Just now, when Qu Qingxi watched the person fighting Qingdai, she inexplicably felt that the person's moves were somewhat similar to those of the person from last night, so they must have some connection with the person from last night.
“Your Highness is right. I also think Qinglan Pavilion wouldn’t do that.” Qingdai nodded in agreement. “It must be someone trying to frame Qinglan Pavilion.”
"Qingdai, have the people from Cuiwei Pavilion investigate what Xu Ding has been doing these past two days." Qu Qingxi pondered for a moment.
The two people first went to the Xu residence, then to the Yaxuan Teahouse, and then disappeared.
If it were anyone else, they would definitely start to suspect Qinglan Pavilion, and thus think that the Xu family was just a smokescreen they deliberately created, and that this matter had nothing to do with the Xu family.
However, Qinglan Pavilion is Qu Qingxi's faction, and Qinglan Pavilion would never do such a thing. So what about the Xu family?
They deliberately wanted to see it for themselves, hoping to frame the Xu family and distance themselves from the matter. Perhaps they intentionally wanted to witness all of this.
The fact that they chose the Xu residence instead of other places makes it seem like it was done on purpose.
"Your Highness, you suspect the Xu family? But didn't they only stay at the Xu residence for a short while before leaving? This is clearly a deliberate attempt to frame the Xu family. If our people hadn't discovered it in time, they would have thought it was someone from the Xu family." Qingdai was somewhat puzzled.
Upon hearing this, Qu Qingxi lowered her head and chuckled softly. "See, this is human habitual thinking. People always think they've discovered the truth, but in reality, they've fallen into the other party's trap."
"Qingdai, what do you think of the skill of the person you just fought?" Qu Qingxi didn't answer directly, but asked Qingdai little by little, wanting Qingdai to figure out what really happened.
“He’s very strong. Although it seems like I can fight him to a draw, I always feel that he’s stronger than me,” Qingdai answered honestly.
"So, do you think the guard who went to chase after them was more capable than you or less capable?"
“Of course they are not as good as me.” Qingdai said matter-of-factly. Although her skills had indeed declined somewhat during this period, she was only slightly weaker than Ling Mu. Compared with the other guards and secret guards in the palace, she was certainly better than them.
"Is it really true that someone who is more skilled than you can't dodge someone who is less skilled than you?" Qu Qingxi raised an eyebrow.
Qingdai choked, then realized what was going on. Yes, they were clearly more skilled than her, so how could they not evade the guards' pursuit? This was obviously intentional.
They deliberately let the guards of the Prince's mansion discover their whereabouts and where they went.
Seeing Qingdai remain silent, Qu Qingxi continued, "It's not somewhere else, but specifically the Xu family. They want to clear the Xu family of suspicion, but they don't realize that it's precisely their actions that make people more suspicious of the Xu family."
Qingdai suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. I was actually fooled by them. The princess is so wise. This person is really too cunning."
"That's why I told you to investigate Xu Ding and see if he's the one who sent them."
"Yes, I understand. I'll go right away."
Just as Qingdai left, Qu Qingxi heard footsteps coming from the courtyard again; it must be He Liufeng.
Sure enough, He Liufeng soon pushed the door open and came in, with Ling Mu standing guard at the door.
He Liufeng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Qu Qingxi was safe and sound, without any wounds on her body. Although news came from the manor that the princess was unharmed, He Liufeng still wanted to see her in person, which is why he rushed back in a hurry.
"Are you alright?" He Liufeng placed his hands on Qu Qingxi's shoulders and stared into her eyes.
"It's alright, Cangyuan took the arrow for me, and his wound has just been treated." Qu Qingxi shook her head slightly when she met He Liufeng's worried gaze.
"What's going on? How come someone has sneaked into the Prince's mansion again?" He Liufeng frowned. What do these people think their Prince's mansion is, coming and going as they please?
“I don’t know either. The people who went to chase them came back and said that the two people first went to the Xu residence, then went to the Yaxuan Tea House, and then never came out again.”
"Yaxuan Teahouse? Qinglan Pavilion?"
"Mm." Qu Qingxi nodded.
“It couldn’t be someone from Qinglan Pavilion. The Pavilion Master of Qinglan Pavilion wouldn’t be so foolish as to target my people.” Without even thinking, He Liufeng was certain that this couldn’t have been done by someone from Qinglan Pavilion.
The pavilion master glanced at He Liufeng silently, touched his nose without saying a word, and muttered to himself, "Thank you for saying I'm not stupid."
"Then whose people do you think it is?"
“The Xu residence is not close to the Wang residence and the Yaxuan Teahouse. Why would he choose the Xu residence?” He Liufeng narrowed his eyes slightly. “I think the Xu residence is highly suspicious. He deliberately went here to avoid arousing suspicion, but the most suspicious person is him.”
"It seems we think alike." Qu Qingxi smiled. "I've already sent people to investigate the Xu residence. It's been unusually quiet there lately; there must be some big plans behind it."
"Yes, it is indeed too quiet. Xu Xingfeng is locked up in prison. Ever since the Crown Prince learned about the Xu family's betrayal, he has secretly made a lot of moves. Xu Xingfeng is being tortured beyond recognition. Xu Ding should have already noticed this."
He Liufeng poured a cup of tea for both of them, staring at the tea in the cups, and continued, "Xu Ding already suspects that the Crown Prince knows about the raising of troops, and is now sending people to investigate."
"How many soldiers does he actually have?" Qu Qingxi asked He Liufeng curiously. She knew that Xu Ding was raising an army, but she didn't know the exact number.
"One hundred thousand."
One hundred thousand soldiers? Good heavens, that's enough to carry out a rebellion.
"Then what should we do with these soldiers?" Qu Qingxi looked at He Liufeng. After all, He Liufeng was a prince, and this world belonged to the He family.
He Liufeng wouldn't just let the Xu family raise so many soldiers without any support.
"His Majesty has already discovered the collaboration between the Xu family and Zhou Wenli, and is currently looking for evidence. I had someone leak some information about raising troops to His Majesty's people, and His Majesty is also sending people to verify this matter."
He Liufeng certainly did not want the world to fall into the hands of the Xu family. The emperor was getting old. Although the crown prince was useless, the emperor's other princes were also quite talented. However, they had been secretly suppressed by the emperor in recent years and had concealed their ambitions.
If someone were to support them again, they would surely achieve great things.
"That's good. But what about the position of Crown Prince? The Crown Prince is not suitable for that position." Qu Qingxi looked up at He Liufeng and tentatively asked.
She wanted to know who He Liufeng's chosen successor was.
He Liufeng put down his teacup, bowed slightly, and then looked at Qu Qingxi, "Sixth Prince, He Qinan."
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