Chapter 74 Xue Han's Suspicion
The girl's wet, long hair fell onto her shoulders, into her arms, brushed against the boy's cheek, and touched his chin.
At that moment, Xue Han's mind went blank, and his hands froze, unsure of what to do with them.
The only thing that wouldn't listen was his heart, which roared like thunder and beats like drums, uncontrollably echoing in his ears and in the ears of the girl in his arms.
Xue Han hurriedly pushed Qiu Heng away and turned his back to her.
Qiu Heng took a step back, gazing at the boy's thin back.
Judging from his back, he seemed like a fragile bamboo shoot, completely lacking the imposing presence of an imperial envoy.
Is he...shy?
The intimate contact she had just experienced flashed through her mind, and Qiu Heng was momentarily confused before biting her lip and gradually calming down.
"Lord Xue—" she spoke first, breaking the unsettling atmosphere.
The boy froze, then slowly turned around.
Perhaps it was the darkness of night that made his eyes appear somber and calm.
The calm beneath the surface is turbulent and turbulent.
"I'm sorry—" Xue Han said, only to realize that his emotions were not so easy to hide.
Qiu Heng had a gut feeling that things were going to be dangerous if things continued like this.
She didn't know what kind of danger it was. Whether it was the fifteen years she spent growing up in the countryside or the ten years she witnessed countless tragedies, she had never been in such a strange atmosphere.
But she knew that if things were left to their own devices, something beyond her control would happen. And for her, burdened with such a heavy responsibility, being out of control was the greatest danger.
"Lord Xue—"
"Sixth Miss Qiu—"
The two spoke at the same time, and then stopped at the same time.
"Please speak, Lord Xue."
"It's late, I'll take you home."
"Thank you." Qiu Heng breathed a slight sigh of relief and raised her hand to tidy her loose black hair.
Xue Han immediately looked away, his face flushing.
He shouldn't have thought about it; that wasn't the behavior of a gentleman. Although he wasn't exactly a gentleman himself, he still had some basic principles. But it was precisely because of her, precisely at this moment, that he couldn't control his strange feelings.
The moment he saw her long hair, he couldn't help but think of the scene of her in his arms.
Her hair was wet and cold, and her clothes were chilled by the autumn wind, but even through this coldness, he could still feel a warmth that didn't belong to him.
That came from another young body, completely different from his own.
Although he was ashamed to admit it, he had already realized what he really wanted to do: not to push her away, but to hold her tight.
This discovery made him unable to face her calmly, and he even wanted to run away.
He's such a frivolous person.
The moon was full, and the two walked silently down the street.
The bustling capital city, usually lively at this time of year, was deserted tonight. Occasionally, passersby would catch a glimpse of Qiu Heng with her long, flowing hair, but before they could get closer, they would either cover their mouths or scream and then run away, covering their mouths again.
As they passed the tall banyan tree, Qiu Heng stopped and said, "Lord Xue, please leave me here."
"Take care, Miss Qiu Liu."
Qiu Heng nodded, then, as if remembering something, said, "Don't forget to have someone come here to pick up some snacks tomorrow."
"good."
Qiu Heng said nothing more and turned to walk towards the Yongqing Marquis's residence, which was shrouded in the night.
Xue Han stood quietly under the banyan tree for a long time before turning to leave.
Back at his lodgings, Xue Han lay on his bed, unable to sleep.
The night was long, so long that he thought about too much before dawn broke.
Hu Si looked at Xue Han, whose face was now bluish, with a look of astonishment: "Sir, what have you been doing?"
Those dark circles under my eyes are terrifying!
"It's nothing." Despite not having slept all night, Xue Han was in good spirits and instructed Hu Si, "Go to the Yongqing Marquis's residence around noon. Miss Qiu said she'd bring us some snacks. Wait under that banyan tree."
Hu Si's eyes immediately lit up: "Snacks? What snacks?"
Xue Han ignored him and strode out.
He went to the Yuan residence.
In the past two days, officials from various government offices have been coming and going at the Yuan residence. Xue Han, as the Imperial City Envoy, had been there before, so his arrival this time was not surprising.
He went to Hui Niang's place first.
Hui Niang looked a little nervous, twisting her handkerchief in her hands and remaining silent.
"No need to be nervous," Xue Han said gently. "The questions that needed to be asked have already been asked, so I won't ask them again. Do you still have the pills, ointments, cosmetics, and other items that Lady Hui usually takes?"
Hui Niang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "Yes, I am."
"Then get me some to take with me."
Hui Niang hesitated for a moment: "The police have taken these things before."
The coroner determined that Yuan Chenghai died of poisoning, and naturally, these items in Yuan's residence would be examined.
“We are from different government departments,” Xue Han explained calmly.
Hui Niang suppressed her dissatisfaction, carefully collected the odds and ends, and handed them to Xue Han.
Unlike Hui Niang, Li Niang couldn't hold back her anger and started crying and making a scene: "This goes on and on, when will it ever end! If you're so capable, why don't you quickly find the person who harmed our master? All you do is torment women. Master, if you were still here, how could I possibly endure this kind of treatment—"
Hu Si grabbed Li Niang's wrist without any politeness: "You're right, if your master were still alive, there wouldn't be so many people here. But your master is gone, and the suspicion against you hasn't been cleared yet. If you don't know what's good for you, I don't mind taking you to the Imperial City Guard."
Liniang stopped crying and dared not make a fuss anymore.
After packing his things, Xue Han went to Nie Si Niang's place.
Upon hearing his request, Nie Si Niang couldn't help but look at Nie San Niang.
Xue Han's gaze also turned in that direction.
"I'll take it to the master now."
Nie San Niang was tidying up the things Xue Han needed for Nie Si Niang when she paused as her fingertips brushed over the box containing the incense pills.
These are fragrant pills sent by Qiu Liu.
She had been given a secret message beforehand, telling her to use the fragrant pills in the pink purse. Once Yuan died, she was certain that the problem lay with the fragrant pills.
But she still had many questions.
If the incense pills were poisonous, why were she and her sister unharmed despite being surrounded by incense smoke all day long?
How did the Magpie Brothers switch Qiu Liu's incense pills?
Could it be that Miss Qiu Liu knows the Magpie Brothers?
Now, she faces an even bigger problem: this imperial envoy came specifically to collect items used by the women of the Yuan family; could it be that he has discovered something? Would giving the incense pills to him expose the Que brothers?
The difficult choice weighed heavily on Nie Sanniang's heart, and her palms were covered in cold sweat.
The woman's fair fingers brushed across the box containing the incense pills, then returned.
As if she hadn't struggled fiercely, Nie Sanniang calmly opened the box, took out some incense pills, and wrapped them up.
The Magpie Brothers said to stick to the plan and not act on their own. She should trust the Magpie Brothers; after all, they took that scoundrel Yuan's life without anyone noticing!
"My lord, everything is here." Nie Sanniang presented the things she had prepared.
Xue Han reached out and took it: "Thank you."
After Xue Han left with his men, Nie San Niang's legs went weak and she slumped into a chair.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Nie Si Niang asked, unaware of what the incense ball meant or the existence of the magpie.
Nie San Niang shook her head, her face pale: "It's nothing."
It's alright, Brother Magpie will be fine.
On the way, Hu Si asked, puzzled, "Sir, these have all been checked, what's the point of coming here again?"
"It's nothing, just remember to get some snacks."
"I'll go right away." Hu Si left happily.
Xue Han lowered his eyes and looked at the items he had obtained from the Yuan residence, his feelings complicated.
He was going to verify a hypothesis.
(End of this chapter)
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