Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

The sky was dim, but the ornately decorated interior was brightly lit by numerous lamps, as if it were daytime.

Xiao Zong cupped his hands in greeting to his host.

"My name is Xiao Congyun, and I serve in the Leopard Guard. I was on official business with my brothers when we were attacked by river bandits, and all my belongings were stolen. I wonder if I could stay at your house for the night?"

Su Ziyuan chuckled and said, "Helping others is helping yourself. We are both subjects of the Great Qi, and how could I, Su, stand idly by when my brother is in trouble?"

He instructed the steward, "The west wing of Qiulu Courtyard is still empty. Take some distinguished guests there."

After saying that, he turned to Xiao Zong and the others and said, "Please go back to your rooms and rest for a while. I will tell the kitchen to send over some hot soup and rice."

Xiao Zong clasped his hands in thanks, "Thank you for your hospitality, Young Master Su. We will repay you with generous gifts when we return to Shengjing!"

"You're welcome!"

Su Ziyuan waved his hand, and after they left, he said to the servants, "Add some sleeping potion to their food. Those guys are all martial arts experts, so don't skimp on it!"

"Yes!"

The servants received the order and rushed towards the kitchen.

Su Ziyuan paced back and forth in the front hall, his thoughts in turmoil and his heart filled with unease.

The man in the black cloak approached, and he immediately noticed and looked behind him.

"Before you kidnapped him, you didn't mention that Xiao Zong was in Qingzhou. Now that he's come looking for me, what am I supposed to do?"

The man did know that Xiao Zong was in Qingzhou, but he did not expect him to arrive so quickly, which directly disrupted his plans.

Since we've already started, why not go all the way? How can we let go of prey that's delivered to our doorstep?

"He only brought a few men, while your Su family has nearly a thousand thugs and guards. Are you afraid of him? The fact that Xiao Zong hasn't made any rash moves proves that he's wary of him, doesn't it?"

Su Ziyuan's expression was solemn. "That may be true, but he is, after all, a member of the government. If we offend him, my Su family will surely be wiped out!"

The man said quietly, "So, you have to kill him, and all the Leopard Guards!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"If he doesn't die, your entire Su family will die. Do you even need to weigh which is more important?"

Su Ziyuan raised his arm, grabbed the man by the collar, pulled him close, and said through gritted teeth, "You tricked me?"

"How can you blame me? It was the young master who told me that Madam Yuan had stolen business from your Su family and that he wanted to teach her a lesson!"

The man pulled his hand away, his voice hoarse: "Now that I've helped you achieve your wish, how can you repay kindness with enmity, Young Master Su?"

Su Ziyuan clenched his fists. "Aren't you afraid I'll use you as a scapegoat first?"

"You wouldn't dare! Kill me, and your Su family will truly be finished!"

Su Ziyuan felt a chill run through him, his eyes tightly shut, and said, "Take your men and go! Make sure... not a single one is left alive!"

"Young Master Su is a man of great virtue and understanding. When I return to the capital, I will certainly speak well of you to my master!" The man clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Please rest assured, Master, Xiao Zong's death will not implicate the Su family!"

After the man finished speaking, he gathered his servants and headed towards Qiulu Courtyard.

Upon reaching the courtyard gate, a servant ran over to report that the men of the Leopard Guard had all fainted after eating the food.

The man chuckled, "You've been fooled by them!"

Although he didn't know how Xiao Zong knew Yuan Zhi was here, he was certain that Xiao Zong hadn't come here for a meal!

As the commander of the Leopard Guard, what kind of dangerous places haven't he been to? How could he fall into such a trap so easily?

He pointed to the first two rows and said, "You guys break in and bring me their documents and memorials! The rest of you surround the house, grab your weapons, and kill anyone who comes out!"

"Yes!"

The group stood with knives drawn. The door was kicked open from the outside, and a dozen or so men rushed in, only to find it empty.

"Strange, what about people?"

The group looked at each other, about to go out and see what was going on, when the door slammed shut.

boom--

A pellet-sized piece of gunpowder fell from above and exploded in the middle of the crowd, filling the air with red poisonous smoke and instantly killing many people.

The four who hadn't been poisoned covered their mouths and noses as they searched for the person who had thrown the gunpowder.

Suddenly, a strange noise came from the inner room.

They jogged over, saw the blankets heaving on the bed, and swung their knife down. The person inside groaned and then fell silent.

The leader used a knife to pry open the blanket and saw that the man's mouth was stuffed with three wine cups, his hands and feet were tied behind his back, and his eyes were wide open in death.

He was only wearing a white undergarment. The four men's eyes narrowed, realizing something was wrong. These were people from the manor; they had killed their own man!

The leader shouted towards the door, "The servants from earlier were imposters..."

The word "fake" had barely been uttered when he was shot down by a hidden weapon. The other three men fell one after another before they could even raise their knives.

The people outside heard someone shout from inside, but they couldn't make out what was said, so they asked them to repeat it. However, after shouting for a long time, they didn't hear a single response.

The man's eyes narrowed, and he sent a few more men in, but just like before, they disappeared without a trace.

He sensed something was wrong. "Where is the servant who brought the message?"

"Hey! Black Cloak, are you looking for me?"

On the rooftop, a man dressed as a servant looked down at the crowd and said with amusement.

The man was furious. "Take him down!"

The servants swarmed forward, but the man was incredibly agile, like a monkey. He not only amused the servants by making them climb up and down, but also rewarded them with quite a few pieces of tile to eat.

For a moment, the cloaked man was left with only a few servants protecting him. At that moment, the door opened, and two burly men emerged, wielding sharp blades, and approached him.

"What are you standing there for? Go!"

The cloaked man pushed his servants out and engaged the two men in combat, then fled in disarray.

After arranging everything, Xiao Zong went to deal with the other thugs and guards in the mansion to prevent them from calling for reinforcements. On the other hand, he also wanted to scout out the terrain and find Yuan Zhi as soon as possible.

In the front yard, Su Ziyuan waited anxiously for news from that person when he suddenly saw a servant running over, panting.

He stood up and said, "Zhou Er is a womanizer. I originally intended to have you and the brothers keep an eye on him, but that's no longer necessary. Go and kill that woman to prevent future trouble!"

The servant, catching his breath, said, "Master, you mustn't kill her! That woman... she might be your cousin!"

Su Ziyuan's voice changed, "What did you say?"

“This fell from that woman,” the servant handed him the jade pendant. “When I took it, she said it was her mother’s keepsake and almost fought me.”

Su Ziyuan stroked the patterns on the jade pendant, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"The trumpet creeper...this...this is Aunt's jade pendant! Yuan Niangzi...is Aunt's child?"

No, not possible!

My aunt has been missing for nearly twenty years, and now a child suddenly appears and happens to be kidnapped by him. What a coincidence!

Furthermore, if Aunt really did marry and have children, why has she never come back even once? Even if her husband is despicable, with the Su family as their backing, who would dare to bully them?

Can……

What's the story behind this jade pendant?

"Quickly, bring Lady Yuan to see me!"