lcionline Chapter 220 Young Master Mei 7 Appears!
Chapter 220 Young Master Mei 7 Appears!
Inside the Linjianglou Teahouse.
Two people in white stood by the window, watching the bustling crowd on the street and talking in hushed tones.
One of them was slender and much shorter than the other, with a stiff expression on his face, clearly wearing a human skin mask.
"Now that everyone's involved, how are we going to clean this up?"
The other person frowned and thought for a moment before asking, "Were there other people present when you made your move?"
The man shook his head: "Yes, but I lured him to the north of the city and killed him."
Then, the tall man smiled, his fox-like eyes narrowing, and said nonchalantly, "So that means there's no third person present? This is going to be difficult for Song Chuwen."
“Qingcheng is still in the Imperial Prison. If this case is not solved, Qingcheng will have to stay there for another day.”
"This case doesn't need to be solved. Find an opportunity to leave a trace while they are still in Qingchengfang. That way, you can clear Qingcheng of suspicion."
"In the identity of Young Master Mei the Seventh?"
The fox-eyed man smiled and winked, saying, "Of course, but be careful not to get caught."
Young Master Mei frowned, seemingly considering how to proceed, before finally nodding and saying softly, "Alright."
Seeing that Young Master Mei was about to leave, the man with fox-like eyes called out to him: "Why don't you have any doubts at all about why I asked you to protect Qingcheng?"
Young Master Mei raised his head slightly, a smile curving his lips.
"Isn't it because she and the young master are good friends?"
Fox Eyes shook his head.
He explained, "Of course not. Qingcheng actually has the same identity as you. I mean, another identity."
Young Master Mei's expression changed slightly, revealing shock. After a long while, he murmured, "Does the young master know?"
"Of course she doesn't know. If she did, things would be terrible. Qingcheng's mother has been kind to my siblings and me, so Qingcheng cannot be harmed in the slightest. We must ensure her safety."
Mei Qi Gongzi recovered from his shock.
He nodded and said, "I understand. We will send more people in the future. But what do you plan to do about Consort Shen?"
"Don't worry about it for now. Deal with them one by one as long as Qingcheng is alright."
"it is good."
Mei Qi Gongzi turned around, but then suddenly stopped, saying cryptically, "I heard that you've already discussed with the King of Qin about attacking Liuxia?"
"Why, do you think it's wrong?"
"No, does the young master know?"
“She knows that I specifically told her to get along well with Murong Jing, and there won’t be any problems. Besides, you probably know Murong Jing better than I do, after all, we’re family.”
Young Master Mei smiled and said, "That's true. He's unlucky to have met someone as cunning as you. The young master is even more formidable."
"You flatter me. She's born of the same mother, so she can't be too bad. Besides, it's a matter of mutual consent, so you don't need to worry about her."
"..."
-
Qingchengfang.
The questioning took place in Qingcheng's room.
Song Chuwen sat behind the table with writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone laid out in front of him. Su Mowan sat to his left, observing quietly without interrupting.
Looking at the dancer in front of him who seemed a little nervous, Song Chuwen asked her directly, "What is your relationship with Yuge usually like?"
The dancer replied without hesitation, "Very good!"
Song Chuwen frowned: "What is your relationship with Qingcheng?"
The answer was still pretty much the same: "That's good too!"
This answer was no different from the previous dancers' answers, and Su Mowan thought that was the end of the questioning. But Song Chuwen suddenly asked, "Between Qingcheng and Yuge, who are you closer to?"
The dancer's gaze sharpened as she looked at Song Chuwen, and almost without hesitation, she blurted out, "Qingcheng..."
"So in Qingchengfang, Qingcheng is more popular than Yuge?"
This time, the dancer hesitated, and after a long while, she stammered, "Most people prefer Qingcheng."
The implication of this statement is that there is still a small group of people who dislike Qingcheng.
Song Chuwen already knew that Yuge was the most outstanding dancer in Qingchengfang after Qingcheng. Their relationship might seem good on the surface, but there were definitely undercurrents beneath.
When a group of women get together, it's easy for feelings of jealousy or comparison to arise.
"Who in that neighborhood is closest to Yuge, and who is closest to Qingcheng?"
"The one who is closest to Yuge is Hongluan; the one who is closest to Qingcheng is..." The dancer paused, her expression somewhat strange, and said, "It's Xiaoxiao."
Song Chuwen memorized the two names and waved for the dancer to leave.
After the dancers left, Song Chuwen wrote down the two names on the Xuan paper in front of him.
Su Mowan knew that Song Chuwen wanted to find a breakthrough here, so she directly ordered the guard at the door: "Next, Xiaoxiao."
The guard turned around and called out the name to the dancers waiting in the corridor.
When the others sat down in front of her, Su Mowan frowned.
Isn't this the dancer who looked at her with such wariness? She still remembered that when the dancer named Liancheng said those words, she was staring at Xiaoxiao.
In other words, there is likely something wrong with the dancer named Xiaoxiao in front of us.
The dancer who just left said that Xiaoxiao and Qingcheng are the closest of friends.
At the Imperial Prison Temple, Qingcheng had already spoken to Su Mowan about it once, and Su Mowan felt that Xiaoxiao gave her a strange feeling. Combining this with the expression she caught from Xiaoxiao, Su Mowan's eyes darkened.
This could very well be a breakthrough point.
However, Song Chuwen was unaware of these things. He asked casually, "You and Qingcheng have a very good relationship?"
Sitting to the side, Su Mowan noticed a fleeting hint of guilt in Xiaoxiao's eyes.
"Yes, Qingcheng is my best sister in the neighborhood!"
As Xiao Xiao spoke, she put on a worried expression, then exclaimed excitedly, "My lord, I don't believe Qingcheng is the murderer either! Please clear Qingcheng's name!"
Su Mowan interjected coolly, "But it was you who spoke up to prove that she had been in Yuge's room last night."
Xiao Xiao's eyes flashed with panic for a moment. She said urgently, "That's because someone died. I was just telling the truth!"
A hint of surprise flashed in Song Chuwen's eyes.
At that moment, he also realized that something was wrong.
Logically speaking, if they were truly good sisters, even if there were doubts, a normal person would first ask their sister privately when something happened. However, Xiaoxiao spoke directly to the officials.
Her reasoning was logical, but not reasonable.
Just then, Liancheng's voice came from the doorway: "Then let me tell you the truth too, since Lord Song is here."
As she spoke, a graceful figure appeared at the doorway.
Upon receiving Song Chuwen's signal, the guard lowered his hand, which was about to stop the person.
Su Mowan stared intently at the person, and when she saw Xiaoxiao's expression change slightly because of Liancheng's sudden entry, she narrowed her eyes.
Xiao Xiao's reaction was intriguing, but it also confirmed her guess.
Liancheng, with her charming and graceful demeanor, walked in.
Without waiting for a greeting, she sat down next to Xiao Xiao. Han Yan first glanced at Su Mo Wan across from her, then smiled gently at Song Chu Wen and said with her red lips slightly parted, "With Lord Song here, I'm not afraid of being accused of gossiping behind my back. After all, this is the truth about the case, and I have to say it."
After saying this, she glanced at Xiaoxiao beside her with a hint of provocation and a hint of smugness.
Xiao Xiao gritted her teeth and glared at Lian Cheng.
Even Song Chuwen could see that there was something wrong here, and the problem was with the dancer named Xiaoxiao.
His eyes immediately turned cold, and his aura changed drastically in an instant. Even Su Mowan was a little uncomfortable. Xiaoxiao, who was sitting opposite him and clearly saw his change, suddenly shivered.
At this moment, Song Chuwen's eyes were incredibly sharp, as keen as an eagle's, as if he wanted to pierce straight into Xiaoxiao's eyes and even her heart.
The words were addressed to Liancheng.
"Since you say it's the truth, please speak freely. Whether it's true or false, I will decide for myself."
Xiao Xiao instinctively shrank her neck; under such gazes, she couldn't take it anymore.
Seeing this, Liancheng chuckled softly, but his words carried a hint of regret.
“A long time ago, I overheard Xiaoxiao and another dancer in the brothel talking badly about Qingcheng. At that time, she and Qingcheng were already very good friends. I despise people who are two-faced and treacherous.”
As she spoke, Liancheng gave a mocking smile and continued, "I thought it was nothing, whether those sisters were good or bad was none of my business. However, Yuge's sudden death made me realize that such a despicable person must not be tolerated!"
"Liancheng, you—"
"Don't rush, we haven't gotten to the main point yet."
Liancheng's eyes were filled with undisguised disdain.
"Although I don't know whether or how much Yuge's death was related to you, I do know that you played a crucial role in Qingcheng entering Yuge's room last night!"
"You! What nonsense are you spouting!"
Xiao Xiao looked flustered, both shocked and anxious. She no longer cared about looking at the two people opposite her, and just kept glaring at Lian Cheng.
Liancheng laughed out loud.
"I'm talking nonsense? I heard you with my own ears how you instigated Yuge and stirred up trouble between Qingcheng, pulling in both sides. That's quite a feat! If you hadn't been stirring things up, would they have gotten to that point? Don't look so aggrieved. Only Qingcheng would be fooled by you!"
"You, I, I didn't!"
"Yes, now that Yuge is dead, there's no way to verify anything, right? So are you going to say that I'm framing you?"
Xiao Xiao shrank back when Lian Cheng looked at her, then looked away and looked at Song Chuwen opposite her.
She said urgently, "Lord Song, please don't listen to her nonsense! I didn't stir up trouble! They both felt bad after their argument, and I was just trying to comfort them!"
"Still pretending? Originally, someone from the palace was supposed to come this afternoon to select the dancers to enter the palace. Now that Yuge is dead, not to mention that Qingcheng has no intention of doing so, she is now imprisoned in the Imperial Prison Temple. Do you think you can take the lead and there are no more obstacles?"
"Liancheng! I know you don't like me, but you can't just do this to me like that—ah—"
Several slender needles grazed Xiaoxiao's neck and shot into the wall behind her. Liancheng was also startled and moved back a little.
"Plum Blossom Needle! It's Young Master Mei the Seventh!"
Song Chuwen squinted at the silver needle, which was still trembling three-tenths of an inch embedded in the wall, and drew a conclusion. At the same time, he got up and hurried to the window.
Su Mowan moved even faster.
As Song Chuwen stood up, she had already rushed to the window like an arrow, pushed herself up with both hands, and leaped out, instantly disappearing from their sight.