Chapter 10. Upon seeing the Prince, Biezhi completely forgot...
Jiang Yue could clearly sense that the prince's expression seemed to have darkened.
His brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze swept quickly around before fixing on the petite figure standing at the front of the crowd.
The direction in which the woman's clear eyes fell seemed to be looking at her master.
Jiang Yue hesitated for a moment. The prince was not disguised as Ji Ran, and his appearance was completely different. Logically speaking, Bie Zhi should not be able to recognize him.
Why is the prince in a bad mood...?
Jiang Yue couldn't understand it. He glanced at his master out of the corner of his eye and saw that his face was getting darker and darker, and the faint smile on his lips was extremely cold.
"Why didn't anyone report that Miss Biezhi is here?" he whispered to Cheng Jin, his eyes always on the prince. Seeing that the prince showed no interest in knowing the answer, he knew his guess was wrong.
Cheng Jin was unaware that Bie Zhi would come here, and frowned.
Seeing that Bie Zhi's gaze kept glancing this way, and the chill surrounding his master growing heavier, in a flash, a thought suddenly flashed before Jiang Yue's eyes, and he glanced at the prince in disbelief.
Could it be that the prince was displeased because he noticed that Biezhi was staring at him and had completely forgotten about 'Jiran'?
Jiang Yue: "..."
Perhaps his gaze was too direct, for his eyes suddenly met those of his master. The man's indifferent and deep eyes were like sharp blades, and he instantly became apprehensive.
The man's sharp and unfathomable gaze quickly swept over and landed on a street corner in the southwest.
Biezhi subconsciously followed his gaze and saw a somewhat familiar female figure. The maid accompanying her whispered something to the woman, and the woman immediately raised her eyes to look in the direction of the man. Her blinking pupils shone with a different light, and even her steps through the surging crowd quickened.
She saw it, and naturally everyone else saw it too.
Everyone's eyes lit up instantly, darting back and forth between the two.
"As expected, wherever the Prince is, Miss Qin will surely be there too."
"I wonder when the two of them will get married. It will surely be an unparalleled event, and it will be a lively and festive occasion for a long time."
"Now that His Highness holds great power, it's not impossible that he might grant a general amnesty if he's in a good mood."
A general amnesty?
Biezhi accurately caught what the man said, glanced at him thoughtfully, and followed the burning gazes of the surging crowd to the direction where the man was.
If a general amnesty were granted...
She frowned, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.
However, at present, it is just a discussion among the crowd. There is no such news in the court. The discussions among the onlookers are continuous. Biezhi had important matters to attend to and did not stay long, so he did not hear the different opinions that suddenly arose in the crowd.
She took a different route and hurried to Baidinglou, where Xianyunlou would be staying.
The usually bustling Baidinglou was now teeming with people, all seemingly there to watch the buildings on the opposite bank. Biezhi handed a silver ingot to the shopkeeper behind the counter and said, "First floor of the detached courtyard, brew a pot of white tea."
The shopkeeper raised his eyes, slowly glancing at the silver ingots on the counter. He then looked at the girl in front of the counter with a meaningful gaze and called a servant to take her to Yunsong Pavilion.
When the servant who had rushed over saw the girl's figure, he paused slightly and led her towards Yunsong Pavilion without making a sound. Yunsong Pavilion was located on the first floor of the villa, facing south, and was separated from the front hall by only a wall. Few guests would choose Yunsong Pavilion as a place to receive guests.
Biezhi stepped into the pavilion, and the servant followed her in.
The doors of Yunsong Pavilion closed slowly and deliberately.
Biezhi turned to face him: "Senior brother."
"Why would you come to the mountain retreat to buy information?" The man disguised as a servant walked to the treasure cabinet in the pavilion, took out a small box the size of his palm, looked at his junior sister standing in front of the table, and asked with a smile, "Would you like some tea?"
“I don’t want any. I’ve had enough these past few days. The smell of tea makes me sleepy.” Biezhi waved her hand, casually found a place to sit down, and stated her purpose directly: “I would like to ask Shanju to help me find out about Xu Wenche, the only son of the Xu family in Jingzhou.”
The mountain dwellers have a wide network of connections, making it easy for them to gather information. What would take them ten days or more to find out, they could do in just three or four days.
Acting alone only means that her colleagues in the cabinet are not allowed to help her, but it doesn't mean that she is not allowed to spend money to buy information.
Moreover, news of her coming to buy information would surely reach the master's ears, and if he did not approve of this move, he would naturally order the mountain dweller to refuse.
"Xu Wenche?" The man hesitated for a moment before saying, "This must be reported to the master."
“I know.” Biezhi nodded. “As for the price, let’s go with the market rate.”
The man nodded to indicate that he understood: "I'll get back to you in two days."
Biezhi hummed in agreement, watching the man's figure disappear from sight. She waited a while longer before getting up and leaving Baidinglou through a side door.
As soon as I stepped out of Baiding Tower, I was met with a gaze.
The person stopped and looked at her suspiciously: "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to receive a mission." Biezhi didn't speak to Jing Qingming directly, but made room for him: "Senior brother, are you here to receive a mission too?"
Jing Qing didn't go in; his dark pupils swept over the black hair beneath her eyes: "I remember you just got back less than two days ago."
"Hmm, but of course I'll make money if there's money to be made." Biezhi knew her senior brother was perceptive and didn't want to say too much and provoke him to break the sect rules. "Why is Senior Brother here today? Is he here to accept a mission as well?"
Jing Qing's eyes narrowed slightly without her noticing, but she didn't expose her thoughts. She went along with her words and said, "I had nothing to do, so I came to chat with them."
Biezhi nodded knowingly, as she also had other things to take care of: "Then I won't bother you any longer, Senior Brother. I have to go out for a bit."
"Where are you going?" Jing Qing raised his hand, grabbed the girl's wrist that was reaching past him, and shook his head in feigned helplessness: "Are you so busy now that you can't even sit down and chat with me?"
"No way." Biezhi casually pulled her wrist away, and also sensed his probing. Her clear pupils darted around, and she brought out her savior: "It's just that I'm about to go on a mission, and I won't have much time to go to Wuweipu anymore. I was planning to go over and tell Jiran."
For a moment, the air fell silent.
Jing Qing's eyes darkened, and she asked thoughtfully, "Isn't he deaf?"
"Huh?" Biezhi didn't understand why he suddenly brought this up.
Jing Qing's expression was complicated: "Since he can't hear, he won't understand what you're saying to him."
Why waste time?
Before the senior brother could finish speaking, Biezhi, who had grown up with him since childhood, understood. A hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes, and she said seriously, "He may not be able to hear, but I cannot disappear just because he can't hear."
Even if she doesn't go to Wuweipu today, she will definitely find some time to go there before going on a mission.
Apart from Ji Ran, all of Bie Zhi's close friends were colleagues from Xianyun Tower. Ji Ran was different from the others in her eyes.
She knew from a young age that she was different from others, whose lives were filled with fighting and killing, while Ji Ran's life was much purer than hers.
His appearance only attracted her attention; what truly made her want to become friends with Ji Ran was precisely his purity.
“I happen to be free today, so I’ll go with you,” Jing Qing said.
Biezhi was taken aback: "Huh?"
Jing Qing said, "You don't welcome me?"
“Of course not.” Biezhi denied it. She had just said it casually, not forgetting that Jiran was not currently at Wuwei Shop. “But—” She glanced back at Baidinglou Courtyard and said, “Aren’t you going to look for your other senior brothers?”
Jing Qing frowned upon hearing this, naturally understanding the undisguised rejection in her words, and said, "I will be in the capital for the next half month or so, so I will have plenty of time to look for them. As for you, I won't see you for quite a long time after you go on your mission."
Upon hearing this, Biezhi opened her mouth.
Since her senior brother said so, she couldn't find any other reason to refuse.
She thought for a moment and said, "It might take a while."
Jing Qing was confused: "Waiting for what?"
“Jiran isn’t in the shop right now; he might not be back for a while.” Biezhi walked past him toward the Vermilion Bird Tower. “We’ll have to wait in the shop for a bit.”
"He's not here?" Jing Qing frowned and followed her.
Biezhi nodded: "I saw him in the West Market half an hour ago."
At that time, Ji Ran's hands and the baskets on his back were full, and he should have finished the shopping arranged by Manager Wang soon.
Jing Qing's slightly furrowed brows did not recover from her words, but instead furrowed even more. In just half a year, the development of events had taken him somewhat unexpectedly.
Six months ago, their relationship didn't seem to be as good as it is now.
"Do you see each other often?" Jing Qing asked.
"Not really." Biezhi recalled the number of times in the past six months, not many but certainly not few either. "When we weren't on missions, we met once every seven or eight days."
She glanced sideways at her senior brother walking beside her, "Is there something wrong?"
Jing Qing stared into her eyes, then shook his head after a moment and said, "It's nothing, I just feel that your relationship seems to have improved quite a bit."
Biezhi neither commented nor confirmed this.
However, what she didn't know was that their walking side by side was being witnessed by others.
The man's well-defined knuckles tapped lightly on the lower part of the window, his eyes fixed on the two figures below. As the two walked forward, their sleeves, fluttering in the wind, would occasionally intertwine and entwine, appearing intimately close.
The girl said something, her eyes, trembling slightly beneath her eyelashes, shimmered with tiny sparkles. The sunlight falling into her eyes could not conceal the light deep within her pupils.
Su Ci, who was making tea, noticed the man standing by the window and looked up at him: "What is it now?"
His temperament is acting strangely today.
Fu Huaiqing's jaw tightened slightly. He slowly withdrew his gaze and said, "You two chat, I have to go."
"Huh?" Qin Wan stood up abruptly upon hearing this, blocking his path. "What will I do if you leave?"
Fu Huaiqing glanced at her indifferently, "Explain yourself."
Qin Wan: "..."
Since she needed his help, she took a deep breath and said, "If you, who are my walking treasury, leave, what will happen to my money?"
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Jiang Yue pushed open the door and entered: "Your Highness."
He walked to Fu Huaiqing's side and whispered a few words to him discreetly.
Seeing Fu Huaiqing's increasingly fierce expression, the huge tea room felt like a freezing ice cellar, making people shiver uncontrollably. Su Ci put down her teacup, frowned, and stood up.
He glanced at Qin Wan, who shook her head. Although she was close by, Jiang Yue was clearly avoiding her, not uttering a sound.
After Jiang Yue finished speaking, he took half a step back.
Fu Huaiqing chuckled.
As expected, after knowing each other for so long, she's now planning to bring a guy to see me.
He glanced at Su Ci behind him, then left without looking back.
Qin Wan was taken aback and was about to raise her hand to stop him again when Su Ci pulled her back. She looked back at Su Ci and then at the empty tea room where the man was no longer in sight.
Su Ci stopped the woman who was about to chase after them, saying, "If you keep chasing, there really won't be any left."
Upon hearing this, Qin Wan stopped in her tracks.
She looked at Su Ci with resentment and suspicion, "What's wrong, Your Highness?"
Su Ci shook her head, also unsure.
But I always felt that something was wrong at the beginning of this year.
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