C54

Xiao Qing raised her eyebrows. Her tone of voice was playful, not like retaliating: "If possible, I don't want to be a phoenix. After all, there are some phoenixes that are not as clean as chickens. Being in cahoots with others or something like that is not my strong point."

Zhao Xin'er choked and immediately gritted her teeth: "Xiao Qing Ran, what do you mean by that?"

"I was just casually saying that Miss Zhao doesn't need to have such a huge reaction, right?" Xiao Qing then laughed and put one hand on the table. With an indifferent tone, she pursed her lips: "There are too many eyes here. I advise Miss Zhao not to speak too loudly. People say that you have no manners."

"Xiao Qing Ran!" Zhao Xin'er clenched her fists and wanted to curse, but she suddenly thought of something and changed the topic: "Hehe, Qing Qing. Even if you are a direct descendant, it is useless. Your mother is long dead, and there is no one protecting you in this general's house."

"No one is protecting me?" Xiao Qing raised her eyebrows, "What Miss Zhao said isn't right. Father is still alive. If someone hears your words, they will mistake you for sowing discord."

"How laughable, the relationship between you two does not need to be provoked. The general does not seem to be someone who can …" Zhao Xin'er paused halfway through her words, as if she suddenly remembered something she couldn't say and shut her mouth.

However, Xiao Qing was still sensitive enough to pay attention.

This woman's words seemed to have some depth to them, they were worth investigating.

Xiao Qing Ran's eyes flickered as she planned to uncover some more. "Miss Zhao knows quite a bit about the matters of our general's estate. I'm curious as to how you found out about the matters of the house's courtyard. Could it be that your relationship with that new young mistress has gotten so harmonious? "

Although Zhao Xin'er was an impatient person, she wasn't without brains. She had nearly said something she shouldn't have and was even more careful not to say too much. However, this didn't mean that she would keep a low profile.

She snorted and said in a tone that sounded like 'Heaven knows Earth, I know Earth, you know Earth', "You don't need to provoke me, how will I know, you don't need to worry about anything that you know. You only need to remember your identity, but I'm afraid that you're just muddle-headed, pitiful and laughable."

The last sentence rippled in Xiao Qing Qing's chest. Some unknown speculation quickly flashed through her mind, causing her to be unable to fully grasp it.

A strange feeling of being kept in the dark spread through his heart.

Perhaps she had overlooked something very important.

Xiao Qing Qing didn't have time to digest this. She was about to seize the opportunity to ask a few more questions when Zhao Xin'er impatiently stood up. It was as though she had only come over to make things difficult for this' direct daughter 'with a few cold words.

"Although I don't know how you managed to get that thousand silver taels, I'm also a man of my words. Since you're willing to admit defeat, I won't find a way to deal with you. However, you won't be able to escape so easily next time." Zhao Xin'er lifted her leg and left after saying that.

As Xiao Qingran looked at her back, the fog in her heart became denser and denser.

However, she did not pursue the matter. After all, the most important person today was another woman.

It was just that Xiao Wen found it strange that those people had not moved for a long time, and it was only when the sacrificial ceremony was just an hour away that she suddenly realized that something was amiss.

Rie went to get some tea, but she still hasn't come back yet.

Xiao Qing Ran's heart was alarmed. She quickly raised her head and discovered that Yun Ya and Xiao Yan were not at the scene. Furthermore, Xiao Xi Yu had been hiding in the dark and observing her actions.

"Damn it!"

She was too careless.

The martial arts that he had handed to Li Er in the past few years were not bad, but they could only be used against ordinary guards and assassins. Xiao Yan's ability to train in the mountains since he was young naturally could not be underestimated.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qing Qing immediately stood up and walked towards the outer court.

He had truly underestimated his opponents. He had never expected that those women would join hands with him. Zhao Xin'er's words were like a primer, a primer that could trap his steps!

"Third sister, where are you going?" Xiao Xiyu, who had been motionless all this time, suddenly took a few steps forward to block his path.

Killing intent surged in Xiao Qing Ran's eyes. She could no longer afford to hide some things: "If you don't want to die, then scram!"

"Die?" Haha … Do you think the current me is afraid of death? " Xiao Xi Yu clenched her fists, a sinister look that had been accumulated for many days was hidden in her eyes: "Xiao Qing Ran, if it wasn't for you, how could I have become like this, neither human nor ghost, and you make me suffer so much … I wouldn't let you feel so comfortable!"

She already knew that the little girl by this woman's side was her weakness.

After all, the first time she got angry was because of that girl a few years ago.

"Xiao Xiyu." Xiao Qingran took two steps forward. She suppressed her aura to a certain extent and spoke with a cold tone: "Remember this well. If anything happens to Ri-er, I will let you know what it means to wish you were dead!"

"Are you threatening me?" Xiao Xi Yu curled her lips, and said with a look as if she was going all out: "Do you think that your current threat is still useful to me? It's really funny, third sister, the sacrificial ceremony is about to start. It's best if you just wait here and don't wander around. It's not that easy to find this in time, if you miss it then it won't happen a second time. "

Xiao Xi Yu purposefully raised her voice so that everyone in the surroundings could hear her last sentence.

A hint of haze appeared in Xiao Qing's half-closed eyes, but a bottomless darkness was hidden within. "Xiao Xi Yu, I went around you last time for Li Er. You asked for it yourself this time."

Xiao Xi Yu looked at the sinister light in her eyes. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt a little cold behind her back. However, after thinking about it, she felt that there was no need to be afraid of her.

Even if he was not favoured in the Zhao residence, he was still the daughter-in-law of one of the court officials. No matter what, Xiao Qinggran would not truly kill him no matter what.

If others were to find out that she had plotted murder for a servant, then her dream of marrying into the imperial family would be for naught.

Xiao Xiyu thought so, but unfortunately, she had never understood Xiao Qing Ran.

Of course, Xiao Qing wouldn't give up on the people around her for the sake of these ridiculous powers.

However, she only gave Xiao Xi Yu a 'warning' and didn't make a move on the spot. She directly pushed her away and walked outside, completely ignoring the woman's' painstaking and sincere 'words that she had spoken behind her back.

After bypassing the front courtyard was the corridor. Riko was meticulous with her work, especially when it came to her own matters. She would never be lazy even if it was a small matter like taking tea. Therefore, she could not possibly be led away by someone.

It was fortunate that Xiao Qing finally understood her subordinates. She had indeed found some clues on the way back to the room.

On one of the pillars in the corridor, there were traces of scratches. It was like being hit by a whip or other soft item.

"Xiao Yan." Xiao Qing then clenched her fists as a trace of killing intent quickly rose in her eyes. However, the light in her eyes suddenly dimmed as she tilted her head.

Outside the long corridor, Xiao Yan hugged his whip as he smiled at her. With a proud expression, he said, "Hey, third sister, why are you in such a hurry? Did you lose something?"

"Like this —" She took her other hand and held a red knocker between her fingers.

It was given to her by the little girl on her birthday last year.

Xiao Qing Ran's hands tightened and loosened. She tried her best to act calm so that she could deal with this woman calmly.

Just now, she had carefully observed the scene. Riko's kung fu was not bad, and even if she had been ambushed, she would not have died in a single blow.

Only after thinking about it in this way could Xiao Qing Ran completely calm down, and she said in a deep voice: "If you want to say something, then say it. If it was to prevent me from attending the sacrificial ceremony in time, you have already succeeded. "

"You definitely cannot attend the sacrificial ceremony, but this is still not enough." Xiao Yan looked up at the sky and said, "Xiao Qing Ran, your scheme had caused second sister's reputation to be ruined. You probably did not expect this day to come, right?"

Xiao Qing replied with narrowed eyes, "You guys did indeed make some kind of deal."

Xiao Yan's scheming mind wasn't as good as Xiao Xiyu's, but she wasn't someone who was willing to suffer losses. It seemed that these women had obtained benefits from another person, but he didn't know what the source of this mutual benefit was.

"Don't you think it's a little late to know?" Xiao Yan laughed coldly: "I don't want to waste my breath on you, you want to save that girl right? "Come with me. I can bring you to see her because I'm afraid that you won't dare to come."

After saying that, without another word, she turned around and walked in another direction.

Xiao Qing Ran glowered but didn't say anything as she followed him.

Although she could use force to make this woman speak, she did not want to reveal it yet. Moreover, she had just recalled something, so she was sure that something would happen to Li Er.

More importantly...

She had a feeling that there was something else behind this. Although the three of them were acting together, she had a feeling that something was wrong. It was as if the person who built the stage was someone else.

It had to be said that Xiao Qing Ran's intuition was very accurate many times, and this time was no exception.

Xiao Chen led her around ten minutes before returning to a side room at the back of the front courtyard. This place was not too far from the front hall where the sacrificial ceremony was held, and if anything were to happen here, the guests there would definitely be able to hear it.

Xiao Qingyi knitted her brows as a trace of oddity flashed across the bottom of her eyes.

"Drink this." Xiao Yan suddenly stopped walking and turned around, throwing a small white porcelain bottle to her.

Xiao Qingyi caught it and knew what was inside without even asking. She was too lazy to waste time so she directly opened the cork and gulped the contents of the bottle in front of the woman. After she was done, she threw the empty bottle back to her: "Is it okay now?"

"Very good. Xiao Qing Ran, you really have the guts. It's just that you took the risk to do so much just for a servant. Is it worth it?" Xiao Yan scoffed.

"If it's not worth it, then wouldn't all of you be doing this for nothing?" The two of them could be considered to have broken off all relations, so Xiao Qing Qing naturally did not show any kindness on the surface: "Since the preparations are done, can you let me in now?"

The tone of her voice was as if she knew that there was a trap in front of her but had deliberately jumped in to see how deep it was.