Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Could it be that Qin Xiao also...

Biezhi felt that she wasn't running away, but rather exploring the route ahead of time, justified by the circumstances.

"I'm sorry," she said, glancing at the still-astonished woman. Then, with a swift leap, she jumped off the wall and sprinted toward the deserted street.

"No!" Fu Shuning's eyes widened. He instinctively raised his hand but failed to grab the girl's clothes. His expression grew increasingly anxious. He anxiously called to the accompanying secret guards, "Go and get her back! We can't let her get away!"

A clear, urgent, and anxious voice pierced the air, reaching Fu Zhunqing, who had rushed over at lightning speed. His dark eyes suddenly darkened.

The noisy courtyard suddenly stopped. The sun blazed brightly in the sky, yet a chill spread through the courtyard, sucking away all the air, making it hard to breathe.

Jiang Yue and Cheng Jin, who had arrived with the accompanying group, exchanged glances. Cheng Jin immediately turned, waved his hand, and motioned for the guards at the Qinghe Courtyard main gate to follow. They hurriedly left the palace with everyone.

Hearing the noise, Fu Shuning glanced back, catching sight of her brother's cold, sullen expression. His eyes, as deep as a cold pond, stared fixedly at the girl's departure, never once darting an inch to her face.

She glanced past Fu Huaiqing's figure to Jiang Yue. Their eyes met, and Jiang Yue, whose expression wasn't particularly pleasant, shook his head. Fu Shuning's heart skipped a beat.

Clearly, the girl's importance to her brother was self-evident. And now, thanks to his own carelessness, she had found an opportunity to leave...

Fu Shuning glanced at her brother's face again. Beneath the stern expression was a subtle irritation, as if the girl's departure would send the situation spiraling out of control.

She had seen Fu Huaiqing act decisively with court officials, ruthlessly with relatives, and with her, gentle and gentle. But she had never seen him so irritated, even a touch uneasy.

For years, Fu Shuning had always believed her brother was omnipotent, that everything was under his control. He wouldn't allow things to deviate from their established course, nor would he allow others to act recklessly in his presence.

And that girl just now...

Fu Shuning pondered for a moment before understanding the situation.

Her brother had feelings for the girl who had escaped, but she didn't seem to be completely convinced, otherwise he wouldn't have kept her in Qinghe Courtyard.

Qinghe Courtyard was the main courtyard of the Prince Su's mansion.

Furthermore, most of the guards on duty outside were secret guards who had served him for years. If it hadn't been her who acted today, there would have been rivers of bloodshed.

After a moment's deliberation, Fu Shuning wanted only to retreat into a corner.

She quietly climbed the ladder set up by the secret guards, silently climbed down the wall, and moved to the side step by step, eagerly hoping that his heart and eyes were filled with chasing the departed girl.

"Stop."

The man's clear and indifferent voice sounded, and Fu Shuning suddenly stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding.

She slowly glanced sideways at her brother, whose expression was becoming increasingly stern, and smiled awkwardly with the corners of her mouth. She raised her hand very skillfully and swore to the sky: "I really didn't mean it this time!"

Fu Huaiqing lowered his eyes slightly, looked at her figure, and said lightly: "Half an hour ago, the secret guards reported that Princess Duanhui would arrive in the capital in two days. I didn't realize that two days would only be half an hour."

"I wanted to give my royal brother a surprise." Fu Shuning heard that he had no intention of pursuing her. She turned around and glanced at the empty wall, and smiled twice with a hint of flattery. "I didn't expect it to turn into a shock."

Fu Huaiqing said nothing, but there was an undercurrent in his eyes.

His palms, hidden beneath his sleeves, clenched slowly, veins bulging on the backs of his long, white hands. His gaze burned as Biezhi's wall vanished into thin air. A lump of air clung to his throat, a feeling that lingered for a long time.

Unable to get a response, Fu Shuning breathed a sigh of relief. A peripheral glance flickered towards Su Ci and Qin Xiao, who had followed him. Meeting Qin Xiao's slightly amused gaze, she froze, puzzled by the euphoria he felt with the girl's departure.

She withdrew her gaze and asked weakly, "Who is she?"

Fu Huaiqing's eyes, rather stingily, flickered at her for a moment before returning to their original position. "Biezhi,

" Fu Shuning muttered, her eyes glancing at Fu Mingzhan, who was frantically gesturing at her. His mouth twitched. Having already exchanged secret messages with him so many times, under Fu Huaiqing's nose, Fu Shuning understood immediately. She knew where to address her brother's displeasure. She deliberately asked, "My sister-in-law?"

The moment the words fell, the atmosphere around them shifted.

Fu Huaiqing's frown relaxed slightly, and he glanced at her.

He neither admitted nor denied.

The lingering coldness dissipated obviously, and Fu Shuning breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had the clearance document, otherwise he would have to think carefully about how to deal with what happened today.

However...

Fu Shuning paused for a moment when he saw Qin Xiao's expression, and his mood did not seem as happy as before.

Could it be that Qin Xiao also has feelings for her sister-in-law! ?

Fu Shuning: "..."

It was really a mess.

If he just wanted to know the girl's name just now, Fu Shuning suddenly wanted to meet Shi Zhi in person. The next moment, he was very glad that he rushed back to the capital, otherwise he would not be able to see such a good show.

"Send the princess back home."

Fu Shuning blinked his eyes when his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

Still considering staying and waiting, she remained silent for a moment before saying, "Mingzhan and I will return to the palace."

The princess's residence was so boring; it would be better to ask Fu Mingzhan about any interesting things that had happened during her absence.

Fu Huaiqing, preoccupied with other matters, didn't try to stop her.

Fu Shuning kept looking back at his figure, a hint of loneliness etched in his slender figure, but even these small traces of loneliness were quickly replaced by other auras, dissipating into the world.

She pursed her lips slightly.

It had been ages since Fu Shuning had seen him like this; the last time was the day of her mother's burial, nearly seven years later.

Leaving Qinghe Courtyard, she lowered her head and asked, "Will she come back?"

Hearing her elder sister's question, Fu Mingzhan sighed with a mature air.

He didn't know either.

But, "We'll find her,"

Fu Shuning nodded. She knew that if Fu Huaiqing wanted to find someone, he wouldn't fail to locate her; it was just a matter of time. But even if he did, would that Biezhi girl be willing to stay?

Footsteps echoed behind him, and Fu Shuning turned to meet Qin Xiao's gaze.

His steps were noticeably less steady than usual, even carrying a hint of urgency, as if he were in a hurry to do something.

Qin Xiao was indeed anxious.

He was anxious to find Biezhi.

After leaving the palace, Biezhi didn't go to his usual destination. Instead, he followed the quiet, still bamboo path, dodging the pursuing guards. He strode towards the east market, a place he had never been before. He bought a veil hat and put it on, his heart finally settling down.

She breathed in the air outside the palace, and for a moment, she felt the air outside was noticeably fresher than the palace. In a faint way, she felt that escaping the palace was like being reborn. A surge of joy rose gradually, spreading all around, and even her steps became lighter.

First, she detoured to Beidingmen, located behind the palace.

Beidingmen, where the six ministries were stationed, was closer to the palace; they would surely not have expected her to venture there.

Outside Beidingmen, silence reigned, with only a few figures passing by. Outside the two shops at the end of the street, officials from the six ministries were on duty. The few high-ranking courtyards were heavily guarded, preventing even a fly from escaping.

For this reason, the numerous guards stationed at Beidingmen made it difficult to escape.

Even with Zhang Yan's protection, Jing Qing couldn't escape.

Her eyes fell on the huge words "Ministry of Works" on the gate plaque of Gaomen Courtyard, and Biezhi's eyes darkened. She really couldn't understand why Zhang Yan wanted to hunt her down. Was it because he suspected that she was the secret guard following Xu Wenche?

Apart from that, there seemed to be no other reason.

She walked along Beidingmen to the southeast side. The further south she walked, the more people came and went.

Biezhi followed the flow of people out without leaving a trace, and walked to Suqingmen on the east side of the palace. She had been to Suqingmen many times before, and had passed through Suqingmen many times.

Glancing at the guards on duty inside and outside Suqingmen, she frowned, and covered her veil that fluttered in the wind from time to time with her palm.

There were obviously more guards on duty at Suqingmen than usual.

Continuing down, Biezhi avoided Ding'an Gate, where Baiding Tower stood. If she had gone to Ding'an Gate, not only would the palace guards, but even the brothers and sisters in Baiding Tower would have recognized her even if she had been reduced to ash, let alone through a veil.

However, from a distance, she could see that Ding'an Gate had clearly increased its patrols.

This meant that the remaining five city gates had likely received the news as well.

Biezhi didn't want to waste the time investigating further, so she found a stall to rest for a while. Before she

could even take a sip of her water, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. She frowned, calmly set the porcelain bowl in her hand, and averted her gaze.

Qin Xiao, galloping forward, glanced quickly around, not seeing the girl. He frowned slightly, then paused for a moment, his gaze drifting back to a figure in front of the sweet soup stall. The girl was hidden beneath a veil, his face indistinct, but...

his gaze fell on her clean, slender knuckles resting on a porcelain bowl, and his frown gradually softened.

Qin Xiao dismounted and approached her. "Miss, would you mind sharing a table?"

Biezhi was deeply concerned, deeply concerned.

But she couldn't speak, and all eyes were gradually gathering around her. She frowned and nodded, wanting everyone's gaze to turn elsewhere as quickly as possible.

Sensing the girl's lingering resistance, Qin Xiao's eyes froze for a moment

before he sat down. His vague gaze flickered to the veil, but he couldn't see clearly through it. After a moment's silence, he said, "If you accept, I can help you leave."

Biezhi paused, her fingertips raised in the air.

She glanced sideways at the man's handsome profile, his sharp jaw slightly tensed, a sharper expression than usual.

Even after following him for over half a month, Bie Zhi still couldn't see through Qin Xiao.

It was like she couldn't understand why he was focusing his attention on her. Before she disguised herself as the second daughter of the Qin family, they had only met two or three times.

"Why?" Bie Zhi, who had remained silent, asked him, "You risked offending Prince Su and helped me leave. What do you want from me?"

She didn't believe his eyes were empty, that he had no other desire.

Hearing this, Qin Xiao smiled.

The girl was just as he'd expected. While seemingly a harmless white camellia, her branches were actually covered in thorns, easily piercing one's fingers. He didn't answer her question, instead saying, "Very interesting."

Biezhi didn't understand what he meant. "Hmm?"

"You're very interesting." Qin Xiao took the sweet soup from the stall owner and slipped a copper coin into his pocket. "When I first met you, the others either stepped forward to dissuade them or retreated to avoid harm. Even the windows in the other buildings slammed shut one after another. Only you watched with rapt interest. At first, you seemed dissatisfied with their fighting skills, frowning slightly and muttering to yourself."

Following his words, Biezhi recalled the day he'd mentioned.

It was the fourth to last day since she'd followed him. By then, she'd already identified the assassin stalking him and was waiting for the right moment to lure them out and take them out together. She'd appeared before Qin Xiao that day, hoping to capitalize on the fight below to see if they'd take advantage of the chaos. To her surprise, they remained patient and held their ground.

"More energetic than you are now."

A slightly deep voice interrupted Biezhi's thoughts. She lifted her eyelids and looked at the man with a fiery gaze through the veil. After a moment, she denied his words, "You're wrong."

Qin Xiao was stunned.

"I'm more energetic now than when you first saw me." Biezhi felt that they weren't familiar enough to understand each other's thoughts and feelings with just a glance. She shook her head and said, "No one likes to work every day."

Even if the silver was not bad.

Biezhi saw his expression flicker, as if he was very interested in the topic. She was silent for a moment, then changed the subject: "How did you recognize me, sir?"

"My knuckles." Qin Xiao lowered his eyes slightly, glancing at the pads of her fingers picking up the spoon. "You use the sword all year round, and your knuckles have thin calluses. It's easy to recognize."

Biezhi lowered her eyes, not noticing any difference between her knuckles and those of others.

She blinked and looked at him. "Will it really be different?"

A slightly raised, joyful voice fell into Qin Xiao's ears, crisp and pleasant, like a spring breeze.

His thin lips gradually lifted, and he spread out his dominant hand, motioning her to look at the calluses on his fingertips. "Whether it's the direction of the calluses or the marks on the fingertips, they're all different."

Biezhi was puzzled and looked down.

First, she couldn't see clearly through the veil, and second, she really didn't see anything wrong. She glanced slightly sideways, her confusion deepening. "What's different?"

The veil was slightly lifted, revealing the girl's watery almond eyes. Like a deer in the woods, she blinked her clear eyes and looked at him. A faint breath lingered in the wind, and Qin Xiao clearly noticed that his breathing had slowed down a bit.

He stared into her watery almond-shaped eyes for a moment, then turned his eyes away imperceptibly, "Look here."

Qin Xiao raised his other hand and touched his knuckles, which were spread out on the table. "My calluses run sideways, and yours—" He paused, glanced at Biezhi who was concentrating, and said, "Yours run upwards. You subconsciously press against this spot when you hold your sword."

"You can even tell that?" Biezhi looked at him in surprise, finding it magical. She did subconsciously press against her knuckles, and she immediately had an accurate understanding of the detective he was talking about. She asked curiously, "Can you tell that about everyone else's?"

"I wouldn't dare say all of them, but I can tell most of them." Qin Xiao's gaze swept across the crowd, landing on a man at the table across from them. "He's probably a cook at a nearby restaurant, a long-time chef."

He explained each one to her, and in just a few moments, he had revealed the identities of all the guests.

The more Bie Zhi listened, the more curious she felt. She didn't know how he did it. "Master Qin is indeed the detective everyone talks about."

"He's not some detective." Qin Xiao took a sip of the sugar water, the sweetness of which lessened the astringency in his throat, leaving a faint sweetness. "If you saw more often, you'd be able to tell."

Bie Zhi didn't think so.

Her work involved fighting and killing, and she also had to observe everyone she passed through. "Let me ask myself, I've seen all kinds of people, young and old, but none of them can see such subtle details like you, sir." "

So, I can disguise you as someone else and send you out of the capital without anyone noticing," Qin Xiao slowly shifted the subject. "Are you leaving?"

Suddenly, the surprise in Biezhi's eyes faded slightly.

She looked hesitantly at the man with a faint smile on his face, as if a slight nod would mean he would send her out of the capital within half a day. After

a brief silence, he spoke again: "If you want to leave, I won't hesitate, even if it means offending Prince Su." Cheng

Jin, lurking in the shadows, gasped at his words. He subconsciously glanced at his master's expression, closed his eyes, and swallowed, feeling that Master Qin was truly courageous.

By the time Biezhi arrived at Suqing Gate, Fu Huaiqing had already found her.

The moment his eyes fixed on her figure, he wanted to step forward to stop her steps, take her back to the Suwang Mansion, or even bring her into the palace. She could escape from the small Suwang Mansion, but it would be difficult to move an inch inside the huge palace walls.

However, when he saw her happy figure suddenly jogging towards the roadside stalls, Fu Huaiqing paused slightly and stared at her excited back for a long time without moving forward.

He followed her from Suqing Gate to Ding'an Gate, and then to the market.

Until Qin Xiao appeared.

Fu Huaiqing stood at the end of the market street with a cold expression, his eyes fixed on Biezhi, who was full of vigilance and resistance. He watched her slowly let down her guard, and watched the corners of their mouths rise more and more as the conversation deepened.

Hearing Qin Xiao's bold promise, he pulled the corners of his mouth and smiled coldly.

A chill spread all around, and Cheng Jin's tightly pursed lips trembled. Even if he lived like a monk and didn't understand the relationship between men and women, he could still tell that something was amiss in the atmosphere.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Your Highness, may I go and take Miss Biezhi back to the mansion?"

Fu Huaiqing's gaze remained fixed on the spot not far away, and he said a faint "hmm." He glanced at Qin Xiao, who was still waiting for Biezhi's reply, and said, "Send a message to the Dali Temple. They are required to investigate the Hezhou family massacre case within two weeks. If they can't find the truth, you will be beheaded."