Although Guan Yuping felt it was a bit unreliable, she felt much more at ease when she heard that Guan Yuping would take full responsibility for the consequences.
That's true. The Qingyin Tea was sold at Qingyin Garden, and Guan Yulian was just a business partner. If they could shift all the blame onto Xinran, they could get away unscathed.
Guan Yulian is now the wife of the prefect, while he is the most outstanding scholar who passed the imperial examination. In any case, he still has some advantages.
The reason he could think this way was because he was completely unaware that Lu Baichuan already knew about their cheating; otherwise, he wouldn't be so at ease.
Seeing his obvious relief, Xinran sneered inwardly, thinking, "What a useless man, with such little courage."
If it weren't for the fact that the two of them were still somewhat useful to the organization, she wouldn't have wanted to give Guan Yuping a kind look.
Just then, someone came in and said, "Miss, Second Master Qin has arrived."
"Huh? Why is he here at this time?"
Xinran forced a smile; for a moment, she wasn't sure what Qin Jian meant.
The commotion caused by the people during this period was quite significant, and she didn't believe that Qin Jian hadn't heard anything about it.
The time has come to truly test him.
The servants didn't know how to answer, so they just lowered their heads and waited for instructions.
Xinran paused for a moment and said to Guan Yuping, "You should go back first, and don't come here for a while."
This was exactly what Guan Yuping was thinking. He nodded and left through the back door, without running into Qin Jian.
With Xinran's consent, the servants then invited Qin Jian in.
Qin Jian had been tortured in prison and had been recuperating since his release. He hadn't come to Qingyin Garden these past few days, but Xinran had been keeping an eye on his situation.
Qin Jian walked in and saw Xinran with a cold expression. This was completely different from the people he had met before. He was a little wary, but still asked anxiously, "Xinran, what's going on with those teas? So many people are making a fuss, and it's already reached the Fire Cloud Division."
"You know."
Xinran smiled slightly, not as a question, but as a statement of affirmation.
Qin Jian looked completely at ease. How could he pretend not to know about something so important?
"I tampered with the tea, so are you here to arrest me?"
Xinran stopped pretending and dropped her previous weak and effeminate demeanor, even sporting a sarcastic smile.
I just received a letter from the capital this morning saying that the old emperor really likes this tea and has even bestowed it upon some of his favored senior officials. The amount sent to the capital is far from enough, so I'm asking him to send some more.
The old emperor has already fallen for her trick, and she is now fearless.
Qin Jian, his face filled with pain and confusion, stepped forward and took her hand, saying, "Why did you do this? Lu Baichuan has already started to get involved and will soon find his way here. He's a rigid and unreasonable person; he definitely won't listen to me!"
"Xinran, I don't care what your reasons are for doing these things. I'm not here to question you. I just want to give you a heads-up: leave before Lu Baichuan's men arrive. I'll handle the rest for you!"
"Go? Where can I go?"
Xinran looked at him with some surprise, her eyes fixed on him. The worry in his eyes didn't seem fake. Could it be that he really liked her?
Thinking back to how he had been fighting against Lu Baichuan in prison for the sake of Qingyin Garden and the others, which was why he had been beaten and injured, could his suspicions be wrong?
"No matter where you go, Jingzhou is no longer safe for you. I just received this news. Lu Baichuan has already gone to the people's homes to collect supplies and will be here soon. By then, it will be too late for you to regret it!"
He was very emotional, his eyes were slightly red, and he looked genuinely afraid that Lu Baichuan would not let her go.
Xinran felt a pang of tenderness in her heart and let him pull her up to go to the backyard to pack her things and leave.
She suddenly stopped, looked at Qin Jian, and asked, "Second Master Qin, are you willing to give up everything here and come with me?"
Qin Jian was taken aback, clearly not expecting her to suddenly extend an invitation to him.
"Leaving with me means betraying the Northern Flame royal family. You will no longer be the promising deputy commander of the Fire Cloud Division, but will instead be forced to flee with me. Are you willing?"
Qin Jian was internally screaming, "Who wants to elope with you?!"
But on the surface, he nodded firmly: "Okay! Wherever you go, I'll go!"
These words touched Xinran. She looked at him intently and finally nodded, "Okay!"
Qin Jian watched him pack his things, his mind racing. He had come to Xinran specifically to report on her, hoping she would leave as soon as possible and lead them to the hideout of these people. But now, due to the sudden change, Xinran wanted him to come with her. So, could he continue to act as an undercover agent, just like in Nantai, and pass messages to Beiyan at any time?
He should have gone back to tell Lu Baichuan, but the situation was urgent, and going back would definitely arouse Xinran's suspicion. So he could only leave first and find another opportunity to send a message to Lu Baichuan later.
Since Xinran was leaving, the others naturally followed. Qingyin Garden was indeed no longer safe. Even if Huoyun Division wasn't watching them, the common people would often come to cause trouble, which would actually hinder their communication with the capital.
Now that the old emperor has been appeased, we can make a comeback at any time. Leaving now is just a temporary measure.
Besides, Qin Jian will be going with them, which will allow Qin Jian to play the emotional card later.
Xinran finished packing her things and came out to see Qin Jian still waiting for her in the yard. She asked, "Don't you have anything to pack?"
Qin Jian shook his head: "They're all just material possessions. If I go back now, people will suspect me. Being with you is enough."
When he spoke, his face was full of affection; he was deeply in love with Xinran.
She smiled contentedly, came over and took his hand: "Okay, I'll take care of you from now on!"
"good."
He smiled and pulled the person into his arms, his face full of longing.
My heart is breaking. After leaving Jingzhou, how long will it be before I can eat my younger siblings' Lu Hei Ya (a type of braised duck), milk tea, and other delicious things...?
He secretly resolved to deal with these people from Dongting as soon as possible and return to Jingzhou!
As darkness fell, a group of people from Qingyin Garden rode out of the city.
In the darkness, He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan stood on the city wall, watching the group of people depart into the distance, and couldn't help but sigh: "I never thought Brother Qin would elope with someone like that, he's really lucky!"
Lu Baichuan: ...
"Qin Jian's sacrifice was indeed quite great."
This was something Lu Baichuan hadn't expected. His original plan was to go to Qian Xing's house tonight and wipe them all out.
But his wife said that Qin Jian should make a good impression so that Xinran and the others could leave.
All of this was expected, but what was unexpected was that Qin Jian was also abducted...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com