Chapter 59 Argument Erupts, Qin Jiao Furious

Chapter 59: Another Dispute Arises, Qin Jiao Is Furious

Xie Nai was also stunned. "This is your seal?"

"Of course! These white jade seals used to be a matching pair. My seal has a blue qinjiao flower engraved on the body, and Lin Wen's name at the bottom. Lin Wen's seal has a tree branch engraved on the body, and my name at the bottom."

Qin Jiao glanced at Xie Nai, whose expression was displeased, and continued, "My seal was lost earlier when I was chased by men in black in Nanzhou. That night at Huojishan, as soon as you took out this seal, I recognized it as the one I lost."

After hearing Qin Jiao's words, Xie Nai's gaze fell on the seal.

No wonder Qin Jiao had repeatedly asked him that day whether he had mistakenly taken the token. So this seal actually belonged to him.

Qin Jiao looked at Xie Nai with a sneer. "Xie Nai, you took my lost seal and told me it was Lin Wen's private seal, that he wanted to kill me. Don't you think this lie is pathetic?"

Xie Nai looked at the Qin Jiao before him, his eyes dark and unreadable. "It was always those two men in black who said Lin Wen wanted to kill you."

Xie Nai’s implication was that he had not lied.

"But you kept implying that Lin Wen was the one pulling the strings!"

Qin Jiao’s eyes were red, and his hands were shaking a little. "And the morning after you gave me the token, I came to see you again. I heard you tell Luo Bei to kill those two men in black who attacked me, so they wouldn't spill the beans."

"The next day you had Luo Bei kill them, but the night before you told me they had died from their wounds!" Qin Jiao continued.

"I never said they died from their wounds," Xie Nai said coldly.

"You..."

Qin Jiao felt a dull ache in his chest.

Yes, it was Qin Jiao himself who had said they died of their wounds; Xie Nai had only nodded.

So from the very beginning, Xie Nai had planned it all. He had dug a trap and waited for Qin Jiao to fall into it.

Qin Jiao gave a bitter laugh. "So why did you keep hinting that Lin Wen was trying to kill me?"

Xie Nai did not answer. Qin Jiao dug his nails into his palms. Looking at Xie Nai before him, he suddenly felt so far away from him.

"Qin Jiao, calm down first."

Xie Nai tried to reach for Qin Jiao, but Qin Jiao sidestepped him.

At this moment, Qin Jiao's eyes were full of dejection. "You won't say it, right? Fine, let me say it for you! Because you hate Lin Wen, so you wanted to use me as a tool to take revenge on him!"

Qin Jiao felt like a pathetic pet—when Xie Nai was in the mood, he would bend down and coax him, tease him, and Qin Jiao had actually taken it seriously.

"Qin Jiao, do you even hear yourself?"

Xie Nai’s expression darkened. "If I wanted to get revenge on Lin Wen, would I need such a roundabout method?"

This wasn't like the bloodlust of battle or the irritation of arguing with Shen Fuqing. It was a suffocating urgency that rose from deep inside, and seeing Qin Jiao's pained expression only made that restless fury spike.

Qin Jiao stared into Xie Nai’s eyes, his face expressionless. "Then explain. I'm listening."

Xie Nai’s thin lips moved slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.

"Fine. Let it be."

A self-deprecating smile curled at the corner of Qin Jiao’s handsome lips. "I won't break off the engagement with Lin Wen, and don't try to interfere in my life anymore. My affairs are none of your business."

Xie Nai reached out to grab him. "Qin Jiao, you..."

"Your Highness, people from the Qin Mansion at Dongshao Temple are looking for the young master!" Just then, Luo Yue suddenly rushed over in a panic.

Luo Yue had been with Xie Nai for years; as soon as he arrived, he could tell right away Xie Nai was in a terrible mood. Cong Shuang, who came with him, also felt that Qin Jiao was falling apart emotionally.

Luo Yue and Cong Shuang exchanged a glance, both saw how lost the other was.

What happened? Weren't things fine at lunch?

The moment Qin Jiao saw Cong Shuang, the sadness he'd been holding back hit him like a flood he couldn't hold back. He ran toward Cong Shuang and, before she could react, grabbed her hand and took off running.

Qin Jiao was gone like the wind.

"Your Highness? Uh..."

Luo Yue stood there with a food box in his hand, totally lost. "This drunken crab—should I still send it to the young master?"

Inside the box were a dozen or so plump, rich drunken crabs. Good crabs were super rare this season; the Young Emperor had set these aside for his Sixth Prince uncle.

Luo Yue knew at once who the crabs were meant for, but now the person they were for had stormed off...

"Forget it. Send them to Shen Fuqing." Xie Nai rubbed his temples and said quietly. Luo Yue was about to leave when Xie Nai suddenly changed his mind. "Never mind. Take them back."

That lunatic Shen Fuqing had stirred up a mess; let him eat dirt instead.

Qin Jiao pulled Cong Shuang all the way out of Taiyu Temple, passing Luo Bei along the way.

Luo Bei smiled and greeted Qin Jiao, but Qin Jiao was in a foul mood and was pissed off by anything having to do with Xie Nai, so he strode right past Luo Bei without acknowledging him. Cong Shuang, however, grimaced and signed an apology toward Luo Bei. Whether Luo Bei understood it or not was unclear.

Qin Jiao and Cong Shuang went back into Dongshao Temple through a secluded side gate. As soon as they stepped inside, Qin Ji and Qin Han rushed over all worried.

"Brother, where did you go?"

Qin Han’s pretty brows furrowed. "We've been looking all over for you."

"I just walked around."

Qin Jiao forced himself to calm down and said softly.

"What walk? You made everyone wait for you."

Qin Ji complained unhappily. Qin Han nudged him to shut up. Qin Ji ignored Qin Han and snorted: "Come on, we're heading back!"

Qin Jiao was too wiped out to argue with Qin Ji. He replied in a low voice, "Let's go."

The three walked forward together. Qin Ji, being tall and long-legged, got way ahead of Qin Jiao and Qin Han. Watching Qin Ji’s pissed-off stride, Qin Han shook her head, not knowing what to do.

Gradually, Qin Jiao and Qin Han walked side by side, with Cong Shuang following behind. Suddenly, Qin Jiao felt Qin Han slip a few pastries wrapped in oil paper into his hand.

?

Qin Jiao looked down. Qin Han had slipped a few pastries wrapped in oil paper into his hand.

Qin Han smiled at Qin Jiao.

"What are you two doing?"

Qin Ji turned around to look at Qin Jiao and Qin Han. Qin Han stopped talking to Qin Jiao. She stepped quickly to Qin Ji's side and urged softly, "Don't mind us, let's go! Mother will be asking soon."

"Alright, let's go, let's go. Hey, don't push me."

Qin Han pushed Qin Ji and they left first. Qin Jiao froze for a moment, then Cong Shuang came up from behind him and took the pastries from his hand.

The pastries Qin Han brought were not many, but enough to take the edge off his hunger.

Cong Shuang smiled slightly. Previously, Shen Fuqing said that no one in the Qin Mansion had even discovered Qin Jiao's disappearance, but it turned out he was wrong.

In the Qin Mansion, there were still people who cared about Qin Jiao.

----------------------------------------