Chapter 111 You Still Want to Kill Him
"The tea hasn't arrived yet?" A cold, displeased voice came from the study.
Aunt Su knew Xie Yanzhi was angry, so she quickly pushed Shen Qingnian, saying, "Nian'er, go quickly, don't worry about me."
Seeing this, Yuan Qing said, "Miss Qing, let me take Aunt Su back."
Shen Qingnian then realized with a start that she had not seen Qiuye all along.
The old lady wouldn't even let her aunt's maid stay, which shows how angry she was about her.
Shen Qingnian nodded to Yuan Qing and curtsied, saying, "Thank you."
Yuan Qing dared not accept Shen Qingnian's generous greeting and quickly stopped her, saying, "Miss Qing, you're too kind. Please go and serve Master some tea."
Shen Qingnian then took the teapot to the kitchen and then went to Xie Yanzhi's study.
While refilling his teacup, she pondered how to appease the old lady's anger and forgive her aunt.
Xie Yanzhi grabbed her hand, his brows furrowed: "Why are you being so clumsy?"
Shen Qingnian looked down and saw that the tea had overflowed the teacup and was about to flow down the desk.
She hurriedly put down the teapot, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the desk clean.
"Why are you so distracted?" Xie Yanzhi's expression darkened.
You dare to daydream in front of him!
Shen Qingnian lowered her head and remained silent. If she revealed her aunt's situation, Xie Yanzhi might not help her.
Or they help her, but then expect her to give something in return.
She was torn with conflicting emotions, her hands twisting the handkerchief incessantly.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Xie Yanzhi felt inexplicably annoyed: "You can't even serve tea properly, get out and stand at the door!"
After Shen Qingnian left, Xie Yanzhi rubbed his temples. Without even thinking, he knew it was because of Aunt Su.
But why didn't she ask him for help?
In her heart, she still didn't see him as someone to rely on!
However, on that day he was only thinking about bringing Shen Qingnian back, and he did not expect that his grandmother would punish Aunt Su.
For his second uncle's sake, he should go and make the trip.
The next day, Xie Yanzhi took Shen Qingnian and Yuan Qing to pay their respects to the old lady.
When Shen Qingnian saw Aunt Su limping as she bowed and went to the Buddhist hall next door, her heart ached and her nose stung.
Looking at her tearful appearance, Xie Yanzhi couldn't help but feel contempt.
He was right in front of her, wasn't he? It's not like she had no other choice, yet she made herself cry from anxiety.
Xie Yanzhi feigned confusion and asked, "Grandmother, what's wrong with Aunt Su?"
The old lady didn't expect the question to come up at the thank-you banquet. She smiled and said, "Aunt Su has a deep affinity with Buddhism. She has been praying for the second son these days. She must have injured her leg."
Xie Yanzhi said, "Since your leg is injured, I'm sure the Bodhisattva knows Aunt Su's sincerity."
The old lady knew that this meant she should stop punishing Aunt Su, and she gave Shen Qingnian a meaningful look.
Shen Qingnian hadn't expected Xie Yanzhi to be so kind as to plead for her aunt. She couldn't quite figure out what Xie Yanzhi was thinking.
The old lady turned to Liu Momo and said, "Liu Momo, go tell Aunt Su that she doesn't need to come to the Buddhist hall anymore."
“Yes, Madam.” Liu Momo turned and went to the Buddhist hall.
Turning to Aunt Su, Liu Momo said expressionlessly, "Aunt Su, the old lady has told you that you no longer need to come to this Buddhist hall."
Aunt Su was kneeling uncomfortably when she suddenly received such a remark, which puzzled her. However, she didn't ask any further questions and simply said, "Thank you, Madam, and thank you, Granny Liu."
Liu Momo pouted: "You should thank the eldest young master. It was he who spoke up for you in front of the old lady that saved your punishment."
The eldest young master? Could it be that Nian'er went to beg the eldest young master? Did the eldest young master make things difficult for her?
Although Aunt Su had a lot of questions she wanted to ask, she could only ask them after she had finished kneeling.
After leaving the Wenxin Hall, Shen Qingnian looked at Xie Yanzhi's figure walking ahead, hesitating whether to thank him or not, but she was afraid that he would make some request.
Xie Yanzhi turned around and saw her frowning, looking like she couldn't open her mouth. He stared straight at her and said, "I am your master, and I can make decisions for you, understand?" After saying that, he went to the palace to report back.
Inside the Qianqing Palace.
When Xie Yanzhi met the Emperor, the Emperor threw a memorial in front of him.
"My dear minister, someone has impeached you, saying that your trip to the south was not to pay respects to your birth mother, but for a woman. Is this true?"
If Xie Yanzhi admits it, then he has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor.
Upon hearing this, Xie Yanzhi remained calm and cupped his hands, saying, "I did not go to pay respects to my birth mother. But it was not for a woman."
"Oh?" The emperor sat at his desk, scrutinizing him.
Xie Yanzhi took something out of his pocket, and Eunuch An took it and presented it to the Emperor.
The emperor opened it and saw that it was a secret letter.
"This is……?"
"Your Majesty, on my journey south, I deliberately spread the word that I had found the bandits' ledger. On the way to Yunzhou, I was ambushed and nearly lost my life, but I managed to capture one of them alive. After obtaining this secret letter, I rushed back to see you."
Therefore, this is not a crime of deceiving the emperor; on the contrary, he has performed a meritorious service.
"The letter has a special mark. By following this mark, we can find out who assassinated me."
The emperor then asked, "Has it been found out?"
Xie Yanzhi cupped his hands in thanks: "This is the secret seal of the Xiao family of Diancheng."
It was the Xiao family of Diancheng! The emperor was somewhat surprised.
Both Diancheng and Lingnan are strategic locations, with barbarian tribes eyeing them covetously. If things go wrong in either place, it will inevitably cause considerable losses.
And the Xiao family mansion in Diancheng.
A subordinate reported: "All the assassins we sent have been killed, and one of them was captured alive by Prince Xie. I'm afraid..."
Looking at Xiao Hongyi kneeling below, Master Xiao was so angry that he could hardly breathe.
He had no idea that Xiao Hongyi had gotten himself into such a mess, which was related to the bandit case.
Now they've gone so far as to send assassins to kill Xie Yanzhi, only to have Xie Yanzhi catch them red-handed.
Xiao Hongyi's face turned pale, and he grabbed the hem of his father's clothes, pleading, "Father, I was confused for a moment and accepted the bandit leader's bribe. Who would have thought he was a spy from the enemy country!"
"Father, can't you just let the third son take the blame for me? He's in jail now anyway, we can just say he committed suicide out of guilt."
Upon hearing this, Master Xiao felt his blood rush to his head: "You injured the prefect's youngest son, and Huaiyi went to jail to atone for your sins, which was already a great injustice to him. Now you want to take his life!"
Since Huaiyi holds no official position, admitting his crimes will not implicate the Xiao family in being impeached.
Hearing Xiao Hongyi's words, he realized that Xiao Hongyi had no remorse whatsoever, and he deeply regretted letting Xiao Huaiyi take his place!
He had already failed his mother, the gentle and kind woman in his memory, and now how could he let her only child die!
Ping An, standing in front of the prison gate, said, "Young Master, Xie Yanzhi has obtained the secret message."
A rare hint of coldness appeared in Xiao Huaiyi's eyes: "Then Xiao Hongyi can die."
Shen Qingnian returned to Guanlan Residence and found that Ling'er was already able to get out of bed, which was the happiest thing for her in recent days.
"Ling'er!" Shen Qingnian called out to her.
"Miss! You're back!" Ling'er smiled happily. She had been lying in bed all day and had been wanting to get some exercise for a while.
Shen Qingnian said, "Don't be careless, you still need to take good care of yourself."
Ling'er also wanted to recover quickly so she could help her mistress with chores.
Shen Qingnian and Ling'er were chatting when an uninvited guest arrived at the door.
"Miss Qing, please come with us!"
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