Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 299 Miss Qin, it’s time for you to go home

As Gou Xiangxi looked towards Hong Zhao, the little girl herself hadn't reacted to what was going on. It took her a long while to come back to her senses. She pointed at herself in surprise and said, "Me?"

Jiang Liuer stood up, protected Hong Zhao behind her, and said, "What does Mr. Gou mean by this?"

Gou Xiangxi smiled and said, "Madam, please don't misunderstand me. I have no ill intentions. The Fourth Young Master should have informed us in advance."

"Fourth Young Master?"

"Some people also call my young master the Young Tiger Captain."

Jiang Liuer's eyes suddenly widened and she looked at Gou Xiangxi in disbelief.

Only then did she know who the person Captain Zhao mentioned in the letter was who could be absolutely trusted.

Just... Young Master?
"I heard that Captain Zhao was an orphan. How did he become your young master? Who is your master's family?"

Jiang Liuer relaxed her vigilance towards Gou Xiangxi a little, but still expressed her doubts.

Gou Xiangxi pondered for a moment and said, "Now this matter... is not a secret. It is true that the fourth young master is an orphan, but he was adopted by my benefactor since he was young and was given the surname Zhao."

"Zhao? Which Zhao?"

Zhao is a common surname. Not to mention Kyushu, there are several families with the surname Zhao in Kyoto alone.

Gou Xiangxi replied: "Zhao from the East China Sea."

Just this one sentence made Jiang Liuer and Hong Zhao beside her excited: "Is it the Zhao family that developed perfume, glass and cloud yarn?"

Although Hong Zhao is not very old, girls of all ages love beauty. She knows a lot about these things and has therefore heard of the name of the Zhao family of Donghai.

Gou Xiangxi replied with a smile: "That's right."

Hong Zhao asked again: "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Gou Xiangxi did not answer immediately, but looked at Jiang Liuer and said with a cupped hand: "Madam, could you allow me to talk to Miss Hong Zhao alone for a few words?"

Jiang Liuer hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

But before leaving, she secretly pulled Hong Zhao's arm and said in a low voice: "I'm outside. If anything goes wrong, call me."

Hong Zhao nodded her head vigorously and whispered, "Don't worry, Sister Liu'er, I know."

Jiang Liu'er then left the house and went to the yard, but the door was not closed tightly, it was just ajar.

Gou Xiangxi noticed her little action, but didn't say anything.

When they were the only ones left in the room, Hong Zhao looked at Gou Xiangxi and became a little nervous: "Sir, what do you want to talk to me about?"

It’s no wonder that she was a little nervous when facing Gou Xiangxi. It’s really that Gou Xiangxi’s appearance was not good and he didn’t look like a good person no matter how you looked at him.

Gou Xiangxi stood up and bowed solemnly to Hong Zhao: "I am sorry to come to visit you today because I have something to ask of you, Miss Hong Zhao."

Hong Zhao was young after all, and when he saw someone so much older than him paying him respect, he felt a little flattered and stretched out his hand to help Gou Xiangxi.

She held Gou Xiangxi's arm and couldn't help asking, "Does it have anything to do with Captain Young Tiger?"

Seeing her concerned look, Gou Xiangxi immediately understood something in his heart. He turned his eyes and nodded seriously: "That's right, this matter concerns the safety of the Fourth Young Master!"

Hong Zhao's eyes widened, but soon she became depressed: "But I'm just a little maid, and I don't know martial arts like Sister Ping'er, how can I help?"

Ping'er?

Isn’t the mistress of this house called Jiang Liuer?
Gou Xiangxi was somewhat puzzled, but he thought it was just a slip of the tongue by Hong Zhao, and did not delve into it, and continued: "The little maidservant of Zhang Lushuai's family can't help, but if she is the daughter of Qin Tianguan, she can help a lot!"

Qin Hongzhao's face, which had originally looked somewhat worried, suddenly became dull.

She slowly raised her head and looked towards Gou Xiangxi, her mouth slightly opened, but she could not utter a word and her mind went blank.

She was originally holding Gou Xiangxi's arm, but after a moment she came to her senses and quickly let go of her hand as if she had held a branding iron. She suddenly took several steps back and stared at Gou Xiangxi as if she had seen a ghost.

"How do you know..."

Because he was too shocked, his voice trembled and broke.

Gou Xiangxi was not surprised. He turned sideways and continued to bow to her, saying, "Miss Qin, we rescued you, so of course we should check your background. Before, the Fourth Young Master saw that you were unwilling to return to the Qin Mansion, so he asked my benefactor to show mercy and not reveal your identity."

The next moment, his face became serious and his voice became a little sharper: "But now, the fourth young master is at the critical moment of life and death, and only you can save him. I hope you... can lend a helping hand because the fourth young master saved you!"

"Am I the only one who can save him?"

Qin Hongzhao was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt an indescribable emotion in his heart.

In her mind, Zhao Guanxiang, who rescued her from the sea of ​​fire, is her hero!
Even if everyone says that Zhao Guanxiang is not good and everyone thinks that Zhao Guanxiang is not a good person, she still wants to think so.

This is a vision and a hope.

Perhaps, there are more things sprouting...

But she only dared to bury this emotion deep in her heart, and only occasionally heard news about Zhao Guanxiang. She would be filled with joy when she heard good news, and would be extremely sad when she heard bad news about him.

She envied Jiang Ping'er very much, not only because of her daring to love and hate, but also because Sister Ping'er could really help the great hero!
She also wanted to help Zhao Guanxiang, but she could do nothing.

At this critical moment, a person suddenly appeared in front of her and told her that only she could help the hero. The most overwhelming emotion in her heart at that moment was... joy!
Qin Hongzhao couldn't help but clench his fists, as if he had made up his mind: "Then what should I do?"

Gou Xiangxi looked at her determined eyes and nodded with satisfaction.

He said, "There is only one thing that Miss Hong Zhao needs to do."

"what's up?"

"Return to the Qin Mansion!"

……

The moment the door opened and Gou Xiangxi walked out of the house.

In the yard, Jiang Liuer immediately stood up and asked in surprise: "Mr. Gou is leaving now?"

It's been less than an incense stick's time since she came out, and this Mr. Gou came all the way here. Was he really just to chat with Hong Zhao?
"That's all for today. I'll come pick up Miss Hong Zhao at noon tomorrow."

Gou Xiangxi smiled slightly and bowed to her: "Sorry to bother you. I will take my leave now. Madam, please stay."

Jiang Liu'er was stunned for a moment, then quickly walked into the house.

When she entered the room, Hong Zhao was sitting at the table, sobbing quietly with her face covered. When she heard the door open, Hong Zhao hurriedly turned her face to the side and wiped the tears from her face with her little hands.

Seeing her crying, Jiang Liu'er felt distressed and angry: "What did that man say to you? I'll let him come back right now!"

"Sister Liu'er!"

Hong Zhao stopped her from sobbing and looked at her with tearful eyes: "Mr. Gou, Mr. Gou didn't say anything excessive... He just helped me find a home."

Jiang Liu'er immediately turned from anger to joy: "He helped you find your home? No wonder he wanted to talk to you alone."

The reason why she took in Hong Zhao these days was that the little girl said that she could not remember anything about the past, could not recall her origins, and had no home to go, so Jiang Liuer kept her by her side.

"Isn't this a good thing? Why are you crying?"

"But I, I...I can't bear to leave Sister Liu'er."

Jiang Liuer's heart softened when she heard this. She walked over and held Hong Zhao in her arms, gently touched her head, and said softly, "Silly girl, you have to go home."

"Woo~"

Hong Zhao put his arms around her waist and buried his face in her chest, but he could no longer stop crying, and his tears flowed like a dam bursting.

The sound of crying is lingering, but I don’t know whether it is joy or sorrow.

……

There are many families with the surname Qin in Kyoto.

But there are only two Qin families in the entire Kyoto city who can afford to buy a house in the inner city.

One of them is Meng Liang Qin, the maiden family of the current Second Prince's wife. Although the house they own in the capital is still considered the property of Meng Liang Qin, it is actually controlled by the Second Prince and is located in Wenjufang.

The other Qin Mansion, located in Xueshifang, which is closest to the imperial palace, is the residence of the Qin family of Jiujiang. The owner of the residence is the Minister of Personnel Qin Desheng.

At this moment, it is morning.

In the backyard of the Qin Mansion, Qin Desheng, wearing home clothes, was teasing the kingfisher in the cage with a wheat ear, whistling, and looking very contented.

“Swoosh, whoosh, whoosh~”

He loves birds very much. There are bird cages hanging on the corridors, and inside are all rare birds he has collected over the years.

Just as Qin Desheng was teasing the kingfisher in the cage, he heard footsteps hurriedly coming from the other side of the corridor. Turning back, he saw it was his third son, Qin Weiyuan.

Qin Weiyuan is a thin young man, about thirty-two years old, with high cheekbones and narrow eyes.

When Qin Desheng saw Qin Weiyuan coming over, he noticed the visiting card in his hand. He turned around and continued to tease the kingfisher in the cage, while asking, "Whose visiting card is it?"

Qin Weiyuan bowed and said, "Dad, this is the visiting card from the Third Prince, it's..."

Before he finished speaking, Qin Desheng waved his hand, as if impatient: "Lost it, lost it, bad luck!"

Qin Weiyuan was so surprised that he raised his head: "Dad, the third prince said he has something important to discuss with you, you...really not going to go and take a look?"

Qin Desheng sneered: "What's so good about it? Just throw it away."

"But……"

"I'm talking to you, don't you understand?"

It was not until Qin Desheng's face fell that Qin Weiyuan said helplessly: "Yes, I know."

He wanted to withdraw, but after thinking about it, he still had some hope: "Can I ask why? Father has been secretly communicating with the Third Prince for many years, but now that we are in the process of a battle for the crown prince, why are you ignoring the Third Prince?"

Qin Desheng glanced at his son unhappily, took a deep breath, and explained: "What if I told you that something went wrong in Ximo and the Third Prince was about to lose his greatest helper?"

Qin Weiyuan was suddenly shocked.

Qin Desheng said, "I heard that Grandpa Zhou forced the emperor's grandson to flee the border of Daqian, and there was a lot of commotion over there. His Majesty wants to appoint a crown prince at this critical moment, and he has also given such a test question. I'm afraid the third prince is desperate and wants to drag others into the water. Do you think it's unlucky for your father to receive the visiting card from the third prince at this time?"

Qin Weiyuan was shocked: "What? There is such a thing?"

Qin Desheng stood with his hands behind his back and said, "Not many people know this news. If it weren't for an old friend of mine who is an official in Yongzhou and wrote a letter to warn me, I'm afraid I would have been plotted against by the Third Prince."

As he spoke, he had already noticed that Qin Weiyuan's expression was gradually changing, and he said, "You have something on the Third Prince, so you have no choice but to be his lobbyist... Let me guess, you owe a lot of gambling debts in Yifeng Royal Manor?"

These words made Qin Weiyuan turn pale instantly, and he fell to his knees on the ground with a thud.

Qin Desheng sneered and turned around: "It seems that my guess was correct."

"Dad, I am possessed by a ghost. Please help me just once!"

Qin Weiyuan knocked his head on the ground and howled for mercy.

Qin Desheng shouted: "Stand up!"

Qin Weiyuan stood up tremblingly, with his neck shrunk like a quail.

Qin Desheng's expression eased a little, "Since you are willing to tell the truth to Dad, you are not hopeless. Go back and receive a family punishment. Before the next spring imperial examination, you will be confined to your home and not allowed to go out. If you fail to pass the imperial examination next year, you will return to your hometown in Jiujiang and fend for yourself."

Qin Weiyuan lowered his head and listened to the lesson. After his father finished speaking, he said hesitantly, "But, but I owe the Third Prince a full thirty thousand taels of silver..."

"During the current battle for the crown prince, the Third Prince can't take care of you." Qin Desheng paused for a moment, a smile appeared on his face, "And when the candidate for the position of the East Palace is determined, the Third Prince will be in trouble. Just stay at home and don't go anywhere. He will have no way to deal with you. When he gets into trouble, he will be even less able to take care of you."

"My child understands."

"Remember the lesson from this time, and concentrate on scientific research in the future."

Qin Weiyuan nodded in agreement, looked up at the calm Qin Desheng, and couldn't help but ask: "Dad, are you not going to do anything in this battle for the crown prince?"

“Doing nothing is the best option.”

After Qin Desheng answered, he saw his stupid son's puzzled face, sighed, and said with regret: "Use your brain to think about it. Now your father is a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel. The next step is to become a prime minister."

"What's the point of me taking sides? Whoever becomes emperor will have to use me, your father, in the end. And don't forget that Prime Minister Wu is already over 80 years old! He will have to retire one day. Who else can take over this position except me?"

His idea was very simple. Compared with Wu Yong, he had no advantage in any aspect, but he had a huge advantage in one aspect!

He is more than thirty years younger than Wu Yong!
Wu Yong will die from endurance!
Therefore, in this competition for the crown prince, all the civil and military officials in the court had already taken their sides, and they were probably very nervous. Only he could take it easy and just wait for the result from the sidelines.

In the past few years, he and the third prince have had some cooperation.

But now?
Who is Ji Yunrui?
I'm so unfamiliar!
(End of this chapter)