After I died, the scumbag prince cried down the city wall

Chapter 194 Lawlessness

The refusal was instantly suppressed by an inexplicable emotion. Perhaps it was sympathy, or guilt, which made her finally choose to endure it and replied softly: "I know."

She turned and left, her steps slightly heavy.

Song Yanyi watched her back gradually moving away until she completely disappeared from his sight, then he withdrew his deep gaze.

"Master, Lord Wang from the Dali Temple has arrived."

Qing'an came into the room to report at the right time, interrupting the silence in the room.

"Invite him in."

Song Yanyi's voice was calm and majestic.

Upon hearing the voice, Lord Wang hurried into the room and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Lord."

Song Yanyi nodded slightly, his voice full of urgency: "How is the situation? Is there any new progress?"

Lord Wang looked solemn and replied, "We interrogated the two survivors last night and finally forced them to reveal the truth. The person behind this plot gave them three thousand taels of silver as a reward and ordered them to act on the day of the Flower Festival. The purpose is clear, which is to capture the women of the Xie family."

"Who is the mastermind behind this?"

Song Yanyi's eyes were sharp, as if they could penetrate all the fog.

"According to the confession of the bandits, the mastermind was extremely cunning and never revealed his true face. He even wore a mask during the transaction. He first paid one thousand taels of silver as a deposit, and the remaining two thousand taels were agreed to be delivered after the transaction was completed. However, even though he covered his face, the bandits still noticed that his accent did not belong to the capital, but more like that of Cangzhou..."

Song Yanyi narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this, revealing deep thought: "Cangzhou, a place close to the border?"

Then, he coldly issued an order: "Thoroughly screen all the wealthy families in the capital that have connections with the border."

This person, who can afford such a high price and whose target is the women of the Xie family, must be no ordinary person and is most likely a powerful official in the court. He will never allow such a person to go unpunished.

"Yes, I will do my best to investigate thoroughly!"

Qingan responded with a solemn look.

---

At the same time, Cui Rong, led by her maid, was taken directly to Qingshuixuan where the eldest lady lived.

This Qingshuixuan is worthy of its name. It is surrounded by water, has a quiet environment and is unique in its charm.

"Madam."

Cui Rong bowed softly with a respectful attitude.

The eldest lady nodded slightly and motioned for her to sit down. The little maid beside her quickly brought an embroidered stool for Cui Rongrong to sit down.

This was the first time that the eldest lady formally took a look at this cousin who had lived in the Xie family for a year.

Cui Rong's life in the Xie family over the past year was like air, unknown. If it weren't for the fact that her carefully prepared medicinal food was deeply loved by the old lady, the eldest lady might not even notice this person's existence.

The eldest lady's face darkened, and her voice was filled with unquestionable majesty: "What exactly is going on between you and Xian'er?"

Cui Rong pursed her lips slightly. When should she start the story between her and Song Yanyi?

A year ago, she took her younger brother to the Xie family, hoping that the third wife could lend a helping hand.

Unexpectedly, the third lady only took them in for one night and asked them to leave the next day with various reasons.

That night, it was raining heavily. Cui Rong had no choice but to rush into Song Yanyi's study in the rain to ask for help.

At that time, Song Yanyi was playing chess alone. His slender fingers gently held a white chess piece, his eyes focused and deep, like an ancient well, it was difficult to see its bottom.

When his eyes met Cui Rongrong, those clear eyes seemed to contain the wisdom to see into people's hearts.

At that moment, Cui Rong suddenly felt a little regretful. The other party's eyes were too sharp and it was obvious that he was not easy to fool.

But she had no way out and could only continue on.

The rain soaked her clothes, a few strands of wet hair hung on her pale cheeks, her body trembling slightly from the cold, and her eyes full of despair and help, all made her look particularly pitiful.

"I accidentally lost my way. Sir, can you let me take shelter here for a while?"

Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's and full of helplessness.

Song Yanyi looked at her quietly. Although he said nothing, his eyes made Cui Rong feel an indescribable pressure, as if he had seen through her disguise and purpose.

That brief silence seemed to be stretched infinitely, making people feel suffocated.

However, in the end he simply said, "Okay."

Hearing these words, Cui Rong's heart was finally relieved. Perhaps he did not take her cleverness seriously, or perhaps he simply did not bother to expose the disguise of a helpless woman.

In fact, not only did he not expel her, but he let her stay in the study to avoid the rain. This move invisibly created an opportunity for her to contact Song Yanyi.

Recalling this, Cui Rongrong took a deep breath, calmed down her emotions, and explained to the first lady sincerely: "It was an accident a year ago. I got lost in the mansion and accidentally stumbled into my cousin's study. At that time, my cousin saw that I was alone and helpless, and he felt pity for me and took extra care of me."

The eldest lady's brows furrowed even deeper as she listened to this narration. In her opinion, such words were full of teasing and confusion, which was not what a decent woman should do.

"So, you're saying that you started to have private contact a year ago?"

There was obvious displeasure in the eldest lady's words.

Cui Rong nodded gently without further explanation: "When my cousin wants to see me, I will secretly go to Songhe Garden. My cousin promised that after he gets married, he will take me as his concubine. Before that, in order to protect each other's reputation, we must keep a low profile."

Faced with this behavior that clearly violated the rules of the Xie family, the eldest lady sternly warned: "Whether you can become a member of the Xie family depends on my opinion!"

Cui Rong realized that her words had overstepped the mark, and nodded awkwardly, replying in a low voice: "Cui Rong remembered the Madam's teachings and dared not overstep the mark."

"Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you have his favor. The Xie family has strict family traditions and will never tolerate favoritism towards concubines and bullying of wives. Even if you really become a member of the Xie family, you must know how to abide by the rules and not belittle yourself!"

The eldest lady's words were filled with an unquestionable majesty that should not be underestimated.

Cui Rongrong quickly stood up, gently adjusted her clothes, and apologized with a look of apology, her tone choking with a barely perceptible sob: "I was just a slip of the tongue, it's because I deeply appreciate my cousin's selfless life-saving grace that I am willing to repay him with my lifelong commitment."

"How can you say you saved my life? Where did you get the idea from?"

A hint of doubt flashed across the eldest lady's brows, and then she suddenly realized something, and her voice became louder, "Could it be that he suffered because of you?"

Cui Rong was stunned for a moment, but finally nodded slowly, with an indescribable gratitude and pain in her eyes.