Половины жизни, посвященной музыке и макияжу

Глава 109

Xiao Changqing's eyes widened in astonishment. What a spectacle Kaifeng Prefecture had been last night! His delicate brow twitched, and Mr. Xiao looked regretful. Why hadn't anyone told him? He should have gone over there after dinner last night to watch the show! Duan Chen and the others were also surprised. Zhao Ting, clearly not expecting such a commotion last night, raised an eyebrow and continued listening.

Zhou Qianbo coughed, thinking to himself that the worst was yet to come! "After the young marquis arrived, he immediately presented a blood-red jade flute, saying that it was entrusted to him by the Third Prince for safekeeping..." Zhou Qianbo finished this sentence with some difficulty, and as expected, he saw the wonderful changes in everyone's expressions.

Zhao Ting was stunned for a moment, his eyes darkened, and he repeatedly whispered, "I knew it, I knew that kid..."

Zhan Yun's smile was somewhat bitter: "Young Marquis's move is truly an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, willing to risk mutual destruction to cut off those two's escape route..." Saying that the jade flute was entrusted to him by the Third Prince is tantamount to admitting his involvement in the Seven Flutes Cult! Now, in the Emperor's eyes, aside from the yellow jade flute he holds being used to lure people in, anyone else who privately possesses a jade flute is considered to have disloyal intentions. Zhao Qi's actions have indeed implicated Zhao Yan, but he himself is certainly not entirely innocent.

Zhou Yufei, who was listening nearby, was also getting anxious: "Hey Dad, just say it all at once!" He kept taking breaths after each sentence, which made everyone's hearts race and they were on edge. It was so annoying!

Zhou Jixiang raised an eyebrow, glanced at him sideways, and thought to himself, "This matter has taken an unexpected turn. If I don't speak slowly, can you handle it?"

"Judging from His Majesty's expression at the time, he was clearly surprised and taken aback by the young marquis's move," Zhou Qianbo said, letting out a long sigh. "Later we realized that every step of what happened last night was within the young marquis's expectations. As soon as he took out the blood-red jade flute, before His Majesty could even speak, the Third Prince couldn't sit still and stepped forward to snatch it. But then the young marquis's shadow guard, who was standing nearby, reached out and pulled out another blood-red jade flute from the Third Prince's arms..."

The Seventh Prince then took over the conversation, his brows furrowing with a hint of solemnity: "Zhao Qi chose the most dangerous move. You must understand that playing this game in front of the Emperor is tantamount to risking one's entire life and fortune. If things go wrong, it could be a crime of disrespect or even deceiving the Emperor. I doubt that even the shadow guards around him at the time intended to leave alive."

Zhao Ting remained silent for a long time, then finally raised his eyes and asked only one question: "What was Your Majesty's judgment?"

The Seventh Prince stood up and slowly walked out: "The Third Prince's mansion is to be sealed off, Zhao Yan and Zhao Lin are to be executed, and the remaining dozen or so related persons are to be exiled to the southwest. Considering Zhao Qi's many years of service to the court and his loyalty to the Emperor, and his act of putting righteousness before family in times of crisis, he is to be allowed to retain his title and stay in the capital for a month to recuperate. After that, he shall never set foot in Bianjing again."

Reaching the door, Zhao Rui tilted his head slightly, a smile curving his thin lips, but his expression was somewhat cold: "Now you can relax and go see him at that mansion in the suburbs. From last night until four o'clock this morning, after the imperial decree was issued, the child vomited blood several times and was sent directly to that old mansion along with several imperial physicians."

Zhou Qianbo sighed repeatedly, glanced at his son, signaling him to be careful and not cause any more trouble, and then followed the Seventh Prince out of the house.

After a long silence, Zuo Xin, usually a man of few words, finally spoke up, praising, "This young Marquis Zhao Qi is truly a ruthless fellow!" He meticulously planned every step of the way, even inviting the Emperor himself into the game, willing to risk his own and his men's lives just to put his own father and brothers to death. His wisdom, courage, and cunning are undeniably admirable; one cannot help but call him "ruthless."

Zhao Ting suddenly smiled, his voice slightly deep: "No matter how bold you are, you can't outplay someone who doesn't care about their life! In the Zhao Lin matter, what we lacked was the word 'ruthless,' and this kid has made up for it for us."

First, they lured Zhao Lin into a trap, hiring someone to steal the yellow jade flute from Zhan Yun. They waited for the two to meet, then apprehended the man in one fell swoop. Next, they held a trial, summoning the Emperor. Using a fake jade flute, they tricked Zhao Yan into revealing the real one, leaving him with no way out. The Emperor had long intended to deal with these two, and now, with witnesses and evidence presented, and Zhao Qi's act of "sacrificing family for the greater good," it was perfectly justified to arrest and execute them, silencing any dissent.

Xiao Changqing pondered for a moment, then smiled and stood up to stretch: "Hey! In any case, we've finally gotten rid of two menaces! If we solve this case, the Seven Life Sect will definitely be severely weakened and it will be hard for them to come up with any more tricks."

Duan Chen didn't say anything about it, but turned to look at Zhou Yufei: "Is everything alright in Kaifeng Prefecture?"

Zhou Yufei nodded, but his expression was anything but relaxed: "Not yet. But it's only morning..." Based on the murderer's previous modus operandi, he would definitely kill another person today, so everyone, including the constables of Kaifeng Prefecture, dared not relax in the slightest.

Zhan Yun glanced at Zhao Ting, then turned his gaze to Duan Chen, and suggested gently, "Since we don't have anything to do right now, how about we go to the outskirts of the city together?"

After pondering for a moment, Duan Chen saw that all the men in the room were looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something. She smiled and nodded slightly.

Author's Note: There will be an update this Saturday at 9 AM, which will also be the last chapter of this volume. Don't worry, Zhao Qi will not be appearing.

The next volume, which is also the final chapter of this story: Eyebrow Painting. Stay tuned!

This chapter is not intended to highlight Zhao Qi; its main purpose is twofold:

One was the resolution of the case in Kushui Town, which finally brought Zhao Lin and his son to justice;

Secondly, it is also related to the case in this volume. As for how it is related, we will have to read the next chapter.

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Chapter Thirteen: Farewell • A Mistake...

After leaving Zhao Qi's residence, everyone fell silent. Zhan Yun noticed that Duan Chen's brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was unhappy because of Zhao Qi's earlier joke, so he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't think about it."

Duan Chen glanced at him sideways but remained silent. Zhao Ting, still somewhat embarrassed, worried that Duan Chen was uncomfortable because of what had just happened, and advised, "You, you shouldn't pay attention to that kid. He's just delirious from the fever!"

Xiao Changqing, walking ahead, turned back and smiled at the three of them, "You know what, this young marquis's personality is really quite likable!" Just one sentence was enough to make Zhao Ting blush and Zhan Yun speechless; this wasn't something an ordinary person could do. Zuo Xin shook his head with a smile.

Zhou Yufei, on the other side, grinned and nodded emphatically. What great brothers! Who told these two to always gang up on him? This time, he finally got his revenge. Seeing them get their comeuppance made him feel incredibly satisfied!

Duan Chen glanced at the group indifferently: "I just feel that although they have the same appearance, they give off completely different vibes." She had never seen twins before, especially those with such outstanding looks, so she just found it very novel.

Zhou Yufei's lips twitched, and he immediately felt his previous pleasure plummet several notches. Xiao Changqing, on the other hand, burst into laughter, patting Zuo Xin on the shoulder and exclaiming, "Little Duan, you really are no ordinary person!"

Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat helpless. So, that remark had no effect on her at all! It was just making them both feel incredibly awkward…

After boarding the carriage and passing through a small grove of trees, the group returned to the city along the same route. The soft, thin curtain was occasionally fluttering in the wind. Duan Chen had only glanced at it casually, but in the next instant, his eyes widened, and he raised his hand to lift the curtain, ready to jump down.

Unexpectedly, she was grabbed from both sides. Zhan Yun gently called out, "Stop the car." Zhao Ting frowned at her and said, "What's the rush!"

Xiao Changqing chuckled again, while Zhou Yufei lowered his head and chuckled softly. "Young Marquis, although you are physically weak and mentally confused, every word you utter is truly priceless and full of wisdom!"

Duan Chen ignored them. Once the carriage had come to a complete stop, he lifted the curtain and jumped out. Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting followed closely behind, while the other three, not understanding what was happening, also got out of the carriage.

A little further away, there was a house, a two-story red-tiled building with a light gray wall covered with intricate, blood-red flowers. Because it was shaded by a small bamboo grove and located in a low-lying, relatively secluded spot, it would generally go unnoticed by anyone passing by in a horse-drawn carriage.

It was just a fleeting glimpse of that red, but if you got out of the car and walked towards the bamboo forest, you would see a sea of blood red as far as the eye could see. The blood-red roses, with their large and intricate blossoms, bloomed flamboyantly, climbing up an entire wall, echoing the small red building in the courtyard, as if they were afraid that others would not notice them.

Zhao Ting frowned: "No wonder the soldiers patrolling the city said they had never seen two people like that before." If they lived in a place like this, it would indeed be difficult for anyone to notice their whereabouts.

Xiao Changqing stroked his chin: "Even if they aren't the person we're looking for, the owner of this house has rather unique taste..." In this sweltering heat, ordinary people would plant lotus flowers or gardenias, whose colors and scents are lighter and more refreshing. Even if they particularly favor roses, they would rarely choose such a vibrant color, and moreover, only this one color.

The group reached the wall and walked along it in one direction. Xiao Changqing walked faster and faster, becoming increasingly impatient. Finally, he used his lightness skill to circle the wall, quickly returning to the group with wide, astonished eyes. "No door! There really is no door!" he exclaimed.

Even Zhan Yun couldn't help but shake his head this time: "Something's not right."

Duan Chen knew that although Xiao Changqing loved to joke, he was extremely meticulous in his work. If he said there was no door, it meant there was no way in the light, and no way in the dark. Looking up at the red-tiled pavilion, Duan Chen said softly, "Let's go."

The group understood and quickly used their lightness skills to leap over the wall. Seeing everyone had made it over, Zhou Yufei realized that Duan Chen's "Let's go" meant to climb over the wall, not leave. He hurriedly lifted his robes, jumped onto the top, and then leaped down, holding onto the hem of his robe. Xiao Changqing rolled his eyes: "So slow!"

The courtyard was exceptionally quiet. There were no tall trees or shrubs, just a bare expanse of dark brown earth. Blood-red roses climbed over one wall and spread inwards. Duan Chen and the others made their way to the pavilion, pushed open the door, and went up to the second floor. The further they went, the more ominous the feeling became. A faint, sweet, metallic scent gradually filled their nostrils. Everyone knew that this smell meant blood.

The stairs were rather narrow, allowing only two people to walk side by side at most. Zhao Ting walked in front, followed closely by Duan Chen and Zhan Yun. As Duan Chen walked, he felt something was amiss. Something flashed through his mind, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper, a flicker of fear crossing his phoenix eyes. Could it be…?

The group went up to the second floor and found themselves in a large room with windows wide open. Several thin, blood-red gauze curtains swayed in the wind, like a blood-red cage binding them inside. In the center was a large bed, on which lay a person lying face up. The familiar, sweet, metallic smell, and the slightly stiff, supine position of the person on the bed, proved that this person had been dead for some time.

Upon reaching her, Duan Chen glanced at her and his face paled. He pursed his lips tightly and gritted his teeth to keep from trembling. Zhan Yun was also quite surprised. Worried that Duan Chen would be disturbed by this, she quickly took his hand and squeezed it firmly.