In the adjacent room, Min Wenqing's voice, tinged with a hint of mockery, drifted over: "Since you lack sincerity, there's no need for us to waste any more time."
This was followed by the sound of Min Wenqing rising, the fabric of his robe rustling.
Concubine Fang retorted, "Wait—is it me who lacks sincerity, or is it you? That thing is my lifeline! I can't just spill everything to anyone who shows up, especially when you haven't even promised to let me go."
Min Wenqing chuckled softly but said nothing, simply opening the door.
"Wait—"
Now Concubine Fang grew restless. She had waited so long for someone willing to listen to her, and judging by this man's demeanor, he was likely someone of importance. Most crucially, if he left now, she truly feared she might be locked away here until her death.
She did not want to die, nor could she afford to die. If she perished, her two children would be utterly ruined.
Concubine Fang had been playing coy with Min Wenqing merely to test his limits. Unexpectedly, this young man, though not old in years, proved to be deep and elusive, leaving her with no leverage.
Moreover, his earlier mention of Guangli Bank suggested he might have already uncovered something. This was partly her fault—in her haste and misjudgment when captured, she had made a tactical error.
What Concubine Fang feared most now was that these people would follow the clues and uncover more, rendering her a useless pawn to be discarded.
Thus, seeing Min Wenqing truly about to leave, Concubine Fang rose and hurried to the doorway.
Min Wenqing raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Ready to tell the truth? Think carefully this time, because you won't get another chance."
This time, Concubine Fang's tone was far more humble and earnest: "Yes, yes, I've thought it through. I'll need to trouble you a little longer."
Min Wenqing closed the door again and returned to the room.
As he shut the door, Concubine Fang seized the chance to glance outside, catching sight of a corner of emerald-green clothing beneath the eaves of the corridor. Her gaze sharpened involuntarily.
Once Min Wenqing was seated again, Concubine Fang frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "May I ask who the woman standing outside is?"
Min Wenqing hadn't expected her to be so observant and replied casually, "Just a maid. What? Do you recognize her?"
Concubine Fang thought for a moment and answered truthfully, "I didn't see her face clearly, but the emerald pleated skirt she's wearing looks very familiar. I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
A thoughtful expression crossed Concubine Fang's face.
In the adjacent room, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but smile wryly upon hearing this.
The person standing outside was likely Pingguo. Today, Pingguo was wearing an emerald-green pleated skirt that Ren Yaoqi had worn a few times before and later asked Granny Xu to give to Pingguo. Unexpectedly, Concubine Fang was sharp-eyed and attentive—with just a fleeting glance at the doorway, she had noticed the fabric and trim of the skirt seemed familiar.
Pingguo was actually quite innocent. Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jingxi had entered the room, and she dared not wander too far, so she remained guarding the doorway. Hearing movement in the adjacent room, she immediately turned away to keep her distance, but she had still been spotted by Concubine Fang.
Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi with a reassuring smile and teased her, "Isn't it strange? Now you hold the knife, and she's the fish on the chopping block. Are you still afraid she might recognize you? Don't worry—I wouldn't mind helping you silence her if it comes to that."Ren Yaoqi was actually amused by his words.
In truth, she wasn’t afraid of Concubine Fang, nor did she fear confronting her directly.
It was just that when she thought of the trust she had placed in her in her past life, and the gentle, considerate way Concubine Fang had treated her back then, she couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of injustice.
Even though Concubine Fang’s kindness had all been an act, she had performed it so convincingly.
This made Ren Yaoqi, when facing the current Concubine Fang and recalling the tragic deaths of her parents and sister in her past life, feel a surge of resentment toward herself.
This feeling was like being cut with a blunt knife—sharp pain whenever she thought of it. That’s why even she hadn’t realized before that she truly didn’t want to see Concubine Fang at all.
In the neighboring room, Concubine Fang didn’t press further about the maid outside. This time, she got straight to the point: "I really haven’t been to Guangli Bank more than a few times, but my brother wrote to me earlier, saying that if I ever needed help with anything, I could contact Manager Liu at Guangli Bank."
"What kind of person is this Manager Liu?" Min Wenqing didn’t tell Concubine Fang that Manager Liu and his subordinates had already been arrested earlier.
Concubine Fang shook her head. "I don’t know exactly who he is, but I do know he’s quite capable. Whatever tasks I entrusted to him, he always managed to get them done. According to my brother, this person was originally handed over to him by someone else. But since my brother couldn’t come to Yanbei this time, I persuaded him to pass this connection to me."
"Who was the ‘someone else’ who handed this person over to your brother?"
Concubine Fang paused for a moment before saying, "Eunuch Lu, the one by the Empress Dowager’s side."
Concubine Fang thought to herself that since this connection had already been exposed, there was no need for her to keep covering for anyone. Revealing it before others did could still serve as a bargaining chip for herself.
When Ren Yaoqi heard Eunuch Lu’s name again, she was no longer as flustered as before, though a faint trace of disgust flickered across her face.
"Are Fang Yacun and Eunuch Lu very close? What did he instruct Fang Yacun to do?"
At the mention of her brother’s name, Concubine Fang clearly hesitated. "They’re not exactly close, but my brother’s superior, Lord Feng, is on good terms with Eunuch Lu. My brother himself is also highly regarded by Lord Feng, so Lord Feng doesn’t keep things from him and often entrusts him with tasks. This trip to Yanbei was likely on Lord Feng’s orders, probably to help Eunuch Lu manage the Yanbei official circles. I heard earlier that Eunuch Lu would be sent to Yanbei as a military supervisor."
"A military supervisor?" Min Wenqing chuckled. "For which army?"
Concubine Fang glanced at Min Wenqing and said, "It should be the Ningxia Army."
When it came to military matters, Min Wenqing was naturally well-informed.
The imperial court had sent Zeng Pu to lead the vanguard. Once the situation here stabilized somewhat, sending a military supervisor was a common practice of the court.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jingxi quietly explained to Ren Yaoqi, "The southern court has many factions. To put it simply, Zeng Pu and Lu Yu are not from the same faction."
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment. "Lu Yu is undoubtedly Empress Dowager Yan’s person, but I heard that Zeng Pu is actually from the Yan family as well?"
Xiao Jingxi gently tapped the table with his knuckles and smiled faintly. "You’re not wrong, but don’t forget that the young emperor has grown up now."Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi immediately understood. No wonder she had heard in her past life that the emperor had been somewhat dissatisfied with the Yan family's control over the court. Later, due to the Ningxia incident and the Xiao Family of Yanbei being too forceful, the emperor and the Yan family temporarily reconciled under the Empress Dowager's mediation.
However, Empress Dowager Yan's stance and attitude were quite intriguing. Over the years, she had consistently stood firmly with her maternal family, the Yan family, and the world regarded the Yan family and Prime Minister Yan's intentions as the Empress Dowager's own.
Yet, Xiao Jingxi's statement that "Zeng Pu and Lu Yu are not of the same faction" hinted at many things.
For instance, when it truly came to a critical moment, the Empress Dowager might not actually abandon her own son to stand with her maternal family. After all, a mother's status depends on her son, and the emperor was the foundation of her security and position. Without her son as emperor, she would be nothing.
This was why Zeng Pu came to Ningxia, and the court planned to send Supervisor Lu—it was the result of covert struggles among factions in the court.
Thus, although Zeng Pu and Eunuch Lu might have clashed privately in the past, they both worked hard to maintain a balanced relationship on the surface, avoiding offending each other easily.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi's thoughtful expression, Xiao Jingxi knew she had grasped his subtle hints, and he couldn't help but feel delighted.
It was no wonder that Second Young Master Xiao, who had encountered countless beauties in his life, had secretly fallen for a young woman like Ren Yaoqi.
In this world, those more beautiful than Ren Yaoqi were not as clever as her, and those cleverer than her could not match her looks. Even if there truly was someone both cleverer and more beautiful than Ren Yaoqi, they might not be able to keep up with Xiao Jingxi's train of thought.
"Enchanted by beauty, captivated in heart" emphasized more a state of mutual understanding and connection.
Ren Yaoqi, however, wondered why Xiao Jingxi would share such matters with her.
The relationship between the emperor and the Yan family could be considered a secret affair, something that an ordinary commoner like Ren Yaoqi would have no way of uncovering.
Now that Xiao Jingxi knew the emperor and the Yan family were united in appearance but divided at heart, he could exploit this to stir conflict between them and ultimately reap the benefits.
Over there, after Concubine Fang finished explaining matters about the Guangli Bank, Min Wenqing asked her about the White Cloud Nunnery.
Concubine Fang had still held onto some hope that the White Cloud Nunnery had not yet been exposed, but she realized it had been traced back after all.
Feeling helpless, Concubine Fang had no choice but to disclose the situation regarding Nun Liang as well.
"Is that Sun Shiyi Niang also one of your people?" Min Wenqing asked.
Concubine Fang replied, "Sun Shiyi Niang was introduced to me by Nun Liang. They knew each other before, but I am not very familiar with her. Nun Liang had many people under her; she should have been working for the court for a long time. I heard she also had some... some connection with the deposed Prince Xian's son. She was likely an informant the court had placed by the deposed Prince Xian's side long ago."
Listening from the next room, Ren Yaoqi pondered. Nun Liang had indeed been involved with her uncle before, but she had learned that Li Tianyou had not visited the White Cloud Nunnery for a long time now. Presumably, after the troops were hidden in White Cloud Temple, Nun Liang's mission had also changed.
Don't wait for updates tonight. The author cannot connect to Wi-Fi and won't be able to post!Chapter 322 has been revised. For readers on mobile devices who might not be able to see it, the author has posted an additional chapter titled "322" in the related works section, which is free of charge.
Readers who wish to support the author can purchase the VIP chapter "Chapter 322."
Thank you! o(∩_∩)o
(If you encounter this situation, please don’t panic. The author will make up for it and provide an explanation later. ^^~)
However, we apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Additionally, the author is currently on a business trip and will be away for about a month, returning only before the Lunar New Year.
Sometimes posting updates may not be very convenient, so if there is no update on a given day, we will try to make it up the following day.
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