Quick Wear: The paranoid beauty grabs the waist and spoils her

"Commander Qiu."

As the host, Ji Qingchen was very polite and considerate. He did not despise Lao Qiu because he was now dressed as a beggar, otherwise he would not have been provided with good food and drink these days.

Lao Qiu bowed and replied with a smile: "Prince Ji."

The servants around were watching, observing Ji Qingchen's eyes and heart, and when they saw Ji Qingchen's eyes sweeping over them, they understood instantly.

He was not surprised that Ji Qingchen was the owner of this courtyard and revealed his identity to Lao Qiu. He had guessed this before.

He looked at Ji Qingchen, narrowed his eyes slightly, and showed an unruly smile. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes concealed the complexity in his eyes.

How long has it been since I last thought of His Highness? I sealed that memory away and dared not touch it.

But the sudden death of His Highness caught everyone off guard and raised many doubts. He could only plan secretly and wait for the fog of truth to be revealed.

Gathering intelligence and making secret plans are what Qiu Tianhai has been working on over the years.

Qiu Tianhai encountered many obstacles in his investigation into the real cause of Prince Huixian's death, and progress was slow.

However, when Nan Xiang asked him twice about the situation of Duke Wei's Mansion and the Su family in Jiaxing, he now saw hope.

He had learned the art of divination and fortune-telling in his early years. When Prince Huixian went to Jingbei area to provide disaster relief, he tried to dissuade him because he calculated that the journey was extremely dangerous and would not be smooth. However, given Prince Huixian's temperament, he naturally failed to dissuade him.

Since that time, it was the last time Qiu Tianhai met Prince Huixian. When Prince Huixian fell ill and returned to the capital, he was sent to Jiaxing to handle affairs.

Afterwards, Crown Prince Huixian died of illness, and the whereabouts of the Imperial Guard became a mystery. He also hid himself and has been collecting information in secret.

"Commander Qiu, are you thinking of something sad?"

Two people were playing chess in a pavilion. Qiu Tianhai picked up the black piece with two fingers but did not put it down for a long time. There was still a smile in his eyes, but his gaze was scattered and not on the chessboard.

Ji Qingchen noticed it and reminded him in time.

Qiu Tianhai came back to his senses, pulled the corners of his mouth and smiled, the smile was somewhat bitter and nostalgic:

"It's just some old memories."

"Is Commander Qiu missing Prince Huixian?"

"Your Highness is gentle, frugal, modest, polite, sincere, friendly, and considerate of the people. He is the most stable prince in Daqian. Everyone remembers his kindness... It's a pity that such a good prince passed away so suddenly..."

Qiu Tianhai recalled that when he was in Jiaxing, he heard the news of His Highness's death and was in disbelief and grief. The people of Jiaxing also lit lanterns in the river to pray for His Highness and express their condolences.

"The former crown prince is indeed the popular choice, and Daqian is very upset."

Ji Qingchen had also met Prince Huixian, but he was young at that time. Prince Huixian was indeed a man of honor and integrity. If he had ascended the throne normally, perhaps Daqian would have reached a higher level.

It was not that he wanted to satirize Emperor Chengming, but this man could only be regarded as a king who maintained the status quo. He was ambitious, arrogant, and licentious. He was not even one-tenth as capable as Prince Huixian. Not to mention that the abilities of the other princes during the reign of the previous emperor were not even one-twelfth of Prince Huixian.

In other words, the foundation laid by Emperor Jingyuan and the previous emperor was good, which allowed Emperor Chengming to live off his past capital, defend Daqian, and become a king who maintained the status quo.

However, since the battle with the Northern Di at Jingyang Pass five years ago, which resulted in the massacre of 300,000 Ji family soldiers, the death of Duke Wei and the destruction of Duke Wei's mansion, although Concubine Xu's father and elder brother later repelled the Northern Di and shot and killed the Northern Di Marshal, protecting the peace of the Jingbei area on the border of Daqian, all this was just superficial.

The Northern Di people are still eyeing Daqian covetously, and although the Jingbei area seems to be peaceful and harmonious over the years, everything seems to be a false prosperity, as if this prosperity will be shattered and destroyed as soon as external forces invade.

And during these years of peace and prosperity, Daqian has seen the capital prosper, the rich and powerful enjoy the utmost, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. It is still a scene of prosperity, but the atmosphere of decadence and decay follows the darkness like a shadow, and it seems that just one accident could break this prosperous scene.

Ji Qingchen had his own worries in his heart. Although he had a deep blood feud with the Ji family and the Weiguo Mansion, he was more worried about the fate of Daqian.

So after he and Nan Xiang had a mutual understanding and exchanged information, the two sorted out the information they had collected again and made new discoveries, all of which would point to the future fate of Daqian.

Nan Xiang suggested to Ji Qingchen that the identity of the old beggar she had previously inquired about information was a mystery, and he must be important in providing key evidence for them to uncover the final mastermind.

Although they identified the Xu and Li families as the masterminds behind the conspiracy, and Emperor Chengming was not innocent either and played an important role in it, they still lacked key evidence to let the officials and people of Daqian know their conspiracy and expose their plans.

So the two of them thought of their old grudge at the same time.

This was the second time Nan Xiang asked Lao Chou about Emperor Chengming and Prince Huixian, so she had a guess in her mind that Lao Chou was Prince Huixian's man. After seeing the sachet, this guess became certain.

So Ji Qingchen invited Lao Qiu to be his guest.

Hearing Ji Qingchen's words, Qiu Tianhai realized that he had lost his composure and quickly regained his composure.

Just now, the two of them walked from the crabapple tree to this pavilion to play chess and talk a lot.

Qiu Tianhai answered some of Ji Qingchen's questions, and sure enough, his answers were consistent with his investigation and speculation.

There must be a connection between Prince Huixian's death from illness fifteen years ago, the extermination of the Su family in Jiaxing eight years ago, and the extermination of the Duke of Wei's mansion five years ago.

All these clues point to the Xu family where Concubine Xu is from and the Li family where Concubine Li is from. Of course, Emperor Chengming also played an important role in this.

But Emperor Chengming only wanted to ascend to the throne, and his relationship with the Xu and Li families was one of mutual benefit. Otherwise, how could he not know about the affairs of the Xu and Li families?

After ascending to the throne, Emperor Chengming was afraid that the Duke of Wei's mansion would become too powerful and threaten his throne, so he acquiesced in some small actions of the Xu and Li families at the time, which resulted in the 300,000 Ji family soldiers being killed, the Duke of Wei dying in battle, and the Duke of Wei's son barely escaping death and saving his life.

Perhaps Emperor Chengming just wanted to make the Duke of Wei's Mansion lose the battle and prestige in the army, and to teach them a lesson, so he condoned the actions of the Xu and Li families against the Duke of Wei's Mansion.

But he didn't expect that he had played too big a game. The people from the two families he relied on did not want the Duke of Wei to win the war and repel the Northern Di. Instead, they wanted to destroy the entire Ji family of the Duke of Wei's mansion.

That was why Emperor Chengming felt regretful and felt that he had let the Queen down. He wanted to reconcile with her, but he did not expect that the Queen was of a strong and resolute character. She went straight back to the Ji family's ancestral home in Pengcheng with her pregnant belly to pray for blessings and peace, and was extremely cold to Emperor Chengming.

Five years passed like this, but Emperor Chengming didn't know that the person who brought the fourth prince back to the capital after giving birth was not the Queen herself, but the Prince of Wei, whom he mistakenly thought was dead.

But why did the Xu and Li families want to kill the Duke of Wei? And what did the extermination of the Su family in Jiaxing eight years ago have to do with these two?

"Commander Qiu, you lose."

Ji Qingchen placed a piece on the chessboard, and the game was decided: the black piece was defeated and the white piece won.

Qiu Tianhai stared at the chessboard for a long time, then laughed: "Your Highness is a master of chess, I am convinced."

"Commander Qiu has given Ah Xiang so many clues, but is there any key evidence?" Ji Qingchen stared straight at Qiu Tianhai and asked casually.

Qiu Tianhai's smile faded, and a hint of disdain and sneer appeared on his face:

"The crucial evidence is there. Xiao Ye is nothing but a hypocritical and despicable villain who killed his father and brother. The throne that was snatched from Your Highness makes me, an old man, feel extremely disgusted."

Ji Qingchen understood and said calmly: "The current emperor is indeed unworthy of his position. The future of Daqian cannot be ruined in his hands. Your Majesty will apologize in front of Prince Huixian's tomb."

As for how to apologize and the intensity of the apology, it all depends on the degree of Emperor Chengming's repentance and the wishes of the victims.

Qiu Tianhai: "The prince is indeed a straightforward person."

Ji Qingchen said calmly: "The Beidi envoys will arrive in the Imperial Capital in three days."

The Beidi came here to congratulate Emperor Chengming on his birthday, but it is unknown whether it was a sincere congratulation or for other purposes.

Qiu Tianhai: "The Imperial Capital will be very lively by then. The envoys from the various countries in the Western Regions, the grasslands, the tribes in the southern borders and the tribes will also come one after another. I hope that the prince will pay more attention to the Xu family and the Li family."

Ji Qingchen filled the teapot with tea, his expression unchanged: "Thank you for your reminder, Commander Qiu. I toast to you."

They both picked up their tea and drank it happily.

"Ah Xiang has been very busy lately, and said that she will give him a lot of fine wines next time we meet."

Qiu Tianhai keenly noticed the faint red mark on Ji Qingchen's neck. He had a strange smile on his face. His cloudy but sharp eyes seemed to see through everything. He took another sip of tea:

"Young people are full of energy. I feel very satisfied that the little kid can think of me, an old beggar."