The atmosphere in the Chancellor's Residence was tense as well, except for Zhuo Rusui.
He was drowsy, just as he always was.
Chancellor Cen looked grim, while Bai Qianjun's face was expressionless.
Xi Yiyun sat in silence, still unable to believe that Jing Jiu could persuade his master to change his mind.
A possibility suddenly occurred to Gu Qing. His face paled slightly, and his right hand began to tremble. Surely nothing will go wrong with their talk?
It would not. Bu Qiuxiao was not that sort of person.
That was all he could hope.
In the Old Plum Garden.
Jing Jiu glanced at Bu Qiuxiao's slightly trembling right hand and said, "Don't think about killing yourself, or I'll spread this throughout the world."
Bu Qiuxiao stared into his eyes and said, "Why wouldn't I kill you to silence you?"
"Because you don't know whether I've told anyone else. Killing me wouldn't be a safe bet."
Jing Jiu said, "Besides, as I see it, the scholars of One-Thatch Studio have read themselves into pedantry. They probably wouldn't do such a thing."
Bu Qiuxiao remained silent for a long time, then said, "That's true."
After saying those two words, he drew a deep breath.
The lake breeze rose of its own accord, swaying the treetops.
His gaze grew calm and clear again. "So I never thought of killing Martial Nephew Yan to silence him, either."
"Then why did he run?" Jing Jiu asked.
"He didn't know what I was thinking and believed I would kill him to silence him. Yet part of him still believed I wasn't that sort of person. Perhaps that was precisely why he never revealed this secret, even at the end of his life."
Bu Qiuxiao's gaze passed through the trees and settled on the