Li Ruoxuan looked at Jiang Yeqian’s poker face and deliberately commented, “Why do I feel like your words are coming from a place of anger?”
“Am I?” Jiang Yeqian changed his expression when he noticed Li Ruoxuan’s ambiguous tone. There was a deep serenity residing in the bottom of his eyes that no wind could shift. With cool eyes, he murmured, “If a single mother manages to be liked by someone, shouldn’t she get married to them right away?”
After a pause, he continue, “After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Li Ruoxuan raised his brows. His eyes were cold as he said, “Indeed, she should get married.”
Qi Qingyao was thinking about the fight between the two grand masters today, the battle on the surface of Qingyang Lake, and the fact that Mo Yang looked like her. All of these matters swirled around in her head, making it ache. When she overheard the stormy conversation between the State Preceptor and the Head Grand Secretariat, she rolled her eyes and muttered, “Two lunatics.”
Li Ruoxuan, “…”
Jiang Yeqian, “…”
Jiang Yeqian was somewhat used to Qi Qingyao’s loose tongue already.
Li Ruoxuan was not, though.
As the State Preceptor, he was seldom defied by his subordinates, let alone… being called a lunatic by this woman.
She really thought he would not dare to strangle her to death.
Perhaps she knew.
She just did not care.
Before Qi Qingyao walked past Chuihua Gate, she casually commented, “I can hear your brain rattling around in there.”
Just after she walked past the gate, when Li Ruoxuan was already so speechless he was at a complete loss for what to do, Qi Qingyao stuck her head back out and said, “Oh, that’s right, the two grand masters treat this place like it’s a no man’s land. It’s probably pointless for me to continue staying here as a hostage, so I’m taking the children home in the afternoon.”
“Aren’t you afraid of being taken away?” Li Ruoxuan sneered.
“I got away this time, and I’ll do the same next time.” Qi Qingyao shrugged and said offhandedly, “I have a trump card in my hand. The two grand masters won’t kill me, so rest assured, State Preceptor.”
Then, she went back to pack her belongings.
Jiang Yeqian retracted his gaze and returned to his room in much annoyance.
Li Ruoxuan stood in the sun and pondered. “Why didn’t I know that she had a trump card?”
Zhu Shen thought for a while before he stepped forward and whispered, “It seems like Mr. Pang from Daliang City wants to take her daughter in as an apprentice, which made the old Mr. Gongsun by the Cangjing Lake also want to take her daughter in as an apprentice. That’s probably Lady Qi’s trump card.”
Li Ruoxuan’s heart rattled for a moment. “Her daughter has the aptitude to be a practitioner?”
“Yes, Master.” Zhu Shen lowered his eyes, licked his dry lips, and quietly said, “A very, very high aptitude.”
Li Ruoxuan was silent for a long while.
“I’m suddenly impressed by her now.”
Spreading his hands, he said to himself in an almost undetectable voice, “A young grand master who seems to be a genius was her companion. Her daughter is a genius too. She personally knows Master Architect Li Qinglian and Divine Physician Su Hexiao… I’m extremely curious about her now.”
She was a mystery.
Li Ruoxuan stood in the sun silently for a long time, so long that Zhu Shen thought that the State Preceptor had fallen asleep. Li Ruoxuan suddenly looked up, and his gentle and clear face was sinister and ruthless.
Then, he instructed, “Zhu Shen, go to Zhaixing Administration and buy a piece of information.”
“Information on who?” Zhu Shen asked.
“Mo Yang.” Li Ruoxuan said.
Zhu Shen turned around and left.
After Qi Qingyao finished packing her belongings, she walked out with the three children.
She did not encounter any obstacles on the way to the gate.
There was even a carriage waiting at the gate for her.
Qi Qingyao asked about it.
It turned out that Li Ruoxuan had asked someone to prepare it for her.
She then sat in the carriage and returned to the Qi Residence.
Zhu Shen only came back after she left.
When he learned that Qi Qingyao had left, he knew that his master must have let go of her, so he did not care. He walked into the room and handed Mo Yang’s information to Li Ruoxuan.
Li Ruoxuan looked at it.
Zhu Shen stood beside him and explained, “His mother was named Yingying, surname Shan. She was a girl Mo Wenshu met when he was sent to Dazhou as an envoy. Her background is unknown. Later down the line, she married Mo Wenshu and gave birth to Mo Yang despite Grand Preceptor Mo’s objection. She was Mo Wenshu’s only love, and he never took in any concubine. Shan Yingying died of illness when Mo Yang was nine.” He thought that his master was interested in Mo Yang’s background, especially the part about his mother…
After Li Ruoxuan finished reading it, he pondered for a moment before he said, “Go buy another piece of information.”
“Master, whose this time?” Zhu Shen asked.
“Shan Yingying.” Li Ruoxuan said.
Zhu Shen, “…”
He froze for a moment.
He thought about it.
Did Master suspect that Qi Qingyao was not her parents’ biological child?
If so…
“Master, if you suspect that Qi Qingyao is not the biological child of the Qi family, we can start from the Qi family and just catch her father or mother for questioning. After some severe torture, there’ll be an immediate verdict as to whether Qi Qingyao is their biological child or not.”
Why go through so much trouble to investigate her through Shan Yingying?
Zhu Shen’s words made sense. If he had been speaking to the past Li Ruoxuan, he would surely have started with Qi Qingyao’s family first.
However… he had killed Qi Qingyao’s elder sister Qi Qingzhu, which had offended Qi Qingyao and the young grand master.
Li Ruoxuan did not want to use cruel methods to get results anymore.
Whether it was because of Si Jin, or something else…
“If I ask you to look into something, just look into it!” Li Ruoxuan said impatiently.
“Yes!”
Zhu Shen left hurriedly.
