Chapter Fifty-Four: No need for you to put on a show
The magistrate ordered the man in black to be taken away, and gave him a few more instructions: "If you have any problems, go to the county office to find him anytime," before leaving with his officers.
The Taoist temple finally returned to peace, with only a few people still throbbing from their wounds.
Qin Zhining sat on the steps, looking at the wound on her arm—it wasn't deep, but it had bled quite a bit and had now scabbed over.
Chen Xiaomei squatted down beside her, carefully blowing on her wound, her eyes full of heartache. "A-Ning, does it hurt? It's all my fault. If I hadn't followed you, you wouldn't have encountered so much danger."
"Silly girl, it has nothing to do with you." Qin Zhining patted her head. "Even without you, they would still come looking for me. Besides, with you all here, I have more courage to fight them."
Qin Chengxuan walked over, holding a clean strip of cloth, and handed it to Qin Zhining: "Re-wrap it, the previous strip of cloth is dirty, don't let it get infected."
Qin Zhining took the bandage, looked at him for a long time, and then asked while bandaging him, "How did you know beforehand that He Qilin would kidnap Chen Xiaomei? And why did you prepare that fake jade seal in that dilapidated temple in advance?"
Qin Chengxuan remained silent for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, and then sat down next to Qin Zhining.
She sighed softly, "Actually, I knew a long time ago that my aunt wanted to steal the jade seal."
A few days ago, when I went to deliver something to my father, I overheard Aunt An and her maid talking. They said they wanted He Qilin to kidnap Chen Xiaomei and force you to hand over the jade seal.
I was worried you might be in danger, so I prepared a fake jade seal in advance. I also inquired around the He residence and found out they were going to make their move today, which is why I went to the mountain valley to wait for you beforehand.”
Qin Zhining suddenly realized that Qin Chengxuan had been helping her all along.
She felt a mix of emotions.
Previously, the original owner's relationship with Qin Chengxuan was the same as that between Qin Zhiyu and Aunt An; they were enemies and their relationship was very bad.
Furthermore, because Aunt An and Qin Zhiyu constantly stirred up trouble between the brother and sister, their relationship was naturally like fire and water.
But now it seems that Qin Chengxuan is not as cold as he appears.
"Thank you," Qin Zhining said sincerely. "I misunderstood you before."
Qin Chengxuan shook his head, his tone indifferent, "We are siblings, it's only right that I help you."
I just never imagined that my aunt would hire people from the Shadow Assassins' Hall, and be so ruthless, not even caring about your and my lives.
Qin Zhining's eyes turned cold when Aunt An was mentioned.
She knew that although they had captured a few men in black, Aunt An would not let it go. As long as the secret of the jade seal remained, she would never be safe.
Moreover, the investigation into Zhang Laoqi's death is still ongoing, and Aunt An may not be the only employer of the Shadow Killing Hall.
How many people are still involved in the secret of the Imperial Seal of the State?
Su Jin walked over and, seeing their expressions, knew what they were worried about.
He patted Qin Zhining on the shoulder, "Don't worry, the man in black has been arrested, and the magistrate will interrogate him to find out who the employer is."
As for Zhang Laoqi's death, my men should have news soon. Once we've investigated these matters, we'll figure out how to deal with Aunt An and the secret of the Imperial Seal.”
Qin Zhining nodded, feeling a little more at ease.
Looking at Su Jin, Qin Chengxuan, Chen Xiaomei, and the others in front of her, she suddenly felt that no matter how dangerous the road ahead was, as long as these people were by her side, she had nothing to fear.
The setting sun shone through the dilapidated roof of the Taoist temple, falling warmly and gently on the group of people.
Qin Zhining knew that this was only a temporary calm. Next, she needed to find out the cause of the original owner's mother's death in order to prevent the same thing from happening again.
“Miss Qin, things have come to this point. Please rest assured, Miss Qing. Once I have investigated the truth, I will definitely come and tell you.”
Su Jin had other important matters to attend to, so she bid farewell to Qin Zhining, saying, "If you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. My Su family is not very capable, and we don't take a few petty people seriously."
As she spoke, Su Jin took off the jade pendant that represented the Su family's identity from her waist and handed it to Qin Zhining, "This jade pendant is my Su family's token."
If you need anything, just go to Tonghui Money Exchange, Jurongzhai Restaurant, or Wenchang Study and ask someone for help.
"This—" Qin Zhining looked at the crystal-clear jade pendant and felt her eyes burning. "Young Master Su, this—isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
"After all, I have no relation to Young Master Su, so receiving this important token makes me truly uneasy."
"You are my savior." Su Jin said without hesitation, "It is only right that I have the Su family token. Miss Qin, once this token is issued, there is absolutely no way to refuse it. Please accept it."
With no other choice, Qin Zhining took the token, put it in her sleeve (space), and then said goodbye to Su Jin.
The group returned to the county town just before curfew and when the city gates were about to be locked.
Because they were worried about the safety of Chen Xiaomei and Chen Erlang, Qin Zhining and Qin Chengxuan took them back to the county magistrate's residence.
Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, the group quickly arrived at the gate of the county magistrate's residence, only to find several servants already waiting there.
Upon seeing the young master and the second young lady return, the head servant greeted them with a fawning smile, "Young master, second young lady, master and madam, the eldest young lady is waiting in the flower hall."
When their eyes fell on the new bandages on Qin Chengxuan and Qin Zhining's arms, and the bloodstains that hadn't been completely wiped off everyone's bodies, their smiles instantly froze on their faces, and they stammered, not daring to ask any more questions.
Qin Zhining ignored the servant's strange behavior and walked straight inside.
Passing through the covered corridor and just turning the corner of the moon gate, we heard Aunt An's soft voice coming from the direction of the main hall, mixed with Qin Zhiyu's coquettishness.
The occasional echoes of her scumbag father, Qin Youming, created a harmonious scene, a stark contrast to her and Qin Chengxuan's disheveled state after their life-or-death struggle.
Chen Xiaomei gripped Qin Zhining's clothes tightly and muttered softly, "They're so carefree, still chatting here."
Qin Zhining patted her hand, signaling her to calm down, and then stepped into the main hall. The smiles on the faces of the three people in the hall vanished instantly upon seeing her.
Aunt An first exaggeratedly covered her mouth, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, then replaced it with a worried expression. She got up and walked quickly to her, reaching out to touch her arm.
"My dear Ning'er, how badly are you hurt? Is it serious? I'll send someone to fetch the royal physician right away to take a look at you."
Qin Zhining turned aside to avoid her hand, and said sarcastically in a cold tone, "There's no need for Aunt An to go to the trouble of performing."
If I don't get hurt, wouldn't all your painstaking arrangements have been in vain? But, as they say, even tigers don't eat their cubs—
But to achieve your ulterior motives, you even used your own son. You and Qin Zhiyu truly are mother and daughter.
Aunt An's hand froze in mid-air, her expression turning sour. "You—what nonsense are you spouting? What did I do to you? Qin Zhining, is it wrong for me to care about you?"
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