The box was indeed empty, with no hidden compartnts or secret panels.
ng Qianqian’s first reaction was that the contents inside had been taken, but it definitely wasn’t Xiao Li. Xiao Li didn’t understand Sanskrit; even if she had accidentally opened it by an improbable stroke of luck, she wouldn’t have hidden this fact before her death.
If it was taken by soone, then what was their purpose? Why not take the entire box along?
What aning does leaving an empty box behind have?
To confuse Lin Wan’er? To fra Lin Wan’er?
Lu Yuan mused, "One possibility is that soone got to it first, and the other is that it was originally empty. I lean toward the latter."
After all, even the real Lin Wan’er was rely the daughter of Shen Hou, not Shen Hou himself. Framing her or confusing her would accomplish nothing.
ng Qianqian turned the box over and examined it carefully: "Why would Hai Pig wait for an empty box? What is so special about this box?"
Lu Yuan replied, "Maybe Hai Pig wasn’t waiting for the box itself, but rather the person delivering it. I suspect that person is also one of the Twelve Guards."
ng Qianqian thought Lu Yuan made a lot of sense: "The unaccounted ones are only the Rat, Ox, Mao Tu, Wu Ma, and Xu Dog. Could it be one of them? Who could it be?"
Lu Yuan glanced at her: "Are you forgetting soone?"
ng Qianqian thought for a mont: "Are you referring to the new Chen Long Guard?"
Lu Yuan made a sound of acknowledgnt.
At the ntion of the Chen Long Guard, ng Qianqian suddenly realized it had been quite so ti since she last saw her brother. She had no idea what kind of mission Pri Minister Xun had sent him on.
As if due to a sibling’s intuition, no sooner had she finished a piece of Osmanthus Cake than Chen Long returned to the residence.
ng Qianqian imdiately went to find him.
Chen Long was drawing water from the ancient well in the courtyard. Catching a glimpse of a shadow on the ground from the corner of his eye, he asked with thinly veiled annoyance, "What are you doing at my courtyard again?"
Lu Yuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, raising an eyebrow. "Because I want to."
ng Qianqian smiled and stepped forward, "Brother, let help you!"
"No need. I’m done."
Chen Long hoisted up a bucket filled to the brim with well water.
Lu Yuan sat leisurely on a stone stool, saying idly, "So, you’ve finally decided to show up. What will be your plan to stop this ti?"
ng Qianqian looked at Lu Yuan quizzically: "Stop you from what?"
Lu Yuan smirked faintly. "Did I forget to tell you? That so-called brother you randomly claid abducted the Empress on the day of the royal wedding, almost causing to fail my duty."
"What do you an, ’randomly claid’?" ng Qianqian muttered and turned to ask Chen Long, "Why did you do that?"
Lu Yuan sneered, "What other reason could there be? Naturally, it was for his beloved foster father."
Chen Long shot a glance at Lu Yuan. "You’ve been awfully talkative lately."
Lu Yuan curled his lips into a smile. "When I want to speak, I speak. Unlike you, always hiding things—doesn’t it suffocate you?"
Chen Long said, "You won’t succeed against the Pri Minister; give it up while you can."
Lu Yuan said, "If you’re trying to dissuade us from reopening the investigation into the Chu Family case, you can save your breath. Not only will I investigate, but I also vow to dig to the very bottom! Every person and power involved, I will uproot entirely!"
Chen Long furrowed his brows. "Do you really think you can overthrow the Pri Minister with a single case? You, too, are a foster son of the Pri Minister. You’ve spent more ti under his hand than I have—you should understand his thods better. You can’t win."
Lu Yuan’s smile deepened. "The one who naively thinks the Chu Family case alone can bring him down isn’t —it’s the Pri Minister himself. Why else do you think he’s trying so hard to interfere? He’s afraid. Things are already slipping out of his control. Chen Long, why don’t we make a wager?"
Chen Long imdiately refused without hesitation: "I don’t feel like gambling with you."
"Afraid to gamble? I’m quite curious—what weakness does the Pri Minister hold over you?"
"None of your business."
"So there is sothing, then?"
"You—"
Realizing he had been baited into revealing too much, Chen Long angrily clenched his fists.
ng Qianqian sighed internally. Brother, while you are skilled, calculating human nature like this... even the two of us combined might not be a match for the Great Traitor.
"Brother..."
"Leave. My matters have nothing to do with you, and I won’t say a word about them."
"Fine, I won’t ask about you and the Pri Minister anymore. I want to talk to you about the Twelve Guards."
Chen Long didn’t show resistance. He washed his hands and cleaned his sword with the water from the bucket.
Brother, have you been out killing people?
He only did this after killing soone.
So habits hadn’t changed, but his aura and gaze had. She could tell Chen Long was shouldering an enormous burden.
She used to think it was about the Chu Family case, her own wrongful death, and grievances. But now, with his unwillingness to redress her grievances and his determination to protect the Pri Minister...
It ant the weight he bore was heavier than her grievances and even greater than the Chu Family case.
ng Qianqian reined in her thoughts and relayed the information she had gathered from Xiao Li.
"The traitor is Hai Pig?"
Chen Long was sowhat surprised. "He was brought to the Pri Minister by Sheep. I never expected it to be him."
ng Qianqian said, "Yes, Sheep is much shrewder. Hai Pig seed the least opinionated among the Twelve Guards—I would sooner suspect myself than suspect him."
Lu Yuan and Chen Long exchanged aningful glances at ng Qianqian.
In just an instant, both shifted their gazes away.
Then ng Qianqian took out the box. Chen Long shook his head, indicating he hadn’t seen it before.
ng Qianqian asked, "Could it belong to your little disciple?"
Chen Long caught the subtext of her words. "You think the person who gave the item to Xiao Li is the new Chen Long Guard?"
ng Qianqian held up her thumb and forefinger a short distance apart: "Just a little bit suspicious."
Chen Long pondered for a mont and then said, "If he’s co to the Capital City, he’ll contact . However, I received a letter from him a few days ago; he indeed ntioned that he would arrive in the Capital City soon. Once I see him, I’ll clarify the matter. If he dares to lie or act behind my back, I’ll kill him myself!"
-
After leaving the courtyard, the two strolled along a secluded, winding path.
Ever since Liu Qingyun entered the residence, she had ordered people to plant flowers and grass everywhere. The entire estate was filled with birdsong and fragrant flora, creating an imnsely pleasant atmosphere.
Lu Yuan asked languidly, "Still not doubting him?"
"Not doubting."
ng Qianqian answered firmly.
Lu Yuan said coldly, "Even if he’s the second traitor Xiao Li ntioned?"
ng Qianqian stopped and looked at Lu Yuan seriously. "Grand Commander, Xiao Li’s exact words were ’Be wary of Chen Long.’ She didn’t say Chen Long was the second traitor."
Lu Yuan huffed coldly.
ng Qianqian weakly tugged on his sleeve. "The person who told Xiao Li to say that must have known that Chen Long was being blackmailed by the Pri Minister. Considering how pitiful he is to be under such pressure already, Grand Commander, can you please go easy on him?"
Lu Yuan’s face darkened, his eyes radiating a nacing killing intent. "Are you begging ? For another man?"
ng Qianqian blinked, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his flawless, jade-like face lightly.
Lu Yuan’s murderous aura dissipated instantly: "..."
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