"In that case, it's still my fault?" The man's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Xia Tong quickly shook her head, blinking her big watery eyes as she said, "I am ignorant and don't know how to appreciate kindness. This is all my own fault. I can't blame anyone else."
Looking at the little face that was frozen white, Gu Qin pursed his lips. No one could match this little loach in adapting to the situation.
Soon, someone brought hot ginger tea. After warming up her body, Xia Tong moved a mahogany stool and sat beside him. While grinding ink for him, the corner of her eye always glanced at the document in the man's hand.
In fact, she was very curious why the villain trusted her so much. No matter what happened, he never seemed to avoid her. On the contrary, she always doubted his intentions.
But when she accidentally saw the word "poppy" on the letter, she couldn't help but look at it a few more times...
“It looks good?”
The folder was suddenly closed, and the man was looking at her dimly. Xia Tong turned her head away awkwardly and continued to grind the ink as if nothing had happened. "This ink stick seems different from the previous one. It doesn't smell as good as before, and the feel is not as good as before."
She was still trying to justify herself, mumbling. Gu Qin looked at her deeply and said in a low voice, "This was my father's favorite when he was alive."
Her little hand paused, she silently glanced at the inkstone stained with ink, and for a moment she could not help but slowly lower her head with a complicated look. She had only said it casually, but thinking of what the heroine had said before, it seemed that the death of the villain's father was indeed related to their Xiahou Mansion.
Moreover, at that time, the Xiahou Mansion took advantage of the situation and broke off the engagement. Even if the villain wanted to retaliate against the Xiahou Mansion, it would be understandable. She had no right to be angry with him.
"I just took it out when I remembered it." Gu Qin looked at the rice paper in front of him with an obscure expression, and pursed his lips. "Father said that every civil official should be responsible for every word he wrote. In the end, he did it."
The atmosphere in the room was a little heavy. This was the first time they talked about old things in the past, but this was the world. Honest people might not have a good ending. The villain's father was too serious and touched the interests of the aristocratic family, so he ended up like this. It was also written in the book that Gu Qin became like this mostly because of the influence of his father. Since being a good official who was honest and served the people was useless, he became an evil minister that everyone condemned.
Even though he was a feared villain, in his heart, his father's death was probably the most difficult hurdle for him to overcome. He was only ten years old when the Gu family was ransacked.
"I'm sorry." She lowered her head with a look of guilt on her face.
Glancing at the woman beside him, the man simply raised his hand to cover her head, his eyes deep, "Everyone has to pay the price for what they have done, and the same goes for the Xiahou Mansion."
Xia Tong raised her head suddenly, and suddenly became anxious, "Then my father..."
"I am talking about Xiahou Mansion."
His expression remained unchanged, and he suddenly turned around and continued to review the official documents with a serious look on his face. Xia Tong was stunned for a moment, and when she came to her senses, she was happy again. The other party meant that as long as her parents separated from the mansion, she would not be implicated?
"But my mother is weak, and the Heavenly Prison is not a place for human beings. What if something happens to my mother?" She suddenly looked at the man eagerly.
The latter didn't even glance at her, but just opened his lips slightly, "What do you want?"
Xia Tong bent her eyebrows and immediately leaned over and whispered, "Can you let my mother out first?"
"You're pushing your luck." The man said in a low voice.
Xia Tong pouted and suddenly hugged the other's arm tightly, with a pleading look on her face, "Then...then...can you give mother some good meals?"
The prison is full of rotten food and vegetables, which is definitely not a long-term solution.
After saying this, the man continued to flip through the documents unmoved, his stern features showing no emotion at all, "Before you ask me to do something in the future, remember to show your sincerity first."
Xia Tong: “…”
Looking at the man's perfect three-dimensional profile, Xia Tong frowned and seemed to be hesitant to speak. Isn't this bullying? What good things can a poor and weak woman like her come up with?
For a moment, the only sound in the study was the flipping of documents. The cold wind outside blew against the windows, making muffled sounds. Xia Tong stared at the man for a long time with a frown on her face, but the other party continued to do his own thing as if she was oblivious.
It was unknown what she was thinking of. After a moment, Xia Tong's face suddenly turned red. She gritted her teeth, slowly leaned over, and kissed the man on the cheek with lightning speed. The next moment, she stood up, lowered her head, and ran out of the study quickly.
There was still a faint warmth on his face. He glanced at the door that was slammed shut, curled the corners of his mouth slightly, and lowered his head to continue reviewing official documents.
——
After returning to her room, Xia Tong still felt her cheeks getting hot, but she could only continue to comfort herself. The villain was rich, powerful, and handsome. Although he had a bad temper and often threatened to kill her, he never hit her. So there should be nothing wrong with being a princess.
"Master, what did the prince say?" Fang Yu felt strange when she saw that he was evasive as soon as she came back.
After comforting herself for a while, Xia Tong finally let it go. She didn't sell her body to save people, she was just expressing "feelings" with her legal husband.
"I don't know the specific situation in the court, and the third prince has found the so-called evidence, but I believe in the prince." Xia Tong took off her cloak and went over to pour herself a cup of hot tea.
Seeing that her master had really come to terms with it, Fangyu was very happy and followed her downstairs to get her food.
Perhaps she thought of something, Xia Tong suddenly walked towards the closet. Although people should keep some cards in mind, since she decided to trust the other party, she had to do what she said, otherwise she would be discovered and unable to explain herself even if she had a reason.
There is a map in the evidence, which should be the place where the villain trains and raises his troops. Although I don’t know how the heroine got it, if it is really discovered, not only will the villain’s trump card be exposed, but he will also be openly pointed at by everyone.
But when they opened the closet, they found only some underwear and bellybands in the secret compartment where the evidence was kept. The evidence that had been placed there disappeared out of thin air.
Feeling as if a string in her brain was broken, Xia Tong quickly searched other places, but she couldn't find anything.
Only Fangyu and Qing'er knew that the things were here. But if Fangyu wanted to do it, she could have just said that she didn't get the things from the City God Temple, and there would be no need to go through so much trouble. But if it was Qing'er, she even wanted to be a real princess more than Fangyu, so how could she take the things and put her in an unjust position?
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Xia Tong searched other places in the room again, but still couldn't find anything. But why would other people have the time to rummage through the secret compartment where she kept her bellyband?
If the things are used by someone with ulterior motives, then all the villains' cards will be exposed!
Xia Tong felt a thousand thoughts in her mind, and she didn't know when the things disappeared. But even a master like the second male lead would be discovered when entering the palace. The person who could take away the evidence quietly must be someone in the palace, and right next to her!
When Fangyu came back, Xia Tong told her what happened, and she seemed even more surprised than she was.
"I don't believe Qing'er would do such a thing. It could only be someone else in the courtyard. But you can confess this to the prince, so that the prince will have a clear idea in his mind. Otherwise, if something happens in the future, you will be unable to defend yourself when you try to explain." Fang Yu said solemnly.
Xia Tong leaned on the couch and pondered for a long time. Although what Fang Yu said made sense, if she said it now, who knows what would happen if the villain knew that she still had a trump card to deal with him. He would definitely be disappointed in her.
"I'll think about it." She sighed, looking serious.
"Misfortunes never come singly" is exactly how she feels at the moment, but who knows where the thing is hidden?
After tossing and turning all night, Xia Ning sent her another message the next day, asking her to meet him. After all, it was all for her parents, so Xia Tong decided to follow him to see what he wanted to say.
The meeting place was the Jinyue Teahouse, which was his own place after all, but no one else knew it was opened by the villain, and there were rumors behind the scenes that it was the prince's property.
When they arrived at the place, the shopkeeper came up to them enthusiastically. Xia Tong waved her hand and told him not to pay attention to her, lest anything be discovered, otherwise the secret base would be exposed.
The scent of tea filled the air in the compartment. A woman in a blue silk gown with double embroidery was slowly making tea for herself. She was worried. Perhaps she heard footsteps. When she saw the person coming, she couldn't help but sigh, "I wanted to go to the palace, but my mother said that I shouldn't get too close to the Regent's Palace. This would affect the reputation of the Duke's Palace."
Xia Tong didn't say anything. She went straight to the opposite side and sat down. She took off her fox fur coat and turned to watch the juggling show downstairs. She didn't know when the jugglers had been replaced by a new group of people. They were a brother and sister about eleven or twelve years old. They were thin and staggering on a one-legged chair with a stack of porcelain bowls on their heads. The people below were clapping and cheering.
"The prince said that when the court was held today, the third prince not only produced evidence to falsely accuse a maid in the kitchen of poisoning the mansion, but also said that the maid was instructed by my uncle." Xia Ning sighed deeply, "Not only that, but someone also claimed that our Xiahou Mansion was corrupt and perverted the law, and also produced evidence that my uncle and his men abused their power to seek huge profits. Now the emperor is furious and has ordered Shuntian Mansion to completely reorganize the Xiahou Mansion. Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is fine this time, the hundreds of years of foundation of our mansion... I'm afraid it will be in jeopardy."
At this point, Xia Ning couldn't help but lower her head and took a breath helplessly. In this way, her position in the Duke's Mansion would be even more difficult to maintain.
Hearing this, Xia Tong frowned and said nothing. She was not surprised that the Xiahou Mansion was going to fall, and she roughly understood what the villain was going to do. After all, which family was clean? Even her father could not be said to be completely clean. However, she believed that the other party would definitely not lie to her.
"In the future, there will only be you and me in the mansion, so we must rely on each other." Xia Ning sighed and held her hand.
Seeing the other party's sad look, Xia Tong took her hand back and said unhappily: "What are you talking about, cousin? It's not the end yet, how can we know what the worst outcome will be?"
Xia Ning choked and was about to say something, but suddenly stood up and looked outside the door in surprise, "Why is the prince here?"
Xia Tong turned her head and saw that there was indeed a handsome man in a white robe standing at the door, with the haggard-looking Lin Qin beside him. She thought that she would not be in a good mood if something happened to the prince, after all, prosperity is for all, adversity is for all. She didn't know why the brother and sister came here.
"I'm going home to see mother. I heard that my sister-in-law and the princess were drinking tea here, so I wanted to come and see them. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been unconscious until now, but you guys are so leisurely and elegant." Lin Qin had a gloomy face, with a hint of gloom between his brows.
After saying this, without waiting for Xia Ning to explain, Lin Yi glanced at his sister unhappily, "I have told you many times that the poisoning of His Highness has nothing to do with the Xiahou Mansion. Why do you have to involve others in your resentment?"
After not seeing each other for a while, the man's brows already showed a mature temperament. Xia Tong felt that this cousin was actually quite lucky. Even though the Xiahou Mansion was gone, it seemed that the prince still protected her.
Hearing this, Xia Ning showed no joy on her face. She still stood there with her head down and said nothing. Lin Qin, on the other hand, glared at her brother with dissatisfaction. "Now that His Highness's life or death is uncertain, you are still speaking for outsiders. In your eyes, do you even want the Duke's Mansion?!"
After saying that, he glared at Xia Tong fiercely, then led his men away with an extremely ugly expression.
She knew very well that her brother was still obsessed with Xia Tong, and he helped the Xiahou Mansion time and again just for this woman. But now she regretted it very much. She should not have allowed the two to meet in the first place, and now she was shooting herself in the foot!
Seeing Lin Qin leave, Xia Tong could only look at Lin Yi across from her and said, "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I wonder how His Royal Highness is doing now?"
The woman was wearing a pure bamboo-colored snow-white silk cloud-shaped Thousand Waters skirt, and her figure was graceful and charming. Her eyebrows and eyes were still picturesque and her eyes were clear and gentle. Although he had only seen her a few times, Lin Yi felt that this figure seemed to be engraved in his heart and could not be dispelled for a long time.
"Your Highness has been poisoned by a strange poison from outside the Great Wall, Drunken Spring Breeze. Now the imperial physician can only delay the spread of the poison, and the antidote is still being developed." Lin Yi retracted his gaze, his voice as gentle as jade.
Hearing this, Xia Tong suddenly thought of something. She remembered that the heroine in the book had also been poisoned by the supporting female character, but was cured by Fang Yu who was beside her.
In an instant, she immediately turned around and looked at Fang Yu. The latter's eyes flashed, but she still lowered her head and said nothing, but there was a hint of surprise in her expression. Wasn't this poison lost?
"Actually, Princess, there is no need to worry. Lord Xia is innocent and will be fine." Knowing that the other party must be worried, Lin Yi couldn't help but comfort him.
Seeing this, Xia Ning's heart was full of irony. Until today, the prince had never comforted her so patiently. Even after this cousin got married, he still missed her so much.
"Sir, aren't you going back home? This will save your mother from worrying." She suddenly walked over and said softly.
After saying this, Xia Tong also nodded slightly to the two of them, "Your Highness's righteousness, our Xiahou Mansion will remember it in our hearts."
After glancing at the indifferent woman, Lin Yi's eyes turned complicated, and he left side by side with Xia Ning.
Sitting back in the chair, Xia Tong frowned and looked worried. Now the evidence was gone, which made her current situation even worse.
She suddenly glanced at the silent Fang Yu and asked casually, "Have you ever heard of this kind of poison?"
After the words fell, the latter paused, and then stepped forward and said in a serious tone: "Of course I have heard it, but please forgive me for being nosy. It is better for the master to stay out of the Crown Prince's affairs, so as not to anger the prince again."
Hearing this, the woman on the square wooden chair didn't say anything. She just sighed and watched the acrobatics below, thinking about something absent-mindedly.
"I thought I was seeing things, but it turned out to be you."
Suddenly, a familiar female voice was heard at the door. Xia Tong turned around and saw Chen Xin walking towards her with a smile on his face, wrapped in a plain fox fur coat. His eyes were full of light and his complexion was obviously much better than usual, which showed that his injury must have improved a lot.
"Why are you running out all day instead of staying at home to recuperate?" Xia Tong took a sip of tea, seeming to complain about something.
Chen Xin smiled and poured herself a cup of hot tea, seeming to be in a good mood, "I've always been restless, but you, how about it, have you seen the true face of the traitor now?"
At this point, he looked at her solemnly, "If he really cared about you, why would he be indifferent when seeing such a big thing happen in Xiahou Mansion? Are you still going to be stubborn and stubborn?"
Some things cannot be explained in a few words. The hatred between the heroine and the villain is too deep. They both want to convince each other, but neither of them can convince the other.
After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, "Sister Shen, it's no use telling me this. To be honest, I don't know who took away my evidence."
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