Ma femme escalade le mur

Chapitre 88

Duan Chen shook his head slightly, then looked up at him: "Have you heard of the brand on the back of the hand that Su Chen mentioned before?"

Zhan Yun pondered for a moment. He figured Zhao Ting was probably more knowledgeable in this area, so he turned to look at him. He saw Zhao Ting's expression darken, his dark eyes fixed intently on him. If looks could kill, he probably would have died a hundred times over by now.

Zhan Yun glanced at Duan Chen and said in a low voice, "I'm going out for a bit." Then she smiled at Zhao Ting. Zhao Ting had already stood up, his face frosty and his eyes sharp, and stood waiting at the door. Neither of them spoke, and they went out of the house one after the other.

Just then, Xiao Changqing and Zuo Xin from next door walked over. Zuo Xin cupped his hands to Duan Chen and smiled, "This time, I'm truly impressed! Little Duan, your interrogation skills are amazing." Zuo Xin had always thought he had met a talented man, but after seeing him today, he realized that Duan's interrogation skills were not even half as good as Xiao Changqing's.

Xiao Changqing rolled her eyes, naturally knowing what Zuo Xin was thinking. She walked towards Duan Chen with a smile, hands behind her back, and winked at her: "Is the jasmine tea good?"

Duan Chen was taken aback by his question, then curled his lips into a smile, his clear phoenix eyes sparkling: "Thanks to Senior."

Xiao Changqing smiled so much his eyes narrowed: "You two are both good at listening to advice and know how to cherish what you have. Once you open up to each other, you'll definitely be able to stay together for a long time."

Zuo Xin also sensed something amiss and smiled, nodding to Duan Chen: "Congratulations."

Duan Chen smiled slightly: "Thank you." Last night, Zhan Yun showed his deep affection, and this morning the case made considerable progress. In addition, with the heartfelt blessings from Xiao Changqing and Zuo Xin, Duan Chen's melancholy of the past few days gradually dissipated, and his heart felt much lighter.

Xiao Changqing recalled the scene when the two people walked out one after the other when he first entered the house. His dark eyes darted around, and he smiled mysteriously: "Xiao Duan, if Xiao Yunyun returns injured later, will you avenge him?"

Duan Chen thought for a moment and shook his head: "Let them handle their own affairs. It's not appropriate for me to interfere."

Zuo Xin raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you afraid they'll sever ties because of you?"

Duan Chen answered confidently, "No." His gaze went past Zuo Xin's shoulder and towards the bright sunlight outside the door: "Neither of them are that kind of person."

Author's Note: There will be an update at 9 AM tomorrow.

80

Chapter Fourteen: A Messy Tale • The Sapphire Blue Pouch...

As the three were talking, a constable rushed in, bowed to them, and said, "Young Master Duan, gentlemen, my master requests that you move to the front hall." Duan Chen frowned slightly, exchanged a glance with Xiao Changqing and Zuo Xin, and quickly followed the constable out of the house.

Upon arriving at the front hall, they saw Lord Cao, his face pale with anxiety, pacing back and forth before his desk with his hands behind his back. The young registrar stood to the side, holding a file, his hands trembling slightly. Zhou Yufei sat nearby, sipping tea, his expression somewhat strange. Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting stood with their backs to the three of them, seemingly having just arrived as well.

Upon seeing this, Duan Chen's expression changed slightly: "What happened?"

Upon hearing Duan Chen's voice, Zhao Ting stiffened slightly, but didn't turn around, remaining standing in the same position. Zhan Yun also felt somewhat awkward, turning to look at Duan Chen: "Chen'er."

Duan Chen's phoenix eyes widened as he stepped forward and looked Zhan Yun up and down. He then turned his head to look at Zhao Ting and saw that the two of them had disheveled and torn clothes and their faces were covered in bruises.

Zhao Ting's left sleeve was torn open, a strip of dark black cloth hanging at his elbow, and a half-foot-long tear in the front of his robe revealed a dark undergarment. One eye was bruised, and the eye socket was swollen. Zhan Yun's light blue belt was broken, and one shoulder had a large hole torn in it, along with his white undergarment, which was slightly bruised on his light honey-colored shoulder. One cheek was slightly swollen, and the corner of his mouth was cut, oozing a few drops of blood.

Zhou Yufei, who was standing nearby, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He spat out his tea with a "pfft" and burst into laughter, slapping the table with one hand. Lord Cao, standing to the side, sighed and bowed to Zhou Yufei, saying, "Lord Zhou, please stop laughing. I feel like crying."

Duan Chen parted her pink lips slightly, raised her delicate hand slightly and then quietly lowered it, frowning as she looked at the two of them without saying a word. Zhan Yun looked into Duan Chen's eyes, a smile curving her lips to indicate that she was alright. However, her cracked lips trembled involuntarily, and her smile became slightly stiff.

Zhao Ting pursed his lips, staring intently at Duan Chen with his dark eyes. He reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her away. Zhan Yun's expression darkened. He used his palm as a blade to slash at Zhao Ting's arm, while pulling Duan Chen closer to him with his other hand. Zhao Ting frowned, parried with his backhand, and threw a punch straight at Zhan Yun's shoulder.

Duan Chen was gently pushed aside by Zhan Yun with his palm. Seeing that the two were about to start punching and kicking each other again, he reached out and took the teacup from Zhou Yufei's hand and smashed it on the ground. There was a crisp "bang" and the warm tea spilled out, and the white porcelain with blue flowers was smashed everywhere.

Everyone present was stunned. Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Duan Chen. Zuo Xin stepped forward and pulled the two apart, whispering, "Watch yourselves, do you want everyone to know that Xiao Duan is a woman?"

Zhao Ting was taken aback, and released his hand following Zuo Xin's grip. Zhan Yun whispered "Thank you" and quickly stood aside.

Duan Chen didn't even look at the two of them, but turned around and cupped his hands in greeting to Lord Cao: "My lord, has something happened again?"

Cao Minde nodded, his face grim. "I just received a report that Councilor Zhang died suddenly half an hour ago. I've already sent people over, and I heard that he had the same smile on his face as those four when he died." He then glanced at Zhao Ting and the others, and sighed. "If it's convenient for you all, it would be best if you went to see him now. I think Su Chen has become a pawn, and there's likely to be some big commotion in the Liao Kingdom in the next couple of days."

Duan Chen asked with some doubt: "How did you confirm that this was done by the Liao people?"

The registrar beside him answered tremblingly, "Just now, the young prince said that the brand on Su Chen's wrist is the symbol of a secret organization in the Liao Kingdom. The circular black mark does not contain an eagle, but a kind of raptor unique to the Liao Kingdom—the gyrfalcon."

"I see," Duan Chen nodded. "My lord, please don't be anxious. We'll go over now." He frowned, turned around, and looked at the crowd.

Xiao Changqing stood up with a smile: "Xiao Duan, I'll go with you! I'm free all day today."

Zuo Xin chimed in from the side, "I'm fine too."

As soon as Zhan Yun took a step, Duan Chen glanced at him indifferently and said, "You two go back to the manor to change your clothes first. However, we don't need so many people to check the scene."

Zhou Yufei rested his chin on one hand and leaned back in his chair. He glanced at Zhan Yun on his left, whose jade-like cheek was swollen and he was barely able to suppress his laughter. Then he looked at Zhao Ting on his right, whose dark eye socket was covered with a cold expression. He couldn't hold it in any longer and lowered his head to chuckle.

Zhao Ting narrowed his dark eyes, his anger turning into a mocking laugh. He kicked the chair Zhou Yufei was sitting on. At the same time, Zhan Yun slammed his hand on the high table where Zhou Yufei was supporting his arm. Two crisp sounds, "crack" and "smack," followed by the sound of heavy objects hitting the ground, a person's furious curse, an elderly official's distressed sigh, and a newly appointed registrar's panicked exclamation, all mingled together in a chaotic mess.

Duan Chen and the other two had already left the house. Xiao Changqing glanced back, laughing so hard he was doubled over. Zuo Xin shook his head and sighed softly, "Don't be too angry with them. Men, it's normal for them to fight occasionally. Besides, judging from their injuries, it's mostly from external impacts, they didn't use any internal force."

Duan Chen stared ahead, his lips pressed tightly together. After a long pause, he said softly, "I know."

Xiao Changqing laughed so hard his stomach almost cramped. He finally calmed down, patted Duan Chen's arm, and smiled slightly, "Little Duan, Zuo Xin wasn't wrong this time. If the two of them want to fight, just let them fight. In this situation, it's better to take action than not to."

Duan Chen slightly tucked his chin and nodded silently.

Xiao Changqing carefully examined Duan Chen's expression, rolled his eyes, and suddenly smiled: "So, Duan, you weren't angry at all, and you know that the two of them are fine, but... you feel sorry for Xiao Yunyun?"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Xin raised an eyebrow and looked at Duan Chen with some surprise.

Duan Chen's pink lips parted slightly, her phoenix eyes blinked twice, and she turned to look at Xiao Changqing. A tightness gripped her chest, and her stomach ached slightly; an indescribable sadness lingered. Was this what heartache felt like?

Seeing the confusion in Duan Chen's eyes, Xiao Changqing smiled and patted Duan Chen's shoulder: "Silly girl, you've really figured it out this time!"

On the other side, Zuo Xin also curled the corners of his mouth: "It seems that someone has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel." Once this case is closed, he will definitely have to invite him and Xiao Changqing for drinks.

The three arrived at the mansion and learned that Lord Zhang had returned home after court and was in his study. According to the maids, Zhang Jinglin had been drinking tea when he suddenly began to tremble violently, his eyes glazed over, and then he let out a loud shout, trying to get up by supporting himself on the table, but his body gradually went limp and he collapsed to the ground. Blood oozed from his mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes, while a slow smile appeared on his face. The maid who was grinding ink nearby was terrified and had barely managed to cry out for help when Lord Zhang had already died.