Xie Fengran gritted her teeth and glared at Qin Junxing angrily.
Qin Junxing smiled faintly, flicked the white paper in his hand, and raised his eyebrows, exuding a silent allure.
In the end, Xie Fengran was the one who gave in.
"I'll read it!" She was determined to see what those so - called moral and stubborn scholars were really like beneath their pretentious facades.
Qin Junxing was not surprised by her reaction. He handed the paper over.
He sat down beside her, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and then poured one for her as well. Then he leaned back in his chair and sipped the tea slowly.
Xie Fengran was shocked after just a couple of glances. The more she read, the more horrified she became.
Qin Junxing didn't urge her. The room fell silent.
This was torture for Liu Yi who was waiting outside.
There had been voices just now. How come there was no sound at all now?
However, she didn't dare to barge in or eavesdrop. She could only stamp her feet in frustration.
As a martial artist, Qin Junxing had keen senses. Hearing the noise outside and seeing that Xie Fengran had almost finished reading, he coughed lightly. "Ranran, it's getting late. I haven't had dinner yet!"
"Oh, I'll ask someone to send... No, what does it matter to me that you haven't had dinner?" Xie Fengran suddenly realized something was wrong. She looked up blankly and replied, "You come uninvited, enter my room without permission, act like the host, and still expect me to feed you?"
"Ranran, aren't these worth a meal?"
Xie Fengran looked down at the things in her hand, put them away, and shook her head. "I'll owe you a favor, but there's no need for dinner!"
Qin Junxing shook his head pretending to be sad. "Ranran is so heartless!"
Xie Fengran wasn't going to be taken in by his act. This man had always been thick - skinned and didn't know what sadness was. She said with a half - smile, "Qin Junxing, your act is overdone! It's time for you to leave!"
"I'm not welcome anymore!" Qin Junxing put his hands on the armrests of the chair, looking like a lazy master. He stared intently at the girl opposite him. "Ranran, how about we make a deal?"
Xie Fengran frowned. She didn't know what he was up to and asked warily, "What kind of deal?"
Qin Junxing pointed in the direction of Qing Song Courtyard and then in the direction of the imperial city. "I can help you!"
The wariness in Xie Fengran's eyes didn't fade at all. She snorted. "There's no such thing as a free lunch. What do you want?"
"What if I say I want you?"
"Wouldn't I be jumping from the tiger's den into the wolf's lair then?" Xie Fengran resisted the urge to roll her eyes and said directly, "If the prince doesn't have the sincerity to do business, then there's no need to continue."
"It seems I've been disliked!" Seeing Xie Fengran's unconcerned look, Qin Junxing clicked his tongue twice and said, "The death of the old marquis of the Xie Mansion is related to my grandfather's death, and this involves a royal secret. If I want to find out the truth, I can't avoid the Marquis Mansion. So..."
Qin Junxing glanced at Xie Fengran whose aura was getting colder. He continued, "If you can help me find out the cause of the old marquis's death from the old lady of the Xie Mansion or get the relics he left behind, I'll help you get rid of the crown prince."
"Of course, if you can't do it, you'll have to pay with yourself!"
Qin Junxing was just joking, but Xie Fengran couldn't laugh.
She wanted to ask what he was really up to.
But now she seemed to have no position to ask. This was just a business deal.
However, "I can help you find out the cause of my grandfather's death, but I don't need your help to get out of this marriage."
"What do you want then?" Qin Junxing was a bit curious.
"Help me make the Bloodthirsty Guards completely my own private guards, belonging to no one else. Of course, they'll cooperate with you fully!"
Qin Junxing sat up straight and put away his joking expression. "Are you sure?"
"Of course. The prince surely has the ability, right?"
If Qin Junxing didn't have the ability to do this in the capital, then there was no need for her to look for anyone else.
She had thought about discussing it with the Sun siblings before. But the Bloodthirsty Guards were a secret. Discussing it with the Sun siblings might not lead to a result and would only involve more people.
Now that Qin Junxing had come to her on his own, she was determined to make this deal.
Moreover, even if Qin Junxing didn't mention it, she would still find out what had happened to her grandfather back then. She had a hunch that this matter was related to her grandmother's obsession.
"I didn't expect Miss Xie to be... Well, I'll take this deal. Let's seal it with a high - five!"
Qin Junxing stretched out his palm and looked at Xie Fengran expectantly.
Xie Fengran stared back at him expressionlessly and pointed at the door. "The prince is an upright gentleman. I naturally trust you. So, it's time for you to leave!"
"Sigh!" Qin Junxing looked hurt and got up to leave.
He opened the door. With a "thud", Liu Yi, who had been sticking to the door, rolled in.
Qin Junxing raised his eyebrows, looked back, gave Xie Fengran a meaningful look, and then disappeared in a flash.
Xie Fengran had no time to figure out how this man had disappeared. She looked down at Liu Yi who was kneeling on the ground and frowned. "Liu Yi, you're usually not such an unruly person. How dare you eavesdrop when your master is talking?"
"Miss, this slave is guilty." Liu Yi looked ashamed. She hadn't heard any sound from inside and didn't dare to knock on the door. She just wanted to hear a little noise, but she didn't expect to be discovered.
"Alright, alright. I know you're worried about me. Get up first."
"Thank you, miss." As Liu Yi got up from the ground, she heard Xie Fengran continue.
"I won't punish you this time. You go and take care of Xie Chenghui. Make sure to watch him well. Keep those maids in line too."
Liu Yi was stunned. Since Zhu Qing came, the young master hadn't been taken care of by them. She couldn't help but say with a hint of crying in her voice, "Miss, this slave doesn't have Zhu Qing's skills!"
"Taking care of a child doesn't require Zhu Qing's skills. If you want to be free soon, go and find a wet - nurse quickly. Then you won't have to take care of him anymore!"
"...Yes!"
While Xie Fengran was punishing Liu Yi, Qin Junxing had already left the Marquis Mansion.
At the corner gate, a shabby gray carriage was waiting there.
Qin Junxing got on the carriage and ordered, "Go to the teahouse!"
The coachman was hidden in the shadows and didn't say a word, but the carriage moved.
At the entrance of the South Market, the shabby gray carriage met a dark - blue carriage head - on. As they were passing by, the dark - blue carriage suddenly stopped.
Qin Junxing, who was sitting in the carriage, suddenly heard a voice, "My lord prince!"
"Stop the carriage!"
Qin Junxing lifted the curtain of the window. A familiar face appeared at the window of the opposite carriage. "Young Master Sun?"
"It's me, my lord prince. Tomorrow at lunchtime, the fourth princess is inviting Miss Xie to dinner. The crown prince is also invited. I wonder if you're on the list?"
Qin Junxing squinted his eyes, put down the curtain, and said, "Thank you, Young Master Sun!"
Sun Jiming hooked his lips and ordered the coachman, "Let's go!"
She didn't want to marry the crown prince. He would help her.