If other powerful young masters had said this, Zhong Lingyao might still be panicked, because she knew that her fate was as out of her control as duckweed.
Although she is now the courtesan of the flower shop and seems to be much more noble than other women in the brothel, in fact she is just a commodity waiting to be sold.
It's just that their asking prices are much higher than those of other brothel girls. In addition to money, they also have a lot of power.
If he could really win over a powerful young man like Su Shi, her master would definitely send her out like cargo without hesitation.
But when Su Shi said these words, Zhong Lingyao was only surprised and confused, not uneasy or frightened, because Su Shi's eyes were as calm as water and did not reveal the slightest desire for possession.
"I wonder what Mr. Su wants from me?"
Su Shi asked slowly: "How much do you remember about what happened ten years ago?"
Suddenly hearing Su Shi ask about what happened ten years ago, Zhong Lingyao immediately understood Su Shi's purpose of looking for her, but this did not dispel her doubts, but made her even more puzzled.
She asked softly: "Is the matter mentioned by the young master related to the prince?"
"yes."
"Hasn't Master already investigated this matter clearly?"
"Miss Qin told you?"
Zhong Lingyao nodded, and then said: "But I have never disclosed it to others."
"Miss Qin can tell you, so she will naturally trust you."
Zhong Lingyao's expression suddenly became gloomy, and then she stood up silently and solemnly said to Su Shi: "Lingyao has not thanked the young master in person for this matter. If it were not for the young master, his adoptive father would probably still be dead in the dark."
As he spoke, he was about to kneel down and bow down to Su Shi.
Su Shi hurriedly stopped him and said, "Miss Zhong, you don't have to be like this. I just happened to meet you. In fact, I didn't do much." Then he sighed softly: "And I feel that the truth of this matter is not really clear. The truth comes out.”
Then he looked up at Zhong Lingyao: "This is also the reason why I came to you this time."
Zhong Lingyao stood in front of Su Shi with a look of astonishment, looking at Su Shi in disbelief.
"Miss Zhong, please sit down."
Su Shi poured a cup of hot tea, handed it to Zhong Lingyao, and continued: "Please drink tea."
Zhong Lingyao took the tea cup blankly, neither drinking nor putting it down, she just looked at Su Shi blankly while holding the tea cup.
Su Shi was not in a hurry to ask questions because he knew that Zhong Lingyao must be very upset and now was not the time to ask questions.
So he picked up the tea cup in front of him and took a sip.
When Su Shi put it on the tea cup, Zhong Lingyao finally woke up and looked directly at Su Shi.
"Isn't Pei Xuan the murderer of the prince?"
"Even Pei Xuan admitted it himself, how could it not be the case?"
Zhong Lingyao's expression became extremely confused: "In that case, why do you still think there is another mystery to this matter?"
This matter is not easy to explain, but Su Shi had no intention of explaining it. He just looked at Zhong Lingyao sincerely and said slowly: "I hope you understand that I don't tell you some things, not because I want to hide something, but because It won't do you any good to know these things."
Zhong Lingyao naturally understood this truth. She silently looked out the window. The night outside was hazy, as if there was fog, and even the moonlight seemed to be covered with a layer of gauze.
"Actually, I really know nothing about this matter. Many people have interrogated me ten years ago, but they have found nothing. And in these ten years, I have repeatedly thought about what happened before and after the incident. , there are still no clues, not even a hint of suspicion.”
So she looked at Su Shi apologetically: "So Master, don't have too high hopes."
Su Shi sighed: "I also know that ten years have passed since this incident. Finding out the truth is even harder than climbing to the sky, but no matter how difficult it is, you have to give it a try."
"What do you want to know, Master?"
"When did your adoptive father Zhong Lichuan start serving the prince?"
Zhong Lingyao thought for a while and replied: "After His Majesty ascended the throne, his adoptive father served the Crown Prince."
"Does he suffer from insomnia?"
Zhong Lingyao nodded: "My adoptive father's insomnia is still very serious. Sometimes he can't fall asleep almost the whole night. Even if he can fall asleep, he can only sleep for an hour or two."
"When did his insomnia begin?"
"Probably a year before the incident, my adoptive father began to suffer from this disease, but it was still very mild at the time. However, since the incident of the Prince's Assistant Political Affairs, my adoptive father's insomnia has become more and more serious."
Su Shi's expression looked very confused: "As far as I know, the prince is very kind and generous to others. Why is your adoptive father so stressed and suffering from insomnia?"
Zhong Lingyao said softly: "But my adoptive father is a cautious person. He does everything himself and is meticulous in everything he does. Maybe it is because he thinks too much every day that he suffers from this insomnia."
Su Shi mused: "Most people who suffer from insomnia are due to anxiety. Your adoptive father has served the prince for seven years and knows the prince's habits, temperament, and preferences very well. He should be able to take care of his daily life with ease, and the prince also trusts him. What's more, after the prince's wedding, the prince's daily affairs are in charge. Your adoptive father only needs to obey orders, why are you so anxious? "
There was a trace of sadness on Zhong Lingyao's face: "My adoptive father never talked about palace affairs in front of me, so I don't know why he was so anxious? I still remember that after the winter moon of that year, my adoptive father only had to return home. When I get home, I sit in my room until late every night, seemingly having a lot of things on my mind.”
"Where was your adoptive father on the day the prince died?"
Zhong Lingyao's eyes became more and more sad: "My foster father was in the palace that day. After the prince was found dead suddenly in the palace, all the people who served the prince were arrested by His Majesty, and they were eventually beheaded for poor service."
She looked up at the moon, and the bright moon in the sky had become blurry: "I didn't even see the last part of my adoptive father."
Qinghui entered the room and shone on Zhong Lingyao's devastated face. Su Shi felt sad for a while. He didn't expect that even though ten years had passed, Zhong Lingyao was still so sad when he mentioned what happened back then.
"When was the last time you saw your adoptive father?" Su Shi was silent for a while and asked again.
"It was on the 28th of the winter lunar month that my adoptive father returned to the house very late, but that night he seemed very relaxed and chatted with me for a few words before going back to his room to rest."
"But when I got up the next day, my adoptive father returned to the palace early in the morning."
Su Shi asked, "What did you talk about that night?"
Zhong Lingyao replied: "My adoptive father has decided to officially accept me as his adopted daughter, so he asked me that night if I was willing. He also said that Rui Hexiang had customized a set of clothes for me to wear during the ceremony."
Su Shi asked casually: "Where is that suit of clothes? After so many things happened, no one will pick it up. It should still be in Ruihexiang."
Zhong Lingyao said: "I don't know. Mr. Qin also suspected that the clothes might contain secrets, so he went to Rui Hexiang to ask. But according to Rui Hexiang's people, the clothes had already been taken away by the secret guard. , even the people who sewed the clothes were invited for questioning, but no problem was found, and in the end nothing happened."
