Xiahou Qing explained, "It could be considered that. According to the shopkeeper Liu, these books were all written by Princess Qingliang, Tang Chen. This Liangshan is her pen name."
As for Princess Qingliang, she was naturally a celebrity. However, Huangfu Zhong still had a question: "If I remember correctly, didn't Tang Chen divorce Prince Qingliang?"
Xiahou Qing said with a smile: "It is true that they are getting divorced, but the friendship between them is very deep."
Huangfu Zhong immediately understood the key point after hearing this. He lowered his voice slightly and suggested, "If the King of Shu knew about this, I wonder how angry he would be."
However, Xiahou Qing didn't seem to think so. "Angry? The King of Shu's daughter, he naturally knows. Whether Princess Fenglai truly wants to marry Wang Yanzhou or not, only they themselves know. Moreover, even if everything we see on the surface is true, just based on the connection between the Duke of Liang's Mansion and the King of Shu's Palace, the King of Shu will not give up everything he promised to Wang Yanzhou that day just because of his daughter."
Huangfu Zhong said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the Pavilion Master for saying this. I, Huangfu Zhong, am just a commoner in the countryside. I really don't know about these things. If I say something wrong, I hope the Pavilion Master won't laugh at me."
Xiahou Qing threw his head back and laughed a few times before saying, "The Huangfu family has always been a family of indifference, not concerned with worldly affairs. It's normal for Brother Huangfu to be unaware of the complexities involved here. If Brother Huangfu is interested, I can tell you more later."
"By the way, why did the shopkeeper stay in there for so long? Could it be that he..." Before Huangfu Zhong could even utter the word "escape", Liu Yong came out from the inner room with tea and snacks.
"It's just simple tea and snacks, please don't mind." After Liu Yong came out, his expression and tone seemed as if he had not heard anything about Xiahou Qing's orders in his study.
Xiahou Qing picked up the teacup and said with a smile, "How could that be? Shopkeeper Liu is too polite."
After drinking a cup of throat-soothing tea, Xiahou Qing asked curiously, "Manager Liu, I heard that you had some distinguished guests recently?"
Liu Yong smiled apologetically and said, "Master, you are joking. We are just an ordinary family. How can we welcome any distinguished guests? If you were not willing to condescend to my small study, I would have lived for so long and never met a noble person."
Xiahou Qing coughed twice and said with a smile, "Manager Liu is still the same as before, very good at talking."
Liu Yong lowered his head and folded his hands, saying, "How dare I speak nonsense in front of the Pavilion Master?"
"Really, Mr. Zhou Weiyong?" Xiahou Qing's sudden question made Liu Yong's heart skip a beat. But the next second, although Liu Yong didn't say anything, he wasn't afraid. Ever since Lin Qinghui and Zhou Xiao'e showed up, he knew that his good life would end sooner or later.
Seeing that the person in front of him remained silent, Xia Houqing added, "Why is Mr. Zhou silent?"
Huangfu Zhong stood aside like a fool. When Xiahou Qing arrived, he hadn't explained what the matter was, simply saying there was a good show to watch. Now, he, the one watching the show, had arrived. Could it be him and the study owner on the stage? He was confused as to what they were acting out.
Facing Xiahou Qing's questioning, Liu Yong glanced at the empty study in bewilderment, then hurriedly asked, "Master, who are you calling?"
Xiahou Qing snapped his fingers, and the guards who had been guarding the study sealed all the doors and windows. "Mr. Zhou, don't play dumb with me. I have so many people around your house, and what you saw is just a small part of them."
Just as Liu Yong had expected, Lin Qinghui wasn't a traitor after all, and he often lacked vigilance. He'd clearly pointed out a route that would be impossible for the people at Tianshu Tower to discover. Now, his entire family had been implicated. If he hadn't planned ahead, he might have been in this old fox's thrall today.
Xiahou Qing assumed Liu Yong had nothing to say, so he continued, "Actually, it was a coincidence. At first, I wasn't very clear-headed, and I thought your study truly held some of Qingliang Valley's secrets. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to see you so often. These past few days, I've discovered some of Mr. Zhou's habits that are difficult to pinpoint. Furthermore, while Lin Qinghui and Zhou Xiao'e were able to sneak into the city, I couldn't just leave them there."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yong blurted out, "What did you do to them?"
Xia Houqing wanted to do something, but he couldn't. "Of course I can't do anything. Zhou Xiao'e is still backed by the Zhou family, so I don't need to get involved. I just want to see Mr. Zhou's attitude towards this matter."
Liu Yong stopped Lin Qinghui and made sure they were safe, then he explained, "Pavilion Master, you've really got the wrong person. I'm just a bookshop owner. Apart from business, I don't know anything else!"
At the same time, the door of the study, which had just been closed, was opened again. The person Xiahou Qing had just sent to the Liu family had returned: "Meet the Pavilion Master."
Xiahou Qing waved his hand slightly, signaling the visitor to stand up, and asked, "How is it?"
The visitor replied, "Reporting to Pavilion Master, the Liu family is now deserted."
Xiahou Qing was slightly taken aback. He had originally planned to launch a surprise attack and use Liu Yong's family as leverage to get him to cooperate, but he hadn't expected this man to be so quick and swift. He was able to evade his men and send them away without making a sound. "Mr. Zhou is quite capable. He managed to send his family away safely right under my nose."
Seeing his identity exposed and Xiahou Qing's purpose for coming this time obvious, Zhou Weiyong no longer concealed his identity and confidently admitted, "... Pavilion Master Xiahou, I have no intention of joining your fight. I simply want to live a good life. I rejected Qingliang Valley, and I hope you won't force me."
Xiahou Qing said coldly, "But Mr. Zhou, there's one thing you have to understand. Sometimes it's not about whether you're willing or not. There's a saying, 'a crime to possess a treasure.' I wonder if you still remember it. Sometimes, even if a person doesn't do anything, when they possess something or an ability that ordinary people don't possess, their very existence can be a fault that leads to conflict."
Seeing Xiahou Qing's aggressiveness, Zhou Weiyong stopped being polite. After straightening his sleeves, he straightened his back and said, "My family has already left safely. If Xiahou Pavilion doesn't want me to fight to the death, then it's best not to force me. Otherwise, I will kill you in this study today."
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