"He was very different from others. The first few times he went to Lantingxuan with his friends, he didn't even dare to raise his head. Later, when he became an official in the court, he often went to our place to socialize with his colleagues, and he gradually adapted, but he never Like other people teasing and making flirtatious remarks with the sisters. If there is anything, we will ask politely and be very polite. It seems that we are not the female entertainers in the entertainment scene, but the rich ladies in the boudoir."
Concubine Mu sneered when she heard this, seemingly disapproving of it.
Liu Guang ignored her reaction and continued: "Because I listened to the words of my sisters, I have some hopes for Mr. Xiao. I just hope that he will notice me and take me away from Lantingxuan before I grow up to perform. Whether I am a slave or a maid, I am happy with it. I consider myself to be pretty good-looking, well-versed in writing, and of excellent appearance and talent. However, Mr. Xiao is always polite to me, and I don't think anything of him."
"I have been worried about this matter for a long time, until the day before I first entered the elegant hall at the age of fifteen, I decided to give myself a chance to ask Mr. Xiao personally whether my dream would come true. On that day, Mr. Xiao Unexpectedly, this was also the only time I got drunk at Lantingxuan."
"The people who came with him called a carriage to take him back to his home. I wanted to take the opportunity to talk to him, so I followed him to the side courtyard where the carriage was placed. As a result, I saw a dark figure holding the drunk Mr. Xiao under his arm. , jumped up to the second floor, climbed through the window and entered Sister Sufang's room. When I saw this, I hurriedly returned to the building, ran to Sister Sufang's door, and heard her scream."
"I was confused and froze on the spot. Immediately afterwards, someone rushed in past me, and then many people shouted loudly... saying that Mr. Xiao was dead and fell on the woman's belly and died!"
Liu Guang took a deep, trembling breath and said, "I couldn't believe what I heard, so I rushed into the crowd to take a look. At first glance, I saw Sister Sufang, naked, with a blue complexion and foaming at the mouth. His head was tilted to the side and he was already dead. The second time I saw him, I saw the disheveled Mr. Xiao lying on the side, motionless."
"That scene is indeed the same as what everyone said, but I know that Mr. Xiao was drunk and unconscious for a long time. It only took a blink of an eye from the time he was taken to the room by the shadow, so everything in front of me was... It’s a lie, someone wants to harm him!”
When Li Qingyi heard this, he could already think of what this smart woman did next, otherwise, she would not be able to escape this life no matter what.
Liu Guang subconsciously put his hands on his shoulders and said: "I clearly realized this, but I didn't dare to speak when I was heartbroken. I quickly left and went back to my room. I tried my best to calm down and think about what to do. Lantingxuan There is a sister here who lives here because of the decline of her family. I once heard her say that if something scandalous happens in the family, they must try every means to cover it up. I don’t know how many innocent lives will be involved. Even if they can save their lives, there may not be anything bad. A good ending. The Xiao family is undoubtedly a wealthy family, and the person who assassinated Mr. Xiao is certainly not a simple character!"
"The more I thought about it, the more scared I became. I didn't know what would happen to Lan Tingxuan next. But my only thought at the time was to run away. I didn't think about whether it was a cover-up or whether it would attract other people's attention... My only thought was, Just leave Lantingxuan..."
"I didn't tell anyone, because once more people escaped, people would find out the clues. By then, even I couldn't escape... So, I was cruel and took advantage of the chaos of the crowd to fight all night long. He ran away and hid, and left the city when the city gate opened in the early morning..."
Concubine Mu's eyes flickered and she looked at Qin Zeng.
Qin Zeng continued what Liu Guang said: "The day after Liu Guang fled, Lantingxuan was completely burned by a big fire, including thirty-six female actresses, twenty-eight servants and maids, as well as the miscellaneous people who were stranded in Lantingxuan at that time. There were seventy-five people in total, and no one survived. Rumors say that the Xiao family deliberately set the fire in order to cover up Xiao Yao's scandal, in vain of human life. The Xiao family's reputation also dropped to the bottom, and they were reviled."
"Fortunately, Liu Guang's escape was not discovered, perhaps because there were still several burnt corpses that could not be identified. Moreover, Liu Guang picked up this thing in the courtyard when he escaped from Lantingxuan."
He opened his palm and found an old light blue purse inside. The golden edge outlined by the auspicious clouds had also been frayed, but it could still be seen that the embroidery was exquisite and the fabric was of high quality.
Everyone looked at this object curiously. Concubine Mu frowned and thought, but Liu Ye, who was kneeling beside her, trembled heavily, "Mianhe!"
When Qin Zeng heard these two words, he smiled with satisfaction.
Concubine Mu's expression changed drastically and she glared at Liu Ye.
However, Liu Ye was not as submissive as usual. She looked back at Concubine Mu and said, "Concubine Mu told the slaves that Mianhe was sent to Chongnan as a spy. Later, she said that Mianhe died in the mission! Is it false? ?”
Her face gradually turned pale. She looked straight at Concubine Mu and said, "Mianhe... was he silenced by Concubine Mu?"
Concubine Mu's face was tense, and the veins on her temples were jumping!
She kept silent, but it was equivalent to acquiescence.
Liuye staggered a step, looked at the light blue purse in Qin Zeng's hand, stepped forward and grabbed it in the palm of his hand, tears streaming down his face.
She felt chills in her heart: "Concubine Mu had already planned it, and everyone involved in that matter would not survive. Why did she deceive me and let Mianhe do it? I have been serving my concubine since I was a child, and I have worked conscientiously and never failed. Violation. Your Majesty has no care or compassion for me! Mianhe is my only relative! You promised me in front of me, but you went back on your word behind your back!"
Liuye was very loyal and planned for Concubine Mu, and she had done countless unfaithful things over the years. At this time, knowing what Concubine Mu had done, it was inevitable to collapse. She reacted like this, and it was clear at a glance whether the matter was true or false. No wonder Qin Zeng was so calm and confident of winning.
He said: "Mianhe is just a useful person to Concubine Mu. But you are the most capable female officer around her and cannot be replaced. Naturally, she cannot let you worry about the future and look forward to the future. In that case, what? Can you safely be used by her? Therefore, you and Mianhe are destined to be separated from each other. Concubine Mu is ruthless, and you should know it best."
Li Qingyi silently thought that there are many kinds of friendship in the world, and the trust between master and servant is sometimes more reliable and solid than that of relatives.
Just like between her and Hengwu Silan and others, or between Qin Zeng and Nagasawa Changrong and others, they would never give up each other's life easily and let the other party make fearless sacrifices. However, Concubine Mu only has herself as the most important thing in her heart. Others, if they become a stumbling block or make her feel uneasy at all, they will be removed without hesitation.
Liu Ye rubbed the purse on her heart and turned back to look at Concubine Mu. When she saw her pursed lips tightly, she knew that what Qin Zeng said was true. She couldn't believe it, and felt powerless in her heart, "Why on earth have I gone through fire and water for you all these years?!"
