"What?" Shen Xin's expression changed, and he looked around. Then he leaned over and looked at her with burning eyes and said, "This matter is very serious. Of course, I hope that the thief will not have a good end. But the things disappeared from your hands. If they are used by someone with ulterior motives, the thief will definitely think that you did it on purpose. This time, he will definitely not let you go."
When their eyes met, Xia Tong also sighed deeply. What the heroine was thinking was exactly what she was thinking, so she didn't dare to tell the villain. If the other party knew that she had been plotting against him before, he would definitely be angry.
"Right now, either you find the person who took it as soon as possible, or you use the same trick against me to bring him down. At worst, you have to tell the truth. After all, you didn't take anything to make a fuss. But this thief is fickle, so you have to consider everything carefully." Shen Xin said in a serious voice.
It sounds simple, but it is difficult to take this step. Will Gu Qin really forgive her this time?
"In fact, Sister Shen is just too prejudiced against the prince. This time, the incident at Xiahou Mansion happened. Although the prince ignored it on the surface, he has been helping me take care of my parents. Last time, I deliberately led him away and let you go. He never said a harsh word to me, but his temper is a bit strange. As long as you stop opposing him, I can persuade the prince not to bother you anymore."
As she was talking, Xia Tong suddenly felt a little strange. It turned out that the villain had indulged her in doing so many things without her realizing it.
Hearing this, Shen Xin did not say anything, but looked at the acrobatics downstairs with a complicated expression, and said calmly, "You don't have to speak well of him anymore, how could he let me go."
The atmosphere in the compartment suddenly became quiet, and Xia Tong did not try to persuade her anymore. The heroine's prejudice against the villain could not be resolved with just a few words.
After chatting about some other things, Xia Tong leisurely returned to the mansion for lunch. Because of the affairs of the Xiahou Mansion, the atmosphere in the court has been particularly solemn recently, and there have been more things to do. Every time Gu Qin went to court early in the morning, he would not come back until the evening hour. This time when he returned, Xia Tong could not help but ask Qing'er.
The latter shook her head slightly while preparing the meal for her. "I don't know about this. If you want to know, I will go to the study to see if the prince has returned."
"Need not."
Xia Tong glanced at the dishes on the table, a hint of determination flashed in her eyes, "I'll go and see for myself."
If the villain comes back, she will just go for it. If he is not there, maybe God doesn't allow her to say it.
Without even eating, she walked towards the study room nervously. The cold wind whistled past, making her hair tremble slightly. She felt uneasy, and when she arrived outside the study room, she saw the west wind outside at a glance.
It's over. She must test the brink of death today.
"Why did your Highness come back so early today?"
She didn't dare to go in, so she chatted with Xifeng outside.
The latter looked at the princess strangely and replied slowly: "Your Majesty does not personally handle everything."
After saying this, Xia Tong blinked and paced back and forth outside the door, hesitating. The cold wind blew on her face and it hurt. She gathered her fox fur coat and looked at the door with her head hanging out, hesitantly.
"By the way, why haven't I seen that big square face recently?" She seemed to remember something.
At this point, Xifeng couldn't help but look at her deeply and whispered, "Xijin was punished by the prince to guard the city gate."
He had advised the other party many times, but that idiot insisted on going against the princess. After following the prince for so many years, he didn't even have this little bit of tact.
Hearing this, Xia Tong was stunned for a moment. It was obvious that the other party didn't seem to be joking. She had just said it casually that day, but the villain actually stood up for her?
"The princess isn't going in?" Xifeng looked a little strange, thinking that the princess was acting strangely today.
"Of course."
Xia Tong gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open with a heroic look.
There was no charcoal fire burning in the room, and to Xia Tong it was no different from the outside. The man in front of the desk was still wearing only an ink-black brocade robe and had a cold aura. He slowly closed the door. Xia Tong suddenly had the urge to back out, because she suddenly thought of the hundreds of criminal laws in the Ministry of Justice.
"What's the point of being sneaky?"
Suddenly, a cold male voice came from inside the room. Xia Tong blinked, took a deep breath and leaned over, grinding the ink absentmindedly, "Actually... I was planning to tell you something today."
"Speak." The man wrote sharply without even raising his eyes.
Looking at the indifferent man in front of her, Xia Tong's heart was struggling violently. If she stuck her head out, she would be stabbed, and if she hid her head, she would also be stabbed. There was nothing to be afraid of.
After coughing lightly, she still hesitated and asked tentatively: "If... I did something bad, would you be angry?"
"You haven't done enough wrong things?" Gu Qin suddenly raised his head and looked at her dimly.
Xia Tong's face suddenly turned red for no apparent reason, and she felt more and more guilty. Why did she always trick the villain?
"Actually... this time things will be more serious than before." She raised her eyes secretly, her heart felt like it was going to jump out.
The man stopped writing and glanced at her calmly, saying in a bad tone, "I already know about your tryst with the prince in the teahouse today."
Xia Tong: “…”
This damn shopkeeper is really good at fanning the flames. They clearly just happened to meet, and Xia Ning was there, so how could it be a tryst!
"I just met the prince by chance, we didn't have a tryst. Besides, I'm not a fool. Even if I had a tryst, I wouldn't choose that place. Isn't this intentional to let people see us?" She pouted with an indignant look on her face.
Gu Qin just looked at her with an obscure expression, and said in a slightly cold voice, "It seems that you have quite some experience in having trysts with those wild men."
Xia Tong was about to cry, feeling that she was simply unable to explain herself. She could only quickly come behind the man and pat his shoulders attentively, with an innocent and flattering look on her little face.
"These are absolutely not true, and they are not important. I just want to tell you something very important." In order to change the subject, Xia Tong had to go all out: "Before, I saved that Chen Xin, and she asked me to take away a piece of evidence that you were endangering the court, but how could I do something to let you down? So after I took the evidence, I never gave it back to her, but I don't know who stole the evidence. I was worried day and night, and finally decided to tell you the truth, but I was going to give it to you, but who knew that it was stolen by a thief!"
After saying it, Xia Tong felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, but she blurred the timing a little, hoping that the other party wouldn't find the loophole.
In an instant, the study room suddenly became silent. The man said nothing, and there was no emotion on his stern face. He continued to review the documents as if he had heard nothing.
Two small hands fell lightly on the man's shoulders. Xia Tong's face showed uneasiness and she was very anxious. She would rather the other party was furious than remain silent like this, which made people feel uneasy.
"You...why aren't you angry?" She couldn't help but lean her head over and secretly glance at the man's face.
The latter was still writing something with a cold expression, not even looking at her.
Seeing that the other person was silent, it was like the calm before the storm. Xia Tong pursed her lips and looked uneasy. Sure enough, the other party must have heard the loophole in her words.
"Where did you have the courage to drug this king?"
Suddenly, the man glanced and spoke in a low voice.
Someone's face changed, and he took a step back at a loss, with his hands behind his back, and an air of guilt surrounded him.
Actually...if you think about it carefully, this matter is not that serious compared to drugging.
Looking at the woman in front of him who was about to bury her head in the ground, Gu Qin stared at her with complicated eyes and whispered, "Do you know you are wrong?"
With a move in her heart, Xia Tong couldn't help but look at this cold-looking man. Suddenly, she lowered her head with mixed feelings. Why wasn't he angry when she did something wrong?
"I knew from the beginning that I had a spy who was betraying me. It's not surprising." Gu Qin suddenly tapped the table twice and said in a low voice, "As long as she doesn't associate with those wild men, it won't hurt to let her jump around for a few more days."
Xia Tong blushed and couldn't help but retort: "I don't have a wild man, let alone a spy. This time... it was just an accident..."
"Master, Lord Zhang wants to see you."
Suddenly, the sound of Xifeng came from outside the house, and Gu Qin said seriously: "Remember this first, I will settle the score with you next time."
Having said that, Xia Tong still secretly glanced at the man, then immediately walked out in a hurry, as if there was a flood or a beast behind her.
Glancing at the hurried figure, Gu Qin shook his head slightly. This little spy was really annoying. He couldn't beat him or scold him. His father must have arranged a marriage for him.
After leaving the study, they saw Mr. Zhang standing outside from last time. The two looked at each other, and Xia Tong left in a hurry.
However, Lord Zhang couldn't help but look surprised, as he didn't expect that the princess would actually come out of the prince's study. Could it be that the prince trusted her to such an extent?
Returning to her room, Xia Tong walked with exceptional brisk steps, but her mood was complicated. Others were so tolerant of her, so what about her?
She felt that she should face up to her relationship with the other party, but how did she feel about the villain? Why didn't she feel disgusted when the other party kissed her?
The more she thought about it, the more conflicted she became. Xia Tong read the script for the entire afternoon, but every time she thought about how she had done such a thing and the villain was not angry at all, she felt particularly uncomfortable and always felt that she had committed a heinous crime.
Not understanding the situation in the court, Xia Tong still brought food to visit her mother in the prison the next day. The environment was still so bad. The old ladies and others had become much more haggard and their faces were pale. How could the elderly who had lived a life of luxury all their lives have never suffered such hardship?
When he saw Xia Tong coming, he wanted to get angry, but when he thought that only the fourth girl could save her, he could only soften his tone and sigh, "I am an old man who is buried in the earth. It's a pity for those grandchildren and your father. He just got promoted to the Secretariat and suffered such a disaster. I don't know who our Xiahou Mansion has offended."
The old lady who always had the final say was now wearing prison clothes, her gray hair disheveled, and she looked dozens of years older. She was sitting on the dirty and damp ground, drinking the bird's nest porridge she brought with a depressed look on her face.
Although Liu looked a little embarrassed, she was in good spirits. Seeing her daughter coming, she was naturally very happy and did not mention saving anyone.
However, Zhang and the others at the side could not stand it, and immediately said to Xia Tong in a hurry: "Auntie knows that I said some nonsense to you in the past, but we are a family after all. Even if you don't care about us aunties, you can't ignore your parents!"
The people in the cell had no idea about the situation outside, and they had no idea that the things done by the Xiahou Mansion had been dug out. Even if they didn't care about the poisoning of the prince, the Xiahou Mansion was still in danger.
Xia Tong paused, squatted over there and combed her mother's hair, and glanced at the old lady and the others, "Xiahou Mansion is definitely not safe, but the granddaughter will still do her best to protect the grandmothers."
"What do you mean?" Zhang's face changed. She was disheveled and looked dirty, and she no longer looked like a noble lady in the past.
How could the old lady not know about the things done by the Xiahou Mansion? Although it was ironic, Xia Tong said calmly, "The corruption and abuse of power by the eldest uncle, the second uncle, and several uncles have been exposed. The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of the matter. Even if the prince's poisoning has nothing to do with us, do you think the Xiahou Mansion can still be saved?"
As soon as the words fell, the old lady's hunched body suddenly fell to the side. Wang, who was beside her, quickly supported her and said, "Mom, are you okay?"
Not only the old lady looked dazed, but Zhang and the others were even more so. They all looked as pale as death. They had never expected that the Xiahou Mansion's hundreds of years of foundation would be destroyed in an instant. Why did God treat them like this!
"But grandmothers don't have to worry. As long as our cousins are still around, we can start over and build a new Xiahou Mansion in the future." Xia Tong said quietly.
As long as you have the ability, fame and fortune will naturally not be a problem. Besides, isn’t Xia Ning here?
But the group of people obviously did not listen to her words. They still sat there slumped in despair. The dark and damp cell was silent. Everyone had a look of despair. They had never been so desperate even when they were thrown into the Sky Prison that day.
After combing her mother's hair into a bun, Xia Tong asked Qing'er to bring the clothes and quilt she had brought, as it would be terrible if she caught a cold in such a cold weather.
"Mother believes in you." Liu held her hand tightly and smiled calmly.
Xia Tong also hugged her mother tightly, with a gleam of determination in her eyes. She must rescue her parents as soon as possible!
She went to her father and told him about this. Apparently, men were always much calmer. Even though her uncles were also very depressed, they knew that as long as she and Xia Ning were there, the Xiahou Mansion would not fall.
The foundation of a family lies in the connections accumulated over hundreds of years. As long as the people in the mansion are safe, it is not impossible for the family to make a comeback. You must know that the branches of the Xiahou Mansion have already infiltrated various parts of the court and other states and counties. Unless all nine generations of the family are implicated, it will not be so easy to fall.
When she returned to the mansion, Fang Yu said that Xia Ning had come to see her, but she knew without thinking what the other party was doing. She was just delaying time. If the Grand Tutor's Mansion wanted to get to the bottom of it, it would surely drag more noble families into it. She knew that to Gu Qin, the Xiahou Mansion was just a bait. From the very beginning, the matter of the prince's poisoning was not a simple one. She believed that Gu Qin would not let her parents really pay the price.
The weather was cold, and she had already lit a charcoal fire in her room. But even so, she still felt extremely cold when taking a bath. It was not good to have no heating.
"I heard that there is a hot spring pool in the backyard with a constant temperature all year round. Would you like to try it?" Qing'er suddenly said.
The room was misty and gusts of hot air were floating from the bathtub. Xia Tong, who was undressing, suddenly had an idea. She seemed to have heard the villain say this.
Suddenly she felt itchy and couldn't help but ask someone to take the clothes and flower petals and go to the west courtyard.
The hot spring pool was in a palace room she had never been to before. There were two maids guarding outside. When they saw her coming, they quickly bowed and saluted. It must be the first time they saw the prince's newly married princess.
The hall was very warm, with several hot spring pools inside. The one in the middle was the largest, emitting a wisp of hot steam. I guess the villain must have taken a fancy to this hot spring, so he built the palace here.
It’s good to have power, Xia Tong sighed, and asked Qing'er and others to go out and guard.
"Princess, please be careful. The water here is quite deep." The maid from the hot spring palace whispered this to her as she left.
Xia Tong nodded, and after everyone went out, she couldn't wait to squat beside one of the springs and stretched out her hand to stroke the water surface. The temperature was just right, which was perfect.
There were snacks and tea prepared by the maids. Xia Tong also brought her own storybook. After undressing, she couldn't wait to step into the largest pool. The warm touch made her sigh. She had never discovered such a good place before. It was really a waste of God's gift.
Qing'er was still chatting with the two maids outside. As they were talking and laughing, they inevitably talked about which guard in the mansion was the best looking. The more they talked, the shyer they became. But when they saw the people coming not far away, they were so scared that they immediately knelt on the ground.
"This servant has seen the prince."
Qing'er was frightened, she had only heard that the prince would come here every few days, she didn't expect it to be such a coincidence today, but perhaps this was also an opportunity, after all, the prince and the master had not consummated their marriage yet, and this was definitely not a long-term solution.
The man glanced at her with a cold look, without saying a word. The cold wind blew his robe. Suddenly, he moved and pushed the door open.
Xifeng, who was following behind, suddenly had a subtle look on his face. He knew that his master was not as pure as he looked. Instead, the two little maids beside him kept stealing glances at him with blushing cheeks. Apart from the prince, Lord Xifeng was indeed the most handsome.
The misty hall was steaming hot. In the largest hot spring pool in the middle, a beautiful woman was soaking. Half of her snow-white back was exposed, and her slightly moist black hair stuck to her fair shoulders. Half of her snow-white body was faintly visible in the water. In her hand, she was holding a tattered little book.
The man's throat tightened and he walked closer silently, looking down at this impactful spring scene, his eyes filled with a man-eating storm.
Biting a rose cake and reading a storybook, Xia Tong leisurely leaned against the pool and swung her arms, splashing water. She didn't expect that in ancient times, one could take a hot spring bath. However, this villain really knew how to enjoy himself. It was indeed much warmer here.
After taking a bite of the pastry, perhaps feeling a little thirsty, she put the storybook aside and wanted to turn around to get the teacup, but as soon as she turned her head, a familiar robe appeared in her sight.
Holding her breath, she slowly raised her head, and suddenly saw an extremely familiar silhouette. Her pupils suddenly shrank.
"you--"
The water surface suddenly splashed, and a figure suddenly emerged from the water. After a long time, a wet little head appeared, looking at the man by the pool with a helpless look.
Slowly squatting down, Gu Qin glanced at the frightened little face, his eyebrows moved slightly, while picking up the small book on the ground, he said in a low voice, "A romantic talent and a famous prostitute in a brothel?"
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