Chu Xi saw Chu Jiaoping walking towards him, and his steps paused slightly, knowing that his previous actions had aroused his suspicion. However, he did not take the initiative, but waited for him to ask questions.
"Second brother, you... have really changed a lot after losing your memory." Chu Jiaoping had so many doubts in his mind that he didn't even know where to start. He could only utter this sentence with mixed emotions.
Chu Xi was silent for a moment, then said: "Really? Actually, I don't remember much about the past."
Chu Jiaoping was concerned that this was Xie Jingyuan's residence, so as not to arouse suspicion, he did not say too much to Chu Xi: "Mother is very worried about you, but it's good to prove that this matter has nothing to do with you. How are you doing in the general's residence?"
How are you doing
The person who should not be provoked the most in the entire general's mansion is Xie Jingyuan, but he will not take the initiative to cause trouble. Most of the time, he stays in his room alone, looking sick, so Chu Xi actually lives a good life.
But he definitely couldn't say that to Chu Jiaoping.
Chu Xi smiled faintly and gave a compromising answer: "Xie Jingyuan already has some trust in me..."
so,
"There's no need to send assassins from King Jin's side. I'll take the things."
He seemed to be hinting at something, like the military list.
The protagonist is loyal to King Jin, so he must have many talented people under his command. The three spies who died yesterday were actually just sent to fight in the front, and the real masters are behind. Although the general's mansion has a strong hot spring, it may not be able to withstand it.
It would be better for Chu Xi to take the initiative to give him a fake list to fool him and avoid some subsequent troubles.
Chu Jiaoping frowned slightly, a little worried, and lowered his voice: "Can you really get the list?"
Chu Xi nodded: "Brother, just wait for my news tonight."
Yesterday, Chu Xi mentioned that he wanted to move to a new place, so Xie Jingyuan asked him to move all his belongings to Yuhen Pavilion. The layout of this place was not much different from the previous courtyard, the only difference was probably the study room where many confidential letters were placed.
Chu Xi only took a glance and then calmly withdrew his gaze. He had finished bathing, and was wearing a loose white shirt. He sat cross-legged at the end of the bed, slowly spreading out a roll of silver needles, and said in a gentle voice: "General, let me give you acupuncture today."
Chu Xi had to give him acupuncture. The fat little medicine boy Xie Jingyuan was beaten and cried yesterday, and he refused to give acupuncture no matter what. But Wan Jimiao was still studying the antidote and staying at the medicine house. He had forgotten to eat and sleep, so he had no time to give acupuncture.
Xie Jingyuan knelt down on the edge of the bed, wiping his Luoyuan sword. The sword needed to be wiped from time to time and could not be covered with dust. He seemed to like wiping all kinds of weapons, either swords, bows, or daggers.
Xie Jingyuan glanced at Chu Xi and said, "You touched and rubbed the corpse today, and you still want to give me acupuncture?"
This is unfair. "Touch" means "touched", but how to explain the word "knead"? He went to perform an autopsy, not to do anything else.
Chu Xi lowered his head upon hearing this, looked at his hand, and asked, "Why, General, are you afraid that I will do the same to you, huh...?"
The last word was a nasal sound, which contrasted with his deep and magnetic voice, making the eardrums itch and the heart burn for some reason.
Xie Jingyuan was not wearing a mask. He looked at Chu Xi with a sidelong glance, and his narrow and deep eyes had two clusters of unexplained wildfires under the candlelight. The right side of his face looked even more horrified, which made people curious again, how did this injury come about
"Ah… "
Xie Jingyuan seemed determined not to stop until Chu Xi was frightened. He leaned closer to Chu Xi and whispered something dark and cold in her ear. It was like a poisonous snake swallowing its core, teasing and dangerous.
Xie Jingyuan asked word by word: "Do you dare?"
Chu Xi glanced at Xie Jingyuan's face, which was so close to him, and felt that the corners of his lips were slightly raised, as if he was mocking something. He stretched out his hand and gently stroked Xie Jingyuan's injured right face with his fingertips. He asked in a low voice with a smile, "Why not?"
The semi-transparent gauze curtains were hanging down, and the red candles were swaying, casting a warm yellow glow. From the outside, only two shadows could be seen, like gradually melting wax, dissolving into this boundless beauty.
Xie Jingyuan subconsciously turned his head to hide the wound. He wore a jade tied with a red string around his neck, which was accidentally exposed at this time. Chu Xi saw two words engraved on it -
Lanting.
"Is that your courtesy name?" Chu Xi stretched out his hand and pinched the jade, and could only come up with this one explanation.
Xie Lanting, what a nice name.
Xie Jingyuan didn't expect that he would pay attention to the jade, and subconsciously raised his hand to take it back, but for some reason, he froze in mid-air and slowly fell down - it was a contradictory action of wanting to stop it, but struggling to give up.
"… "
Xie Jingyuan said nothing, neither admitting nor denying. When Chu Xi had seen enough, he put the jade back into his collar and hid it under his clothes.
Seeing Chu Xi's thoughtful look, Xie Jingyuan was afraid that Chu Xi might guess something, so he sneered and threatened with narrowed eyes: "Do you know that anyone who has seen this jade must die?"
Chu Xi raised his eyebrows lightly: "Since this jade should not be seen by others, why does the general want to wear it?"
"… "
Xie Jingyuan was choked when he heard this. He stared at Chu Xi for a long time without saying a word. Finally, he turned his back to Chu Xi, undressed himself, and said in an unexplainable way, "Acupuncture."
I don't know what the previous sentence touched him, and Xie Jingyuan became very tense.
Chu Xi did not immediately give him acupuncture. Instead, he placed his right hand on his shoulder and rubbed it lightly. Xie Jingyuan closed his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. After a while, he asked, "Can you do an autopsy?"
Chu Xi smiled: "Of course not."
It was not uncommon for a rich young man to learn martial arts, but it was too unreasonable for him to be able to perform autopsies, so he did not admit it.
Xie Jingyuan raised his eyes, staring at the distance with a dark gaze, and curled his lips: "Then how do you know that the one who killed Jiu Niang is a master?"
"Thirty-four sword wounds, all of the same depth. How could he not be a master? He is either a famous swordsman or a famous chef." Chu Xi made a joke.
Xie Jingyuan had seen the corpse from afar today. He was an expert in weapons, and he added with a half-smile: "Maybe he was an expert in using two swords."
Chu Xi paused when he heard this, approached him from behind, and smiled: "General, you actually think the same as me."
His action was like hugging Xie Jingyuan from behind, with his shoulder pressed against the other's back, bringing a touch of warmth.
Xie Jingyuan lowered his eyes, moved his fingertips, and struggled for a moment, but then slowly calmed down, and his fingertips returned to calm. He acquiesced to Chu Xi's somewhat presumptuous actions and chuckled: "You are good at flattering yourself. So, have you guessed who the murderer is?"
Chu Xi did have some clues.
Today's speculations about the murderer reminded him of a supporting character who had appeared in the original novel of "A Thousand Years of Marquisship". However, the plot had changed too much, so he was not sure.
Chu Jiaoping: "Maybe. I want to go to the outskirts of Beijing tomorrow."
Xie Jingyuan paused, and glared at him sinisterly: "Why, you don't want to live anymore?"
The mastermind behind this incident was clearly targeting Chu Xi. If he rashly went to the place where the incident happened, what else could he do but seek death? There were so many eyes in the capital, and if he took a step out of the general's mansion, they would immediately stare at him.
Chu Xi obviously knew this: "I plan to go at night to avoid being seen."
Xie Jingyuan said in a cold tone: "Really? Then you are very smart."
If we translate this sentence with the tone, it actually means: You are so stupid.
Xie Jingyuan didn't say anything else, and slowly relaxed. Chu Xi gave him acupuncture while saying, "This may not be directed at me."
Xie Jingyuan flicked his fingertips lightly: "It's not directed at you, is it directed at me?"
Chu Xi said: "It's almost right."
Although everything pointed to Chu Xi, he did not look at the superficial illusions, but only at the interests behind them. Chu Xi was just a playboy, so what was the point of targeting him? He could only be used as a pawn to affect the forces behind him.
Chu Xi deliberately tricked Xie Jingyuan into running away from the marriage, but it was Xie Jingyuan who was embarrassed.
Xie Jingyuan frowned fiercely upon hearing this, not knowing what he was thinking.
They both had their own thoughts. Chu Xi saw that the time was almost up, so he got out of bed and put the silver needle away. He glanced at the incense burner in the middle of the inner room, thought for a moment, paused, and suddenly said to Xie Jingyuan: "General."
Xie Jingyuan was getting dressed. Hearing this, he looked at him and said, "Speak."
Chu Xi took out a small brown incense from the incense box beside him and lowered his eyes: "I looked at the corpse today and felt very uneasy. I am afraid I will not be able to sleep all night. Can you burn some calming incense to help me sleep?"
After the poisoning incident, Xie Jingyuan became very sensitive to this kind of thing. He glanced at him and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Why, are you so scared that you can't sleep?"
How come he didn't see that Chu Xi was afraid
Chu Xi shook his head and smiled: "I'm not afraid, I'm just a little confused. If the general doesn't like it, then forget it."
As he was about to put the spice box back, he heard Xie Jingyuan: "It's up to you."
Chu Xi subconsciously raised his eyes, only to see Xie Jingyuan lying down to rest. The gauze curtain swayed slightly, and he could not see anything, only a hazy shadow.
Chu Xi thought he would have to talk a little harder, but he didn't expect the other party to agree so easily. He lifted the lid of the incense burner and slowly picked up a spoonful of calming incense. Seeing the smoke rising, he whispered, "General, being soft-hearted is not a good thing..."
He discovered that Xie Jingyuan was actually very soft-hearted. Was this also the main factor that led to his subsequent failure
Xie Jingyuan did not answer. He probably did not feel that Chu Xi was talking to him. After all, the word "soft-hearted" had nothing to do with him.
Two wisps of pale smoke slowly came out of the incense burner beast and dissipated into the air without a trace. Outside, the night was dark, and only the guards with swords were patrolling back and forth, and the scales and armor collided, making a slight sound.
Chu Xi sat by the couch, covering his nose with a handkerchief. Because he was not burning the incense to calm the mind, but the incense that Yun Que had found a way to make. In order to avoid Xie Jingyuan's suspicion, he only burned a little bit, but the normal smell would still make his head dizzy.
The room was completely silent. After about half a cup of tea, Chu Xi guessed that Xie Jingyuan must have fallen asleep, so he slowly got up and blew out the candle.
The candle went out, a puff of green smoke rose up, and the inner room suddenly fell into darkness. Only the moonlight outside the window could vaguely see the objects and furnishings.
Chu Xi quietly walked to the study, and then carefully searched every corner inside. Finally, he found some faint fluorescent traces on a vase with animal ears on the antique shelf. He touched it with his fingertips and finally determined that it was the fluorite powder that was secretly sprinkled on Xie Jingyuan's sleeves.
Is there anything special about this vase
Chu Xi tried to pick it up, but the animal-eared bottle seemed to be fixed, not moving at all. He raised his eyebrows slightly, turned it slightly, and heard a slight click, and something seemed to move under the desk.
"… "
Chu Xi was afraid that Xie Jingyuan would find out, so he maintained that posture for a long while without moving. Seeing that the person lying inside was motionless, he slowly leaned over and found that a piece of the floor tile underneath had sunk in.
The ancient machines were no more than this, and basically they could open a secret room by turning the vase. People in later generations might think it was commonplace, but in this era without the assistance of high-precision tools, it was already a masterpiece of ingenuity.
Chu Xi lifted the floor tiles and found the list hidden inside. He flipped through the pages one by one, and the ink marks on them were clearly visible under the moonlight. There were more than twenty pages, and six of them were Langjiang above the fourth rank.
These were Xie Jingyuan's confidants who would later assist the prince in his rebellion.
Chu Xi picked out a few unimportant names to remember, but felt that none of the high-ranking officers lacked credibility. Worried, he glanced around and the three words "Wu Xiliang" suddenly jumped into his sight.
In ancient times, those who held high positions and had great power had countless followers, but it was inevitable that there would be some traitors, and Xie Jingyuan was no exception. In the original work of "A Thousand Years of Marquisship", when Xie Jingyuan rebelled in his later years, one of his subordinates secretly rebelled and joined the King of Jin, and revealed that he had hoarded private soldiers. This was the fourth-rank Lieutenant General "Wu Xiliang".
This thing doesn't seem to have a butterfly falling off yet.
Chu Xi smiled, put the things back as they were, and then wiped off the traces of fluorite on them. He took a piece of paper from the table, and quickly wrote down a few names on the paper with the charcoal pencil he had prepared in advance, including Wu Xiliang, and then folded it into a small piece of paper and stuffed it into his sleeve.
After doing all this, he extinguished the soul-bewitching incense in the incense burner, then put on his clothes and walked to the door, gently opening it a crack.
Jiuyong was patrolling the courtyard, and when he saw this, he paused and looked over like an eagle. Although he did not say anything, it was obvious that he suspected Chu Xi of doing something illegal.
When Yun Que saw Chu Xi coming out, he remembered his instructions to him and deliberately stepped forward to ask, "Master, do you have any instructions?"
Chu Xi hummed calmly: "I have to go out of town tomorrow, remember to prepare the carriage in advance."
Yun Que nodded in agreement, but she didn't know what she remembered, and she looked embarrassed: "Sir, I... I'm not feeling well, I want to see a doctor."
Chu Xi was easy to talk to. Upon hearing this, he turned and went into the house, took out a bag of silver, stuffed the paper into it without leaving a trace, tightened the purse, and then handed it to Yun Que: "Go, don't delay the mission."
"Thank you, sir."
Yunque put away the silver and turned to walk out of the yard. However, he was stopped before he took two steps. When he looked up, it was Jiuyong.
Jiuyong's eyes showed undisguised suspicion: "What are you doing outside?"
Hearing this, Yun Que gritted his teeth in anger, but frowned slightly, holding his shoulder, pretending to be in unbearable pain: "My shoulder hurts, I'm going to see a doctor, why, this doesn't work?"
Jiuyong said in a cold tone: "Don't you know that the general's mansion has rules. Once night falls, servants are not allowed to leave the mansion without permission."
Yun Que was so angry that her eyebrows were raised, her eyes were wide open, she stamped her feet, and pushed him directly: "That's the rule of your general's mansion. I'm from Quyang Marquis's mansion, you have no right to interfere! You slapped me last time, and you still think it's not enough? If you have the guts, just kill me with a sword!"
How can you be called a hero if you only know how to bully girls every day
After saying this, Yun Que walked out without looking back, and soon disappeared at the end of the path. Jiu Yong tightened his grip on the sword, hesitated for a while, and finally did not chase after him to stop him. He frowned and continued his patrol.
Chu Xi stood by the window, and when he saw Yun Que successfully leave, he retracted his gaze. He subconsciously looked towards the inner room, but he didn't know if it was an illusion, but in a trance, something moved, and quietly lifted the curtain and walked in.
Could it be that Xie Jingyuan has woken up
Chu Xi quietly walked to the bedside, ready to reach out to test it, but as soon as her fingertips touched Xie Jingyuan, she grabbed it -
"what you do?"
A cold voice suddenly exploded in the darkness, and listening carefully, it sounded a bit lazy and sleepy.
Chu Xi's heart tightened, but she acted as if nothing had happened: "I can't sleep."
Xie Jingyuan slowly let go of him.
Chu Xi's wrist was freed from the grip, and he found a tinder on the low table next to him and relit the candle. A tiny flame lit up, flickered, and illuminated the room again.
Xie Jingyuan opened his eyes and looked at him: "What are you doing?"
Chu Xi wasn't sure when he woke up, so he sat down beside the bed and made up an excuse: "I couldn't sleep alone in the outer room."
Xie Jingyuan just woke up and frowned when he heard this: "Are you scared?"
That corpse today was really scary.
Chu Xi shook his head, his profile looking even more handsome in the candlelight: "I just couldn't sleep."
Xie Jingyuan thought, isn't that fear? He saw Chu Xi not sleeping late at night, staring at the top of the bed and thinking for a moment, then frowned and lay down inside.
Chu Xi was confused: "General?"
Xie Jingyuan frowned even more tightly: "Lie down, sleep together."