Xie Jin raised his voice and replied, "What, surprised to see me back? If I didn't come back, wouldn't I miss all the good shows in the capital?"
"His Highness is in the study," Qiu Lu said immediately.
Xie Jin waved his hand, "I came back because I found news. Your master will have to thank me handsomely for this! Even if you didn't tell me he was in the study, I would have known! Staying in the manor, he wouldn't be anywhere else but the study!"
Qiu Lu's eyes lit up at this. "Found news?"
A thought struck him, and he quickly asked, "Didn't the news about the Empress Dowager that Young Master Xie found have already been sent back to the capital? His Highness has already received it from the palace, and the Emperor has already punished the Empress Dowager!"
"What kind of big deal is that! Hurry and prepare some good tea, I'm parched!" Xie Jin said, already striding towards the study.
He had been away from the capital for quite some time.
If it hadn't been for a sudden discovery of some matters that delayed his return journey, he would have been back long ago. xxs壹贰
The mountains and waters outside were good, everything was good, but it still wasn't as good as home in the capital!
Qiu Lu heard this and knew it must be something big!
He quickly went to have tea brewed.
The finest tea in the capital, the tea Xie Jin loved the most, and the tea Xie Jin usually wouldn't bear to drink!
After instructing Qiu Lu to prepare the tea, Xie Jin quickly arrived at the study.
Seeing Zhan Tianye leisurely reading a book, Xie Jin's eyes widened in disbelief, "You can still sit here reading a book so calmly! King Ye, you have quite the nerve! The situation is already critical, do you know that?"
Zhan Tianye looked up at the agitated Xie Jin, his expression unhurried. "What news have you brought back?"
"Didn't you ask me to investigate Jiang Luoxi along with the Empress Dowager? I investigated Jiang Luoxi, and guess what!" Xie Jin said, drawing out the suspense.
When he first discovered this, he hadn't quite believed it.
After further investigation, following the clues and meticulously unraveling the threads, he finally confirmed he was right!
This trip away from the capital had yielded immense rewards!
It would ensure King Ye was no longer on the defensive in the capital.
Zhan Tianye raised an eyebrow. "Speak."
Xie Jin chuckled twice. "I spent a lot of money running around during this time, and even borrowed money, accumulating debts. It was while I was investigating matters for you outside that I returned so late. Shouldn't you give me some compensation for my troubles?"
Xie Jin, ever brazen, held out his hand, directly asking Zhan Tianye for money.
In the entire capital, no one was more generous than Zhan Tianye!
He had to seize this opportunity to ask for money, or he would surely regret it later.
Zhan Tianye directly took out a stack of banknotes from the side.
He didn't count them.
He grabbed a large handful and passed it over.
"Speak."
Xie Jin's eyes lit up at the thick wad of banknotes, and he said with a beaming smile, "I found out that Jiang Luoxi met with Prince Ning! And Jiang Luoxi was even his concubine for a period! However, for some reason a few years ago, Jiang Luoxi left Prince Ning and went to the Empress Dowager's side, concealing her past as Prince Ning's concubine."
"If I hadn't spent a fortune years ago planting a spy where Prince Ning resided, I would never have gotten this news. Now, Prince Ning has ordered everyone around him to keep quiet, forbidding anyone from mentioning Jiang Luoxi."
"I never would have imagined, Jiang Luoxi trying to seduce you on one hand, being entangled with Prince Ning on the other, and now becoming an imperial concubine, this woman is truly formidable! She's hidden herself too deeply! If I hadn't investigated, how could I have uncovered these secrets?"
Zhan Tianye's eyes narrowed instantly.
He fell silent.
Xie Jin was accustomed to Zhan Tianye's taciturn nature and his fondness for silence.
He wasn't in a hurry, and Qiu Lu happened to bring in the tea.
He picked up the tea and savored it with relish. He hadn't had such good tea since leaving the capital!
He truly missed it!
While Zhan Tianye was lost in thought, he had to drink more.
Otherwise, upon returning to the Marquis's manor, he would be drinking inferior tea!
"Prince Ning has played a very deep game," Zhan Tianye suddenly said in a low voice.
Xie Jin almost burned his mouth. Why was he speaking so soon? He was startled! He quickly said, "Yes! He has deceived all of us!"
"You should return to the Marquis's manor first. Do not alert him. I need to know when he will show his true colors," Zhan Tianye said gravely.
Xie Jin was quite dejected. He hadn't even finished his tea, and Zhan Tianye was trying to usher him out?
After uncovering such a significant matter, King Ye didn't even praise him!
"Um, can I finish my tea before I go? I've only had two sips of this tea, and if I don't finish it, no one else can drink it. What a waste to pour it away!" Xie Jin quickly said.
He truly couldn't bear to waste this cup of tea!
Ah!
No, it was a whole pot of tea!
Zhan Tianye glanced at the steaming tea. "Finish it and then go."
Xie Jin was immediately satisfied, slowly sipping his tea and chatting with Zhan Tianye. "You say Prince Ning has hidden so deeply, planting so many pieces in the capital, he's been planning this for over a decade! And Jiang Luoxi, whose person is she? The assassins she controls are from the Western Xia kingdom. Thinking about it carefully, it's very complicated."
Xie Jin was always talkative, and now that he was happily drinking tea and getting money, his mouth couldn't stop.
"The Western Xia kingdom..." Zhan Tianye frowned, thinking carefully.
Xie Jin nodded repeatedly, "Right! Is Prince Ning colluding with other countries to get back to the capital?"
"We can't be sure yet. Find an opportunity to test him," Zhan Tianye said.
As Xie Jin spoke, he suddenly noticed something amiss. "Normally, you wouldn't talk so much nonsense with me. You've changed quite a bit during the time I was away from the capital!"
Zhan Tianye gave him a cold glance. "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."
Xie Jin was truly shocked.
He had known Zhan Tianye for many years and was very clear about his personality. Zhan Tianye would often speak only a few words, and sometimes he would even answer his own questions.
But today, no matter what he said, Zhan Tianye replied!
He was incredibly surprised, "Indeed, having a woman changes everything! King Ye, this will make me want to find a woman too!"
He had heard people say before that women were troublesome. Now it seemed that women were not just troublesome, but could change a person!
Zhan Tianye gave him a cold glance. "Scram!"
He was clearly angered!
Xie Jin understood. He downed the rest of the tea in one gulp. "It's been a long time since I've been home, I should hurry back!"
As he slipped towards the door, Xie Jin stopped and looked back at Zhan Tianye. "I'll go back and speed up finding a woman, maybe I'll get married before you! Then I'll have ten or eight sons too!"
Leaving behind his grand pronouncements, Xie Jin wisely fled!
If he didn't run now, he would be beaten!