Edited by Elanor
Chu Mu narrowed his eyes, “Long Qingfu.” Knowing that Xie Tingyue was not familiar with him, he spoke carefully, “The Mu Family are Imperial merchants. You know, He Yuanqi hugged the Mu Family’s thigh and recognized the Family Head as his Godfather and called him “Father”. This Long Qingfu is actually the Mu Family’s biological Nephew.”
Xie Tingyue understood. “Oh, so he’s a relative.”
He noticed that He Yuanqi’s attitude toward Long Qingfu was a little odd. He guessed that the Mu Clan probably treated this Nephew very well and that his status was higher than He Yuanqi’s.
Chu Mu added, “The Long Clan has always held Official positions in the Imperial Court. Their family is of noble descent.”
Xie Tingyue made another guess. The Mu Clan’s business was so large that they had been able to maintain their position as Imperial merchants for many years. Perhaps the Long Clan had played a part in their success. Of course, the Mu Clan would treat this Nephew of theirs with even greater importance.
Long Qingfu stepped on He Yuanqi’s body, his expression cold and furious. “I don’t care about all those dirty things you do every day, but who gave you the courage to say anything about Qi-jiu?”
He Yuanqi’s eyes trembled uncontrollably. He couldn’t beg for mercy, nor could he cry for help. He could only mumble wordlessly and take the scolding.
“She’s pure as ice and jade, and she didn’t break down even under your various threats, nor did she let you take advantage of her. You still have the nerve to say such nonsense? I didn’t know about this at the time, or else I would’ve killed you right then and there. Else how would you still have your dog life till now?”
Long Qingfu’s clear stance in defending Qi Yingfei was obvious to everyone.
Xie Tingyue said, “He likes Qi Yingfei? But he looks to be of age—”
That Young Miss was only twelve years old. One person was already of age and should have gotten married long ago, while the other person wasn’t even close to reaching her coming of age.
Chu Mu didn’t know much about the relationships between others and hadn’t paid much attention to them. He could only say the facts. “He’s nineteen this year, and he hasn’t been betrothed.”
It was unknown what kind of scene Long Qingfu seemed to be imagining in his mind. His eyes grew darker and he couldn’t calm down at all. He continued to kick He Yuanqi under his feet.
He Yuanqi didn’t dare to speak up, nor did he dare to dodge. He could only cry out softly for mercy.
Everyone at the scene watched silently, and no one stepped forward to stop them.
This was considered a family matter, one should teach one’s people a lesson and outsiders shouldn’t interfere in their own business. Besides, it wasn’t like a few kicks would kill him… Everyone thought that they would step in when things got out of hand and try to talk some sense into them.
This He Yuanqi was a real piece of work, too much of a scumbag and a beast, and Xie Tingyue didn’t move to interfere as well.
The accident happened very suddenly.
Long Qingfu kicked down again with his foot and discovered that He Yuanqi hadn’t moved. Not only had he not moved, he hadn’t even groaned for mercy.
“Don’t play dead with me. Go back and take your punishment!”
He indicated that he would spare He Yuanqi for now, but He Yuanqi still didn’t move.
What was going on?
Long Qingfu bent down in suspicion and pushed He Yuanqi. He frowned as he leaned down to check for breath, and his expression changed.
He Yuanqi was dead!
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lbk mbeiv tf vlf ilxf atlr!
Pcrajcais atf rmfcf kjr lc jc eqgbjg.
Lbk mbeiv atlr yf? Lbk mbeiv tf vlf ogbw j ofk xlmxr? Ktfs tjv rffc la klat atflg bkc fsfr.
Ciatbeut Obcu Hlcuoe kjr nfgs jcugs, tf ralii tjv j rfcrf bo qgbqglfas jcv xcfk tlr ilwlar. Cii bo tlr xlmxr tjv ijcvfv bc Lf Tejcdl’r yeaabmxr, cba fnfc abemtlcu tlr kjlra, wemt ifrr jcs nlaji bgujcr.
A living person died from a few kicks to the butt? Or were they blind and hadn’t noticed that Long Qingfu had kicked somewhere else?
One surprise after another. No matter how smart Xie Tingyue was, he couldn’t react to this.
Wasn’t He Yuanqi the culprit? How could he die instead?
Accident?
He quickly pushed Chu Mu forward.
They were the Masters of the household. In this situation, no one could say anything to them.
Chu Mu walked over and pinched Xie Tingyue’s palm, then slightly lifted his chin indicating him to look at a certain direction.
Xie Tingyue looked carefully and discovered that there was some light gray powder on He Yuanqi’s collar.
The traces were very small, but they could be clearly seen with careful inspection. They were completely different from the dust on the ground, but they were identical to the substance in the poisoned teacup!
Poisoning. Both sides contained the same poison?
The most crucial question was whether He Yuanqi had committed suicide or if someone else had poisoned him.
Xie Tingyue and Chu Mu exchanged a glance.
Chu Mu pressed his brows together.
Lan Ying herb. Lan Ying herb again.
With a life lost, the feast naturally couldn’t continue in such a merry fashion. Xie Tingyue, as the host, immediately began to handle the aftermath.
He Yuanqi was a merchant and a real citizen, not a servant bound to any family. His death had to be reported to the authorities. Of course, after reporting to the authorities, how the officials handled the matter and how the Long Family operated thereafter was none of Xie Tingyue’s concern.
What he needed to do was to calm everyone’s emotions and ensure that the incident was clear; that the Chu family hadn’t done anything wrong and were also victims. He needed to protect the Chu Family’s reputation as much as possible.
The Chu Family Elders were slow to react. When they heard their subordinates report the incident, they hurried over, each with a look of surprise on their faces and many precautions in their hearts. The Second Madam Sun was especially unable to contain her expression; she was so terrified that her fear and anxious emotions nearly spilled out of her.
Long Qingfu was very unhappy, clearly annoyed by this unexpected turn of events. But he didn’t throw a fit and cooperated with Xie Tingyue’s suggestions, knowing that he had to go through with it.
Thus, both the hosts and guests were satisfied.
Chu Mu was spared the laborious task of escorting the guests. He was pushed away from the crowd by a servant girl and found Qin Ping and Lu Li. When he saw that Lu Li was safe and hadn’t met with any mishaps, he relaxed and told the servants to take him back to his residence.
Lu Li wanted to tease Chu Mu a little, but when he heard what had happened, he said nothing. He only waved at Chu Mu with a smile before leaving.
Chu Mu led Qin Ping to a place where no one else could see them. “Have you found the pattern on the silver bead?”
On the day of the merchant conference, Qin Ping had taken something from the person who’d taken Lan Ying Herb—a small silver bead with a pattern on it.
Chu Mu remembered seeing this pattern in his previous life at the Plum Blossom banquet, but he couldn’t recall where or who had worn it.
He’d been very enthusiastic about greeting the guests today because he was observing for clues, but he hadn’t discovered anything. No one wore clothing or accessories with the same pattern. He’d even begun to think he’d remembered wrong and handed the matter over to Qin Ping.
Qin Ping nodded. “Yes, My Lord.”
Chu Mu looked up and smiled. “Oh, really?”
“This subordinate discovered a carriage with the same pattern on its window curtains. It was identical, only slightly larger.”
“Who owns the carriage?”
“It’s Long Qingfu.”
Long Qingfu… Long Qingfu again.
Both incidents were related to Lan Ying Herb. If only one of them had been connected to him, Chu Mu might not have suspected him. But two…that was a little more suspicious.
Long Qingfu had gone to such lengths to make this carriage. Was he confident that no one else knew the secret of this pattern? Was he not worried about being discovered? Or was he truly innocent, and unaware of the implications?
Chu Mu pondered this thoughtfully.
He wasn’t afraid of difficult problems. They were just puzzles to be solved. What he was afraid of was not having a direction. With a direction, he could follow the trail and find the solution.
He would definitely investigate this pattern and the Lan Ying Herb to the very end.
Xie Tingyue stood at the front, sorting everything out in perfect order. The officials arrived promptly, and Long Qingfu was cooperative as well. Everyone was happy.
The banquet ended, and the Chu family saw off their guests. The women boarded their carriages at the second gate, while Xie Tingyue escorted the male guests to say their goodbyes in the outer courtyard.
No one could find fault with Xie Tingyue’s performance at the banquet today; everyone had a good impression of him. And who wouldn’t want that Indigo cloth, which was so popular?
There was no doubt that they would become friends!
Xie Tingyue’s smile was about to freeze over.
Fang Huai, the Prince’s Consort, had also stayed until now. After the incident with He Yuanqi, he had helped Xie Tingyue keep the crowd in check. Only now did he leave.
Xie Tingyue was deeply grateful and bowed deeply. “I’ve caused you a great deal of trouble today, Brother Fang. I’ll repay you in full in the future.”
“Why be so formal with me?” Fang Huai smiled. “I’m afraid I’ll be putting you to a great deal of trouble in the future as well. I hope Xie’er won’t mind.”
Xie Tingyue smiled wryly. “Of course not. If Brother Fang needs anything, I’ll be more than happy to help.”
Fang Huai leaned in close and blinked. “That Indigo cloth of yours isn’t bad. Would you like me to recommend it to the Prince Li Palace?”
Xie Tingyue was taken aback.
Fang Huai was offering to help him. But his shop was too small and unestablished. Before he had built up enough influence, the most likely outcome of his product being recognized as an Imperial gift would be that it would be taken by someone else and developed for profit. He wanted to protect his invention, and building his own influence was key.
“Many thanks for your kind offer, but my family’s shop is really too small…”
Fang Huai understood Xie Tingyue’s reservations and didn’t press the matter. In his eyes, Xie Tingyue would surely soar to great heights—it was only a matter of time. He could wait a little longer to help; he could do anything to assist him.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Xie’er to help with my Princess’s clothes and hurry up with them.”
“What’s so hard about that?” Xie Tingyue was surprised to find that the Prince Consort was also afraid—no, in love with his wife.
Fang Huai stroked his clean-shaven chin and patted Xie Tingyue’s shoulder like a brother in the same boat. “Of course you have to coddle and pamper the one inside. Don’t you?”
Xie Tingyue was stunned.
Me? What do I have to do with that?
“All right, let’s go. No one’s left in here anyway. You should go back and get some rest too, and kiss Chu Mu a little.”
Xie Tingyue blinked. Kiss…what?
Rubbing his face, Xie Tingyue took a deep breath. Never mind the kissing, there were indeed some things he needed to discuss with Chu Mu. Like this mysterious poison, He Yuanqi’s sudden death, and his Second Aunt, Madam Sun—
The surprise and fear on her face weren’t faked. She definitely hadn’t expected He Yuanqi to die, and perhaps she didn’t know what he had been doing either.
This way, he and Chu Mu would face the worst outcome.
Was he afraid? Xie Tingyue asked himself.
He thought he should be afraid, but when he looked at the sky in the distance and the white snow on the plum blossom petals, and when he thought of Chu Mu’s face, for some reason, his heart was very calm.
With someone by his side, he wasn’t walking alone.
Why should he be afraid?
It was about time for Chu Mu to take his medicine. That person looked elegant and refined, a gentleman of poise and grace, but in truth, he was very spoiled and willful. If Xie Tingyue wasn’t watching him, he wouldn’t take his medicine properly.
Ah… He was really so troublesome.
Xie Tingyue turned briskly down the corridor and headed toward the courtyard where he and Chu Mu lived.
As for Chu Mu, he had already had Qin Ping light the candles. He leaned against a soft pillow with a book in hand, his profile perfectly turned to wait for Xie Tingyue’s return.
Love Fang Huai’s advice, Xie Tingyue should take it
Lmao is fang huai sympathising as a fellow man who married in?
In any case, this chapter was a surprise. He Yuanqi actually died. At least he was beaten before that.
Yeah I’m with the prince : kiss, kiss, fall in love. (Well they already are).
Yes xie’er, you husband needs some kisses and coddles 🤭
Thank you for the update!
Wise words should be heeded, kiss…lol. Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣
That was a surprise!
He really log out quickly, but why he brought trouble for our boys? ><
Thank You for the new chapter (⋈◍＞◡＜◍)。✧♡
Bah! That beast surnamed He died too easily!! He deserve a much more miserable death, justice for the Ninth Miss!!