Jing Yi gave a bitter smile but didn't answer. Xiao Jue's hand struggled free from the tightly wrapped quilt, weakly clutching at Jing Yi's lapel. "Tell me..."
Jing Yi easily caught his cold hand and tucked it back under the covers before saying, "It's not exactly trouble... If I understood correctly, he's probably gone to kill someone for you right now."
☆ Chapter 59: Four Happiness Meatballs (Part 18)
Xiao Jue froze, "Kill someone... Who?"
Jing Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, "Don't you know why you made him storm off?"
"Tian Kun?"
Now it was Jing Yi's turn to be stunned, "Tian Kun? Not Qin Ye?"
"Who's Qin Ye..."
"Who's Tian Kun?"
For a moment, the two stared at each other in silent bewilderment...
"Tian Kun... my estate's steward..." Xiao Jue coughed weakly a few times, deeply furrowing his brow, "He's been with me for many years. When I left the capital, he was the only one I brought along... Only after leaving did I learn he was sent from the capital to watch over me..."
Jing Yi was startled, "He's also from the Imperial Surveillance Agency?"
Xiao Jue shook his head with difficulty, "Imperial Surveillance Agency agents hide among commoners, only conducting secret investigations. Once exposed, they face certain death... From the first day we left the capital, he clearly told me he was here to supervise me, to keep me in line..."
Jing Yi frowned, his voice lowering slightly, "You knew the Emperor sent Surveillance Agency agents, didn't you?"
Xiao Jue nodded faintly, "I knew Tian Kun wasn't sent by the Emperor..."
Xiao Jue struggled his hand out from under the quilt, pulling the covers down to reveal his thin chest through the open collar, "See these scars..."
Several scars darker than his pale skin crossed Xiao Jue's chest. Jing Yi frowned and nodded.
Xiao Jue gave a miserable smile, "There are more all over my body... All from when we first left the capital, whipped by his horsewhip..."
Jing Yi stared at the scars in shock. Xiao Jue had originally been a military commander and later suffered greatly in prison, so having some scars wouldn't raise suspicion. Even if Xiao Jin Yu noticed, he certainly wouldn't think much of it.
A mountain breeze swept across Xiao Jue's exposed chest, triggering violent coughing. Jing Yi quickly wrapped the quilt around him again, pulling his trembling body closer into his embrace, speaking with some apology, "Sorry, this matter must be kept secret even from the Prince's guards. I could only bring you here."
Xiao Jue shook his head slightly. When his coughing subsided, his voice was so weak it nearly vanished in the mountain wind, "I don't know much either... He would beat me without reason, finding fault with whatever I said or did... I thought he was looking for an excuse to kill me, but whenever I was near collapse, he would always find a doctor to save me in time... Later I felt he just wanted to torment me, so I pretended to have broken under his treatment... Spouting nonsense every day, staring blankly at the chessboard... Then he stopped beating me. After we reached Zizhu County, he even found some woman called Xiu Niang to serve me..."
Jing Yi smiled bitterly, "Let me tell you where she came from. This Xiu Niang was originally a maid in your estate. You probably never even looked at her properly before, did you?"
Xiao Jue looked completely blank.
"Never mind if you can't remember... That day when you made the Prince storm off, were you afraid he would discover Tian Kun's situation and cause trouble for him?""Hmm..." Xiao Jue gave a faint bitter smile. "The first time he came, he scared me completely senseless—I didn't dare say a word... Later, realizing he must have stationed people nearby to watch me, I feared he might notice something... So I simply let him believe I'd truly gone mad... I could tell he was genuinely furious when I insulted his fiancée... I thought I'd succeeded..."
Jing Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You did infuriate him quite thoroughly. Unfortunately, his mind operates in two halves—one half may be boiling with rage, but the other remains sharp as ever... Still, your acting was remarkably convincing this time. He truly didn't suspect this matter."
Xiao Jue looked both confused and anxious. "Then who exactly is the person he wants to kill...?"
"Qin Ye—the physician who's been treating you all along. He's also the embroideress's father."
Xiao Jue's confusion didn't lessen. "Why kill him...?"
"Not long ago, over a hundred dismembered corpses were discovered in a cave on this mountain. If I'm not mistaken, Prince An found evidence that these people were killed by Qin Ye... Coincidentally, the Imperial Surveillance Agency agent assigned to monitor you was someone whose life you'd saved before. When he discovered your physician was continuously committing murders, he didn't dare report it, fearing it would bring trouble upon you. Surveillance agents can't involve regular authorities, so he took cases handled by Prince An Manor in recent years and adapted them into storytelling scripts. He began narrating Six Doors affairs at a teahouse in Chu Shui Town, hoping to attract Prince An Manor's attention to help you... Unfortunately, Qin Ye killed him before Prince An arrived." Jing Yi looked at the man who struggled even to breathe, smiling bitterly. "Think about it—a physician who's devotedly treated you for a year or two suddenly kills the agent surveilling you, coupled with your criminal record from three years ago. If this matter reached the capital in such a manner, you wouldn't be able to clear yourself even with a hundred mouths."
Xiao Jue stared at Jing Yi in astonishment. "Then... he went alone?"
"He went out alone for a full day and night without leaving any markers for his guards. His message to me contained just two words: 'Return urgently.' Everything else I've deduced myself... Matters involving the Imperial Surveillance Agency become lifelong troubles for anyone involved. He probably believes he's better equipped to handle such troubles than the rest of us..." Jing Yi sighed softly. "But most importantly, he's always felt indebted to you."
Seeing Xiao Jue's stunned expression, Jing Yi smiled wryly. "You think you've brought harm upon him, but he's always believed he's the one who harmed you... The moment he heard about your predicament back then, he understood the underlying scheme. Even while too ill to rise from bed, he rushed to overturn your conviction. He's always blamed himself for not being cautious enough, for causing your suffering... He fears this matter might somehow be connected to you, potentially bringing you further misery. So he needed to question Qin Ye alone before his capture, then silence him permanently... If anything were to happen to you under his watch again, he'd never find peace in this lifetime."
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