Zhuо Qi didn't nоtiсе Нan Yan's ехрrеssiоn and simply sаid, "Тhere's nо one surnаmеd Qiао in thе Тang Seсt, but... the daughter of the prеviоus Tаng Seсt fоrtrеss mаster wаs саllеd Хiaо Qiao by еvеryоne."
"Xiaо Qiao?" Нan Yan wаs tаkеn аbасk, rеcalling thе сharасtеr "Qiaо" signed оn thаt brocаdе handkеrchief. Thе daughter of thе рrеvious fоrtress master wаs саlled Хiао Qiао... Whаt did this havе tо do with hеr mothеr? After а momеnt's thоught, shе askеd, "Did уоu sеe that Xiаo Qiao?"
Zhuo Qi shoоk his head. "Thаt Xiaо Qiaо diеd of illnеss over a decade ago."
Han Yan was startled. Dead? Her mind was thrown into chaos. If she was dead, then this lead was cut off. How could this be? Would she never uncover the truth of the matter? This Xiao Qiao must have known something. That brocade handkerchief had been kept by Abi for so many years, surely for a reason. And Abi was her mother's personal maid... What exactly was the connection here?
Zhuo Qi looked at Han Yan and said, "However, I discovered something very interesting."
Han Yan abruptly raised her head. "What is it?"
"The people in Tang Fortress are all tight-lipped about this Xiao Qiao. I had to ask around for a long time to find out. According to the oldest batch of servants here, this Xiao Qiao looked exactly like the Donghou Prince's wife."
"The Donghou Prince?" Han Yan was stunned. How was this related to the Donghou Prince? Wait, wasn't the man her mother had been infatuated with in her youth the Donghou Prince? Han Yan faintly felt she had grasped a thread of the matter, but the feeling was unclear, so it remained vague.
Zhuo Qi stared at Han Yan, his gaze full of interest. "You know that's not what I meant." It was as if he had discovered something fascinating, grasping that point to lead Han Yan toward his line of thinking.
Han Yan snapped back to attention. "Exactly alike?" She reacted quickly.
"They might as well be the same person," Zhuo Qi said.
"They might as well be the same person." When Zhuo Qi voiced the very suspicion in her heart, Han Yan was momentarily stunned. She didn't know why, but she suddenly had an intuition: the so-called "exactly alike" was merely a cover. Perhaps they really were the same person.
Often, ample evidence and clues were not as straightforward as intuition. Especially for someone who had died once, she had an absolute sharpness in such matters.
Zhuo Qi smiled slightly. "What do you think?"
Han Yan looked at him. Zhuo Qi's jade-green eyes held an indescribable excitement and thrill, as if all the tension of discovering prey had been stirred up. Han Yan felt an inexplicable sense of danger. She curved her lips into a smile. "That's hard to say. These martial artists are all strange sorts. What's so unusual about looking exactly alike? Perhaps someone saw wrong. It's best to have evidence when dealing with matters."
Zhuo Qi, however, leisurely took a sip of tea and said, "You already believe what I said. Otherwise, you wouldn't be refuting me like this."Han Yan was momentarily speechless. What he said was true. Precisely because Han Yan had believed Zhuo Qi's words, she became so tense when Zhuo Qi voiced his speculations. Because the interest Zhuo Qi showed in this matter exceeded Han Yan's expectations. Even if something truly was going on, Han Yan did not want Zhuo Qi to get fully involved. For Han Yan, the fewer people who knew about this matter, the better. Since Zhuo Qi was a Western Rong, he need not worry about being entangled in these jianghu affairs. However, this matter involved the Donghou Prince, which meant it was connected to the imperial family. No matter what, this created a subtle conflict with Zhuo Qi's identity.
Zhuo Qi took in Han Yan's expression and suddenly said, "You don't need to be so nervous. I will continue investigating this matter, but only for your sake." Seeing Han Yan about to refuse, he added, "I know you want to get to the bottom of this, and no one else can help you. Trust me."
Han Yan could say nothing. Could she possibly say, "I don't trust you, don't investigate this matter, just let it go"? Everything has its limits. Zhuo Qi currently harbored no ill will toward her; even the goodwill he showed fell within these limits. It was based on his belief that she had treated him well. But if Han Yan refused today, that would exceed the tolerance Zhuo Qi could afford. A wolf willing to lower its head—when it might turn to devour someone was always uncertain.
So she nodded. "Alright."
Zhuo Qi looked at Han Yan. "In that case, I'll take my leave first." With that, he set down the teacup in his hand and stood up as if to leave.
"Wait." Han Yan rose to her feet.
Zhuo Qi turned back. "Is there something else?"
Han Yan glanced out the window. Outside, rain poured down in torrents, thunder rumbled loudly—it looked terribly frightening. In such weather, going out was truly dangerous; others would be hiding from it, not rushing into it. After a moment's thought, she looked at Zhuo Qi. "It's raining outside."
Zhuo Qi nodded. "So?"
"Don't go. Stay here," she said.
Zhuo Qi was taken aback, as if he hadn't expected Han Yan to suddenly say this. He looked at her incredulously and pointed at himself. "Stay?"
Han Yan turned her face away. "Do you want to go out and get struck by lightning?" Then she muttered softly, "Having done so many bad deeds, you don't seem like a good person. Lightning shows no mercy."
Zhuo Qi didn't hear her muttering, feeling only joy and gratitude, along with a complex emotion stirring in his heart. He hadn't expected Han Yan to ask him to stay. From their few interactions, he had found Han Yan to be like a slippery little snake—hard to grasp, escaping through one's fingers the moment attention wavered. In dealing with people, she rarely opened her heart. The only ones who seemed to have her unconditional trust were the two maids by her side. Sometimes, Zhuo Qi even felt a twinge of envy toward Ji Lan and Shu Hong. He couldn't understand Han Yan's feelings for Ji Lan and Shu Hong. But once she trusted someone, Han Yan would treat them with genuine sincerity.Zhuo Qi had never expected to gain Han Yan's trust after just a few brief encounters, but this girl was truly impenetrable. If he had acted this way toward any other ordinary woman, she would have pledged herself to him countless times by now. Yet Han Yan not only hadn’t entertained such thoughts at all, but she even seemed to guard against him as if he were a thief. For someone so reluctant to trust others to actively ask him to stay, with words full of concern—how could Zhuo Qi not be stirred?
"If I share a room with you, it would be like pledging myself to you. In the words of your Great Dynasty, I would be taking advantage of your purity," he said with a straight face.
Han Yan nearly choked on her own breath, looking at Zhuo Qi as if she didn’t recognize him. "Have you lost your mind? How could I possibly share a room with you? Go to Han Ming’s place—he has an empty room there. Shu Hong, take him there."
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