Chapter 965 Gathering People’s Hearts
At noon, the maid "Huan'er" tiptoed out of Ling Xiaoxiao's room carrying a half-pot of herbal tea, and carefully closed the door.

"Is the lady asleep?"

"what……"

Suddenly, a cold voice sounded behind Huan'er, catching her off guard and causing her to scream subconsciously.

"Shh!"

It happened so fast. At the moment when Huan'er screamed, a white figure flashed through the courtyard like a ghost, and in the blink of an eye, it was behind Huan'er. The person covered Huan'er's mouth and nose with his left hand, and held her waist with his right hand, and retreated quickly, leaping several feet, until he "escaped" from the inner courtyard.

"Woooooooo..."

"Don't be afraid, Huan'er, it's me!"

When they reached a secluded place, the man let go of the frightened Huan'er and introduced himself to her.

"Seventh...Seventh Master?"

After recognizing Murong Bai's identity, Huan'er couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief. The fear on her face quickly dissipated, but a hint of shyness flashed in the depths of her eyes.

"Madam was taking a nap, and Master Qi came again quietly, so I didn't notice him for a moment..."

"No problem!" Looking at Huan'er who was hastily explaining herself, Murong Bai interrupted indifferently, "I have something to ask you."

"Oh……"

Murong Bai's arrogance and indifference were like a basin of cold water poured over Huan'er's head, instantly extinguishing all of Huan'er's enthusiasm.

"I knew that Master Qi wouldn't look for me for no reason..." Huan'er muttered to herself with a disappointed look on her face, "I've been thinking about you day and night in vain..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing... nothing!" Huan'er was startled by Murong Bai's questioning. Her cheeks quickly flushed and she evaded the question by saying, "Seventh Master... What did Seventh Master want to ask me?"

"You are the Madam's favorite maid. You serve her day and night, so you must know a lot of secrets." Murong Bai was frank and always spoke quickly. "If you can tell me what I asked, then tell me. If you can't tell me... you don't have to tell me."

"Why does Seventh Master have to be so distant with Huan'er? Six years ago, if it weren't for Seventh Master's great mercy, Huan'er would not only be unable to bury her parents, but maybe... even I would have starved to death on the street." Huan'er pouted her lips, pretending to be unhappy. "Seventh Master saved Huan'er's life and gave her a new life. Therefore, Huan'er has no secrets that cannot be told in front of Seventh Master."

"That's wrong! Back then, I paid for the corpse and you sold yourself into slavery. It was just a business deal between us. How can I talk about saving your life or giving you a new life?" Murong Bai frowned and corrected him, "Over the years, you have risen from a handyman to the lady's personal maid. It was all because of your diligence and cleverness. It has nothing to do with me."

"If Master Qi hadn't brought me into the mansion, no matter how hard I worked, I would never have been appreciated by the Madam."

"Forget it! Don't take the past to heart, and don't talk about it." Murong Bai waved his hand impatiently, "Let me ask you, what is the relationship between the Madam and the Lord of the Mansion?"

"Seventh Master is asking..."

"I'm asking about the 'current palace lord' Xie Xuan." Murong Bai saw through Huan'er's confusion and gave a simple and straightforward answer.

"The relationship between the Madam and the Lord of the Mansion is... quite good." Huan'er nodded, not quite understanding, "They talked and laughed when they met, just like before."

"How is it in private?" Murong Bai thought again, "In private, what does Madam think of Xie Xuan?"

"This..." Huan'er was stunned, with a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

"If you don't want to say it, you don't have to say it."

"It's not that Huan'er doesn't want to say it, it's just... Huan'er doesn't dare to say it." Huan'er rubbed the corners of her clothes repeatedly with her hands, and said hesitantly, "I'm worried that I'll take it out of context and cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

"What happened today came out of your mouth and entered my ears. Heaven and earth know it, you know it, and I know it." Murong Bai heard something strange in Huan'er's words, and was secretly shocked. His tone was inevitably uneasy, "Huan'er, tell me honestly, did the lady privately... complain about Xie Xuan?"

"I don't know the details. Madam didn't allow me to sit in on everything. She often ordered me to leave." Huan'er frowned slightly and recalled carefully, "But from what I heard, Madam doesn't seem to trust the mansion master... Today, she and the Fourth Master mentioned the leader of Qingfeng Alliance, saying that... she wanted to put the blame for the pursuit of Liu Xunyi on the mansion master, and falsely accused him of secretly communicating with Liu Xunyi and deliberately leaking the news..."

"What?" Huan'er's answer surprised Murong Bai, and his expression turned extremely ugly. "What else did they say?"

"They also said... the mansion master has been close to a man named Lei Zhen from outside the pass recently. Madam and the fourth master complained that Lei Zhen corrupted the mansion master and made him develop the bad habit of seeking prostitutes." Facing Murong Bai's questioning, Huan'er told him everything she knew, "Madam asked the fourth master to go to Mingling Yayuan to find the girl who was in love with the mansion master and help her redeem herself, so as not to tarnish the reputation of the Xianwang Mansion... Madam has complained more than once that the mansion master was not serious about hunting down Liu Xunyi... Madam said that unless the mansion master personally captured Liu Xunyi, she would never believe in the mansion master's innocence, and she also said something like 'it is better to be wronged than to let go'..."

As Huan'er continued to tell his story, Murong Bai became more and more frightened and terrified. When Huan'er finished speaking, Murong Bai was timid and frightened, and he was stunned for a long time.

"Seventh Master, Seventh Master..."

Huan'er had never seen Murong Bai so panicked, so she couldn't help but feel worried, so she kept asking, "Seventh Master, has something happened?" "Ah?" Murong Bai suddenly realized what Huan'er said and hurriedly warned, "Huan'er, never say what you just said again. Today... just pretend that I haven't seen you."

"I understand." Huan'er was smart and didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she agreed very obediently, "Don't worry, Master Qi. I will never tell anyone else about this."

"That's great!" At this moment, Murong Bai was extremely worried. He ignored Huan'er's "flattering" and said nonchalantly, "Go back quickly and don't let others notice."

"Seventh Master, I made a pair of shoes for you a while ago... If you don't mind, I'll bring them to you right away to let you try them on..."

However, before Huan'er could express her feelings, Murong Bai, who was in a state of panic, had already left without looking back. Therefore, when Huan'er mustered up the courage to raise her head, Murong Bai had already disappeared, which made her feel stunned and embarrassed, and she stopped talking abruptly.

Then, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, Huan'er cursed inwardly, "You are such a blockhead." She stamped her feet and turned away angrily.

When the confused Murong Bai stumbled to the door of the study, his emotions became more and more agitated and his eyes became more and more conflicted.

"come in!"

Before he could hesitate whether to knock on the door, Xie Xuan's voice suddenly came from the room. Murong Bai was refreshed, and he simply made up his mind, pushed hard, and strode into the room.

In the study, Xie Xuan, who was calm and composed, had already prepared two cups of tea. One cup was placed in front of him, and the other was placed opposite him, as if they were waiting for him.

"How is it? Are you shocked by Huan'er's news?"

Looking at Xie Xuan who was so secretive, Murong Bai's face changed color, his breathing became heavier, and it was clear how drastically his mood was fluctuating.

"boom!"

"why?"

Murong Bai rushed to Xie Xuan and slammed his fist on the table, shaking the two cups of tea. The tea spilled and splashed all over the table.

"Why did you let me go find Huan'er? Why did you let me ask her those inexplicable questions?" Murong Bai's face was as gloomy as water, and he asked word by word, "Xie Xuan, what exactly are you thinking?"

"Huan'er has always regarded you as her savior. She has fallen in love with you since the first time she saw you. Therefore, only you can ask her about the Madam's secrets. If it were someone else, there would be no such opportunity." Xie Xuan remained calm, leisurely picked up the teacup and took a sip, and said lightly, "As for the questions I asked you to ask... not only for me, but also for you. Looking at your current appearance, I can guess what Huan'er is talking about without asking me. Murong Bai, you and I have been brothers in life and death for more than ten years. Do you think I have bad intentions in asking you to find out the Madam's secrets? Do you think I have bad intentions towards the Madam? No! The one who has bad intentions and bad intentions is not me, but... the Madam."

"Why is this happening?"

Although Xie Xuan's tone was as calm as water, his words were as sharp as a knife, which made Murong Bai feel mixed emotions and he didn't know how to respond for a moment.

The sudden "internal strife" caught him off guard and he was at a loss as to what to do as he was bent on revenge.

"Why is this happening?" Murong Baiqun was full of suspicion and asked repeatedly, "Why does the lady suspect that you and Liu Xunyi...are secretly colluding? Why does she keep testing you again and again? Why does she want to kill you and 'prefer to be wronged rather than let you go'?"

"What do you think?" Xie Xuan's eyes flashed, and he asked meaningfully, "Why do you trust everyone, Madam, but you are so suspicious of me?"

"Xie Xuan, I don't want to guess right now!" Murong Bai waved his hand and asked seriously, "Tell me clearly, have you... colluded with Liu Xunyi secretly?"

Looking at the upset Murong Bai, Xie Xuan had a blank expression on his face and said nothing. He just stared straight at Murong Bai's eyes that were full of melancholy and confusion with his deep eyes.

"You...you...are you really colluding with Liu Xunyi secretly?" Seeing Xie Xuan remain silent, Murong Bai, who was gradually coming to his senses, was shocked.

At the same time, he could no longer suppress his anger, and suddenly made a move, with his five fingers like hooks, tightly pinching Xie Xuan's neck. His eyes were bloodshot, his whole body was trembling, and he gritted his teeth and asked aggressively: "Xie Xuan, how dare you betray the Xianwang Mansion? You..."

"Actually, you should ask me what happened on the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month two years ago?" Xie Xuan was pinched by Murong Bai's throat, but he remained calm and unmoved. "You should ask me... who killed the palace master?"

"This……"

Xie Xuan's calmness and fearlessness in the face of death made Murong Bai waver in his murderous intention. The scenes of the night when Luo Tianjin was murdered flashed quickly through his mind.

"Before the time was not right, I had to live in disgrace and endure humiliation. Now the trend is irresistible and I have to shoot. Therefore, there are some secrets... I don't have to hide them anymore. Now that things have come to this, you and I brothers must work together and share the same hatred for the enemy." Xie Xuan suddenly made a move and tightly grasped Murong Bai's trembling wrist. Every word he said was sonorous and resounding, "Xie dares to swear to the spirit of the mansion master in heaven that every word I said is the truth. If you still have the mansion master in your heart and still recognize me as your brother, you should understand my good intentions and know what to do next. If you are ungrateful and curry favor with the powerful, you can just stab my heart with a gun and let me meet the mansion master in the underworld as soon as possible."

"you……"

"In fact, the culprit who murdered the mansion master was not Zhao Yuan and Liu Xunyi, but... Ling Xiaoxiao and Qingfeng."

……

(End of this chapter)