Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 34: Settling the Storm

The unexpected change came like a thunderclap, so sudden that everyone was caught off guard.

Taoist Lingxu's face changed immediately, and his panic was evident in his words.

Xue Qingzhi also reacted after a brief moment of distraction, "Where is the person?"

"Brother!" Xue Qingxiu's voice had arrived before he even showed up.

Everyone watched him eagerly as he limped forward, supported by two servants.

"mother!"

"Big brother!"

He took one last look at Qian and her two children, who were in tears, and then grinned.

"I thought I would never see you again..."

His eyes were red, his voice was trembling slightly, his clothes were torn, and his hair was extremely messy, but his eyes were bright and showed his relief at surviving the disaster. He looked much more energetic than before the accident.

"Son!"

The old lady was the first to cry out.

"father!"

The Tenth Lady and Little Xue Yi also rushed over and hugged their father tightly. Only Qian buried her face in the nanny's shoulder and sobbed silently.

Xue Qingzhi's eyes also warmed up, and he looked up and down:

"Third brother, what is going on?"

"It's a long story..." Xue Qingxiu said, his eyes slowly swept around, his brows slightly frowned, "Brother, what's going on at home? Why is there a Taoist priest coming home?"

Everyone looked at Lingxu.

The air seemed to freeze.

The return of Master Xue San alive was tantamount to a slap in the face to Taoist Lingxu in public, completely exposing his lies.

Not to mention the current farce, even his predictions about Xue Yuechen's "Eight Lucky Stars" and Xue Sui's "Seven Evil Stars" cannot but arouse suspicion.

Xue Qingzhi half-closed his eyes and glanced at everyone, not knowing how to explain this chaotic situation.

"Third Master." Ruyi bowed hurriedly, seizing the opportunity, and spoke with righteous indignation.

"I don't know which evil spirits instigated this stinking Taoist priest to come to our house and talk nonsense. He insisted that the Third Master's soul was eaten by some strange creature, and that our Sixth Miss was a seven-evil star, born to bring bad luck to her relatives. He insisted on instigating the First Master to drive the Sixth Miss out of the house..."

Xue Qingxiu sneered and looked at Lingxu.

"You stinky Taoist priest, you can't even figure out whether I'm alive or dead, how could you figure out the murderer? Tell me, who ordered you to do that?"

Lingxu had never expected such a sudden change. His eyes were in a panic and he kept bowing his hands, completely losing his composure.

"Maybe there is something wrong with the will of heaven. Goodbye, I am leaving now."

He wanted to slip away, but Xue Qingxiu refused to let him go.

"Want to leave? No way. Come here, arrest this nonsense Taoist priest or I will pull out his tongue."

Xue Qingzhi was afraid of Taoist Lingxu's reputation and what happened in the past, so he didn't want to create trouble. However, Xue Qingxiu was a stubborn person and didn't care about the consequences.
He called the guards to tie up Taoist Lingxu and his two disciples.

"Sixth girl, tell me, how do we deal with him?" Xue Qingxiu looked at Xue Sui. "Cut off his arms and legs, or pull out his tongue, or send him to the government? Whatever you say, Third Uncle will do it!"

He looked as if he wanted to vent Xue Sui's anger, and the Xue family members looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xue Liu has only been back home for a short time and is clearly not familiar with her Third Uncle. Why is his Third Uncle so partial to her?

What's more, everyone saw with their own eyes that Lingxu had just performed a ritual and the burning talisman paper was driving the peach wood sword towards Xue Sui.

Xue Lan came back to his senses from his shock and immediately refuted.

"Uncle San, you didn't see it just now. It was really the guidance of the Immortal Lord that made the talisman paper appear. How could this be fake?"

Xue Sui glanced at his face as if he was looking at a fool, and gestured to Xiao Zhao calmly.

"Go and learn the Taoist's magic."

Xiao Zhao has been itching to do it.

The most common things in the old mausoleum are unorthodox practices and supernatural things.

Not to mention talisman paper catching fire, it's not uncommon for a house to catch fire.

She strode forward and unceremoniously snatched the magic weapon from Lingxu's disciple named Qingxuan. She held the peach wood sword in her hand and danced the same way as Lingxu had just done. She dipped the sword in clear water to write a spell, and then suddenly threw it into the air. The talisman paper puffed and ignited a ghostly flame...

Xiao Zhao turned around and smiled, and the wooden sword drew a long line with the momentum of a rainbow piercing the sun, pointing directly at Lingxu.

"break!"

"Certainly!"

"It's him. He's the murderer!"

The courtyard suddenly exploded.

How could a little girl have such ability?

The old lady exclaimed, "Sixth girl, what's going on?"

Xue Sui smiled and said, "It's just a trifle. When the talisman paper is stained with phosphorus powder, it will spontaneously combust. It's just a trick used by scammers in the market. It can't be considered a sophisticated trick."

Everyone's eyes were glued to her. At this moment, Xue Liu didn't look like a wild girl who had returned from a dirty alley full of people of all kinds. Even a girl who was carefully brought up by a famous family would not be as calm, composed, noble and dignified as her.

"This Taoist priest came prepared. He might be related to the case of Jingzhao Yin's family. Why don't we search him and his disciples? Maybe we can find some evidence..."

Xue Qingxiu's eyes lit up, "That makes sense!"

He signaled to his attendant, "Search!" The Third Master Xue became arrogant, and no one in the mansion could do anything to him. Although Xue Qingzhi felt that the body search was inappropriate, Lingxu Taoist was in the wrong first, and Xue Qingxiu had no intention of discussing it with him, so he just did it without hesitation, so he could only turn a blind eye and let him do whatever he wanted.

The attendant was nimble and nimble. After groping around Lingxu's body for a while, he actually pulled out a piece of silk scarf from his arms.

"Master, look. What is this?"

Everyone looked closely and were all stunned.

He is obviously a cultivator, but he actually has women's personal belongings on him?

Xue Qingxiu was quick to snatch the robe away and spread it out in front of everyone.

There are two words embroidered on it:
"Xuehong."

He raised his eyebrows and handed the robe to Xue Qingzhi with a hint of joking.

"Brother, please take a look."

Xuehong, that was the maiden name of the first wife, Mrs. Fu.

Xue Qingzhi only felt a buzzing sound in his head, as if he was hit by a heavy hammer. It took him a moment to wake up, and he turned his head and stared at Xue Sui. His eyes were like staring at a poisonous snake that was choosing its prey, full of shock and suspicion.

"How is this going?!"

Of course, that long-time attendant was from Jiuling Swamp.

From accompanying Xue Qingxiu to Qionglou, to identifying the body in Jingzhao Prefecture, to returning to the prefecture to report the news and conduct a body search, everything was planned.

Unfortunately, Xue Qingzhi was a shrewd and knowledgeable person, not as ignorant as those people in Xue Mansion. Moreover, Lingxu was one of the most accomplished masters in the world, so he not only did not believe her easily, but also doubted her daughter who was found in the old mausoleum...

Xue Sui smiled at him and said, "Madam is so thoughtful."

There were not many words, but they were like thunder, which made Xue Qingzhi and even the old lady unable to pay attention to anything else.

Because they all knew that Xue Yuechen would become the Princess of Duan, largely due to the Taoist Lingxu's prediction of "Eight Lucky Stars", which made her a woman who was blessed and destined to be extraordinary.

They have bigger headaches.

Xue Sui was not afraid at all.

The stage has been set, and of course there is more to come.

Xue Sui approached the old lady, supported her trembling body, and smiled sweetly.

"Grandma, it seems that the wizard's words are trustworthy. The flowers are blooming and my third uncle is really alive."

The hidden worry in Old Mrs. Cui's heart flashed away. When she saw her youngest son coming back to life, the wrinkles on her face smoothed out again and she cried and laughed.

"That's right, Sixth girl. Donate more merit money for me later to thank this benefactor."

As she spoke, she pulled Xue Qingxiu again, looked him up and down, and asked everyone's questions while crying.

"My son, where have you been these past two days? I missed you so much that I almost cried my eyes out."

Xue Qingxiu couldn't bear to watch, so he glanced at Xue Sui and told everyone a story he had prepared in advance.

"That day I was at Qionglou, having a night party with a few close friends. I came out to use the restroom, but someone covered my mouth and nose in the toilet. Then I passed out and lost consciousness..."

"When I woke up, I found myself in a bandit den. From what they said, they kidnapped me and wanted to ask my brother for a ransom... I was shocked. My brother is the Minister of Justice. How could he allow such a scoundrel to threaten him?"

He straightened his back, his eyes full of determination and pride.

"I took advantage of their hangover and killed the bandit leader, burned down the bandit mountain, and escaped in a flash..."

"That mountain is called Laojun Mountain. The leader of the bandits there tried to assassinate the prince last time. However, the mountain road is rugged and winding, the terrain is unknown, and there are traps and secret passages, so the government can't find their hideout. Fortunately, your son is smart. He tied up a messenger to show him the way. He memorized the passes and found the nearby camp when he got out of the mountain. He led the soldiers up the mountain and wiped out the remaining bandits in one fell swoop."

He said this with great joy, hugged my mother tightly and laughed out loud.

"Mother, your good-for-nothing little son is going to make great achievements!"

Old Mrs. Cui cried and laughed, and was very proud of her son.

The other members of the Xue family looked incredulous, as if they were listening to a book.

Qian was instantly proud, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and began to cheer for her husband.

"I don't know who dares to gossip about us behind our backs and make up stories about how our Third Branch is useless... We killed the bandit leader, burned down the bandit mountain, and wiped out the bandits. Our Third Master is so great, and his contributions are so great... Who among you dares? Who dares?"

Whether it is true or not, everyone has to compliment it.

Xue Lan had read many files in the Dali Temple, but he had never seen anything so bizarre.

Amidst the joy, he was the first to raise questions.

"But Third Uncle is back. Who was the person who fell from Qiong Tower, and why was he wearing Third Uncle's clothes?"

Xue Qingxiu glared at him, "Are you hoping it's me who's going to die?"

Seeing Xue Lan's face turn pale, he snorted heavily, turned around and pointed at the Taoist Lingxu who was forced to kneel on the ground.

"Maybe it's this evil Taoist who's behind this! Doesn't he know how to cast a spell? It should be easy for him to turn a living person into a living person! Big brother, we can't let this evil Taoist get away with it!"

Xue Qingzhi glanced at his mother, his eyes carrying a hint of profound meaning.

"After all, Lingxu's matter only concerns the Xue family. Since it is a family matter, I will first lock Lingxu and his apprentice in the woodshed and let me interrogate them in detail..."

Back then, he listened to Lingxu's words and treated the sixth girl badly. He was in the wrong. But with the eldest girl's "Eight Lucky Stars" and the silk scarf, he didn't dare to think about what would happen if Concubine Xiao knew about it, how he would be ridiculed by his colleagues in the future, and how he would be criticized when he went out.

He didn't want to cause any trouble and didn't want the matter to spread.

But things did not go as planned. Just as the servant received the order, the doorman came to deliver the message.

"Master, His Royal Highness Prince Duan and Princess Duan are here..."

　Xue Sui: Dear readers, is it lively? If so, please let me hear your voices...

　　(End of this chapter)