Chapter 345: Qingzhu Has Been Killed
After the black carriage left Linquan Village, it took another shortcut back to Qingzhou City. Along the way, however, the people the State Preceptor sent out were already keeping their eye on Linquan Village and Baishui Town in secret.
In the middle of the night, a white carrier pigeon flew into the attached mansion. Zhu Shen caught the carrier pigeon with one hand and pulled out the small mailbox from its leg that contained a small note.
After Zhu Shen read the note, he hurriedly went to the entrance of the reception parlor and opened the door.
It was late into the night but there was still a bright light in the reception parlor. There was a man dressed in black sitting on the arhat couch, his body radiating vigor. He was drinking tea calmly while holding a scroll in his hand, reading something.
Zhu Shen pushed open the door and entered, then closed it behind him to prevent the cold wind from blowing in.
He walked to the front of the man and said respectfully.
“Master, the head of Linquan Village, Ma Sanye, personally sent a letter to the town after dark. I had someone look into it, and the letter was to be delivered to the Qi Residence.”
Li Ruoxuan put down the book in his hand and said, “So she isn’t that foolish.” She had the situation in the village in the palm of her hand. She had also gotten someone to keep an eye on the house.
Zhu Shen lowered his gaze, saying nothing.
Zhu Shen thought, ‘Even if she’s not dumb, the State Preceptor is still the true strategist!’ He had personally made a trip to the village, but knowing in advance that people would have their eye on them, he had long planted spies in place, just waiting to lure the snakes out of their holes.
Li Ruoxuan rubbed his jaw, his voice light and slow as he said, “A woman who has a relations.h.i.+p with the Master Architect Li Qinglian and Divine Physician Su Hexiao, yet neither party was able to find a single clue about her… It seems that the groups in Qingzhou City are all useless.”
“Master…” Zhu Shen was secretly thinking that perhaps that was not quite true either since the Head Grand Secretariat was still quite impressive.
Li Ruoxuan said expressionlessly, “Bring me every intelligence report on her, I’ll look through them again.”
Zhu Shen hurriedly delivered all the information related to Qi Qingyao.
Li Ruoxuan pinched the more detailed intelligence report in his hand and flipped through it again. After going through it four to five times, Li Ruoxuan pointed at a particular piece of information, the corners of his lips hooking into a smile, indicating his interest.
…
…
Night.
Xingli Village.
On a moonless night with high winds and enveloping dark clouds.
The village was quiet as a grave.
There were the occasional sounds of dogs barking, which resonated into the darkness.
A group of a.s.sa.s.sins dressed in dark night clothes rushed into the village at high speed. They were all well-trained; when they reached the gates of a particular home, they scaled the wall, light-footed, and entered the courtyard…
Just as the early morning light broke, a very ordinary-looking man came to the gates of the Qi Residence in Qingzhou City. He claimed to be a postman from Baishui Town and that he had a letter to deliver to Qi Qingyao. Steward Zhang knew where Qi Qingyao hailed from, so he accepted the letter on his own accord and gave the man ten copper-cash as a thank you. The man smiled then left.
Steward Zhang held the letter and went to the side hall. He saw Qi Qingyao tidying up the kids’ clothes and, not daring to delay, Steward Zhang immediately stepped forward. “Mistress, there is a letter addressed to you.”
“…”
Qi Qingyao accepted the letter with uncertainty. She glanced at the lower right corner and saw that the sender only left the name ‘Ma’.
Was it Ma Sanye?
Opening the letter, Qi Qingyao glanced at the letter a few times, her expression changing greatly.
There were only a few keywords in the letter.
[Building, black carriage, a man, ordinary and clean, uncommon.]
Ma Sanye was very cautious, he wrote this way to prevent the letter from falling into the hands of others.
Qi Qingyao understood what he meant from just these few keywords. Someone had paid a visit to her small building yesterday and the person was a man who looked clean but ordinary and had an uncommon air to him. He took a black carriage.
Ma Sanye did not write about a flag so it seemed that the person’s carriage did not have a marker.
As for an ordinary and clean-looking man, there were many who fit that description. However, there was only one she had recently interacted with who also had a formidable aura—the State Preceptor Li Ruoxuan.
Si Jin noticed that Qi Qingyao had gone into a daze with the letter in hand and called out quietly, “Sister?”
“It’s that man,” Qi Qingyao said solemnly.
“Who?” asked Si Jin.
Qi Qingyao pressed her lips together. “I think… it should be the State Preceptor…”
“What did he do?” Si Jin did not understand why she was being so serious.
Qi Qingyao pa.s.sed the letter to Si Jin. “Take a look for yourself.”
Si Jin glanced at the letter; there were just a few keywords.
Qi Qingyao explained, “He had personally gone to the village to take a look at my house.”
Lu Yan had just entered the side hall when he noticed her stern expression. So he asked what was wrong. Si Jin pa.s.sed the letter to Lu Yan, signaling for him to look for himself. Lu Yan glanced at it and surmised from her expression what had happened and understood who the person the letter was referring to.
Lu Yan calmly said, “He is a very collected person, he’s just curious about you and that’s why he went to confirm things himself personally.”
How nice it would be if it were that simple.
However, based on his understanding of the State Preceptor…
Once that person wanted to investigate something, he would use every means to do so…
Not to mention that investigations were not his strongest point. If he did not manage to find something, he loved using others’ weaknesses to threaten them.
This method had proved to be extremely effective.
Lu Yan observed Qi Qingyao and thought that her weakness was most probably the three children. She did not leave the house often, however, and Si Jin was also here. Even Dong Jing and a bunch of guards were at home, so Li Ruoxuan should not be able to try anything.
Qi Qingyao did not speak.
At breakfast, the children saw their mommy’s stern appearance and thought that it was because they had been naughty. Could it be that Mommy found out that they had slacked off when they were learning to read yesterday? The children hurriedly ate their meals, having decided to learn how to read seriously!
They did not want to make Mommy unhappy.
Lu Yan also noticed that her expression was somewhat grim and reminded her, “He just took a look at your house in your hometown, there’s no need to be so anxious.” What he did not say was that the people that were important to her were all right here, so there was no need at all to worry.
Qi Qingyao understood what Lu Yan meant but felt that was something off.
…
When the sky was fully lit, the people of Linquan Village went about with their daily activities.
However, a person from the neighboring town of Xingli Village, who was usually responsible for giving obituary notices, had arrived. He had run more than a dozen miles and, after arriving in Linquan Village, he first asked around for Qi Boli’s home before rus.h.i.+ng over.
When Qi Boli opened the door, the person in charge of giving obituary notices caused an uproar.
“Something’s happened, something’s happened!”
“What is it, so early in the morning?” Qi Boli did not know this person.
That person’s throat was so parched that he could only point to his mouth. Qi Boli hurriedly asked for Madam Wu to pour him a bowl of water. After the person gulped the water down and slowed down a little, he then looked at Qi Boli and said solemnly, “A homicide occurred in Xingli Village yesterday night.”
“Homicide?” What did this have to do with their family?
The person continued, “Are you Qi Boli? You have a daughter named Qi Qingzhu, yes?”
“That’s right. What happened?” The corners of Qi Boli’s eyes twitched involuntarily when he answered. Homicide…how could it have anything to do with Qi Qingzhu?
That person said, “The people who died are your daughter Qi Qingzhu and her entire family.”
“What!!!” Qi Boli instantly jumped to his feet.
What did he mean by Qi Qingzhu and her entire family being dead…
Madam Wu fainted on the spot when she heard this.
The person was rather insensitive as he continued, “I saw it with my own eyes, I think the entire family is dead. Since you’re her birth parents, you should hurry and arrange the funeral.”
Qi Boli’s face went white. “…”
The old lady had just come out, heard what the man said, and also fainted…
Madam Liang, who was still their daughter-in-law at the end of the day, was relatively calm when she heard that Qi Qingzhu and her entire family had perished, but even she could not help the fine hairs on her body standing as she shuddered. She was even a little unstable on her feet.
Qi Boli gritted his teeth and said, “I don’t believe it.”
“Father, don’t worry, let us first hurry over and take a look,” Qi Yuanxiu said nervously as he s.h.i.+vered. “I don’t think it’s Qingzhu, it’s definitely not Qingzhu, she didn’t even offend anyone! How could it be!”
Qi Boli’s mind was a mess but he knew he could not faint now. He needed to go over personally and see what exactly happened.
He asked Madam Liang to stay at home and take care of the children and also Madam Wu and the old lady. He and the two sons, Qi Yuanxiu and Qi Yuanye decided to hurry toward Xingli Village…to see exactly what happened.
…
…
Qi Qingyao’s eyelids had been twitching ever since she received that letter.
She could not shake off the feeling that something was going to happen.
She had been extremely fl.u.s.tered after breakfast. Qi Qingyao put on a fur coat and sat by the lake in the backyard. She watched the flowing water in the pond, her expression deep.
It was not until the afternoon after they had eaten their lunch that Steward Zhang came to report something somewhat awkwardly.
“Mistress, there’s someone called Ma Sanye, who looks travel-strained. He said he’s looking for you.”
Ma… Ma Sanye. Did he not just send a letter this morning? Why had he personally come now?
Qi Qingyao’s eyes were dark and clear, her expression gloomy. “Invite him in.”
Steward Zhang heard Qi Qingyao’s instructions and knew that this person was likely someone the mistress knew…
When Ma Sanye entered the Qi Residence, he was stunned by the large mansion but did not have the time to admire it. He was led to the side hall and sat down somewhat absent-mindedly. Qi Qingyao greeted him but he even forgot to reply.
Qi Qingyao said, “Didn’t you already send a letter?”
She personally poured some tea for Ma Sanye.
Then she called Si Jin and the rest to wait outside.
Ma Sanye drank a sip of tea and after collecting himself, he then recalled the reason he came.
He immediately looked at Qi Qingyao and said,
“Something’s happened. Your sister and her entire family has been killed.”
Qi Qingyao’s brain buzzed numbly.
Something burst into her mind.
Ma Sanye looked at her instant expression of bewilderment and could understand how she felt—he was also dumbfounded when he got the news this morning. “The entire Qi family has gone over to Xingli Village now and had no time to let you know. I also wasn’t sure if I should tell you or not but I thought that it was something that you would definitely want to know, so here I am.”
Qi Qingyao paused for a moment before finding her voice. She looked down, muttering, “Qi Qingzhu…and…her entire…family…”
Ma Sanye drank his tea, his expression vacant and sorrowful as he said, “Yes. Since I’m the village head, I receive news faster than anyone else. The people who died were indeed Sun Shuli and his entire family. They were murdered yesterday night. The entire Xingli Village was shaken when they woke up in the morning and now they’re in chaos. Everyone’s wondering if Qi Qingzhu had offended some high-ranking officials in Qingzhou City which was why someone had sent a killer… which led to this murder.
“But I find this too weird. That black carriage had just come to the village yesterday and then your sister was murdered the same night. I was wondering if these two incidents are connected. That’s why I came here deliberately to inform you.”
Qi Qingyao listened to what Ma Sanye said and her expression turned ugly. She closed her eyes, saying in almost a whisper, “It’s me…I did that to her.”
Ma Sanye noticed Qi Qingyao’s sorrowful expression and how red the corners of her eyes were when she opened them. He said, “Qingyao, you shouldn’t cry first.”
“I…” Qi Qingyao’s eyes were bloodshot, fierce winds scattered in her dark eyes. “I shouldn’t have bought her freedom, shouldn’t have gotten so close to her. I shouldn’t have taken her back to the Qi Residence. Or, if I had only let her and her family stay in my residence after I bought her freedom, maybe they would have survived.”
Ma Sanye had already overcome his grief when he made his way here. He said very seriously, “You’re wrong to say that…”
“…” Qi Qingyao looked at him.
“I’ve thought about this carefully.” Ma Sanye a.n.a.lyzed the situation for her. “If the other party has really been aiming at you, they wouldn’t be safe even if they stayed in your home.”
“Why do you say so?” asked Qi Qingyao.
Ma Sanye answered, “Do you think she wouldn’t have gone out ever? Do you want her to stay in this big house forever, like being inside a cage, and never going out?
After a pause, he continued, “If they really killed her because of you, then even if she stayed with you, she would have been killed the moment she stepped out of the house! It has nothing to do with where she was.”
Qi Qingyao, “…”
Ma Sanye consoled her. “You shouldn’t blame yourself.”
Qi Qingyao was silent.
She was silent for a long time.
Ma Sanye said, “But, what I don’t understand is why they killed Qi Qingzhu. I’m unable to understand this, and I hope that you will be able to think carefully about the reason.”
Qi Qingyao said nothing.
Ma Sanye knew she needed time to digest this matter.
She needed time.
After all… Qi Qingzhu was her elder sister.
Rather than dally, Ma Sanye got up and said, “I’ll be heading back first.”
“I’ll go with you.” Qi Qingyao immediately got up.
Ma Sanye asked in surprise, “Do you also want to go back?”
Qi Qingyao’s eyes were covered in frost and snow, her expression cold. “I want to investigate Qingzhu’s death.”
With that, Qi Qingyao left the side hall with Ma Sanye. She immediately called for Si Jin. In just a few minutes, they boarded the carriage with no baggage and hurriedly left.
They did not even inform anyone of anything.
Steward Zhang was a sensible person. He took a look at the mistress’s stern expression when she left and knew for sure that something had happened…
The carriage drove hurriedly toward the outskirts of Qingzhou City.
Sitting in the carriage, Ma Sanye felt the gloomy atmosphere and lightly coughed. He took the initiative to ask, “Did you offend anyone recently?”
Qi Qingyao answered expressionlessly, ” I don’t know.” Was it Li Ruoxuan? She did not know.
She needed to take a look at the scene…
…
After Qi Qingyao’s carriage left the Qi Residence.
This information was then delivered to Jiang Yeqian in just ten minutes.