After midnight

Time flies by like an arrow. After returning home, Su Ziling enjoys the warmth of his family, but in this world, life is not so good.

"How is Xidu doing recently?" Song Hongtian asked Zhao Yunqi.

"The effects of Lu Xian's assassination have become apparent. Everyone in the Western Capital is in a state of panic, and no one wants to be the next victim. However, the Lu family is still stable, and Yin from the Dark Night and Lin Xuanfeng from the Revolutionary Army may also be involved."

"Oh?" Song Hongtian said softly, obviously more interested in the latter.

"It's still not chaotic enough... We need to add more fuel to the fire to muddy the waters of the Lu family. But let's put this matter aside for now. You keep an eye on Jiudu for me. I'm going back to Xidu to hold the elders' meeting soon. You know, not everyone is obedient. If you are too ambitious, you will not get a good result. Remember, you must not let Jiudu get into trouble at this time. Also, go to your uncle's place often to help me look after him."

"I see. If you go to Xidu..."

"what happened?"

"It's nothing, be safe."

"Oh, don't worry." Song Hongtian smiled comfortingly. As Zhao Yunqi turned to leave, he thought to himself that it was better not to say such words as asking Song Hongtian to go and see Song Yu.

When Zhao Yunqi disappeared, a man came in through the window and said in a very sarcastic tone: "You look very busy."

"Zhang Yang~You're finally here." Song Hongtian stood up to greet him with a smile.

"You didn't stipulate a time for me to arrive. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"The child you brought back home personally back then has now grown up to the point where he can rebel against me." Song Hongtian continued, hiding his unfriendly emotions.

"Then I'm really looking forward to it." Zhang Yang said as he thought of something and found it funny, "Didn't you personally force him to grow up?"

"That's not necessarily true. After all, his last name is An, and people with the last name An are..."

After a burst of lightning and thunder, Song Hongtian's desk was split in half, and the documents on the desk flew all over the sky and finally fell to the ground.

"Okay, I won't mention it. Let's talk about the person with the same status as you. He is back now, intact. Of course, he is not in my eyes yet, but his biological brother is Yin of Dark Night."

"So what? It's none of my business. Back then, I was already doing my best by bringing you the suspicious information. If you didn't handle it properly, don't expect me to clean up your mess."

Song Hongtian listened without saying anything, just looked at him with a smile.

"Forget it, I will take action when they grow strong enough. After all, I am really looking forward to it." Zhang Yang said, but the tone of expectation sounded full of weirdness.

After Zhang Yang left, Song Hongtian looked at the destroyed table and the documents scattered on the ground. His expression suddenly changed, becoming gloomy and twisted. He said viciously, full of disgust. "It's just a dog with no place to stay."

In Xidu, Lin Xuanfeng came to meet Yin as promised. Just like last time, he went with Ye after arriving at a location. When he met Yin, Yin was sitting on the chair behind the table as usual, but the location of their meeting was different every time. It was true that a cunning rabbit has three burrows.

"This is the evidence you are looking for." Yin handed over a bag.

Lin Xuanfeng took it and opened it. Among them were receipts for embezzlement and letters of transaction with outsiders.

"They wanted to hold the other party's handle, but ended up losing both sides." Yin smiled, "Have you made any progress on your side?"

"Progress is slow. As expected of officials, they are all trying to be polite and submissive."

Yin showed a strange smile on his face and said, "Lin Xuanfeng, you are very suitable to be an executor."

"So, what do you want to say?"

"Let me ask you, what do you think of Lu Xian?"

Lu Xian was generous but also very secretive, but Lin Xuanfeng didn't intend to tell him. Yin didn't seem to want to really hear the answer, so he continued, "Do you think Lu Xian doesn't have the evidence in your hand?"

Lin Xuanfeng frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I also discovered this when I got the evidence. The evidence is incomplete and the missing part was obviously taken away by someone else. Do you know that only one piece of evidence is real enough?"

"Of course I know." Lin Xuanfeng was not to be outdone. "People say that Yin's strength is achieved through his unique intelligence network, but now it seems that you are also a smart person. But to be honest, you are worse than An Yan."

"Maybe." Yin answered ambiguously.

Ignoring Yin's unpredictable expression, Lin Xuanfeng continued, "I don't like dealing with smart people, except for my junior brother. He is also a smart person, and it always makes me feel comfortable to be with him, so please just speak clearly."

Yin sighed. "I believe Lu Xian also has a similar piece of evidence, but why did he let you get involved? He could have killed them quietly without anyone noticing and bringing shame to the Lu family, and it would have stabilized people's hearts. And he spread the news of his fake death in the beginning, was it just to get these?"

"What else?"

"...Well, actually I haven't figured it out either. I just want to remind you to be more careful next time you go to see him. Of course, you'd better do whatever he asks you to do."

"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid." The evidence could only have been taken away by Lu Xian, because the Song family didn't have the time to deal with these minions, and even if they found out, they would probably enjoy the result.

That afternoon, Lin Xuanfeng brought the evidence to Lu's residence. Lu Xian did not expect him to act so quickly, but he still performed perfectly. When he saw the evidence, his brows were furrowed and his expression was serious, just like when Lin Xuanfeng saw it.

He pretended to be silent for a while and then said, "Thank you, you did a great job. But what follows is our internal affairs of the Lu Group, please don't interfere."

"You asked me to investigate in the first place. I will listen to whatever you say."

"It seems that Fang Hao has a very capable assistant." Lu Xian looked at Lin Xuanfeng approvingly.

Lin Xuanfeng would not care about Lu Xian's praise, and of course he would not have any special emotions about it. Similarly, Yin's doubts about Lu Xian did not hinder his judgment of Lu Xian. So Lin Xuanfeng said: "I want to know if you have such evidence."

"I have." Lu Xian was surprised, but he nodded and admitted it. After he finished speaking, he went to observe Lin Xuanfeng's reaction. Lin Xuanfeng stood there quietly, not knowing what he was thinking. Lu Xian couldn't tell anything at all.

Soon, Lu Xian explained himself: "Because I don't know what their purpose is."

Lu Xian crossed his hands and said, "I lied to you. The two men who came to kill me escaped. They are not dead. But that's all."

"I didn't try my best to hunt them down because they didn't intend to kill me in the first place. They just wanted to assassinate me. The result is not important, but the impact is hard to say. Otherwise, do you think they only sent two people to take my life? What do they really want? To create chaos."

"And what I have to do is to turn the tables on them and make my death confusing, so that Lu and Xidu will be in even greater chaos. But I can't keep my fake death a secret for long, so I need someone, an outsider, to make them think that Lu's company has begun to fall into chaos, while in fact I am still firmly in control."

Lin Xuanfeng remained silent. He had met people from the Lu family in public, and he was afraid that the news of his investigation into them was already spreading everywhere in Xidu.

"As for why I didn't tell you the truth at the beginning, it was because we first met, and I couldn't guarantee what you would do. I think it's normal to leave room for maneuver. But it turns out that Fang Hao sent a very good candidate, and you are a person who knows your limits."

Lin Xuanfeng didn't intend to explore why Lu Xian suddenly told him all this and why he told him this. He chose to believe him. Perhaps, as Lu Xian said, he was a man who knew his limits. After all, he was not his enemy. Everyone was just willing to use each other and get what they needed.

Lin Xuanfeng calmly walked out of the gate of Lu Mansion and walked on the land of Xidu that he hated very much. Born in Xidu, he still couldn't stop this disgust when he came back now. Yin was right, he was very suitable to be an executor, but Lin Xuanfeng thought that he was also very suitable to be a transmitter. He only needed to do one thing, which was to convey everything that happened to Fang Hao in detail.

Lin Xuanfeng hated this place but chose to come here just for his beliefs.

"Yin, the fact that Lin Xuanfeng found evidence for Lu Xian has become a hot topic in the city. Everyone is waiting to see the joke, including some people from the Song and Lin families." Ye reported the latest developments to Yin.

"Do you think I don't go out all day? I already knew and guessed it a long time ago. Where's Qing? When will she arrive?"

"It'll be there tomorrow."

Yin nodded, looking very satisfied. "Tell him to come as soon as possible. Has the person who assassinated Lu Xian been found?"

"It's not as easy to investigate as one might think. They don't dare to use people from the Security Bureau."

"Then let's investigate slowly. I don't know if Lu Xian has started from this aspect."

Ye didn't know the answer, so he brought the topic back to what happened just now. "What's the meaning of Lu Xian asking Lin Xuanfeng to do this? I don't quite understand it this time."

Yin stroked his chin, not taking the opportunity to laugh at Ye's rare self-deprecation. "I don't know, but it's clear that this matter has become a bigger and more chaotic matter."

As soon as Yin finished speaking, the two thoughtful faces looked at each other with a look of sudden enlightenment. "Yes, his purpose is that simple, to find an outsider to make the situation worse. But why did Lu Xian do this?"

"I don't know. I only know that everyone is now focusing on what decision Lu Xian will make. They seem to have forgotten that it was Lu Xian's attack that initially triggered this series of events."

Yin continued, "Lu Xian's attack is like the splash of water when a stone is thrown into the river. People stare at the ripples, but no one pays attention to the first stone that fell into the water. The stone sank to the bottom with a splash, leaving no sound. But it was this inconspicuous stone that caused the overflowing river to flow out. Now it depends on who can discover it first. Xidu is about to be submerged by the overflowing water."

"Yes, it depends on where the water will eventually flow. But we have too little information right now, so we can only wait for further developments."

Yin did not reply, and the two of them knew tacitly that there was nothing they could do except wait. They looked out the window of the study, and the sky in Xidu gradually darkened.

Jiudu, Zhao Yunqi had been walking around the Song Mansion for a long time. He changed his usual route to Song Hongtian's study and went to the more remote residence of Song Hongtian's elder brother Song Hongda.

Song Hongda has no wife, no children, no daughters, is a loner, has no interest in anything, and has always lived in seclusion. But this is what others think of him.

Zhao Yunqi works for Song Hongtian, so naturally he has more contact with his second uncle, but it is perhaps not surprising that he has a closer relationship with his eldest uncle.

When Zhao Yunqi arrived, Song Xin was buying some daily necessities for Song Hongda. Seeing him coming, Song Xin consciously wanted to avoid him.

"Xin'er, you all finally came to see me today, go make some tea."

"Got it, uncle." Song Xin responded happily, and after secretly glancing at Zhao Yunqi a few times with a shy girl like a young girl, she went to prepare.

"Uncle, how are you doing recently?" Zhao Yunqi smiled. He liked coming here. Years have added some white hair to Song Hongtian's hair, but this does not prevent Song Hongda from being a kind and wise person.

Song Hongda sneered: "He is willing to let you come to see me? What are you bringing?"

"This~" Zhao Yunqi automatically ignored the previous question, put it on the table and said, "A little snack made by Yun Shuang."

He opened the snacks and sat down and said, "My second uncle has gone to Xidu. He was worried that you would be lonely, so he asked me to come and see you more often."

"Hmph~ Lonely, that sounds nice. Do you know if he has ever come to see me? I guess only you and Xin'er would miss me."

As he spoke, Song Xin came over with tea. "Uncle, I'll ask the kitchen to make some food and send it here, and also bring some wine."

"Okay." Song Hongda laughed happily. Never mind, as long as my uncle is happy, Zhao Yunqi lowered his head and smiled slightly.

After Song Xin walked away, Song Hongda asked, "I heard that Lu Li and Lin Nuan's wedding is getting closer?"

"About half a month."

"It's so fast, no wonder Song Hongtian couldn't wait."

"My second uncle went to Xidu just for a routine family meeting." Zhao Yunqi said.

Song Hongda laughed. "Do you think I don't know anything in this house deep in the mountains? How could such a big thing as Lu Xian's assassination not reach Jiudu? I don't know what he really wants to do in Xidu, but I am the only one who knows him best. He must be trying his best to sabotage."

"But the marriage between the Lu and Lin families was decided long ago, and he knew about it a long time ago." Zhao Yunqi was obviously also paying attention to the assassination of Lu Xian.

"He knows, but when that day really comes, can he accept it calmly? No one knows what he will do, Yunqi, do you know? What that guy asks you to do is always the first three steps in his plan."

Zhao Yunqi agreed, especially with the last sentence. Just as he was thinking, he heard Song Hongda sighing and saying in an envious tone: "In their generation, only Lu Li and Lin Nuan have grown up well. Of course, Xin'er is also very good, but she doesn't have Lin Nuan's resilience and responsibility. As for Song Yu, he is too thoughtful and stubborn. Now that his father is around, if no one stops him in the future, he will probably destroy himself."

Zhao Yunqi's eyes widened, shocked by Song Hongda's remarks about Song Yu. Song Yu was a little worried, but he didn't think it would go to this extent.

"Xin'er, come here quickly, I'm hungry." Song Xin was walking back from not far away, which meant that today's conversation had come to an end.

After eating and drinking, Zhao Yunqi said goodbye to Song Hongda, and Song Xin left with him. The two walked side by side, Zhao Yunqi was silent and didn't know what to say. Except for his sister Yun Shuang, he was not good at dealing with other girls. However, Song Xin was unexpectedly quiet today and spoke very little along the way.

When they were about to part, Zhao Yunqi saw that she seemed to be hesitant to speak, with confusion on her face, so he asked her.

"what happened to you?"

As if she had finally found someone to talk to, Song Xin quickly confided her true feelings. "Ever since my eldest brother got into trouble, I've been thinking about going to Xidu to take care of him, but my father wouldn't allow it."

"Maybe this is a punishment for him... Song Yu was indeed a little careless this time. Second Uncle is really angry. He has high hopes for Song Yu."

"But this is too harsh. Why can't you let me go to Xidu?" Song Xin remained gentle even when she was angry.

"Song Yu is the eldest son of the Song family, so his second uncle will naturally be stricter."

"It doesn't seem to be..." Having said that, Song Xin suddenly shook his head and muttered to himself.

"What did you say?" Song Xin's voice was too soft and Zhao Yunqi couldn't hear clearly.

"Oh, nothing... I understand, Brother Yunqi, be careful when you go back."

Song Xin didn't say anything, so Zhao Yunqi naturally didn't need to guess her thoughts. So he responded and rushed home. Yun Shuang was still waiting for him to come home. He wanted to handle the daily affairs of Jiudu as Song Hongtian instructed, but not long after, Xidu received news that Song Hongtian was injured. Like Lu Xian, he was attacked by unknown people.