Chapter 1159: Chapter 638: No Need to Ask Further (Double-Length)
It must be that the nanny just fed the milk, Chen Yi thought, and walked over.
"Yue’er." he called out softly.
Qin Yue stopped her rattle drum, looked up, her little mouth slightly pouting, glanced at Chen Yi, then turned her attention back to the drum, clearly not very interested.
She still didn’t quite like this "dad."
But... it was him who rescued her and mom from the "ghost" yesterday...
The little girl hesitated for a moment but slowly slid down from the rock, stood properly, and responded in a small voice, "...Daddy."
"Why so unwilling?"
Chen Yi ruffled her hair, Qin Yue was a bit unaccustomed, he said softly:
"Daddy brought you candy."
Qin Yue paused, stepped back two steps.
Chen Yi laughed with tears in his eyes, "It’s really candy, good candy."
Qin Yue remained skeptical, but still wanted candy, so she asked: "Candy, where’s the good candy?"
"In my hand," Chen Yi squatted down, leveling his eyes with hers, smiling: "Was Daddy good yesterday?"
Qin Yue looked into his eyes, couldn’t resist the temptation, nodded: "...Daddy is good."
"Is Daddy the best?" Chen Yi asked deliberately, teasing her a bit.
Qin Yue’s little brows furrowed slightly, seemingly pondering seriously, then opened her little hands and made a very large gesture: "The best, the best!"
When children flatter others, whether it’s sincere or not, it always feels good.
Because people always believe children don’t lie, especially a two-year-old, and even if they did, it’s just innocent words.
"Indeed, Daddy is the best." Taking advantage of her words, Chen Yi moved over to kiss her smooth forehead, and ruffled her hair again, "Yue’er is so good."
After he said that, Chen Yi opened his hand, Qin Yue’s eyes lit up, there was indeed candy.
She took one from Chen Yi’s hand, identified it seriously, tossed it in her mouth chomping away, before she could taste it she wanted another, Chen Yi then closed his hand.
"Candy..." Qin Yue’s voice carried a hint of plea.
"Giving Yue’er candy is not impossible, but you have to play a game with Daddy."
"...Okay..."
After last night, she was indeed a bit closer, Qin Yue nodded in agreement.
"Come, play catch with Daddy!" He suddenly stood up.
Qin Yue hadn’t reacted yet, Chen Yi had already laughed and shouted "Let’s start!", turning and running into the grass beside them.
The little girl was stunned for a moment, and then her interest was ignited by this sudden chase, previous little hesitance instantly thrown to the winds, "Wait for me!"
She stretched out her short legs and ran after him.
Kids always love to play and don’t hold grudges, besides she’s only two years old.
The grass blades brushed against her little legs, carrying the dampness of the morning, Chen Yi intentionally ran clumsily, occasionally making a sound of "oops" pretending to stumble, causing the little girl behind him to scream with a mix of anxiety and excitement.
He ran around the big tree, hid behind the rockery, Qin Yue like a determined little hound, persistently chasing, her little face red, eyes shining like stars.
"Caught! Caught!"
Finally, when Chen Yi was "clumsily" tripped by a grass root and slowed down, Qin Yue suddenly lunged forward, hugging Chen Yi’s leg, her cheers echoing through the whole back garden,
"Yue’er is so, so good at catching! So happy to win, Daddy is caught! Candy, candy!"
Chen Yi let himself fall onto the soft grass, laughing heartily, lifting the little girl who clung to his leg, raising her high: "Yes yes yes! Yue’er eats candy."
For a moment, the laughter of father and daughter echoed across the grassy field.
A short distance away, in the shadow of a lush ancient tree, a dark figure stood quietly.
Qin Qingluo was standing there at some unknown time, having taken in the scene just now completely.
She watched the large and small figures rolling together on the grass, observed the pure, unreserved joy on her daughter’s face, and saw the same purity, tinged with indulgence, in Chen Yi’s eyes.
Since when have the two of them...
Become more harmonious?
The cold, hard lines of her lips, in the unseen shadows, softened ever so slightly for a moment.
"Insignificant."
............
The laughter of the father and daughter seemed to still resonate faintly on the grass. Just after Chen Yi handed the still cheerful Qin Yue back to the wet nurse, a maid approached him, bowed, and whispered, "Lord Chen, the Prince is in the Upper Study Room and summons you for an immediate audience."
The smile on Chen Yi’s face vanished, replaced by a more serious demeanor as he straightened his slightly wrinkled robe and followed the maid.
The light in the study was dim, filled with the faint scent of ink and a heavy atmosphere.
Qin Qingluo sat behind the broad desk, her tall figure almost blending with the shadows, only an isolated lamp on the desk illuminating her profile.
She was writing something, her pen sharp as a knife,
"Prince." Chen Yi saluted with cupped hands.
Qin Qingluo did not look up. Only after drawing the last stroke on the document did she set the pen aside, raised her eyes, and went straight to the point: "Detail the events of last night."
"At your command."
The female prince paused slightly and sneered, "Here comes the official..."
"I believe there’s a need to separate work from personal life," Chen Yi said with cupped hands, "Please address me as your subordinate."
Qin Qingluo nodded. Indeed, addressing him by name wasn’t quite appropriate; in the eyes of others, it could appear excessively indulgent.
Chen Yi knew she was asking about Wu Meng’s madness and the Holy Fire Order. He succinctly recounted the interrogation from the previous night—from Wu Meng’s abject confession, to his sudden reverent kneeling before the Holy Fire Order Fragment, reciting scriptures and calling it "Ming Venerable," and finally to his interrogation of the couple Yue Tingyun and Liu Hanyan that yielded no significant information.
"... experiencing joy without worry, if one says there is suffering, that’s not so... where the place is solemn and pure, no evil is unclean there..." Chen Yi recited two or three lines of scripture, "Wu Meng appeared insane, repeatedly calling me ’Ming Venerable,’ and has been re-imprisoned. From my observation of his words and actions, it seems genuine madness, not feigned."
Qin Qingluo listened quietly, her eyes lowered, her fingertips lightly tapping on the desk, making a barely audible tapping sound.
For a moment, this faint sound was all that broke the silence in the study.
"Ming’an Divine Sect..." After a while, she slowly spoke, her voice low, "Its origins are mixed, the doctrine strange, what little I recall are but superficial old tales. Indeed there once was a period of factional strife within. What Wu Meng spoke, how much is true, and how much madness, is hard to discern."
She raised her eyes, looking sharply at Chen Yi: "What is your view on the Holy Fire Order Fragment?"
"The material is extraordinary, containing abnormal power." Chen Yi spoke truthfully, "Last night during my detailed interrogation of him, he seemed to be a sect heretic, and this item also an heretical object. He claimed it related to an old unresolved case within the sect, where someone propagated ’light and darkness without boundary, humans as substitutes for god,’ and this item was the root of the trouble, subsequently purged by the Sect Hierarch. Yet when I pressed for details, he fell into madness and refused to respond further."
"Sect Hierarch Gongsun Guan... purged..." Qin Qingluo repeated softly, a hint of faint contemplation flickering in her eyes before settling back into calm. She evidently knew little about this secret, "Since it is the root of the trouble, it must be handled with caution. Having this item with you is both an opportunity and a peril."
Chen Yi nodded: "I understand. Though Wu Meng is mad, his insane ramblings may hide clues. I wish to investigate this order and the ’World-Holding Bright Envoy’ lineage further, perhaps to trace the Divine Sect’s network in the Southern Border."
Qin Qingluo was silent for a moment, then her fingertips ceased their tapping. "This matter is heavily entangled, involving the very foundation of the sect. Use your discretion, and investigate covertly. The resources of the Zige Bureau are at your disposal."
"Understood." Chen Yi replied. After a slight hesitation, he still asked, "Prince, Princess Consort Zhu... she is also a Saintess, should we... inquire of her? Perhaps she knows more of the sect’s inner secrets?"
"No need."
Qin Qingluo’s answer was decisive, devoid of hesitation, her gaze a touch cold, containing an almost imperceptible distance and caution,
"The actions of the Saintess are often elusive, their thoughts and intents beyond comprehension. The ’Divine Oracle’ they follow is often obscure, at times even... self-contradictory.
Rather than listening to their mystical words, it’s more practical for you to verify on your own.
Do not alarm her with this matter."
"As you command." Chen Yi understood.
Yet he suddenly thought, Qin Qingluo not letting him approach Zhu E to inquire this time, aside from the proper reasons, could it also... hold a trace of jealousy?
Perhaps he was overthinking it.
"You may go." Qin Qingluo picked up the pen again, her gaze returning to the documents, as if the conversation about ancient cult secrets just now was merely a trivial interlude, "Keep a close watch on Wu Meng, he may still be useful. As for that heroic couple, since they’ve been interrogated, if there are no issues, send them away from the Prince Mansion."
"Yes."
Chen Yi saluted once more, turned, and exited the dimly lit Upper Study Room.
