Ye Zhinan frowned tightly, hiding the coldness in her eyes.
I let you get away last time. This time, I won't show any mercy.
"Master, I have another favor to ask you!" As she said this, a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes.
The sky was getting dark. Ye Zhinan bid farewell to Shou'an Hall and returned home.
Han Xiangmei had already prepared the meal and was sitting at the table. Seeing Ye Zhinan looking exhausted, she asked with concern, "Still no news? Constable Qin is a good man and will surely have good fortune. Your father came back early today. I'll ask him later."
"Is Father coming back later?" Hearing this, hope glimmered in Ye Zhinan's eyes. Only then did she notice that the table was filled with dishes, unlike the usual three dishes and one soup.
Sure enough, Ye Shenyan came back in a short while.
"Father, you're finally back!"
Ye Zhinan beamed with joy. While helping Ye Shenyan take off his hat and change his clothes, she served him tea.
"You're being so nice for no reason. Come on, what do you want to ask?" Ye Shenyan's deep gaze fell on her.
"Nothing. It's just that you went straight to the court as soon as you returned to the capital. You didn't even have a chance to look for Qin Yihuai." There was a hint of reproach in Ye Zhinan's words. After all, he had gone missing while trying to save their family, but Father didn't seem to care.
Ye Shenyan frowned slightly and said word by word, "I see Qin Yihuai every day. I thought you knew!"
"What?"
Ye Zhinan was so shocked that her eyes widened like copper bells. "When did he come back? Is he okay?"
"Ask him yourself. I've invited him to dinner at home. He should be here soon." As Ye Shenyan said this, he sat down, took a sip of tea, and glanced at the table. "Shall we add two more dishes?"
Han Xiangmei smiled and went to the kitchen to get busy. Since they returned to the capital, they had hired a cook, so half of the food on the table was made by her.
Sure enough, Qin Yihuai came soon. He brought two big bags of fruits with him when he came, including the preserved fruits from the store that Ye Zhinan couldn't find.
"When did you come back? Why didn't you tell me?"
Before Qin Yihuai could say a word, Ye Zhinan bombarded him with questions.
Qin Yihuai's eyebrows twitched slightly. He said in a deep voice, "I had some important things to do, so I didn't have time to find you."
"What could be more important than telling me that you're safe and sound?"
What Ye Zhinan meant was that what could be more important than her. Wasn't she the most important person in his heart?
Qin Yihuai was not in a hurry. He replied slowly, but the next words left Ye Zhinan stunned for a long time.
"I went to bury Chen Zhenhai."
These words of Qin Yihuai kept lingering in Ye Zhinan's mind. Even after the meal was over, after Ye Shenyan and Han Xiangmei left, and when only Qin Yihuai was left by her side, she still couldn't react.
"How did Chen Zhenhai die? Was it because of us?"
It took Ye Zhinan a long time to blurt out this sentence.
Qin Yihuai held her hand and shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you. After you left that day, there were continuous attacks from black-clothed men on the boat. Chen Zhenhai took the explosives you left and blew himself up with them."
Qin Yihuai's calm tone was as if he was talking about someone else's business. Ye Zhinan was already in floods of tears.
"I know you're sad. I'm really sorry I wasn't by your side."
She could see the hatred in his eyes.
Chen Zhenhai once said that a fortune-teller had warned him that he didn't have such a tough fate and it was not good to have such a grand name. But he had lost his parents when he was very young, and this was the only thing his parents left him. He was reluctant to give it up no matter what. Even if he died because of it, he wanted to die in the sea. This would also fulfill his parents' wishes and make it easier for him to explain in the underworld.
But who would have thought that his words would come true.
Qin Yihuai wiped the tears from Ye Zhinan's face. "I've arranged his clothing tomb in the place with the best feng shui. I'm sure he's reunited with his parents by now."
Ye Zhinan nodded. "It's the Wei family! I remember that person's voice. It was Wei Nanting. But there must be someone behind them."
"Yes." After Qin Yihuai confirmed it, he didn't say anything more.
"You know who it is?" Ye Zhinan was stunned. His expression clearly showed that he didn't want to say it clearly.
Qin Yihuai nodded and then left on the pretext of having something to do.
Ye Zhinan didn't try to stop him. After seeing him off, she went to find Ye Shenyan.
"He expected you to come and ask me, so he told me not to say."
The grand tutor was being ordered around by a junior official. Ye Zhinan walked out dejectedly.
Looking at the swaying branches outside the window, her thoughts also swayed.
"Fine. Since you won't say, I'll find out myself."
Ye Zhinan soon found out something.
As soon as Qin Yihuai entered the court, he was targeted by the crown prince, Wen Cai. The latter had invited him many times in the name of cherishing talent, but all his invitations were rejected.
Digging deeper, she found that the crown prince, Wen Cai, had a close relationship with the Wei family. Ye Zhinan couldn't help but think more. So she tried to get information from Ye Shenyan several times and finally understood that their relationship was not just close. It was even related to her family's exile and Ye Yingfeng's inability to return to the capital.
This sudden pardon of Ye Shenyan was not just because of the emperor's general amnesty. It was because the crown prince wanted to recruit talents. Her father had a deep-rooted position in the court. Although he didn't form a clique, he had a group of supporters. If it weren't for the fact that her father didn't accept others' help back then, he wouldn't have been exiled.
Now Ye Yingfeng couldn't come back. Whether it was surveillance or a threat, this return to the capital was just the beginning of everything.
"No wonder he didn't say anything." Ye Zhinan sighed deeply looking at the sky. "I might as well go back and farm. But I must avenge Chen Zhenhai, and those who use dirty tricks must pay the price."
"What are you going to do?"
A familiar male voice came from under the tree. Ye Zhinan was so startled that she almost fell out of the tree.
Qin Yihuai leaped onto the tree and sat beside Ye Zhinan. "I didn't know you liked this kind of place."
Ye Zhinan's face flushed. She avoided his burning gaze.
"I built this treehouse when I was young and naive. By the way, why did you come?"
"To tell you not to do anything stupid." Qin Yihuai's eyes were deep. "I heard that you've been inquiring everywhere. Instead of letting you fall into others' hands, I might as well tell you myself."
There's a story?!
Ye Zhinan immediately perked up. Her big eyes sparkled as she stared closely at Qin Yihuai.
"Wen Cai, the current crown prince, is smart but arrogant. He formed a clique for selfish ends. After being rejected by your father, he colluded with the Wei family to frame you. So the Ye family was exiled. I, a junior constable, was inspired by you and decided to enter the court to seek the well - being of the people. But after entering the capital, I found that our political views were different from the crown prince's, so I refused to join him. But the crown prince has repeatedly caused trouble. Constable Qin and I have been too busy dealing with him recently, so we've neglected your feelings."
Qin Yihuai talked on and on. It was the first time he had said so many words.
"Then was it the crown prince who attacked us?"
Ye Zhinan got angry just thinking about Chen Zhenhai.