“You seem to have a deep bond with him?” He Yande retorted.

Third Wei didn’t dare utter a sound.

There was some bond; after all, they were both working together for their master, so they were essentially the same kind of people.

But to say it was deep, it wasn’t to that extent.

It was just because he saw Qiao Gan like this; he couldn’t bear it, and it was as if he saw his own future, so he sighed.

“I’m afraid you have a deep bond, but some people have already betrayed you!” He Yande sneered.

“Master means…”

“Your injuries aren’t serious, which shows that you weren’t severely tortured after being captured by He Yanxiu. And you escaped so easily after arriving in the capital. It doesn’t seem very unusual.”

He Yande’s words were indifferent. “I’m afraid they’ve already become opportunists for their own lives, and now they’ve become ungrateful wretches, trying to bite their master.”

Third Wei was shocked and quickly kowtowed, “It’s my fault for not investigating, I…”

He would go back and do as instructed.

That was more like it.

He Yande waved his hand, signaling him to hurry and resolve the matter.

Keeping someone like that around any longer would only bring trouble, after all, that fox He Yanxiu…

He Yande suddenly stood up, his brows furrowed.

No, given He Yanxiu’s cunning nature, if he had truly subdued Qiao Gan and made him an inside man, he would have done a thorough job of appearances, leaving no such obvious flaws.

The fact that Qiao Gan had no signs of torture meant that He Yanxiu had never interrogated him but had simply kept him imprisoned, then sold him off in the capital to let him escape, all to use him to find his mastermind!

And Qiao Gan, as He Yanxiu had predicted, had indeed found Third Wei, and Third Wei, unsure of what to do, had come to him.

So, at this very moment, He Yanxiu might have been following them all along and was outside!

He Yande was startled and hurriedly pulled at his coat. “Quick, let’s go!”

“Master, what happened?”

Why the panic?

“We’ve fallen for He Yanxiu’s trap!”

Before He Yande could finish speaking, the sounds of clashing swords and fighting erupted outside. The torchlight cast a chill over the courtyard, reflecting off the paper windows.

Just as he suspected!

He Yande’s face darkened, and he hastily put on his outer garment.

Third Wei was also startled. “Master, hurry through the secret door! I’ll hold them off for a while.”

As he spoke, he grabbed a long sword hanging on the wall and headed outside.

He Yande pulled a veil over his face, took two guards with him, opened the secret door behind the bedroom screen, and entered a narrow passage.

The secret door quickly closed, and the screen returned to its original state.

The light in Bu Jin’s eyes gradually cooled. She then slowly picked up the scattered gauze robes and began to drape them over herself, one by one.

It truly was a case of “better to believe in ghosts than a man’s words.”

When he was in bed, he spoke with endless tenderness, even daring to utter vows of eternal love, as if he wished he could melt her into his very body. But the moment he pulled his trousers back on, he denied everything.

Right now, with the outside world in such chaos, He Yande was only concerned with his own escape, ignoring her life or death.

Ultimately, she had to rely on herself.

Bu Jin sat down in front of the bronze mirror, took some face powder from her vanity case, applied some, then gathered her loose hair, pinned it to the brightly blooming lily beside her, and looked at herself in the mirror again and again, smoothing the strands of hair at her temples, and smiled faintly.

The mirror reflected her smiling face; she was more beautiful than the flower.

He Yande, accompanied by two guards, walked for a long time through the narrow, dark secret passage before finally climbing the steps and opening the door.

The exit of the secret passage was located in the kitchen of a courtyard two alleys away from the main courtyard.

From the outside, this courtyard appeared long abandoned, with signs of burning, as if the owner had washed it and didn’t want to repair it; in such an alley, it seemed quite inconspicuous.

He Yande came out of the kitchen, saw no one around, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“Master, are you going back to the manor?” a guard asked.

It was about time to return home; they wouldn’t attract attention.

He Yande nodded, about to pull off the veil covering his face and step out, when suddenly everything went black, and several people landed in front of him.

“Who goes there?” He Yande shouted, instinctively taking two steps back.

Two guards quickly blocked He Yanxiu’s path.

“I am He Yanxiu, a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue, here to arrest the mastermind behind the collapse of the Hedong Prefecture Mint!” He Yanxiu removed his black mask and shouted loudly, “If you surrender, you may have a way out; otherwise, I will show no mercy!”

He Yande’s face immediately darkened. They had pinned such a huge charge on him right off the bat. If he were arrested now and his identity were exposed…

He Yande, the eldest son of the He family, was plotting to murder He Yanxiu, the second son of the He family.

Just this one incident alone, if it got out, even if the He family spared his life for the sake of their reputation, he would probably be sent to their estate and confined for the rest of his life.

Therefore, he absolutely could not reveal that he was He Yande today.

Or perhaps he should simply eliminate He Yanxiu today and be done with it!

He Yande gritted his teeth and tapped the shoulders of the two guards beside him.

The two guards understood, drew their swords, and rushed towards He Yanxiu and Shi Ding’s group with lightning speed.

He Yande also drew a soft sword from his waist and, taking advantage of the chaos caused by his guards fighting with He Yanxiu’s men, charged straight at He Yanxiu.

He Yanxiu was extremely skilled in martial arts, and normally, He Yande, knowing he was no match for him, would be apprehensive.

But He Yanxiu had been injured in the mine collapse in Hedong Prefecture and had not fully recovered. Not only was his strength weakened, but he would also be more cautious in his attacks.

So, he would seize this opportunity!

He Yande’s attacks were fierce, and this time he was aiming to kill He Yanxiu, forcing He Yanxiu to retreat a few steps to avoid them, gripping his longsword tightly to block.

With a clang, He Yanxiu wasn’t injured by He Yande, but the impact sent a shiver down his spine, leaving a dull ache in his wrist.

He Yanxiu gritted his teeth.

Seeing this, He Yande sneered and launched another attack.

He Yanxiu hurriedly gripped his sword to block. After several exchanges, the two were evenly matched, but He Yanxiu was now slightly at a disadvantage.

He Yande, seeing this, felt smug, his determination to kill He Yanxiu growing stronger. His soft sword flashed a few times, and seizing an opening, he swung it towards He Yanxiu’s neck.

He Yanxiu blocked He Yande’s sword but was then kicked in the chest and ribs by He Yande.

He Yanxiu immediately fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes!

It seems that from now on, when others mention the He family, they will truly only refer to him, the eldest son of the He family.

Die!

He Yande sneered, the soft sword in his hand gleaming with a sinister coldness in the moonlight…

(End of Chapter)

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