archway were mostly guards from Prince Su's side, and they dared not make any rash moves.
Fu Shuning, who had a vague feeling that something was wrong, suddenly had an idea. Such secrecy must mean there was something strange about it.
She had climbed over at least eight or ten walls, but every time she was caught red-handed by Fu Huaiqing. She was already trembling with fear, afraid that he would catch her again.
I never expected that instead of being caught red-handed by him, I would be caught red-handed by a young woman.
The moment the blade was blocked by the guard, Biezhi realized something was wrong.
Her gaze lowered slightly as she quickly swept over the outside of the wall.
There was no one outside.
Anyone who can command the guards of the Prince of Kaisu's residence must be no ordinary person.
Yu Guang glanced thoughtfully at the woman who hadn't come to her senses for a while. Bie Zhi's slightly narrowed almond-shaped eyes flashed with a hint of suspicion. After a moment of eye contact, she looked out of the wall again.
If you don't try now, when will you?
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