Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Zong Sheng rarely spoke at this time. Before Chi Yue could answer Bai Xiqiao's question, he asked another question: "Since entering the East Market is the best escape route, why did you ask me to go south to Pingxiangfang?"

Chi Yue looked at Zong Sheng and smiled, revealing a row of white teeth. Even the small teardrop mole under the corner of his eye became lively. "If it were me, I would go to Pingxiangfang. Hide in those high-ranking courtyards. I wonder which of the Five City Guards dares to knock on the door in the middle of the night."

Bai Xiqiao was confused by Chi Yue's words and asked anxiously, "So how do we find this assassin?"

Chi Yue was about to answer when Qi Xiao's personal guard came in to report, "Master, Lord Cao from the Capital Protectorate is here to visit."

"Haha, here they come." Chi Yue looked at Qi Xiao, "Your Highness will leave a way for Lord Cao to survive, right?"

Qi Xiao raised his eyes to glance at Chi Yue, then lowered his head to continue drinking tea, and raised his voice slightly: "Please come in, Lord Cao." When he looked up again, Chi Yue was gone again.

Bai Xiqiao was stunned. The person was in the room, right in front of him, and disappeared in a flash. He couldn't help but sigh: "This Qinggong, is it still human?"

"Thank you for the compliment." Chi Yue's voice sounded lightly, startling Bai Xiqiao again.

Not long after, Cao Weishan was brought in. As soon as he entered the room, he knelt down and kowtowed to Qi Xiao: "Your humble servant pays homage to His Highness the Ninth Prince. I beg Your Highness to spare my life!"

"Your Highness, this oversight occurred because I did not govern strictly. It is indeed my fault. But please give me a chance to make amends. I will catch the murderer for Lord Luo and then punish him!" Cao Weishan was sweating profusely, and it was obvious that he was anxious when he came here.

"Master Cao, please get up first. Show Master Cao the tea on the table." Qi Xiao's face showed no anger at all, and he looked calm and composed. This made Cao Weishan confused, and his calves cramped with guilt.

The Cao family, a prominent and distinguished clan, has produced numerous literary masters and learned men throughout its generations. Cao Weishan's father, Cao Zan, was a scholar at the Hongwen Academy and a renowned scholar of his time. Naturally, Cao Weishan, born into such a family, would have been aloof and aloof, but he wasn't, or at least didn't appear to be. His inheritance of the Cao family's teachings naturally gave him a certain pride, but his seven years in the Ministry of Justice completely eroded his scholarly airs, cultivating his current diplomatic approach.

Cao Weishan was filled with righteous indignation over the case of Luo Yu, the Grand Court Justice. Furthermore, this was a tragic incident that had occurred under his watch. He didn't care who was involved; the matter was deeply entangled. His Majesty, listening to the advice of the Fifth and Seventh Princes, had also allowed the Five Capitals to intervene, adding even more people to the mix. If he were convicted and dismissed, Luo Yu's case might become an unsolved case. How could he rest in peace for the rest of his life? No, he couldn't let it go. Furthermore, Pei Hao, the Junior Court Justice, was now isolated and unyielding. If anything went wrong, he could still take care of it. So, if he had to plead guilty now, he couldn't just ignore it.

I just don’t know what kind of person the King of Chu is?

Zong Sheng brought Cao Weishan a cup of hot tea.

Cao Weishan looked at Qi Xiao cautiously, not knowing whether to drink the tea or not.

"Master Cao, do you know why you would bother making this trip so late at night?"

When Cao Weishan heard this, he was about to kneel before Qi Xiao again, but Zong Sheng, who was right beside him, immediately grabbed him and forced him back to sit. Zong Sheng didn't use much force, but it still surprised Cao Weishan. Wasn't this a sign of punishing him?

"I am stupid."

"I've come here in person tonight simply to confirm a guess. I don't really want to embarrass Lord Cao. On the contrary, if I want to get to the bottom of this matter, I still need your help."

Cao Weishan looked at Qi Xiao, unsure of what he was up to. But as a laid-back prince, shouldn't he have avoided this matter? Why was he so concerned? It wasn't enough to follow Pei Hao around during the day, but now he was causing a scene in the middle of the night. Was he just putting on an act? Or was he deliberately putting on airs in front of him?

"Your humble servant is in great fear. Please give your orders, Your Highness."

The night was almost over, and Qi Xiao and Cao Weishan couldn't explain it clearly at the moment, so they simply gave up and said bluntly: "Master Cao, please interrogate everyone in the Luo Mansion one by one tomorrow. I will wait for Master Cao's confession at the Dali Temple."

"Yes, I will take care of it carefully."

After sending Cao Weishan away, Bai Xiqiao finally understood Chi Yue's meaning. Since the assassin could not be found now, he would capture the accomplice hiding in Luo Mansion.

"Xiao'er, if we make such a big noise tonight, won't we alert the enemy?"

Qi Xiao rubbed his brows and sighed, "If he gets scared and wants to escape, it will save us a lot of trouble. I'm just afraid that he will do it perfectly without leaving any clues. Let's wait for news from Cao Weishan tomorrow. I'm tired, let's all go to sleep."

***

It would be dawn in an hour, and the night finally fell silent again. When Zong Sheng returned to his room, he found someone there. He became alert for a moment and walked into the room lightly.

"Are you back? Go to sleep." It was Chi Yue. He lay down on Zongsheng's bed with his quilt covering him.

Zong Sheng froze in place, unsure whether to draw his sword and strike him down, or throw him out. But… with Chi Yue's skill, Zong Sheng couldn't do either. A fight now would likely wake Qi Xiao. Zong Sheng wouldn't cause Qi Xiao any trouble, for anyone or anything.

Chi Yue closed his eyes, turned over, and made room on the outside of the bed. He said lazily, "It's not the first time, why are you being so pretentious... Don't worry, I won't bully you."

Zong Sheng should have been angry when he heard this, but for some reason there was a hint of humiliation hidden in his anger. Chi Yue's words were not wrong, but they sounded vulgar.

When they first entered Wudu Prefecture, a bunch of children slept on straw, then they slept on a dormitory bed, and later they had rooms. Zong Sheng and Chi Yue lived in the same room and slept in the same bed. However, Chi Yue was arrogant and occupied the bed alone, forcing Zong Sheng to sleep on the floor. Every night, for a bed, Zong Sheng would be beaten by Chi Yue, and after that he had to sleep on the floor. He suffered a lot of bullying from Chi Yue.

Until... one time Zong Sheng was seriously injured, Chi Yue gave up his bed and took care of Zong Sheng for several days and nights. After that, the two seemed to be able to coexist peacefully, with each of them taking half of the bed and never fighting again.

Zong Sheng stood there in a daze. Chi Yue ignored him. His breathing was very shallow but smooth, as if he was really asleep.

After a long time, Zong Sheng finally moved, took off his clothes, shoes and boots, and lay on the bed, lying upside down with Chi Yue.

Chi Yue moved again, let out half of the quilt, and kicked it over Zong Sheng.

"Why are you in my room?"

"The rooms in Yangxizhai are all full, how about I sleep on the roof?"