Qin Daoyan is both the Right Guard General and the Minister of War. Compared to his youth, he has become less aggressive in the court and will not personally take part in many matters. He often chooses to stand behind the scenes and add fuel to the flames.
The huge mansion looked ordinary from the outside, but it was very unusual inside. The patterns and numbers of the pillars in the hall exceeded its grade. The corridors and courtyards were full of the wild ash flowers, which were worth a fortune. When the wind blew, the white flocculent seeds flew all over the sky, just like pure white snow falling from the sky.
There were patrols in every courtyard. These were men and women, neither guards nor servants, but Qin Daoyan's adopted sons and daughters, who were good at martial arts.
Qianqian hid in the dark, feeling that these were quite difficult, and had already begun to back down, but she did not want to let the man surnamed Chu look down on her. She used her unique skills to hide her figure, and flew onto the roof in a few leaps, like a nimble swallow. Everything happened in a flash, and did not attract any attention.
Qianqian found Qin Daoyan's residence, quietly lifted a crack in the roof tiles, and looked down to see him copying memorials. Under the bright candlelight, she could vaguely see the frosty white hair on his temples.
At this moment, there was a light knock on the door outside, and a woman's voice came: "Father, Qin Shuang is back."
Qin Shuang? Who
Qianqian didn't recognize him, so she lay on the roof and continued to observe. Qin Daoyan put his brush aside, looked up at the outside, and said two words in a deep voice: "Come in."
Qianqian finally saw the whole picture. Qin Daoyan was now in his 50s, with wrinkles all over his face, no different from an ordinary person. The only difference was that his right eye was covered with a black mask, while his left eye was shining.
As soon as the voice fell, a woman in tight clothes pushed in, followed by a man in black with a high nose and deep eyes, who was probably Qin Shuang.
"Meet godfather."
Qin Shuang knelt on one knee and lowered his head to hide his expression. After escaping from the general's mansion, he did not return immediately to report, but instead found a place to recuperate and sort out his messy thoughts.
Qin Daoyan nodded and gestured to stand up: "How is the thing I asked you to do?"
Qin Shuang hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "Son, I didn't find anything that Jiu Niang left behind."
The woman in tight clothes beside him widened her eyes slightly when she heard this: "No way, Jiu Niang once told me in private that she hid the things in the suburbs, how could she not find them!"
"Thirteenth Lady—"
Qin Daoyan's voice was slightly deep, "Don't rush to open it, listen to what Qin Shuang has to say."
Qin Shuang had no choice but to tell the lie he had prepared in advance: "My son went to the outskirts of the city to search for a long time, but he didn't find anything that Jiu Niang left behind, not even the jade pendant. But I was mindful of my adoptive father's request, so I didn't dare to be careless. I searched around for a long time, so I came back late."
The wounds on his face had faded, and the wounds on his body were hidden under his clothes, so he didn't reveal any flaws.
Qin Shuang was loyal, and Qin Daoyan did not doubt it. He frowned and fell into deep thought: "Shisan Niang, are you sure that Jiu Niang said that the things were hidden in the suburbs?"
Shisan Niang lowered her head and said, "My daughter dare not lie to my foster father. Jiu Niang has long had second thoughts about my foster father. She said...she said that my foster father is vicious and I am afraid that sooner or later he will treat her as a useless chess piece. I need to prepare a foolproof plan in advance."
She was worried when she said this, and Qin Shuang lowered her eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.
Qin Daoyan was neither angry nor annoyed. He scanned the circle with his eyes. There was a hint of indifference in his heart, but his tone was full of emotion: "Oh? If she really said so, it would be a waste of my painstaking efforts to cultivate her."
Shisan Niang quickly knelt down to express her loyalty: "My daughter was separated from her biological parents when she was young. If it weren't for my adoptive father raising her, I'm afraid I would have starved to death on the street. I will never be as ungrateful as Jiu Niang."
She said this without noticing Qin Shuang's increasingly complicated look.
Qin Daoyan was satisfied. Although he was worried about the things that Jiu Niang had hidden, he was not sure whether Shisan Niang's words were true or false. Since Qin Shuang had searched for many days without finding anything, he thought it was all false.
"Well, if we can't find it, forget it."
Qin Daoyan didn't believe that death would cause any trouble. The Xie family was once powerful, but after Xie Bi's death, they also withered and fell. Although Xie Jingyuan was holding them back, they were still just a half-dead sickly family.
At this moment, a report suddenly came from outside: "Foster father, the leader of the Qiang tribe is here to visit."
The Qiang tribe will soon come to the capital, in addition to presenting gifts to the Emperor of Yan, they also request to open up trade routes between the two tribes, hoping to trade freely. The ministers in the court have mixed opinions, which makes it difficult for the Emperor of Yan to make a decision.
The Qiang leader had always had private dealings with Qin Daoyan, and this time he came to the capital with many generous gifts and visited him many times, hoping to get Qin Daoyan to lobby for him.
However, Qin Daoyan deliberately played tricks on them, repeatedly claiming to be ill and refusing to see them. This time, the Qiang chieftain made great efforts, gritted his teeth and increased the gift list by more than three times, determined to see them.
Qin Daoyan felt that the time was right, so he said, "Take her to the meeting hall. My husband will be here soon."
Qianqian lay on the roof and watched Qin Daoyan leave the room. She waited for a moment and saw that there was no ambush. Then she lifted a few tiles to reveal a head-sized area. I don't know how she did it, but she twisted her body and made two slight cracks with her bones. She actually went straight into the small hole and swam into the house like a fish, following the wall.
Qianqian still remembered that Chu Xinian said that the thing was hidden under Qin Daoyan's pillow.
She was afraid there was a mechanism in the room, so she checked everywhere before carefully walking to the bed, groping around, and finally found a slightly raised button on the wall.
"Um?"
Qianqian bit her fingertips and frowned in deep thought.
To press or not to press, that is the question.
If the bullets were fired by a machine gun, wouldn't she die on the spot
Qianqian thought for a moment, and finally relied on her own skills and courage to gently press the button, and decided to evacuate immediately if anything went wrong.
“Click—”
There was a slight sound, and there seemed to be some movement under the pillow. Qianqian lifted the quilt and found that there was a dent in the bed board, and there was indeed a square black box inside.
The world's treasure is hidden in here
Qianqian carefully took out the box and wanted to open it, but she couldn't find the switch. She simply wrapped it in a cloth bag and tied it directly to her body, and carefully restored the bed. She jumped up and left through the hole in the roof.
The next morning, at dawn, she arrived at the room she had agreed to meet with Chu Xinian.
Qianqian went straight into the general's mansion with the box. She was heroic and proud, like a victorious general, and put the black box heavily on the table, "What? I've already got this thing. It's no problem for the Minister of War's mansion!"
She didn't sleep last night and lay on the roof for a long time. She never thought that she was shivering in the cold wind while Chu Xinian was sleeping comfortably in the house.
"The girl's stealing skills are truly amazing."
Chu Xinian seemed to be amazed and did not hesitate to praise. He picked up the box and examined it carefully, but saw many scratches on it, and raised his eyebrows slightly.
Qianqian turned her head away, not daring to look. She was a thief, so of course she wanted to know what kind of treasure was hidden inside, but she didn't know what material Qin Daoyan's box was made of. It couldn't be broken by a knife or burned by fire, and she tried to open it for most of the day but couldn't.
In order to ensure the authenticity of the box, Chu Xinian deliberately asked a question and asked slowly, "Miss, this box...is it fake?"
Qianqian was so angry that she turned over and trembled all over. What grudge did this Chu have against her? Not only did he ruin her good deeds again and again, but he also insulted her professional ethics. This was intolerable!
"Pah!" She slapped her hand heavily on the table. "Mr. Chu, this was stolen from under Qin Daoyan's pillow by my grandmother. If you lie about it, God will strike you with lightning!"
Chu Xinian: "Miss, don't panic. I was just asking casually. If you didn't enter Qin Daoyan's house at all, but just found a box to deceive me, wouldn't it be unfair for me to lose?"
Qianqian gritted her teeth and asked, "What do you want me to believe?"
Chu Xinian studied the box in his hand and asked casually, "How many corridors are there in Qin Mansion?"
Qianqian said firmly: "Thirteen places!"
Chu Xinian: "What flowers are planted in the courtyard?"
Qianqian: "Flying snow and white weeds!"
Chu Xinian: "What is the ornament on the corner of the table in the study?"
Qianqian: "The green beast steps on the clouds!"
Chu Xinian finally dispelled his doubts. He put the box aside, stood up and walked to the desk, then picked up the brush and dipped it in ink to write powerful and powerful characters on the rice paper -
Clothes.
Chu Xinian blew the ink dry and handed it to her: "Young lady, your stealing skills are extraordinary. You should be named Liu Qing. If I have the opportunity to write a book in the future, I will definitely keep your ink. This is the calligraphy I owe you."
Qianqian took the letter with a frown on her face. Her eyes were dark and she seemed quite interested in the matter of "leaving her name in the green": "Compilation of a book? What do you want me to do?"
Chu Xinian shook the folding fan in his hand, thought for a moment and said: "She went through the hall and back to the eaves without a trace, she plucked the stars with her skillful hands and stole the treacherous ministers. The title of chivalrous thief naturally belongs to the young lady."
There was something else behind his words, Qianqian finally understood what he meant, and asked suspiciously, "A thief and a traitor?"
Chu Xi was silent: "You will know in a few days."
After saying this, he casually pointed at the Qianji Box on the table with his folding fan and said, "This thing can't be opened anyway, why don't you give it to me, young lady?"
"That won't work," Qianqian felt wronged, "I stole this with great effort, you have to exchange it for treasures."
Chu Xinian readily accepted: "Okay, what do you want, young lady?"
Qianqian didn't really want anything. She had seen a lot of gold, silver and jewelry, and at most she didn't want Chu Xinian to take advantage of her. She glanced around, revealing a small piece of transparent green jade between her neck. She pointed and said, "Why don't you give me the jade on your neck?"
"No—"
Chu Xinian subconsciously refused, and turned sideways to avoid Qianqian's sight, and put the jade back into his clothes. After he felt that his reaction seemed a little strong, he subconsciously let go of his hand: "... This thing is not acceptable, Miss, you should change it."
Qianqian tilted her head: "I can't bear to give it away. Why, is this something you gave me from your heart?"
Chu Xinian subconsciously looked at her when he heard that, but for some reason, he didn't say anything for a long time.
Qianqian felt guilty after being stared at, so she waved her hands and said, "Forget it, I'll let you take the loss, and I'll give you this broken box."
After saying this, she lowered her head, carefully folded the paper into a small square, and then stuffed it into her arms, muttering, "See if you still dare to underestimate my stealing skills. Humph, I'm leaving. I don't want to play with you!"
After saying this, he clapped his hands and left quickly. He leaped and disappeared in an instant.
Chu Xinian came back to his senses a little late when he saw this, and walked out slowly. He looked up at the sky, and saw a vast, clear blue sky outside the wall, but Qianqian's figure was no longer there. He was silent for a moment, minding his own business.
The guard asked: "Where is the general?"
The guard replied, "The prince just came to visit, and the general went to the front hall to meet him."
There is no such thing as visiting a temple for no reason. The prince must have important business here. Chu Xinian was just about to go take a look, but before he could leave the courtyard, he saw the prince and Xie Jingyuan coming towards him.
"How come Mr. Chu, who is as good at solving cases as a god, hides in the backyard like a girl and doesn't come out?"
The prince was still out of tune, always teasing when they met. Chu Xinian subconsciously looked at Xie Jingyuan next to him, then quickly retracted his gaze and calmly asked the prince: "Why do you say that, Your Highness?"
"Hmm... you don't know yet?"
The prince didn't even need to be called, he walked into the study room familiarly: "Since the banquet for the heroes that day, the news of you solving strange cases has spread. People in the streets say that you are the two heroes of Quyang Marquis' Mansion. The people praise you for your ability to solve cases like a god and your keen insight. You have overshadowed all the talents in the capital. You are really impressive."
In ancient times, there were no mobile phones and entertainment content was lacking. Even trivial matters were spread everywhere, not to mention hot topics such as the theft of famous paintings at the Banquet of Heroes and the mysterious death of the son of the Inspector of the Ministry of Finance. The storytelling content in the teahouses outside was all about this recently, and every session was full.
Xie Jingyuan sat down beside the low couch, picked up the teacup, and looked at Chu Xinian: "How can a golden fish stay in a pond? When it encounters wind and clouds, it will turn into a dragon. You really live up to this saying."
After he finished speaking, he saw Chu Xinian standing in the distance and patted the seat next to him: "Come and sit down."
Chu Xinian sat down beside him as he was told, but there was a large gap between them, as if he was deliberately keeping a distance. Xie Jingyuan noticed something was wrong and subconsciously looked over, only to see Chu Xinian making a gesture to the prince to sit in the middle: "Your Highness, please take a seat."
Leave the C position to the prince.
The prince lifted his robe and was about to sit down opposite him. He paused when he heard the words, looking surprised. He hadn't reacted yet: "Are you talking to me?"
Xie Jingyuan wondered what Chu Xinian meant by this, was he deliberately avoiding him
Chu Xinian shook the landscape fan in his hand, and said calmly: "Is there anything else here? Your Highness is a half-king, with a noble status, so the middle seat is naturally reserved for you."
The prince looked at Chu Xinian and Xie Jingyuan without expression. He was confused for a long time and didn't dare to sit over. He sat down on the chair and said awkwardly, "No need. I'll just sit here."
Chu Xinian didn't say anything: "Your Highness is visiting today, is there anything important?"
The prince did not avoid it either: "The Qiang leader Mu Chaha has come to the capital with gifts to pay homage to the emperor. His Majesty has ordered a banquet to be held tomorrow to welcome him, and all officials will be present. I heard that you solved the case at the banquet, so I want you to go as well."
Chu Xinian was still willing to meet this legendary emperor, and looked at Xie Jingyuan: "I'll go too, what about the general?"
After all, Xie Jingyuan kept claiming to be ill and could not go out.
Xie Jingyuan looked at him from the side and said coldly, "I'm not going."
The prince asked in confusion: "Hey, didn't you just say you wanted to go with Chu Xinian?"
Xie Jingyuan looked at him coldly: "You heard wrong."
The prince choked.
Chu Xinian lowered his eyes and said nothing. After a moment, he changed the subject: "Is this what your Highness came down to talk about?"
"Of course there are more," the prince said with a gloating look, "You may not know, but there was a huge uproar in the capital this morning. I heard that something important was lost in the residence of the Minister of War. Qin Daoyan led his troops to search the capital indiscriminately, causing chaos and he was reported to the emperor several times."
After saying this, he stroked his chin and thought, "I don't know what treasure I lost, I'm so anxious."
Chu Xinian picked up the small black box on the table, shook it calmly, and said meaningfully: "Of course it is a treasure that can take your life."
Xie Jingyuan couldn't hear what they were saying at all. Seeing Chu Xinian deliberately avoiding him, he suddenly remembered that it was the same yesterday. He unconsciously raised his hand to touch the cold mask on his face and lowered his eyes.
The appearance is too scary...