Chapter 24: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

    

Chapter 24: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

"The secret in the letter lies within this poem," Chang Suining said. "Although the word 'Yuanxiao Festival' is not mentioned, it is indeed an invitation for the Yuanxiao Festival, and the first words of the last three lines contain 'moon,' 'bridge,' and 'meeting'—"

The two had exchanged poetry and letters multiple times; while others might not notice, A Li would certainly understand the invitation hidden within. 

Bai Guanli and Chang Sui'an had deduced that they could trace this matter back to A Li's acquaintances and had examined Zhou Ding's letters carefully, but they were not well-versed in poetry and thus failed to detect the clues—it was perhaps the writer's intention. 

What he wanted was for A Li to understand, while others could not.

Chang Sui'an took the letter from his sister, read it over and over, his anger barely contained. "Indeed! So it is!" 

He handed it to Chang Kuo. "Father, take a look!" 

Chang Kuo received it but didn’t examine it closely; his expression had already darkened. "To prepare such tricks in advance on the letter indicates he was expecting us to investigate afterwards… It seems Zhou Ding had long been plotting!" 

While saying he had plotted long, it should not be considered too long— 

A hint of thought flickered in Chang Suining’s eyes.

The poem about the Yuanxiao Festival was much "rougher" compared to his previous letters, and the hidden words were not particularly clever; it seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision to invite A Li out— 

A sudden idea?

While Chang Suining was deep in thought, Chang Kuo had already risen, sternly commanding, "Old Bai, quickly bring this person in!" 

"Father, wait." Chang Suining interjected. "We shouldn't alarm the snake just yet—"

"He's nothing but a worm, merely looking for death!" Chang Kuo, still shaken by his fear and anger, said. "I want to personally chop this scoundrel into pieces for your sake!" 

Chang Sui'an seemed eager to join in, wanting to speak but holding back—clearly, he too wanted to strike, but didn’t dare to take food from his father's mouth. 

"True, he’s a mere worm, but the truth is still unclear, and there is a point of doubt," Chang Suining continued, asking, "Father, think for a moment: since this person has taken money from me multiple times and treats me like a rare money tree, and given that there is no conflict or contradiction between us, why would he suddenly want to chop down the tree?" 

Chang Kuo’s expression changed, and his eyes narrowed. "Unless... someone promised him more silver and offered him greater benefits?" 

Chang Suining nodded. "It's highly likely." 

While A Li was pure-hearted, she was not foolish. Being merely a young lady, the amount of silver she could use would surely not be much, especially since she knew her brother disapproved of her relationship with Zhou Ding. Thus, she would be even more reluctant to take out too much silver from the household. 

Zhou Ding must have known that the Chang family disapproved of him interacting with their young lady; he likely thought this financial support would eventually run out. If someone offered him significant profit at this moment, he would undoubtedly be tempted. 

"So... are you suggesting that this person may be acting under someone else's instructions?" Chang Sui'an exclaimed in surprise. "Who would want to harm my sister?" 

Chang Suining asked, "Have I ever had any enemies?" 

"Of course not!" Chang Sui'an replied without hesitation. "My sister is gentle by nature and pure-hearted. Not to mention having enemies, she hardly even has acquaintances..." 

As he spoke, his voice suddenly trailed off. 

Seeing his change in expression, Chang Suining asked, "Have you thought of something?" 

"My sister is undoubtedly beautiful... Since last year when she went out to enjoy the spring festival, she has earned the title of the most beautiful in the capital. It’s natural to attract jealousy from others, but..." Chang Sui'an scratched his head. "But it shouldn’t lead to such deadly consequences!" 

Chang Suining: "..." 

She truly appreciated his input. 

She could only ask, "What about you, Father? Have you offended anyone in the court or outside of it?" 

Chang Kuo pondered deeply, and during his contemplation, Chang Sui'an remarked, "Even if you have enemies, they would surely target me! What kind of skill is it to harm a young lady?" 

Chang Suining thought for a moment and found some sense in his reasoning. 

A Li's identity as an orphan was not a secret; she was known to be Chang Kuo's adopted daughter, not his biological child, which could be learned through a little investigation. Even if there were enemies of the Chang family, they wouldn’t choose to attack a weak adopted daughter instead of a biological son. 

It just couldn’t be... 

A thought struck Chang Suining, and her gaze shifted slightly.

It shouldn’t be... 

"Right now, we can't speculate further!" Chang Kuo said with an assertive tone. "Once we catch the person behind this, everything will become clear!" 

But as she said, they must not act recklessly and alert the snake. 

This time, there was indeed a snake present. 

It was probably quite a significant one. 

Chang Suining nodded. "Currently, the enemy is hidden while we are exposed; if we want to lure the snake out of its hole, we need to use Zhou Ding." 

The young girl’s demeanor remained calm throughout, leaving Chang Kuo momentarily dazed as he instinctively asked, "What do you plan to do?" 

This was something that should not involve the little girl, but she was clearly no longer the same girl from before. 

From the beginning, as they unraveled the clues step by step, it was this young girl leading the way forward, guiding them deeper into the situation. 

"This letter from eight or nine days ago contains an invitation," Chang Suining picked up the latest letter. "Then we’ll have Xi'er reply, saying that I was ill earlier and have just recovered, and I can meet him at the agreed place tomorrow." 

Chang Sui'an was astonished and uneasy. "Ning Ning... You still want to meet him?" 

"Yes, this will scare him and test him." 

"But this person is insidious; if he..." 

Chang Suining assured, "Don't worry; if I go to meet him, I will be fully prepared." 

While Chang Sui'an still felt uneasy, Chang Kuo nodded, saying softly, "In this matter, we’ll follow Suining’s plan." 

"..." Chang Sui'an clenched his fists and could only say, "Then I’ll bring more people to investigate this person’s background!" 

At first, when he learned that Zhou Ding was corresponding with his sister, he had already sent Jian Tong to check, but he only looked into his identity and family background—it was not thorough enough. 

Now that this person was so suspicious, it couldn’t be taken lightly—his ancestry, daily meals, whereabouts, and even what color underwear he wore had to be investigated thoroughly! 

Seeing the young man leave in a hurry without lingering, Chang Kuo shook his head. "This brat is still so anxious! Old Bai, go and keep an eye on him; don’t let him ruin things in his impatience!" 

Watching the youth’s back as he left, Chang Suining sighed complexly inwardly. 

That once naive boy who always stared wide-eyed at people, appearing clumsy, had now transformed into someone who wanted to support her and take charge. 

With Chang Sui'an and Bai Guanli leaving one after the other, Xi'er inevitably felt a bit confused, hesitating as she glanced at the corner of the table. "Miss, that servant..." 

Should she bump into the corner? 

If she didn’t, it would feel somewhat impolite. 

If she did bump into it, the atmosphere would no longer be the same. 

Good afternoon! There will be an additional chapter; see you at six tonight! 

(End of this chapter) 

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