Chapter 16 Suspicious Points
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“Zhongming, how are you?”
Bai Shiyan’s voice came from outside the carriage that was still moving. Before Liu Zhongming could answer, the bumpy carriage curtain was lifted, and Bai Shiyan jumped into the car.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone in with the opened carriage curtain. Although it was not strong, it made Liu Zhongming a bit uncomfortable and he had to block his eyes.
“Your alcohol tolerance is too bad,” Bai Shiyan murmured, and corked the porcelain bottle in his hand: “Why hasn’t there been any growth after so long?”
Liu Zhongming put the sober medicine in his mouth: “Growth for what? I can’t even dodge these retributions. Go have the carriage go slower.”
Bai Shiyan leaned forward and instructed a few words, then retracted and sat opposite him.
“Have you heard that the people who went to deal with the riots in Luo City came back and said that this spring, there were frequent activities of bandits, looting a lot of places, and several homicides. As a result, the people who were sent to suppress the bandits not only did not catch the bandits, but also received extra rent, and it became messy.”
Liu Zhongming held his forehead, opened his eyes, still feeling a little dizzy. He closed his eyes to answer his words.
“General Feng who deals with the troubled citizens belongs to Qi Wang, and Ning Wang is the one who sent armed forces to suppress the bandits in spring. Now that the suppression is in trouble, Qi Wang will certainly not let this opportunity go. Aren’t these two people filled with enmity, tired, how can they be like this?”
“Exactly!” Bai Shiyanle said: “Qi Wang didn’t need to come out himself this time. Some people in the court impeached Ning Wang. I guess it was Jiang Xingzhi’s idea again. Qi Wang has no brains at all. Soon, he is just going to become a persimmon in Jiang Xingzhi’s hands, free to be squeezed as much as he wants.”
“Moderate your words a bit.”
“There’s no one else, why are you so nervous? Ning Wang is the son of the first wife, the closest to that position. His performance during this period of time isn’t bad. He’s flourishing in the limelight. Qi Wang seems to have the upper hand, but he is actually having a stroke of bad luck.”
“It may not be him being unlucky. Ning Wang’s movements weren’t small before. He even dared to borrow the Si Tian Guan to suppress Huai Wang. What if the emperor wants to turn over this old account? Those people from the left and right of the court are just attacking each other back and forth, so let’s just watch the excitement.”
Liu Zhongming had a headache and didn’t want to talk anymore. Now that his sister was not pregnant, these muddy waters can’t disturb their home. It’s good if they can maintain the current situation.
What’s more, his elder brother’s matters hasn’t made any progress yet, and he doesn’t have the energy to think about the other things.
Bai Shiyan helped him fix the curtains and sat quietly for a while.
After the sun went down, the air became a lot more refreshing, making them more awake.
“Let’s speak something else, how is that little monster in your family?” Bai Shiyan didn’t think much at first, but after his friend gave him a wake-up call, he also felt that something was really wrong.
Especially when he saw the little monster a few years ago. At that time, the little monster shrank into a ball and didn’t even dare to lift his head. How could he have the courage to hit someone with a teapot.
“What ‘my family’? I don’t want it.” Liu Zhongming saw him holding back a laugh and knowing what he was thinking, frowned: “You didn’t see the slave ring Du Quan gave him, it can’t be taken off. He doesn’t care if he is killed, but as long as there is a breath, it’s his.”
“Tsk, that profiteer, is it possible that he really intends to sell him to you and make a fortune off you?”
“My money doesn’t just flow in like water, so why would I buy him? When have you seen me do this kind of money losing business?” Liu Zhongming sneered at his whimsical thinking: “Since Du Quan sent the person to my hands, he has given him to me in vain. Naturally, I will make the best use of everything.”
“How are you going to make the best use of it?” Bai Shiyan couldn’t help laughing: “I’ll give you a good suggestion. When the little monster covers the scar, those eyes are really charming and seductive. I think he will be a beauty when he grows up. Who cares who sent him, you should first…”
Liu Zhongming threw the bottle in his hand at him.
Bai Shiyan raised his hand to catch it, knowing that his friend couldn’t stand those kinds of negative remarks. All things had Liu Zhongming unperturbed, it’s only talk of matters of romance that his noble and virtuous attitude could not accept.
In front of others, naturally he needed to give Liu Zhongming face, but in private, he loved to joke the most. So much that he even sincerely intended to take that person to walk around the entertainment district. Anyways, it’s not like Foolish Boss Liu can be without romantic bouts.
But Liu Zhongming had always politely declined and would repeatedly turn angry under his jokes. Thinking of this, Bai Shiyan couldn’t help holding his laugh to the point of internal injuries.
“Well, Prince Liu is elegant and peerless, I wonder what fairy will be able to match with you in the future.” He knew it was time to stop: “So how is it? Now that the person has been locked up at yours to be raised, is he dead or alive?”
Liu Zhongming’s head started to hurt again.
In the past few days, he had made various deductions and assumptions about the person, but no matter which direction he went, he would end up in a dead end, which made no sense.
“Let’s go down and walk around then speak.”
Not too far away from the side door of the courtyard, he raised the curtain of the carriage and staggered when he stepped on the ground. Bai Shiyan jumped down to help him.
“And you say you are a businessman. Tell me which one of them doesn’t bring an attendant. At least when you’re drinking, they can help resist. Your tolerance was already no good, why show off?”
Liu Zhongming didn’t talk about this with him, and stood against the wall for a moment.
It was dark already. There were only a few lanterns hung under the eaves in the alley by the side door.
Only his own shadow was swinging and hovering under his feet.
The night wind blew over, and the sober medicine seemed to have begun working. His drunken drowsiness gradually dissipated, and the confusion that had disturbed him for several days occupied his whole mind.
If there was one person who can make him say a few more words, then it would be only the elder cousin who grew up next to him.
He waved his hand to let his entourage go first, then walked slowly with Bai Shiyan in the flashing alley.
“Shiyan,” he asked softly, looking at the black shadow hovering under his footsteps, “Do you believe in witchcraft?”
“It’s hard to say. I’m not like you where nothing is taboo, and still believe in some things. Why do you mention this suddenly?” Bai Shiyan thought about their previous topic, and then asked, “Is it related to the little monster?”
After all, not everyone has such a pair of strange eyes.
Liu Zhongming did not deny it: “I’m afraid that someone is behind him and wants to reach out to me.”
It was not like this hadn’t happened before.
After he cleaned the courtyard several times, there was no one that could be inserted in to reveal his every move.
But what happened this time made him helpless. He didn’t even know where to break free to escape this feeling of being shrouded in nothingness and fear.
“Do you suspect that someone used him to perform witchcraft on you? What happened?”
“I… dreamed of him again.”
It was not a terrifying dream, but very warm.
In the dream, he and another person was sitting under the corridor of Jinxi Academy.
The man had a food box on his knee. The food box contained the lotus root box that his aunt was best at. He was lowering his head and eating small bites. His delicate fingers twisted the lotus root box, making people want to hold it.
He looked intently, for a long while. He couldn’t help but slowly raise his gaze from his hands.
In the afternoon, the soft sunlight shone on the man’s profile, covering the drooping fine hair and slender eyelashes with a charming golden layer. The fluff on the young handsome man’s face has not faded. Carrying some pink, it looked like eighty percent ripened peach.
A few ugly scars cut this tender piece to pieces.
He couldn’t help but stroke his fingers: “Does it hurt?”
The boy froze under his touch and slowly raised his eyes to look at him, with a pitiful mist in his eyes.
It was those demon pupils again!
Liu Zhongming woke up dripping in sweat, with a splitting headache.
Thinking of that dream, he felt as if something was approaching him step by step, trying to pull him into a terrible unknown.
He couldn’t stand back, and he didn’t dare to face it.
“Shiyan, I visited him once a few days ago, and he had more suspicious points than I thought.”
Bai Shiyan listened quietly, waiting for the continuation.
“I asked someone to put water, porridge, and snacks on the bedside. He drank a glass of water and ate half a bowl of porridge. There was no stain on the cup. The porridge was only eaten 70-80 percent. After eating and drinking, they were all properly placed.” Liu Zhongming raised his eyes to look at his friend: “His training is not something a slave can do.”
Bai Shiyan felt his heart tighten: “Whose person could he be?”
Liu Zhongming did not answer the question, and continued: “His breathing was not too loud, he is more patient than I thought and can calm down quickly in a panic. He’s definitely not someone who has never seen the world besides the Qisheng building. When I handed him the tea, he picked it up like this.”
Bai Shiyan saw him raise his hand. Four fingers close together, middle finger opposite to one another, thumbs raised, he could not help be frightened: “He has a rank?!”
“Not only that, but he was not low.” Liu Zhongming suppressed his heavy heart that was amazed and fearful: “When he was sitting on the chair, he deliberately changed his habitual posture… but you can see on closer inspection that it was the sitting posture of the palace.”
“In the palace…” Bai Shiyan was shocked: “Could it be the emperor…”
Liu Zhongming made a silent gesture to him, and shook his head in confusion.
“I don’t understand this point. It’s far from the time to finalize the selection. Neither of our two teams have stood with anyone. He shouldn’t be so afraid of us. Even if someone wants to intervene, it would be understandable if it were the Wangyes. And……”
He smiled bitterly: “If it wasn’t for me being troublesome, he would either be killed by Du Quan, or killed by Pan He, how could he have his life to stand by my side? Wouldn’t it be too ridiculous to send a spy out like this? Besides, within court, the ones with rank, which one of them was this small? Also, how could they fall into slavery?”
Bai Shiyan was also confused by these contradictions: “Then what is the result of your consideration?”
“No result.” Liu Zhongming said helplessly: “Everything doesn’t make sense.”
In addition to these, he still had many things that he didn’t understand. The child was willing to admit that he had seen him in the wood shed and on the street, so why didn’t he say anything else besides that?
Is there anything that can’t be said between them?
However, after such cross-examination, he really believed Du Quan’s words—this kid would not lie, otherwise why would he rather shut up and not speak, than make up something else?
Who would send such a person out to do undercover work, an idiot?
Bai Shiyan was preconceived and didn’t have any doubts about his statement, and gave him an idea: “Didn’t they say he can’t lie? Just ask him! I’ve always hated how twisty and turny you were.”
Liu Zhongming looked at him helplessly: “It’s okay if he is willing to open his mouth, but he acts like a mute, what can I ask?”
“Tsk tsk, there are too many ways to make a person talk. Doesn’t my foolish Liu have many? Is it possible that you want to ask me to teach you?”
“As far as his body does, if he loses his life inadvertently, where can I go to ask?” Liu Zhongming felt that he might indeed drink a little tonight, otherwise he would not be able to suppress his temper when he mentioned this matter.
It’s been a long time since he encountered such a difficult problem.
“Should I come?”
“No,” Liu Zhongming refused. Perhaps because he was too intimate with that person in his dream, he didn’t want others to touch the child: “No hurry, anyways, the person is in my hands. I’ll slowly take a look. I have already asked Fang Wuyang to come over and check his details.”
“Fang Wuyang, tsk tsk…I thought this person had already drowned and passed on.” Bai Shiyan reminded him with a laugh: “Slowly observing him is possible, but be careful that the little monster will run away. He ran from Qisheng Building more than once or twice.”
“If someone really instructed him, how could he be willing to run? And I didn’t do anything to him. If he runs, he would be turned back to Qisheng Building. At that time, there will be more for him to suffer. Don’t worry, I think he is a smart man. He would never do such a stupid thing, like not drinking the alcohol offered but drinking the punishment alcohol…”
Before he could say anything, Bai Shiyan suddenly raised his right hand, and a muffled hum was heard in the nearby darkness.
With the sound of tiles, someone rolled down along the eaves, and was caught in his arms by Liu Zhongming.
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