Chapter 5: Direct Search

Chapter 005: Direct Search

Seeing the lack of panic on Qin Zi'er's face, Qin Mingyue became even more incensed. She barked angrily, "How could you not have seen the assassin? The assassin clearly ran into your room. The estate is heavily guarded right now; the assassin couldn't possibly have escaped. They must be here with you."

Qin Zi'er slowly curled her lips, a faint, mocking smile appearing on her face. Qin Mingyue’s brows furrowed slightly as she stared straight at Qin Zi'er. Today’s Qin Zi'er was different from usual. In the past, seeing them would have made her tremble with fear; how could she be this calm now? Furthermore, whenever she saw Prince Su in the past, she would have been too shy to even show her face. Why was she acting so abnormally today?

"Big Sister, we all saw the assassin running in the direction of Fuliu Courtyard. If you know the assassin's whereabouts, just say it. With Prince Su here, he will certainly not let the assassin threaten you."

As Qin Mingyue spoke, she glanced at Prince Su before quickly looking back at Qin Zi'er. Qin Zi'er’s unusual behavior made Qin Mingzhu feel a slight sense of unease, a nagging premonition that something was wrong. But thinking back to her previous cowardly demeanor, she set her mind at ease. To Qin Mingzhu, crushing Qin Zi'er was no harder than crushing an ant.

Qin Mingzhu’s words led the crowd to wonder if Qin Zi'er was indeed being threatened by the assassin, which was why she dared not reveal their location.

"Zi'er, if you know the assassin's whereabouts, just say it. Father will certainly ensure your safety." The Prime Minister, Qin Guangze, fixed a sharp gaze on Qin Zi'er. His words sounded gentle, but Qin Zi'er knew exactly how forceful his true intent was. If she didn't reveal the assassin's location today, she feared he would be willing to kill his own daughter.

Facing everyone's gaze, Qin Zi'er stood calmly. She hadn't sensed anyone breaking into the courtyard earlier, and as for them claiming to have seen the assassin run toward her, she had no idea where they had supposedly seen that. However, since Qin Guangze said so, there must have been an assassin in the estate who had disturbed everyone. But who exactly was this assassin? Whether it was an outsider or someone from the Prime Minister's estate was hard to say. It was clear, however, that Qin Guangze himself did not fully understand what was going on.

"I truly have not seen any assassin. However, Second Sister and Third Sister are certainly bold, daring to go and capture an assassin while one is loose in the estate."

As soon as Qin Zi'er finished speaking, everyone’s eyes fell upon Qin Mingyue and Qin Mingzhu. With an assassin on the loose, the other young ladies were all frightened out of their wits; the Second and Third Misses were indeed remarkably bold.

Qin Mingzhu’s eyes flickered, but she quickly smiled slowly. "With Prince Su and Father here, even if there were ten assassins, they wouldn't stand a chance, so we have no need to worry. Big Sister, you should also trust Prince Su and Father, and not be intimidated by a mere assassin."

"Prince Su, Father, let’s just search this courtyard directly. If the assassin is hiding here, we will definitely find them. Since Big Sister doesn't want to tell you, we will just find them ourselves."

Qin Mingyue had run out of patience. She only wanted to see the sight of a man being dragged out of Qin Zi'er's room. So what if she was the legitimate daughter? She was even worse off than a concubine-born daughter like herself. She might not be able to compare to Qin Mingzhu, but she was far better than Qin Zi'er.

Qin Guangze glanced at Prince Su. If not for the Prince's presence, he would have ordered a search immediately. But because Zi'er was betrothed to Prince Su, her status was no longer just that of his daughter, but also the Prince's fiancée. If he ordered a search without regard for the Prince's face, he feared he would incur the Prince's displeasure. That was why he had repeatedly asked Qin Zi'er for the assassin's whereabouts.

"Your Highness, shall we proceed with a direct search?"