Chapter 004 Trap

An hour later, the sound of horse hooves clattering as a carriage departed from the dilapidated temple.

The wind and rain made the half-open windows on the wall rattle incessantly, until finally, unable to withstand the force, one of them fell to the ground with a loud crash, shattering into pieces.

Standing beside Xiao Minyuan, Liu Xi watched as the carriage faded into the rainy night, unable to hold back and whispered, "Master, she knows so much, why didn't you kill her? Why did you have someone send her back to the capital?"

Xiao Minyuan remained expressionless.

How he wished he could kill Feng Qiao.

For so many years, even when lurking in the royal court, even when pretending to be weak, he had never been so pressured by anyone.

But Feng Qiao...

She had ruthlessly exposed his scars, forcing him to reveal his hidden side.

He had almost strangled Feng Qiao just now, but in the end, he did nothing. Not only did he not kill her, but he also had to have someone escort her back to the capital, all because her father was Feng Qizhou, the deputy transport commissioner, who held real power despite his low official rank. Their attempts to win him over had been fruitless, despite their repeated efforts.

As the deputy transport commissioner, he controlled the transportation and storage of grain and goods throughout the country. Although Feng Qizhou held only a third-rank position, the wealth and resources under his control were comparable to half of the Ministry of Revenue.

Every year, the amount of money and goods passing through Feng Qizhou's hands was staggering. Everyone in the court wanted to win him over, but Feng Qizhou was unyielding, never befriending anyone or giving anyone face.

If Feng Qizhou had any weakness, it was only one – his only daughter born to his deceased wife.

Who in the capital didn't know that Deputy Transport Commissioner Feng doted on his daughter to an extreme degree and was willing to do anything for her? Feng Qiao was the precious pearl that Feng Qizhou cherished in his heart.

Untouchable, unharmed.

Not only could he not kill her, but Xiao Minyuan also had to force a smile and send her back to the capital, back to Feng Qizhou.

"Master..."

Seeing Xiao Minyuan's cold and unresponsive eyes, Liu Xi wanted to say more, but unexpectedly, he was struck hard across the face.

With a loud slap, half of Liu Xi's face swelled up.

"Master."

Liu Xi's face was full of panic as he knelt with a thud, and the other guards who had been standing nearby also knelt in fear.

"Before leaving the capital, I personally told you that the trip to Lin'an was dangerous and ordered you to put away anything that would expose our identities and attract attention, and replace them with ordinary items. Why do I now have Yunxiang embroidery silk and the dragon-patterned pendant that only the royal family possesses on me?!" Xiao Minyuan's voice was icy.

Liu Xi's pupils contracted as he suddenly remembered the words Feng Qiao had said earlier, and his face changed drastically.

Before leaving the capital, he had personally organized Xiao Minyuan's belongings, and he clearly remembered replacing everything that could expose their identities with ordinary items. So why did these things appear on Xiao Minyuan now?

The trip to Lin'an was uncertain, and Xiao Minyuan was tasked with quelling the chaos and investigating the breach of the Cang River. If something was truly discovered, there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't take desperate measures.

By wearing these items, wasn't Xiao Minyuan making himself a target, parading around under the noses of those people?

As soon as Liu Xi thought of the consequences, he repeatedly kowtowed, "It's all my fault. I was careless and almost harmed you, please punish me, Master!"

Xiao Minyuan tore off the Fulu Linglong pendant from his body and threw it to the ground, saying coldly, "Go and investigate for me!"

He wanted to see who had the audacity to plot against him like this!

Liu Xi hurriedly complied.

Xiao Minyuan clenched his lips tightly, recalling the words Feng Qiao had said before leaving, and his face darkened:

"Inform Li Su to change the route to Feng County. Send someone to find a way to infiltrate Lin'an and tell Qiu Pengcheng that as long as he is loyal to the court, I will protect his family and ensure his safety!"

---

After the carriage left the dilapidated temple, it raced towards the direction of the capital.

The heavy rain outside continued to pummel the wooden canopy on the carriage, creating a loud pounding sound.

Despite the sound of the rain, Feng Qiao was slumped inside the carriage, recalling how Xiao Minyuan had wanted to kill her but couldn't, and how he had forced a smile to see her off in the end. A pale, silent smile crept onto her face.

In her previous life, after Xiao Minyuan learned of her identity and saved her, he had intended to use this act of saving her to gain favor with her father. So, he had been extremely gentle and caring towards her. However, when they returned to the capital after being delayed in Lin'an for half a month, her father had unexpectedly passed away.

Her uncle, Feng Ke, ignored her, her aunt ridiculed her to the extreme, her grandmother had cried herself blind from grief over her father's death, and her siblings, who used to be friendly, now treated her like dirt, wanting to trample on her.

When she was no longer of use, Xiao Minyuan's previous tenderness vanished in an instant.

He callously abandoned her at the Feng family's mercy, allowing her to be bullied by the Feng family. And when she struggled to survive and finally gained the ability to protect herself, he came to demand that she repay the favor of saving his life that night in the dilapidated temple.

Feng Qiao's lips trembled as she laughed silently, her eyes filled with a chilling emptiness.

If there was anyone shameless in this world, Xiao Minyuan was undoubtedly the leader. Perhaps no one could match his cunning and ruthlessness.

If she didn't repay him properly, how could she justify the "favor" he had schemed so hard to obtain, and how could she justify her decades of painful struggle?

In the previous life, Qiu Pengcheng never thought of rebelling. Even when Li Su led the troops to battle Cao Ku, Qiu Pengcheng never actively sided with Cao Ku, only because the words she had just told Xiao Minyuan were actually excuses made by Qiu Pengcheng to exonerate herself later.

At that time, Xiao Minyuan went directly to Lin'an, and Qiu Pengcheng had already forcibly requisitioned grain for the official granary before they entered the city, and helped Xiao Minyuan suppress the rebellion.

For this, Emperor Yongzhen only demoted his official position, allowing him to escape disaster.

In this life, if Xiao Minyuan had gone directly to Lin'an, things might have developed the same as in the previous life, ultimately allowing him to gain great credit. Unfortunately, with Xiao Minyuan's temperament, after hearing her previous words, he would definitely abandon Lin'an and go to Feng County.

Xiao Minyuan has always been ruthless, and he would definitely think of capturing the Qiu family members.

If Qiu Pengcheng submits, he would gain favor by doing so;

If Qiu Pengcheng rebels, the Qiu family members would be used as hostages to control him.

Unfortunately, Xiao Minyuan would not know that once he went to Feng County, he would be touching Qiu Pengcheng's reverse scale, and Qiu Pengcheng would undoubtedly rebel.

Feng Qiao remembered the woman hidden by Qiu Pengcheng in the ancestral home of Feng County in the previous life, the descendant of the Qiu family who was accused of rebellion and was executed along with the second prince, Xiao Luo.

She wanted to see what would happen if she forced Qiu Pengcheng to rebel. If Lin'an was lost, what would Xiao Minyuan use to earn that great credit!