Chapter 139 (1/2)

Chapter 139: Qionglin Banquet

Placing his teacup on the table, Qi Yun nodded with an impa.s.sive expression. He swallowed down the barrage of words threatening to come out of his mouth and said with feign nonchalance, ”I have found some clues, but the answer isn't clear yet. I'll keep on looking.”

Jun Huang nodded. She could tell that Qi Yun was in a dark mood. He was clearly troubled by whatever he found in his investigation. She looked up at the sun and said, ”We have discussed what we can. If you have some time, how about we take a walk in the back garden? Your Highness may think that Prince Nan Xun didn't care much about the manor, but in the garden there are a good variety of rare plants you cannot acquire even if you have the money…”

”I'm sorry,” Nan Xun cut Jun Huang off and gave her a look. ”Today there are a few workers here to maintain the garden. We can't really allow guests to enter.”

Jun Huang hadn't heard anything about that, but she knew Nan Xun must have lied for a reason. She kept quiet.

Qi Yun wasn't paying attention. He looked up at Nan Xun and put on a stilted smile. ”That's quite alright. I don't enjoy wandering in the garden much anyway. It's not a very productive use of my time.”

Jun Huang smiled awkwardly. ”That's a shame. I realize that I should train more as well. I won't keep Your Highness here.”

Before Qi Yun could say anything, she walked to the courtyard and started practicing the moves again.

There was a bone deep tiredness in Qi Yun's gait. He couldn't stay any longer. ”It's about time,” he said, cupping his hands at Nan Xun. ”There are matters I have to attend to in the Court of Judicial Review. Please excuse me.”

Nan Xun nodded and pointed at Jun Huang. ”Aren't you going to tell her you're leaving?”

Qi Yun followed Nan Xun's gaze and pulled his lips into a smile. He shook his head. ”I've always known that gentleman Feng is an intelligent man with great talent,” he said wistfully. ”Now I can see that his resolve is also unmatched by others. It's a good thing that he's been training hard. I won't bother him further. Farewell, brother.”

He turned to leave, his shoulder brus.h.i.+ng against Nan Xun's.

Jun Huang stopped to watch Qi Yun walk away. When she turned back, Nan Xun had come to her side.

”What's wrong?” Jun Huang asked.

”He's preoccupied,” said Nan Xun. ”It's not going to help him if he stays here. He probably wants to be alone for a while.”

Jun Huang could tell what Nan Xun was implying: she shouldn't have asked Qi Yun about his investigation on his mother's death. She opened her mouth for a retort, but Nan Xun knew what she was going to say and beat her to it.

”Qi Yun must have made more progress than we expected. The cat is out of the bag.” His tone was worried and heavy.

Jun Huang stilled. She thought back to what she and Nan Xun had found out. The truth was too cruel for Qi Yun, so she kept it from him. She only told Qi Yun to look into those who reside in the palace.

She had thought that the emperor must have gotten rid of anyone who knew about the truth, and yet…

”Do you mean that there are still witnesses the emperor has not taken care of?”

Nan Xun gave her a non-committal smile and said, ”There might be. Besides, Do you really think that Qi Yun would only look within the palace? If we could find that old maid, he could as well.”

Jun Huang wasn't convinced, but Qi Yun was clearly troubled. No matter what he had found, it rattled him deeply. If he wasn't going to say anything, however, Jun Huang wasn't going to ask him. She was no longer the princess she had once been.

Jun Huang sat down and drank some tea. What would happen if Qi Yun knew that the emperor had been behind his mother's death? She couldn't imagine it. She knew that Qi Yun had always looked up to the emperor. If he knew the truth, it would destroy him.

Nan Xun had misinterpreted her silence. He thought that Jun Huang was still mad at him for cutting her off. He decided to talk it out with her. ”When we were talking about Prince Duan, I only stopped you because we don't know enough to come up with a theory yet. It's nothing personal.”

Jun Huang blinked at him. She didn't expect Nan Xun to apologize. She chuckled. ”I didn't take it as an attack. I know you're right. What we should do now is to find evidence, not making a.s.sumptions.”

Nan Xun let out a sigh of relief. He was glad she didn't take offence. His smile deepened and his heart felt lighter.

Jun Huang was still worried about Consort Zhen and Prince Duan's secret meeting, and the fact that Qi Yun had found something that troubled him. Her eyebrows remained closely knitted.