Seeing Chu Jiaoping walking towards him, Chu Xinian paused slightly, knowing that his actions just now aroused his suspicion. But he didn't take the initiative to speak, but waited quietly for him to ask questions.

"Second brother, you... have really changed a lot since you lost your memory." Chu Jiaoping had so many doubts in his heart that he didn't know where to ask, so he could only spit out such a complicated sentence.

Chu Xinian was silent for a moment, and then said: "Really? I don't remember much about the past."

After all, Chu Jiaoping was concerned because this was Xie Jingyuan's residence, to avoid arousing suspicion, he did not tell Chu Xinian too many words: "Mother is very worried about you, but it's good to prove that this matter has nothing to do with you. How are you doing in the General's mansion?"

How are you doing? More like have you found something important.

The most troublesome person in the entire General's Mansion is Xie Jingyuan, but he will not take the initiative to make problems, and most of the time he stays sick in the room alone, so Chu Xinian's life is actually good.

But you can't say that to Chu Jiaoping.

Chu Xinian smiled lightly, and gave a compromise answer: "Xie Jingyuan already has some trust in me..."

So–

"There is no need for Prince Jin to send assassins over here, I'll handle it myself."

He seemed to be implying something, such as the military list.

As Prince Jin is the object of allegiance of the protagonist, there must be many talented people under his command. The three secret spies who died yesterday were actually just sent to the front, and the real masters were behind. Although the general's mansion has the strength of a dozen oxen, it may not be able to resist it.

It would be better if Chu Xinian took the initiative to give them a fake list to fool them, so as to avoid some follow-up troubles.

Chu Jiaoping frowned slightly, worried, and said in a low voice, "Can you really get the list?"

Chu Xinian nodded: "Brother, just wait for my news tonight."

Since Chu Xinian mentioned yesterday that he wanted to live in another place, Xie Jingyuan asked people to move his quarters to Yuhen Pavilion. The layout here is not much different from the previous courtyard, the only difference is probably the study room where many confidential letters are placed.

Chu Xinian only took one look, then calmly looked away. After taking a bath, he wore a loose white cloth, sat cross-legged at the end of the bed, slowly unrolled a roll of silver needles, and said in a gentle voice, "General, let me give you the needles today."

After the chubby little drug boy was beaten to tears by Xie Jingyuan yesterday, he refused to come no matter what. However, Wan Jimiao was still researching the antidote, so he stayed behind closed doors in the medicine hut, to the point where he forgot to eat and sleep, so he didn't have the time to come over and give acupuncture.

Xie Jingyuan sat on the edge of the bed with his knees bent, wiping his Luoyuan sword. The sword needs to be wiped from time to time, so it won't be dusted. He seems to like to clean all kinds of weapons, whether it is a sword, a bow, or a dagger.

Xie Jingyuan cast a sidelong glance at Chu Xinian: "You touched and rubbed the corpse today, and you still want to give me a needle?"

It was weird to say that. Touching is touching, but what is the explanation for the word "rubbed"? He was doing an autopsy, not anything else.

Chu Xinian lowered his head when he heard the words, looked at his hands solemnly, and asked back: "Why, the general is afraid that I will do the same to you, eh...?"

The tone is inexplicably itchy in the eardrums and hot in the heart.

Xie Jingyuan didn't wear a mask. He looked sideways at Chu Xinian, his narrow and deep eyes lit up with two wildfires of unknown meaning under the candlelight. The right side of the face is becoming more and more terrifying, making people wonder again how the injury was left.

"Heh..."

Xie Jingyuan seemed not to give up until Chu Xinian was taken aback. He leaned closer to Chu Xinian, and whispered coolly in his ear. Like a poisonous snake swallowing its core, it is both seductive and dangerous.

Xie Jingyuan asked word by word: "Do you dare?"

Chu Xinian looked at Xie Jingyuan's face which was close at hand, and felt that the corner of his lips slightly raised seemed to be mocking something. So he stretched out his hand and slowly lingered across Xie Jingyuan's injured right cheek with his fingertips. With a low voice, he smiled and asked, "Why don't I dare?".

From the outside, the figures of them could only see two silhouettes, like gradually melting wax, vanishing in this ambiguous beauty.

Xie Jingyuan subconsciously turned his head to cover up the injury. Around his neck was a piece of jade tied with a red thread, which was accidentally exposed at this time, and Chu Xinian saw two words engraved on it–

Lanting.

"Is this your birth name?" Chu Xinian stretched out his hand to pinch the piece of jade, and could only come up with this one explanation.

Xie Lanting, the name is really nice.

Xie Jingyuan didn't expect him to pay attention to this piece of jade, and subconsciously raised his hand to grab it back, but for some reason, he froze in mid-air and slowly fell down—it was a contradictory movement that wanted to stop it, but struggled to give up.

"..."

Xie Jingyuan didn't say anything, he neither admitted nor denied. After Chu Xinian had seen enough, he stuffed the jade back into the neckline and hid it under the cloth.

Seeing Chu Xinian's pensive look, Xie Jingyuan was afraid that he would guess something, so he sneered, squinted his eyes and threatened, "Do you know that anyone who has seen this piece of jade will die."

Chu Xinian raised his eyebrows faintly: "Since this jade shouldn't be seen by others, why did the general carry it with him?"

"..."

Xie Jingyuan was choked up when he heard the words, he stared at Chu Xinian, and didn't say a word for a long time. In the end, he swished and turned his back to Chu Xinian, unbuttoned his clothes in ones and twos and said in an emotionless way: "Prick the needle."

The words just touched him somewhere, and Xie Jingyuan's whole body tensed up.

Chu Xinian didn't apply the needle immediately, his right hand landed on his shoulder, rubbing it gently every now and then. Xie Jingyuan closed his eyes, wondering what he was thinking, and asked after a long while, "Do you know how to do an autopsy?"

Chu Xinian smiled: "Of course not."

It's not uncommon for a rich man to practice literature and martial arts, but it's too unusual to be able to do an autopsy, so he didn't admit it.

Xie Jingyuan raised his eyes, stared darkly into the distance, and said with pursed lips, "Then how do you know that the person who killed Jiu Niang is a master swordsman?"

"It's either a famous swordsman or a famous cook." Chu Xinian made a small joke.

Xie Jingyuan had seen the corpse from a distance today, he was an expert in weapons and he added with a smile but not a smile, "Maybe he is a person who is used to wielding two swords."

Chu Xinian paused when he heard that, approached him from behind, and smiled. He said: "The general and I actually thought of it the same."

His movement seemed to hold Xie Jingyuan into his arms from behind, and his shoulders were close to the other's back, which brought a little warmth.

Xie Jingyuan lowered his eyes, moved his fingertips, struggled for a moment, but slowly relaxed down again, and his fingertips returned to calm. He acquiesced in Chu Xinian's presumptuous actions and said with a light smile, "You put airs for yourself, why, already guessed who the murderer is?"

Chu Xinian did have some suspicions.

Today's various speculations about the murderer reminded him of a supporting character who appeared in the original work. It's just that the plot has changed too much, and he's not quite sure.

Chu Xinian said: "Maybe, I want to go to the suburbs of the capital to see tomorrow."

Xie Jingyuan paused, looked at him sadly and said: "Why, you don't want to live anymore?"

The mastermind behind this incident clearly aimed at Chu Xinian, he rashly went to the place where the incident happened, openly looking for death or what? With so many pairs of eyes in the capital, whenever he steps out of the general's mansion, he will be stared at immediately.

Chu Xinian obviously knew this too: "I'm going to go at night to avoid people's eyes and ears."

Xie Jingyuan said in a cool tone: "Really, then you are very smart."

Translating this sentence with the tone of voice, it is actually: You are so stupid.

Xie Jingyuan didn't speak any more, and his figure gradually relaxed. While giving him the needle, Chu Xinian said, "This matter may not be aimed at me."

Xie Jingyuan flicked his fingertips lightly: "It's not aimed at you, is it still aimed at me?"

But Chu Xinian said: "nine is inseparable from ten."

Although everything points to Chu Xinian. But he doesn't look at the superficial illusions, only the interests of the relationship behind it. Chu Xinian is a playboy, what use is it for others to target him, they can only use him as a weapon to influence the forces behind him.

Chu Xinian was lured into fleeing marriage by someone with a heart, and it was Xie Jingyuan who lost face.

Xie Jingyuan frowned fiercely when he heard this, not knowing what he was thinking.

All two of them have their own concerns. Seeing that it was almost time, Chu Xinian got out of bed and put the silver needle away. Looking at the incense burner in the middle of the inner room, thinking for a moment, he paused, and suddenly said to Xie Jingyuan: "General."

Xie Jingyuan was putting on his clothes, and when he heard this, he looked at him: "Say."

Chu Xinian took out the incense box from the side. A small square of brown spice lowered his eyes and said: "I saw the corpse today, and I feel very uneasy. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep all night. Can I burn some incense to help sleep?"

After the poisoning incident, Xie Jingyua became very sensitive to this kind of thing. Hearing this, he glanced over and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Why, are you so scared that you can't sleep?"

Why can't he see that Chu Xinian was afraid?

Chu Xinian shook his head and smiled: "I'm not afraid, it's just that my mind is a little confused, if the general doesn't like it, then forget it."

He was about to put the spice box back, but Xie Jingyuan said: "It's up to you. "

Chu Xinian raised his eyes subconsciously, but saw that Xie Jingyuan had already lay down to rest. The gauze tent shook slightly, but nothing could be seen, only a hazy figure could be seen.

Chu Xinian originally thought that he would spend more time talking, but he didn't expect that the other party would just agree. He lifted the lid of the incense burner, and slowly picked a spoonful of incense into it. Seeing the smoke curling up, he murmured to himself in a low voice: "General, it's not a good thing to be soft-hearted..."

He discovered that Xie Jingyuan was actually very soft-hearted. Is this also the main factor that led to his crushing defeat later?

Xie Jingyuan did not answer. He probably didn't feel that Chu Xinian was talking to him, after all, the word "soft-hearted" had nothing to do with him.

Two wisps of pale smoke were slowly spit out from the mouth of the incense burner beast, and dispersed in the air without a trace. The night outside was dark, only the guards with swords were patrolling back and forth, and the scales collided with each other, making a slight sound.

Chu Xinian sat by the couch alone, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Because what he burned was not the tranquilizing incense, but a sedative-hypnotic incense that Yun Que tried to get. Xie Jingyuan might be affected a little as if he only ignited a little bit, but ordinary people would directly feel dizzy after sniffing it.

The room was silent. After about half a cup of tea. Chu Xinian guessed that Xie Jingyuan must have fallen asleep, so he slowly got up and blew out the candle.

As soon as the candle was extinguished, a puff of blue smoke came out. The inner room was suddenly plunged into darkness, and the objects and furnishings could only be vaguely seen by the moonlight outside the window.

Chu Xinian quietly walked to the study room, and then carefully searched the corners inside. Finally, he found some faint traces of fluorescent light on a beast-eared vase on the rack. He touched it with his fingertips, and finally confirmed that it was the fluorite powder that he secretly sprinkled on Xie Jingyuan's cuff.

Is there anything special about this vase?

Chu Xinian tried to pick it up, but the animal ear bottle didn't move at all, as if it was fixed. He raised his eyebrows slightly, turned around slightly, only heard a light click, and something seemed to move under the desk.

"..."

Afraid that Xie Jingyuan would find out, Chu Xinian maintained that posture without moving for a long time. Seeing that the person lying inside hadn't moved, he slowly leaned over, only to find that one of the floor tiles underneath had sunk in.

The mechanism of the ancients is nothing more than this. Turning the vase can basically open the secret room. People in modern generations may think it is commonplace, but in this era without the assistance of high-precision tools, it is already a wonderful workmanship.

Chu Xinian lifted the floor tiles and found the lists hidden inside. He flipped through them one by one, and the ink-colored marks on them could not be hidden under the moonlight. There were more than thirty sheets, among which there were six generals who were above the fourth rank.

These people are Xie Jingyuan's confidantes who will assist the prince in rebellion in the future.

Chu Xinian picked a few insignificant names to remember, but felt that none of the high-ranking officers lacked credibility. Worried, his eyes swept away inadvertently, but the word "Wu Xiliang" suddenly jumped into his sight.

Since ancient times, those with high positions and powerful positions have had countless followers, but it is inevitable that there will be a few traitors, and Xie Jingyuan is no exception. In the original work of "A Thousand Autumns for the Marquis", Xie Jingyuan rebelled in the later period. One of his subordinates secretly rebelled and joined King Jin, and leaked his hoarding of private soldiers. This is the fourth-rank general "Wu Xiliang".

This character does not appear to have been dropped by the butterfly.

Chu Xinian smiled, put the thing back as it was, and wiped off the fluorite traces on it. He took a piece of paper from the table, and quickly wrote down a few names on the paper with the charcoal pen he had prepared in advance, including Wu Xiliang, and then folded it into small pieces of paper and stuffed them into his sleeve.

After finishing all this, he extinguished the enchanting incense in the censer. Then he walked to the door silently and gently opened the door a crack.

Jiu Yong was patrolling the yard, he paused when he saw this, and looked over with eagle eyes. Although he didn't say anything, it was obvious that he suspected that Chu Xinian had acted suspiciously.

Seeing Chu Xinian coming out, Yu Que remembered his instructions to her, and deliberately stepped forward and asked, "My lord, what are your instructions?"

Chu Xinian hummed lightly: "I have something to go out of the city tomorrow, remember to prepare it in advance the chariot and horses."

Yun Que nodded when he heard the words, but he didn't know what to think of, and said with an embarrassed expression: "Young master, slave... slave is not feeling well, and wants to see the doctor."

Chu Xinian is easy to talk to. Hearing this, he turned and folded into the house, took out a bag of broken silver, stuffed the pieces of paper in without any trace, tightened the bag, and handed it to Yun Que: "Go, don't delay the errand."

"Thank you, Young Master. "

Yun Que collected the money, turned around and walked towards the outside of the courtyard, but was stopped by someone before taking two steps, and when she looked up, it was Jiu Yong.

There was undisguised suspicion in Jiuyong's eyes: "What are you going out for?"

Yun Que gritted her teeth secretly when she heard the words, but frowned slightly on her face, covered her shoulders, and pretended to be in unbearable pain: "My shoulder hurts, I'll go out and see the doctor, why, this is not okay?"

Jiu Yong said coldly: "Don't you know that there is a rule in the general's mansion, once it is dark, servants are not allowed to leave the mansion without authorization."

Yun Que was so angry that her eyebrows stood upright, her almond eyes widened, and she stomped her feet, she pushed him away: "That's the rule of your general's mansion. I'm from Quyang Hou's mansion. You can't control me! Last time you slapped me, didn't you think it was not enough? If you have the ability, kill me with a sword! Kill me!"

Knowing how to bully women every day, what a hero!

After Yun Que finished speaking, she walked out without looking back, and her figure quickly disappeared at the end of the path. Seeing this, Jiu Yong's hand holding the sword tightened. After several hesitations, he didn't catch up to stop the woman, and continued to patrol with a frown.

Standing by the window, Chu Xinian saw that Yun Que had successfully left, so he looked away. He glanced towards the inner room subconsciously, but he didn't know if it was an illusion, something moved in a trance, he lifted the curtain quietly and walked in.

Xie Jingyuan shouldn't wake up, right?

Chu Xinian quietly walked to the bedside, and was about to reach out his hand to test it out, but just as his fingertips touched Xie Jingyuan, someone grabbed him—

"What are you doing?"

A cold voice suddenly exploded in the darkness. If one listens carefully, it carries a hint of laziness, a bit sleepy.

Chu Xinian's heart tightened, but he said as if nothing had happened: "I can't sleep."

Xie Jingyuan slowly let go of him.

Chu Xinian lost his grip on his wrist, found a fire pocket on the low table next to him and relit the candle. A bean lamp lit up, shook it, and then illuminated the inside brightly again.

Xie Jingyuan opened his eyes and looked at him: "What are you doing here?"

Chu Xinian wasn't sure when he woke up, so he sat down by the bed and found a reason: "I can't sleep alone outside."

Xie Jingyuan just woke up and frowned: "Are you afraid?"

Today's corpse is indeed scary.

Chu Xinian shook his head, his profile was even more handsome under the candlelight: "It's just that I can't sleep."

Xie Jingyuan thought to himself, isn't that just fear? Seeing that Chu Xinian didn't sleep in the middle of the night, he stared at the top of the bed thinking for a moment, then turned over with a frown, and lay down inside.

Chu Xinian didn't understand, so: "General?"

Xie Jingyuan frowned even tighter: "Lie down and sleep together."

The author has something to say:

Xie Jingyuan: Come on, come on, I will protect you~