Chapter 321: When Water Is Too Clear, There Are No Fish

In that instant, Linghu Qiu vaguely understood why Wei Chu had summoned him. A thread of unease rose in his heart. Some matters became enormous trouble the moment one was drawn into them.

"Mr. Wei, I truly don't know."

Wei Chu said, "Brother Linghu, you're an intelligent man. You should understand whom I represent when I ask this question today. Trying to brush me off with 'I don't know' is meaningless, and it won't do you any good."

Linghu Qiu smiled bitterly. Of course he knew whom Wei Chu represented. Otherwise, why would he be worried? What ordinary person would care about such a matter?

"Mr. Wei, I'm not brushing you off. I truly don't know."

Wei Chu's face darkened slightly.

"If I remember correctly, you and Niu Youdao are sworn brothers, aren't you?"

Linghu Qiu said helplessly, "That's true, but I genuinely don't know what they discussed."

Wei Chu said, "As far as I know, Niu Youdao now has only two or three people around him. Whenever guests come and go, you can hardly avoid being involved. You're his sworn brother. Would he really avoid you? How could you not know what was discussed?"

Sworn brother?

Linghu Qiu truly had suffering he could not speak of. He knew perfectly well how that sworn brotherhood had come about, but there was no way to explain it to outsiders. Was he supposed to say he had sworn brotherhood under false pretenses? He had never gone around publicizing that he and Niu Youdao were sworn brothers. Unfortunately, Niu Youdao insisted on flaunting it everywhere. Now practically everyone knew. Linghu Qiu sighed.

"Mr. Wei, it isn't what you think. I'll tell you the truth. I wanted to listen in at the time, but I never had the chance. The moment the Chief Steward arrived, his men immediately isolated the place where they were speaking. No one was allowed near. Only the Chief Steward and Niu Youdao remained inside for their private discussion. It was the same when Princess Consort Yu visited at night, only even more secretive. She wore a black cloak, never showed her face, and even shut the doors. If Niu Youdao hadn't later told me it was Princess Consort Yu, I wouldn't even have known who the visitor was."

Wei Chu asked, "You weren't curious what they discussed? You didn't ask afterward?"

"Mr. Wei guessed correctly. I did ask. Niu Youdao simply refused to tell me."

"Heh, heh..."

Wei Chu suddenly let out a cold laugh. A chill entered his eyes as he stared fixedly at Linghu Qiu, making the latter uncomfortable from head to toe. Linghu Qiu had no choice but to explain.

"Every word I've said is true. I've concealed nothing."

Wei Chu said, "Did I hear wrongly? A moment ago, someone said that if Niu Youdao hadn't mentioned afterward that the visitor was Princess Consort Yu, he wouldn't even have known who had come. Now you're telling me Niu Youdao refused to tell you anything. Linghu Qiu, do you think I'm stupid, or do you think I'm easy to fool? If you think I'm stupid, that's fine. But let me offer you one warning: some jokes cannot be made. They get people killed. In this Qi capital, if certain people want to make sure you never see tomorrow's sun, then you will not see it. There is no need to doubt that."

Linghu Qiu felt a flicker of anger. He made a mental note to investigate exactly what sort of thing this Wei Chu was. The man's tone was unbelievably arrogant. Did he truly think Xiaoyue Pavilion was made of vegetarians? Yet the situation really was difficult to explain. Linghu Qiu was telling the truth, but the other man refused to believe him.

What could he do?

The problem was that even he had to admit it sounded contradictory. Yet that bastard Niu Youdao had genuinely behaved exactly this way.

He had told Linghu Qiu only who the visitor was while refusing to reveal a single word about the truly important matter. Where was Linghu Qiu supposed to go to cry injustice?

After thinking briefly, he said, "Mr. Wei, Niu Youdao only told me who the visitor was. As for what they discussed, I don't know what sort of secret it involved. He concealed it completely and never revealed a single word to me."

The more Wei Chu heard, the more he wanted to know what secret could require such concealment. His voice sank.

"Linghu Qiu, I'll remind you one more time. Some things cannot be said carelessly."

"If I later learn facts that don't match what you've told me, you will not be able to bear the consequences."

Linghu Qiu said, "I have spoken no falsehood."

"In fact, I want to know what they discussed too."

"Mr. Wei, how about this? I'll take you to see Niu Youdao. You can ask him yourself. I can confront him face-to-face as well, so you'll know I haven't lied to you. How does that sound?"

He needed to push this trouble away as quickly as possible. There was no reason for him to shoulder Niu Youdao's burden. Certain struggles were anything but amusing once one became entangled in them. Just as Wei Chu had said, people could die. Wei Chu fell silent and slowly drank his tea.

The reason he had not gone directly to Niu Youdao was precisely because he wanted to avoid direct contact as much as possible.

But remembering Hao Qi's instructions, and how impatient the prince was to learn the truth, Wei Chu hesitated again and again. At last he put down his teacup and stood.

"Let's go."

Linghu Qiu immediately rose and extended a hand.

"Please."

Hongfu hurried over and opened the door. The three had only been outside in the courtyard for a short while when Guan Fangyi came walking quickly toward them, her face already wearing a smile.

"Have my two honored guests finished your discussion?"

"We need a carriage. Keep it discreet..." Wei Chu began issuing instructions.

While Guan Fangyi ordered people to make arrangements, Linghu Qiu moved close to her and lowered his voice.

"You dared set me up?"

Guan Fangyi rolled her eyes at him.

"I didn't set you up. You know the man's background now. The power behind him isn't something I can provoke. If I still want to make a living in this capital, then when someone like that gives an order, I obey whether I want to or not. He found me. I couldn't refuse, and I had no choice. Besides, if they wanted to find you, could you hide? If I refused to do it, someone else would. You couldn't avoid them either. And aren't you perfectly fine? What did you discuss that makes you say I set you up?"

Linghu Qiu gave a cold laugh.

He could not reveal the contents of the conversation, so all he could say was, "I'll remember this debt!"

Guan Fangyi slapped the back of his hand.

"Why be so petty? Fine, I admit it. They paid me a thousand gold coins. I'll split half with you. Satisfied?"

"Keep your money to support your men." Linghu Qiu snorted disdainfully, turned, and walked away.

A short while later, the carriage arrived. Wei Chu, Linghu Qiu, and the others climbed inside and departed.

"Ah!" Guan Fangyi sighed as she watched them go.

Ordinary matchmaking and brokerage business was fine. What she feared most was this sort of affair involving powerful political forces. One careless move could bring the fire down upon herself. Yet when such matters came to her door, she had no right to refuse. The carriage had barely left when Guan Fangyi turned and had not gone far before a young man hurried over.

"Sister Hong, business has come to the door."

"Have the others receive them." Guan Fangyi waved listlessly.

The young man said, "The guests asked for you by name."

Guan Fangyi stopped on the little bridge and sighed.

"Take them to the reception hall."

"Yes!" The young man hurried away.

By the time the guests arrived, Guan Fangyi was already in the hall. The approachable smile had returned to her face. Her bright eyes swept over the three expressionless men seated inside.

"Apologies for making my three honored guests wait."

After sitting down, she asked, "What may I do for you?"

The leading man pointed toward the others in the hall.

"Have them withdraw."

Guan Fangyi smiled.

"No need. Whatever business you have will probably require them to run errands afterward. They're all trustworthy. Please feel free to speak."

The man drew a token slightly from his sleeve, revealing it only long enough for her to see.

"I'm saying this for your own good."

A sinister eagle had been carved onto the token. Its eyes seemed almost capable of frightening the soul. Guan Fangyi's pupils abruptly contracted. Her heart sank.

The Office of Investigation!

Once she had seen the token clearly, the man withdrew his hand and concealed it again inside his sleeve. A forced smile appeared on Guan Fangyi's face. She waved toward the attendants in the hall.

"All right. There's nothing for you here."

The attendants exchanged glances, then turned and left. The three men stood. Guan Fangyi quickly stood as well.

"May I ask what instructions the three sirs have?"

The leader strolled over and stopped in front of her.

Expressionless, he asked, "Wei Chu met Linghu Qiu here. What did they discuss?"

Guan Fangyi lamented inwardly. What she had feared had come. And it had come this quickly. She gave a bitter smile.

"Sir, you're truly making things difficult for me. They spoke alone in a private room, with their own people guarding outside. I couldn't even approach. How could I know what they discussed?"

The man enunciated each word.

"Think carefully before you answer. Think very carefully."

Guan Fangyi cried, "Sir, I don't have ears that can hear a thousand li away. I genuinely don't know what they discussed."

The man said calmly, "Do I need to dig up the copper tubes you've buried and let everyone who ever held a secret conversation here know the fine thing you've been doing before you're willing to speak?"

In an instant, Guan Fangyi's face changed completely. It turned deathly pale. Fear filled her eyes. She had no idea how the other side could know something so secret. Even the people under her had never known about it.

The man continued, "We did not come to find you for no reason. Are you planning to keep hiding it, or are you going to speak honestly?"

Guan Fangyi swallowed dryly. Her voice was tense.

"How do you know?"

The man said, "You've been doing business in this capital for so many years. Did you truly think everyone would simply leave you alone forever?"

"We have already searched this Fufang Garden several times. We know every trick you've hidden here. When water is too clear, there are no fish. There are reasons we haven't touched you. We let you conduct your business in peace. Shouldn't you cooperate with us in return?"

Guan Fangyi's face was full of bitterness.

"What I've done carries no malicious intent. I've never thought of harming anyone."

"I simply didn't want to be at the mercy of others. I wanted something in hand that might protect me if the worst ever happened."

"I ask Sir to judge clearly!"

The man said, "How you conduct your own business is your affair. I don't care about that."

"I only care about what I came to learn."

"What did they discuss?"

"In truth, it wasn't anything extraordinary."

"Wei Chu found me and asked me to invite Linghu Qiu here."

"At first I didn't know why."

"Only after listening to their private conversation did I learn that Wei Chu wanted to know what Chief Steward Bu Xun and Princess Consort Yu had discussed with Niu Youdao yesterday..."

Guan Fangyi honestly explained everything she knew. Once the three men had clarified the situation, they did not linger for even a moment. They turned and left. Guan Fangyi stood at the doorway, staring blankly after them. Slowly, she backed into the room. At last she collapsed into a chair. Her face was wretched.

Only today did she realize that all these years of believing she moved through the Qi capital like a fish in water had been nothing but an illusion. Someone had long since held her lifeline in his hand. They had not moved against her merely because they had not considered it worth the trouble. Remembering certain things from the past, Guan Fangyi shivered. Fortunately, there had been matters she had refused to involve herself in.

Otherwise, she might already have died without a place to be buried...

[End of Chapter 321]