Chapter 672: The true plan to lure the snake out of its hole (1/2)

Aunt Ru was convinced that no one would be able to uncover the truth as long as Duanmu Yao didn’t betray her! Actually, she hadn’t wanted to use expose Kong Xi, either. Her plan had been perfect, a mutually beneficial trade with Duanmu Yao that didn’t expose any secrets. She even helped out the Tang Clan by making Duanmu Yao promise to stop pursuing the matter of Tang Li escaping his previous arranged marriage. She would only say good things about them to Cang Qiuzi instead. Meanwhile, Aunt Ru herself had given Duanmu Yao the idea to injury herself on purpose so she would have to seek Long Feiye for treatment.

Duanmu Yao loved her suggestion, but she was still ignorant as to the exact connection between Long Feiye and the Tang Clan. She thought that Long Feiye and Han Yunxi would never notice that their Yaoshui estate location had been compromised, but they didn’t let go of that detail. Long Feiye asked about traitors as soon as he returned, which meant the issue needed an ending–or a scapegoat to take the fall.

Thus, she sought out Kong Xi.

She promised him that she’d take good care of Grandmother Kong and his friend Jin Se in exchange. This too, was another way to put pressure on the boy. She could predict that Long Feiye would want to personally interrogate the prisoners, so had Kong Xi put up an act. But Long Feiye simply found the boy’s grandma and forced him to suicide before leaving behind a clue. That lead them to Kong Xi’s best friend, Jin Se.

But she’d only blackmailed Kong Xi, not Jin Se. The girl and the grandmother had no idea about the full extent of her schemes.

“Kong Xi has a friend?” Aunt Ru feigned surprise.

“Yes! It certainly took me time to track them down!” Chu Xifeng sighed before getting serious. “Aunt Ru, Kong Xi would rather kill himself than expose the traitor, so whoever blackmailed him must had something to hold over him. His Highness told me to investigate the boy thoroughly and leave no clue untouched! I discovered that Kong Xi and his grandmother depend on each other to survive and have no relations. Moreover, the boy’s very introverted, so he had few friends…” Chu Xifeng trailed off here on purpose. “Aunt Ru, I have to say, the traitor really know how to pick targets. A boy like Kong Xi is perfect for a scapegoat, right?”

“He really is,” Aunt Ru said calmly.

“Haha, although that shameless traitor could pick the right target, I, Chu Xifeng, am no easy opponent either! Kong Xi’s friend is named Jin Se from the needle grinding house. She’s known him for two to three years now, but their relationship has been top secret. Nobody knows anything about them, even Grandmother Kong!” Chu Xifeng smiled.

Aunt Ru was unhappy at being cursed so blatantly, but held her anger in check. “Then how did you find her?”

“I have my ways! If the traitor could find those people, so can I!” Chu Xifeng declared.

Aunt Ru grew impatient. “So where is she? Did you interrogate her yet?”

“Not yet. We’ve just locked her up. Let’s have the Duke of Qin and the Tang Clan head interrogate her together, how’s that?” Chu Xifeng asked.

“Is it any use even if we do?” Aunt Ru asked coldly. “The traitor was putting pressure on Kong Xi. That girl might not know anything.”

“You can’t be sure. Maybe she does, maybe she doesn’t,” Chu Xifeng said seriously.

“The traitor wouldn’t be stupid enough to contact Jin Se directly, right? One more person who knows the truth is one more source of danger,” Aunt Ru said next.

Chu Xifeng smiled. “Of course the traitor wouldn’t be stupid enough to expose their identity, but Kong Xi might have betrayed the secret.”

An icy smile rose in Aunt Ru’s heart. Despite revealing no secrets of the Tang Clan, colluding with Duanmu Yao was already a heinous crime. She would have been prudent enough to leave no traces behind. When she chose Kong Xi as her target, he’d already been shut up in the prisons. There would have been no chances for him to get in contact with Jin Se. How would the girl know the truth?

Chu Xifeng might be capable, but no matter how they searched or questions, it’d all be for naught! For Chu Xifeng to tell me this much about Jin Se means that Long Feiye must have really stop suspecting me. She pretended to come to a sudden realization.

“That’s right, why didn’t I think of that!”

“This is the last clue!” Chu Xifeng said with feeling. He called for a guard right then and there to summon the Duke of Qin and the Tang Clan head in front of her. “Aunt Ru, let’s go wait first.”

Aunt Ru agreed easily, and the two headed for the prisons while discussing the case amongst themselves. Chu Xifeng rambled about minute points and details, but Aunt Ru finally grew curious to ask, “How did you find out that Kong Xi had a friend?” She herself only knew after asking Kong Xi personally.

“Heheh,” Chu Xifeng grinned mysteriously.

“Stinking brat, keeping me in suspense?” Aunt Ru was unhappy.

Chu Xifeng gave a sly smile. “I’m not that capable. Someone spilled the beans.”

“Who?!” Aunt Ru grew tense. “What happened?”