Chapter 20 Suicide Out of Guilt
His words caused a great stir, and everyone looked in the direction of the voice.
Chu Jiubian also glanced sideways and saw that the person speaking was in the women's private room on the second floor.
There were many women in the private room, but they all stared at a young girl in a green dress.
She wore a veil, and her bright eyes were bloodshot as she stared at An Wuji downstairs in astonishment.
Chu Jiubian frowned after recognizing the girl's somewhat familiar features.
downstairs.
An Wuji never expected that he would be implicated in this matter, and he asked sharply, "Who are you?"
The woman was startled by him and quickly hid behind another woman.
The woman also looked panicked, shielding the girl behind her, and said in a trembling voice, "I'm sorry. My daughter was being unreasonable; she was talking nonsense."
A man in his forties immediately came out from somewhere in the lobby on the first floor. He frowned and cupped his hands to An Wuji, saying, "General An, that is my third daughter. She is spoiled and pampered. Please don't mind her."
“Minister Zhao.” An Wuji looked at him. “The disappearance of Miss Su is suspicious in many ways. If your daughter knows anything, please let me know.”
Zhao Qianhe, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was a second-rank official, equivalent to An Wuji in rank, so the two spoke to each other with relative politeness.
“This…” Zhao Qianhe seemed reluctant to get involved in the matter and was in a difficult position.
Su Sheng strode up to him, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and pleaded, "Lord Zhao, the sooner we find clues, the sooner we can find my daughter. I'm begging you!"
He didn't think this matter had anything to do with An Wuji, but he knew his daughter's thoughts. She had indeed been interested in An Wuji for a long time. If someone used An Wuji's name to call her out, his daughter might really fall for it.
He knew about the Zhao family's daughter; they had always been close, and she might actually know some clues.
Zhao Qianhe was also a rare pure minister in the court. His ancestors, like the Su family, had fought alongside Emperor Wuzong during the reign of Emperor Wuzong, but they were civil officials.
Perhaps because both families were loyal ministers, they didn't mind letting their children get closer.
Seeing Su Sheng's state, Zhao Qianhe quickly offered a word of comfort.
He couldn't stop her any longer, so he looked up at his daughter on the second floor and said, "Xi'er, tell me what happened."
Zhao Xi's eyes were already red, and her thin body trembled slightly. She held her mother's hand tightly to steady herself.
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, she said in a trembling voice, "Just now, Xi'er and I came back from the third floor, and we ran into a maid at the top of the stairs. She gave Xi'er a note."
"The note asked Xi'er to come to Anlan Courtyard for a chat, and the signatory was..." She looked timidly at An Wuji, "...General An."
Now everyone had to take a closer look at An Wuji.
During this period, rumors have indeed circulated in the capital that the Su family intends to arrange a marriage between them and An Wuji. It is possible that General An and Miss Su have already been secretly having an affair.
An Wuji's expression grew even colder. He gestured to his men, and then a deputy led several soldiers away from the Treasure Pavilion to Anlan Courtyard to search for clues.
Anlan Courtyard is located at the end of this street. It is a jewelry shop and a place frequently visited by noble ladies in the capital. It is also one of Madam Su's properties.
An Wuji continued to look at Zhao Xi and asked, "I don't know Miss Su. Why would she come to see me because of a note?"
"You—" Zhao Xi hesitated, but finally said, "Xi'er is interested in you, do you really not know?"
An Wuji's expression turned blank for a moment.
He didn't even remember ever meeting that Miss Su.
After observing for a while, Chu Jiubian roughly guessed what had happened.
Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer and decided to stir up trouble in the capital.
His indifferent gaze swept over the various expressions on the faces of the people in the building, and a chill ran through him.
This is the power and wealth of the elite; to achieve their goals, they are willing to take advantage of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl.
Qin Xiao's deep voice came from beside him: "Is the head of the Ministry of Justice here?"
The sentence, spoken neither loudly nor softly, silenced the entire building, drawing countless gazes in their direction.
An Wuji looked up and saw his master standing by the railing in a black robe, his expression indifferent.
Standing beside him, Chu Jiubian had fine, wispy hair that partially obscured his eyes and brows, making his figure appear hazy and ethereal in the dim light.
"Your humble servant is here." Qiu Heng, the Minister of Justice, bowed from his private room on the second floor towards Qin Xiao and said, "There are many suspicious points in this matter. Your humble servant will go and investigate immediately."
Qin Xiao nodded.
With someone in charge, everyone felt much more at ease.
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao arrived downstairs, and An Wuji stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, they're coming for us."
"Hmm." Qin Xiao responded, then looked at the people in the building and raised his voice, "The incident happened suddenly, so please stay a while longer and cooperate with the Ministry of Justice's questioning."
Everyone present may have seen or done something, so we cannot let them go back yet.
Everyone agreed, but couldn't help but huddle together in twos and threes, whispering among themselves, making the building a bit noisy for a moment.
Before long, Qiu Heng arrived on the first floor and invited Miss Zhao Xi and Madam Zhao down as well.
Zhao Qianhe quickly stepped forward to protect his wife and daughter, and the mother and daughter were no longer so afraid.
Su Sheng and Qiu Heng exchanged greetings, and then walked together to Chu Jiubian and the others.
Qiu Heng was not tall, had a serious and cold square face, a mustache, and a black mole the size of a little fingernail on his right cheekbone. He had an aura that kept strangers at bay.
He bowed to Qin Xiao, who nodded in response.
Qiu Heng then looked at An Wuji and said, "The matter is urgent, so I won't stand on ceremony with you."
“Please speak, sir,” An Wuji said.
"So many dignitaries have come to today's auction, and my Qiu family's guards are stationed all along this street. How did General An's Imperial Guards manage to get here?"
An Wuji: "It was a servant from Lord Su's household who came to me, saying that Miss Su the Second has gone missing, and Lord Su wants to ask me for help."
Upon hearing this, Su Sheng hurriedly replied, "He's not one of my people. Madam just told me that my daughter was missing when you arrived."
He happened to run into An Wuji when he was about to go out to look for someone.
Upon meeting him, An Wuji immediately asked if Su Xier was truly missing. Su Sheng, upon seeing that even the Imperial Guards knew about it, realized that his daughter was in grave danger and hurriedly asked An Wuji for help. This led to the scene where An Wuji questioned everyone earlier.
"It seems someone did this on purpose." Qiu Heng glanced sideways into the building, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally turning to Su Sheng and asking, "Has Your Excellency offended anyone recently?"
Su Sheng chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Who could I, a loyal subject, possibly offend?"
Of course, this offended all forces except Qin Xiao.
The Qiu family is naturally included as well.
Qiu Heng met his gaze and remained silent for a moment.
Just now, everyone might not have figured out what was going on, but now, the people in the building can see it clearly.
Today's actions are aimed at Su Sheng and Qin Xiao.
Su Sheng is a recognized loyal subject who will be loyal to whoever is the emperor, so he is naturally on the same side as Qin Xiao now.
Furthermore, many people in the capital had heard rumors that he intended to marry his youngest daughter to An Wuji.
If this marriage goes through, the Minister of Revenue will be completely bound to Qin Xiao, which would be an excellent help to Qin Xiao.
But for others, this is not a good thing.
Only if Qin Xiao is suppressed will they have a chance to control the court and the young emperor.
They couldn't watch Qin Xiao's power grow stronger, so they absolutely couldn't let him get too close to Su Sheng. Today's incident was to destroy this marriage alliance.
Su Sheng's most beloved daughter was tricked away using An Wuji's name.
Even if Miss Su Er returns unharmed, and even if everyone knows that this matter has nothing to do with An Wuji, Su Sheng will never let his daughter be associated with him again. In fact, he himself will not get too close to Qin Xiao. This is a warning given to him by other forces.
This is naturally the result of thinking positively.
If the person behind this were even more ruthless, they might have directly killed the innocent Miss Su.
At that time, the Su family and An Wuji will have no hope of a marriage alliance. In fact, given Su Sheng's love for his daughter, he might lose his temper and hold a grudge against Qin Xiao and An Wuji.
Even if Su Sheng remains rational and doesn't blame the two, the young life that stands between them will become an irreparable rift.
Their alliance in the court ceased to exist.
There is also a third possibility—
If Su Sheng becomes exhausted by this matter and completely withdraws from the center of power, then his position as Minister of Revenue can be replaced by other forces.
This is an open scheme.
Regardless of the final outcome, the person behind it will get what they want.
The other party was clearly telling everyone that he was planning to sow discord between the Su family and Qin Xiao, and that he was threatening Su Sheng.
But Su Sheng had no choice but to step in.
All he hopes for now is that his daughter is alive and safe.
She was only sixteen years old. Just moments before, she was being affectionate with her parents, saying she wanted to go play with her married older sister. But now she has disappeared without a trace.
Chu Jiubian watched these people before him like an outsider, yet he personally felt the cruelty of the power struggle among the elite.
With just a flick of the wrist, the people behind the scenes can sacrifice, abandon, and manipulate countless innocent people.
This was completely different from how he felt when reading texts and novels; he had now become one of those caught in the vortex.
“Anping,” Qin Xiao suddenly spoke.
"Your subject is present."
Have you exchanged letters with Miss Su?
An Wuji glanced at Su Sheng before replying in a deep voice, "My lord, I don't remember ever seeing Miss Su the Second."
Su Sheng's gaze fell on him, his eyes bloodshot, but he didn't say anything.
He knew better than anyone that his daughter's feelings were unrequited; otherwise, he wouldn't have always spoken ill of An Wuji to her in an attempt to change her mind.
But in Su Xier's view, her father was just like most fathers, who simply couldn't stand his future son-in-law.
"That's strange." A gentle voice came from behind Chu Jiubian, and everyone looked over.
The newcomer was a young man dressed in a dark green brocade robe, with a gentle and refined demeanor. He took the initiative to step forward and greet the crowd with a cupped-hand salute.
"This humble official, Zhen Fu, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, greets all of you gentlemen." He then bowed separately to Su Sheng and said, "Greetings, Father-in-law."
Su Sheng had one son and two daughters. His son was the prefect of Ruyang Prefecture in Southern Zhili. His younger daughter, Su Xi'er, was not yet married, while his elder daughter, Su Qiao'er, had married Zhen Fu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, two years earlier.
"What did you say was strange?" Su Sheng asked hurriedly.
Zhen Fu said, "Madam mentioned to me that Anlan Courtyard is my mother-in-law's private property, which she plans to give to my younger sister as part of her dowry. Therefore, she has been in charge of managing the shop for a long time. If someone really invited my younger sister to Anlan Courtyard, it means that the other party must have carefully chosen this place, knowing that my younger sister would not be on guard there."
After all, it was her mother's business, and she had managed it for a long time, so Su Xier must be very familiar with it.
So when the person who wrote the note invited her there, she wasn't too nervous.
Qiu Heng said, "This must have been premeditated. It wouldn't be difficult for the person behind it to know that Miss Su is familiar with Anlan Courtyard."
“Yes, but there is still one doubt,” Zhen Fu said. “Madam always mentions my younger sister at home. In my opinion, my younger sister is very proper and not the kind of person who would secretly meet with men outside the marriage.”
"Yes, that's right!" Su Sheng was so anxious that he forgot this most important point.
His daughter was very well-mannered by his wife and had a quiet personality. She rarely went out unless she was managing the shop.
Aside from that, she would only go out for a visit if invited by close female friends or at a banquet she couldn't refuse.
However, even when she goes out, she always comes home before dinner.
Moreover, although she had been happy and healthy before, she had never secretly gone out to see him, let alone exchanged gifts privately.
So how could she possibly run out just because of one sentence so late at night?
Su Sheng said, "She heard that the Ninth Prince, who could recite 'A Spray of Plum Blossoms,' had come today, so she decided to come and see him."
Based on this timeline, Su Xier left the Treasure Pavilion precisely when Chu Jiubian was discussing poetry with Bai Gongjin.
How could a girl who came for poetry and for Chu Jiubian possibly leave at a time like this?
Was the signature on that note really An Wuji?
This question simultaneously arose in everyone's minds.
Or rather, was there really such a note?
Chu Jiubian looked at Zhao Qian and his family of three. The third Miss Zhao, Zhao Xi, was tightly holding her mother's arm, her eyes were red, and there were two winding tear tracks on her veil. The sadness in her eyes seemed genuine.
The note was mentioned by this Miss Zhao, and she was also the one who initially led everyone to suspect An Wuji.
But whether such a note actually existed, nobody knows.
The manager of Treasure Pavilion hurriedly returned from outside, greeted Qin Xiao and the others, and said to Qiu Heng, "Sir, four of our guards have died, the ones who were guarding Anlan Courtyard."
"How did he die?"
"Slit the throat, kill instantly," the shopkeeper said in a deep voice. "The person who did this is highly skilled in martial arts and acted decisively."
Qiu Heng frowned: "It seems someone killed the guards and kidnapped Miss Su."
The Imperial Guards who went to investigate also returned, and their report was almost identical to that of the shopkeeper.
"They dare to kidnap and kill people right under our noses. They've got some nerve." A murderous glint flashed in An Wuji's eyes.
Su Sheng's gaze started from Qin Xiao and then moved to the powerful and influential people in the building, from the whispering officials on the first floor to the heads of aristocratic families in the private rooms on the second floor.
Wang Huanzhi and Wang Zhang remained seated at the table, drinking tea with graceful and relaxed postures, as if nothing that happened downstairs concerned them.
Lu Jinfeng was wiping his treasured sword with a cloth.
Xiao Yao and Xiao Wendao, the Vice Minister of Works, stood together by the railing, talking about something, both with smiles on their faces.
A noblewoman has disappeared, her fate unknown, yet no one cares.
Su Sheng gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly.
"Go look for her again." An Wuji gave the order, and most of the Imperial Guards left the Treasure Pavilion to search for Su Xier.
Almost no one in the building wanted Qin Xiao to form an alliance with Su Sheng. In other words, almost everyone in the building was a suspect and could be the mastermind behind it all.
They can't possibly lock up and interrogate all these powerful figures. The most important thing now is to find them first.
Su Sheng closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.
When he opened his eyes again, his emotions had returned to calm, but his overall demeanor seemed to have become more profound.
"Thank you for your help, General An," he said.
An Wuji replied, "It is my duty, sir. You are too kind."
The Imperial Guards were in charge of maintaining order in the capital. If someone committed murder or robbery in the streets under their jurisdiction, it was indeed his responsibility to intervene.
He was also very anxious. Even though it was a girl he didn't know, it was still dangerous in the middle of the night.
He couldn't sit still, so he went out to find people himself.
In the blink of an eye, a quarter of an hour had passed.
Zhen Fu and Qiu Heng sought out several colleagues from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice to search for clues, but to no avail.
Chu Jiubian looked towards the doorway.
Why hasn't Qin Chaoyang come back yet?
He had already guessed the whole story; among the two women who had hurriedly left earlier was Su Xi'er.
With Qin Chaoyang with her, she should be fine.
Qin Xiao noticed his expression and couldn't help but look towards the door.
Qin Chaoyang's pursuit of the two women was something he had agreed to, so like Chu Jiubian, he wasn't too worried about Su Xier's safety.
He was more interested in figuring out who had orchestrated the incident.
However, the person who did the deed has now come forward, and we are just waiting for Su Xier to come back and identify him.
The doors of the Treasure Pavilion had been wide open since the Imperial Guards arrived. People coming and going were all armed guards and government officials busy searching for clues.
Suddenly, a slender, beautiful figure ran in through the doorway.
Everyone inside was talking amongst themselves and shouldn't have noticed, but the moment the girl entered, the family heads and strategists upstairs all looked in that direction.
The slightly noisy Treasure Pavilion suddenly fell silent at this moment.
Surprised, puzzled, curious, thoughtful... all sorts of glances passed between them.
The girl in the center of the field of vision wore a veil, and her hair was slightly messy, but still quite presentable.
Her eyes were red and her face was streaked with tears, making her look helpless and pitiful.
"Xi'er..." Su Sheng froze on the spot for a moment. After realizing what had happened, he didn't care about losing his composure and quickly ran towards his daughter.
Su Xier also saw her father, and the tears she had just stopped immediately streamed down her face. She threw herself into her father's arms and cried so hard that she couldn't even make a sound.
Chu Jiubian felt relieved and looked at An Wuji and Qin Chaoyang, who had followed Su Xier in.
Qin Chaoyang has a very low profile, and many people subconsciously ignore him.
But now he has a strong presence, stepping into everyone's sight along with the flamboyant An Wuji, silently telling everyone: Su Xier was found by the Qin family.
Chu Jiubian couldn't help but glance at Qin Xiao, only to find that the other person was also looking at him.
Their eyes met, and they both paused for a moment before looking away.
The building was extremely quiet, with only Su Xier's soft sobs and Su Sheng's words of comfort.
Under these circumstances, Qin Chaoyang walked up to Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian and reported in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft: "My lord, young master, I was just following Miss Su when I saw three men kill the Lu family guards and kidnap Miss Su. I chased after them and fought with them, but they were all assassins, and when they saw that things were not going well, they committed suicide."
Since they were assassins, they wouldn't be carrying anything to prove their identity, so Qin Chaoyang found nothing.
"Understood." Qin Xiao responded indifferently, and Qin Chaoyang retreated behind him, once again becoming the guard with an extremely low profile.
"Zhen Shaoqing," Qin Xiao said, looking at Zhen Fu, "Your position makes it easier for you to go and ask what happened."
Zhen Fu walked up to Su Sheng and Su Xi'er, comforted them for a while, and then asked, "Little sister, why did you leave alone?"
Su Xier was still choking with sobs when she heard this, but then she remembered something and immediately looked around.
Her tearful gaze swept over everyone present, and finally settled on a thin figure, whereupon she stopped moving.
Following her gaze, one could see that the figure was none other than Zhao Xi, the third young lady of Zhao, who had previously identified An Wuji.
Zhao Xi's face was deathly pale, and he was trembling like a leaf. His once bright eyes were now filled with a complex mix of panic, joy, sorrow, and helplessness.
Zhao Qianhe, standing to the side, had a cold and stern expression, but his chest was heaving heavily.
Madam Zhao was puzzled and wanted to say something, but seeing Zhao Qianhe's ugly face and her daughter's condition, she dared not say anything more.
Zhen Fu's eyes turned slightly cold: "Little sister, was it Miss Zhao who asked you to go out?"
“Yes.” Su Xi’er looked at her former best friend with mixed feelings. “She said she had lost her personal jade pendant and was afraid that someone with ulterior motives would pick it up, so she asked me to go with her to secretly find it back.”
It goes without saying how important a woman's personal belongings are. If they were picked up by someone with malicious intent, Zhao Xi's reputation would be ruined.
Su Xi'er knew how troublesome this matter was, and she also knew that the fewer people who knew, the better. So she didn't even bother to read Chu Jiubian's poem and accompanied Zhao Xi out of the Treasure Pavilion.
Not long after she went out, she was knocked unconscious and kidnapped. Before she completely lost consciousness, she heard Zhao Xi say to her, choking back tears, "I'm sorry, I will come to be with you."
Therefore, the two women Chu Jiubian saw earlier were not Su Xier and his maid, but Su Xier and Zhao Xi.
Earlier in the private room, Zhao Xi was dressed as a maid and stood with Su Xier, so Chu Jiubian subconsciously mistook her for a maid.
Looking back now, Zhao Xi deliberately disguised herself as a maid. After all, everyone was wearing veils, and if she kept her head down and didn't say anything, no one would have noticed.
Of course, Su Xier, who was close to her, would know that she was her, but she had a million reasons to make Su Xier accept her dressed as a maid, such as her father not allowing her to come, or that she thought it was fun, or that she was too lazy to socialize with other ladies and young ladies, etc.
After disguising herself, she found another opportunity to go out. When she returned, she frantically told Su Xier that she had lost her personal jade pendant near Anlan Courtyard. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone in the building was focused on Chu Jiubian and Bai Gongjin, she led Su Xier away from the Treasure Pavilion.
Su Xi'er was pampered and spoiled at a young age, and since there weren't many dirty secrets in the Su family's inner quarters, she was less vigilant than most people.
Moreover, she wouldn't suspect her best friend without reason, so she was successfully taken away.
After Su Xier was kidnapped, Zhao Xi returned to the Treasure Pavilion, changed into a dress, and appeared before everyone as Miss Zhao the Third.
After An Wuji arrived after receiving the message from the stranger, she publicly identified the stranger as the one who had taken Su Xier away.
"Why?" Su Xi'er asked Zhao Xi in a hoarse voice.
If someone hadn't rescued her, she wouldn't know where she is now, or if she would even be alive.
Her trusted friend actually handed her over to bad guys.
Why is that?
Zhao Xi kept her head down, her lips bleeding from being bitten, and large tears fell, but she didn't dare to look up at Su Xier.
She had no explanation; she had simply made a terrible mistake.
Now that things have come to this, everyone knows that the Zhao family is inextricably linked to this matter.
Being able to command three assassins and use them to sow discord between Su Sheng and Qin Xiao is clearly not something a young girl like Zhao Xi could do.
She and Su Xier were nothing more than two insignificant grains of sand on this chessboard, and no one cared whether they were in pain.
In a private room on the second floor, Wang Huanzhi casually asked Wang Zhang, "Sir, who do you think did this?"
"No matter who did it, it's all useless now."
“Yes.” Wang Huanzhi scoffed lightly, “No matter how much we planned, we didn’t expect that the person would be rescued by Qin Xiao’s men.”
The person who orchestrated this was aiming to sow discord between Su Sheng and Qin Xiao.
It was originally a well-laid plan that allowed for both offense and defense, and regardless of whether Su Xier was ultimately safe or not, the goal of the person behind the scenes would be achieved.
But not only was Su Xier unharmed, Qin Xiao also gained the title of "lifesaver" for nothing.
Even though Su Sheng dared not get too close to Qin Xiao after that, fearing that the same thing would happen again, he would never be Qin Xiao's enemy.
He might even speak up for Qin Xiao in the imperial court.
It's a classic case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead.
Wang Huanzhi lightly waved his folding fan: "Such a clumsy method, I wonder whose handiwork it is."
"It can't be called clumsy." Wang Zhang's gaze fell on the figure downstairs who hadn't uttered a word but whose presence was always palpable. "The other party just overlooked one variable."
While others might not have noticed the discussion about poetry, he saw Chu Jiubian and Qin Chaoyang say something, after which Qin Chaoyang disappeared.
Just now, Qin Chaoyang reappeared and brought Su Xier back with him.
"One move ruined most of the plans of the person behind it." Wang Zhang sighed softly.
Whether it was because the Ninth Prince was too lucky or because he was shrewd, he managed to secure a place for himself amidst the power struggles.
Most of the plan?
Wang Huanzhi turned his head to look at him, and in a flash he suddenly understood everything, and his heart sank.
Yes, the person behind the scenes has more to do than just that.
He looked down at the building below.
Downstairs, Zhao Xi was already sobbing uncontrollably.
Her legs gave way and she collapsed to her knees, repeatedly murmuring, "I'm sorry. It's my fault, it's all my fault. It was me, I did it all..."
Mrs. Zhao was terrified. She held her daughter and wept uncontrollably.
She clutched at Zhao Qianhe's robe, crying and pleading, "Master, please save Xi'er, save our child! What has happened? What has happened?!"
Zhao Qianhe closed his eyes, finding it difficult to breathe.
But soon, he let out a long breath and opened his eyes again.
He pulled the hem of his robe from his wife's hand, turned around and bowed deeply in the direction of Qin Xiao and the others, and said in a hoarse voice, "I failed to educate my daughter well, which caused her to be jealous of others and commit such an evil deed that angers both heaven and man."
"Master!!" Madam Zhao exclaimed in surprise.
Zhao Xi closed her eyes in despair, the blood from her bitten lips spreading across her pure white veil. She didn't utter another word.
Zhao Qianhe said in a hoarse voice, enunciating each word clearly, "My daughter is guilty. Please punish her according to the law!"
"Instigating subordinates to kill or kidnap is a capital offense," said Qiu Heng, Minister of Justice, coldly. "Vice Minister Zhao, you should know this."
"I understand." The struggle in Zhao Qianhe's eyes completely disappeared, leaving only calmness. "I have failed to properly educate my daughter. I humbly request that Prince Ning inform His Majesty that I am willing to be fined three years' salary as an apology."
Qin Xiao looked down at him, and the powerful pressure made Zhao Qian break out in a cold sweat.
The building was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"It's getting late," Qin Xiao said calmly. "Go back now. We'll discuss this matter with His Majesty at the morning court tomorrow."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Qianhe turned pale and stumbled, falling to his knees.
The regent, who was second only to the emperor, spoke, and no one lingered any longer, all responding in agreement.
Soon, everyone left the Treasure Pavilion and went home.
However, they all knew in their hearts that this farce was not going to end there.
Tomorrow's morning court session will be the real battleground.
Su Sheng glanced coldly at Zhao Qianhe, who was limp all over, then turned and slowly walked out the door with his daughter.
Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian also planned to leave, but after they went out, they found Lu Jinfeng waiting by their carriage.
Upon seeing the two of them emerge, Lu Jinfeng stepped forward and bowed.
Qin Xiao returned the greeting: "Does Patriarch Lu have something to say?"
“I’m looking for Young Master Jiu.” Lu Jinfeng stared intently at Chu Jiubian.
Chu Jiubian's expression remained unchanged: "What is it?"
Lu Jinfeng asked somewhat nervously, "I just wanted to ask you, young master, is Mr. Zhou Yu still alive?"
Judging from the meaning of the poem just now, it seems that this Mr. Zhou Yu has passed away.
Chu Jiubian really didn't expect him to ask this, and replied, "Immortals don't die."
Lu Jinfeng's expression froze.
Chu Jiubian found it quite amusing. Having seen so many old foxes, it was truly rare to suddenly encounter a family head who wore his heart on his sleeve.
Lu Jinfeng didn't believe in any gods or anything like that, but Chu Jiubian clearly didn't want to answer the question directly, so he guessed that Mr. Zhou Yu must be gone.
"What about the other heroes? Are there any even more powerful ones?" Lu Jinfeng perked up again. "I don't mean anything by it, I just want to spar with them."
He may not have meant anything by it, but it certainly made it difficult for Chu Jiubian to answer.
“Patriarch Lu,” Qin Xiao said at the right moment, “it’s getting late, let’s talk another day.”
Lu Jinfeng could tell that Chu Jiubian didn't want to talk, so he had no choice but to suppress his fighting spirit and bid farewell to the two of them.
After everyone left, Chu Jiubian got into the car, and Qin Xiao followed.
The carriage wasn't small, and it wasn't cramped for two men who were 1.8 or 1.9 meters tall to sit inside. They each sat on one side, and neither of them spoke.
It's inconvenient to keep the oil lamp in the carriage, so the interior is now completely dark, with only the faint moonlight filtering through the curtains revealing each other's silhouettes.
Qin Chaoyang drove the carriage, which swayed and rocked, towards the palace, which was the furthest away.
The number of carriages carrying dignitaries traveling alongside them gradually decreased until finally, only their carriage remained on the wide stone-paved road.
All I could hear were the sounds of horses' hooves, wheels rubbing against the ground, and the occasional creaking of the carriage frame.
In the silent car, a young man's slightly cool voice suddenly rang out: "Does it hurt?"
Qin Xiao's deep gaze traced the blurry outline of the person opposite him, and he said, "A little."
Those two stabs were very solid, almost piercing through his shoulder.
Chu Jiubian reached out and handed over two anti-inflammatory pills, saying, "Take these, and your wound will heal faster."
Qin Xiao took it, felt it, and found it to be two flat pills.
"Is this another divine object?" he asked.
Chu Jiubian leaned against the car wall with his arms crossed and said calmly, "Don't worry, it's not poisonous."
Qin Xiao stared at him for a while before raising his hand, putting the pill in his mouth, and swallowing it dry.
Chu Jiubian chuckled lightly: "Eat them all. No one can learn how to do it."
"You can see that?" Qin Xiao waved his hand in front of Chu Jiubian, but Chu Jiubian slapped it away.
Qin Xiao laughed and took the pill he had hidden.
"Be nicer to me, I have plenty of these things." Chu Jiubian seemed sleepy, his voice trailing off and becoming much gentler.
Qin Xiao naturally lowered his voice as well: "How can I treat you well?"
"Just don't break your promises all the time."
They had previously promised him the position of Grand Tutor and that he would attend court, but two days have passed and there has been no progress.
Today, Chu Jiubian has once again chosen Qin Xiao among so many powerful and influential people. If the other party is still not satisfied, then he will not know what is good for him.
Qin Xiao knew what he was talking about and readily agreed.
After the carriage entered the palace, neither of them spoke again, nor did they mention the events of the evening.
There's not much to say; they all know perfectly well what's going on.
It was clearly that Zhao, the self-proclaimed loyal minister and vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who had sided with a certain power, but they only treated him like a monkey, using him and then discarding him.
The carriage stopped in front of the palace road, and the two got out.
Xiao Xiangzi had been waiting there for a while, and when he saw people coming, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.
Qin Xiao said to Chu Jiu Bian, "Get some rest. I'll come to see you tomorrow morning."
Tomorrow morning?
Chu Jiubian responded with an "okay," seemingly lost in thought.
Qin Xiao returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and Chu Jiubian and Xiao Xiangzi also returned to Yaotai Residence.
Everyone at Yaotai Residence was still awake, and hot water and tea had been prepared for Chu Jiubian to wash up and have a drink.
"Go and rest," Chu Jiubian said, dismissing everyone before entering the inner room.
As soon as he entered, he saw that there was an extra clothes rack in the room.
On the large, square-shaped mahogany clothes rack, a set of crimson official robes was hanging at the moment.
Chu Jiubian stepped forward, raising his hand to stroke the smooth fabric and the delicate auspicious cloud embroidery on it.
It was Xiao Yinzi's turn to keep watch today. He added a tub of hot water to the bath and, seeing that Chu Jiubian had noticed the official robe, he smiled and said, "Young master, this official robe was delivered around this evening. We servants have checked it, and the design and embroidery are correct."
The clothes were all made to fit Chu Jiubian's original clothes, so they were guaranteed to fit perfectly.
"I heard that Your Excellency ordered the Imperial Wardrobe to speed up the production two days ago. The embroiderers dared not be perfunctory, which is why the embroidery was a bit slow. Otherwise, it could have been delivered yesterday."
Chu Jiubian was just hinting at this to Qin Xiao in the car, but he didn't expect that Qin Xiao had even prepared a uniform.
No wonder he said he would come to see him tomorrow morning; he really wanted to take him to court with him.
Chu Jiubian was in a good mood. It seemed that the two anti-inflammatory pills he gave away tonight were worthwhile. He could give away two more tomorrow.
The morning court session was to begin at the beginning of the Mao hour, which is around 5 a.m., so Chu Jiubian had to get up around 4 a.m.
My plan to recruit another believer tonight has fallen through. I should go to sleep and recharge, as I have things to do at the morning court tomorrow.
Chu Jiubian slept well, but few people in the capital slept soundly.
The Su residence.
The frightened Su Xi'er kept waking up in fear all night, and Madam Su stayed with her all night with tears in her eyes.
Su Sheng, in his study, worked all night with his advisor Fan He, sorting through numerous letters and documents. Each letter bore the inscription "Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel" and "Zhao Qianhe."
Summer days are early; it's already getting light around 4 a.m.
The Second Ring Road, near the palace, also became lively, as officials arrived one after another in carriages outside the Shenwu Gate and lined up according to their rank.
Amidst hushed conversations, the Shenwu Gate was slowly opened by the Imperial Guards on duty, and officials led by the Ministers of the Six Ministries entered the palace.
Chu Jiubian changed into his brand-new official robes, ate breakfast, and then stepped out of the courtyard.
They had just walked along a palace path when they turned a corner and ran into Qin Xiao.
"Have you eaten?" Qin Xiao asked.
He always spoke so naturally, as if he were very familiar with Chu Jiubian.
"I've eaten." Chu Jiubian walked alongside him toward the Fengtian Hall. "Are your injuries any better?"
"I've recovered completely after taking your medicine."
Chu Jiubian: "..."
That's an anti-inflammatory drug, not a magic pill.
Qin Xiao smiled and turned to look at him.
The young man was good-looking and fair-skinned, so any color suited him. Even in this slightly somber purplish-red official robe, he looked better than anyone else.
"What are you looking at?"
"It's nothing," Qin Xiao said, still smiling.
Chu Jiubian, however, felt that his smile didn't reach his eyes, and that he was probably not in a good mood.
"What happened?" he asked.
Qin Xiao was silent for a moment, then said, "The news that came last night is that Miss Zhao committed suicide out of fear of punishment."
Chu Jiubian paused in his steps.
The Su residence.
Su Xier tossed and turned all night, and then simply refused to sleep, nestled in her mother's arms in a daze.
Just as dawn was breaking and they were getting ready to go outside, a nanny brought them a letter from the front yard, saying that Su Sheng had asked her to give it to Su Xi'er.
Su Xier took the letter.
The seal was open, so Su Sheng must have inspected it before sending it over.
The envelope was signed Zhao Xi.
Su Xier's vision blurred instantly. She was filled with hatred and sorrow, and with trembling hands, she took out the letter and unfolded it.
A thin sheet of paper, containing only a few words.
Xi'er, by the time you read this letter, I will no longer be alive.
Once I was drawn into this situation, I was powerless to resist and could only be pushed forward.
Even though I harmed you, I never intended to live on alone.
I'm sorry. I don't ask for your forgiveness, I only ask that you take care of yourself, and that you stay away from the capital, and never follow in my footsteps.
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