Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Am I very old?

The girl's bright and dazzling look was mixed with a hint of joy, and her blinking eyes sparkled with a different light, making people want to find out.

Fu Huaiqing's eyes darkened.

He stepped forward and took the scallion she was playing with, lifted his eyelids and looked at her silently.

In an instant, Biezhi's heart skipped a beat.

She looked at the fluctuations in the depths of Ji Ran's eyes, the ripples under the calm lake, swept by the breeze, refreshing the heart.

Biezhi slowly shifted her sight and happened to see her senior brother who had already walked to the door, and said, "Senior brother, why don't you wait for me outside."

Fu Huaiqing heard the words, his eyes fixed on her for a moment, and only then did he 'belatedly' follow her gaze and look at the man standing outside the door.

"I had nothing to do, so I came to check it out." Jing Qing's pupils twitched, his gaze quickly scanning the two of them. He paused, "Are you done?"

Biezhi: "Hmm?"

Jing Qing glanced at Jiran and asked, "Did you tell him you were going out?"

"I already did." Biezhi glanced at the man beside her with sudden realization. She had almost forgotten why she came today.

Jing Qing nodded. "It's getting late. I'll take you home."

Fu Huaiqing, standing to the side, pretending to be deaf, looked at him thoughtfully, a hint of coldness on his lips. He glanced at Biezhi, then turned away, turning back to clean up the crushed shallots on the table. He

seemed oblivious to what was happening outside, but in reality, his thoughts were on the two of them.

Biezhi hesitated, glancing at Jiran, who was concentrating on his work, and then at her senior brother, who looked a little uneasy. In truth, she was in no hurry to return to the courtyard, as there was nothing else to do. But after all, her senior brother had come with her, so it was not right to keep him any longer.

She raised her hand and poked Ji Ran's arm.

After Ji Ran looked over, she made a gesture to leave, "I'll go first."

The moment Biezhi took a step forward, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by someone. Her first reaction was to fight back, but when her peripheral vision met Ji Ran's clear and pure eyes, she relaxed and looked at him in confusion.

Fu Huaiqing drooped his eyelids slightly, took the handkerchief on the table, and wiped the tender green buds on Biezhi's knuckles bit by bit.

The man's fingertips with thin calluses gently brushed across the handkerchief, and there was a feeling of scratching an itch, just like someone brushing the tip of his heart with a feather, making Biezhi look at him in a daze, the corners of her mouth opening and closing, unable to speak for a long time.

It was obviously just a tiny bud, but he wiped it back and forth for a long time, so long that Jing Qing couldn't bear it anymore. He bent down and stepped into the storage cabinet after standing at the door for a long time.

The sudden intrusion of three people into the cramped storage room caused the atmosphere to sink for a moment.

Fu Huaiqing casually lifted his eyelids to look at the newcomers, caught a glimpse of the coldness in their expression, and a slight curl of his lips lifted as

he slowly retracted his handkerchief. Biezhi, naturally aware of the displeasure lingering around her senior brother, frowned slightly as she looked over. She could clearly sense that since returning from his mission, his temper had intensified, occasionally tinged with an inexplicable hostility.

"Senior brother, let's go." She paused in thought, turned back to Ji Ran, who stood there, and smiled sweetly. "I'll come over when I have time."

With that, Biezhi waved her hand slightly and left without a backward glance.

Fu Huaiqing stared intently at the two men's retreating figures, the chill in his expression becoming more pronounced. He said coldly, "Find him something to do."

Just seeing them was upsetting; out of sight, out of mind.

Jiang Yue and Cheng Jin walked up quietly and looked at each other. Cheng Jin immediately understood and took the order to leave.

Seeing that the prince had no intention of leaving, Jiang Yue knew that he probably had other arrangements, so he stood behind him quietly, waiting for his order.

As he waited, he suddenly heard a man's clear voice.

"Am I very old?"

If the voice was not so familiar, Jiang Yue would have thought he was hallucinating. He raised his eyelids and glanced at the prince's slightly stern expression. It seemed that he was asking this question very seriously.

Jiang Yue was silent for a rare moment.

The prince is now twenty-five years old. For an ordinary family, he would have had many wives and concubines long ago. Not to mention those nearby, let alone those far away. The son of the Minister of Household is also twenty-five years old. He has five concubines alone, not to mention the maids.

If we must mention the two gentlemen who are close to the prince, Lord Su Ci, of the same age, is completely absorbed in official duties. Not to mention the Su family's urging, even the young emperor, having served as a tutor in the Imperial Academy and spent some time with the young emperor, asks why he hasn't married yet.

Lord Qin Xiao, on the other hand, is two years younger, but hasn't he blossomed into a successful man now?

Thinking of this, Jiang Yue sighed slightly and said, "Given the prince's age, he's certainly not old, but—" He hesitated, looking at his master.

Fu Huaiqing: "You decide."

"But you haven't married yet. There are indeed rumors that you can't..." Jiang Yue studied the prince's expression and carefully changed his words: "It's said that you're not in good health. They say that otherwise, they wouldn't have kept Miss Qin from marrying. I guess they're afraid of hurting her."

Fu Huaiqing's face darkened slightly upon hearing this.

Jiang Yue thought it was a perfect match.

There were rumors of the Xianyun Tower's inhumane owner, rumors of Prince Su's poor health, and coincidentally, both were the Prince himself.

Fu Huaiqing's voice was cold, "There's more."

Jiang Yue hesitated, coughing behind his lips. "Nothing else, but yesterday the Emperor summoned me. I saw a number of portraits of court officials and noble ladies displayed before him, and he kept asking which girl would be suitable for your wife."

Fu Huaiqing glanced at him and said, "You guys have a lot of free time?"

Jiang Yue was stunned.

Admittedly, he had some free time since Biezhi returned to the capital, but he couldn't say such things to his master. He shook his head hurriedly.

Seeing him hesitate, Fu Huaiqing frowned, not knowing why he was so concerned about such a trivial matter. He asked, "How are the arrangements for her identity going?"

"It's already been arranged," Jiang Yue said. "Minister of Personnel Qin Peibai, the daughter of Lord Qin Biezhi."

Suddenly, Fu Huaiqing's eyes changed slightly.

Sensing something amiss, Jiang Yue was completely bewildered. He couldn't understand what was wrong. Choosing the Qin family had been his master's decision.

He pondered for a moment, then unburdened himself of everything he had discovered: "Seventeen years ago, Madam Qin happened to be away from the capital. For some reason, she had an induced abortion, but the child was premature and passed away just half a day after birth. To avoid drawing attention, only Master Qin and Madam Qin knew about it. Now, they're claiming they're looking for their daughter, who's been stranded away, which is plausible."

Fu Huaiqing, knowing this, asked, "Does Qin Xiao know the truth?"

Jiang Yue shook his head. "Only Master Qin and Madam Qin know about it."

"Then don't let him know," Fu Huaiqing said nonchalantly.

Jiang Yue instantly understood the prince's intention. He simply had to make Master Qin believe Biezhi was his biological sister. He accepted the order.

"The daughter of Minister of Personnel Qin Peibai!" Biezhi, returning to the courtyard, received the booklet from Qingshan and stared at the words in amazement. She glanced at Qingshan across from her, then at the booklet in her hands. She began to wonder if she couldn't read, so she read it again.

"It's the same thing no matter how many times I read it," Qingshan observed, chuckling.

"Is this even possible with someone like that?" Biezhi questioned. If she were the daughter of a wealthy businessman, she wouldn't be surprised, but this was the Minister of Personnel, not just any official. "Did they find some evidence against them?"

"Mrs. Qin was very pleased with your escort to Qin Xiao's departure from the capital a while ago. After discussing it, we've decided not to keep the eight hundred taels," Qingshan added before Biezhi's gaze could reach her. "Of course, we'll still give you your share." Biezhi felt relieved.

As long as

they didn't withhold her money, that was enough.

Qingshan took a sip of tea and leisurely analyzed the situation for her. "Furthermore, Xu Wenche's value this time is worth tens of thousands of taels, and it's not all his family's money. Someone in the court has also secretly approached us about this deal, but you must remember that we have no way of knowing their specific intentions, and we cannot interfere."

"Your only responsibility is to protect Xu Wenche." He put down the teacup in his hand and looked at Biezhi, whose expression was slowly regaining its composure. His voice was deep, "If necessary, I will sacrifice my life for yours."

Biezhi understood his meaning and nodded slowly.

Her life for Xu Wenche's.

Biezhi had always understood this, and not just with Xu Wenche; she had acted the same way several times when escorting her out of the capital.

They were both working on the edge of a knife.

Qingshan looked at her for a moment and asked, "Is there anything else you want to know?"

Biezhi shook her head. "Knowing too much is not good for me."

Her only responsibility was to protect Xu Wenche, no one else would help.

Hearing this, Qingshan smiled.

This was what he was most satisfied with about Biezhi. She never asked questions that she shouldn't have asked, and she just treated herself as a dummy carrying out a mission.

Qingshan stood up and said, "In three days, the Qin family will send someone to Huishui Town to pick you up and take you back to Beijing."

Biezhi nodded, calculating her itinerary. She would leave Beijing for Huishui Town tonight and would also familiarize herself with the situation there. "I'll leave Beijing soon." "

Don't be so anxious." Qingshan turned around, glancing at the black hair under her eyes, and said, "Your master gave you a new pill. The effect will last about half a day. It won't be too late for you to have a good rest before rushing over." "

It's not a big deal, actually." Biezhi knew their good intentions. It was just that after not having a good rest for so long, returning to Beijing to rest for two days was enough for her. If she rested any longer, her body would fall apart. However, she would not refuse their kindness. "Then I'll leave tomorrow afternoon."

Qingshan said 'hmm' and turned around. "I'm leaving. No need to see me off."

Biezhi stood up and watched him leave.

The man was about to cross the threshold when he suddenly stopped. She looked over suspiciously, "Anything else?"

"I'll tell you three days in advance who will be picking you up for this mission. No one else is allowed near this mission except for the one assigned to you by the building." Qingshan leaned sideways, his eyes flickering across the other courtyards within the villa. He reiterated, "If anyone breaks this rule, the maximum penalty will be imposed according to the sect's rules." Biezhi's

eyelashes fluttered slightly. It was the first time she'd heard of such a penalty, and her caution intensified. "I'll pay attention."

"Yes," Qingshan nodded, then remembered something else. "The master has approved your purchase of information from the building today. This task will be assigned to the appropriate person, and they'll deliver it to you in a few days."

Hearing this, Biezhi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed they agreed. She hesitated and asked, "How much silver?"

Qingshan extended her hand and made a five.

Biezhi gasped at the sight.

A profiteer!

A truly treacherous profiteer!

Qingshan couldn't help laughing and soothed him, "You've completed the mission and you're considered a wealthy family. Five hundred taels is nothing to you."

Biezhi curled her lips and almost counted on her fingers, "There's not even a glimpse of ten thousand taels, and you already owe five hundred."

If she had known earlier, she wouldn't have bought this news. Who would have known that she would run into such a great profiteer!

She knew that old men were not easy to mess with. After the adoption was over, she would definitely run away and keep a distance from him.