Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Falling in love with her at first sight.

"With the king—" Cheng Jin felt something was amiss. After a pause, he changed his words: "With Jiran." The moment his voice fell, he keenly sensed the chill lingering around his master had deepened. He said tactfully, "Miss Biezhi's original words were, 'Marry Jiran.'"

Fu Huaiqing pursed his lips, his eyes growing increasingly obscure.

There are two Jirans in this world.

One is the real Jiran, and the other is the Jiran he pretends to be.

Pretense is just a pretense, never the truth.

Fu Huaiqing's expression froze, and he pursed his lips in silence.

After a moment, his gaze, fixed on the candlelight, lifted slightly to Cheng Jin. "How should Ling Feng respond to her?" "

Ling Feng's message is that we need to discuss this matter with you, but—" Cheng Jin paused. He was a little slow in matters of the heart, but not stupid. After some back-and-forth, he had deduced something. Then, remembering what the shadow guard had reported, his head hurt. "Miss Biezhi seems to have some complaints about this. It seems she has other plans if you object."

Fu Huaiqing wasn't surprised. She never let others' opinions dictate her decisions. Not even Ji Ran could influence her thoughts or her decisions.

Now that she had decided to marry Ji Ran, there was no turning back.

After a moment's deliberation, Fu Huaiqing's face darkened. "Tell him to see me tomorrow morning," he said sternly.

Cheng Jin quickly complied, breathing a sigh of relief as he left.

If he had waited another half breath, he might have been suffocating.

The incident happened suddenly, and Jiang Yue hadn't expected Biezhi to make this decision without even discussing it with Jiran, who had already left the capital.

He understood the prince's sudden order for Jiran to leave. If Jiran remained, Biezhi's emotional involvement with Jiran would only deepen. Jiran's departure was the only way to break the impasse.

With Jiran's departure now a foregone conclusion, and the prince's intention to remain with Biezhi as her true self, it was impossible for him to allow Jiran to return. However, Biezhi's sudden whim was truly puzzling. Could it be that the prince truly intended to impersonate Jiran and become a loving couple with her?

"Pass the order down, summon Jiran back to the capital with all your might."

A clear, deep voice interrupted Jiang Yue's thoughts, and he froze. Was the order being rescinded?

He subconsciously glanced sideways at his master, whose face was stern. His raised jaw was straightened into a straight line, and his eyes were fixed on the flickering afterglow of the lights. He didn't know what he was thinking.

Jiang Yue responded and walked out of the study quickly.

When he walked out of the study, he saw Cheng Jin waiting under the shadow of the tree. He turned his head and whispered a few words to the guard on duty in the courtyard of the study. He watched the guard leave and walked over.

Cheng Jin saw the faint smile in his eyes: "What are you laughing at."

"The princess is about to come, it's naturally a happy event." Jiang Yue lifted the branches that fell on his head.

"Didn't you hear?" Cheng Jin shook his head, looked around, and lowered his voice and said, "She is going to marry Ji Ran, not our prince. There is a big difference." He paused and frowned, "If she knew that the 'Ji Ran' she knew was Prince Su, with her temper, if she was not afraid of power, she would definitely give the prince a punch."

Jiang Yue: "..."

It was indeed true.

The four looked at each other for a while, and both of them looked towards the study with worries. The worry for the prince did not last for more than half a breath, and they became worried about their own future.

If a one-sided fight really broke out, who should they help?

Not helping the prince would certainly be their dereliction of duty, but if they helped the prince, they would be against another branch, and they would not be able to escape when the prince came to settle accounts in the future.

For a moment, the two looked at each other and sighed at the same time.

Biezhi hurried back to the Qin residence, not only because the Su Wang Mansion was overly quiet—a silence that made her somewhat uncomfortable, permeated by a disliked atmosphere—but also because she desperately needed to find Qin Peibai before he retired.

Fortunately, she was quick, and the main courtyard was still brightly lit.

To avoid attracting attention, Biezhi didn't go directly to Qin Peibai. Instead, she sought out Madam Qin, dismissed the maid, and spoke with her, allowing her to lead her to the main courtyard's study.

Qin Peibai was surprised by her arrival and gestured for her to sit down. "Young lady, what's happened that makes you so anxious?"

"There is indeed something that Master Qin needs to explain to me," Biezhi said straight to the point.

Since she would be delivering news for the Su Wang, she naturally needed to be fully informed of the court officials' situation. While Shanju could provide her with satisfactory information, it still required paying for it. It

would have been fine for anyone else, but it was her bad luck to have encountered such a ruthless profiteer!

Xu Wenche's news had already netted her five hundred taels, and with the seal inkstone, she might have another five hundred.

There were so many court officials in the capital, one five hundred, two a thousand.

Within two weeks, the unparalleled profiteer would have easily reclaimed her ten thousand taels, and she might even have to pay back the money, losing both her wife and her army.

Biezhi didn't want to do such a thankless job!

It would have benefited the profiteer for nothing.

Aside from the Shanju, the only people who knew the most about this matter right now were the Qin family, either Qin Peibai or Qin Xiao. She hadn't considered getting involved with Qin Xiao yet, so she could only ask Qin Peibai, "Does Lord Qin know anything about Zhang Yan?"

Qin Peibai paused, his hand on the teacup in his hand, gazing thoughtfully at the girl, who looked slightly dazed. Instead of answering, he asked, "Young lady, have you found something amiss?"

Biezhi heard the probing tone in his words clearly, and, not wanting to beat around the bush for a long time before getting to the point, she fixed her gaze on Qin Peibai and said, "If I'm not mistaken, yesterday's banquet was held for Zhang Yan."

A moment of silence fell in the study as he finished speaking.

Qin Peibai studied her. On the surface, he appeared charming and harmless, yet in reality, he was meticulous and highly motivated. He took a sip of his teacup and asked, "Young lady, what do you want to know?"

"Is there anything about him that I should investigate thoroughly?" Biezhi asked.

Zhang Yan seemed suspicious. Prince Su had also been present at yesterday's banquet. Even if Qin Peibai had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't have done something so brazen.

She had observed the guests' expressions, and several had indeed expressed slight surprise at the simultaneous presence of Qin Peibai and Zhang Yan, proving that their previous interactions were limited, if not nonexistent.

Unless he had received instructions long ago, he wouldn't have publicly befriended him.

Only Prince Su could command the Qin family's actions.

"Lord Qin, there's no need to rush to reply." Biezhi still had time to wait, but—she spoke slowly, "Zhang Yan has already met with Xu Wenche. Logically, I only need to protect him, but it seems Zhang Yan is involved in a number of matters."

She had considered asking Prince Su directly, but after a moment's reflection, she felt it wasn't a good idea.

"I know that Lord Qin is not in a position to answer me right now." Bie Zhi raised her gaze slightly, scanning the empty window before slowly retracting it to look at the man opposite. "My Lord, please consult the prince before deciding whether to tell me."

Qin Peibai's eyes darkened. He hadn't expected her to have noticed so much. After a moment's silence, he said, "Young lady

, just wait for my news." Bie Zhi's eyes curved at this.

Since Prince Su had proposed a partnership with Xianyun Tower, he would naturally understand why she was questioning Zhang Yan's identity. All she had to do was wait for Qin Peibai's confirmation.

She stood up and bowed. "In the future, to interact with Xu Wenche, I will inevitably use the Qin family's name. I beg Master Qin to bear with me. If there is anything inappropriate, please inform me promptly." "

Young lady, please do as you please." Qin Peibai also stood up, knowing Xu Wenche's purpose in coming to Beijing. "If you hadn't used your title as the second daughter of the Qin family to interact with him, he would have sought opportunities to associate with other members of the Qin family. If you leave the Qin family in the future, the Qin family will have no choice but to disown you."

But if you associated with someone else, it would be up to them to disown you.

Biezhi's eyelashes raised at this.

It seemed that the Qin family had already made preparations for her departure, causing her to worry for many days in vain.

"It's getting late, I won't bother you two anymore." Biezhi nodded to the two of them and left without looking back.

She walked into the courtyard and glanced at the man, his figure hidden behind a tree trunk.

Bie Zhi noticed Qin Xiao the moment he appeared outside the study and paused, unaware that he chose not to enter. But since he wasn't someone else, and since he and his father were both working for Prince Su, she didn't take it personally.

She deliberately slowed her pace, but he didn't leave.

Bie Zhi raised an eyebrow, knowing he wasn't coming for her, and without waiting, she hurried out of the main courtyard.

The girl's figure disappeared into the courtyard for a moment before Qin Xiao, hidden behind a tree, slowly emerged, his dark eyes darkening against the night.

Surprise, joy, bewilderment, and other emotions raced through his eyes, surging with emotion that threatened to consume him. Even the knuckles beneath his falling sleeves trembled slightly.

From the beginning, she hadn't been his little sister.

So that's how it was! So that's how it was!

As he gazed at the deserted courtyard, Qin Xiao's thin, straight lips slowly curved upwards.

He didn't know why his parents had to hide it from him, and the answer was meaningless at this moment.

Facts speak louder than words.

He and she had no blood relationship at all.

The girl was not his younger sister, so what was her true identity, and why did she appear in the Qin family, presenting herself as the second daughter of the Qin family.

When the Qin couple walked out of the study and saw their son standing outside the study, they were both stunned. They looked at each other, and Mrs. Qin asked, "Why did you suddenly come here in the middle of the night without notifying anyone."

Hearing this, Qin Xiao turned around slowly.

Looking at his parents with slightly stiff expressions, he suddenly felt very fortunate that he had deliberately not asked anyone to come in to inform them, otherwise they would still be kept in the dark.

He glanced sideways in the direction where the girl left and said concisely, "Who is she?"

Mrs. Qin was stunned and looked at her husband.

Facing his clear eyes, Qin Peibai knew that he could no longer hide the truth, but he also did not know that he had to reveal Biezhi's true identity. He said vaguely: "As you heard, she is not your little sister. Your little sister left us seventeen years ago."

-'She is not your little sister'

He had already guessed the answer, but when Qin Xiao heard this from his father, his heart was really settled. He said 'hmm' without comment and asked: "Who is she and what is her name?"

"Biezhi." Qin Peibai said, "Just call her Biezhi."

Qin Xiao raised his eyebrows, and his thin lips touched up and down slowly: "Biezhi."

He laughed lightly and looked at his parents again: "I don't seem to have told you that when I left Beijing, I met a girl."

Hearing this, the two elders of the Qin family looked at each other. Without him saying much, they had already guessed who the girl he was talking about was.

Qin Xiao's Adam's apple moved slightly, and he said: "Love at first sight."