If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

In chaotic times, human life is as worthless as grass. In addition, many things happened that were completely unrelated to her previous life, and Xi Lingxian's heart jumped into her throat.

She couldn't care about others; she only prayed that her father and elder brother would be safe and sound.

The people in the council hall did not disperse until evening. Xi Lingxian brought a food box to visit him. Xi Jian was leaning against the soft couch, pretending to doze off, his face showing his exhaustion.

He drank two bowls of ginseng soup before he recovered.

"Fanfan, something has happened to the Wang family."

Xi Lingxian blinked, somewhat taken aback.

"At the scene of the assassination of the Prince of Huainan, a short knife was left behind, with the Wang family totem engraved on the hilt; when the guards around the Prince of Huainan fought with the assassin, they also tore off the Wang family guards' waist badges from the other party."

Xi Lingxian almost instinctively said, "Framed."

She wasn't biased towards the Wang family; it was simply that the Langya Wang clan had no reason to do such a thing. They could openly depose the crown prince, let alone a prince's heir with no real power.

Furthermore, Xiao Jingyi holds no real power and has no blood debts on his hands, so why would the Wang family risk such a major offense by sending assassins to kill him?

"Most likely," Xi Jian said. "But the current situation is unfavorable to the Wang family; the Prince of Huainan has already entered the palace, demanding an explanation."

The Prince of Huainan is the current emperor's younger brother. If things really escalate, the Wang family may not be afraid, but it will still cause trouble.

It is even more difficult to prevent Wang's political enemies from taking this opportunity to kick him while he is down.

"Then who came looking for Father?"

"If the Emperor and the Langya Wang clan become irreconcilable again and the conflict comes out in the open, some of the major families are undecided about which side to take and have come to ask me for my opinion."

Xi Lingxian chuckled: "Is that even a question? Of course, we're siding with the Wang family."

His daughter avoided Wang Jue like the plague, and Xi Jian was taken aback by her words. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"The emperor has ruled for many years because the powerful families are of one mind and one heart; even though the powerful families take turns to rise and fall, and fight each other, it is all based on their own abilities. But if the emperor gets involved, then it is different."

Once imperial power rises, which of these aristocratic families will have a good ending?

Xi Jian looked pleased, "Fanfan is intelligent."

Xi Lingxian didn't take this matter to heart. If you want to wear the crown, you must bear the weight. The Langya Wang clan has reached its current position, and there must be political enemies behind them who want to bring them down and petty people who envy and are jealous of the Wang clan's honor and wealth.

If they can't even handle this little thing, then all the savings their family has accumulated over the generations have been for nothing.

……

that night

Qiluan Pavilion, around midnight

Thunder rumbled across the sky, and a flash of lightning illuminated the room.

Xi Lingxian was awakened by hurried footsteps.

At this hour, all the servants in the manor should be asleep. Such hurried footsteps... could it be...?

"Peach branch," she called out.

Peach Blossom came in rubbing her eyes. "Miss, it seems something has happened outside."

Xi Lingxian pressed her ear against the window crack and vaguely heard a few words:

"People from the Wang family have arrived...to search the mansion..."

Search the mansion?

Xi Lingxian's expression changed drastically.

On what grounds did the Wang family search the Xi residence?

She turned around, quickly combed her hair, and put on her coat.

Footsteps approached from afar outside the courtyard gate.

A rapid knock on the door shattered the tranquility of Qiluan Pavilion.

"Young lady, is the young lady asleep?"

It was the voice of the butler, Xi Zhong.

Taozhi opened the door.

Under the eaves, Xi Zhong held an umbrella, followed by several guards.

"Uncle Zhong, what is it?"

"The master requests that you come to the main hall, young lady." Xi Zhong's voice trembled. "The second young master of the Wang family has brought men, saying they want to search the mansion."

Xi Lingxian was taken aback. "Why?"

"They say... someone in the manor is secretly hoarding poison and murder weapons." Xi Zhong lowered his voice. "The knife used to assassinate the heir of the Prince of Huainan was engraved with the Wang family's totem, but the Second Prince of the Wang family secretly investigated and found that the knife came from our manor."

Xi Lingxian's mind went blank for a moment.

This, this is impossible.

Inside the main hall, the lights were on.

Xi Jian's face was grim; Wang Jue sat in the guest seat, his eyes cold and sharp as knives in the candlelight.

Xi Rui paced back and forth in the hall, his face ashen.

"A conspiracy! It must be a conspiracy!"

Wang Jue remained calm. "Uncle, I believe there is a misunderstanding, but please cooperate with me to investigate the truth."

Xi Jian found it utterly absurd. "This is utter nonsense! My Xi family has no grudge against the Prince of Huainan's mansion. What reason would we have to murder the heir?"

Wang Jue: "It's not just you who thinks this way, Uncle; the entire Langya Wang clan shares the same sentiment."

Xi Jian's breathing was heavy.

At noon, they were still indifferent to the situation, but who could have imagined that the fire would spread to them so quickly?

The air was still, and the rain was pouring down.

When Xi Lingxian walked in, everyone's eyes turned to her.

At the same time, people from the other branches of the Xi family were also summoned.

"Gentlemen, I apologize for disturbing you so late at night."

"The Crown Prince of Huainan was assassinated, and the murder weapon was engraved with the royal family's totem. My guards followed the clues and investigated thoroughly, discovering that the dagger had left your residence three months ago."

"The person in charge was Xi Gui, the steward of your second branch of the family."

Wang Jue looked at Xi Lang, "Second Master Xi, is this true?"

Xi Lang suddenly stood up. "This, this old man really didn't know. That servant Xi Gui took leave and went back to his hometown half a month ago."

"Going back to my hometown?"

Wang Jue seemed to have heard a joke. "My men just caught him at the gambling den in the west of the city this afternoon. Which village did he go back to?"

"Not only that, he also confessed that you, Second Master Xi, told him to buy a knife on the black market, and specifically instructed him to have the Wang family's totem engraved on it."

"Nonsense!" Xi Lang's face turned deathly pale. "Why, why would I do that?"

Why?

Wang Jue stood up, the candlelight casting a long shadow behind him that enveloped Xi Lang.

"Because I happen to be investigating the salt administration recently, and you, Second Master Xi, were previously in charge of the Jiangbei salt tax... I'm afraid it won't withstand scrutiny."

His words carried immense weight: "You're afraid I'll find out something's wrong, so you're trying to frame the Wang family to make me preoccupied with my own problems, isn't that right?"

The room was deathly silent.

Xi Lingxian looked at her father.

Xi Jian gripped the handrail tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

"Of course, this is just my personal speculation, and it does not match what Xi Gui confessed."

Xi Lingxian's heart skipped a beat; she suddenly had a bad feeling.

Wang Jue slowly turned around and looked at Xi Lingxian.

"Xi Gui confessed that he personally delivered the knife to Qiluan Pavilion, saying that the eldest young lady wanted it."

Taozhi said instinctively, "Impossible. What reason would our young lady have to harm someone? This guy is clearly making baseless accusations."

"But he said that Miss Xi instructed him to buy the knife a few days ago outside Qing'an Temple, and that you gave him one hundred taels of silver as hush money."

Qing'an Temple?

Xi Lingxian's mind went blank.

She did indeed visit Qing'an Temple to pray for her grandmother, and she did catch a glimpse of a very familiar figure in the temple's backyard.

But she had no idea that it was Xi Gui, and didn't say a word.

wrong!

Xi Lingxian suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

Could it be that from that time onwards, someone began plotting against the Xi family and against her?

Xi Lingxian stood up and said righteously, "Nonsense! I did go out of the city to pray for my grandmother, but I never saw any Xi Gui. The novice monks in Qing'an Temple can all testify to that."

"Besides, what reason would I have to frame the Wang family?"

Wang Jue frowned.

From the moment she refused to marry him, everything deviated from the trajectory of her previous life.

Everything is different now.